Daily Times

Lahore: It was reported in Indian media in 2018, that there were more of them. They claim, “Whether it is the groovy and thumping beats of Hard Hard or the intense Har Har Gange sung by Arijit Singh, Batti Gul Metre Chalu’s music is grabbing attention. One half of the composer duo of these tracks is Parampara Thakur, who has formed the first-ever male-female combinations with Sachet Tandon. Another composer whose music for an upcoming film released recently is Sneha Khanwalkar. She has been hailed as one of the few female composers in Bollywood. Interestingly, when she was nominated for the best music director award for ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ 1 & 2, she was only the second female nominee in the category of 28-year-olds after Usha Khanna. Other than Sneha Khanwalkar and Parampara Thakur, Alokananda Dasgupta did the complete score for ‘Sacred Games’, which premiered in July, while Rachita Arora composed Dance Capital and Labbon Se Chu Kar in the series. This was after both of them had given music for films.”

Research shows Ishrat Sultana AKA Bibbo composed the music for ‘Adal-e-Jahangir’ in 1934 at the time when Jaddan Bai, Saraswati Devi and Usha Khanna were the only composers around. And among these, only Usha Khanna could be considered commercially successful to certain extent. Usha Khanna was a very talented music composer. I remember she contributed Muhammad Rafi’s comeback in Bollywood playback scene by composing poet Nida Fazli’s song ‘Tu Iss Tarha Sei Meri Zindigi Main Shaamil Hei’. It was a mega hit song. As per Mrs Jagjit Khayyam, Usha Khanna was vocal in saying that she followed the footsteps of music composer Khayyam whom she considered as her mentor.

Usha Khanna’s active years in the music industry were from 1953 to 2003. Her filmography is very impressive. One of my favourite tracks by hers is Muhammad Rafi’s “Tu Is Tarah Se Meri Zindagi May Shamil Hai”. This song marked Muhammad Rafi’s comeback.

Lata Mangeshkar rendered a sweet melody ‘Ik Sunehri Sham Thi’ from the film ‘Aao Pyar Karain’. Song ‘Dil Dei Kei Daikho’ by Muhammad Rafi and Asha Bhonsle from the film of the same name was a hit happy number. He rendered ‘Teri Galion Main Na Rakhain Gei Qadam’ a sad number. Song ‘Majhi Meri Qismet Kei’ by Lata is a notable number. Song ‘Bare Hain Dil Kei Kaale’ by Asha is a catchy number.  Song ‘Meri Dastaan Mujhe Hi Mera Dil Suna Kei Roye’ by Lata using Sarangi interludes like Madan Mohan and O. P. Nayyar style is a beautiful song by Lata. Another of Lata’s song ‘Dheere Chalo More Saiyyan’ is a very nice romantic song.

Usha survived for three decades despite onslaught of music composers such as Naushad, Shankar Jaikishen, SD Burman, Khayyam, Madan Mohan, OP Nayyar and alike.Usha Khanna was born in Gwalior to a family of good musical background. She inherited music from her father Manohar Khanna who was a lyricist, a singer with Masters in music.Her father was quite a close associate of lyricist Indeevar. She met S. Mukherjee when Indeevar took introduced her to him. After hearing a few of her songs, he asked her from which film she’d picked them up. She told him they’re her own songs! Hits like ‘Choro Kal Ki Baaten’ from the film ‘Hum Hindustani’ slowly established Usha. Remember Usha’s lilting ‘Choro Kal Ki Baaten’ tune was another hit. Because she had faced so much hardship and resistance when she was once a new comer herself she has always been kind to new comers. She did not rely on famous singers alone. She gave break to singers such as Jaspal Singh, Pankaj Udhas, Anupama Deshpande, Hemlata, Vinod Rathod, Mohammed Aziz, Shabbir Kumar and Roopkumar Rathore.

Music critics believe that Usha Khanna was at her best in Saawan Kumar’s film Souten. Songs like ‘Shaayad Meri Shaadi Ka Khayal’ and ‘Zindagi Pyaar Ka Geet Hai’ were very popular songs. She also composed soulful music in the film ‘Agar Tum Na Hote’.

