SHANKAR-JAIKISHEN WERE THE SOUL OF RAJ KAPOOR FILMS

Even as the entire Nation is paying rich tributes to Raj Kapoor, regarded as the greatest showman of the Indian cinema, on his centenary, there can be no denying that several key members of his team such as music composers Shankar Jaikishen played a stellar role in creating the aura that surrounds the filmmaker.

In fact, it would not be any exaggeration if one was to make a sweeping statement that if there had been no Shankar Jaikishen, there would have been no Raj Kapoor who made some brilliant movies but for the younger generation, his films are best remembered for the music which is not only evergreen but connects the audiences to the legacy of the Producer, Director and Actor.

There is no doubt that Raj Kapoor had a great ear for music and melodies but it were Shankar and Jaikishen and the lyricist pair of Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, who provided the reason for the hits which came out under the banner. It is evident that Raj Kapoor was immensely talented and after being prodded by his thespian father, the late Prithviraj Kapoor, took to production and direction while he was still in his twenties. Out of the trio of Dilip Kumar, RK and Dev Anand, it was Raj Kapoor who established his own company and hired young and budding technicians and musicians to constitute a formidable team.

Shankar and Jaikishen were employees of the Prithvi theatre and also served as assistants to Husnlal Bhagatram, the first musical duo of the industry, when Raj Kapoor was looking for someone who could bring a whiff of freshness to the industry. Ram Ganguly had already scored the music for his maiden film, "Aag" but the spark was missing. Thus when "Barsaat" was released with SJ making their debut, the grammar of music changed.