Anand Bakshi: A life told in song
What made Anand Bakshi an exceptional lyricist of the Hindi film industry was his abiding devotion to his craft. He made sure his lyrics belonged to the characters who lip-synced the songs on screen. If, instead, he found himself visible in the song, he considered that particular film lyric a failure. True to his conviction, Bakshi wanted the heart-wrenching melody, Aaj Dil Pe Koi Jor Chalta Nahi dropped from Milan (1967) as he could not believe the characters could sing those literary verses.
A key element in the enjoyment of songs is the words. Carefully chosen words and their arrangement deliver specific meanings, feelings, and emotions that slip from on-screen renditions into the consciousness of members of the audience, who hold them in their minds as ageless soundtracks. With his understanding of rhythm, and with a flair for music, Anand Bakshi could unlock the power of words and channel them into memorable lyrics for different cinematic situations. Though he didn’t finish school, he imprinted life’s lessons on some 3,500 songs in a career that spanned nearly five decades.
Unlike a poet, a lyricist has to limit his thoughts and expressions to the film script and contribute towards creating a musical interlude that takes the narrative forward while also remaining a stand-alone piece for the listener. This is possibly why playback songs transcend demographics, linguistic barriers, and class boundaries.
In Nagme, Kisse, Baatein, Yaadein – The life & lyrics of Anand Bakshi, Rakesh Bakshi draws on his father’s diary entries, anecdotal reflections from his colleagues, and fragments of memory to recreate the persona of the lyricist whose words and metaphors remain a vital part of the lives of millions of listeners.
The book provides an intimate peek into the life of a man whose humble beginnings did not deter him from pursuing his passion to convey his lived experience through simple verse. A section featuring Anand Bakshi’s 40 favourite songs is a veritable treat, providing rare insight into how those verses came into being.
This is an accomplished biography, grounded in the reality that film songs deliver an emotional and textural surplus that endure much
Nagme, Kisse, Baatein, Yaadein – The life & lyrics of Anand Bakshi Rakesh Anand Bakshi 198pp, ~599, Penguin longer than their cinematic experience. It also explores how a film song is a cunning device that injects an artistic mode of expression into a story, communicating through lyrics what cannot be said through words.
“Good songs exist in good stories,” Anand Bakshi said. “It is a matter of getting them out from the situations.” Despite his limited vocabulary, the lyricist in him could make simple words sound profound. This is why Kuchh To Log Kahenge (Amar Prem, 1972) resonates at such a deep level. It has been two decades since Anand Bakshi died, but his memorable songs are still being played on the radio every day. Revisiting the past must have been melancholic for the author but the book succeeds in connecting with the current generation that might be losing the link to our rich tradition of lyrics-writing. This book is a celebration of Anand Bakshi’s talent and a tribute to his indomitable spirit.
By refusing to give up on his dreams, he left an inspiring message. “Your dream is a chance. If you take it, it’s risky. If you do not take it, it is dangerous,” he said. And like his lyrics, his life too communicates “the feeling that there is always more to tell than can be said”.