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The
popularity of music in R K Films was not accidental but by design. Raj
Kapoor was not a composer but, by his own admission, a music director.
He supervised music, suggested tunes and inspired his composers to give
their best. He made music an integral part of the stories and used it as
an expression of his innermost thoughts and emotions as in 'Main zindagi
mein hurdum rota hi raha hoon' ('Barsat'), 'Awara hoon'(Awara),
Dost dost na raha'('Sangam'), Vina yahan, mama yahan'and 'Jane kahan
gaye woh din' (both from 'Mera Naam Joker'). Even when he turned
preacher, he used musical expression as in 'A a ab laut chale'('Jis Desh
Mein Ganga Baheti Hai'). It was Raj Kapoor, the lover and the
philosopher, hiding his disillusionment and dejection behind the mask of
a joker, when he sancy ' Ye bhai zara dekh ke chalo', and 'Kaheta hai
joker saara zamana'. The grand finale was the joker summing up his
philosophy in the song 'Kal khel mein hum ho na ho, gardish me in tare
rahenge sada'.
The box-office failure of the mo st ambitious project 'Mera
Naam Joker' followed by jaikishan's death disillusioned Raj Kapoor.
Neither his films nor his music were the same ever after.
Music had a dominating influence on Raj Kapoor. As
Prithviraj I s son he had an opportunity to come close to K L Saigal and
the master composer Rai Chand Boral, when Prithviraj worked in New
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without
worrying about the sources from where they came.
Shanker-Jaikishan were an
invaluable asset to the R K Films. With Shailendra and Hasrat added they
made a formidable team. Shanker, an expert tabla player and a disciple
of HusnalalBhagatram, was a talented composer. But the talent did
nothing enough to endear him to producers. He was uncouth,
short-tempered and had a vituperative tongue. Raj preferred to deal with
Jaikishan with whom he vibed well. The death of Jaikishan ended a
glorious chapter in the history of R K Films. From 'Barsat'to'Mera Naam
Joker' they had scored in eight films and had repaid their debt to Raj
Kapoor with compound interest. His ambition to be a filmmaker did
not allow Raj Kapoor to pursue his passion for music, though he did
learn its rudiments from Pt Jagannath Prasad who was closely associated
with Khemchand Prakash and K L Saigal and also taught music to Premnath,
Mukesh and the members of the Kapoor clan.
While visualising a song situation Raj Kapoor showed
remarkable judgment in selecting the right tunes. He never hesitated to
adapt tunes (such as 'Is libe dis, I love you' and 'Dost dost na raha',
both in 'Sangam') which had appealed to him, without worrying about the
sources from where they came. .Shanker-Jaikishan were an invaluable
asset to the R K Films. With Shailendra and Hasrat added they made a
formidable team. Shanker, an expert tabla player and a |
