FLY INTO THE PAST WITH VINTAGE MUSIC IN "ROCKY AUR RANI KI PREM KAHANI'

 

Akhila and I are fond of movies and before the onset of Covid, used to see at least 2-3 movies every month in a Cinema hall. Then, from February 2020 to July 2023, movie watching was confined to TV and our visits to a theatre could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

 

End-July changed that. Suddenly, there were so many movies that had to be seen in a theatre. “Oppenheimer” was the first. A brilliant movie, it will surely land a few Oscars and other international awards in time to come. Next was “Barbie”, an eye-pleasing movie straight out of a doll house. The colour pink is in great demand and the movie is minting money. And the third in that movie crazy week was “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani”.

 

“Rocky And Rani” is an all-round good production with a nice story and great acting. But what is exquisitely appealing about it is the way vintage Bollywood music is used to intertweave two love stories, an old romance of Kanwal and Jamini played by Dharmendra and Shabana Azmi, and the fresh, burgeoning love of Rocky and Rani played by Ranveer and Alia Bhatt.

 

Karan Johar is experienced in this art as displayed in his movie “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” seven years ago. So is Pritam, music composer of  “Ae Dil…” as well as “Rocky Aur Rani” who has said that the music album of the latter is his homage to Hindi film music of the 1960s-70s. The songs chosen by Pritam were all outstanding hits in their time and would blissfully transport people of my generation to those days in a state of nostalgia.

 

Early into “Rocky Aur Rani”, Kanwal, wheelchair confined and suffering from amnesia, comes face to face with Jamini, his week-long lover of 40 years ago, recognizes her, gets up and walks up to her singing ‘Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar’, the unforgettable song from “Hum Dono”, the Dev Anand-Sadhana starrer of 1961. The Mohd. Rafi-Asha Bhosle song with Sahir Ludhianvi’s superb lyrics flowing from desire to desperation was brilliantly brought to the screen by Dev Anand in his typical charming and flirty way with Sadhana as the demure lover in a dilemma to stay or leave before it got too dark. The song is regarded as one of the best love songs of all time. It took me back to my days on the ship Gomati in Bombay watching the movie with my shipmate and friend Jack Suri who perished with Khukri in 1971 and left this world too soon.

 

For “Rocky Aur Rani”, Pritam composed a number, ‘What Jhumka’ which is adapted from the enormously popular song ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ from the 1966 movie “Mera Saaya” also starring Sadhana. People might have forgotten the movie but not the Asha Bhosle song. Mention ‘Bareilly’ or ‘jhumka’ or even ‘bazaar’ and the song comes to mind. Its impact can be gauged from the fact that in 2020, 54 years after the release of the song, a brass and copper ‘jhumka’ weighing 200 kgs was installed on a 14 ft-high pole at the entrance to Bareilly on National Highway 24 and the T-point named ‘Jhumka Tiraha’. Ignoring historical and mythical facts like being the birthplace of Draupadi, Bareilly is now 'jhumka' city thanks to the song.

 

The origin of ‘jhumka’ story dates back to 1941 when Harivanshrai Bachchan first met Teji Suri in Bareilly at a new year's party and both fell in love with each other. Sometime later, the poet Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Mr. Bachchan’s friend, asked if they were a couple. Miss Suri is believed to have said, “Mera jhumka toh Bareilly mein hi gir gaya tha’ thus confirming her falling in love. Mr. Khan recalled this while working for the film “Mera Saaya” and wrote the song ‘Jhumka…’ along with the music composer Madan Mohan.

 

In 1966, I was Flag Lt to Commandant, National Defence College, New Delhi, and Wing Cdr Suchanti was Junior Directing Staff (Air Force). In parties, people would ask Mrs Suchanti to sing a song. With a little persuasion, she would sing and coyly act out the single line, “Jhumka gira re, Bareilly ke bazaar mein, jhumka gira re’. No more, no less! Years later, I was in Wellington doing my Staff College Course and Air Commodore Suchanti was Chief Instructor (Air Force).  Recalling the NDC days, I would urge Mrs Suchanti to sing ‘Jhumka’ and she would charmingly oblige with the same line.

 

‘Yeh Shaam Mastani’ from “Kati Patang” features too. Rajesh Khanna with Kishore Kumar’s voice was in his prime in early ‘70s. In 1972, Akhila and I were in Vishakhapatnam just after our wedding. “Kati Patang” had been running in the naval base cinema for some time when we decided to see it. At the hall, we saw Surg Lt Cdr NP Mukherjee (Doc Mukko), my old shipmate on Gomati, standing at the back with a glass of whisky in his hand. Mukko said his wife was away in Calcutta and although he had seen the movie on the very first day, he had been walking across from the Wardroom nearby for every show just to hear ‘Yeh Shaam…’

 

Then there is ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’. This song from the film “Qurbani” in 1980 introduced the Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan to Bollywood and everyone was fascinated by her singing. We had just moved from Wellington, where I was a Directing Staff, to Delhi and were staying in Kotah House awaiting allocation of regular accommodation. Ruchir was 6 and Shumita 3. One day, we were walking outside when colleague Soli Contractor and his wife Jeroo met us. Soli picked up Shumita and started swaying to the rhythm of 'Aap Jaisa Koi' playing in the background. Now Soli had a bald pate as smooth as a baby’s bottom and Shumita stared it for some time and then started patting it with the beat of the song saying, “Takloo, Takloo”. Embarrassed, Akhila started to admonish her but Soli laughed and Jeroo said Shumita was only stating a fact! 

 

To list a few others, there are romantic ones like ‘Do Dil Mil Rahe Hain’, ‘Pyar Ka Nagma’ and ‘Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai’ to lighter ones such as ‘Haal Kaisa Hai Janab Ka’, ‘Aaj Yeh Mausam Bada Beyimaan Hai’ and ‘Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Ja’. Towards the end, ‘Dola Re Dola’ from “Devdas” is used for a kathak dance by Ranveer and Tota Roy Choudhury.

 

All that makes for a melodious journey into the past refreshing sweet memories.