Memories of Dey
During the Golden era of Hindi film music, right from the 50s to the 80s, virtually every popular actor had a playback singer who suited his voice the most. But Prabodh Chandra Dey, known to us as Manna Dey, was an exception. He sang a variety of songs and to say that he was versatile is as obvious as saying the sky is blue.
The first song that he recorded was at the age of 22 for the character of the sage Valmiki in 'Ram Rajya', and some of the songs he sang subsequently were filmed on old people! Over the years, his voice was not restricted to any particular actor but that often proved as much a bane as a boon. Unlike a Rafi-Shammi Kapoor or Rajesh Khanna-Kishore Kumar team, Manna Dey was a lone ranger. True, he had a few hits with Raj Kapoor but the actor had far more hits with Mukesh. Manna Dey's legacy is thanks to songs with a classical touch like Laaga Chunri Mein Daag to fun ones like Aao Twist Kare from Bhoot Bangla, with Mehmood doing his antics on screen.
Today, it is interesting to note the choice of personal favourites on social media among Dey's fans and listeners. They range from Ae Mere Pyaare Watan (Kabuliwala) to the more upbeat Phool Gendwa na Maaro (Dooj Ka Chaand). Incidentally, Balraj Sahni, who sings the song Ae Mere Pyare Watan, a perennial favourite on certain national holidays in India, plays an Afghan longing for his motherland. It is said that when Manna Dey was recording the song, the sound recordist wasn't too pleased. He thought the singer was singing it too softly but Manna Dey knew the essence of the song better.
The story of Ketki Gulab Juhi is well known, but for those who haven't heard it before, it goes like this. The music directors Shankar-Jaikishen wanted to record a song with Manna Dey and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, to be picturised as an on-screen singing duel between two vocalists. It turned out that Dey was meant to win the competition, but he developed cold feet before the recording. How could he win a competition with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, that too one involving a classical song? As legend has it, Panditji comforted Manna Dey saying he had no problem losing to Dey on screen. A half century later, the song is still a treat to listen to. Music aficionados with a broader horizon might want to savour a hard rock version of the same song on Youtube by an Indian rock band called Lambada.
That is not the only ‘competition' song that Manna Dey sang; Ek Chatur Naar in which he competes with Kishore Kumar still remains popular and, incidentally, he loses to Kishore Kumar on screen in that contest. Here, as with many of Manna Dey's songs, it would be hard to recollect on whom it was picturised. Take for instance that brilliant rendition of Khamaj Raag in Aayo Kahan se Ghanshyam. If you haven't see the movie, it might come as a surprise that it is the character actor of yesteryears, Om Prakash on whom it was filmed. Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain penned by Kaifi Azmi (Hindustan Ki Kasam, 1973, Madan Mohan) had a dapper Raj Kumar in his Air Force uniform longing for Priya Rajvansh.
While we associate Manna Dey singing Zindagi kaisi hain paaheli in 'Anand' for Rajesh Khanna, later he also sang Tum bin jeevan kaisa jeevan (Bawarchi, 1972) with Khanna wearing a postman's uniform and a Gandhi topi with a tanpura in hand. Hasne Ki Chaah ne (Aavishkar 1974) involved the relatively unknown Kapil Kumar and Kanu Roy as lyricist and music director, with the song used in the title credits, while in the less celebrated Gori teri paijaniya (Mehbooba, 1976) Rajesh Khanna plays a court singer and Hema Malini dances to his tunes.
Manna Dey had a splendid partnership with Shankar-Jaikishen and Salil Choudhury, even though it did not last very long with the former. In his autobiography, Memories Come Alive, he wrote that the first song he recorded with the composer duo was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, Tere bina aag yeh chandni (Awaara). Over the next few years they delivered a string of hits like Dil ka haal sune dilwaala, Pyaar hua ikraar (Shree 420), Yeh raat bheegi bheegi, Aaja sanam (Chori Chori) and Lapak jhapak from Boot Polish based on Raag Miya ki malhar, superbly filmed on David singing to inmates in a jail. The last song that Manna Dey sang for Shankar-Jaikishen was the memorable Sur Na Saaje from Basant Bahar (1956). Apparently the first choice for this song was Mohd. Rafi but Shankar insisted on Manna Dey.
During his early days, Dey was a member of the Bombay Youth Choir which was set up by the maestro, Salil Choudhary. In the later years, he sang quite a few hits for the music director like Zindagi Kaisi hain Paheli (Anand) and Ae mere pyaare watan. Salil Choudhury also gave Dey his first break in Bengali films with Ek Din Ratre starring Raj Kapoor and Chhabi Biswas. In fact the song Ei duniyay bhai shobi hoy was also recorded by Manna Dey for the Hindi version, Zindagi Khwab hain (Jaagte Raho), but in the film it was Mukesh's voice which was used. The genius of Salil Choudhary and Manna Dey was such that the former composed the music for a landmark Malayalam film Chemmeen (1965) and the singer immortalized the song Maanasa Mainey Varoo which remains popular till date. It helped that Dey's wife Sulochana Kumaran was from Kerala and she assisted him in getting the pronunciation right.
