Another
light-hearted soundtrack tonight. Armaan
(Longing) is a popular title in Bollywood, with three (at least) films sharing that
name. Tonight’s feature is from 1981 and
is a remake of the Hollywood classic, Casablanca. To Indianise the
story the film is set in Goa and the world war backdrop becomes the freedom
struggle for Goa. The villains are Portuguese in place of the Germans. The role
of Rick (Bogey) is revived by Raj Babbar, of Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) by Ranjeeta, Deepak Parashar plays Victor (Paul Henried), Shammi Kapoor
is Sam (Dooly Wilson) and Shakti Kapoor plays Renault (Claude Rains). Deepak Parashar is a freedom fighter and Ranjeeta is his sweetheart who was earlier romantically involved
with Raj Babbar. Raj Babbar runs a bar / hotel in Goa which
is hub of all the action. Shammi Kapoor
is his friend and bartender who also sings. Shakti Kapoor is a corrupt Portuguese officer whose top priority is
money.(imdb)
The music is by
the irrepressible, portly and blingalicious Bappi Lahiri. Never one to shy away from inserting a disco beat
into the midst of even the most traditional of settings, the Goan locations of Armaan are perfect for bringing out the
dance beat in Bappi. Employing some
of his favourite singers like Sharon
Prabhakar (Mere Jaisi Hasina) the
songs bubble along nicely including a warm melody from Kishore Kumar (Jivan Mithana
Hai Diwanapan) and a vivacious Punjabi (in Goa?) chorus by Mahendra Kapoor (TichBatana di Jodi). But
the opening number by another jaunty jewel of Juhu, Usha Uthup (Ramba Ho Ho
Ho,Samba Ho Ho Ho) is the killer track. Crackling with dance floor rhythms
and cooing girl chorus Ramba Samba is
pure Lahirigold.
Awara Sur was released in 1995 and as such is considered an early example of Paki-pop.It is heavy on the electric keyboards and musically is extravagantly and slightly over-produced.But the focus and point of this album is not the music but the voice. And in that way it is succeeds in spades. Shafaqat Ali Khan is the youngest son of one of the absolute giants of Hindustani classical music, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. He began his singing career at the age of four and has wowed audiences all around the world since then.
Shafaqat Ali Khan
This exceptional trend shattering album (first released in the 90s) brings out Shafaqat Ali Khan’s ability to fuse classical Indian singing with Western beats and rhytms. Balma Kyon Na Aaye the first number sets the mood of the album with a swinging rhythm that compliments Shafaqat Ali Khan’s powerful vocals.The song which describes a woman’s yearning for her loved one is brought alive by Shafaqat’s steamy vocals and Amit Khanna’s superb verse.
Shafaqat Ali Khan moves on to explore a foot-tapping Punjabi song with Tere Ishq Ne Nachaya which would be a sure winner the young at heart. Songs like Dhalki Jaye Chunariya ( a modern thumri) and Taron Bhari Hai Raat (based on a Rajasthani mand) set to slow mellow strings brings out Shafaqat’sskill as a versatile singer. Shafaqat Ali Khan flew in from San Francisco especially to record this extraordinary album. His resonant voice and robust singing style is enhanced by Bappi Lahiri’s trendy music and Amit Khanna’s charming lyrics.
Awara Sur which represents a confluence of different styles of music from jazz and rock to dhrupad and ghazal has universal appeal with something in store for everyone. (Liner notes)
So there you have it. Bappi Lahiri,the Bringer of Disco to Bollywood, teamed with one of the preeminent voices of modern South Asia. Could be (and is) interesting.
Namak Halal is a Bollywood comedy from 1982, famous for some grand silliness by the biggest star of the day, Amitabh Bachchan and a load of fun disco-influenced songs scored by the larger than life Bappi Lahiri.
