Woh Jab Yaad Aaye !

July 31, 2009.

Meri Jaan,

I really apologize for not making it to the studios, par kya karein: "aur bhi gum hain zamane main .." :)

But I hope none of you forgot that July 31st went by and hopefully all you absolute music fans remembered that

"Na Fankar Tujhsa tere baad aaya,
Mohammad Rafi Tu bahut yaad aaya ! "

Meri Jaan, July 31, 1980 was the day when THE VOICE of Rafi Saab left us to sing for all the angels, up in music heaven.

Mohammad Rafi was undoubtedly the greatest singer and his voice still echoes in reverberations across all the music channels and more importantly in our hearts!

Today, let me make this blog a small memoir diary of my memories associated with the one and only Mohammad Rafi ! My association with Mohammad Rafi goes back to the times when I saw an Actor, acting like a waitor on screen kept running around singing "John Johnny Janaradhan, Tara Rum Pum Pum".

I probably did not know at that point in time that the voice behind this actor had been in the industry for more than 30 years then, and I was completely oblivious of his best work !

For me the voice had only sung songs like John Johnny Janardhan, Chal Chal Mere Bhai, Ek Rasta Aha-Aha, Dard-E-Dil, Maine Poocha Chand Se and likes.

But, Rafi saab's voice was way beyond those numbers from the 80s. This was just an era where shamaa ki lau thodi teyz thi, akhiri baar bhjune se pahle !

If we really go back into Rafi Saab's career, it was the music composer Naushad that actually moved Rafi Saab from being just another Sehgal Clone to the pedestal of THE VOICE.

Rafi Saab started his career in the early 50s and his asociation with Naushad saab made him the choice and voice of the all the lead actors of that time and specially the tragedy king, Dilip Kumar. In movies like Mela, Babul, Deedar, Amar, Anmol ghadi, Tarana, Udan Khatola, Aan, Azaad, Mughal-E-Azam, Kohinoor, Ganga Jamuna, Dil Diya Dard Liya and endless movies Rafi Saab's voice became the voice of Dilip Kumar.

While Rafi Saab's association with Naushad Saab, continued in endless other movies like Baiju Bawra, Shabab, Mother India, Mere Mehboob, Palki and many more. During the 60s Rafi Saab's voice and combination worked magic with composers like SD Burman, OP Nayyar, Shanker Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Ravi, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji and many more.

So be it Dev Anand, Joy Mukherjee, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan or Biswajeet, Johnny Walker or Mahmood, if there was one playback voice, it was of Mohammad Rafi.

From the 50s to the 70s, Rafi Saab pretty much sang for each and every actor and every music director of that era, and rendered classics after classics be it O Duniya Ke Rakhwale, Madhuban Main Radhika Naachi Re, Man Re Tu Kaahe na, Pukarta Chalaa Hoon Main, Yahoo, ya phir, Aye Dil Hain Mushkil jeena yahaan. Rafi Saab's touch converted any disc into a Golden hit.

But, the 70s saw the rise of Rajesh Khanna as the first super star of the Bollywood silverscreen, and they say that SD Burman had recorded the first 2 numbers for the movie Aradhna with Rafi Saab when SD Burman fell ill and RD Burman took over the responsibility of assigning a singer to the remaining compositions; and RD Burman chose Kishore Kumar for all the remaining songs in the movie.

The rest as we all know is history. Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar took the Bollywood silverscreen and playback scene by storm and Rafi Saab had to take a back seat.

During those years, Rafi Saab also had conflicting arguments with Lata Mangeshkar over the royalty and monetary gains that a singer should have above and beyond singing the song. Rafi Saab always stood by his belief that a singer's monetary gains ends once he/she sings the songs.

He was a very noble person, never demanding or expecting more than his share !

There always have been fan clubs and groups that have compared the two singers, but the fact always remains that Rafi Saab's voice quality, versatility and range is par zenith !

I am not going to go into the songs of this behtareen singer, but lets all salute the Gods for giving us a singer like Mohammad Rafi !

Nakhush Hai Khuda Apne Farishto Se, Varna,
Dharti Ke Farishte Ki, Zarurat Use Kya Thi?

With that Meri Jaan, I will be taking a break for a few weeks ! I will try and update some information, but it will be very impromptu !

