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From: bb on: Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:25 pm
Song of the Day: Anarkali in Cinema - Part I.
http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/933.html
- Saravanan writes:
Anaarkali in Cinema- Part I
tā qiyāmat shukr gūyam kardigāre khīsh rā
āh! gar man bāz bīnam rūī yār-e khīsh rā
I would give thanks to my God unto the day of resurrection
Ah! Could I behold the face of my beloved once more….
These lines in Persian inscribed on a sarcophagus housed, rather appositely, in the offices of the Records Department of the Government of Punjab in the bustling Mall Road of Lahore hide within their poetic flourish an ancient tale of love and loss. The musty interiors of the office building do not give away the secret that successive centuries have attempted to camouflage… that the building was once the mausoleum that housed the tomb of Anaarkali. The century old Bazaar that abuts the Mall Road is called Anaarkali Bazaar, perhaps in testimony of the sorrowful saga of yore…
Did a courtesan called Anaarkali really grace the court of Badshah Jalaluddin Mohammed Akbar? Or was she a servant in Akbar’s harem? Does the tragic love story of Salim and Anaarkali have any historic authenticity? Historical works of the 16th Century such as Akbarnaama and Tuzk- i-Jahangiri do not mention any account of Anaarkali. All that Abul Fazl, the court historian, mentions is that when Salim caught a deranged man who had somehow managed to enter Akbar’s harem, Akbar nearly slew Salim under the mistaken impression that Salim was the intruder. The accounts of British travelers William Finch and Edward Terry, while speaking of a clash between Akbar and Salim due a liaison between Salim and one of Akbar’s wives, do not refer to Salim’s love for a courtesan. Abraham Eraly, in his ‘The Last Spring: The Lives and Times of the Great Mughals’, agrees with this view and adds a new twist when he opines that Anarkali was in fact the mother of Prince Daniyal. Dara Shikoh, in his ‘Sakinat al-Auliya’, mentions the tomb, but shies away from dwelling on its enigma.
Fact or fiction, the legend of Anaarkali has evolved into one of the most endearing love stories of the Indian subcontinent. The popular version of the story goes like this. Sharfunissa alias Nadira is a dancer in the Emperor’s court. She is bestowed the name ‘Anaarkali’ meaning ‘pomegranate blossom’, on account of her dazzling beauty. Prince Salim is smitten by her….cupid strikes….they fall in love… Learning that his son has fallen for a lowly courtesan, Akbar is furious and warns them to stay away from each other… but love has never bowed to convention or authority… events move to a tragic climax…Akbar sentences Anaarkali to death… she is entombed alive before Salim could reach her… This, in short, is the story of Anaarkali which has submitted to several interpretations and variations over the years.
This love story has always caught the eye of writers, poets, dramatists and film makers, for with its historical backdrop and having a liberal share of the essential elements -palace intrigue, love, loyalty and loss- of a magnificent entertainer, the theme offered infinite exciting possibilities. The stage version by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj in 1922 was a grand trendsetter in its time, and is said to have inspired the subsequent celluloid adaptations. The silent movie ‘Anaarkali’ (1928/The Imperial Film Company) had Sulochana essaying the wretched Anaar. The movie was directed by R.S. Choudhury. The talkie version in 1935 also had Sulochana repeating her tragic act. For Director K. Asif, it had become an obsession ever since he happened to watch Taj’s play, and he started on making a movie of it as early as in 1944. However, the sudden demise of Chandra Mohan who was playing Akbar, the migration to Pakistan of the financier and the riots that the partition brought in its wake all put paid to his plans. Undaunted at the hurdles, Asif commenced afresh upon his dream project in 1951, but in the meantime Director Nandlal Jaswantlal came up with his movie ‘Anaarkali’ (1953/ Filmistan) and it proved to be a runaway success.
