Shailendra

While the constant composition of songs based on the fragile conundrums of love reduced most lyricists to retail merchants of words, Shailendra’s songs always dazzled with their lyrical lustre. In more than 170 films, he wrote warm souled poetry. Like the straight-from-the-heart `Aaja re pardesi … main toh kab se khadi is paar’, Shailendra’s songs were in simple, yet extremely effective Hindustani.

In all fidelity to true art, Shailendra refused Raj Kapoor when he offered him a chance to write the songs of Aag. Kapoor had heard Shailendra, an Indian Railways employee, recite an inflammatory poem, lJalta hai Punjab’, at a function and had been highly impressed. But Shailendra, a mechanical engineer and a member of the left wing Indian People’s Theatres Association, was wary of mainstream Hindi cinema. However, the birth of his son, Shaily Shailendra precipitated a need for money and now it was Shailendra who approached Kapoor. For a sum of Rs 500, Kapoor had Shailendra write two Barsaat superhits `Barsaat mein humse mile tum’ and ‘Patli qamar hai’.

Though an insecure Shailendra did not quit his ‘safe’ Railways job for the next five years, it was clear that he had found his vocation in life. When he penned `Awara hoon, ya gardish mein hoon aasmaan ka taara hoon’, Awara’s writer K A Abbas could scarcely believe that the poet had encapsulated the character sketch of the protagonist in such few words. Shailendra now became part of the Raj Kapoor­Shankar Jaikishen team and engendered such emotionally resonant classics as `Mera joota hai Japani’, ‘Sab kuchh seekha hamne’ and ‘Bol Radha bol sangam hoga ke nahin’.

An introvert and a chain smoker (he habitually played with his matchbox while narrating songs), Shailendra’s natural form of self-expression was writing. His acute sensitivity and emotionalism were responsible for deeply-felt lines like `Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj phir marne ka iraada hai’.

Besides Raj Kapoor, Shailendra formed a close association with Bimal Roy through films like Do Bigha Zameen (’53), Madhumati (’58) and Bandini (’63). He even wrote the dialogues for Bimal Roy’s Parakh (’60).

In 1962, Shailendra started the ill-starred production of the Raj Kapoor-Waheeda Rehman starrer, Teesri Kasam. Shailendra had wanted to make a film of artistic merit but had little knowledge or aptitude for film production. The film dragged on for four years and Shailendra became increasingly disillusioned with the film industry. He did not even attend the premiere in Delhi in 1966.

Death had been a recurring motif in many a Shailendra song (Aise veerane mein ek din ghut ke mar jayenge hum’, `Khud hi mar mitneki yeh zid hai hamari’, `Apni kahani chhod ja, kuchh toh nishaani chhod ja’, `Ke marke bhi kisiko yaad ayenge’). Shailendra’s end seemed almost fated. The poet’s soul could not take the crash of his debut production and to the ironic strains of Teesri Kasam’s `Sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamar’, Shailendra chose to leave the world.

Kaifi Azmi with Shabana Azmi

Amongst the greatest Urdu poets of the 20th century, Kaifi Azmi also penned lyrics and scripts for some of Hindi cinema’s masterworks. His cinematic work, though not voluminous, is regarded as timeless for its touching simplicity, eternal optimism, and lyrical grace.

Azmi was born Athar Husain Rizvi in Mijwan, a village in the Azamgarh district of present-day Uttar Pradesh. Though belonging to a landed family, he was drawn, since childhood, to the leftist ideology. Azmi’s family wanted him to become a cleric and thus admitted him to a seminary. However, he gave up formal education in the wake of the Quit India movement and joined the Communist Party of India.

Azmi moved to Bombay in the early 1940s to become a trade union worker. He did a stint with the Communist Party’s Urdu papers, Quami Jung and Mazdoor Mohalla. He also became closely associated with the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) and the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA), even acting in plays with the likes of Balraj Sahni.

Financial compulsions led Azmi to write the lyrics for Shaheed Latif’s Buzdil. He is best remembered for the classic songs he wrote subsequently, including Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam (Kaagaz Ke Phool), Chalte chalte yunhi koi (Pakeezah), Dheere dheere machal ae dil-e-­bekaraar (Anupama), and Koi ye kaise bataye ki woh tanha kyon hain (Arth).

As a writer for films, Azmi’s best-known work is the critically acclaimed Garam Hawa, which won him and co-writer Ismat Chughtai the 1973 National Film Award for Best Story, as well as the 1974 Filmfare awards for Best Story, Best Screenplay Writer, and Best Dialogue Writer.

