My Friend Geeta - By Meena Kapoor Biswas
Yes, I am writing about none other than the renowned playback singer the Late Geeta Dutt who enthralled the world of music lovers with her fascinating mellifluent voice from the year 1946 to 1972.
Born in Faridpur, East Bengal (now Bangladesh).Migrated to Bombay in 1942. Sang 1400 songs for Hindi movies plus around another 400 songs in Gujarati and Bengali.
Discovered by music composer Late Hanuman Prasad who gave her an opportunity to lend her voice in a movie named Bhakta Prahlad in 1946. But actually it was the song Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya for the film Do Bhai (music SD Burman) which brought her into the limelight.
Then came Jogan in 1950 (Music Bulo C Rani). All the songs, though bhajans including Jogi Mat Jaa became all time favourites with music lovers.
While in Jogan she sounded like a true devotee in Baazi she sounded totally different as she sang emulating cabaret singers. Tadbeer se bigdi , suno gajar kya gaaye (music SD Burman). The movie was directed by Guru Dutt and produced by Navketan.
Her Babuji Dheere Chalna a seductive number in Aaa Paar (music OP Nayyer) was again a contrast to Na yeh chaand hoga where she sounded innocently romantic in the film Shart (music Hemant Kumar).
Then she sounded very mischievous when she sang for Geeta Bali in Jaal, a duet with Kishore Kumar De bhi chuke hum in the year 1952 (music SD Burman). All this proves her versatility though she did not have any formal training in classical music.
Around this period - a movie named Ghayal. Music by late Gyan Dutt in which I had to sing a duet wih Geeta.
While we were having the rehearsal of the song Tera kis pe aaya dil. I suddenly stopped singing and asked Gyan Dutt ji in Bengali
"Gyan Kaka Aami ki second ta gaibo?"
Immediately, a very surprised Geeta asked me "Are you a Bengali?"
Me - No
Geeta - Then how could you speak such fluent Bengali?
Me - (very shyly) just like that...
Geeta was very much impressed with my Bengali. By the time the rehearsal was over we had already become very friendly with each other. So much so, that she used to send my car back home with the driver and make me sit in her car to drop me home and vice versa.
She was a very affable and gregarious person, full of zeal and indefatigable energy. While not recording often she would appear at my door and plan for an impromptu picnic.
Me- Picnic? Only the two of us?
Geeta - Oh - Don't be silly! I have already gathered all our chorus girls - Renu, Kavita, Shailaja....
Me - Bas Bas, And where are we going?
Geeta - Well... anywhere. Powai, Vihar Lake, National Park Borivili....
Me: And what do we eat?
Geeta: Er.... Oh Meenu darling, please ask one of your boys to catch hold of that man selling guavas...
Then not waiting for the boy to come we both ran down and started shouting in duet - Eh - Oh - Arre Bhai - Oh Amrud wale....
And both of us bought lots and lots of guavas!
Looking at the huge number of guavas my surprised mother asked us, "What are you going to do with sooo many guavas?"
"Mashima! (auntie) This is going to be our lunch for the picnic", answered Geeta.
"Chalo Chalo, sab koi gaadi mein baith jao. Kuch log Meena ki gaadi mein aur kuch meri mein"
Packed like sardines all of us managed to fit into the two automobiles. Both the cars started and Geeta with her full enthu shouted. 'Bolo Durga Maa Ki Jai'
Chorus - "Durga Maa Ki Jai"!
Now, how did Durga Maa come into the picture? That was a subject for research!
However the chauvinistic Maharastrian girls were not happy only with Durga Mai. They shouted angrily "Kya Geeta Didi aapne khali Durga Mai ka naam liya! Apna Ganpati bappa kahan gaya?" To save the precarious
situation I promptly started shouting "Ganpati Bappa Moriya". And everyone shouted "Purcha varshi lokdi aa"
And we reached our destination peacefully. We did have a very scrumptious lunch sent by my mummy and papa comprising of halwa, puri, sabzi and lots and lots of mangoes ....The poor guavas were completely neglected by all of us!
That was Geeta, full of life!
Alas we did not realize then, that life is ephemeral not eternal!
Geeta had also sung for some Bengali movies. Shaatihara, Swarlipi (Music Hemant Kumar) and many more. Her Taalio na taale in Mangal Phera, 1949 and Tame Thoda Thoda from the movie GunaSundari in 1947 (music Avinash Vyas) were great hits with the Gujarati audience.
........Another afternoon, I heard someone ringing the doorbell frantically, I ran to the door to open it. I found Geeta again who just pushed me aside to come in and said "You lazybone, kab se bell baja rahi hoon, Ek dam buddhu!"
Me : Phir tumne mujhe buddhu raha!
