Bappi earned the L(ahir)isteners’ (Vi)nod

In the early 1980s, Vinod Khanna – who passed away in April 2017 – (O)shocked his fans by leaving the Hindi film industry to embark upon a five-year-long spiritual journey.

In 1987, he made a comeback. One of his earliest on-screen appearances in his second innings was Satyamev Jayate, which released that year.

Bappi, who was in (L)a(hi)rich vein of form during what was referred to as Bollywood’s decade of mediocrity, composed and sang Dil Mein Ho Tum, a song from the aforementioned film.

S Janaki rendered the female version of the track, penned by Faruk Kaiser.  

Kishore couldn’t be reeten off

August 4, 2017 is the 88^th birth anniversary of Kishore, and there can be no better song to (Ku)mark the occasion than Zindagi ki yehi reet hai, haar ke baad hi jeet hai (This is the way of life; there’s victory only after defeat) from Mr India.

A line of the track, penned by Javed Akhtar, went, “Thode aansoo hain, thodi hansi”, but the last two words did no justice to the aforementioned maverick, with whom a substantial dose of laughter left the building.

The solo, which had a sad version, was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.   

This title track was K(ic)K(as)s

Karte hain hum pyaar Mr India se – the title track of the superhero film – depicted the female lead professing her love for the invisible alter ego of the protagonist, a lovable loser.

Of the handful of songs on the soundtrack, that ranged from the unabashedly saucy to the philosophical, this one certainly stood out, because it was possibly the most pleasing to the ear.

It was penned by Javed Akhtar, composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, and gave Kavita Krishnamurthy an opportunity to showcase her versatility. Kishore Kumar shared singing credits, and of course his initials, with her.

They (Alis)had a (Ku)marvellous time

Fifty-eight was no age to die, but Kishore Kumar bade the world adieu in 1987, leaving a treasure trove of melodies and memories behind.

One of them was Kaate Nahin Katte Yeh Din Yeh Raat from Mr India, which released five months before the legendary all-rounder’s passing.

To say that the Laxmikant-Pyarelal composition oozed sensuality would be an understatement.

Also billed as I Love You, it was penned by Javed Akhtar. Alisha was the co-singer. It wouldn’t be surprising if this song were picked as the top song to listen to on a rain-soaked (Chi)n(a)ight.        

  

This was certainly (K)avital track

Such was the gusto with which Kavita Krishnamurthy rendered Hawa Hawai from Mr India (1987) that even a goof-up by her was okayed. One of the lines went, “Jeenu jo tumne baat chhupayi” (it should have been, “Jaanu jo tumne baat chhupayi”).

The film was Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s last collaboration. The famed screenwriting duo, known as Salim-Javed, split five years before its release.

Akhtar, who continues to be active as a Hindi film lyricist, penned this Laxmikant-Pyarelal composition, which starts with a string of random nouns like Honolulu and Mombasa, interspersed with gibberish.

Aziz waS(ar)game for some romance

Even if a person is fond of a tipple, his beloved would give him the thumbs up if he serenaded her with “Mai se meena se na saaki se, na paimaane se, dil behalta hai mera, aap ke aa jaane se” (Neither a drink, nor a flask, nor a server, nor a glass can enthuse me. It is only when you come that my heart feels good).

This Rajesh composition from Khudgarz – penned by Faruk Kaiser – was (Ros)hands down one of the biggest hits of 1987. It was rendered by Mohammed Aziz and Sadhana Sargam. 

Bollywood was never Remo’s ‘Goa’l

Over the years, a few Hindi film soundtracks have featured renditions by Fernandes, but the man from the land of sun, sea, sand and feni was (J)always far Removed from the stuff typically dished out by Bollywood composers.

But the Goan shot to instant fame pan-India when he penned, composed and sang the title track of the 1987 film, which mostly comprised repetitions of the line, “Dekho Dekho Yeh Hai Jalwa”.

Incidentally, he also made a special appearance (as himself) in the song.

At that point, it was one of the longest Hindi film songs.

Wadkar’s voice Sure(sh)ly (As)had sincerity

Aur Is Dil Mein Kya Rakha Hai is a track from Imaandaar (1987), whose music was composed by Kalyanji-Anandji. It had two versions – a female solo and a duet. This post is about the latter.

While Asha (Bhos)lent her voice to both the versions, she was joined by Suresh Wadkar for the duet.

They were not penned by the same Indeev(ar)idual. While it was Shyamalal Babu Rai (a specialist in that department) who wrote the duet, the lyrics of Bhosle’s version were credited to noted filmmaker Mehra [whose Amitabh Bachchan-starrers set the (Pra)kash registers ringing].

It was (Bhos)l(ad)en with emotion

There is no doubt about the fact that Mera Kuchh Saamaan was as poignant as it was pregnant with meaning.

The song from Ijaazat was penned by Gulzar, composed by R D Burman and sung by Asha Bhosle.

It wasn’t as much about saamaan as it was about sammaan (honour), as evidenced by the fact that Bhosle bagged the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1988.

Moreover, it didn’t just fetch Gulzar the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in 1988, but also the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist the following year.  

   

Asha’s (Ka)track was a treat

“Katra katra milti hai, katra katra jeene do. Zindagi hai, zindagi hai, behne do, behne do. Pyaasi hoon main, pyaasi rehne do. Rehne do na.”

It wasn’t just (K)atrack from Ijaazat, but it wouldn’t be incorrect to assume that it must have also been Asha Bhosle’s philosophy.

The verse means, “Drops meet. Let me live, drop by drop. This is life, let it flow. I am thirsty, let my thirst remain unquenched.”

And appropriately, it was penned and composed by a couple of venerated gents who knew her intimately – Gulzar and R D Burman, respectively. 

This track (As)has (chho)timeless appeal

Even if it belonged to what is referred to by Indian cineastes as the parallel cinema movement (or the art-house genre), it would be unfair to pigeonhole Ijaazat (1987), whose soundtrack continues to be popular.

A Gulzar verse – rendered by Asha Bhosle – went, “Chhoti si kahaani se, baarishon ke paani se, saari waadi bhar gayi” (A short story, and rain water, have filled the whole valley).

The film released during composer R D Burman’s lean phase. So while music aficionados appreciated the song, it did precious little to salvage his career, which was in freefall.   

   

(Zoo)By the way, Alisha rocked!

In the 1980s, Lahiri had his finger firmly in the disco (Bap)pie, and that genre seemed to be in no mood to khisko from the public consciousness.

The desi king of bling wasn’t one to bother to justify his penchant for getting inspired, because he had a generation swaying to his tunes, one of which was Zooby Zooby from Dance Dance (1987).

This adaptation of Brother Louie, the Modern Talking single, was penned by Anjaan.

(Zoo)By the way, it released just a year before Alisha’s rendition, following which the Chinai Express began to chug along.