Humko To Yaara Teri Yaari…
Song: Humko To Yaara Teri Yaari
Film: Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (1977)
Producer: Nasir Hussain
Director: Nasir Hussain
Lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri
Singer: Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosale
Recently, while revisiting to “Meri Sangeet yatra” by Pancham, Gulzaar and Asha Bhosle, I came across Pancham mentioning his special relationship with the producer-director Nasir Hussein. He talked about how closely they worked on any song situation, with Nasir saab explaining the shot division and Pancham detailing his composition accordingly or sometimes Pancham suggesting on the same and Nasir saab revising. It was this mutually reflective interaction that helped many of the songs to take birth and live on forever in the listener’s minds.
One such kaleidoscopic composition in this category is ‘Hum ko yaara teri yaari” from ‘Hum Kisise Kam Naheen’. Another (Music-)Director’s special, literally. It was a super hit both as a film and music album with all its songs creating havoc. Still, this song, in my opinion, didn’t attract much attention as compared to its siblings. Although known to music fans, when it comes to discussion or special mention with reference to the film, it has always been the much-talked title qawwaali or the super-announcing “bachna ae haseenon” getting tributed by a remix in the recent years or the re-visited tune from ‘Phir Kab Milogi’ in the form of “kya hua tera waada”. The latter became so over-popular that people termed it as comeback vehicle for Rafi saab. Not to forget, of course, the grand and exhaustive entertainment provided by the competition medley.
But somehow, this Kishore-Asha duet remains away from this scene, even in the die-haRD discussion forums dedicated to the legendary music director. The large exception was when I read a full scale review on the song that got me a life-time friend fully justifying the mukhada line “hum ko yaara teri yaari”. So, taking this opportunity to pay the tribute to the romantic and racy intoxication of a song.
Like the stock music, Nasir saab’s movies had stock situations, Hero beseeching the heroine, heroine returning the favour. The 70’s also saw the introduction of longish stage songs/ medleys giving Pancham full-length scope for his orchestral and vocal experiments. And then some intoxicating comic melodies like this song.
Opening scene : Rishi Kapoor and Kajal Kiran are both recovering from their respective break-ups or parting away from their lovers. Rishi is on a professional mission and has to entice Kajal Kiran on the way to his goal. She is also attracted to the handsome fellow and they are out in the open in the semi-drunken state after out-smarting her body-guards.
While enjoying each other’s company, Kajal remembers an appointment and tries to leave hastily from the scene and Rishi trying to stop her and the song begins.
Prelude : Pancham beautifully picks the situation and employs the Iranian santoor beats that has both the romance and intoxicating nasha and ‘strikingly’ different treatment to depict Kajal cascading down the hill that gets improvised for Rishi’s spiral route. The beseeching phrase is wrapped by the violins gaining momentum in the grassy plains but controlling the speed quickly only for the santoors to wind up when Rishi finally manages to get hold of her
Mukhada : Kishore enters the song with a fullish volume quite suited to Rishi’s physical state. Pancham underlines his “‘yaari..<jaan se> pyaari” with the additional kick of the echo effect and the distant violins rising sharply. So brief but so amazing.
First Interlude : Nasir saab cuts the scene here to open the new for the following interlude. The comedy, the melody and the race-y music go so hand-in-hand and the apt musical effects in quick and bewildering succession. The route of the violins to the crescendo..the quick slide and the momentary pause..only to be initiated by the signature santoor strikes ..the following momentary “aaaa-hh” leaves you gasping at Pancham’s amazing control over the speed. The santoor increases the tempo keeping company to Kajal, chased by the raging and bullish brass. Rishi follows suit riding the cowboy brass phrase. The amazing sequence then gears up to colossal pace, the brass finally gets exasperated and the violins finally winning the race. The santoor strums putting the song on the leisurely sidetrack but the following violins put it to the high pitch to match the level of the antara.
First antara : Even with this high action around, Majrooh saab sticks to the romance between the two with his choicest of the wealthy words like
“dil ke heere-moti aaja mere dil mein aa
Too hai daulat meri aa meri manzil mein aa”
that are in a way pointing Rishi’s mission on the treasure of diamonds and use of Kajal for achieving it.
She again manages to dodge him and escapes now to another scene and you sit erect for another dhamaal of the musical action and comedy.
Second Interlude : It starts with the guitar strums and the drill whistle for the scene of the mass drill performed by the school children. Pancham brings in the bagpiper assisted by the disciplined rhythm that suits the situation perfectly. But with Kajal taking centre stage with her filmy dance steps the whole discipline begins to crumble. Again some super thinking by Pancham to detail out the whole sequence breaking the beat discipline cycle by cycle with even the trademark entry of maadal in the last one.
Nasir saab again orders “CUT” and Kajal leaves the scene now searching for Rishi..the superb synth amazingly continuing the whistle theme in the interlude but now sounding absolute haunting still cozy, just to complement a change of place from bright sunny plains to shady zones of the crowns of the big trees.
And what a pleasant counter in form of that re-entry of the santoor that is so sensual and ravishing almost reminding me of Asha’s goosebumpy sentiment “arre main to uskee baahon mein hoon” from “sapna mera toot gayaa”, another Rishi-Pancham-Asha starrer song.
Second Antara : As if they (Pancham-Majrooh) almost read my mind, Asha enters the song with
“Ho gaya tumhara jab meri baahon ka haar-
Bech bhi daala to mera kya hai dildaar
Main to itna jaanoon mujhko hai tumse pyar”
This speedy and flamboyant treatment however has a beautiful counter in the form of the linger by Asha over the last line
“Haaye re haaye tum se pyar”
with a subtle reverb effect .
With Kishore appearing again for the final wrap up with the mukhada line, Asha comes up with a vocal harmony of “dilbar” to replace the earlier dizzy effect of violins at similar place.
The song ends with the same tune with which it started but on Asha’s beseeching and dodging “la la la la” to finally end up dramatically with the collapse of Kajal.
Sudhir Kulkarni
panchammagic.org
