Kalyanji Anandji on Retro Cafe - NOW! - Page 3

Kalyanji and Anandji have been on a consistently successful career.Their approach to music was more like a hobby than a profession.Very down to earth , and seldom self-centred or egoistic they tasted success like all along their career.

Kalyanji (d.o.b-1928) and Anandji (d.o.b-1933) were born to Virji Shah. Their father migrated from Kutch to Mumbai to start a Kirana (provision store) business.Kalyanji and Anandji began to learn music from a music teacher who could not afford to pay his bills to their father.One of their four grand parents was a folk musician of some eminence.They spent most of their formative years in Girgaum, amidst Marathi and Gujarati environs and some really eminent musical talent that resided in the vicinity. Behind their success were so many factors, but father's contribution was immense, who injected such a great value within their mind. Although his father was uneducated but wise indeed who made the thing different.

Kalyanji began an orchestral group called Kalyanji Virji and Party - Show Ki Duniya, which organized musical, shows in Mumbai and outside. Through his contacts he had also become a film musician. Top singers like Manna Dey and Hemant Kumar would participate in them. Both Kalyanji and Anandji were assistants to Hemant Kumar who was their mentor.

Kalyanji Anandji's arrival at Bombay film industry as music composer was a turning point. When Big- Big stars like S.D Burman, Hemant Kumar,Madan Mohan, Noushad, and Ravi are composing music in Hindi films, and that time was the golden time of film music, it was very tough to make a place among them. Still they came, and won the heart and mind of Indian people. And in future also, the music director duo will go on soothing our heart with their never-aging music. We can not forget them any how.

The Bharat Bhushan - Nirupa Roy hit, Samrat Chandragupta (1959) was his first film as Kalyanji Virji Shah. It's songs like 'Chahe Paas Ho' (Lata - Rafi) are remembered to this day. Followed a few more films alone like Post Box 999 before Anandji who was assisting him, joined him officially to form the Kalyanji - Anandji duo in Satta Bazar and Madari (1959). Chalia (1961) was their earliest major hit. But the Raj Kapoor factor branded them as pale imitators of Shankar - Jaikishan even as 'Dum Dum Diga Diga', Chalia Mera Naam", and 'Mere Toote Hue Dil Se' swept the charts. Their struggle continued till 1965 when two decisive scores, 1000 Himalay Ki God Mein and Jab Jab Phool Khile, established them as composers to reckon with.

Kalyanji-Anandji's variety-studded music is replete with some of the topmost songs of all singers and genres, and two of their cult songs are Mere desh ki dharti (Upkar) and Yaari hai imaan mera (Zanjeer) by Mahendra Kapoor and Manna Dey respectively. There was a line of big hits like 'Zanjeer', 'Hath Ki Safai', 'Hera Pheri', 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', and behind the success of these films Kalyanji Anandji's music had a great contribution.

Mukesh has sung 91 songs for Kalyanji Anandji, which is more than for anyone else. Beginning with Naina hai jadoo bhare (Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane), he sang a virtual hit parade of solos and duets for us, besides some evergreen Gujarati numbers and a timeless Jain bhajan. We always tried to compose songs with syllables that heightened the appeal of his nasal voice, like Chandan sa badan (Saraswati Chandra) and Main to ek khwab hoon (Himalay Ki God Mein). He was also our first choice for fresh faces and small artistes, for his presence guaranteed a hit.

After Mukesh, their closest rapport was with Kishore Kumar, and their joint oeuvre spans everything from fun songs (Jai Govindam jai Gopalam from Aansoo Aur Muskan) to folk (Khaike paan from Don), classical (Priye praneshwari from Hum Tum Aur Woh), romantic (Pal pal dil ke paas from Blackmail) to pathos-filled paeans (Mera jeevan kora kagaz from Kora Kagaz). Also their favorite was Mohammed Rafi, whom Anandji remembers as "a versatile, technically perfect singer who was devoted to work and to perfection.

Hemant Kumar helped tone their talents as well, and Anandji is happy that the few songs that Hemantda did sing for them, like O neend na mujhko aaye (Post Box 999) and Tumhein yaad hoga (Satta Bazaar), were hits. They also helped introduce or give career defining breaks to lyricists like Anand Bakshi, Gulshan Bawra, Anjaan, Verma Malik and M G Hashmat, they held them all in high esteem as invaluable contributors to their music, along with Rajendra Krishan, Indeevar and Qamar Jalalabadi, all veterans.

The rapport that Kalyanji and Anandji struck with every singer was as much personal as professional. Lata Mangeshkarwas a regular at Kalyanji's place for Kutchi home-cooked food, and Asha Bhosle who would frequently invite them over. Himalaya Ki God Mein, Saraswatichandra, Kora Kagaz, were dominated by Lata Mangeshkar as she sang beautifully in these films and she bagged her first National Award for their Roothe roothe piya from Kora Kagaz. In the late 1970s O Asha Bhosle did hit numbers with them 'saathi re tere bina bhi kya jeena' from Muqaddar Ka Sikander and 'Yeh mera dil' from Don .

Both Kalyanji and Anandji worked as musicians for over 400 films. The factor behind their success is hard work apart from their talent. They were never self-centered, and egoistic in nature. The spiritually inclined two brothers opened up a new horizon in Bollywood. As they used to put back a major portion of what they earned for society and several charitable work. Another quality to be mentioned is that they were tireless in discovering new talents and grooming them as well. Kumar Sanu now became a very popular singer, first got break from Kalyanji Anandji.

On August 24, 2000, Kalyanji breathed his last but his era with Anandji will always be remembered for their great contributions.