Delayed, but not ‘too’ late Phalke to Manna Dey

No doubt, Mannadey is a versatile singer in Indian cinema, now Dadasaheb Phalke awardee. Moviebuff Muralidhara Khajane skeches mannadey in a diffrent view.

Before it was too late, Union Government has honoured one of the greatest singers Indian cinema has ever known, Manna Dey with Dada Saheb Phalke Award- the country’s highest award for outstanding individual contribution to Cinema for the year 2007.

The award is always given late but for someone like Manna Dey it has come really late, as he is like an institution of music offering every subject, be it comedy, passionate songs, sad, romantic or classical. This award was overdue may be he should have got it much earlier because he is one of those musicians who had learnt classical music very seriously and made it palatable for the common man.

Considered to be one of the greatest playback singers of Indian cinema, Manna Dey ruled the music scene from the 1950s to the 1970s with his versatile voice, singing more than 3,500 songs in many languages including Bengali and Malayalm. His songs “Pucho Na Kaise Maine Rain Bitaye”, “Ae Mere Watan, Ae Mere Bichade Chaman” “Pyar Hua, Ikarar Hua”, “Laaga Chunari Mein Daag”, “Ae Meri Zoharazabi”, “Ae Mere Pyare Watan” “Aaja Sanam Madhura Chandni Me Hum”, “Dil Ka Haal Suna Dilwale”, “Ye Raat Bhigi Bhigi, Ye Mast Fizayen”, “Jhanak Jhanak Teri Bhaje Pehaliya”, “Tu Pyar Ka Sagar Hai”,“Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli” and “Yaari Hi Iman Mera” from the film “Zanzeer” are among favorites of not only his fans but also many music composers of his time, who considers him as the “Dronacharya” of Indian music.

Manna Dey sang duet, “Ketaki Gulab Juhi” with classicist Bhimsen Joshi. He also sang duets with different genres with Kishore Kumar such as “Yeh Dosti, Hum Nahi Todenge” of Sholey and “Ek Chatur Naar” of Padosn. With Kishore Kumar

No wonder, for three decades Manna Dey held his own against all time greats like Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Talat Mohamood. Even in films in which both Rafi and Manna De sang, though there was a domination of Rafi’s songs, Manna Dey’s songs stood out. There is no denying fact that Manna Dey is a great singer. Even a genius like the late Kishore Kumar held him in great esteem. It is said that, when Kalyanji-Anandji approached Kishore Kumar to sing “Kasme Waade Pyar Wafa Sab Batein Hein” in Manoj Kumar’s “Upkar”, the great singer was said to have backed out and told Kalyanji that only Manna Dey can do justice to that song.

Now when the rest of giants have gone, when the new generation has yet to find its voice, Government did right thing by honouring him prestigious Phalke Award.

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Prabodh Chandra Dey, who later become idol of music world by his nickname Manna Dey born on May 1, 1919. As a boy he has painted the wall of his mind with music. That is why walls of his home could not hold him for long. Besides his parents, his young paternal uncle Krishna Chandra Dey (K.C. Dey) inspired and influenced him to a greater extent. He used to call K.C. Dey as “Babu Kaka”. During his youth days at Scottish Church College, he used to sing to entertain his classmates. He learnt music from K.C. Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan.

Manna Dey found it difficult to choose between a bright career as barrister or a playback singer after graduating from Vidyasagar College, Culcutta. Before life could trap him in a mould, Manna Dey broke free and set out to look for his rainbow. He was looking for a dream city, a place where he could open and let all the notes fly out. There he would build his very own dream castle, where music would dominate each room, as it ruled his mind later. The search was successful.

Manna De, who was under mesmeric spell of his uncle K.C. Dey- a well known singer and a popular star, could not resist temptation of joining him. K.C. Dey took his nephew under his wings and the result was the birth of Mann De, who enthralled millions for five decades with his lilting songs that refuse to age with time.

Young Manna Dey grew up to the soft strains of Baul songs, Rabeendra Sangeet and Qayyal. His uncle put him through the paces acquainting with the subtleties of tappa, thumri, bhajan and qawwali. It is significant that Manna Dey did not stop learning music even after becoming independent music director. He continued to take music lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan.

With the disintegration of the New Theatres in 1940, where he was working, K.C. Dey left for the then Bombay in search of fresh pastures. Manna De joined his uncle in Bombay and he (K.C. Dey) gave him distinct direction, a new form so that it could be more appealing and presentable. It was under his music direction that Manna Dey got his first break as singer way in 1942 with a film called “Tamanna” and Suraiya was introduced along with him. It is now history that although, she soon made it big as a singing actress star, Manna Dey had to languish in anonymity for many years. Patience has been the key word in his life. For, he had to take respite in being a second assistant or first assistant to senior music directors. Once it is said that he had made up his mind to return Calcutta and practice law.

But Manna Dey’s talent did not need much peddling. His first break came a year later when he recorded song for the character Valmiki in Vijay Bhatt’s “Ram Rajya”, then a solo in “Mashaal”-and every one knew a voice had arrived. Manna Dey quickly made a name for himself. His was the voice music directors turned to when they wanted a classical rendition; the timbre of his voice, its peculiar resonance lent itself so well to classical tunes and besides there was Manna Dey’s own self confessed love of such music.

