Remembering Kalyanji

Dr Rajiv Vijayakar

On August 24, 2000, music director and Padma Shri Kalyanji (of Kalyanji-Anandji team) passed away after battling a long respiratory problem.

That his 250-odd Hindi and Gujarati films will ensure his immortality is a foregone conclusion. But to Kalyanji Virji Shah, life was not music alone; it was God's gift to be lived in harmony with other human beings and in resonance with Nature and Destiny.

Recalls son and composer Viju, "I remember visiting the late Panchamda (R D Burman) in hospital. He was very bitter about his failure, and the then-prevailing wave of top composers. I told him, 'Uncle, after you get well, we will go and meet daddy'. I am convinced that 90 minutes with my father would have changed Panchamda completely. But that meeting never took place.

"A strong believer in Destiny, my father was absolutely sure no one could take away or add anything to one's success or failure. He also realised the importance of time. While his colleagues ended up frustrated and speaking ill of the juniors, my father and uncle quit active film music at their peak."

For Kalyanji, music was only one of the facets of life. He was a natural philosopher and was one of the closest associates of Osho. His sense of humour was well-known in the industry and outside it -- at the hundreds of stage shows the duo performed, most of which were for social and charitable causes.

He was finally being responsible for either the debut or chiselling of a formidable list that includes Laxmikant Pyarelal, Alka Yagnik, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam, Manhar Udhas, Anuradha Paudwal, lyricist Gulshan Bawra, Sunidhi Chauhan, Jaspinder Narula, Sudesh Bhosle, Johny Lever, Sonali Bajpai and Aditya Narayan.

Kalyanji also set up a training school, the Kala-Vir Academy, and his unique show, Little Wonders, stormed audiences all over the globe as the first all-kids' performing show of variety entertainment in the world.

Besides being the first Hindi composers to win the National Award (for Saraswatichandra in 1968), they also won many other awards: Filmfare (Kora Kagaz), Cine Music Directors' Association (Himalay Ki God Mein) and IMPPA (for contribution to music). There is also a small village in Gujarat called Kalyanji-Anandji Nagar, named after their charity show rehabilitated the flood-stricken place.

The prolific composers established a special closeness with some filmmakers, stars, lyricists and singers. rediff.com profiles twelve of their most rewarding associations:

AMITABH BACHCHAN

Hindi cinema's biggest star was very close to the composers after their music for his breakthrough film, Zanjeer -- though no song was lip-synched by him in the film.

K-A also composed hits for Kasauti, Hera Pheri, Do Anjaane, Adalat, Khoon Pasina, Don, Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Laawaris and Jaadugar. They even had AB sing in the last two films.

They had once been signed on to compose music for a film that Bachchan was to direct. On stage together, they were sheer magic. An album of their live shows in their US, Amitabh Bachchan-Live Tonite With Kalyanji-Anandji, sold so well that Universal Music awarded it a Platinum Disc.

LATA MANGESHKAR

The Melody Queen may undermine their contribution to her career but the fact remains that K-A gave Lata some of her very finest and certainly the sweetest solos and duets, besides getting her her first National Award for Kora Kagaz.

Who can forget duets like Chahe paas ho (Samrat Chandragupta), Yoon hi tum mujhse baat (Saccha Jhutha) and Waada karle saajana (Haath Ki Safai)?

Kankariya maar ke jagaaya (Himalay Ki God Mein), Jis path pe chalaa (Yaadgar), Yeh samaa (Jab Jab Phool Khile), Chhod de saari duniya (Saraswatichandra), Hum the jinke sahare (Safar) and Din-ba-din (Trishna) will always be eternal classics.

KISHORE KUMAR

Kishore Kumar refused to sing for K-A in Upkar -- he said that he was an actor at the time.

He consented to sing Dharti ki tarah har dukh seh le (Suhaag Raat, 1969), insisting on a sadhu's attire to get in the mood to record the song.

After a late start, K-A and Kishore struck an extraordinary professional and personal rapport with an endless cavalcade of hits in Mahal, Johny Mera Naam, Banarasi Babu, Blackmail, Kahani Kismat Ki, Chori Mera Kaam, Kathputhli, Saccha Jhutha, Safar, Joru Ka Ghulam, Kora Kagaz, Aansoo Aur Muskan (the hilarious Jai Govindam, enacted by Kishore himself)¸ Apradh, Kasauti and almost the entire Amitabh-KA parade of hits.

MOHAMMED RAFI

The sustained success of K-A's songs with Mukesh and Kishore detracted attention from K-A's consistent but lowkey output with the peerless Rafi.

Rafi sang his first hit, Chahe paas ho and Rafi vocalised chartbusters like, Govinda aala re (Bluff Master), Sukh ke sab saathi (Gopi), Mere mitwaa (Geet), Akele hai (Raaz) and a multitude of other K-A beauties, singing under their baton for every hero who mattered from Dilip Kumar to Anil Dhawan.

MUKESH

Mukesh and K-A were a classic example of symbiosis in music. K-A's songs with him spanned genres from the spirited Dum dum diga diga (Chhalia), the comic Taash ke baawan patte (Tamanna), the soulful Chandan sa badan (Saraswatichandra) and a host of soulful sad numbers.

