I have always believed in the therapeutic power of music. It does to the stressed and troubled soul what drops of rain do to baked, parched and cracked earth. Raindrops not only slake the thirst of the earth but also leave behind Petrichor. Good music pacifies one’s soul and troubled mind, leaving an engram that doesn’t ever fade over time. One doesn’t ever tire of Petrichor, nor does one ever tire of good music, no matter how many times one has heard it. One can never get enough of it, nor get satiated despite a lifetime of unparalleled auditory gourmandizing. This is about one legend who has given a similar experience of sustained ecstasy to billions of his loyal acolytes. From Aankhen to Veer-Zaara, over more than half a century, the deliberately undercelebrated and wilfully ignored genius of Madan Mohan Kohli dazzled, enchanted, mesmerized and got multiple generations of those who were in love with his sublime ouevre.
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Today 25th June, 2024 is a special, very special day for any lover of Bollywood music. The landscape of Hindi film music has always been vast, varied and Bollywood has almost always made movies where songs are integral. Ever since Bollywood acquired speech, the number of movies without songs is infinitesimally small. In fact, if you remove songs, a vast majority of Hindi films become lifeless. Of those few artistes who enriched the corpus of film music…
one name always stands out: Madan Mohan Kohli . For the record, he was born on June 25, 1924, and left his physical form aged just 51 on July 14, 1975.
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You just need to listen to his first ever song with Mohammad Rafi (who always sent him Kheer and Sewaiyaan first thing in the morning on Ramzaan Eid), ‘Hum ishq mein barbaad hain barbaad rahenge’ from his debut film ‘Aankhein’ (1950), with lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan to realize how the association has left an impact forever. Its musicality and melodiousness in Madan Mohan’s debut film, aged just 26 are striking. Who can ever forget his sublime creations for Talat Mahmood , ‘Meri yaad mein tum na aansoo bahana’ from the film ‘ Madhosh ’, or ‘Beraham aasmaan meri manzil bata hai kahan’ from ‘ Bahana ’. The overwhelming poignant melody and the sheer beauty has stayed with me for a lifetime, caressing my heartstrings and nourishing my soul. Madan Mohan’s USP was his unique ability to judge the texture, timbre and tonal quality of a singer’s voice and, in his God given ability to create compositions that would highlight these facets while creating an immortal song with an eternal shelf life. How else can we explain his getting Kaifisaab’s verse ‘Har taraf ab yahi afsane hain, hum teri aankhon ke deewane hain’ to be rendered in ‘Hindustan ki Qasam’, by one of his less favoured singers, Manna Dey. The melodious exclusivity of his compositions set him apart. When In fact, that uniqueness is his hallmark. When you listen to Madan Mohan’s ‘Kaise kategi zindagi tere baghair’ from an unreleased film, ‘Kaise kategi zindagi’ with lyrics by (who else but) Raja Mehdi Ali Khan — you’re experiencing an out-of-body experience thanks to Rafisaab and his expressive voice. This maudlin melody has a majestically melancholic mystique. Folklore says this song was played on a loop during Rafisaab‘s funeral procession. The song with its masterly use of violins has the longest prelude (1 min 16 sec) in the history of Bollywood songs {followed by ‘Baharo, mera jeevan bhi sanwaro’ (1 min 13 sec), composed by Khayyam}.
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He was a master at minimalist, yet melodious music who always ensured the singer’s voice would never get drowned by the instruments. That explains his ability to spin, at will, magnificent filmi ghazals, which haven’t lost their sheen over half a century of his not being physically present. Lata Mangeshkar and he enjoyed qualitatively the most fulfilling partnership any performing artist could ever dream to have: Lata’s voice, was, without the slightest doubt or trace of exaggeration, best used by Madan Mohan who created a series of glittering gems that include songs that are impossible to rank one better than the others, ‘Lag jaa gale…’, ‘Naina barse rim-jhim rim-jhim,’ ‘Jo humne daastaan apni sunayee’ and the evergreen lamentation of a ghazal ‘Hum hain mata-e-koocha-o-baazaar ki tarah‘.
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One will never forget Madan Mohan’s gut wrenching compositions from Haqeeqat, the best and most brutally honest war film ever made in Bollywood history, or his celebrated score for Dastak, which was the only movie which won him a National award, truly a case of too little, too late.