The movie had Bina Rai and Pradeep Kumar essaying the roles of Anaarkali and Salim. Mubarak, with his ringing voice and regal appearance was well cast as Akbar. Sulochana, who had acted as Anaarkali in the 1928 and 1935 versions, played the role of Jodhabai in this adaptation. Ramesh Saigal drafted the screenplay and dialogues.
Chitalkar Ramachandra’s haunting score, of course, was the highpoint of the movie. Interestingly, it is said that Naushad was the first choice of Producer S. Mukherjee. In an interview (Kalki/1997), Ilaiyaraja revealed the sequence of events. Apparently Naushad had demanded Rs. 1 Lakh for composing the music for ‘Anaarkali’ and stipulated that it would take him 2 years to come out with a fitting album. While Mukherjee was willing to pay the amount demanded, he was not ready to wait for 2 years. He requested Naushad to recommend the name of some other composer who could do adequate justice to the theme, and CR was Naushad’s unhesitant recommendation. And when Mukherjee went to CR, CR said that he could compose the songs within a month, but as they had offered Naushad Rs. 1 Lakh, they would have to pay him Rs. 1.5 Lakhs. Mukherjee acquiesced readily and the rest, as they say, is history. Anaarkali is enshrined as foremost among C. Ramachandra’s works.
The songs are scintillating classics that defy the ravages of time and taste. Both versions of Lata’s ‘yeh zindagi usiki hai’ found instant appeal across the country.
Listen to ‘yeh zindagi usiki hai’ (happy) from Anaarkali (1953)
Sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics by Rajinder Kishan
Music by C. Ramachandra
Watch the song in youtube.
Listen to ‘yeh zindagi usiki hai’ (pathos) from Anaarkali (1953)
Sung by Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics by Rajinder Kishan
Music by C. Ramachandra
Watch the song in youtube.
Lata’s other songs such as ‘aa jaa ab tO aa jaa’, ‘mujhsE mat pooch mErE ishq mEin kya rakha hai’, ‘muhabbat aisi dhadkan hai’, ‘zamaana yeh samjha ki ham peekE aayE’, ‘O aasamanwaalE shiqwaa hai zindagi kaa’ and ‘duaa kar gham-e-dil’ all rank among her very best. ‘jaag dard-e-ishq jaag’ by Hemanta Kumar & Lata casts a spell with its languorous lilt. Hemanta Kumar’s solos ‘zindagi pyaar ki dO chaar gadi hOti hai’ and ‘aye bad-e-saba ahista chal’ are the other winners from the album.
Yet Anaarkali was a not a wholly Lata show, not quite. Geeta Dutt stole many a listener’s heart with her wondrous ‘aa jaan-e-wafa’, written by Jan Nissar Akhtar and composed by Basant Prakash. There are conflicting versions of how this came about. One account has it that Basant Prakash was first appointed to compose the music, but he passed away after recording only one song ‘aa jaan-e-wafa’ by Geeta Dutt, and CR stepped in subsequently to create the bewitching Lata numbers. The other account has it that CR excused himself midway after a difference of opinion with Producer Mukherjee who entrusted the job to Basant Mukherjee. Mukherjee was a great fan of Geeta Dutt and the chanteuse justified the trust placed in her. Meanwhile Basant Mukherjee too fell out with Producer Mukherjee, and CR was recalled. However, despite assuring CR that the Geeta number would not find place in the movie, Mukherjee went ahead and retained ‘aa jaan-e-wafa’.
* * * *
Tamil audience had their first glimpse of Anaarkali when Kannadasan incorporated a stage play ‘Anaarkali’ in the movie ‘illaRa jOthi’ (1954/ The Modern Theaters). It was the prevailing norm of Tamil cinema at the time to have stage plays sparkling with fiery dialogues inserted into the proceedings, and thus ‘Anaarkali’ found place in ‘illaRa jOthi’. The drama was also published subsequently as a book by Vanathi Padhippagam.
