This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
Missing Films of 1960s – 30
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Before I started working on this post, I was under the misconception that this film has already opened its account on our blog. Why I have carried this impression, I myself am not sure. This has happened with me a few times. On a couple of occasions, I even have sent an SOS message to Atul ji, just to confirm. Sometimes, this feeling that a particular song or a particular film is already present on our blog, is so strong, that either I will not look it up. Or if I do, then I don’t believe that it is not present. It makes me feel that there is some error in the data files. And that is when the SOS message to Atul ji happens. Maybe, it is because that at some point in time in the past, I have thought about writing up a particular song. That desire is so intense, that an impression stays in the mind that it has happened, even though I did not really get around to doing it, for some reason.
The film ‘Aasmaan Mahal’ belongs in that category. When I got the list of missing films from 1960s from Khyati Ben, I was surprised to see this film listed there. I checked and double checked – yes this film has not yet made its entry on our blog. Khyati Ben’s communication is also quite a while ago now, so this debut has taken its own sweet time.
Released in 1965, this film is from one of those different line directors who will not walk a beaten path – Khwaja Ahmed Abbaas. Whenever, I have an encounter with his films, it always has been that the director himself stands out much taller than his creations. Abbaas Sb belongs to that set of directors whose approach to realism is starkly different. Over the decades, the film producers and directors have been raising the bar on creating a progressively more realistic experience for the audiences. Their violence is very real, their romancing and love making is very real, their action and the settings are getting more real, the scenic projections are getting more and more real with the help of better technology and methods. They will make one lose the sense of the medium, that you are watching a film. Their endeavor is to draw the audience so powerfully into the scene, that it seems like being there, seeing that. But there is something missing. And the missing element is the reality of life – the realism of the human situation. What remains is entertainment, no doubt a significant cause for the industry, but the message of life is lost beneath the noise of the effort to present a situation more and more realistically.
Abbaas Sb and other directors of his ilk will present you with drama that does not let you forget that it is after all a drama. They don’t spend any energies to transform reel life into real life. The situations, the expressions, the motions – will not make the audience forget that they are watching a make believe reel life. Au contraire, their triumph is that they are successful in projecting the human situation as it is, and confront the audience with the realism of human beings. They will present a slice of life that is most of the time, a part of our personal experience. Only that they bring it into a sharper focus. Entertainment is not the primary quest. The primary quest is to deliver a message without any soothing embellishments.
The era is late 1930s and early 1940s. The philosophy of communism, which in prior decades had made an impact in Europe, and created a new behemoth nation, the USSR, was maturing. The initial euphoria and the romanticism which captures the imagination of every generation coming of age, brought this philosophy to the centre of the world stage. The Russian influence would work in neighbuoring China also, which would become a communist nation, about a decade later. The influence carried to South America, to Africa and to South and South East Asia, In that backdrop, the communist movement started to take roots in India also.
Being a movement of the masses, their primary method was to reach out to the people in the rural areas and the in the lower strata of the society. The thinkers and dreamers in the cultural spaces were quite influenced by this ideology, and the IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) was born. In its heydays in the 1940s and 1950s, it boasted of membership that read like the who’s who of the Indian film industry, as well as the Indian writers / authors / poets of any and all significance. Abbaas Sb has been a prominent and leading luminary of this movement of cultural expression in India. I borrow from one of my earlier articles (the post on the song “Aandhi Aaye Ke Toofaan” – film ‘Saat Hindustani’ (1969)), and reproduce a set of paragraphs about him.
The Wikipeadia page on Abbas Saab contains very interesting information about this personality, e.g. fact like his family tree is traced back to Ayub Ansari, a close associate of Prophet Mohammed, and that his grandfather was one of the prominent soldiers in the 1857 uprising against the Britishers and a martyr, sentenced to be blown on a cannon, and that Abbas Saab is the great great great grandfather of Shahid Kapoor. Besides these familial facts, Abbas Saab has been a prolific writer and journalist, and a noted story writer and film maker in Hindi Cinema. His column ‘Last Page’ in ‘Blitz’, the Bombay based newspaper, ran from 1935 to 1987, the longest running column in the history of Indian journalism. He wrote 73 books in Hindi, Urdu and English, and is considered as one of the premier Urdu short story writers of the 20th century.
Abbas Saab started his career in the film industry in 1936, as a publicist for Bomaby Talkies. He wrote the story and screenplay for ‘Naya Sansar’ (1941) that launched his career as a writer. He also had strong Marxist leanings, and was part of the IPTA (Indian People’s Theatre Association) movement in the 40s and 50s. His debut as a director was with the movie ‘Dharti Ke Lal’ (1945), a movie based on the catastrophic Bengal famine of 1943, produced by IPTA. His other notable screenplay contributions have been Chetan Anand’s ‘Neecha Nagar’, V Shantaram’s ‘Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahaani’, and many movies from the RK studios including ‘Aawaara’, ‘Shri 420’, ‘Jaagte Raho’, ‘Mera Naam Joker’, ‘Bobby’, ‘Henna’ etc. Incidentally, the movie ‘Neecha Nagar’ (1946) has the unique distinction of being the first Indian film to win the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.
