TRIBUTE TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN (Episode-31) by Srigopal Shroti

SMALL INCIDENT, BIG MUSIC

IT WAS PERHAPS IN 1959 WHEN THE MAKING OF ”JIS DESH MEIN GANGA BEHTI HAI” WAS THOUGHT OF WITH THE INSPIRATION OF ONE SCHOOL TEACHER WHO LIVED WITH A TRIBE OF DECOITS IN GUJRAT……THIS WAS A NEW IDEA OF MAKING A FILM ON DACOITS…….HOWEVER IT IS TO BE MENTIONED THAT THE DACOITY WAS A VOGUE IN CHAMBLE RAVINES AND IN 1958, FAMOUS DACOIT MANSINGH WAS SHOT DEAD IN THE ENCOUNTER AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE GATHERED TO HAVE HIS GLIMPSE, BECAUSE HE NEVER TORTURED THE POOR PEOPLE OF THE AREA, SO THEY HAD SYMPATHY TOWARDS HIM.
AND TO MAKE A MUSIC ON THE FILM OF DACOITS WAS A REMOTE IDEA. BUT RAJ KAPOOR DECIDED TO MAKE A MUSICAL HIT FILM WITH THE FEARLESS DACOITS…….HOWEVER AFTER THE BREAKUP WITH NARGIS, HE WITH PADMINI GAVE THE FILM A NEW SHAPE……BUT WITHOUT MUSIC, HOW IT WAS POSSIBLE……RAJ’S ALL PREVIOUS FILMS HAD TREMENDOUSLY HIT MUSIC……AND WHEN THE SCRIPT WAS READY, IT WAS NARRATED TO SHANKAR JAIKISHAN…….THE SAME NIGHT, BOTH SHANKAR AND JAIKISHAN RANG UP RAJ AND SAID, ”WHAT IS THIS SUBJECT?…WITH ALL THESE HILLS, KHANDHARS, AND DAKUS, MUSIC KE LIYE KAHAN SCOPE HAI?….WHY DO U WANT TO TAKE US?”……SO, RAJ INVITED THEM ON DINNER THE FOLLOWING EVENING…..HE POURED OUT A DRINK FOR JAIKISHAN AND STARTED NARRATING THE SUBJECT…..HE ACTED IT, HE SANG THE SONGS WHICH HE ALREADY HAD IN MIND, HE DANCED, HE WEPT, HE HAD ALL THE GATHERING IN A TRANCE…..AT THE END OF IT SHANKARJI FELL AT HIS FEET AND SAID, ”MAAF KARO, WE DIDN’T KNOW, IT WILL BE LIKE THIS”….AND THE MUSIC OF ”JIS DESH MAIN………”WAS A FABULOUS AND EACH SONG MORE THAN EXHILLATING….—”HAM BHI HAIN, TU BHI HO..”, ”BEGAANI SHAADI MEIN ABDULLA DEEWANA”, ..”MERA NAAM RAJU”,…”HOTON PE SACHAI RAHATI HAI”,…”O BASANTI PAWAN PAAGAL”,…”HO MAINE PYAR KIYA”,…”KYA HUA YE MUJHE KYA HUA”,..AND THE GREAT ”AA AB LAUT CHALEN”—-ALL MASTERPIECES FROM SHANKAR JAIKISHAN AT THEIR PEAK……….to continue……gshroti@in.com…………..