EARLY LIFE
I was born in Assam in 1925. My father, who was a doctor, had an enormous collection of both Indian and Western classical music, so the works of Beethoven, Mozart and the like were familiar to me right from childhood. Like my father, my elder brother was a good musician and classical singer, but more actively so. he had formed an orchestra called Milan Parishad, was a versatile instrumentalist, and had played for many silent films.
Being always in this environment of music, I couldn't help being similarly influenced!
As I grew up, I began to write as well, and churned out many patriotic songs in Bengali and Hindi, during the days of our freedom struggle. These songs are popular even to this day. However, my brother was equally firm that my education should not be neglected. Thus, I took my BA in English, and subsequently did my MA in Bengali.
BOMBAY, BIMAL ROY AND "DO BIGHA ZAMEEN"
Hrishikesh Mukherji had always been a good friend, right from our very early days in Calcutta, where he and Mrinal Sen worked as laboratory assistants at New Theatres. At that time Bimal Roy was looking for a script for his next venture. I was introduced to him by Hrishikesh, and later
the script was approved. When Bimal said that negotiations were underway with Anil Biswas to compose
the music, Hrishikesh was quick to point out that music was, in fact, my forte! Bimal appeared sceptical about entrusting a rank newcomer with the script as well as the music for what was to be his maiden production venture. Fortunately for me, an informal evening had already been organised where I sang and played on the harmonium, and this convinced Bimal that I was good
enough! Thus, I made my debut with "Do Bigha Zameen".
BACKGROUND MUSIC
You've asked me why I have done so many background music scores for the songless films that crop up from time to time. This requires a certain degree of skill in timing the length of the footage with the duration of the piece to be recorded. I had established some sort of reputation for this soon after I had begun composing regularly in Bombay.
I remember once there was a knock on my door at about 2 am and I found Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh and S.D. Burman standing on my doorstep, the latter wearing a worried expression. Sachinda had been signed up for Bimal's"Devdas", but apparently Bimal had not been happy with his background music for the climactic reels of the film. So, at short notice early the next morning, I was compelled to compose and record four reel's worth of musicfor the ending of "Devdas", uncredited, as our relationships were very cordial.
TUNES AND LYRICS
Although I had a firm grounding in classical music, I was, and am of the opinion that music should be free,
unconventional, and unpredictable in its flow. That's why I've never adhered firmly to any arohana and avarohana, or allowed them to restrict mein my composition. Sometimes this could get too tricky for
singers. Did you know that one Rafi-Lata duet needed more than 12 takes, because Rafi couldn't get a grip on the erratic scale changes of a particular line? ("Maya"'s "Tasveer teri dil mein").
I've worked with many lyricists but Shailendra was always my favourite. We made a perfect team, and he's written some of my best songs. Being unorthodox in approach, and not wanting to compose for a pre-written lyric, my tunes would invariably composed first, and then Shalilendra would write the words accordingly.
On Lata Mangeshkar: She is the true phenomenon. Perhaps it may be several hundred centuries before we come across such a talent again! If I knew that Lata was sceduled to sing my composition, I would go all out to make it as complex as possible. It was like a challenge, at the same time like a game between us - but she never failed to rise to the occasion, and she would even suggest complex variations of her own.
Mukesh: Mukesh was my favourite singer. His octave range was limited - I tried not to give him any note above the second D after middle C - and his ability to sing lines with 'murkis' restricted. But he could sing with a mood and pathos that was unique.
Manna Dey: I have used Manna in my compositions right from "Do Bigha Zameen". While his ability to sing romantic melodies is rather limited, he was brilliant in singing classical songs, especially those with a touch of comedy. One of my favourites is his rendition of "Ek samay par do barsaaten" from "Jhoola".
Mohammed Rafi: Another versatile singer, skilled in the art of infusing happiness, pathos or comedy into a song as the situation demanded. His ability to sing songs based on rapidly changing Western scales was limited, though.
Talat Mehmood: An excellent ghazal singer, but they don't make those kind of movies anymore.
Kishore Kumar: My first film with him was "Naukri". He was the industry's all-rounder, and a clown even in the recording room. Once, while I explained a song to him, Kishore, who had been standing, first leaned against the wall, then sat on a chair, and finally slumped on to the floor as the intricacy of the melody sank in! The next morning he said he had a dream in which he fled, screaming, "I can't do it! It's too difficult!" While I supposedly chased him with a stick, saying, "Oh yes you will!" And so he did. That song was "Guzar jaye din din" from "Annadata".
On Raj Kapoor: Raj was a very dear friend of mine. I came to know him well when we met in Moscow for a film festival. He then signed me up for "Jaagte Raho", and the music was well received. We had decided to do another film together, but ultimately he had to bow to strong protests from the pro-Shankar-Jaikishan lobby.
Dilip Kumar: Dilip's only song for a Hindi film was my composition. It was a thumri, "Lagi nahin choote", to be recorded with Lata Mangeshkar. He was in such dread of recording a duet with the formidable Lata, that he wanted to back out. Lata's repeated assurances that he was singing well did nothing to boost his confidence. The final take came about only after he had downed three brandies in quick succession. Actually I think he has a pleasant light voice well suited for a thumri. But Dilip swore never to repeat the experience.
