By Ajay Mankotia

There are certain Hindi film songs that catch you by the scruff of the neck demanding they be heard because they are ‘different’ from the Hindi film-song template.

RD Burman’s ‘Mera Naam Hai Shabnam’ (Kati Patang, 1970). It stands the Standard Operating Procedure of a cabaret song on its head.

Six years earlier, another song created the same impact. It was so unconventional in its composition that it stood out conspicuously from other songs. Whether it was good or bad was a subjective view, but it was unlike any other. As children, we were fascinated by the way it showed defiance to the customary rules of the game, and smiled each time we heard it on the radio.

The song was ‘Dekho Dekh Raha Tha Papiha’ (Fariyaad, 1964) sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Suman Kalyanpur (an unusual pairing). Mahendra Kapoor hits the ground running (or rather, sprinting) and Suman Kalyanpur, in the antara, slows it down a bit for the song to recover its breath. Return to the mukhra and Mahendra Kapoor snatches the baton from her and gallops away. It’s a delightful oddity.  It doesn’t allow you to think a bit, and to take a pause. It goes on and on…….

Its composer – Snehal Bhatkar.

Snehal Bhatkar did something unique in another song – ‘Farishton Ki Nagri Mein Main Aa Gaya Hun’ (Hamari Yaad Aayegi, 1961) – a pastoral -themed song. ‘Farishton Ki Nagari’ conjures a surreal setting rather a rural one.  So how to capture that feeling? He composed the song in a pronounced waltz-like triple meter pulse. And that changed its emotional character. The innovative beat, never used in a village setting, gave the song a sense of dreamy movement, a floating, circular motion – different from an earthy groundedness, since a waltz naturally creates a sensation of gliding or floating.  So, while all the props are present – the fields, the village folk, the farmers, the children, the cattle, the melody and its beat take the listener on a magic carpet ride.

There are hundreds of Hindi film songs copied/ inspired from Western tunes. Some composers managed to emotionally interpret them so effectively that the adaptation became culturally more beloved than the source. Snehal Bhatkar’s ‘Lehron Pe Lehar’ (Chhabili,1960) is a shining example. The mukhra was inspired by Dean Martin’s ‘The Man Who Plays the Mandolino’. Snehal Bhatkar softened the Western feel and turned it into a dreamy nocturnal aura. Hemant Kumar’s velvety voice gave it an emotional warmth; the orchestration created the waves/sea-breeze mood and Nutan’s presence in the song added a delightful charm.

In 1981, Doordarshan telecast a retrospective of great masters of Indian cinema. The great masters in this series included Mehboob Khan, V Shantaram, Kidar Sharma, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Ritwik Ghatak and SS Wason. These films were introduced by a person who was associated with the concerned film. Since Kidar Sharma was alive, he came to introduce his films Neel Kamal (1947), Suhag Raat (1948) and Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961).   Kidar Sharma was a one-man film industry. He was a lyricist, story, screenplay, and dialogue writer and producer-director. He even acted in his film Neki aur Badi (1949). He introduced Raj Kapoor (who was his clapper boy), Madhubala, Geeta Bali, Bharat Bhushan, Mala Sinha and composer Roshan to the industry.

He did one more thing. He also introduced Snehal Bhatkar. All the three films that he introduced in Doordarshan’s retrospective had music by him.

Snehal Bhatkar was born Vasudev Gangaram Bhatkar on July 17, 1919, in Bombay. His mother Sakhu Bai was a teacher and a singer; she used to sing bhajans with a harmonium which young Vasudev listened to with great interest. She taught him the intricacies of music before he joined Shri Krishna Sangeet Vidyalaya in Dadar. After his training, he started singing in various programmes. Vasudev made up his mind that he would become a composer. He learned to play the harmonium and soon became a master player, joining the music department of His Masters Voice (HMV) in 1939 at the age of 20. He played with the likes of Mallikarjun Mansoor, Kesarbai Kerkar, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and others.  He met several composers who used to come to the studios to record their music. He learnt a lot and developed his skills as a composer. Music director Sudhir Phadke was his colleague in HMV.

