A life told through songs

Film songs deliver an emotional and textural surplus that stays much longer than its cinematic experience.

What made Anand Bakshi an exceptional lyricist of the film industry was his abiding devotion to his craft, making sure that his lyrics belonged to the characters who lip sync the songs on screen. ‘If found (him) visible in the song instead, he considered himself a failed film lyricist’. True to his conviction, Bakshi sought a heart wrenching melody (Aaj dil pe koi jor chalta nahi from film Milan) dropped from the film as he could not believe that the characters could sing those literary verses. Carefully chosen words and their arrangement deliver specific meanings, feelings, and emotions that slip from on-screen renditions into countless living audiences who hold them as ageless soundtracks in their minds. 

A key aspect of enjoying songs comes from the words, and with an understanding for rhythm and a flair for music Anand Bakshi could unlock the power of words into memorable lyrics for innumerable cinematic situations. Though he couldn’t complete his schooling, the creative genius could imprint life’s lessons on some 3,500 songs in his nearly five-decade career as a lyricist. Unlike a poet for whom even sky has no limits, a lyricist has to limit his thoughts and expressions within the confines of the script to contribute in creating a musical interlude that takes the narrative forward while remaining a standalone piece for the listener. Reason enough that playback songs transcend demographic limits, linguistic barriers, and class boundaries.   

Rakesh Bakshi banks upon his father’s diary entries, anecdotal reflections from his illustrious colleagues, and fragments of episodic memories in recreating the persona of an inimitable lyricist whose words and metaphors continue to remain a vital part of the daily existence for millions of his fans and listeners. It is an intimate peek into the life of a soldier whose humble beginning could not deter him from pursuing a passion for conveying his lived experiences through simple verses that the listener could easily relate to. A section featuring Anand Bakshi’s favourite forty songs is a veritable treat, providing rare insights on how those verses came into being. 

Nagme, Kisse, Baatein, Yaadein is an accomplished biography, grounded in the reality that film songs deliver an emotional and textural surplus that stays much longer than its cinematic experience. It also reveals that a film song is a cunning device that injects an artistic mode of expression into the story, communicating through lyrics what cannot be said through words. ‘Good songs exist in good stories,’ Anand Bakshi would say, ‘it is a matter of getting them out from the situations.’ Despite his limited vocabulary, the lyricist in him could make simple words sound profound - Kutch to log kahenge (Film: Amar Prem) connects at a much deeper level.     

Revisiting the past must have been melancholic for author Rakesh Bakshi but it serves an implicit purpose of connecting with the present generation who may have been lost on the rich tradition of lyrics writing and its irretrievable impact. It has been two decades since Anand Bakshi departed but not a day passes without many of his memorable songs getting played on the radio. As much a celebration of his talent, the book is a tribute to his indomitable spirit of living up to his passion. By refusing to give up on his dreams and ambitions, Anand Bakshi left an inspiring message for those who have dreams and ambitions to chase. ‘Your dream is a chance. If you take it, it’s risky. If you do not take it, it is dangerous.’

Like his lyrics, his life too communicates ‘the feeling that there is always more to tell than can be said’.

Nagme, Kisse, Baatein, Yaadein – The life and lyrics of Anand Bakshi
by Rakesh Anand Bakshi
Penguin/Ebury Press, New Delhi.
Extent: 198, Price: Rs. 599. 

First published in the Hindustan Times on Dec 4, 2021. 

The Right Words for the Right Tunes

Lyrics are to music what heart is to body, thereby creating a pulsating culture of distinct narrative that has survived since the advent of sound in cinema. 

Over decades, songs have acquired a musical grammar of its own in building an emotional chord with its listeners, both on and off the screen. From populist numbers to flashy entertainers, songs have outlived films in people’s memory. Each song holds a distinct complexion and aura in taking the cinematic narrative forward, which gave lyricists an opportunity to weave magic with words to articulate emotions in simple, accessible verses. Yet, their immense contribution to Hindi cinema has not got its due, lost to overt recognition of music composers and singers.  