Abbas Saab was a pioneer of the neo-realistic parallel cinema, and through his own production house Naya Sansar, made many notable films like ‘Anhonee’, ‘Raahi’, ‘Munna’, ‘Shehar Aur Sapna’, ‘Aasmaan Mahal’, ‘Char Dil Char Raahen’, ‘Saat Hindustani’, ‘Do Boond Pani’ etc. He won the National Award for ‘Shehar Aur Sapna’, and the awards for best film on national integration for ‘Saat Hindustani’ and ‘Do Boond Pani’.
With ‘Aasmaan Mahal’, Abbaas Sb got the opportunity to present literally the decay and transition of the old feudal systems, being replaced by the power of the worker class – which is the central theme of the Marxist philosophy. The story revolves around the haveli named ‘Aasmaan Mahal’ – a once grand palace which has been the residence of a generation of Nawabs, in the city of Hyderabad. With all avenues of revenue and income dried out, the family and the palace has fallen into decay. There are no finances to maintain the place. The current Nawab, role played by Prithviraj Kapoor, lives on in the hope of one day being able to uncover a hidden treasure on the premises. The archaic tales of the palace tell of a previous generation Nawab having hidden away a large stash of gold and jewels some place in the palace. Its whereabouts are not known.
Meanwhile the errant and spoilt son of the Nawab, role played by Dileep Raj, would not know better, spending his time and days as young men of Nawab families are supposed to. The reality of penury comes home to roost one day. The young heir apparent chooses to start working in a car repair workshop. And he falls in love with the daughter of a commoner. Expectedly, the standoff happens between the generations, with both sides taking tough stands – the elder Nawab arguing about the opulence of the past and where they come from, and the young man talking about the ground realities of what they are now. A compromise consensus is arrive at, the young man gets to marry his beloved in a last big celebration that happens in the palace, after which the palace is auctioned off. The elder Nawab passes away on the day of the auction, and young man takes up work as a truck driver.
The film travels on an even keel, never forgetting the primary thread. The realism of the decay, so potently expressed in black and white, is not just of the palace and its facades, but also of the ageing generations and their belief systems. The uptake of the younger generation, conceding to work as a car mechanic, quite in contrast to his antecedents, is both romanticism as well as an acceptance of life’s realities. It is an out and out KA Abbaas film – the reality of life, and the message of change is very convincing, although viewing the film, the director ensures that you know that you are after all viewing a film.
This is the first song from this film to find its place on our blog. And this song is very special for couple of very important reasons. The first reason is the poet behind this song – Majaaz Lakhnawi. Most readers and friends will be familiar with this name. His iconic ghazal “Ae Gham e Dil Kya Karoon, Ae Vehshat e Dil Kya Karoo” has been made into the now memorable song in the voice of Talat Sb, for the film ‘Thokar’ (1953). It seems that Majaaz had a set of good friends in the industry. Recently, a friend pointed out to me that Majaaz has even made a cameo appearance in one film. In the film ‘Pyaasa’ (1957), just before Hemant Da’s song “Jaane Wo Kaise Log The Jin Ke Pyaar Ko Pyaar Mila”, there is a small session of the literati in progress. Majaaz is present in person in this scene, and also presents two she’er (couplets) in his own voice.[Ed Note: As pointed out by Sadanand ji, and also after some more checking, the above sentences are deleted. Reason being that the reference to the film ‘Pyaasa’ in this context is incorrect and misplaced. In the above mentioned scene of a small party of the literati at the home of Rehman, two actors play the roles of Majaaz and Jigar Muradabaadi, for the cameos. The actual persona are not present in the scene, as I was led to believe based on a conversation with a friend. Sadanand ji has correctly pointed out that Majaaz passed away in 1955, and the shooting for ‘Pyaas’ commenced only in 1956.]
Given the quality of the song from ‘Thokar’ and the familiarity with the industry folks, it is amazing that Majaaz has not written anything else for the films. With one excpetion – this song from ‘Aasmaan Mahal’. As I searched the Geet Kosh and other sources, I am not able to locate any other writings of his being used in films – just these two solitary ghazals.
[Ed Note: Sadanand ji points out that Majaaz never wrote for films. That there are two instances of his poetry being used in Hindi films, is more about the film people choosing to use his pre-published poetry rather than him writing for films specifically.]
And the second thing special about this ghazal is the manner in which it has been framed and presented. It is a single ghazal, which tells of the pains of helplessness and inefficacies of a heart in love. The music director, JP Kaushik has presented this ghazal as a duet, with the two people in love taking turns to express their emotions using the couplets of the same ghazal. I cannot immediately recall another instance where this method is used. The lines are presented, not as a song, but as a ghazal in its pure form. The lady and the gentleman are shown situated long distances from each other, and are shown communicating through the rendition of this ghazal. The voices are of Mahendra Kapoor singing for Dileep Raj, and Vijaya Chaudhry singing for Surekha.