Yet, it seems music directors took a little while to understand strength of Manna Dey. But they did discover another truth about the young singer who had entered the scene. They understood that his voice could go beyond classical that it could lend itself to folksy tunes just as well, to fast racy numbers. In fact Manna Dey could do anything with his voice. But by the time the music directors realized this truth, it was too late for Manna Dey. It is being argued that he is most under-rated singer compared to his contemporaries and it is often said that, his own modesty, shy nature and hesitating attitude prevented him from peddling his talent. While he hesitated, newer, fresher, younger surpassed him, which was a distinct loss to the connoisseurs of good music.

But Manna Dey does not acknowledge the argument. In one of the discussions with this correspondent some time ago, Manna Dey refused to agree with this perception. He said that, he was good and capable of making a good song, come alive, but Rafi and Kishore were equally capable of doing so, however on the contrary “he could not do what they could”. This was the real reason for his being assigned a back seat in playback singing. Manna Dey is still a fan of Kishore Kumar. According to him Kishore was a performer and his voice was the best, quality was unique and he deserved the position he reached. Rafi’s style of singing according to him was a clincher, his range was unsurpassable. His (Manna Dey) voice could not scale such heights. . Can we say Manna Dey is too modest?

A versatile genius Manna Dey won the Filmfare award for his toe-tapping number “Ae Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo” from “Mera Naam Joker” of Rajkapoor. The song happens to be one of the most intricate compositions of Shankar- Jaikishen, and it was the genius of Manna De that made it sound so simple and fluent.

Yet the career graph of this great singer never soared dizzy heights during his time. His deep voice was said to be unsuited for young heroes. He was arguably the most talented among his contemporaries, but he could never occupy the top slot. His gentle low-key approach never matched the pomp and pettiness of filmdom.

It is also argued that, luck too played a hand in Manna Dey being assigned to a back seat in play back singing. Though Shankar-Jaikishan made him sing all important songs of “Shri 420”, Manna Dey proved himself more than capable of carrying the film on his voice. Shankar-Jaikishan themselves were impressed. But, bowing to public taste they made Mukesh to sing “Mera Jootha Hai Japani”, which was instant big hit and the duo switched back to him for their next film. And of course the well known penchant Rajkapoor had for Mukesh’s voice ensured that Manna Dey was left out, almost completely from R.K. Films. However, Manna Dey proved his mettle even with the younger generation of music directors like R.D. Burman, who’s “Aayo Kahan Se Ghanashyam”, which is considered to be one of the composer’s best creation.

With the advent of modernity and when classical music considered to be old fashioned, Manna Dey who is primarily a classicist, Rafi, Mukesh, and later Kishore Kumar, who were ‘singers’ like Manna Dey lived for music entered the scene and they had zest and flamboyance that Manna Dey did have. Why others? His own uncle K.C. Dey was himself impressed by them. One event made it clear to Manna Dey that he would never be No. 1. At that time Manna Dey was very much involved in helping his uncle. On one morning K.C. Dey told him to call Rafi over to sing one of the songs. Of course, Manna Dey was hurt, as he was waiting for big chance and his uncle was calling an outsider. Mustering all courage he asked the reason behind rejecting him. K.C. Dey who gave a patient hearing explained to him that he (K.C.Dey) felt the song was more suited to Rafi’s voice than Manna Dey’s. Later as he heard Rafi sing he realized that his uncle was perfectly right, as in those days music directors used to set a tune first and then decide whose voice would suit it best and Rafi’s voice had a quality that Manna Dey could not quite hope to match.

Of course, there were songs that Manna Dey could sing best. It is to Manna’s credit that those tunes have become immortal. “Dekha Kabir Roya” of “Basant Bahar” is the finest example for this. “Chori Chori of Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan’s “Barsat Ki Raat”, S.D. Burman’s “Meri Surat Teri Ankhen”, are now part of musical history and collector’s delight.

When music directors like Anil Biswas and Salil Choudhary who had favoured him in the past, faded away, and Rafi and later Kishore began to eclipse every other talent from Hemanth Kumar to Talat Mohamood, Manna Dey found himself almost neglected.

Undeterred by the development, Manna Dey continued to practice singing and occasionally compose. He tried to keep up with the times. He started singing Bhajans.

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In “Memories Come Alive: An Autobiography” Manna Dey takes a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Besides recalling his struggle to carve a niche as a playback singer in Hindi films, competing with stalwarts like Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar, he also discusses at length his foray in to the world of Bengali film and non-film music where he came to be regarded as undisputed kind of melody.

Though he is accomplished singer and recipient of prestigious awards including Padmashree, Padmabhusan, Alluddin Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, National Film awards in the last forty years, Union Government delayed in identifying his contribution to the field of music and honour him with Phalke award. However, it is better late than never, the Centre finally woke up from its deep slumber and honored with Phalke.

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P.S. Apart from singing for numerous Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam films, Manna Dey also sang for Kannada films including “Kalavathi” (Kuhu Kuhu), “Margadarshi” (Kannillaveno, Nelakanadeno) and “Kalpavriksha” (Jayate, Jayate).