Sajanaa Kaahe Naahi Aaye

August 3rd, 2018

Directed by Prem Kapoor, the 1971 Film 'Badnaam Basti' was an unconventional love triangle adapted from a novel by Kamleshwar. The Star Cast consisted of  Nitin Sethi, Nandita Thakur, Nandlal Sharma, Amar Kakkad, Ravi Kumar, Amrit Patel. Niranjan Sharma etc. Music was set by the Classical Stalvert Vijay Raghav Rao.

The promotional material for Prem Kapoor’s Badnam Basti describes it a love triangle between two men and a women, but folded into the conventional romance is the unconventional suggestion of same-sex love. 

Badnam Basti disappeared into oblivion soon after a limited release. The A-rated title does not find a mention in the Encylopaedia of Indian Cinema. No print exists, even at the National Film Archive of India, according to Prem Kapoor’s son, Hari Om Kapoor. (Prem Kapoor died in 2011 at the age of 83.) 

Being a friend of Prem Kapoor, my neighbour in Goregaon, Mumbai, I was involved in the production of the film. I was assigned to be an outdoor sound recordist and still photographer. We had camped at Mainpuri, (Home town of Kamleshwar) in Uttar Pradesh, for little more than a month, for the shooting of the Film..

The music was,  of course, recorded in studios of Mumbai (then called Bombay) and the Music Director was Shri Vijay Raghav Rao. The MD is a well known figure in Classical Music field. He has several Music Albums and was considered a Master in percussion Instruments..

The song I am presenting today is sung by another Classical Stalwart Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan. The song is a traditional Thumri and was picturised on actor Niranjan Sharma. This travelling poet and singer, nicknamed 'Genda', who moves from town to town singing  popular folk songs and sometimes his own creations.  The couplet "Sajana Kaahe Naahi Aaye" is repeated seven times in the beginning and six times at the end of the song. Niranjanji was supposed to act differently at each couplet and often forgot how many times he had to lip-sync that couplet. After many re-takes I started showing him cue about the number with my fingers while playing the song on portable 'Nagra' tape recorder. (The 'Nagra' tape recorder has the capacity to synch with the filming camera and was used wildly for outdoor shootings, in those days) 

The hero of the film was a dacoit and there were long sequences of him carrying the dead body of his colleague and running from the law in different locations.  Director Prem Kapur being a perfectionist, had several re-takes of this run and the hero was naturally tired running with the weight of a person on his shoulder. I was selected to act as a dead body, as I was the lightest amongst the entire crew. Nitin Sethi was holding both of my legs at his chest level in front and my body was flung on his shoulder and poor ME was hanging on his back during the run. Very soon I had severe stomach ache, and the shooting had to be postponed for another day. (Suraiyaji, you will remember this story as it was made into a quiz by Azhar Saheb,  on 'Radio Kehkashan' in Houton, TX.)

Anyway, enough of personal story, let us enjoy the Thumree in Ustad Ghulam Mustafa 

Khan. 

1971 Film: Badnaam Basti,  Song: Sajanaa Kaahe Naahi Aaye,  Singer: Ustad Ghula Mustafa Khan,  Lyrics: Traditional,  Music: Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao.

 

Lyrics:

sajanaa aaaa  hanaaaaa

kahe genda sejawaa pa phoolawaa sajaaye

hanaaaaa

maheke hai tan mora aaaa manwaa lajaaye

sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

  sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

    sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

      sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

          sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

            sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

              sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

pyaase pyaase nainaa balamaa pyaase pyaase nainaa balamaa

kaari kaari rainaa mitawaa, kaari kaari rainaa mitawaa

loot gayo chanaa sajanaa kaahe naahi aaye

sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

linhi naa khabariyaa mori, dabdab hain akhiyaan

linhi naa khabariyaa mori, dabdab hain akhiyaan

haar gayi likh likh gori,

haar gayi likh likh gori, aansuvan ki patiyaan

meghawaa sataaye sajanaa kaahe naahi aaye

  sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

    sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

      sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

        sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

          sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye

            sajanaa aaaa kaahe naahi aaye