044: Awāra/Shree 420, by Shankar Jaikishan

Shankar Jaikishan (India)
Awāra/Shree 420 (1951/1955)
18 tracks, 72 minutes
I’m including this here as one album, because that’s the form I have it in. You can download the same songs-only compilation from iTunes or listen to the two complete soundtracks separately on Spotify: Awāra · Shree 420

This is a really good album to serve as a comparison to yesterday’s. They're both film soundtracks mixing Western and Indian classical themes with all the associated instruments and orchestras thereof, but here it comes from the other direction – direct from Bollywood! This album compiles all the songs from two classics from the golden age of Bollywood film: Awāra, from 1951, and Shree 420, from 1955. Both films were directed by and starred the legendary Raj Kapoor, and the music and songs on both were composed by the duo Shankar Jaikishan.

Now, Bollywood music isn’t really my thing, usually – the songs are usually completely melodramatic, incredibly cheesy and I usually find it hard to listen to the shrill timbres of the strings and female vocals. These two soundtracks are exceptions though. What originally drew me to these in particular were two songs that remain my favourites of the set. They’re both sung by Mukesh, and both are super catchy – and they’re actually two of the most famous songs from this era of Bollywood. I guess I’m quite basic. ‘Awāra Hoon’ is about the nobility of the vagabond; ‘Mera Joota Hai Japani’ is a more upbeat piece, patriotic and has a chorus that will stick in your head forever: “Mera joota hai Japani / Ye patloon Inglistani / Sar pe laal ṭopi Rusi / Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani” (and if you don’t understand Hindi-Urdu, that is: “My shoes are Japanese / These trousers are English / The red cap on my head is Russian / But still my heart is Indian”).

But, working in exactly the way these things should, these two pieces led me on to listen to the rest of the soundtracks, which are lovely all the way through. Even the voice of Lata Mangeshkar – the Bollywood playback icon and possibly the most recorded singer in history – doesn’t rub me up the wrong way as it usually does, perhaps because her particular vocal style had not yet become the basis of a million pastiches, nor become a parody of itself. In fact, it is her voice that leads my other favourites from the album, the pair of ‘Tere Bina Aag Yeh Chandni’ and ‘Ghar Aya Mere Pardesi.’ The two songs mix Indian classical music with disconcerting horror film music, wailing clarinets and slide guitars as well as something that sounds a little Russian, a bit of French and a good dose of sultriness. All sorts!

This album, and the soundtracks it contains, really make it stand out to me how easy it is to write off huge swathes of music that might contain bits and pieces that you’ll absolutely love. As I said, I’m not usually into Bollywood music, but then I heard a track or two that I really dug, and they dragged me further in and presented new and interesting listens. Never be afraid to listen a little bit wider, then!