When the media described the change of portfolio of a high-profile minister in the last cabinet reshuffle as downsizing her, she tweeted, Kuchh to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kahna. The media makes its living out of saying up things, often with generous doses of spices and garnishing. Celebrities and public personalities learn to live with it. The minister was better off ignoring the barbs, but I have to thank her for giving me an idea for a post.
What is said or not said affects not only the VIPs, but all of us. A major reason for strains in relationships is the breakdown of communication between the partners. A stereotype image of a wife is her complaining to the husband, when your friend comes you can chat up with him for hours, tell me how many sentences you have spoken to me today? There was a charming news item recently about a divorce petition filed by the wife on the ground that her husband had lost interest in her. The judge, who must also have been a trained psychologist, ordered the husband to say to the wife thrice a day, Darling, you are the most beautiful woman in the world; I love you very much. He asked the couple to come back after the husband had perfected it by practicing before a mirror. On the next date, the couple came beaming, and left the court hand-in-hand, with the wife profusely thanking the judge.
That might suggest that not speaking means absence of communication. But at times silence is more eloquent than words. I remember a non-film song of Hemant Kumar (Kitna dukh bhulaya tumne pyari) in which the antara was हम तुम चुप बैठे हों, दिल कहता है किस्से दिल के. A film of powerful silences is Shekhar Kapoor’s Masoom – silences not only of the great actors Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, but also of the child Jugal Hansraj who brings tears to your eyes. The greatest moments in Deewar are not its dialogues, great as they are, but the searing silence of Vijay (Amitabh Bachchan). The only person who understands him is the cabaret dancer Anita (Parveen Babi) from a fallen background, because he shares his silence with her with a drink or cigarette, which conveys all the pain bottled inside him – his Ma is weighed down by the image of Mother India, and the cop-brother has been tutored Bhagwad Geeta by AK Hangal and Neetu Singh.
But when the time comes, Vijay is also voluble – he gives it hard to the God in the temple for wreaking so much misery on his mother. You might quibble that in the temple you hardly deliver a long angry monologue, but that has become one of the iconic scenes in cinema.
Thus, to speak, or not to speak is the question. As you have seen, there is no right answer to this fundamental dilemma facing the mankind – you can speak too little or too much, but often it is not what you say, but how you say it that is more important. A most fascinating display of what to say and how to say it is being played out in the American presidential campaign. At the Republican convention, when Ted Cruz called upon the people to vote as per their conscience for the candidate who would uphold the American constitution – a very noble statement on the surface – everyone knew what he was saying – “I loathe Donald Trump.” Cruz and his wife were escorted out of the hall with great difficulty amidst the booing crowd. Politicians face a unique professional dilemma. If they keep their mouth shut, they wouldn’t be politicians; if they open it, they can’t do it without putting their feet into it. Then the media pounces on them, and they have to go into all sorts of contortions – I didn’t mean this, I meant that. I have been quoted out of context. Not everyone is as unapologetic as Donald Trump; he can say with a straight face that Obama and Hillary Clinton are the founders of ISIS and, when asked by the media to clarify, reiterates that this is exactly what he meant.
As a blogger, I have to often deal with this issue. The anonymity provided by the virtual media lets some people lose all sense of proportion – it is not unusual to see people getting abusive or insulting for no reason except that the other person holds a different view. Though music evokes strong emotions, the content of SoY has ensured a kind of self-selection which has brought in people who are highly educated and mature. I have also been lucky that whenever the readers felt that something was not all right and commenting on the site might appear inappropriate, they have chosen to mail me with their very frank, at times brutally frank, views. This shows the highest standards of what to say and how to say.
There is nothing under the sun on which you wouldn’t find a film song. The minister thought that the famous film song conveyed the best what she felt. In budget speeches, we are accustomed to waiting for the film songs the Finance Minister would mention to pep up his speech.
