Batting For Pancham: Bradman Vs. Sobers
A new series begins today. The content credit of this series goes to our brilliant contributor Ms.Madhavi Mukherjee.
This series will highlight Asha’s contributions vis-a-vis with the Music Magician, whom we all lovingly know as Pancham. Pancham’s compositions in Hindi Film Music will be explored through each decade Asha vs Lata as his singers.
1960s – This decade launched Pancham into the music world as a composer and with it came unmatching compositions that still continue to entertain and feed our always music-starved souls.
The innings start was with Chhote Nawab, which was followed by Bhoot Bangla, but Pancham resisted using Asha and gave some superb numbers to an equally illustrious singer Legend Lata. What followed was Teesra Kaun – Madhavi writes –
Teesra Kaun(1965)
Another low-budget with Feroz Khan(before he got famous) and Kalpana. Lata gets the soft romantic song in the album with Mukesh “Pyar Ka Fasana” but it is in the solos where the sparks fly… Rafi’s “Meri Jaan Tu Khafa” is fast-paced and foot-tappy enuf to make me wonder how Feroz Khan executed this on screen…keeping in mind his strong ‘n silent persona.Two lovely Asha solos crown this album… the sweetly mischievous “Achha Sanam Karle Sitam” (reminds me of Kitne bhi tu karle sitam or is it just coz of the word “sitam”). But the lines “Par yaad rahe is bulbul ko/Ud jaana bhi aata hai” makes me suspect it must be some villain-in-his-den-with-captured-heroine-singing scenario instead of the heroine-manaoing-hero scenario. The other one is a tad spicier… “O O Dilruba… ta ra ra re ra ru ra…” note how Pancham makes the music pause for…”teri balaa se”… said with much attitude by Asha. Alas, I am afraid that too must have been wasted on a non-entity on screen offering jaams to the hero.
(next week it will be on Pati Patni -1966)