Usha’s marriage with producer-director Saawan Kumar was a failure.  However the couple kept on working together even after the breakup. Usha did the background score of Saawan Kumar’s ‘Sajan Bina Suhagan’. Even though she did often take inspiration from Arabic music, which she liked,Usha claims that she has never lifted of any song directly, but that she has composed something along the lines. The popular music director OP Nayyar introduced Usha Khanna to meet Sashadhar Mukherjee, a powerful man in the Indian film industry at that time. She sang a song for Mukerji, and when he realized that she had composed the song on her own, he told her to compose two songs per day for one year. After a few months, Mukherjee signed her as the composer for his movie Dil Deke Dekho as a music composer. The film, which also introduced the actress Asha Parekh, became a big hit, and Mukherjee hired her again for another Asha Parekh starrer Hum Hindustani. After she started composing music for Hindi movies, Usha Khanna had to struggle hard to establish herself as a music director, despite producing many hit songs. She often used the combination of Asha Bhosle, who referred to Usha Khanna as her daughter, and Mohammed Rafi. This trio produced many hit songs. Saawan Kumar was often the lyricist for Usha Khanna, and wrote most of his lyrics for songs composed by her. He directed and produced the lyrics for eleven movies she scored the music for. In 1979 KJ Yesudas received Filmfare award for her song ‘Dil Ke Tukre Tukre’ in the film Dada. Usha Khanna herself also sang a few songs as a playback singer. Many of Usha Khanna’s songs are still very popular. One of India’s most well-known music composers, AR Rahman, used her Har Nazar Ke Sau Afsane from Shabnam, as inspiration for the song Latka Dikha Diya in the movie Hindustani. Usha Khanna was quite active as a composer until the mid-nineties. Until now the last movie she has given music to be in 2003. The movie was Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, produced and directed by her ex-husband Saawan Kumar who she was briefly married to. Usha Khanna had given music to non-Hindi movies too. The Malayalam movie ‘Moodal Manju’ is still remembered for some of the finest songs in Malayalam including ‘Nee Madu Pakaroo’ by KJ Yesudas and ‘Manasa Mani veenayil’ by S Janaki. Why she did not get many chances remains a mystery for many music lovers even now.

Pakistan’s only female film composer is Shamim Nazli. In my earlier submission I had reiterated that whenever we come to talk about the successful career of Pakistani films playback singer Mala she is introduced as the younger sister of the only female music composer of Pakistani film Industry, Shamim Nazli. Both hailed from Faisalabad and were nicknamed as Shammo and Kalo because of their respective fair and dark complexions. Shamim Nazli was niece of Mirza Sultan Beg alias Nizam Din who was born in village Modde, District Jallundher. Nizam Din worked with Sultan Khoosat alias Noor Din for many years in their evening programme ‘Jamhoor Di Awaz’ (voice of democracy) at Radio Pakistan, Lahore. So Shamim and Nasim inherited the culture of broadcasting from their uncle.

On Shamim Nazli’s request, music composer, Baba Ghulam Ahmed Chishti recorded two songs in Nasim’s voice for the Punjabi film Aabroo. However, the film flopped. Despite the fact that her elder sister got her a break in films, it was Anwar Kamal Pasha who persuaded Nasim to try her luck by singing for Pakistani films. Her first major break in films came in 1962 when she changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition, Aaya Re Daikho for the film Sooraj Mukhi. The music was composed by Master Abdullah and the film became a memorable hit. In 1963, Mala rendered her voice to a heart-rending Urdu composition, Dil Daita Hai Ro Ro Duhai, Kisi Sei Koi Pyaar Na Karey for the film Ishq Par Zor Nahin. The music was composed by Master Inayat Hussain and the song was pictured on Yasmin. This song is even popular today after it had become a mega hit at the time of its creation in 1963. Lyricist was none else than Qateel Shifai.

Shamim Nazli composed the music of two Urdu films ‘Baharen Phir Bhi Aaein Gi’ directed by S Suleman, songs penned by Khwaja Parvez and Masroor Anwar and ‘Bin Badal Barsaat’. From the songs I heard from these films, I found the tracks original, tuneful having rich instrumental support and treatment. Unfortunately Shamim was born in the male dominated musicians’ society of Lollywood with big music composers working twenty four hours a day. Despite her competence, Shamim Nazli was not encouraged and not given more assignments to prove her credentials. Also the fact of the matter is that she believed in creating her own original music and did not get to accept the cheap demands of certain producers that approached her as far as creation of music is concerned. It is rumoured that Tafo brothers that dominated the instrumental scene of Lollywood would refuse to cooperate if they found any music composer threatening their dominance. The story of Pakistan’s women directors and producers is one that needs to be further explored and told.  That is what I am doing by writing on music composers and singers nowadays.

Despite the likeness for music in Pakistan despite the narrow outlook of some of the clerics, it comes as a pleasant surprise that in country with such deep prohibitions against women working in the public sphere, and that too in such an industry as the film making, some of the women have been able to martial the resources and withstand the severe social pressure to make modest number of films. One notices that many female producers and directors appeared in the subcontinent film industries like Nurjehen, Shamim Ara, Zeenat and Sangeeta in Pakistan but somehow or the other not many names are seen as music composers.