I am presenting some songs on the ‘kahna’ theme. But we have to be careful – the emphasis has to be on the issue of ‘saying’. Since it is a very common verb, it may appear in many situations where the emphasis is on something else. For example, Saawan ke baadlo unse ye ja kaho is a saawan/baadal song to my mind.
1. Kuchh to log kahenge logon ka kaam hai kahna by Kishore Kumar from Amar Prem (1971), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music RD Burman
When a Bengali bhadralok falls in love with a fallen woman, no amount of explanation that the woman is a good soul is going to satisfy the busybodies whose soul entertainment is to peek into other’s affairs. This is the world which maligned Sita, too; what chance the lesser mortals have? I must say the minister chose a most apt song for conveying her feelings. This was the era of the continuous run of Rajesh Khanna’s 15 superhits, Kishore Kumar being the voice of the hero and RD Burman defining the music trend.
2. Kahna hai kahna hai aaj ye tumse pahli baar by Kishore Kumar from Padosan (1968), lyriocs Rajendra Krishna, music RD Burman
But RD Burman gave some great music pre-Rajesh Khanna phase, too. Padosan is a rip-roaring comedy with some outstanding songs. Ek chatur naar, parodied on Ashok Kumar’s song in Jhoola (1941) by Saraswati Devi, has become an all-time classic. Less celebrated is this ‘kahna’ song through which the bumbling buffoon Bhola (Sunil Dutt) conveys his love to Saira Bano. The only problem is that Bhola could not even croak, therefore, the Guru Kishore Kumar, in another superb role, gives playback from behind to rescue his protégé. The cover is blown, but finally love prevails after some ups and downs.
3. Kuchh na kaho kuchh bhi na kaho by Kumar Shanu from 1942 Love Story (1994), lyrics Javed Akhtar, music RD Burman
It seems RD Burman had something about ‘kahna’. The lovers in this retro film, when they are all by themselves in solitude, do not need to say anything to one-another, because time has stood still and at that moment nothing else mattered except the two. RDB gives some superb music in his swan song which was released two years after he had passed away. Kumar Shanu who modelled himself on Kishore Kumar in the beginning of his career, sings it superbly.
कुछ ना कहो, कुछ भी ना कहो
क्या कहना है, क्या सुनना है
मुझको पता है, तुमको पता है
समय का ये पल थम सा गया है
और इस पल में कोई नहीं है
बस एक मैं हूँ, बस एक तुम हो
4. Unko ye shikayat hai ki hum kuchh nahi kahte by Lata Mangeshkar from Adalat (1958), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music Madan Mohan
Forced into earning her living as a prostitute, as the respectable person she had married secretly had left for higher studies, leaving her pregnant, Nargis’s life is one of unmitigated pain and misery. What can a person in this situation say? Rajendra Krishna has woven beautiful irony – Kuchh kahne pe toofan utha leti hai duniya/ Ab is pe qayamat hai ki hum kuchh nahi kahte (The world raises a storm when I say something; and now they give me hell that I don’t say anything). Madan Mohan, the composer for the classes, creates one of his best ghazals which made Madan Mohan-Lata Mangeshkar as one of the most famous hyphenations in film music.
5. Hum bolega to bologe ki bolta hai by Kishore Kumar from Kasauti (1974), lyrics Verma Malik, music Kalyanji Anandji
We just heard Kuchh kahne pe toofan utha leti hai duniya – an elegant line, composed equally elegantly. How would you say the same thing in Tapori language? Kishore Kumar is man for all seasons, and Pran was a multifaceted talent. Kalyanji-Anandji were among the few Golden Era stalwarts who were able to make a successful transition post-Aradhana. ‘Kahna’ songs need not be serious and philosophical. The Gorkha, Pran, sees all the goings-on from his vantage position. He obviously can’t resist the temptation to reveal all, but has to maintain the façade of keeping quiet. He makes it an extremely enjoyable song.