Geeta: Sorry Sorry (She always used to insist that I call her Didi which I flatly refused)
Geeta: Don't you remember? We have to attend the meeting of PBSA(Playback Singer's Association) where it will be decided on how to raise some funds for the old singing artists in distress.
AND....we did, stage a grand show at Bombay's liberty cinema. Where we both (Geeta and I) had to perform a dance on the song Madhu gandha bhare by Tagore, sung live by Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar. And a small play in which Talat Mahmood, GM Durrani, Geeta Roy and I had to take part.
The last item was a parody in which right from Amirbai Karnataki, Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Roy, Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Kishore Kumar, Hemant Kumar and yours truly had taken part.
Each of us had to sing a few line from one of our popular numbers with funny gesticulation. All of us had to stand in a line on stage, one by one had to come forward at the centre of the stage sing his/her part and go back and join the line again.
Amirbai Karnataki came first holding a dagger in her hand singing on of her very famous numbers Mar Katari Mar Jaana (Shehnai, music C Ramachandra) Geeta came in a white saree making a very sad face almost sobbing singing her very popular number from Do Bhai (Music SD Burman) Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya. Mukesh came hitting his chest and lit a matchstick, singing Dil Jalta Hai To Jalne De (Music Anil Biswas). Kishore did some yodeling jumped all over the stage and came back to join the line as those days he used to feel very nervous singing on stage. Lata Mangeshkar sang Aayega aane wala from Mahal (music Khemchand Prakash). Talat Mahmood again with a very sad face Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Le Chal from Aarzoo, (Music Anil Biswas). I sang Mori Atariya Pe Kaga Bole from Aakhen, (Music Madan Mohan) with some very funny movements.
Oh it was hilarious!
The year was 1953
In Sujata the very soporific lullaby Nanhi Kali Sone Chali a scintillating duet with Asha Bachpan ke din bhi kya din the from the same film. The very sweet Jaane Kya Tune Kahi from Pyaasa(1957). And the piece de resistance, my most favourite and also in my eyes her best sung song.....Waqt ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam from Kagaz ke phool (1959). Both Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool had music by SD Burman and were directed by Guru Dutt.
Immediately after Baazi in 1951, one fine morning, Geeta drags me down to where her car was parked. A very suave gentleman came out of the car, smilingly looked at me and asked Geeta "So this is your friend Meena?". I looked at Geeta with raised eyebrows, she just winked at me.
"I am Guru Dutt"
"Nice meeting you", I stammered.
And after that I had to accompany both of them when Guru Dutt was courting Geeta. Going to all the way to Khandala just to have coffee. To Powai lake or fishing. To China creek a favourite spot of Guru Dutt for outdoor shooting.
And then the day came when Geeta got married to Guru Dutt ceremoniously.....
I had to stay with Geeta at her place, seven days ahead of the marriage ceremony! Eating a lot of Maacher Jhol and Bhaat and singing away till midnight to Main to dilli se dulhan laya re with many others including one time actress Smriti Biswas.
Geeta looked a very beautiful bride and Guru Dutt looked a typical Bengali groom...On the 26th of May 1953.
Guru Dutt met Geeta Roy already established playback singer at the recording of the song Tadbeer se bigdi hui from the film Baazi directed by him in 1951. Music was given by SD Burman. She continued her music career even after marriage only now she was known as Geeta Dutt instead of Geeta Roy.
After the movie Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Na jao saiyan, koi door se awaaz de Music Hemant Kumar, in 1962, her career started going down....
And in 1963 I left Bombay with Anilji (Anil Biswas) my husband, as he was called by the I&B Ministry in Delhi to work as the Director Indian Music, All India Radio. I was given a choice to stay back in Bombay but I preferred moving to Delhi with my husband even though my career as a playback singer was still on.
One morning, in Delhi when I opened the newspaper to my shock I read
GURU DUTT IS DEAD!
That was 1964.
It was even more painful to learn that the death was not normal but suspected suicide.
A few years later I met Geeta as she had come to sing for some music concert. I was shocked to see her! She was a completely changed person!
1964 onwards she also had a gap in her career. In 1966 she perhaps sang only for Uski Kahani (Music Kanu Roy). In 1971 Anubhav Meri Jaan Mujhe Jaan Na Kaho directed by Basu Bhattacharya Music Kanu Roy.
And then suffering from Cirrhosis of liver she died on 20th of July 1972
I hate to add the word 'Late'. For me it was my friend Geeta who was no more.
Even now I can hear her singing on the radio
Jaayenge kahan soojhta nahin
Chal diye magar raasta nahin
The soul never dies
AND MY FRIEND GEETA'S VOICE WILL NEVER DIE
Meena Kapoor Biswas
I purposely avoided writing about her life after she was married to Guru Dutt. as I do not want to write about the events unpleasant in her life.
Edited by Barnali - 17 years ago
comment:
p_commentcount