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Who can ever forget his partnership with Rafisaab, his personal friend. Just to cite two (of the many) fabulous numbers composed by Madan Mohan: ‘Ik haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya’ (Dulhan ek raat ki), and ‘Main nigahein tere chehre se hataoon kaise’ (Aap ki parchhaiyaan).
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Madan Mohan had a degree of nuanced musical skill that sets him apart from his peers. One would never come across such a sublime composer, whose compositions have enthralled us over the last 75 years and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
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Though famous for his ghazals, his musical range and depth of feeling can be heard in every musical genre. His orchestral melodies just sweep you off your feet. When Madan Mohan wants to highlight poetry – he knew Urdu very well – he would compose a melody deliberately muting his orchestra and using only a handful of instruments to create a uniquely contemplative mood. Just think of Rafisaab’s “Main Ye Soch Kar Uske Dar Se Utha Tha” from one of his best scores ever, in Haqeeqat, based on Rezang La, written by Kaifi Azmi.
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Madan Mohan got the voices of all the singers, who sang for him to express so much in his compositions that they breathed life and extended the lifespan for films that otherwise would be totally forgotten today ( & so many films are remembered purely for their songs).
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Madan Mohanji was the eldest son of Rai Bahadur Singh Chunnilal (Kohli), an accountant general in the British Raj administration. Baghdad those days was under British suzerainty and controlled from India. His father was posted there and Madan Mohan was born in Baghdad, and folklore tells us of a 3 year old Madan Mohan following and joining a police band in Erbil, in a way showing his interest in music so early on in life.
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His family moved to Rawalpindi from Iraq and Raobahadur Chunnilal left British employment. After spending his early years in Rawalpindi, Madan Mohan with his family moved to Mumbai. They lived in a lovely sea-facing building on Marine Drive, and their neighbour was Jaddanbai, Nargis’s mother. He was very influenced by Jaddanbai and became very good friends with the young Nargis. Raj Kapoor would come there often, and Raj Kapoor and Madanji became good friends too. Suraiya stayed nearby in Krishna Mahal and they would all go together and sing children’s songs on All India Radio – Raj Kapoor, Suraiya and Madan Mohanji. When his father became a General Manager in Himanshu Rai’s Bombay Talkies , Madanji was taken up by the glitz and glamour. He wanted to act, but consent was declined by his father. In 1943, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Ashok Kumar, Gyan Mukherjee and Raobahadur Chunilal left Bombay Talkies after the demise of Himanshu Rai and started a production company of their own, Filmistan.
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Madan Mohan’s acting ambitions led to small roles. He played Nalini Jaywant’s brother in Munimji and Kamini Kaushal’s brother in Shaheed. But he realised he could not make it as a male lead, despite the fact that he was quite good-looking.
Instead to keep him away from the evil company, his father got him enlisted into the Army. He returned soon therefrom. Two years later, Madanji left the army and was offered a job at All India Radio, Lucknow, where he worked as a music producer/coordinator. In Lucknow, he met a lot of Urdu-speaking people, including Begum Akhtar, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan, Fayyaz Khan, Talat Mahmood and various poets. That left a huge impression on him and his compositions. After returning from Lucknow, he wanted to become a Film Composer, Rai Bahadur Chunnilal nixed the idea. Unfortunately Rai Bahadur Chunnilal got married a second time. Those days, it was legally allowed, one could have multiple wives without a divorce. As a result Madan Mohan found himself disowned by his father. Disinherited, he had to live in a chawl, sharing a tiny room with four friends, including Ramanand Sagar.
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Around 1949, director Devendra Goel, the actor Shekhar, whom no one had heard of, and Madan Mohanji borrowed some money and made a film called Aankhen with Nalini Jaywant, who was a big star. Bharat Bhushan was in the project, too. The movie didn’t succeed in a big way commercially but Madanji’s compositions were noticed by everyone. He used the voices of Shamshad Begum, Meena Kapoor, Geeta Dutt, Mohammed Rafi and Mukesh. In fact, Mukesh sang the important songs of the film. At the preview, Chunnilal was impressed with it and told Madanji he had erred in not showing confidence in his son’s abilities. He passed away soon and Madan Mohan never got an opportunity to score music for Filmistan.