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome at pankajonebc@yahoo.com

Till Next time...stay safe and stay in loeve !

- Pankaj

The Diamond Ring !

July 23, 2009

Meri Jaan, by now all of you must have heard about and seen the once in a life time Eclipse pictures.

It was absolutely fascinating seeing the diamond ring that emerged during all this sun-moon-submerge.

I heard that in Varanasi, India, it became pitch dark at 6:45am in the morning.

Oh well ! It became dark right around that time for me too.

The Eclipse really was not that great for me, because 2 days back, Ms. D was very upset and asked me to show her one diamond ring in the house, and all I did was turn her face towards this Ring.

But, so much for the diamond ring that I showed Ms D, she immediately punched me in the eye and it was a permanent e(ye)-clips-e for me :) .

But the eclipse was great for the Pundits in India.

During the time the sky went dark, these so called pundits in Varanasi decided to DRrrrrink (not water ofcourse) because the pundits thought it was night time ;)

Woh kahte hain na, Peene waalon ko peene ka bahaana chahiye ! Phir chaahe Mandir ho, Madira ho, ya ho Mandira ka saath.

That reminds me what's been happening to Mandira Bedi?

After the Wierd hairdo in the IPL 2009, Rumor-Report is abuzz with information that lately she has been seen a lot in the company of apna Yuvraj Singh.

Looks like after Kim sharma and Laxmi Rai, now Yuvi baby is shaking his leg with Mandira.

Lately, the duo has been seeing going out dining to clubbing and even dancing in the hotel lobbies?

Meri Jaan Yuvi, Mandira Bedi ne yeh kaunsi Madira Dedi?

Vaise, if you are in NJ, Mandira is coming in the India Day Parade at Oak Tree! You gotta go, not just for the good food and the overall feel, but its absolutely funny to see all those oldies trying to be as close to these female artists as possible. Its freakin hilarious!

Hopefully, no one will give their man-ka-diya to her (remember the Bipasha incident :)

Madira and drinking se yaad aaya that Salman Khan, mera bachcha has decided to not drink till he gets married or Veer gets released.

Salman, tu tou peena chod hi de, because none of those 2 things seem to fall in place for you !

It appears that Amir Khan was instrumental in making Sallu bhaiya take this decision. Aamir, Peena tou chudwaa diya, par peetna kaise band hogaa?

But, it does not hurt to be hopeful, so let us see how much Rum-less is Salman Ka Yeh Dum !

Talking about all the Diamond Ring and non-drinking, reminds me of one gem of a person in Bollywood who never drank alcohol and was THE DIAMOND RING for Indian Music and that is none other than Mohammad Rafi.

He was the greatest singer in Bollywood and the noblest person in the fraternity.

In his circles, he was known as "The Voice" or "The Aawaz", and truly, Rafi Saab's voice was the softest, most versatile, and could go from the lowest notes to the highest range with the smoothest transition and that too absolute effortless.

We miss you Mohammad Rafi !

Rafi Saab's death anniversary comes up on July 31st. We will have a detailed blog next week, but till then these were some of the songs played in our show.

Song List:
1) Parda Hai Parda - Amar Akbar Anthony
2) Tere Mere Sapne - Guide
3) Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya - Guide
4) Choo Lene Do Nazuk - Kajal
5) Koi Sagar Dil Ko - Dil Diya Dard Liya
6) Voh Jab Yaad Aaye - Parasmani
7) Tareef Karoon Kya - Kashmir Ki Kali
8) Ehsaan Tere Hogaa - Guide
9) Hum Bekhudi Main - Teen Deviyan
10) Poocho na Yaar Kya hua - Zamane Ko Dikhana Hain

Meri Jaan, we will be playing Rafi Saab's songs next week too, so keep your requests and dedications flowing at pankajonebc@yahoo.com.

Na Fankar Tujhsa Tere Baad aaya...
Mohammad Rafi tu bahut yaad aaya !

Till we meet next week, stay safe and stay in Loeve !

- Pankaj

Scary Pl-otter is Back !

July 16 2009.

Meri Jaan, while the weather continues to bloom and U-all Jhoom, lets not forget that Multiplex Owners in Bollywood are having a V-Rrroom success with the recent releases New York and Kambhakht Ishq hitting the box office Jackpot.