Another side note. I am presenting two versions of this ghazal, wherein clearly the version on the 78 rpm record is very different from the version that is present in the film. Obviously the two versions have been recorded separately. The body of the ghazal does not change. There is change in the order of the couplets and also which voice picks up which line. A very interesting thing to note is that the film version has NO accompanying music. However, the record version has accompaniment by tabla and sitar. It is quite possible that after the 78 rpm version was recorded, the director may have felt the need for an even more bare bones version to suit the situation in which he wanted to film it. And hence a different version may have been recorded.
More about the film and the people associated with it, in subsequent presentations of the songs of this film. Welcome to ‘Aasmaan Mahal’.
[Video]
[Audio]
Song – Main Aahen Bhar Nahin Sakta (Aasmaan Mahal) (1965) Singer – Mahendra Kapoor, Vijaya Majumdar, Lyrics – Majaaz Lakhnawi, MD – Jag Phool Kaushik
Mahendra Kapoor + Vijaya Majumdar
Lyrics
(Video Version)
main aahen bhar nahin sakta
ke naghme gaa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
mayassar aa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
main usko poojti hoon aur
us ko paa nahin sakti
main us ko chaahta hoon aur
us tak jaa nahin sakta
haden wo kheench rakhi hain
haram ke paasbaanon ne
haden wo kheench rakhi hain
haram ke paasbaanon ne
ke bin mujrim baney
paighaam bhi pahuncha nahin sakta
ye majboori si majboori
ye lachaari si lachaari
ke us ke geet bhi
jee khol kar main gaa nahin sakta
sukoon mere dil ko
na aandhi rok sakti hai
na toofaan rok sakte hain
na toofaan rok sakte hain
magar phir bhi main
us kasr e haseen tak jaa nahin sakta
zubaan par bekhudi mein naam
us ka aa hi jaata hai
zubaan par bekhudi mein naam
us ka aa hi jaata hai
agar poochhe koi wo kaun hai
batla nahin sakta
(Audio Version)
main aahen bhar nahin sakta
ke naghme gaa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
mayassar aa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
main usko poojti hoon aur
us ko paa nahin sakti
main us ko chaahta hoon aur
us tak jaa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
na aandhi rok sakti hai
na toofaan rok sakte hain
magar phir bhi
main us kasr e haseen tak jaa nahin sakta
sukoon mere dil ko
zubaan par bekhudi mein naam
us ka aa hi jaata hai
zubaan par bekhudi mein naam
us ka aa hi jaata hai
agar poochhe koi wo kaun hai
batla nahin sakta
sukoon mere dil ko
ye majboori si majboori
ye lachaari si lachaari
ye lachaari si lachaari
ke us ke geet bhi
jee khol kar main gaa nahin sakta
sukoon lekin mere dil ko
mayassar aa nahin sakta
sukoon mere dil ko
———————————-
Hindi script lyrics (Provided by Sudhir)
———————————–
(व्हिडिओ से)
मैं आहें भर नहीं सकता
के नग़में गा नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
मयस्सर आ नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
मैं उसको पूजती हूँ और
उसको पा नहीं सकती
मैं उसको चाहता हूँ और
उस तक जा नहीं सकता
हदें वो खींच रखीं हैं
हरम के पासबानों ने
हदें वो खींच रखीं हैं
हरम के पासबानों ने
के बिन मुजरिम बने
पैग़ाम भी पहुंचा नहीं सकता
ये मजबूरी सी मजबूरी
ये लाचारी सी लाचारी
के उसके गीत भी
जी खोल कर मैं गा नहीं सकता
ना आँधी रोक सकती है
ना तूफान रोक सकते हैं
ना तूफान रोक सकते हैं
मगर फिर भी
मैं उस कसर ए हसीं तक जा नहीं सकता
ज़ुबान पर बेखुदी में नाम
उसका आ ही जाता है
ज़ुबान पर बेखुदी में नाम
उसका आ ही जाता है
अगर पूछे कोई के कौन है
बतला नहीं सकता
(आडियो से)
मैं आहें भर नहीं सकता
के नग़में गा नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
मयस्सर आ नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
मैं उसको पूजती हूँ और
उसको पा नहीं सकती
मैं उसको चाहता हूँ और
उस तक जा नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
ना आँधी रोक सकती है
ना तूफान रोक सकते हैं
मगर फिर भी
मैं उस कसर ए हसीं तक जा नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
ज़ुबान पर बेखुदी में नाम
उसका आ ही जाता है
ज़ुबान पर बेखुदी में नाम
उसका आ ही जाता है
अगर पूछे कोई वो कौन है
बतला नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
ये मजबूरी सी मजबूरी
ये लाचारी सी लाचारी
ये लाचारी सी लाचारी
के उसके गीत भी
जी खोल कर मैं गा नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
मयस्सर आ नहीं सकता
सुकून लेकिन मेरे दिल को
