Shailendra (lyricist)

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Shankardas Kesarilal Shailendra
Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Occupation(s)Lyricist
Years active1949–1966

Shailendra (30 August 1923 – 14 December 1966) was a popular Indian

Hindi film songs in the 1950s and the 1960s.[2]

Birth and early life

Shankar - Shailendra was born on 30 August 1923 in

Hindu family [6][7] and lost his mother and sister at a young age. His village in Akhtiarpur, Arrah
, Bihar mostly comprised agricultural laborers and Shailendra’s father had shifted to Rawalpindi to find work at a military hospital. Shailendra came in contact with Indra Bahadur Khare at the Kishori Raman Vidyalay (Now Kishori Raman Inter College) Mathura. Both started composing poems, sitting on the rock located on the bank of a pond in between railway 27 quarters and railway line near to Mathura station. Afterwards Shailendra moved to Bombay for films and Indra Bahadur Khare got his fame in Raashtreey Kavita.

Career as a lyricist

Shailendra started his career as an apprentice with Indian Railways in Matunga workshop, Bombay in 1947. He started writing poetry during these days.

The filmmaker Raj Kapoor noticed Shailendra, when the latter was reading out his poem Jalta hai Punjab at a mushaira (poetic symposium).[8] Kapoor offered to buy the poem Jalta Hai Punjab written by Shailendra and for his movie Aag (1948). Shailendra, a member of the left wing Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), was wary of mainstream Indian cinema and refused. However, after his wife became pregnant, Shailendra himself approached Raj Kapoor in need of money. At this time, Raj Kapoor was filming Barsaat (1949), and two of the film songs had not yet been written. For ₹ 500, Shailendra wrote these two songs: Patli kamar hai and Barsaat mein. The music for Barsaat was composed by Shankar–Jaikishan.[9][10]

The team of Raj Kapoor, Shailendra and Shankar–Jaikishan went on to produce many other hit songs. The song "

Awara Hoon" from the 1951 film Awaara, written by Shailendra, became the most appreciated Hindustani film song outside India at the time.[11] Shailendra had penned down plenty songs lyrics for Raj Kapoor's film. Shree 420 released in 1955 is one of them. All songs of this film were super hits and till date people sing in various occasions. One can easily understand the power and magic of Shailendra's lyrics from the song "Pyaar hua iqaraar hua hai, Pyaar se phir kyo darta hai dil", is till date evergreen golden classic song of Bollywood.[12]

In the days when composers would recommend lyricists to producers, Shankar–Jaikishan once promised Shailendra that they would recommend him around, but didn't keep their promise. Shailendra sent them a note with the lines, Chhoti Si Yeh Duniya, Pehchaane Raaste Hain. Kahin To Miloge, toh Poochhenge Haal ("The world is small, the roads are familiar. We'll meet sometime, and ask 'How do you do?'").

Rajendra Singh Bedi wanted to sign up Majrooh Sultanpuri as the lyricist. However, Shankar–Jaikishan insisted on Shailendra and the producer had to oblige.[13]

Apart from

Do Bigha Zameen, Madhumati, Bandini) and Dev Anand (Guide and Kala Bazar).[citation needed
]

Shailendra also wrote lyrics for several Bhojpuri films. Avijit Ghosh mentions in his book, Cinema Bhojpuri, that Shailendra penned songs for Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo (the first Bhojpuri film), Ganga, Mitwa and Vidhana Naach Nachave. In page 184, Ghosh also writes that Shailendra received the best lyricist award for Ganga Maiyya... for all Bhojpuri and Magadhi films released till then at a function held in April 1965 in Calcutta.

Career as producer

The only film Shailendra produced is

cult classic and won the National Film Award For the Best Film.[15] However, the film was a box office bomb and resulted in a financial crisis for Shailendra.[16]

Last years

In 1961 Shailendra invested heavily in the production of the movie Teesri Kasam (1966), directed by Basu Bhattacharya and starring Raj Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. However, the film was a commercial failure.[17] The falling health resulting from tensions associated with film production and anxiety due to financial loss, coupled with alcohol abuse, ultimately led to his early death on 14 December 1966.[18]

Legacy

Shailendra's son Shaily Shailendra also became a lyricist. At the age of 17, Raj Kapoor asked him to complete his father's song Jeena yahan, marna yahan for the film Mera Naam Joker. Shaily Shailendra completed the "mukhra" (lit. "face," or chorus) of the song whereas Shailendra completed the "antara" (verses) only before his demise. Lyricist, writer, and director Gulzar has stated on many occasions that Shailendra was the best lyricist produced by the Hindi film industry.[19]

Shailendra's song Mera Joota Hai Japani was featured in the 2016 Hollywood movie Deadpool (2016).[20] A street in the Dhauli Pyau locality of Mathura was named after Shailendra on March 9, 2016 - Geetkar-Jankavi Shailendra Marg – Mathura. Shailendra spent 16 years of his early life in Mathura before moving to Mumbai to work for the Indian Railways in 1947.

Shailendra's wife is Shakuntala Shailendra and his five children are Late Shailey Shailendra, Manoj Shailendra, Mrs.Amla Mazumdar, Late Mrs. Gopa Chandra and Dinesh Shailendra.[citation needed]

Awards

Lyricist

Shailendra won the

Filmfare Best Lyricist Award
three times.

Producer

As a producer Shailendra's film Teesri Kasam (1966) won prestigious National Film award of 1967 in the category Best feature film.[21]

Popular songs

Some of the popular songs written by Shailendra include:

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-8166-4578-7
    .
  2. ^ "Lyricist Shailendra gets road named after him in Mathura". The Times of India. 10 March 2016.
  3. ISBN 978-1-85649-516-5
    .
  4. ^ Jha, Fiza (14 December 2019). "Shailendra — the Leftist poet genius whose lyrics define beauty of simplicity". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Teesri Kasam lands Bihar CM in trouble". The Times of India. 26 April 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  6. ^ Jha, Fiza (14 December 2019). "Shailendra — the Leftist poet genius whose lyrics define beauty of simplicity". ThePrint. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  7. ^ Listen to Shailendra (lyricist) ka safer Part 2 from show Main Bollywood - season - 1 on gaana, retrieved 19 November 2022
  8. ISBN 978-81-7508-007-2
    .
  9. ^ "Remembering Shailendra, the Balladeer of Hindi Cinema". The Wire. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  10. ^ Vancheeswaran, Ganesh (22 September 2020). "Music and lyrics: How Shailendra gift-wrapped cosmic truths through his songs". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  11. ISBN 9788188789078
  12. ^ "Pyar Hua Iqrar Hua लिरिक्स - Shree 420". Gana Lyrics. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  13. Indian film industry
    . Trimurti Prakashan. p. 69.
  14. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.o004261
    .
  15. ISBN 9781838710538
    .
  16. ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  17. ISBN 978-81-7991-066-5
    . Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  18. ISBN 978-1-85649-516-5
    . Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  19. ^ "Gulzar on Shailendra in Naya Gyanodaya". 2011.
  20. ^ Avijit Ghosh. "When Shailendra's 'Mera Joota Hai Japani' went global, thanks to 'Deadpool'". The Times of India.
  21. ^ "Essay: 55 years of Teesri Kasam". 11 June 2021.

External links

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