{"id":1960,"date":"2018-07-14T00:46:32","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T19:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=1960"},"modified":"2021-07-14T16:29:08","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T10:59:08","slug":"madan-mohan-music-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/madan-mohan-music-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Madan Mohan: The Composer of the Classes"},"content":{"rendered":"

All pictures used in this article are courtesy the\u00a0 offical website of Madan Mohan www.madanmohan.in<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"MadanI still remember the first Madan Mohan song I heard. On Doordarshan<\/em>, the movie Mera Saaya<\/em> was being shown and I fell in love with the title song ‘Mera saaya saath hoga’<\/em>. The composition got “stuck in a loop” in my mind. I still sit sometimes in the evening and listen to its 78 rpm play in my drawing room (both sides have different moods of the song!). It was on more exploration of his repertoire that I was exposed to his commendable body of work. I also realised that my quite loved \u2018Aye Dil Mujhe Bata De<\/em>\u2019 (Geeta Dutt) from Bhai Bhai<\/em> is his composition! These compositions have been visited and re-visited over the years and in this article I aim to present some other facets of his work. You can write a whole book on his work but for now, I\u2019ll resist that temptation!<\/p>\n

Raju Bharatan had correctly said that he was a composer of the classes and not of the masses as\u00a0his compositions were made to be heard in the drawing room. Indeed, his quality compositions were heard more in mehfils<\/em> and homes rather than on the streets.<\/p>\n

\"Madanji's<\/a>

Madanji’s mother Bhagwanti Devi, wife Sheila, children Sangeeta, Sanjeev and Sameer and sister Shanti and neice Anju<\/p><\/div>\n

There is something really sophisticated about his music which has a timeless pull. It is not surprising that due to this quality his work has endured much after he passed away. In some ways, his work has reached more people after his demise. Lata Mangeshkar had once said that the destiny of some people starts after they are gone and it definitely holds true in his case. The number of CD compilations one sees of him being released is quite a bit more than some of his peers which is not very surprising to his fans.<\/p>\n

Early Years<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The young Madan Mohan spent his initial years in the Middle East, as he was\u00a0born on 25 June 1924 in Baghdad to Bhagwanti Devi and Chunnilal who was\u00a0an Accountant General with the Kurdistan Peshmerga forces. \u00a0Around 1932, the family returned to their native town Chakwal (in Punjab). His father moved\u00a0to Bombay for work\u00a0and\u00a0went on to become the General Manager (and later\u00a0a partner) in the prestigious Bombay Talkies and eventually\u00a0the iconic Filmistan as well. Once, he had established himself in Bombay, he asked for his family to join him. Thus, young Madan started growing up with film personalities around him.<\/p>\n

\"When<\/a>

When Madan Mohan was in the Army<\/p><\/div>\n

Though, Madan Mohan\u00a0joined the army in 1943 (emergency commission), he later quit to pursue his interests in music. This talent he is said to have inherited from his mother and the encouragement from his grandfather Hakim Yograj and his younger brother Prakash also helped, all of whom were music aficionados.<\/p>\n

While working with\u00a0the All India Radio in Lucknow\u00a0he got an opportunity to interact with stalwarts like Ustad Faiyyaz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Begum Akhtar, Roshanara Begum, Roshan, Jaidev and Talat Mahmood. Perhaps, this was the time when he fell in love with ghazals. After a stint in AIR Delhi, he went to Mumbai and his struggle period involved working as an assistant to Shyam Sunder and also with SD Burman, notably in Do Bhai<\/em>\u00a0(1947) and Munimji<\/em>\u00a0(1955) also.<\/p>\n

The First Break<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"Madan<\/a>

Madan Mohan with mentor SD Burman<\/p><\/div>\n

With his dashing Punjabi good looks, Madan Mohan thought of becoming an actor but went on to become a composer. His father did not like the idea of his son making the rounds of studios but could not dissuade him. In an interview, Shamshad Begum had told this writer that Madan Mohan approached her during a recording at Filmistan, requesting her to sing for his debut movie Aankhen<\/em> (which released in 1950). She (the reigning queen of playback at the time) agreed and the film\u2019s music did quite well. This first break flagged off a 25-year-long illustrious career in film music.<\/p>\n

The Magical Music of Madan Mohan<\/span><\/h4>\n

Ghazal Samrat<\/strong><\/h4>\n

He has been called as Ghazal Samrat (King of Ghazals) by many fans and co-artists due to his hold on this medium. (It is so embedded in the fans\u2019 minds that many don\u2019t appreciate his hold on other mediums!). Naushad is reported to have proposed to exchange all his work for two of his Ghazals in Anpadh<\/em>, \u2018Hai Isi Mein Pyar Ki Aabroo\u2019<\/em> and \u2018Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha Pyar Ke Kaabil Mujhe\u2019<\/em>!\u00a0 His inclination towards Ghazals could be seen quite early in his career.\u00a0His first movie Aankhen<\/em> was more mainstream but in his second movie Adaa<\/em> (1951) one gets glimpses of the things to come in the form of \u2018Preetam Teri Duniya Mein\u2019 <\/em>and the Talat solo \u2018Jise Dil Mein Basana Chaaha Tha Usse Apne Dil Mein Basa Na Sake\u2019.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The same year Talat\u2019s rendition of \u2018Meri Yaad Mein Ansoo Na Bahana\u2019<\/em> in Raag Asawari for movie Madhosh <\/em>only makes this “feeling” stronger. The Madan Mohan we remember was there soon enough. Just listen to the tasteful way he composed and made Talat Sing \u2018Mohabbat Mein Kashish Hogi To Ek Din Tum Ko Paa Lenge\u2019<\/em> which gives it the Madan Mohan ‘stamp’!<\/p>\n

Mohabat mein kashish hogi<\/strong> (Khubsurat<\/em>, 1952) Shaukat Jaunpuri \/ Talat Mahmood<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n