Main Shayar Toh Nahin is a comprehensive attempt at restoring that disparity by revisiting the lives and works of those whose lyrics reigned supreme in conveying emotions of all hues, and thereby became part of the cultural fabric of the society. From the art and craft of song writing to structuring poetry into the film narrative, and from capturing depth and range of human emotions to pacing simple verses as musical interludes, the book delves into all that went into loading simple words on complex situations for creating a lasting impact. Such has been the contributions of leading lyricists, from Pradeep to Kaifi and from Majrooh to Gulzar, that film songs attained personal and social relevance beyond just pleasing the ear. 

Without Sahir’s heart-rending Babul ki duaen leti jaa marriage ceremonies are rarely considered complete; Anand Bakshi’s reflections in Kuch to log kahenge help listeners overcome life’s tribulations; and Shailendra’s classic Sajan re jhoot mat bolo holds moral lessons. By playing with power of words lyricists could evoke multiple emotions to suit myriad situations on screen, converting life’s experiences into simple but relatable verses. Words are intelligently packed to lend meanings through music to create uplifting, inspirational, and soothing effects.  

Filled with trivia and unheard anecdotes, Rajiv Vijayakar has pieced together a fascinating history of lyricists that reads like a who’s who of all those who have carried the rich tradition of weaving words into music to assert that ours is a land of lyrical expression of thoughts and emotions. Lyricists, unlike poets, face the challenge of reading the situation, the emotion, and the character on the screen in selecting verses that not only conform to the musical tune but appeal to the masses too. ‘The power play of words saw entire philosophies written using fluid, everyday language’, says the author. Indeevar’s Kasme vaade pyaar wafa and Gulzar’s Aane wala pal jaane wala hai continue to resonate till this day. What must not be lost to oversight is that while creating a rich and variegated collection of happy, sad, and romantic songs these lyricists had to strike a perfect balance between their creative instincts and the demanding ecosystem?  

As the book traverses the musical journey of lyricists, it also seeks to explore why words and melody have a fleeting presence today. With commerce taking precedence over creativity, grammar, aesthetics, and the finesse of language has taken a beating. How else would any lyricist use the word haalaatein when haalat (circumstances) itself is a plural term! Curiously, the consequent sense of loss that music lovers feel is falling on deaf ears. Known for his impeccable reputation as a lyricist, late Raja Mehdi Ali Khan had long opined that lack of language proficiency and reading habit had brought the inevitable decline in the quality of lyrics. Rightly so, as a majority of today’s lyrics are mere assemblages of words, bereft of thoughts.

Far from being judgmental, entertainment journalist Rajiv Vijayakar draws the contours of change sweeping the world of film music, and the challenges that lie ahead. It is evident that in the predominant market culture, songs have become products with a short shelf life. ‘Songs are dying faster today because the importance of words has decreased’. Much of the onus rests on how the music industry recognizes and responds to the importance of words, and gives lyricists their due in reviving the culture of songs. For the music loving populace, however, songs promise more than mere entertainment as these push thoughts, impart lessons, discuss morality, and provide a psycho-therapeutic balm.  

Main Shayar Toh Nahin is all that an avid music lover ever wanted to know about what went into creating a memorable song. It is a tribute to the genius of past lyricists, who made the audiences connect and identify with the words at the personal level. Such has been the impact and power of lyrics that a vast majority can effortlessly recall several such songs. Will the present-day lyricists uphold that rich tradition! 

Main Shayar Toh Nahin
by Rajiv Vijayakar
HarperCollins, New Delhi
Extent: 347, Price: Rs 499.

First published in the Hindustan Times, issue dated March 30, 2019.

Music to the years

During the decades in which the nation was made, unmade and remade, songs captured the mood, sentiments, and consciousness of the country’s identity.

Could there be any political underpinnings of the time reflected in this unforgettable song Hum bewafa hargiz na thay, par hum wafa kar na sake of the late 70’s? Not much is there to write home about Anand Bakshi’s lyrics, but Kishore Kumar’s pitch, tone and tenor of delivery made the song a timeless classic. Give a discerning year to the song and one can draw an interesting parallel to this hit-song from a flop-film. Much like the short-lived Janata Party rule at the centre at that time, the much-hyped film Shalimar too had flopped at the box office the same year. And, the song conveyed the message that letting down the people was neither the objective nor the intention. It applied as much to the characters in reel life as to the politicians in real life. 

Differing in their journalistic experiences and personal interests, Ankur Bhardwaj, Seema Chisti and Sushant Singh teamed together to draw such parallels, one song per year, to complement the twists and travails of seventy years of post-independent era. As much a book of general knowledge, Note by Note captures the rhythm of country’s socio-economic and political rumblings to the beat of popular film music. The symphony it creates is imaginative, interesting and engaging albeit in parts.

There is no denying the fact that Bollywood songs have held relevance beyond the narratives and situations unfolding in the films. Living in our collective memory, songs articulate some of our deepest desires, delights and even nightmares. Written by some of the great contemporary poets and composed by pre-eminent musicians, film songs have tended to reflect upon our everyday existential, social, national, and universal concerns. The authors argue that rather than narrowing the notion of ‘India’, popular music has continued to expand it. During the decades in which the nation was made, unmade and remade, songs captured the mood, sentiments, and consciousness of the country’s identity. . 

If Guru Dutt’s reaction to the persistent corruption and degradation of society a decade after independence was masterfully captured in the song Jinhe naaz hai Hind par who kahan hai, the end of jury system following the landmark Nanavati case was epitomized by Pyar kiya to darna kya. Without doubt, much of the 60s and 70s were youthful years of post-independence generation, the whiff of romance in the air found reflections in first, Oh haseena zulfon waali as an attempt to woo lady love, and second,  Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko confirming  that love has finally found its mark. With one song representing each year of independent India’s history, the book gives music to the years by picking one Hindi film song that was composed and widely heard during the year. 

Nothing could be more challenging than to pick one popular from among hundreds of songs to mirror the development of the nation during a particular year. Some lyrics closely reflect the unfolding realities whereas many other songs need interpretation to match the situation. While the authors argue that the link between words and tunes of songs with the people has been deeper and stronger, the present-day lyricists and composers have the added challenge to generate the level of feelings that can sustain that link. 

Although the efforts by Bhardwaj, Chishti and Singh are commendable, midway through the book a reader starts to wonder if it is a general knowledge book peppered with songs or a book of songs interspersed with general knowledge. However, the authors succeed in making reading modern history musical by juxtaposing short analyses of the songs with thumbnail sketches of development. Papa kehte hain bada naam karega bore little resemblance to the events in the country in 1988, but the lyrics by celebrated poet Majrooh Sultanpuri sought hope amidst all round anxiety. Whether or not one accepts the choice of songs, the selection not only captures the overall mood and groove of the year but the poetic sensitivity with which it was musically expressed as well. 

Be it a reflection of Jawaharlal Nehru drafting country’s future through Afsana likh rahe hoon in 1947 to the period of deaths and strife in 1993 which sought nothing less than a mourner to hum Dil hoom hoom kare, Ghabaraae, the songs of the past seven decades clearly reflect the innate resilience that has seen the country emerge unscathed from each bout of uncertainty. Nothing but the number Anhoni ko honi kar dein, honi ko anhoni, from the movie Amar Akbar Anthony, released in 1977, reflects our national character of pulling ourselves out from all odds. 

Having grown up with the memorable film music of yesteryears, the book evokes nostalgia of the era when rhythm and melody reigned supreme in conveying emotions of all hues. The songs of the past were part of the cultural fabric of the society, stirring emotional chord with its listeners. In the predominant market culture, however, songs are like products on the supermarket shelves! 

Note By Note
by Ankur Bhardwaj, Seema Chisti, Sushant Singh
Harper Collins, Delhi
Extent: 159, Price: $35  

First published in Hindustan Times dated Sept 8, 2018