Musician Uttam Singh is a well-known figure in Hindi cinema who started working in music from a very young age. Today, on his 76th birthday, let's explore some interesting facts he shared in a flashback conversation with Lehren Retro, including the turning points of his career and the significance of "Dil To Pagal Hai."
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00:00 (Humming)
00:12 It was a big surprise for a person like me.
00:15 I never thought I would ever do music direction.
00:21 I was a well-established arranger of the industry.
00:24 Yash Bhai called Bakshi sir and he came.
00:30 He asked me about the situation.
00:34 I told him to play a tune and he played it.
00:37 He left.
00:39 Why did music go bad today?
00:41 Because people are more interested in music.
00:44 Music has been devalued because people only watch music.
00:51 Sir, let's start with the moment when you entered the industry.
00:58 First of all, let me wish my viewers of Lehren.
01:03 I bow to all of you.
01:07 I never like to talk about myself.
01:15 Because it is better to talk about work.
01:19 But since you have asked, I will tell you.
01:23 I started my life at the age of 4.5 years.
01:29 As a music student.
01:33 I am a Sikh.
01:39 Sikh means student.
01:45 I have been learning music till now.
01:48 I am a Sikh and I am learning music.
01:51 I started learning music at the age of 4.5 years.
01:57 My father taught me.
01:59 In which I learned matka, tabla, classical violin, Kathak dance.
02:07 And while doing all this, at the age of 12, I started Western classical violin.
02:16 For which people know me today.
02:18 I play Western classical violin.
02:22 I played the first recording in 1962.
02:29 I did my first arrangement in 1965.
02:35 I worked as an arranger.
02:37 And as a composer with my due, Jagdish Khanna, who is not with us today.
02:45 The first film came with me, 'Kinder Babu', which was in 1982.
02:49 In which Manoj ji gave us a chance.
02:52 My first film as a solo.
02:55 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai', for which you all know.
03:00 Just this small life.
03:03 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' was a major achievement for you.
03:06 It was an award.
03:08 Yes.
03:10 Any one kind of sharing things you would like to share.
03:12 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' was a major achievement.
03:16 And it is a very big film.
03:20 It was a very beautiful film made by Yash ji.
03:22 But the media of this film was a bit strange.
03:28 I didn't know that I was doing this film.
03:30 Because before this film, I was offered a telefilm.
03:35 By Yash ji, who had brought Sanjeev Kohli.
03:38 He said, "Uttam, you do this telefilm."
03:42 I said, "I have to do music, whether it is a telefilm or any other."
03:44 "You are saying, you are my friend, so I will do."
03:48 So, these songs were made for the telefilm.
03:52 Then, I had a meeting with Yash ji.
03:55 He liked the songs.
03:57 Then, I had a meeting with the family.
03:59 They liked the songs.
04:01 After that, I continued making songs with Yash ji.
04:04 I didn't know what I was doing.
04:06 So, after 6-7 months, when a lot of songs were made.
04:12 And he was selecting the songs.
04:15 Then, he said, "Uttam, you are doing my film."
04:18 "You are not doing telefilm."
04:20 So, it was a big surprise for a person like me.
04:23 Because I didn't know that I would do music direction.
04:31 I was a well-established arranger of the industry.
04:34 A little while before that, I did "Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aap Kiya" and all that.
04:39 So, I didn't have any mind to become a music director.
04:42 So, this is the opportunity I got in this way.
04:48 Sir, there was another incident, which happened in Adelaide, Agra.
04:52 About its music. Would you like to share that?
04:54 Yes, that was a very strange incident.
04:57 I was continuously singing this song to Yash ji.
05:04 Continuously singing.
05:17 He said, "It sounds good, but let's see."
05:21 And 6 months passed.
05:26 One day, Uday came and said, "Uday, listen to this tune."
05:33 "I think this song will sound good in this film."
05:37 "And it will be a beautiful thing."
05:39 "Because this song has such things in it."
05:41 "These notes can be played in any way."
05:45 "For example, if a war scene is going on."
05:48 "That can be played."
05:51 "And if a sad scene is going on."
05:54 "And if a heavy scene is going on."
05:56 "These notes are in such manners that it can be used in any way."
06:01 "So, I want to play this tune for you."
06:04 He heard it and said, "Daddy, this is fantastic."
06:07 From there, everyone's mind changed.
06:09 Now, when the mind changed that we have to write this.
06:13 We started writing poetry on this.
06:16 Poetry means words.
06:17 Now, Yash ji is also writing.
06:20 Bhabhi ji is also writing.
06:22 Adi is also writing.
06:24 Although Adi is a very good writer.
06:26 He is also writing.
06:27 I am also writing.
06:28 It is like a ...
06:29 It is like a fictitious word.
06:32 For example, this song is ...
06:34 Now, I am writing, suppose ...