GA Chishti was another big name in the industry in those days who used to come to HMV to record his music. He was impressed by young Vasudev and gave him a break in the film Kaliyan (1944) as a playback singer. Vasudev sang two duets with Lalita Sawant- ‘Saajan Paas Bula Lo’ and ‘Sanwre Bawre Bansuri Bajaye Ja’ (He would go on to sing for a few more films like Lady Doctor (1944), Neel Kamal (1947), Sant Tukaram (1948), Rangeela Rajasthan (1949), Sangeeta (1949), Bhola Shankar (1951), and Hari Har Bhakti (1956)).

Kidar Sharma had become an independent director after leaving New Theatres. He had directed hit films Aulad and Chitralekha in Calcutta. Later he moved to Mumbai in 1941 and directed Gauri in 1943. He directed Kaliyan where GA Chishti was the composer. Kidar Sharma was impressed by Vasudev Bhatkar and offered him music in his film. When HMV officials came to know about this, they told Vasudev that working outside was against the contract he had signed with them. Vasudev was upset about this and shared his predicament with Kidar Sharma, who told him to work under an alias. So, he opted for pseudonyms such as ‘B Vasudev’ and ‘Snehal Bhatkar’. The latter was derived from the name of his daughter ‘Snehlata’. He also composed for some films as ‘V G Bhatkar’ and‘Snehal’.

Snehal Bhatkar’s first film as a music composer was Rukmini Swayamvar (1946), sharing credits with music director Sudhir Phadke as ‘Vasudev-Sudhir’. The collaboration came to an end after the film.

His first Hindi film as a solo composer was Kidar Sharma’s Neel Kamal (Raj Kapoor and Madhubala’s debut) in 1947. He called himself ‘B Vasudev’ this time.  The songs became popular, such as ‘Bhool Jate Hain, Bhool Jaya Karen’ (by Rajkumari) and ‘Jaiyo Na Bides’ (by Rajkumari and Snehal Bhatkar himself who sang as ‘Vasudev Bhatkar’). Aware of his moonlighting, HMV asked him to resign. Kidar Sharma told him he was not meant for HMV on the meagre monthly salary of 40 rupees. Vasudev resigned from HMV in1948 and joined Kidar Sharma. GA Chishti had already left for Pakistan and so Kidar Sharma took Snehal Bhatkar under his wings.

Snehal Bhatkar and Kidar Sharma shared a special bond and collaborated in many films.

Their next venture was Suhag Raat (Geeta Bali and Bharat Bhushan’s debut film) in 1948 in which he gave music as Snehal Bhatkar. Kidar Sharma wanted all the songs in Raag Pahadi and Snehal Bhatkar did the needful.  The popular songs include duets by Geeta Dutt and Rajkumari– ‘Rumjhum Matwale Badal ‘ and ‘Baje Mori Payal ‘. In the same year, he composed one song in celebration of Indian Independence, sung by Mogubai Kurdikar and written by Madhukar Rajasthani. He also gave music as ‘VG Bhatkar’ in the dubbed Hindi version of Prabhat Film Company’s Marathi classic, Sant Tuka Ram (1936). The original score was given by Keshav Rao Bhole.

 In 1949, he gave music in Kidar Sharma’s hit film Thes. He made catchy compositions such as ‘Baat to Kuchh Bhi Nahi ‘, a duet of Rafi and Mukesh.

Kidar Sharma was preparing for his next film, Neki Aur Badi in 1949. He wanted to give a chance to Roshan this time, who was a new comer and wanted a break. Kidar Sharma asked Snehal Bhatkar about it, who generously supported his decision and Roshan got his first film. The film didn’t perform well at the box office. But Kidar Sharma again gave him another chance in Baware Nain (1950), that proved to be a huge musical success. The hit song ‘Mohabbat Ke Maaron Ka Haal Ye Duniya Mein Hota Hai’ which was sung by Rafi and Asha was picturised on Snehal Bhatkar.Roshan never looked back after this film. He always respected Snehal Bhatkar and never forgot his kindness.

In 1950, actress Shobhna Samarth made her debut as a director under her own banner Shobhna Pictures with the film Hamari Beti and approached Snehal Bhatkar to compose the music. The highlight of the film was Nutan’s (her daughter’s) debut as a singer in ‘Tujhe Kaise Dulha Bhaaye Ri Banki Dulhaniyaa’.

