Discover how legendary music duo Shankar-Jaikishan pioneered the adaptation of Western music’s tunes in Bollywood. Unarguably Music legends Shankar-Jakishan were the Undisputed Monarch of Music of the 50′ and ’60s. The duo composed such immortal melodies that they earned the title of ‘Best Music Directors’ of the Golden Era. They won the maximum 9 Filmfare awards and gave several super hit films like Barsaat, Awaara, Shree 420, Sangam, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai; Professor; Suraj; Brahmachari; Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai; Dil Ek Mandir; Arzoo, etc. The list is long!
Shankar-Jaikishan’s Music Mastery
Shankar-Jaikishan had a mastery over Hindustani classical music like Duniya Na Bhaye Mohe Aab To Bula Lo… (Basant Bahar), Neel Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein… (Amrapali), Jhanak Jhanak Toree Baje Payaliya…. (Mere Huzoor), Chham Chham Baje Re Payaliya (Jaane Anjaane), Radhike Tune Bansari Churayi (Beti Bete)….Likewise they were masters of jazz and western tunes like Sayonara Sayonara… (Love In Tokyo -1965) had Japanese orchestration; Raat Ke Humsafar…(An Evening In Paris -1967) had a French flavor. In nutshell, they were the Emperor of Bollywood Music!!
While Shankar-Jaikishan indeed crafted the 1950s and 60s into a Golden Era with their majestic music, nevertheless, film historians allege the duo was responsible for starting the trend of copying the music’s tunes from the Hollywood songs.
Readers might be interested to know that Shankar-Jaikishan copied the first Hollywood song. For instance, Shankar-Jakishan copied the piano prelude for the song ‘Chhod Gaye Balam’ in the first film Barsaat (1949) from the Bing Crosby’s ‘Anniversary Waltz.’ However, in their next film Awaara (1956) Shankar-Jaikishan bluntly copied the entire tune of Egyptian Singer Oum Kalthoum’s hit song Ala Baladi El Mahboub… (1935) and re-composed the same tune into the hit song Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi….
Shankar Jaikishan’s Best Performances
Shankar-Jakishan’s next film Chori Chori (1956) is regarded as their best musical. The film was Golden Jubilee hit solely for hits songs like Rasik Balma Se Dil Kyon Lagaya…. Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi Yeh Mast Fasaane… The film fetched Shankar-Jakishan their First Filmfare Best Music Director Award. Despite their originality in some aspects, Shankar-Jaikishan nevertheless copied a song from the West! The songs is Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein Hum… copied from Tarantella (Traditional).
Shankar-Jaikishan’s film Junglee (1961) which had the super hit song Yahoo! Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe … had another Masti filled song Ai Ai Aa Suku Suku and was equally popular. However, they lifted the song from a German music album, Ping Ping (1961). Interestingly Shankar-Jaikishan’s lifted not just the tune but also the words of the initial lyric that were Sucu Sucu…!!
The most popular song copied by Shankar-Jaikishan is the hit Mohd Rafi song Kaun Hai Jo Sapnon Mein Aayaa…from the film Jhuk Gaya Aasman starring Rajendra Kumar. The song is the straight lift of Elvis Presley’s super hit song Marguerita… (1963).
Shankar-Jaikishan lifted ‘Gumnaam Hai Koi’ from suspense thriller film Gumnaam (1963) from the opening background track’s music of Hollywood film Charade, composed by Henry Mancini and Orchestra.
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The song Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi….
Copied from Ala baladi el mahboub
The song Aaja Sanam Madhur Chandni Mein Hum…
Copied from Tarantella (Traditional)
The song Jiyaa Ho Jiyaa Kuchh Bol Do…
Copied by Broken-Hearted Melody” (Sarah Vaughan, 1959)
The song Ai Ai Aa Suku Suku……
Copied from Sucu Sucu (Ping Ping, 1961)
The song Kaun Hai Jo Sapnoon Mein Aayaa……….
Copied from Marguerita… (Elvis Presley, 1963)
Gumnaam Hai Koii……..
Copied from the Hollywood film Charade
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