On this weekly column, we revisit gems from the golden years of Hindi cinema. This week, we revisit Vijay Bhatt’s 1952 movie Baiju Bawra.
The legend of Baiju Bawra describes him because the singer who may soften stones along with his vocals, his artwork was so divine that lamps would mild up as he sang. The famed Tansen from Emperor Akbar’s courtroom, who is usually thought to be the best singer of that period, as soon as misplaced a contest to Baiju, or so the legend suggests. However what’s the true story of this legendary legend?
Because the 1952 movie Baiju Bawra opens, we learn the textual content, “Across the well-liked determine gathers many a legend that obscures Historical past, if any… and what’s Historical past however legend agreed upon?” With this textual content, we step into the world of Baiju Bawra. The historic legacy of the famed singer has by no means been verified however the movie buys into the parable of the singer and introduces us to his mystical life.
Baiju Bawra is ready throughout the sixteenth century when Tansen’s fame was identified the world over, even amongst those that had by no means heard him. His title was held as the very best normal in music. And in Akbar’s capital, nobody however Tansen was allowed to sing. If somebody needed to sing, they needed to first show that they had been higher than Emperor’s favorite ‘navratna’. Demise awaited those that failed. When Baiju’s father is killed by town’s guards for singing, Baiju (performed by Bharat Bhushan) pledges to avenge the demise. Thus, begins his journey.
At its core, Baiju Bawra is a love story. When he falls in love with Gauri (performed by a mesmerising Meena Kumari), Baiju detaches himself from the world. As he practices his music below the moonlit sky, Gauri, his muse, sits beside him and is enchanted by his voice evening after evening. It’s his music that binds them collectively, and ultimately turns into the trigger that tears them aside.
When Baiju decides to actual his revenge from Tansen, he winds up on the palace with a sword in his hand and waits for the fitting second. Quickly, he finds himself transfixed by Tansen’s music. The singer disarms him, actually and metaphorically, and thus begins Baiju’s journey to be taught music, the way in which his late father supposed him to. As Baiju devotes himself to his artwork, we see that his love for Gauri has reached a divine degree. Baiju’s guru Haridas doesn’t educate him immediately, as he doesn’t imagine in weaponising the purest artwork kind that exists, however as a substitute encourages Baiju to give up himself to music.
In a big scene within the movie, Baiju realises that he can’t be a grasp at his music until he devotes himself to his love. However this realisation involves him after Gauri has given up on her life. The scene previous to this has Baiju denouncing Gauri, and calling her a distraction. He thinks that so long as she is round, he won’t ever have the ability to defeat Tansen. He fully reductions her presence in his life and pushes her away. This scene feels disrespectful in the direction of Gauri, the girl who has treaded towards the social norms to be with Baiju. His love feels dishonest as he solely involves see Gauri as his energy after his Guru suggests so. However the impact of Gauri’s supposed demise turns Baiju right into a bawra.
When he winds up at Akbar’s courtroom to compete with Tansen, Baiju is singing simply so he may be with Gauri. And it’s this musical duel that makes Baiju Bawra a surprising success. It’s stated that individuals lined up outdoors theatres simply so they might watch two musical geniuses interact in a jugalbandi and watch the magic of a dice of marble melting into water because of their singing.
Baiju Bawra is a musical interval piece that’s remembered for the exemplary music by Naushad. Because the movie’s story is predicated on Baiju’s musical journey, each track right here is predicated on a raga. It’s stated that makers discovered it to be an enormous danger as they weren’t sure how the viewers would reply to classical music however to their shock, Baiju Bawra was an enormous hit. It crossed 100 weeks, primarily due to its music. Whereas a big a part of its viewers won’t be aficionados of classical music, Baiju Bawra’s music transcended that hole and created a connection that affected the viewers on a subliminal degree.
“O Duniya Ke Rakhwale”, “Mohe Bhool Gaye Sanwariya”, “Man Tarpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj” and naturally, the love ballad “Tu Ganga Ki Mauj” are simply a number of the classical songs that stay as memorable at this time as after they had been composed. With lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni and the vocals of Mohd Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Ustad Amir Khan, the album of this movie is a timeless traditional, very like Indian classical music.
Meena Kumari, who later got here to be identified for her tragic roles, is a grasp at her craft in Baiju Bawra and though this was one in every of her early works, her command on her expressions and motion is so delicate and exact that it’s unimaginable to look away as she takes over the display screen. Director Vijay Bhatt, who dared to inform the story that appeared off-beat in 1952, took on a daring danger and it created a musical masterpiece that continues to depart the viewers spellbound.
Watching in 2021, the closest comparability one could make to the core of the movie is the remedy of music in Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple or the dedication proven by the protagonist within the net collection Bandish Bandits, however these two are additionally distant cousins of Baiju Bawra. There have been rumours of Sanjay Leela Bhansali remaking this 1952 traditional however the director is but to announce his concrete plans. A number of years in the past, director Vijay Bhatt’s grandson, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt even stated that if there was anybody who may remake the traditional, it was Bhansali.
Baiju Bawra is a movie that connects classical music to the soul of the listener and looks like a divine expertise that’s nothing wanting prayer.
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Baiju Bawra is streaming on ShemarooMe, MXPlayer.