Lyricist and Poet Kaifi Azmi sahab has told an incident on the Jaimala Gold program on Vividh-bharati in the year 1988.
The producers of Uski Kahani (1966) wanted to have the song “Aaj ki kali ghata” sung by Geeta ji but could not afford to pay any money to her. Kaifi Azmi had earlier penned the lyrics of the film Kagaz Ke Phool which were sung by Geeta Dutt ji. The producer of the film requested Kaifi sahab to convince Geeta ji to sing the song without asking for any money.
In spite of the fact that Geeta ji herself was in great financial difficulties in those times, she sang this song for free. And she sang the song with the same passion and love (and intensity) with which she was known for.
Quote :
Filmi gaano ki mahuliyat se yeh bahut zaroori hai woh jis film ka gaana ho woh film maqbool ho. agar film naakaam rehti hai to uski har cheez naakaam ho jaati hai. meri do teen baDi baDi filmen naakaam ho gayi haalaanki gaane unke bhi maqbool huye. phir bhi filmi duniya mein yeh mashoor ho gaya ki Kaifi likhte to achchha hain lekin
sitaare unke Kharaab hain. isiliye filmkaar aksar mera naam sunkar apne kaano mein haath rakh lete the. uske baad kuchh dino tak main bilkul bekaar aur bahut zyaada pareshaan raha.
inhi haalat mein GareebKhaane par ek chhoTi si gaaDi se kuchh 10-11 aadmi utre. unko dekhte hi koi bhi samajh letaa ki yeh log filmwaale hain. maine Khushi Khsuhi unka swaagat kiya. unmein ek ‘director’ saahab bhi the jo bahut baatooni, bahut be-takalluf aadmi the.
Unhone baiThte baiThte mujhse poochh liya ki ‘aajkal aapke paas zyaada filmen to naheen hai?’.
Maine kaha ‘zyaada kya ek bhi film mere haath mein naheen hai’.
Mere is jawaab se woh Khush ho gaye. Maine poochh bhi liya ki ‘huzoor ismein Khush hone ki kya baat hai? aapko to mujhse hamdardi honaa chaahiye’.
Unhone farmaaya ki ‘main ek film banaa raha hoon aur ham sab chaahte hain ki aap uske wokaale bhi likhen aur
gaane bhi’.
mere paas jab koi filmsaad ya hidaayatgaar film ka ‘offer’ lekar aata hai to Khushi bhi hoti hai aur GhabraahaT bhi. GhabraahaT isliye ki abhi poochhenge ki ‘aap muhaafza kya lenge?’
Yeh sawaal sunke hamesha mujhe paseena aa jaata hai. jo sawaal karta hai woh bhi thoDaa ghabraata hai lekin is film mein aisa kuchh naheen huya. Main un 10-11 aadmiyon ke chehre ko dekh raha tha ki ab koi muhaafze ki baat chheDega lekin kisi ne aisa koi sawaal naheen kiya.
Main sochne lagaa ki gaano aur wokaalon ka woh kam se kam jo muhaafza denge woh bhi itna to zaroor hogaa ki bekaari ke dino mein jitna karz mujhpar ho gaya hai woh adaa ho jaaye. yeh sochkar maine naukar ko aawaaz dee ki ‘chaai le aao’. jaise hi maine likhne ki zimmedaari qabool kar lee aur woh hazraat jaane lage to ‘director’ saahab ne
nihaayat betakallufi se apna ektarfa faisla sunaa diya ki ‘is film mein aapko koi muhaafza naheen milega, agar film chalee to dekhaa jaayega’,
Main aam taur se bolta bhi kam hoon aur hansta bhi kam hoon lekin us waqt itni mehnat karke muskuraaya ki mere chehre par dhuyaan uDne lagaa. Khair, maine gaana likha aur ‘music director’ ne uski bahut achchhi dhun bhi banaaee.
Ab sawaal yeh paida huya ki gaana gaaye kaun? ‘music director’ ki khwaahish thi ki agar yeh gaana Geeta
Dutt ki aawaaz mein ‘record’ ho jaaye to woh maqbool hoga, lekin Geeta Dutt ko muhaafza kaun dega?
Maine Kagaz Ke Phool ke gaane likhe the aur Geeta Dutt ne gaane gaaye the. Zamaane mein unse kuchh jaan-
pehchaan ho gayi thi. ‘director saahab ne mujhse kahaa ki ‘Geeta-ji se agar aap kahen to woh hargiz inkaar na karengi’, maine kahaa ki ‘mujhe bhi aisa lagta hai ki woh inkaar naheen karengi’.
Itne dinon mein ‘director’ saahab ke saath uThne baiThne se mujhmein bhi yeh hausla paida ho gaya ki ek din main ‘director’ saahab aur poori ‘team’ ko lekar Geeta-ji ke ghar pahunch gaya. unko gaane ke bol aur dhun itne achchhe lage ki woh bhi kisi muhaafze ke baGair gaane ko tayyaar ho gayeen. aur unhone usi pyar se woh gaana gaaya
jisse Geeta Dutt pehchaani jaati theen.
Song: aaj ki kaali ghaTaa mast matwaali ghaTaa (Uski Kahani)
Thanks to Sujoy and Vividh Bharti Yahoo group for sharing this heartwarming story.