06:39 Whatever it is.
06:51 Whenever I write something, the tune of the music becomes zero.
06:57 Whenever I write something, I feel that there is something wrong with the tune.
07:01 So, everyone thought that it is fine.
07:04 When the time comes, let's think what to do.
07:06 So, Yash bhai called Bakshi sir.
07:12 Bakshi sir came.
07:14 He asked the situation.
07:16 "Yes, Yash ji, tell me the situation."
07:19 "Yes, Uttam Singh, tell me the tune."
07:21 So, I told him the tune.
07:22 He got up and left.
07:24 I was left thinking.
07:28 I told him the tune, he told me the situation, he got up and left.
07:31 He went to the bathroom.
07:32 I said, "I don't know what is the matter."
07:35 After two or three minutes, he came out of the bathroom.
07:38 He said, "Yash ji, your situation and Uttam Singh's tune says ..."
07:45 "Oh, what happened?"
07:48 "Koi na pehchana"
07:50 Whatever it is.
07:51 "Arey, arey, arey ban jaye na"
07:54 "Kahi koi afsaana"
07:56 He is a poet.
07:58 So, we all got like this.
08:01 He wrote the whole Bukhara in ten minutes.
08:06 After that, he took the interval.
08:12 I think, when he came next time, he took 18, 20 or 15, 20 intervals.
08:18 Then it became difficult for us to select.
08:22 Then we made one interval of two intervals.
08:25 So that we can get maximum of his writings.
08:29 So, you never know what is what.
08:32 And see, this song is played from the first frame to the last frame.
08:39 Be it in the background, in the song, in the solo or anything.
08:43 Because, "Arey, arey, arey, what happened?"
08:46 And the whole film is happening.
08:48 What is happening? How is it happening? Why is it happening?
08:51 That suited so well in the film.
08:54 Sir, any one tune that you still like or that you were inspired by in the past?
09:06 See, there are so many songs that have no limitation.
09:09 And what will a person think? How will he think?
09:13 I have a…
09:15 I used to repeat that song in my childhood.
09:23 That song is by Shankarji.
09:26 Sir, I may be forgetting to say it.
09:31 But, see, what is his feeling, what is the song, what is the writing, what is the composition.
09:55 It is so simple. What is his feeling, what is his composition, what is his performance, what song has Rafi Sahib sung.
10:03 So, these things are immortal.
10:06 Because, see, can anyone say where this song has come from?
10:11 This song may have come from any tune or any medium.
10:15 Or it may have had a source. No, its source was God.
10:18 Its source was Amat.
10:21 Because music is just air.
10:24 No one can see it.
10:26 Only the listener can hear it.
10:28 Why has music deteriorated today?
10:30 Because today music has become the observer.
10:32 The devaluation of music has happened because people today only see music, not listen to it.
10:40 When you listen to something, it will touch your soul.
10:45 That thing is immortal.
10:47 See, I sang this song 40 years ago, 45 years ago.
10:50 I still remember it.
10:51 I still remember its tune.
10:53 If I don't remember it, it doesn't matter.
10:55 But I still remember the tune.
10:57 Sir, you have said a very good thing.
10:59 The music you used to give with Yashji, those were actually melodies.
11:06 And today, those were also directors of that era, who gave such music in such films.
11:12 That charm.
11:13 Because it's all about directors, what you want.
11:15 It's all about your interest with that director, the chemistry.
11:18 Of course.
11:19 If you were a director of today, take an example of Farhan Akhtar,
11:23 or the present directors, those were,
11:25 how much of your style would you change to give music to his films?
11:29 See, I won't change myself.
11:32 I will try to opt the modern style.
11:35 If you see, Dil Toh Pagal is a pure modern film.
11:39 Gaddar is totally against it.
11:41 Dushman is there, and then today we have Pinjar.
11:45 Pinjar is pure Punjab.
11:47 But no one can say that we have heard this Punjab.
11:50 It is Punjab.
11:52 It's a story of 1947.
11:54 Gaddar is also a story of 1947.
11:56 Pick up both their music, take their subject,
11:59 their music is different.
12:01 Although it is Punjab.
12:02 I will opt the way people want, but I will keep my tendency,
12:07 I will keep my reputation, I will keep my music, I will keep my creation.
12:14 If someone tells me to take this music from there,
12:17 I will say Namaste, forgive me, this is not my work.
12:20 I will try to give melody which is always lasting, long lasting.
12:28 Plus keeping my musical arrangement according to the situation,
12:33 according to the film, according to the time.
12:37 But I will not opt a music from somewhere,
12:44 that if my song is played tomorrow, people will say that it came from there,
12:49 it came from there, and the paper people are writing that it came from there.
12:52 I don't think, my name has not come in that list yet,
12:55 and I don't want my name to come in that list.
12:58 So I will try to have my own music.
13:02 Thank you.
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