With the success of KI, Akki baby has proved that one floating 8X10 Tasveer from Chandni Chowk to China is not going to stop him. He is going to blow his critics Blue by giving them De Dana Dhan hits and that too in Action Replay!

(Oho!! those are the names of his upcoming movies).

Talking about replay, but musical and not action, there is another Mangeshkar Clan making her entry in Apna Desi Sangeet.

She is the daughter of Pandit Hridayanath Mangeshkar and she is following the footsteps of her aunts Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.

Her debut album “Naav Mazaa Shami” was recently released and this new singer's name is Radha Mangeshkar.

She belongs to the Mangeshkar parivaar and we can only hope that this one has THE vocal talent and not only a tag, a name, a gharaana.

If you thought, Whats in a name? "My Name is Khan" Shahrukh Khan is now Dr. Shahrukh Khan.

He was recently felicitated with an honorary doctorate in arts & culture from the Bedfordshire University in Britain.

For the khopdi ke khopche ki recipe types, wondering why and who gave SRK the award?

The actor was chosen by an association called Routes to Roots, a member of the World Association of Non-Governmental Organization (WANGO). If you really must know all the details, Juhi Chawla and Mahesh Bhatt are among the agency patrons.

Now, I hide my face and rest my case in DeHonor!

Meri Jaan, since SRK is getting recognized in Bedford, lets move on to Hogwart.

The latest Harry Potter movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has hit the theatres.

So Chunnu, munnu, tinki, rinki ke papppa, take them for this one.

I saw the movie last night and this one has less action, is less scary, and is more on the lines of a romantically magical (not like the romantically muzikal Karzzzz - the burden ON people :)

It seems that recognitions are raining-n-pouring in Bollywood. Asin got awarded the highest state honor in Tamil Nadu.

Let's not forget that early this year, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar were both awarded the Padma Sri !

Why? A-Mar-tini and A-mar-Tina se bahut Politikal Konnections bante hain Re !! :))

Talking about politics, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in Egypt recently attending the dialogue on bilateral and international matters, and he was surrounded by a large group of Egyptians asking him lots of questions, not about economy or political affairs but about Apna Senior Bachchan Re !

For some of you who may be completely unaware, Amitabh Bachchan is collosal-ly popular in Egypt, and people still call Big B the only i-con of the Egyptian masses !! (they really do need to chak-de-ir eyes :)

Aur kyun na ho, did you hear about what the aging actor did in Mumbai recently?

I am sure have you all seen images of the rain paralysing the ever moving Mumbai. The rains has been so bad that the road outside Big B's house Prateeksha was also in waist deep water.

So, when the actor decided to take a ride in his SUV to his second home Jalsa in Juhu, he found few women wading through the waterlogged street, and so Big B graciously gave these ladies a lift through those logged streets !

Bachchan Saab! We all know your passion of saving-the damsel-in the rain!! (Kaun Kab Rapat Jaaye??)

Next day the same women were back on the same street hoping to be Lift-ed again, shaayad this time Shahrukh ya Hrithik mil jaaye :)

Meri Jaan, tou Chaahe Hrithik miley ya na miley, with rain crippling the city, Mumbai ki public must definitely be singing:

Is baar mausam mehka hua hai, Is baar saawan behka hua hai… Jaane pee ke chali kya pawan, Sulag sulag jaaye man..

So keep beh-king and hum-ming those tunes, and keep sending those requests and dedications at pankajonebc@yahoo.com

Dont forget that 31st July (Mohammad Rafi's death anniversary) is coming up, so next 2 weeks will all be about Rafi Saab and his songs.

Some of the songs played in the show:

1) Yaara Dhol Bajaake - Dhol
2) Raunak Shaunak - Love, Aaj, Kal
3) Teri Yaadein Leke - Runway
4) Dhan Tana - Kaminey
5) Dance Pe Chance - RNBDJ
6) Thirak Thirak Jaane De - Khoya Khoya Chand
7) Tumhein Jo maine Dekha - Main Hoon Na

Before I let you go, a Bheja Fra saying for you:

Teen baaton ka kabhi bhi bharosa nahin karna chahiye,
"Producer Ki Baat Ka, Donkey Ki Laat Ka, aur Mumbai Ki Barsaat Ka" :)

Tou Meri Jaan, till we meet next week, Stay Safe and Stay in Loeve,

- Pankaj

Budge-t or Fudge-it?

