Hato Kaahe Ko Jhoothi – Manzil – All That Fuss

Kabhi kabhi mere dil mein khayal aata hai…..ki dimag hote hue bhi khayal dil mein kyun aata hai? ? Khayal hai….dil mein aaye ya dimag mein, aate rahein bas!!

Khayal – imagination, notions, idea, viewpoint etc. Khayal (Khyal) also indicates a classical vocal of Hindustani music in Dhrupad form, mostly accompanied by tabla and a sarangi or harmonium. And aptly so, Khayal singing portrays the frame of mind, beliefs and imaginations. It mostly portrays the feelings of romance and devotion developed on just 2 lines in alap style or laya style. The invention of this Khayal singing is mostly associated with Amir Khusro. Today we have names of so many noted khayal singers – Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Kishori Amonkar, Pandit D.V. Paluskar, Kumar Gandharva, Ustad Amir Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Faiyaz Khan, etc. Although it was Mohammed Sharqi and Hussain Sharqi, the Sultans of Jaunpur who developed this style of singing more, we also have one more Jaunpur connection with the song I have selected. Shankar Pehelwan (Mehmood), a paanwaala in Bombay hails from Jaunpur and is fond of singing Khayals and Hindustani music in general in Manzil (1960). He always has a harmonium and tabla ready under the paan trays in his shop.
He is ready to help people in whichever way possible, his only condition is that they should listen to his singing. When Rajkumar Mehta/Raju (Dev Anand) comes to Bombay to make a career in music industry as a singer he gets robbed of all the money he has and is helped by Shankar (he also gives him shelter) who always hints towards listening to his songs at least once. So finally when Raju is leaving since he gets an offer to sing, Shankar insists on hearing out his song. He begins singing a thumri based on khayal singing by Ustad Faiyaz Khan which is so well adapted by S.D.Burman and rendered by ‘Mana’ Dey with Muzru’s (Majrooh Sultanpuri) lyrics at par.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6n82VGNjXs

Perhaps Dada Burman knew that only his Mana (Manna Dey) could do justice to a classical based song with a touch of comedy. The song narrates the bitter sweet bickering and all that fuss about loving someone else and giving all the attention to that someone else.

ग़ैर का साथ है और रोज़ मुलाकातें हैं
प्यार है उसके लिए और हमसे फकत बातें हैं
हटो काहे को झूठी जाओ बनाओ ना बतियां….

ये उड़ी उड़ी सी रंगत
ये खुले खुले से गेसु
तेरी सुबह कह रही है
तेरी रात का फ़साना
An aalap with that animated laugh hihihihi……at the beginning of the first antara is just yum. Manna Dey actually defies all the grim and gambhir khayal singers with his singing.

On screen Mehmood is in his full glory and he was yet to arrive in the mainstream. His mannerisms, his nakhras is an indication that a thumri can be well enacted even by a male actor, but then we can expect such things from Mehmood only. No other actor comes nearer to these mannerisms which are inherited courtesy his father, Mumtaz Ali. Watch him when Manna Dey sings the second stanza –

देखो जी किसी का प्यार हम से न छुपाओ
सब हमें पता है प्यारे नैन ना झुकाओ
कहती है क्या क्या तुम्हारी अखियां…
That followed by the bols….na dhin dhin dha, na dhin dhin dha….a treat!! The actor and the singer are so much in sync, this should be one of the best picturised songs for it is very difficult to lip sync such a song. But Mehmood pulls it off so so well. In the middle of those bols we have him saying to the tabla player….Haan, Laya zara uthaake bhaiyya……

He’s so engrossed in singing that he forgets no one is listening to him and in the same laya he says to the tabla player…abey band kar bey…..
I’m sure Dada Burman must have given the idea upon the throw of words to Manna da. Because when you watch the song you are confused if it is Manna da singing or Mehmood!!
Looking at this combo and especially Mehmood’s mannerisms, mere ‘khayal’ se, the character of Master Pillai was born, aapka kya ‘khayal’ hai?