Shailendra: The lyricist who wrote straight from the heart

Duniya banaane waale kya tere mann mein samayee kahe ko duniya banayee…..The sheer elegance, simplicity and the profound home-truth  of the words hit you. The great Shailendra, who wrote these words for the film Teesri Kasam, was born on 30th August 1923. He died in 1966 of a broken heart and a zero bank balance. Teesri Kasam, the film starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman, which he produced so proudly, was a financial disaster,  reducing Shailendra to penury in spite of his immortal songs Sajanwa bairo ha gaye hamaar, Sajan re jhooth mat bolo and Aaa aa aa bhi jaa .

Shailendra is to the  Hindi film lyric what Raj Kapoor was to filmmaking. His  lyrics were epic creations, accessible to the common man.

I once met Shailendra’s son Shaily Shailendra, who was also a notable lyricist  for a brief period, when Shaily wrote popular songs like Bambai se aaya mera dost (Aap Ki Khatir), Saiyyan bina ghar soona (Aangan Ki Kali), and Do Jism ek jaan (Kahan Hai Kanoon). Shaily said some very interesting things about his legendary father. “His poetry came from the emotions and sentiments of the  people on the streets, he thought  like a common man. He would see the poetry in the ordinary sights and hear songs in  the sounds and smells of every day.”

More from Entertainment

'Jugnuma' Movie Review: Manoj Bajpayee-Deepak Dobriyal’s terrific performances stood out in this beautifully restrained way of storytelling 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' Movie Review: The final goodbye of Julian Fellowes’s beloved British soap

Shailendra’s incredibly fruitful association with Raj Kapoor began with Barsaat  in 1949 and continued until _Mera Naam Joker_ in 1970, in which Shailendra wrote two of the finest Hindi lyrics of Indian cinema- Jeena yahan marna  yahan and Jaane kahan gaye woh din. Indeed, Shailendra’s association with Raj Kapoor is an invaluable part of Indian cinema. What would Raj Kapoor’s Awara be without the anthemic Awara hoon , or Sangam without  Dost dost na raha and Shree 420 without Mera  joota hai japani ?

In Vijay Anand ’s Guide, Shailendra wrote what could be regarded as the first feminist anthem of Indian cinema: Kaaton se khinch ke yeh aanchal, tod ke bandhan baandhi payal…aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai aaj phir marne ka iraada hai.

Lataji, who sang this number beyond immortality, regarded it as one of her milestones. “There was an honesty and a universality to Shailendraji’s poetry. He did not cloak big ideas in complex images. He believed simplicity was a  must in his poetry. I always enjoyed singing his songs, especially O sajna  barkha bahaar aaye (Parakh), Ajeeb daastan hai yeh (Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi), and Piya tose naina lage re (Guide).”

Unlike another eminent poet-lyricist, whom I know, Shailendra’s ego didn’t  supersede his humane qualities. He was an artiste of great pride and even arrogance. But he knew where, when, and how to use his tools of self-expression. His lyrics do not hide behind esoteric metaphors. In his simplicity  and lucidity, the great Shailendra is unparalleled. There are no “hidden meanings” in  his poetry. What you hear is what you get.

Javed Akhtar , a self-admitted disciple of Shailendra , says, “Shailendra has  written mind-blowing songs. He believed language is for communication and so do I. What’s the point of writing a song if it doesn’t communicate itself to the listeners? My father Jan Nissar Akhtar used to say, ‘It’s very easy to write difficult songs and very difficult to write easy songs. A simple language possesses a kind of transparency which a lyricist can afford only when he’s sure of his ideas. You have to be very clear about your ideas to write simply. If you enter a dark room and you don’t know where the light switches are, you keep groping in the dark.’ I’d like to believe Shailendra knew where the switches are. Ambiguity forbids simple expression. Shailendra shied  away from ambiguity. Isn’t that what  poetry is supposed to do? If you can’t communicate your lines to the common man, then why are you making your art public? Some artistes say they don’t care if their art is not understood. There should be some difference between your diary and shairi.”

It is the democratic spirit of poetic accessibility that makes Shailendra’s songs so eminently hummable to this day: Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar/Kisi ka dard mil sake to le udhaar/Kisi ke waaste ho tere dil mein pyaar/Jeena isi ka naam hai.

Thank you Shailendra, for showing us with such compelling clarity what the true meaning of life is.

P.S.- Shailendra  did not win the Filmfare award for Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar. He won it for another song in the same film Anari: Sab kuch seekha  humne na seekhi hoshiyaari sach hai duniywale ke hum hain anari.

Touche!

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram