SEVEN RESONANT MELODIES OF RAJESH ROSHAN

 When we talk of music directors who have their own distinctive style, the name of Rajesh Roshan springs instantly to mind. Rajesh Roshan has made an indelible mark in hindi film music with his compositons, giving us over 50 years of melodious music. Let’s take a look at some of his beautiful numbers. An attempt has been made to include some not so often mentioned songs which are gems from his repertoire. 

1. Aa ri aa ja nindiya tu le chal kahin   (Kunwara Baap) 1974  

 This song never fails to tug at the heartstrings. The situation in the film is heart-breaking enough and Rajesh Roshan’s music and Majrooh Sultanpuri’s lyrics give the emotional goose bump inducing emphasis to it. Actor-filmmaker Mehmood had given an eighteen-year-old Rajesh Roshan his first break as a composer with this film. 

 

2. Yeh raatein nayi purani    (Julie )    1975

Although best known for Preeti Sagar’s lilting My heart is beating and Kishore Kumar’s soulful Dil kya kare, this dulcet solo of Lata Mangeshkar written by Anand Bakshi sounds fresh and fragrant whenever we hear this album. Julie was Rajesh Roshan’s second film for which he won his first Filmfare Award.

3. Johnny ko maine toh jaana hai aaj (Ginny aur Johnny )        1976

A lilting song from this ace composer for Mehmood again. A sweet song that touches a chord every time we hear it. Sung by Kishore Kumar and a very young Vijeyta Pandit, this song is a gem that has gone unnoticed by many Rajesh Roshan fans.

4. Pal bhar mein yeh kya ho gaya  (Swami )        1977

Swami was the first Basu Chatterjee film for which Rajesh Roshan held the baton of music director. This went on to be a long and beautiful association, creating mellifluous music for all of us to treasure in six more films that came later which were Priyatama, Khatta Meetha, Dillagi, Baton Baton Mein, Man Pasand and Humari Bahu Alka.

Swami has very soulful songs, from Yesudas’ Ka karun sajni to Kishore Kumar’s Yaadon mein woh. However, I chose this Lata solo because of the complete blend of her voice into the feeling of falling in love, drenched with the monsoon as a backdrop. Amit Khanna’s lyrics spark the magic further. The taar shehnai and the santoor seal the deal.Sheer magic.

5. Tumse mila tha pyaar  (Khatta Meetha)  1978          

 

Woh khwahishein ajeeb thi

Sapne ajeeb the…

A beautiful duet sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar, penned by Gulzar. One more from the Basu Chatterjee- Rajesh Roshan team. This was filmed on Rakesh Roshan and Bindiya Goswami, one of many songs that Rajesh Roshan has composed for his brother to enact on screen. A delightful film which is remembered as much for the dialogues, acting and direction, as it is for the music. A song filled with nostalgia which makes us take a look at what we were years back and what we dreamt of.

 

6. Main kaun sa geet sunaaoon  (Dillagi)       978

One more gem from the Basu Chatterjee- Rajesh Roshan duo, penned by Yogesh. Lata Mangeshkar makes magic in this melodious solo, the calmness is further heightened by the use of the flute. This song has been filmed on the steps of a ghat (I am unsure of the exact location, but I believe this was near Mysore) and one can feel the cooling down of the day in the late evening with a refreshing breeze from the water in the tune of the song. The unlikely romance between Dharmendra as SwarnKamal - a newly appointed Sanskrit professor in a Girls college- and Hema Malini as Renu -a strict Chemistry lecturer further enhances the charm of this Rajesh Roshan masterpiece.  

          

7. Main akela apni dhun mein magan    (Man Pasand)   1980

I feel that the music of Man Pasand never got its rightful due because people were quick to shrug it off as the remake of My Fair Lady. What needed to be noticed was that Rajesh Roshan and Amit Khanna worked under a stringent framework of the original and yet they managed to give Man Pasand a unique Indianness in the composition as well as the lyrics. Main akela apni dhun mein magan is meant to replace ‘I’ve grown accustomed to her face’ of the original. It goes beyond that by being a song that is immortal in its magic now. Listen to this song and you will realise the magic that Amit Khanna’s words have created:

Mere sapno ka sach ho jana, sach ho jana
Meri manpasand ban jana,

Inse mujhe kya hai haasil phir bhi
Ye hai meri aadat mein shamil ….

And the magic of Rajesh Roshan with Kishore Kumar serenading you as the words and tune gently define how musicologist Pratap (Dev Anand) has begun to fall in love with the flower girl Kamli (Tina Munim). This is one of the most exquisite solos of Kishore Kumar for Rajesh Roshan.

