Legends
Ravi – His Tunes Were Characterised by Simplicity – Manek Premchand
In the constellation of Hindi film music, some of the composers occupy a permanent place, a special one while others remain strangely unappreciated. Despite the fact that they have created equally good melodies. Composer Ravi belongs to the letter category.
Soulfully Yours: Ravi, a 400 plus pages biography seeks to present him as a far more significant figure than he is often credited to be. Through this book, music historian Manek Premchand tries to correct this imbalance and restore the limelight on film industry’s one of the most prolific and versatile composers.
Manek Premchand makes a valid point when he asks why has Ravi often remained outside the discussions that routinely celebrate the other great composers and then he rightfully marks the composer’s achievements, awards and commercial successes. The author, through this book, urges the readers for a reassessment of Ravi’s contribution to Indian cinema. This, we can say, is the strength of the book.
Enriched with anecdotes and observations, the book and its admiration for Ravi not just praises him, but also presents a balanced picture where the humility of Ravi often overshadows his accomplishments.
The book succeeds as a guiding light to people, especially the next generation who are interested in Hindi film music. It is a valuable addition for the collectors and students of Hindi cinema and an important page when it comes to preserving the heritage of Indian Cinema.
Here we have the author, Manek Premchand, in conversation with TheSongPedia.
TSP – What convinced you to write the book?
MP – Early in 2025 I realised Raviji’s birth centenary was next year. My mind went back to about 13 years ago, when the composer’s daughters were considering a book on him. A mutual friend arranged a meeting with them and we all met at Ravi’s home in Santacruz in the Mumbai suburbs. The meeting went very well, and I was delighted that I would get access to a lot of stories from the ladies. I thought I’d also get some rare snaps and all this would be fun. That we would bring out something nice. Sadly after that one meeting the whole project fell through. Till today I don’t know what went wrong. But the story got weird in February 2025. Recognising that this gifted singer-lyricist-composer was still being overlooked, I reached out to the daughters again. I sent them text messages and made calls, telling them about their dad’s phenomenal work, even just in Hindi films, not just in regional cinema. That his centenary year was coming up, that I wanted to write about him, his journey, his music. All I wanted from them was some photos and some memories. That I would request Bhavans Kala Kendra, with whom I’m associated, to do an evening of Ravi’s music and release the book. I went and met one sister, in the same Santacruz home. All I got was tea and sympathy. It took me a while to recover from the mild shock. Then I convinced myself to take the longer route, the road not taken.
TSP – Was there any perception about Ravi earlier, which changed after writing the book?
MP – Not really. I had met Raviji several times, and heard his songs so often. My perception of him was of a modest man who made lovely tunes but didn’t tom-tom his work. Of a man who had no airs, made no demands on his producers, and created simple melodies. No vakra chalan kind of difficult songs. So after I finished my project, there was no difference in the before and after stories.
TSP – Do you think his work has been overshadowed and needs to be celebrated more?
MP – It was overshadowed, yes, but no one can be faulted for this, because he lived in the age of giants. But I have a pet regret. I wish people would actually come forward to really appreciate the extraordinary work he did in ghazals, especially in the ones he collaborated with Mohammed Rafi. They are works of class!
TSP – His compositions appear to be simple most of the time, what was the secret behind this appealing simplicity?
MP – Yes, his tunes were characterised by simplicity. In 90% of his songs, he employed less than 12 instruments. That made him popular with producers, because his songs cost less to make. Plus simplicity wins in the long run doesn’t it? That’s why ice cream flavours come and go, but plain vanilla is always in vogue. Wo kya sher tha, Sabhi andaaz-e-husn pyaare hain, Hum magar saadgi ke maare hain.
TSP – Which aspect of the book surprised you during the research or writing?
MP – Many, but most importantly his ghazals. Not only the quality, even the quantity. I mean to compose more ghazals than Madan Mohan, or Khayyam. Super!
TSP – Was there any such piece of information which was difficult to verify?
MP – Yes. About his early days. About how he was as a father, what food he liked. Which other composers he respected. How he spent his free time. Denied the insider’s point of view, I just had to forget about all that.
TSP – Why do you think Ravi’s songs are popular but not his name?
MP – I have addressed this point in the introduction of the book. In sum, he was a simple man who wore clothes that are typically worn by ordinary folks, but even at parties, he dressed about the same. He had no secretary, threw no parties, and owned a basic Maruti 800, which he self-drove. Perhaps he was too focused on his work to look at aspects of social conformity. Perhaps he was telling us, “Mere kaam ko dekho, baaqi chhod do”.
TSP – If a young music lover happens to make a playlist of Ravi’s songs, what would be your top 5 recommendations?
MP – Difficult but let me try. Not in order of priority, they would be –
▪️Aap aaye to khaayaal e dil e naashaad aaya
▪️Jaan-e-bahaar husn tera bemisaal hai
▪️Wo dil kahaan se laoon teri yaad jo bhula de
▪️Ye raaten ye mausam nadi ka kinaara
▪️Aage bhi jaane na tu.
TSP – Lastly, was there any such content which you had to omit due to space constraints/restrictions?
MP – I had to omit what he told me about his son and daughter in law, because anyway I had paused my tape recorder for those remarks. He was really grateful to many producers, especially BR Chopra, and AK Nadiadwala.
But the thing that I almost wanted to write but I held myself back about was about the Ravi-Shakeel-Rafi combination. In Do Badan, the trio pulled out three magical rabbits from their hats. I mean three remarkable ghazals, a very rare phenomenon. Naseeb mein jiske jo likha tha, Raha gardishon mein hardam, and that masterpiece, Bhari duniya mein aakhir dil ko samjhaane kahaan jaayen. Raviji, thank you!
Click on the link to buy the book –
https://www.bluepencilpublishers.com/book/soulfully-yours-ravi/