When asked to choose his ten best compositions, Salil didn't seem to have to think long before drawing up a list. Yet his fans may have their own lists! Anyway, here it is - and mind you, they are in random order:
- Aaja ri aa nindiya ("Do Bigha Zameen")
- Mausam beeta jae ("Do Bigha Zameen")
- Aha rhim jhim ke ye pyare pyare ("Usne Kaha Tha")
- Itna na mujhse tu pyar badha ("Chhaya")
- Raat ne kya kya khwab dikhae ("Ek Gaon Ki Kahani")
- Saathire...tujh bin jiya udaas re ("Poonam Ki Raat")
- Aaja re pardesi ("Madhumati")
- Bichhua ("Madhumati")
- Koi hota jisko apna ("Mere Apne")
- Kahin door jab din dhal jae ("Anand")
THE SALIL FILMOGRAPHY
RMIMers, please note that this is a list of Salil's Hindi films only. 'BGM' refers to films (usually songless) for which Salil scored only the background music. I hope that the list is complete but am open to correction/addition.
1953 Do Bigha Zameen (also written)
1954 Naukri
Biraj Bahu
1955 Amaanat
Tangewali
1956 Aawaaz
Jaagte Raho
Parivaar
1957 Apradhi Kaun
Ek Gaon Ki Kahani
Zamana
Musafir
Lal Batti
1958 Madhumati
1960 Usne Kaha Tha
Kanoon (BGM)
Jawaahar
Parakh
Honeymoon
1961 Char Diwari
Chhaya
Kabuliwala
Maya
Mem Didi
Sapan Suhane
1962 Half Ticket
Jhoola
Prem Patra
1PCA Chand Aur Suraj
Poonam Ki Raat
1966 Netaji Subhashchandra Bose
Pinjre Ke Panchi (also directed)
1969 Ittefaq (BGM)
Sara Aakash
1970 Anand
1971 Gehra Raaz (Salil scored two songs, and Raj Ravinder the other two)
Mere Apne
1972 Annadata
Anokha Daan
Anokha Milan
Mere Bhaiyya
Subse Bada Sukh
1974 Rajnigandha
1975 Chhotisi Baat
Sangat
1976 Jeevan Jyoti
Mrigyaa
Udanchoo
1977 Minoo
1979 Jeena Yahan
1980 Chemmeen Lehren
Chiruthaa (BGM)
Naani Maa
Room No. 203
Anand Mahal (unreleased)
1981 Agni Pareeksha
Plot No. 5
1982 Dil Ka Saathi Dil
1984 Kanoon Kya Karega
1988 Trishagni
1989 Aakhri Badla
Kamala Ki Maut (BGM)
1990 Triyatri
At the time of speaking to him (October 1992) he had plans to compose the music for a tele-serial on Buddha being produced by Phani Mazumdar, and for Basu Chatterji's new film, which was to have been another light romantic comedy on the lines of "Rajnigandha" and"Chhotisi Baat".
Some other snippets from the interview which were considered being of too 'specialized trivia' interest to newspaper readers:
Salil acknowledged that Zindagi hai kya, sun meri jaan, from "Maya" was based on Chaplin's "Limelight" theme. I asked him whether "Hame yaad kabhi tum kar lena" from "Anokha Daan" was a revamp of "Chhaya"'s "Itna na mujhse" (it certainly sounds that way) but he didn't agree.
"Marzi hai tumhari", from "Mere Bhaiyya" has some extraordinarily intricate harmonium pieces, and I asked him who the player was. Apparently the hired harmonium player could not produce the required result, so Salil himself played it!
Salil's wife Sabita was the one who remembered that it was an obscure singer from IPTA named Shaila Belle who provided the female voice at the end of "Chhota sa ghar hoga" from "Naukri", and not Usha Mangeshkar as HMV would have us believe. Sabita ruefully said that her 'anatara' of "Champavati tu aaja" ("Annadata") appeared only in the film, but was axed in most issued record versions. Her favourite among her own songs was Chaand kabhi tha bahon mein, from "Sapan Suhane". Salil filled in the information that it was Nirmalendu Choudhury who sang "Biraj Bahu"'s "Maajhi re". He spoke at some length about singer Dwijen Mukherjee. The subject cropped up when I asked him a question about Dwijen's duet with Lata in "Maya" - "Phir ek baar kaho" - which is so tortuous in its melody that it almost appears discordant.
I asked him about "Mem Didi", and the beautiful alternating melodies of Lata with a chorus in "Bachpan o bachpan". Sadly, he couldn't recollect anything about "Mem Didi", except that one song had a dog's bark in it!
Salil had kept himself busy by running a fully equipped professional recording studio in Calcutta, in addition to doing some hand-picked assignments for films. He was keen to perform in Dubai. I told him Lata Mangeshkar had a concert scheduled later that year, and he exclaimed. "Not now, then! The effect of her show will last a long time. Perhaps after six months or so". Sadly, it didn't work out, because his plan was to form a very small band essentially consisting only of his wife Sabitha, his daughter Anatara and himself, with all three singing to pre-recorded music, karaoke style. Promoters were not interested, and later, on his request, I got the Bengali Association president to get in touch with him. As far as I know, the Bengali programme didn't work out either. Last year, sitarist Jairam Acharya who was in Dubai on a private visit, played glowing tribute to the maestro. Acharya was the man who played the classic introductory sitar piece in "Parakh"'s "O sajna, barkha bahar aayi".