Young Arjun (Amitabh Bachchan) is brought up by his Daddu (Om Prakash). His Daddu decides for him to go to the city in search of a new job and life. Arjun reluctantly agrees, and re-locates to Bombay. While in the city he meets up with Bhairon (Ram P. Sethi) who guides him into finding a job as a servant in a 5-star hotel owned by Raja (Shashi Kapoor). While in the hotel, Arjun meets Poonam (Smita Patil) and falls in love with her. He also looks up to Savitridevi who manages the hotel, until he finds out that Savitridevi is his biological mother, and that Raja believes that she is involved in a plot to kill him. During this time, many attempts are made to kill Raja by the one and only Girdar Singh (Satyendra Kapoor) and his son Ranjeet (Ranjeet). All these attempts are thwarted by Arjun. Will he be able to save Raja from these attacks?
Here is a scene of Arjun presenting himself for an interview at the hotel in which he tries to impress the boss with his English language skills.
Of interest to the Washerman’s Dog is the music which is early Bollywood disco. The soundtrack was scored by one Bappi Lahiri the man who single handedly discofied Bombay films in the late 70s /early 80s.
Bappi Lahiri was born in Calcutta, West Bengal in 1952 into a family with a rich tradition in classical music. His father, Aparesh Lahiri was a famous Bengali singer and his mother, Bansari Lahiri was a musician and a singer who was well-versed in classical music and Shyama Sangeet. His parents trained him in every aspect of music. He was their only child. At a very early age, he had the ambition to become famous, not only nationally, but internationally. He began to play the tabla at the tender age of three.
Bappa Lahiri has inherited his father’s keen sense of music and joined the Hindi film industry as a music director. Bappi has his own unmatched personal style. He is the perfect blend of East and West, and his wardrobe ranges from the traditional Indian kurta and sherwani to the western sweatshirts and blazers. He is fond of wearing pieces of jewelry that represent significant symbols in his life. Bappi is famous throughout India for his trademark gold ornaments and sunglasses. Bappi began his career as a music director at the young age of 19. He received his first opportunity in a Bengali film, Daadu (1972) and the first Hindi film for which he composed music was Nanha Shikari (1973). The film which established him in Bollywood was Tahir Husain's Hindi film, Zakhmee (1975), for which he composed music and doubled as a playback singer.
Bappi rose from strength to strength, and the music for his subsequent films were tremendously popular, placing him on the pedestal of stardom, making him the youngest music director of his time to have attained such intense success in such a short duration. Bappi Lahiri was the pioneer of disco beats in India and his refreshing, vibrant, and rhythmic music had the entire nation dancing for decades. Bappi Lahiri is widely recognized throughout India as the sole originator of the disco beat in India. He is widely known as the "Disco King" in India, even today.
Bappi Lahiri was the most popular music director in the 1980s due to his famous compositions for films such as Disco Dancer, which have left a lasting imprint in the minds of all those who heard the music. Bappi is famous for his constant desire to reinvent himself and face the challenge to keep up with the rapidly changing preferences of current generations. He is the complete entertainer and superstar with his multiple talents as a singer, music director, and percussionist!
Bappi Lahiri has been known to work with the singing legends of the Hindi music industry. He has been known to sing duets with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. He has also worked with renowned singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Vijay Benedict and Sharon Prabhakar were launched into the Bollywood music industry by Bappi. He also paved the path to fame for Alisha Chinai and Usha Uthup through his compositions. Over the decades and through years of well deserved fame and accolades, Bappi Lahiri remains the undisputed Disco King of India, and one of the most amiable celebrities in the Hindi film industry today.(http://www.bappilahiri.com/)
This soundtrack contains excellent upbeat Bollywood music including two iconic tracks of the 80s:
·Thodisi Jo Pee Lee Hai (This little Bit that I’ve Drunk) one of the great ‘drunkard’ songs of the era.
·Jawani Jan e Man, a ripping disco number by Asha Bhosle which opens with a very eerie Glenn-Close-psycho-woman “I want to kill you” phone call!
Lahiri’s instrumentation is imaginative with some great guitar solos and at one point a wailing soprano sax that would not be out of place on a Thelma Houston album
A fantastic set of songs for a party or just passing time at the office when you’re supposed to be working!