6. Pyar ki daastan tum suno to kahen by Lata Mangeshkar from Faraar (1965), lyrics Kaifi Azmi, music Hemant Kumar
In the best male solos of 1949, currently under review, the pride of place went to Tu kahe agar main geet sunata jaaun. Pyar ki daastan reverses the order of ‘kahna’ and ‘sunana’. ‘Listening’ is the other side of ‘kahna’. You don’t care for the world (Kya karega sun ke jahan), it is the one for whom the lady cares, needs to listen (Tum suno to kahen). Hemant Kumar’s music, especially for Lata Mangeshkar, was as sweet as his own songs. Kaifi Azmi has penned some his best songs which were composed by Hemant Kumar, such as in Kohra and Anupama.
7. Dil ki kahani kahna to chahe haye ri kismat kah na sake by Lata Mangeshkar from Sagaai (1951), lyrics Rajendra Krishna, music C Ramchandra
This is another shade where the lady has been compelled into circumstances when she is not able to tell her inner feelings. By the early 50s, Lata Mangeshkar had established herself as the defining voice of the leading lady. C Ramchandra was among the top stalwarts whose songs for Lata Mangeshkar acquired a unique identity.
8. Ka se kahun man ki baat, bairi balamwa dukhiya kar gaye by Sudha Malhotra, lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music N Datta
Here there is no dilemma about saying it; there is only an endearing reproach for the bairi balamwa who seems to have deserted the lady. Raga Kafi gives it a naughty and playful mood. Picturised as a stage dance song, it is being witnessed by two pairs Rajendra Kumar-Nanda and Ashok Kumar-Mala Sinha from different box seats. Their stories would intersect, leading to some high drama. Sahir Ludhiyanavi was not only a rebel poet, he has also written lyrics for all types of songs, including such classical-based songs mirroring traditional bandishes.
9. Kahun kaase main man ki baat by Lata Mangeshkar from Subah Ka Tara (1954), lyrics Noor Lakahnavi, music C Ramchandra
We have seen how a simple point about telling what is inside one’s heart has so many different shades. Here is another where the lady is apparently newly-wed whose husband is away. But the mood is not glum, because marriage gives a security and she knows the absence is temporary. Therefore, she can dance around and tell her man ki baat to his picture and his suit laid neatly on the sofa.
10. Raaz ki baat hai kahen ya na kahen..Nigaahen milaane ko ji chahta hai by Asha Bhosle from Dil Hi To Hai (1959), lyrics Sahir Ludhiyanavi, music Roshan
Nutan does say everything she wants to say in the prelude to the qawwali – Raaz ki baat hai kahen ya na kahen/ Bas gaya hai is dil mein koi kahen ya na kahen – before the start of rhythmic clapping and synchronised dance followed by this wonderful qawwali. The old ustaad, i.e. her music teacher Raj Kapoor in disguise, knows he is the object of her desire, but Pran, who is oblivious of this elaborate ruse played on him, is also stupidly thrilled. This was a superb comedy. Roshan rightly earned fame as the Master of qawwalis in films.
11. Pyar ka fasana bana le dil deewana, kuchh tum kaho kuchh hum kahen by Mukesh from Teesara Kaun (1965), lyrics Anand Bakshi, music RD Burman
We have so far seen asymmetric ‘kahna’ songs where one protagonist is facing dilemma internally or due to external circumstances. But there could be a balanced situation when there is no tension, and each is soliciting the other to say something. This would give rise to a happy duet, nicely picturised on Firoz Khan and Kalpana. I just said, RD Burman seemed to have something about ‘kahna’.
12. Aise mein agar tum aa jate kuchh tum kahte kuchh hum kahte by Suraiya from Balam (1949), lyrics Qamar Jalalabadi, music Husnlal-Bhagatram
But a ‘kahna’ song may be balanced on the surface, but if the lover is away, there is pathos in Kuchh tum kahte kuchh hum kahte. I had missed this song in my overview post on the best songs of 1949. I have to thank our Ashokji for bringing it to my notice when he expanded my survey a great deal on his blog. This should be among the best Suraiya songs, composed by the great masters Husnlal-Bhagatram, despite their familiar orchestration.