Lyricist Gulzar’s songs had a special contribution in making many Hindi films a hit. Listeners are often surprised that even after being 90 years old, how can he express the feelings of young hearts with such intensity. Recently, he has revealed the secret of how he is able to make such songs that everyone likes.
Described himself as a child at heart: In a recent interview given in Delhi, Gulzar said, ‘I feel that I have not grown up, I am still a child. Childhood is still alive inside me. I still play, write and understand the thoughts of young people and children. I used to do the same earlier too.’ When asked about his habit of connecting with people of different ages, Gulzar mentioned Rabindranath Tagore. Continuing his talk, he said that ‘Once someone asked Tagore that your hair has turned white now, are you also worried about Pralok. To this, his answer was that why do you only look at my hair, I am a poet of every age.’ Gulzar was very impressed by this. Continuing his talk, he said that, ‘Whether you are with children or with people of different ages, you talk to them all in a different way. Whether it is your grandfather, mother, brother or sister. We should remember that you live different lives in the same life. That’s why I write songs for people of different ages.’
The song should be a part of the film: In the same interview, Gulzar further says that a song should feel like a part of the movie or else it has no value. It will look like a mismatch in the film. Gulzar also says that when he writes a song, he has the story and the situation in front of him. If the song does not justify the situation, then the song will look wrong in the film.
How the song ‘Mera Kuch Saamana’ was created: Gulzar further said how he created the song ‘Mera Kuch Saamana’ for the movie ‘Ijaazat’ starring Rekha, Naseeruddin Shah and Anuradha Patel in 1987. Gulzar also says, ‘It is a long song and when I told RD Burman about it, he said that it is a good scene. I told him that it is a song and he looked at me and then threw it aside. He said that it is a scene, not a song. He said that one day you will bring a newspaper and ask me to write a tune for it. Asha ji was sitting there. I told Pancham that this is not a scene. Then he also heard Asha ji humming something, he questioned her about it. Then he sang a little part of that song, one sentence, then another and in this way he has prepared the whole track.’
A song is considered successful when: Reports say that Gulzar has also said that the success of the songs written by him is due to the composers. He says, ‘If the song reaches people and they feel what I am trying to say, whether it is pain or something else, then it is my success. Like the song ‘Tere Bina Zindagi’ (from the film ‘Aandhi’), if you feel what I am trying to say, then it is also my success.