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His songs have a unique melodic flow from the introductory music to the melody of the main song, with each interlude leading to the antra and back to the mukhda. It’s a seamless flow. Despite the divine quality of his music, he never got a single Filmfare. What a shame!! What greater proof of the Filmfare awards being a sham and a scam would you want?
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Madanji was very proud of his Studebaker . Once he took his family for a spin on Worli Seaface. His kids made him go faster. Before anyone realized, police sirens blared out and a police jeep started following. Soon Madanji stopped the car.
A senior police officer got out of the jeep and came to his car window. Madanji rolled down the window and said, “Officer, sorry, I’m driving fast.”
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The officer said “No, Madanji, I stopped you only to tell you that your music in Anpadh should have won the Filmfare Award.” Madanji was touched. He looked at his wife and said, “See, I’ve been given my award.”
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He died in 1975 feeling -rightfully so- unappreciated, and 3 months after he died, Mausam was released which met a silver jubilee. Six months later Laila Majnu, celebrated a golden jubilee. The Laila Majnu song Husna Haazir Hai was Binaca Geetmala number one song for 18 weeks. His songs never used to play on street loudspeakers in his lifetime, and even today Kar Chale Hum Fida is the song most played on 15th August and 26th January.
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C’est la vie..
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For today I will include (rather than his better known ones many of whom I’ve covered in my blogs) a song which was actually left out of the movie at its release. Ironically its lyrics could easily be his message to the world. https://youtu.be/ogLvpJ2QzHY?si=4_Az3jPDq8Y7ZeEG
The lyrics are by Kaifisaab, a poet of considerable mettle.
खेलो ना मेरे दिल से, ओ मेरे साजना, (ओ साजना -२)
खेलो ना, खेलो ना, मेरे दिल से, खेलो ना …
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मुस्कुराके देखते तो हो मुझे,
ग़म है किस लिये निगाह में
मंज़िल अपनी तुम अलग बसाओगे,
मुझको छोड़ दोगे राह में
प्यार क्या दिल्लगी, प्यार क्या खेल है
खेलो ना …
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क्यूँ नज़र मिलाई थी लगाव से,
हँसके दिल मेरा लिया था क्यूँ
क्यूँ मिले थे ज़िन्दगी के मोड़ पर,
मुझको आसरा दिया था क्यूँ
प्यार क्या दिल्लगी, प्यार क्या खेल है
खेलो ना …
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I can imagine the mortal hurt and indescribable pain of this genius. Madan Mohan’s haunting composition, ‘Lag Jaa Gale’ a classic from ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’ was reused in a bunch of films, it was rehashed as “Ponmeni Thazhuvaamal” shot on a teenaged Jayalalitha in “Yar Nee” a couple of years after “Woh Kanu Thi?” released, and has been recently used in “Sahib, Bibi aur Gangster“. Several wannabe singers including a bunch of Paapis have crooned it, it has been converted into a Ghazal, its YouTube version has been hit more than 300 million times, but unbelievable as it may sound, it did not figure in the Binaca Hit Parade of the year (which had 32 songs), although two other songs from the movie made it to the list: “Jo Humne dastaan apnee sunayee” and “Naina Barse” made it there.
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Only 3 of his amazing cornucopia of melodies ever made it to the Binaca top 5 for the respective years: “Ae dil mujhe bataa de” (Bhai Bhai), “Jhumka Gira Re (Mera Saaya) and the only one song that made it to #1 on the list, from a movie which was released 2 years after his way-too-early demise (aged just 51, in 1975), “Koi Patthar se na maaro mere deewane ko ” (Laila Majnu)
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That’s life.
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Madan Mohan.
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Undoubtedly a genius. Always will be the top 5 Composers of all time in my understanding of Bollywood music.
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The awards may have been snatched from him, but he , and not the music factories rule the hearts and minds of us music aficionados .
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As we enter the second century of his earthly existence, undoubtedly this position of primacy will remain untouched.
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Madan Mohan, the emperor of melody, uncrowned king of hearts who achieved immortality through his insanely haunting melodies
Straight from my heart... 
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