These were just seven of my selected gems from Rajesh Roshan. Would love to hear from you in the comments below about your favourite Rajesh Roshan songs!

Seven hairstyles rocked by Hindi film actresses

From the early years,  the hairstyles we see on the screen on our Hindi film actresses are mostly what women in real life would be comfortable with in their daily lives. And yet, there have been actresses who have stepped out of their comfort zone in order to make a mark.

1. The soft short waves of Madhubala, Nargis, Geeta Bali

The reigning queens on the screen of that time had these short haircuts with soft, wavy hair, ideally suited for those moonlit songs with the hair backlit in those scenes. Nargis’ Koi mere dil mein (Andaz), Madhubala’s Aaiye meherbaan (Howrah bridge) and Geeta Balis’s Chandni raatein pyaar ki baatein (Jaal) come to mind.

The beauty of these hairstyles was enhanced a hundred-fold by the fact that the films were in black and white.

 

2. The Sadhana Cut

Although the Sadhana Cut owed its origin to the Audrey Hepburn haircut, Sadhana made this hairstyle famous in India as she made a glorious debut as Sonia in Love in Simla.  Sadhana was the fashion icon of the screen in those days with her churidars and her Audrey fringe. The film shows the progression of this haircut with a studied assurance, where her grandmother (played with aplomb by Durga Khote) decides to cut her granddaughter’s fringe while urging her to embrace her beauty and not hide it from the world. Love in Simla is a delightful film because of these slice of life moments. 

3. The Bedazzling Bouffant

This was one hairstyle that rocked the screen in the 60s and it was one that was admittedly very difficult to recreate for the young ladies in that decade. Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz and Asha Parekh were the trail blazers for the bouffant, with hair piled on the head and (I imagine) held there with generous whiffs of hair spray.  This helped them add a delicate rose, a pretty buckle or a beautiful bow. It must have been a bit of a nightmare with the amount of backcombing it would have needed but then , beauty always comes with a price and our Bollywood damsels stepped up to the challenge in full glory.

4. The Beauteous Beehive

For the uninitiated, the beehive may seem similar to the bouffant and it very nearly is. The big difference is that it leaves no scope for long hair to touch your shoulders as all is piled on top with the fervent hope that it stays there. This hairstyle owed its origin to Audrey Hepburn as well when she made it famous with Breakfast at Tiffanys but our stars gave it a glamour all its own. From Sharmila Tagore to Helen to Rakhee Gulzar, we saw the beehive buzz on the screen all through the 70s.

5. Two khubsoorat plaits of Rekha

Rekha reigned on the silver screen and her two plaits of Sun sun sun didi tere liye in Khubsoorat suddenly made an ordinary home hairstyle feel acceptable in public.

Sharmila Tagore further enhanced it in Mausam with Chhadi re chhadi kaisi gale mein padi. This hairstyle made a short comeback with Bhagyashree sporting two plaits in Maine Pyar Kiya. Although, by then, the days were probably gone when one could actually venture out with hair tightly tied in two plaits.

 

6. The straight silky locks of Parveen Babi and Zeenat Aman

This was a wave of its own with all waves banished from the hair. Backcombing was booted out of the studio doors as the straight hair look with side bangs seeped into the screen.

Zeenat Aman in Chura liya (Yaadon Ki baarat) and Parveen Babi in Main to beghar hoon (Suhaag) made curls and waves a thing of the past. This trend carried on right upto Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure who kept the natural straight hair with side bangs look blazing.

7. The layers of Madhuri Dixit

The straight-haired look was beginning to rankle to many women who did not have ramrod straight locks. The straightener wasn’t so common then and it had reached a stage where there were women who believed that they were not beautiful if they didn’t have straight hair. In breezed Madhuri Dixit hair with steps or layers blow-dried to within an inch of their lives. These brought back the soft waves of the 50s. In a way, we were coming full circle. Black and white photos softly backlit make Madhubala and Madhuri Dixit seem to be from a similar decade, although they were not.

The decades of trending haircuts really ended here unless we count the perm of Pooja Bhatt in Dil Hai ke manta Nahin and Preity Zinta in Dil Chahta Hai. We have now come to an interesting phase where every actress has her own style and the character they play dictates their hair. Maybe this is a better time for all of us as each woman is now free to find her own comfort zone for her tresses, and thus reduce the stresses!

Do write in with your favourite Bollywood hairstyles in the comments!