Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, they say. Yes, and music
is incomplete unless it falls on the ears of a discerning listener. So, here
goes.
My friend Dwarakanath Sanzgiri, addressed as 'Papu' by his
friends and near ones, regularly does programs on Film music. The themes have
been many. From songs of a particular music director (C. Ramchandra,
Shankar-Jaikishan, S. D. Burman and so on) to piano songs to songs sung by
Talat Mehmood (solo as well as duets) to rare gems of Lata. He uses various
voices but the orchestra is always entrusted to Ajay Madan and his group. One
feels sorry for the orchestra people: any mistake they make is immediately
noted and condemned; a perfect score however almost always goes unnoticed
unless deliberate attention is drawn to their efforts and skills. Ajay Madan
and his troupe has hardly ever made a mistake. If they have, it has been
totally camouflaged by their poise. On the other hand, they have carried erring
singers gracefully in their stride and helped maintain the mood of exhilaration
pervading the program. Papu too makes it a point to introduce each and every instrument
player to the audience and mention any extraordinary feat performed by any of
them. Papu's programs are always successful because his commentary is
informative and entertaining and he never tries to overshadow the singers.
Of course he tries to minimise the risk factors. Songs are
rehearsed, so that the singers as well as musicians are familiar with them. He
knows that people do not like something not known to them presented as something
unforgettable. So he chooses songs with a reputation of being rare and good
songs; not good songs which really are unfamiliar.
The other day he did a program on female singers other than
Lata and Asha. A laudable feat. Selecting songs itself was a lose-lose
situation. Shamshad, Noorjahan, Suraiya, Geeta, Suman, Sudha Malhotra, Mubarak
Begum, Umadevi, Nazia Hasan, Runa Laila, ... How many songs can you select to fill
two and half hours that fit the above 'reputation'? So, a lot depended on
presentation.
He did a good job. The singers did a good job. It goes
without saying that the orchestra too did a fantastic job. Rana, as always was
a 'natural'. That, I think, is his forte. He sang 'Dil e nadan tujhe huva kya
hai' with Vrushali Patil – a Talat-Suraiya duet. In such programs it is
imperative to mimic the original singer. And Talat's voice is so distinctively
different. Did Rana mimic it? Yes and no. He had Talat's modulations but his
manner or his face did not betray any effort. And he never ever has a paper
before him; he knows all the songs that he sings by heart. He is a performer
and appears to enjoy his performance. The sum total is a pleasing effect for
the listener. Rana is an asset for the presenter.
I reached late and so am unable to comment on songs which I
missed. Vrushali sang Geeta's 'Meri Jaan' from 'Anubhav'. It is a bitter-sweet
melody and Vrushali did full justice to it. Listeners almost fell in love with
her style of rendering. She also sang 'Dum maro dum' all by herself. Though
this composition of R. D. Burman contrasts Usha Uthup's contralto with Asha's
soprano and so offers itself for vocal acrobatics; Vrushali managed it
effortlessly.
But my day was made by Aliphia Shetty. I shall be blunt
about Aliphia's faults. She mimics. She overdoes it. She is superconfident. She
concentrates more on reproducing the original singer's timber and less on the
tune. She plays to the gallery. She 'performs' rather than sings.
So, was she bad? No Sir, she was more than good. I adore
Lata, Lata is God's only name as far as I am concerned. But that is also the
reason why I cannot fully enjoy anyone rendering Lata's songs: Lata keeps
reverberating in the recesses of my mind and I tend to reject the other singer.
You sing the tune, that's OK with me; you are following the composer. But for
heaven's sake do not try to sound like Lata because that is blasphemy.
So, what a relief it was to hear the clean and open earthly voices
of Shamshad and Noorjahan! Noorjahan's voice is heavier and yet dexterous.
Shamshad's is high-pitched and sonorous. Noorjahan has more bass whereas
Shamshad has a hint of mischief and can dance into it.
Let's come back to the program and to Aliphia. It is so rare
to get to listen to those thickish voices and as Aliphia took on that lovely
tune composed by K. Datta, 'Aa intejar hai tera', ably supported by Ajay
Madan's orchestra; I had goosebumps. Aliphia did mimic but I had no objection.
When I sing to myself, that is what I do! That is what makes Noorjahan stand
above others. Just as 'Dum maro dum' is a candidate for verbal acrobatics,
Noorjahan creates such strong individualistic nuances that you cannot miss her even
over a phone. I would love to listen to Aliphia singing 'Baithi hun teri yaad
ka lekar ke sahara (Gaon ki gori)'. Or 'Tum zindagi ko gham ka (Dupatta)' Or
'Ab yahan koi nahi (Baji)'. If I had my say, I would ask Aliphia and Rana to
sing 'Yahan Badala wafa ka'; a song in which a seasoned Noorjahan smothers the
novice Rafi into secondary citizenship of the paradise of music.
'Sainya dil mein ana re' by Shamshad is not one of my
favourites; but this song is Shamshad frolicking with gay abandon to a
coquettish number. From Noorjahan to Shamshad is a fundamental transformation.
Aliphia managed it easily. The expression nearest to what I felt as I listened
to Aliphia, is "Greedy". I suspect that is how she felt when she
sang. And how does Aliphia sound when she is herself?
God bless her.