He worked with Kidar Sharma on many films when the Children’s Film Society was formed. On the request of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Kidar Sharma directed a few films of Children’s Film Society including Hariya (1958), Gulab Ka Phool (1958) and Scout Camp (1958). Snehal Bhatkar gave music in all these films.

His most successful film with Kidar Sharma was Humari Yaad Aayegi (1961), starring his son Ashok Sharma. The chart buster was its title song – ‘Kabhi Tanhaiyon Mein Yun Humari Yaad Aayegi’. Snehal Bhatkar had originally composed this song for Lata. She had earlier recorded two duets (‘Sochtaa Hoon Yeh Kya’ and ‘Jawaan Mohabbat’ with Mukesh) for the film but later in her busy schedule, she could not fit in the new recording. She then suggested that Snehal Bhatkar use Asha Bhosle for this song, but Kidar Sharma opted for Mubarak Begum instead. Mubarak Begums’s distinctive voice and Snehal Bhatkar’s exquisite tune combined to produce an all-time classic. A haunting melody of solitude, Mubarak Begum’s soulful rendition, poignant lyrics and minimal orchestration that defined Snehal Bhatkar’s signature style, made the song immortal. This song remains the signature song of Mubarak Begum. 

I met Mubarak Begum at her house sometime before her death. She was justifiably very proud of the song and expressed gratitude to Snehal Bhatkar and Kidar Sharma for reposing their faith in her. As a bonus, she sang the song for me. Her impoverished circumstances, her poor health and her forgotten status by the film industry and the public, made her rendition very poignant.

Another song from the film – ‘Sochtaa Hoon Yeh Kya’ had a very distinctive rhythmic feel – a slow foxtrot/waltz hybrid, giving the song a floating, reflective mood. There was also a slightly off-centre phrasing in the melody lines creating a wistful, haunting feeling. That was Snehal Bhatkar’s genius.

Kidar Sharma did another film with Snehal Bhatkar, Fariyad in 1964. Snehal Bhatkar was at his experimental best in this film. He composed a beautiful ghazal ‘Haal-e-Dil Unko Sunana Tha Sunaya Na Gaya’ by Suman Kalyanpur.

It also had a wonderful duet ‘Meherbani Meherbani (Aapne Huzoor Mujhe)’ by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur in which Suman proceeds medium paced to begin the mukhra. to be followed at a fast clip by Rafi in the latter part. Mubarak Begum’s success in the earlier film earned her 3 duets in the film.

In 1960, he composed for Tanuja’s debut film, Chhabili. Nutan had an inclination for singing, which he encouraged. Earlier she had sung for Hamari Beti (1950), and for Chhabili, she sang all songs including the delightful ‘Ae Mere Humsafar’ and ‘Lehron Pe Lehar ‘(with Hemant Kumar).

Shockingly, he worked as a composer in only about 30 Hindi films, the last one in 1994. He contributed to Marathi songs as well -many of which became popular. He receivedLata Mangeshkar Award, given by Govt of Maharashtra in 2004.

He was a very talented composer who didn’t get his due.  Unfortunately, Hindi film music is replete with such unheralded tunesmiths.  In 1960s, the tastes changed with the times. Composers who could adapt, survived and flourished. Those who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, perished. Unfortunately, Snehal Bhatkar was one of them. He did a few films in the 1960s. 1970s was a fallow period and the 1980s saw a few films – Pehla Kadam (1980), Khuda Hafiz (1983), Pyase Nain (1989), and in 1984 came Sehme Hue Sitare in which his son Ramesh Bhatkar -a Marathi actor acted.  The music however failed to move the audience.

Snehal Bhatkar passed away at the age of 88 years on May 29, 2007 in Mumbai. Today is his death anniversary. He was attached to devotional music since his childhood and is fondly remembered as a superordinate ‘Abhang’ (Marathi devotional songs) singer in Maharashtra even today.  How many composers can boast that four great actresses and two actors had their debut in films composed by him? Snehal Bhatkar had a talent for creating melodies that sounded emotionally delicate without becoming overly ornate. His unique style may have faded from public memory, but will never be forgotten. The footprints of his melodious music may have ebbed somewhat but they will not disappear. His legacy as a pioneering composer in the early days of Indian film music will always remain.

Mubarak Begum’s words are apposite to Snehal Bhatkar!

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