Azmi starred in a major role in Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s Naseem, a powerful tale of a Muslim family’s fears as they watch the communal frenzy in the days before the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

Amongst Azmi’s many awards were the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1975), the Sahitya Akademi Award (1975) for his anthology Awara Sajde, and the Padma Shri. In April 2002, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship.

Azmi was married to former IPTA stage actress Shaukat; their daughter is the noted actress Shabana Azmi.

Sahir Ludhianvi

When Sahir Ludhianvi spotted his estranged lady love, Sudha Malhotra, at a party, emotion drove him to spontaneously vent his feelings into words: ‘Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabee ban jaaye hum dono’. The plaint was immortalized by B R Chopra in his film, Gumraah (’63).

Born Abdul Hayee, this Punjabi-Urdu poet remained a bachelor all his life. Yet he was capable of exhibiting and arousing grand passions. While studying in Lahore’s Government College, his poetry had already found many admirers. The noted poetess, Amrita Pritam, grew so besotted with Sahir’s genius that she would reverentially puff at the cigarette butts he had left behind.

For all his many infatuations, Sahir’s constant companion in life was his mother. From Lahore, they shifted to Delhi where Sahir edited many Urdu literary journals. The lure of the film industry drew Sahir to Bombay where he started out by writing out fair copies of dialogue. But his reputation as a poet had already preceded him and S D Burman used Sahir’s beguiling `Thandi hawayen’ in his Naujawan (’51). Soon the success of Baazi (’51) made Sahir a leading lyricist.

Over the next few years, Sahir worked extensively with S D Burman, crafting exquisite songs like `Jaayen toh jaayen kahan’ (Taxi Driver),’Jeevan ke safar mein’ (Munimji) and ‘Faili hui hai sapno ki baahen’ (House No 44). The critical and popular success of Pyaasa’s songs further elevated Sahir’s status.

Unfortunately, arrogance became a marked personal characteristic. Sahir’s insistence on writing the lyrics first and then having them set to music (unlike a Shailendra) was acceptable to his music directors, but his contention that he be paid Re 1 more than Lata for every song he wrote became an ego issue. S D Burman distanced himself from Sahir, so did Lata. Sahir tried promoting a new playback singer, Sudha Malhotra, whom he was also courting, but to no avail.

Disillusionment with the state of his personal life and with the country at large now became part of Sahir’s songs. Songs like ‘Jinhe naaz hai Hind par woh kahan hai?’ (Pyaasa) and `Chin-o-Arab hamara, rehne ko ghar nahin hai, Hindustan hamara’ (Phir Subah Hogi) showed Sahir Ludhianvi’s immense dissatisfaction with Nehruvian politics.

Though he increasingly drowned his despair in alcohol, fortunately, he was still able to do good work through the 60s, writing for films like Hum Dono (’61), Gumraah (’63), Taj Mahal (’63), Waqt (’65) and Humraaz (’67). But the 70s saw him unwilling to match pace with the changing times and rhymes. An appreciative patron like Yash Chopra could, however, still inspire Sahir to come up with sparkling songs for Daag (’73) and Kabhi Kabhie (76).

A heart attack suffered while playing cards, snuffed out this genius in 1980. Ironically, one of Sahir’s last famous songs was the Kabhi Kabhie number, ‘Main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon’. Contrary to the emotion expressed in the song, Sahir’s best works are still aural aphrodasia, and to date, they glow with passion.

Pradeep

Best remembered for his inspirational and patriotic songs, lyricist Kavi Pradeep, as he was commonly known, wrote over 1,500 songs for films. He was born Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi in Badnagar, Madhya Pradesh. A graduate from Lucknow University, Pradeep aimed to be a schoolteacher rather than a professional poet. However, he was discovered by Himansu Rai of Bombay Talkies, and signed on as lyricist for the film Kangan. The film’s songs enjoyed great popularity, and Pradeep went on to become one of the leading lyricists of Hindi cinema. Influenced by the Indian nationalist movement, he wrote a number of patriotic songs for films. His Door hato ae duniya walon Hindustan hamara hai (Kismet) and Chal chal re naujawan from the eponymous film became anthem’s of the nationalist movement.

One of Pradeep’s most memorable creations is the elegiac patriotic song, Ae mere watan ke logon, zara aankh mein bhar lo paani. A tribute to the martyrs of the Indo-China War, the touching song was rendered by Lata Mangeshkar. Pradeep refused to sell the rights of the song to film producers; its royalties now go to India’s Ministry of Defence.

Pradeep received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1961. In 1997, he was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest honour for excellence in the field of cinema.