This movie was a successful venture starring Mohammad Ali, Zeba, Shahid and Sangeeta released in March 1975. It ran for fifty four weeks in Karachi and attained sought-after Golden Jubilee status. Much credit went to its lilting music composed by Shamim Nazli. I remember a film with the same titled was made in Bombay with the song ‘Bin Badal Barsaat Na Ho Gi’ filmed on Nishi and sung by Asha Bhosle.

Pakistani film with the same title is based on a couple Zarina and Judge Akbar Ali who is issueless and desires to raise a family. Unlike nowadays where couples adopt babies instead of brooding on the hackneyed concept that a mother who cannot bear a child is useless. People now understand that even the husband’s infertility could be one cause of not bearing a child. In the movie however Zeba advises her husband Muhammad Ali to go for another woman Gori who happens to be a large heated dancing girl. A few months later Zarina does in fact deliver a healthy boy but through a series of twists of fate and double cross finds her boy Anwar missing. Anwar ends up as a pick pocket and a thief. He cuts people’s pockets as part of a gang of beggars and prostitutes led by an obese and lecherous gang leader, Ilyas Kashmiri. Eventually the family is reunited thanks to the efforts of the golden hearted dancing girl Gori and her reformed pickpocket fiancé Badhshah, a role played by Shahid.

The critics observe that though this film was a big hit there is not much to recommend it as far as the storyline, script or acting goes. The redeeming factor is its music by Shamim Nazli and good acting by Sangeeta. Belonging to Karachi she was introduced in the film Yeh Aman. We were talking about female directors and producers where Sangeeta fits in as successful producer and director of films Society Girl, Nikah and Muthi Bhar Chawal (Fist Full of Rice). In the film Bin Badal Barsaat, Sangeeta is content with to acting and dancing. The director is yet another woman, Zeenat, herself an actress whose track record went back to 1946 when she shared the screen with Nurjehan in Hamjoli. A few words about Zeenat are not out of context here. After the creation of Pakistan, she produced and directed half a dozen other films beginning with Khula Ja Sim Sim. Her last appearance as director came in 1980 with Aap Ki Khatir.

Now we shall talk about successful use of Qawwali in this film by Shamim Nazli. In a critical scene near the film’s climax, Nazli inserts one of the Sabri Brothers’ most popular Qawwali ‘Bhar Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad’ in the backdrop of Zeba and Muhammad Ali’s emotional prayers on a shrine for return of their child. Bin Badal Barsaat may not be top quality cinema but as a study of the role of women in Lollywood, both on and off the screen, it is a film well worth viewing. The song ‘Tu Mera Pyar Hei, Tujh Ko Sada Main Chahun Ga’ by Mehdi Hassan has again the violins support pieces that complement each line of the song as though agreeing to what has been crooned.

This movie was produced by Mala as per the titles given at the beginning of the film. Here I must mention Mala’s song ‘Ghairon Sei Pyar Kiya’ filmed on Zeba that created the feelings of cry through the instrument Shehnai. The odd note on the word ‘Zalima’ adds fuel to the fire. The violins support pieces are very rich and remind me of Indian composer Madan Mohan’s style. A duet ‘Khush Naseebi Hei Meri’ by Mala and Rushdi has rich instrumental support in the style of Suhail Rana and Nisar Bazmi; string instruments’ pieces with rich violins and bangs. It is a very pleasing melody. A sad but lilting melody ‘Mere Liye Jahan Main’ by Mehdi Hassan creates a sad impact. Rich violins interval pieces are complimented by minor accordion support; continuity. Mala’s song ‘Pyar Kei Naghme’ reminds me of Indian song ‘Aaj Kal Tere Mere Charche Har Zaban Par, Sab Ko Maloom Hei Aur Sab Ko Khabar Ho Gai’. After creating wonderful melodies, I do not know what the compulsion for taking this step was. The best melody of this film is ‘Tere Baghair Zindigi’ by Mehdi Hassan; melodious in all ways. There was a deviation as far as choice of singer is concerned. Shamim picked Runa Laila for a song ‘Zundigi Kitni Haseen Hai, Haath Mera Tum Pakar Lo, Maut Ka Bhi Ghum Nahi Hei’; a number not much to my liking with the crooner’s shrieks.

Shamim Nazli was encouraged by music producer Rafiq Ahmad Warraich by booking her for his series ‘Bazm-e-Naghma, the title of which was liked in her composition. Asif Javed stated that he rendered a duet with Saima Jehan in this programme. Shamim Nazli also composed songs for Central Production Unit, Radio Pakistan, Lahore.

Though India has introduced some female music composers lately but I’ve not heard of any in Pakistan so far. Maybe Karachi brings forward some due to its domination in show business nowadays.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com