Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel starrer blockbuster film Gadar Ek Prem Katha, released in the year 2001, is going to hit the theaters once again tomorrow i.e. on June 9. The songs of this film directed by Anil Sharma were also super hit. Uttam Singh and lyricist Anand Bakshi’s name was associated with the music of the film. Expressing happiness over the re-release of Gadar, music composer Uttam Singh shared many special memories related to the songs and music of this film. Excerpts from a conversation with Urmila Kori
This challenge was related to the music of the film
1947 was the backdrop of the film’s story and the film was released in 2001. If he used to give music of the time of 1947, then who would listen, but it was necessary to have a glimpse of that era in the songs and music. It was like a challenge for me. There was a question in my mind that what would happen. How will it happen, but thanks to the almighty, people liked the music along with the film. So many films of Anil Sharma and Sunny Deol have been hit, but whenever their name comes up or they enter in any reality show, Ud Ja Kale Kanwa or Main Nikla Gaddi Lekar only plays the backdrop. The special thing is that all the songs that I composed were in the film. Not a single song was rejected. The makers had faith in me, apart from this I was adamant that I would keep this song in this situation.
Ud Ja Kale Kwana was the most difficult song
Talking about the most difficult song of this film, it was Ud Ja Kale Kawana. Nothing was coming to my mind, after a month a tune came to my mind, but that too was of 16 or 17 seconds. The tune that came to mind, the same tune plays throughout the film. I met lyricist Anand Bakshi for this 16-second tune of Ud Ja Kale Kanwa. He had asked for a week’s time, but on the third day he came to me with the song Ud Ja Kale Kanwa. These words have never appeared in any song of Hindi cinema. Pammi Chopra is the wife of Yash Chopra, she is no more in this world. He called me and asked that I have checked all the folk songs. From which folk song have you taken this? I said sister-in-law, this is a folk song made by us. This is not taken from anywhere, she was very happy to hear that. Bakshi sir had also told Yash Chopra ji that people copy folk songs, we make them.
Lata ji was supposed to sing this song
Lata ji is the name of Mother Saraswati for me. For this film also, I wanted his voice in at least one song. Our association in the film Dil To Pagal Hai was very memorable. I wanted Lata ji for the female voice of Ud Ja Kale Kanwa, but she was on a musical tour at that time. We also waited for a long time, but his tour got prolonged, so after that we got Alka Yagnik ji to complete this song.
Bakshi ji wrote the Thumri song in 15 minutes.
The situation in this film required a thumri song, for which the song Aan Milo Sajna was composed. Which was sung by Begum Parveen Sultana and classical singer Ajay Chowdhary. Ajay Chowdhary had come to Mumbai from Kolkata at that time. It was he who told me this raga, on which I composed a tune and Anand Bakshi wrote a thumri on that tune in 15 minutes.
60 lakh music cassettes were earned
The songs and music of this film are still on people’s lips. In the newspapers of that time, it was written about the song-music of the film that it is money-making song-music. Yashji also liked the songs of this film. The cassettes of the songs of this film had earned 50 to 60 lakhs at that time.
