Naushad Sahab’s interview telecast on Zee Cinema in August, 1999. Contributed by Mr. Kamal Mustafa on 9th November 2001.

Partial interview of Naushad Sahab telecast on Zee Cinema last year (unfortunately, I couldn’t record it full. I have tried to translate it from Hindi/Urdu, but obviously the charm is lost).

During the interview, we really know how great Naushad Sahab is and how respectfully refers to the great singers like K.L.Saigal, Noorjahan, Shamshad Begum, Tun Tun, Rafi Sahab etc. though he is the one who brought some of them to light and made them. I am not sure, he must have definitely referred to Lataji during this interview, as she sang some really great songs under his baton.

INTERVIEW :

During this interview Naushad Sahab explains about the unique and original way to make reverb echo when only RCA machine was available. He tells how he made four prints for a particular “Ra Ra Ra Ho…” and recorded one with 75%, second with 50% etc. and keeping a distance of 1 ft., 2 ft., 3 ft. and they were able to make echo. Also he tells about the background music of Aan, when they took it for prints to London, how they were surprised to know that such thing was done in India, using unique techniques.

INTERVIEWER :

You have worked with so many singers, many of whom were made by you, were given first chance by you. Who were the singers, with whom you really enjoyed and you got creative satisfaction working with them.

NAUSHAD ALI :

I have always tried that new singers should be given a chance. There is this girl who came from Delhi and she was in problem, you call her by the name of Uma Devi (Tun Tun). She came and met me and said she wants to sing. So I gave her a chance..

TUN TUN :

He was so awe-inspiring, I used to rever and like him so much, forget singing, I just wanted to see how Naushad Sahab looked and when I saw him, I became his and he became mine.

Song : AFSANA LIKH RAHI HU….

NAUSHAD ALI :

There was a boy Shyam Kumar, who used to bring chairs, tea etc. in the studio. He also had interest in singing. So evening I used to sit with him for rehearsals and train him. Like this, I gave him a chance to sing and he gave nice playback in film DILLAGI (Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandni)…

ABOUT MOHD. RAFI :

When Mohammed Rafi Sahab came here, first he came to me with a letter from my father from Lucknow. That time we were making a film “PAHLE AAP” under Kardar Productions. So I asked him to sing something for me and he sang, he was a very frail man for whom I had once said :

EK DIN EK NAUJAWAN GAYAK MUJHE AAYA NAZAR…

JISNE RAUSHAN KAR DIYE SANGEET KE SHAAMO SAHAR…

Rafi was a multi-dimensional singer, he could sing Comedy, Thumri, Dadra, emotional, he used to change tones for Johny Walker.

I used the range of his voice in BAIJU BAORA, when people came to know that his voice can reach such heights.

MOHD AZIZ :

The music of BAIJU BAORA is such, that I feel it will remain immortal for centuries to come. Rafi Sahab became very popular after singing this song.

SONG : O DUNIYA KE RAKHWALE…

NAUSHAD ALI :

Noorjahan also sang for me in Anmol Ghadi. It was nice to work with her, because her voice, and also Shamshad Begum’s voice had great transparency (Interviewer : ek allhadpan) so it was nice working with all of them.

INTERVIEWER :

You have made maximum use of the voice of Shamshad Begum.

NAUSHAD ALI :

Yes, it is true, it is their favour (KARAMFARMAI) that these great singers may not have got any respect by singing my songs, but I definitely got great respect due to their singing of my songs.

SONG : O GAADI WALE GAADI DHEERE HANKH RE….

NAUSHAD ALI :

I would say that when I met Kundan Lal Saigalji, his condition that time was very bad, he used to fall while saying his dialogues. Dr. Latif was his physician, who used to give him injections. But still I consider it my luck that Kundan Lal Saigal, who was the biggest and most famous singer and I believe till date nobody is born like him such was the beauty of his voice. I did SHAHJAHAN with him and the song was “Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya”. During the recording of this song, he used to drink KAALI PAACH (liquor) and loose his senses, like this so many days passed but nothing came out. So I requested him to record the song without KAALI PAACH.

KUNDAN LAL SAIGAL :

“Nahi Nahi Besoora Ho Jayega”

NAUSHAD ALI :

So I told him you just try it, if you don’t like, we will remove it from the film. So he sang that song without KAALI PAACH and we did the recording in first take.

SONG : JAB DIL HI TOOT GAYA….

INTERVIEWER :

You have worked with so many great people, any interesting thing you can recollect.

NAUSHAD SAHAB :

Yes, one incident I would definitely like to tell you. The first movie with Mehboob Sahab was “ANMOL GHADI”…. We were doing rehearsal for “JAWA HAIN MOHABBAT” with Noorjahan. After completion, Mehboob Sahab came and said let me see what you have done. After hearing he gave a few suggestions, to remove a particular piece of music from here and add this there and such suggestions he gave me, which I didn’t like.

During shooting, I reached the studio to inform that the recording was done, when he said you wait here, we are just picturising your song itself. Faridoon Irani was the cameraman. Mehboob Sahab was giving direction, suddenly I thought of a mischief. I said let me see through the camera, how it looks. When I saw, I gave some suggestions to move a particular picture out of the frame and this and that such things. Mehboob Sahab caught me from neck and said, you come out and said “MIYA JAO… JAO… PETI BAJAO… YE KAAM TUMHARA NAHI HAIN…” so I said “YAHI MAIN AAP SE SUNNA CHAHTA THA KI YE KAAM AAP KA HAIN…. WO KAAM MERA HAIN”

Naushad Sahab also talks about his love for poetry.

HASSAN KAMAL :

To satisfy Naushad Sahab is very difficult. Every Lyricist that writes for him knows that for whom he is writing, as the man not only knows the music, but also poetry and the language (Urdu) and he cannot be easily satisfied. But therein is the training for the Lyricist as well. I am really saying that I learned how to write a good song from Naushad Sahab.

In the end, Naushad Sahab gives a message to the new comers that you all are very talented and we have no doubt about that. We couldn’t do even one picture in a year and you people are doing so many films at a time. So if you all are so capable, why don’t you turn to OUR culture, OUR songs and OUR music.

NAUSHAD :

“AAP MANGIYE TO SAHI. AAP HAZRAAT MANGE..… AAP KI AMANAT HAMARE DIMAAGO MEIN MEHFOOZ HAIN… HUM IMAANDARI SE WAPAS KARNE KE LIYE TAYYAR HAIN..”

AWAAZ TO UTHAIYE…

DIL MEIN SOYE HUWE NAGMO KO JAGANA HAIN AGAR…

MERI AWAAZ MEIN AWAAZ MILATE CHALIYE…

THOKARE KHAIYE… PATTHAR BHI HATATE CHALIYE…

AANE WALO KE LIYE RAAH BANATE CHALIYE…

This entry was posted on Friday, November 9th, 2001 at 5:18 am and is filed under Meri Awaaz Suno. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.