Someone said, "They reserved some of their best for each other." Not an exaggeration. Take Koi jab tumhara (Purab Aur Paschim), Jis dil mein basaa tha (Saheli), Kya khoob lagti ho (Dharmatma), Chandi ki deewaar (Vishwas), and dozens of other gems.

SHASHI KAPOOR

In the Sixties, if Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor had their Shanker Jaikishan, Shashi had the intensely melodic support of K-A. And (mostly with Rafi), K-A created golden melodies for him in Jab Jab Phool Khile, Haseena Maan Jayegi, Aamne Saamne, Raja Saab, Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati, Paap Aur Punya, Chori Mera Kaam and other films, songs that included Waqt karta jo wafaa (Dil Ne Pukara), Bekhudi mein sanam (Haseena Maan Jayegi), Na na karte pyar (Jab Jab Phool Khile) .

MANOJ KUMAR

The actor-writer-filmmaker terms Kalyanji even now as his best friend in the industry.

After their superlative music for his Himalay Ki God Mein, they were an obvious choice for his debut film as director, Upkar.

Purab Aur Paschim and Yaadgar also packed a wallop, blending chart-topping popularity with musical excellence.

Manoj left K-A for LP, after K-A's consent. Kalyanji's generous nature extended to attending the first LP-Manoj recording to inviting them all to dinner afterwards at his residence.

Little wonder then that K-A came back, though past their prime, into the Manoj fold with Kalyug Aur Ramayan, and worked also with Manoj in his new avatar as lyricist in that film as well as Kalaakaar.

FEROZ KHAN

The rapport that Feroz Khan and Kalyanji-Anandji struck in 1969-70 was the beginning of a select but exciting musical Safar as Mukesh sang the eternal Jo tumko ho pasand wohin baat kahenge.

Nuggets like Darpan ko dekha (Upaasna), Mujhe nahin poonchni tumse beeti baatein (Anjaan Raahen) and four mega-musicals -- Apradh, Dharmatma, Qurbani and Jaanbaaz -- followed.

After Khan left K-A, the music was never the same. And he never repeated composers.

Kalyanji-Anandji created a special style for the sophisticated Feroz, and Qurbani's soundtrack -- including Laila o Laila and Hum tumhein chahate hain aise -- was dubbed in over a dozen Indian and foreign languages.

PRAKASH MEHRA

Easily the filmmaker with whom K-A worked for the longest period - from Purnima in 1965 as lyricist to Jaadugar in 1989 as filmmaker lyricist.

Their personal and professional bond extended to both outside films and Mehra's own ventures and peaked from Zanjeer in 1973 to Laawaris in 1981.

Haseena Maan Jaayegi, Haath Ki Safai, Hera Pheri and Muqaddar Ka Sikander were among their triumphs.

Mehra, apart from writing (a hit song or two in most of his films (like Salaam-e-ishq in Muqaddar Ka Sikander), also wrote lovelies like Aur iss dil mein (Imaandaar) for other films.

ANAND BAKSHI

Anand Bakshi was one among several lyricists who came to the forefront with Kalyanji-Anandji's compositions.

Their association hit big time with Mehendi Lagi Mere Haath, Himalay Ki God Mein and Jab Jab Phool Khile, followed by Phool Bane Angaarey, Aamne Saamne, Raja Saab, Mahal, Geet, Joru Ka Ghulam, Kasauti, Bairaag, Vidhaata and Tridev.

Pardesiyon se na ankhiyaan milana (JJPK), Aankhon aankhon mein (Mahal), Mere mitwaa mere meet re (Geet) and Haathon ki chand lakeeron ka (Vidhaata), are among the timeless beauties they composed together.

GULSHAN BAWRA

K-A introduced this poet in their first joint effort, Satta Bazar (Tumhein yaad hoga kabhi hum mile the).

The lyricist went to work with them in several films, winning the Best Lyricist Award for the cult classic, Mere desh ki dharti (Upkar) and going on to write two more of K-A's biggest chart-toppers, Chandi ki deewaar (Vishwas) and Yaari hai imaan mera (Zanjeer), besides other hits in Raaz, Parivaar, Saccha Jhutha, Haath Ki Safai, Rafoo Chakkar and Adalat.

INDEEWAR

Despite having hit teams with several other composers, Indeewar is best known for his long association with K-A, beginning with Kalyanji's debut film, Samrat Chandragupta and moving on to a parade of hits.

"Kalyanjibhai and Anandjibhai always composed my songs after I wrote them, because they had high regard and a great sense of poetry," recalls Indeewar.

Chandan sa badan (Saraswatichandra), Meri pyari beheniya (Saccha Jhutha), Kasme vaade (Upkar), Zindagi ka safar (Safar), Har kisiko nahin milta (Jaanbaaz) were among the crème-de-la-crème of a scoreboard that includes Dulha Dulhan, Suhaag Raat, Apradh, Dharmatma, Qurbani, Saheli, Purab Aur Paschim and Yaadgar, among others.

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