The first full-fledged movie on ‘Anaarkali’ in Tamil was the brainchild of composer P. Adinarayana Rao, with his wife Anjali Devi playing the role. Adinarayana Rao had first got into movie making along with actor A. Nageswara Rao and makeup artist K. Gopala Rao. Under the banner ‘Aswini Pictures’, they produced movies such as ‘maayalamaari’ (‘maayakkari’ in Tamil/1951) and ‘annadaata’ (1954), both with ANR and Anjalai Devi in the lead and with Adinarayana Rao composing the music. In the meantime, Adinarayana Rao formed his own production company called ‘Anjali Pictures’. The first movie to be made under this banner was ‘paradEsi’ (‘poonkOthai’ in Tamil), starring ANR, Sivaji Ganesan and Anjali Devi. The second movie that Adinarayana Rao produced under ‘Anjali Pictures’ was ‘Anaarkali’.
Inspired by the decisive success of Filmistaan’s ‘Anaarkali’, Adinarayana Rao set about making his movie in Telugu and got it dubbed simultaneously in Tamil; ‘Anaarkali’ (1955/ Anjali Pictures) was mounted on a magnificent scale. He brought on board some of the best technicians to work on the movie- Director Vedanatam Raghaviah, Cinematographer Kamal Ghosh, Art Directors Sekhar, Thotta and Vaali, Editor N.S. Prakasam, Choreographers Hiralal and Sohanlal all worked in tandem to bring alive the ‘Anaarkali’ envisaged by Adinarayana Rao. Udayakumar wrote the Tamil dialogues. The cast consisted of stalwarts such as Nageswara Rao (Salim), Anjali Devi (Anaarkali), S.V. Ranga Rao (Akbar), Kannamba (Jodhabai), V. Nagiah (Raja Mansingh), Surabhi Balasaraswathi (Gulnaar) and Sivaram Peketi (Ajeez).
As with Filmistan’s ‘Anaarkali’, the southern Anaarkali was a great musical. Is it any wonder, with the immensely talented Adinarayana Rao waving the baton! Except a couple of tunes that were partly based on CR’s Hindi compositions from Filmistan’s ‘Anaarkali’, the rest were all original works of Adinarayana Rao. Bringing to fore his famed mastery of Hindustani minutiae, Adinarayana Rao created a timeless treatise of enchantment. Samudrala Raghavachraya wrote the Telugu lyrics and Thanjai Ramiah Doss penned the Tamil lines. The reigning queen of Tamil and Telugu film music, Jikki was the mainstay of the album, while the upcoming P. Suseela got to sing one song. Ghantasala sang two duets with Jikki, besides the title song.
The songs were:
Oh…anaarkali, akila jOthiyaai piRandhaai- Ghantasala
jeevithamE sabalamO- Jikki
sippaayi… anbE nee vaaraayO- Jikki
naan kaNda sugamaa sugamaa- Jikki
prEmai idhaanaa- Jikki
andha naaL thaanidhada- P. Suseela
raajasEkhara en mEl- Ghantasala & Jikki
kanindha alliyOdu nilavil oLi nee- Ghantasala & Jikki
unnaal naanE uyirai maRandhEn- Jikki
naanum kudiththEn ena – Jikki
paarthanilE mudivu kaNdEn en vidhi- Jikki
Let us listen to 5 of these songs here.
The first is the haunting ‘jeevitamE sabalamO’ (‘jeevitamE saphalamu’ in Telugu). Though based on CR’s ‘yeh zindagi usiki hai’ from the Hindi original, Jikki brings in dainty flourishes that give the song a dazzling makeover… hark at her infinitesimal pause between ‘prEmai endRaal’ and ‘madhuramO’- how many delicious secrets are couched therein! And listen to her soar heavenwards in that ‘viNNOdu pEsum nilavilE’- is she the moon that is whispering love-laden lines to the sky…
Listen to ‘jeevitamE sabalamO’ from Anaarkali (1955/ Anjali Pictures)
Sung by Jikki
Lyrics by Thanjai N. Ramiah Doss
Music by Adinarayana Rao
Interestingly, G. Ramanathan lifted the same tune for his ‘sindhai nOiyum theerumO’ for the movie ‘kaavEri’ (Krishna Pictures) that was released the same year, and it was Jikki who rendered this version one as well!