July 9, 2009

Meri Jaan, hopefully some of you are still on vacation extending your looong weekend and n-joying the Tequila sunrise on an island villa !

But, if you still miss me blue, I am right here with all the non-stop bl-ews (blog+news).

For starters, Roger Federer made Tennis history in his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam title in Wimbeldon by defeating Andy Roddick in a thrilling match [5-7, 7-6, (8-6), 7-6, (7-5), 3-6 and 16-14], and like Bjorg said, Federer has won all the Grand Slam tournaments and he's probably broken almost every single tennis record you can break; what else can anyone dream about?

I dont know about everyone else's dream, but the Indian Annual budget was announced and if you dream-ed that it would help in the infrastructure development of more schools, Or, aid in development of sports, other than Cricket, keep dreaming !

We are very happy just with one gold medal in shooting!!! Keep it up government! If all fails, people can atleast shoot themselves !

But, I am sure that Business folks and Gangst-as are very happy because tax relief has been announced if you make more than 10,00,000/yr INR. (I honestly do not know too many people that makes more than 10 lakh Rs/ yr. )

The pappu-pagers, and the sutta-suprari's must be having a blast buying the LCD's (yes the LCDs are now cheap in India) and forget buying Nano, go buy the expensive cars (Excise duty is reduced on big cars, but not on the small cars).

So, thanks for the Bud-get Mr. Singh Is King, the aam-aadmi can now go out and Buy-Jets (though they may not have money for the water-jets in the bathroom, uske liye dabba chalegaa :)

Talking about Singh is King, that reminds me that Kambhakht Ishq (the movie got released last week) had a phenomenal box-office opening.

Akshay Kumar displayed his "khatron-ke-khiladi" attitude in the spice-n-liven up press meet for the movie. Akshay jumped down from the 10th floor (60ft) billboard at the Skywalk Mall in Delhi. Now thats a real daredevil !!

But Kasam Bollywood Ke writers ki, the movie still entered the worst movie of the year contest along with Kal Kisne Dekha (that additionally is also in the worst debut actors of the year contest :) !

But keep it locked on the blog, I am sure some other movie SOON will break the record.

Talking about athletics and bollywood, there is another actor getting involved in some form of athletic activity. (Oho! not Salman - he is already an expert at BOX-ing others :)

Well, I am talking about the doubles badminton match between Deepika Padukone V/S Aamir Khan and it was a big shock for the badminton duo of Deepika and Dad Prakash Padukone, because Aamir's side defeated Deepika and her Dad! Great Play Aamir !

For some of you who want to know it all or the Khopdi-Ke-Khopche-Ki-Recipe types: Prakash Padukone was once a national badminton champion in India and Deepika Padukone is his daughter.

But - If you do not know that Aamir Khan is an actor in India Or, Deepika Padukone was the female lead with SRK in Om-Shanti-Om, I guess send an email to me in Private. [Ek Kaan Ke Neeche Bajaoonga :]

Well, whether you send me an email for that or not, do send me an email for your requests and dedications at pankajonebc@yahoo.com.

Some of the song's played in the show: :

1) Jaisa Des Vaisa Bhes - Des Pardes
2) Raunak Shaunak - Love Aaj Kal

3) Aaya Re - Jashn

4) Angrezi main kahte hain - Khuddar (Thanks for this req, long time)

5) Mere Sang Chal Zaraa - New York (Shameera, I'll walk with you any day :)

6) Tere Bina Zindagi Se - Aandhi (Geeta, hopefully this worked for you?)

7) Jaane Kyun - Dostana (Thanks Pari, thats your first on-air presentation)
8) Kal 9 bajey - ShorKut, The Con is On (Melodious slow number)

Meri Jaan, if you did not know it already, Shiney Ahuja's bail has been declined, and his last farewell statement to the court was "Good-Bai" ! :)

So, till next week, Adios, Good-bye, Stay safe and Stay in Loeve !!

- Pankaj