Chhaayaageet #22 - "O Papaji, you are the composer, I am the singer, but he has to act it out."
The actor is lying awake in bed, unable to fall asleep. He is thinking about the song that is to be recorded tomorrow.
As such, he has no role to play in the recording process. The composer, singer, musicians, all have it under control. It is a routine recording session. The actor just likes to be present at these sessions.
But tonight, he is tossing and turning.
The signature line in the song keeps coming back to him as he stares at the ceiling. This line repeats many times in the song.
He is visualizing how he might act it out, do something different each time.
And if he is going to act it differently each time, that variety also needs to be in the singing. He wants to make sure it is sung differently each time.
Will it be recorded the way he is imagining it?
The next day, in the studio, he meets the composer.
"Papaji, I think this line needs different treatment each time, and then in the end we should repeat it a few times building it into a crescendo."
Papaji is in no mood to entertain suggestions at the last minute. The song has been composed already. Besides he doesn't think the idea is worth considering.
The actor keeps trying to get his point across and convince, but in vain.
The singer has been observing this interaction. Seeing the actor's disappointment, the singer intervenes.
"O Papaji, you are the composer, I am the singer, but he has to act it out. If he wants it that way, why do you object? If you don't like it, we will do it again."
Papaji relents. Ok, fine.
The actor's suggestions are accepted, and the song is recorded just as he has imagined it.
Shammi Kapoor brought his boisterous energy to the song and made it iconic. Rafi saab brought the same energy to his singing, perhaps knowing Shammi ji would do a high-wire act during filming.
At the end of the song, Shammi Kapoor falls into the waters of Dal Lake, shocking Sharmila Tagore and Shakti Samanta. That was not in the script.
When OP Nayyar saw the first edited cut of the song, he hugged Shammi Kapoor, held him in his arms, and said, "God bless you!"
Rafi saab, in his mischievous voice, said, "Dekha, baat bani na abhi?" (See, all is well that ends well). Mohammad Rafi had a soft way of diffusing a situation which won many hearts.
This is Sharmila Tagore's debut film. She was only 14 when she signed it. The way she emotes with her beautiful eyes is so enchanting.
During the shooting of this song, while doing make-up, an eye pencil hurt Sharmila Tagore's eye and it turned blood red. Shammi Kapoor joked to Shakti Samanta, "Change the lyrics. We can't have the words Yeh jheel si neeli aankhen. Change it to Yeh lal khoon si aankhen or something."
All the songs of Kashmir Ki Kali are written by Shamshul Huda Bihari. SH Bihari was highly regarded by OP Nayyar, who called him "Shayar-e-azam" (emperor among poets). Bihari and Nayyar composed some beautiful numbers together such as - Bahot shukriya badi meherbani, Yahi woh jagah hai, Zara holle holle challo, Raaton ko chori chori, Laakhon hai yahan dilwale, and Kajara mohabbat waala, to name a few.
Originally Shankar-Jaikishan were selected to compose music for this film. However, Shammi Kapoor got a chance to listen to some of OP Nayyar's compositions, and he immediately recommended Nayyar saab for the music of Kashmir Ki Kali. All the songs of this movie are beautiful gems.
Music: OP Nayyar
Singer: Mohammad Rafi
Lyrics: SH Bihari
*ing: Shammi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore
Director: Shakti Samanta
Film: Kashmir Ki Kali (1964)
References:
* "He was filled with such joie de vivre" by Sharmila Tagore, Indian Express Archives, Aug 15, 2011
* "Mohammad Rafi Voice of a Nation" by Sujata Dev