During the twilight of his life, Manna Dey was still active performing on live shows and on television as well. The voice that delighted us over the years may have fallen silent but the legacy Manna Dey left behind will live forever.
The first song that he recorded was at the age of 22 for the character of the sage Valmiki in 'Ram Rajya', and some of the songs he sang subsequently were filmed on old people! Over the years, his voice was not restricted to any particular actor but that often proved as much a bane as a boon. Unlike a Rafi-Shammi Kapoor or Rajesh Khanna-Kishore Kumar team, Manna Dey was a lone ranger. True, he had a few hits with Raj Kapoor but the actor had far more hits with Mukesh. Manna Dey's legacy is thanks to songs with a classical touch like Laaga Chunri Mein Daag to fun ones like Aao Twist Kare from Bhoot Bangla, with Mehmood doing his antics on screen.
Today, it is interesting to note the choice of personal favourites on social media among Dey's fans and listeners. They range from Ae Mere Pyaare Watan (Kabuliwala) to the more upbeat Phool Gendwa na Maaro (Dooj Ka Chaand). Incidentally, Balraj Sahni, who sings the song Ae Mere Pyare Watan, a perennial favourite on certain national holidays in India, plays an Afghan longing for his motherland. It is said that when Manna Dey was recording the song, the sound recordist wasn't too pleased. He thought the singer was singing it too softly but Manna Dey knew the essence of the song better.
The story of Ketki Gulab Juhi is well known, but for those who haven't heard it before, it goes like this. The music directors Shankar-Jaikishen wanted to record a song with Manna Dey and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, to be picturised as an on-screen singing duel between two vocalists. It turned out that Dey was meant to win the competition, but he developed cold feet before the recording. How could he win a competition with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, that too one involving a classical song? As legend has it, Panditji comforted Manna Dey saying he had no problem losing to Dey on screen. A half century later, the song is still a treat to listen to. Music aficionados with a broader horizon might want to savour a hard rock version of the same song on Youtube by an Indian rock band called Lambada.
That is not the only ‘competition' song that Manna Dey sang; Ek Chatur Naar in which he competes with Kishore Kumar still remains popular and, incidentally, he loses to Kishore Kumar on screen in that contest. Here, as with many of Manna Dey's songs, it would be hard to recollect on whom it was picturised. Take for instance that brilliant rendition of Khamaj Raag in Aayo Kahan se Ghanshyam. If you haven't see the movie, it might come as a surprise that it is the character actor of yesteryears, Om Prakash on whom it was filmed. Har taraf ab yahi afsaane hain penned by Kaifi Azmi (Hindustan Ki Kasam, 1973, Madan Mohan) had a dapper Raj Kumar in his Air Force uniform longing for Priya Rajvansh.
While we associate Manna Dey singing Zindagi kaisi hain paaheli in 'Anand' for Rajesh Khanna, later he also sang Tum bin jeevan kaisa jeevan (Bawarchi, 1972) with Khanna wearing a postman's uniform and a Gandhi topi with a tanpura in hand. Hasne Ki Chaah ne (Aavishkar 1974) involved the relatively unknown Kapil Kumar and Kanu Roy as lyricist and music director, with the song used in the title credits, while in the less celebrated Gori teri paijaniya (Mehbooba, 1976) Rajesh Khanna plays a court singer and Hema Malini dances to his tunes.
Manna Dey had a splendid partnership with Shankar-Jaikishen and Salil Choudhury, even though it did not last very long with the former. In his autobiography, Memories Come Alive, he wrote that the first song he recorded with the composer duo was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, Tere bina aag yeh chandni (Awaara). Over the next few years they delivered a string of hits like Dil ka haal sune dilwaala, Pyaar hua ikraar (Shree 420), Yeh raat bheegi bheegi, Aaja sanam (Chori Chori) and Lapak jhapak from Boot Polish based on Raag Miya ki malhar, superbly filmed on David singing to inmates in a jail. The last song that Manna Dey sang for Shankar-Jaikishen was the memorable Sur Na Saaje from Basant Bahar (1956). Apparently the first choice for this song was Mohd. Rafi but Shankar insisted on Manna Dey.
During his early days, Dey was a member of the Bombay Youth Choir which was set up by the maestro, Salil Choudhary. In the later years, he sang quite a few hits for the music director like Zindagi Kaisi hain Paheli (Anand) and Ae mere pyaare watan. Salil Choudhury also gave Dey his first break in Bengali films with Ek Din Ratre starring Raj Kapoor and Chhabi Biswas. In fact the song Ei duniyay bhai shobi hoy was also recorded by Manna Dey for the Hindi version, Zindagi Khwab hain (Jaagte Raho), but in the film it was Mukesh's voice which was used. The genius of Salil Choudhary and Manna Dey was such that the former composed the music for a landmark Malayalam film Chemmeen (1965) and the singer immortalized the song Maanasa Mainey Varoo which remains popular till date. It helped that Dey's wife Sulochana Kumaran was from Kerala and she assisted him in getting the pronunciation right.
During the twilight of his life, Manna Dey was still active performing on live shows and on television as well. The voice that delighted us over the years may have fallen silent but the legacy Manna Dey left behind will live forever.
(Published in The Navhind Times on 26th Oct 2013)
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