The second is the resounding ‘sippaayi… anbE nee vaaraayO’. (‘raavOyi sakha’ in Telugu) Adinarayana Rao styled this number on the same lines as Basant Prakash’s ‘aa jaan-e-wafa’ from the Hindi original. Hiding his royal antecedents, Salim has portrayed himself as an ordinary soldier to the unsuspecting Anaarkali. Here is Anaar singing to her beloved Sipaayi. Jikki ignites her lines with passion and yearning, and triggers a fusillade of enticing entreaties…
Listen to ‘sippaayi..anbE nee vaaraayO’ from Anaarkali (1955/ Anjali Pictures)
Sung by Jikki
Lyrics by Thanjai N. Ramiah Doss
Music by Adinarayana Rao
Next we have the magnificent ‘raajasEkharaa en mEl mOdi seiyyalaagumaa’ (‘raajasEkhara neepai mOju teeralEdura’ in Telugu). The gullible Anaar has discovered the true identity of Salim. Even as he is lying unconscious after being gravely wounded in a battle, Anaar’s song revives him. A grateful Akbar invites her to stay in the palace as a royal guest. And little knowing that his own son is her lover, he promises to find the man who has broken her heart! To celebrate Salim’s miraculous recovery, Akbar arranges a grand dance recital by Anaarkali in the durbar. For this sequence, Adinarayana Rao came up with this masterpiece in Hindolam. Ghantasala raises the curtain with his sonorous ‘madanamanOhara sundara naari’, and Jikki joins him midway, with Adinarayana Rao’s tabla applauding the union with enthusiasm…. A scintillating dance song….
Listen to ‘rajasEkhara’ from Anaarkali (1955/ Anjali Pictures)
Sung by Ghantasala & Jikki
Lyrics by Thanjai N. Ramiah Doss
Music by Adinarayana Rao
Watch the Video of the song in Telugu
Now we have the delightful ‘aanandamE’ that flows into ‘naanum kudiththEn ena ninaikkuthu indha ulagamE’. (The Hindi equivalent was ‘zamaana yeh samjha ki ham peekE aayE’). Anaarkali is invited to dance at the ceremony where Salim is announced as the crown prince. The jealous Gulnaar stirs a powerful intoxicant into Anaarkali’s drink and an inebriated Anaarkali scandalizes the court with her dance and song…An outraged Akbar orders her arrest… Jikki is delightfully tipsy, and punctuates her lines with reckless laughter and helpless hiccups…
Listen to ‘aanandamE’ from Anaarkali (1955/ Anjali Pictures)
Sung by Jikki
Lyrics by Thanjai N. Ramiah Doss
Music by Adinarayana Rao
The last song is the heartrending ‘paarthanilE mudivu kaNdEn en vidhi’. Anaarkali is being entombed alive at the orders of Akbar…. Salim gallops to save her…. Jikki’s song is a wail of despair from the depth of the heart, a doomed soul rendering lines of a sepulchral lament….
Listen to ‘paarthanilE’ from Anaarkali (1955/ Anjali Pictures)
Sung by Jikki
Lyrics by Thanjai N. Ramiah Doss
Music by Adinarayana Rao
What a wondrous variety of songs that fell to Jikki in this album… and the blessed chanteuse reveals her brilliant versatility and incredible range in these songs of timeless allure…
* * * *
~ P. Suseela singing Naushad’s compositions in K. Asif’s ‘Akbar’…in the next part ~
http://www.dhool.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7248
