An upcoming episode of ‘Indian Idol’ is set to serve up a rare and deeply moving piece of Bollywood history. The show revisits the legendary bond between singer Mohammed Rafi and late superstar Shammi Kapoor and reveals why the latter initially refused to picturise one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved songs, ‘Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’.
Shammi Kapoor says no to iconic song ‘Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’
The episode features lyricist and poet Manoj Muntashir, who appeared as host for a special segment dedicated to the legendary Asha Bhosle. During the episode, Manoj shared a fascinating and little-known anecdote about the song from the 1968 film ‘Brahmachari’ and the surprising reason behind Shammi Kapoor’s initial hesitation.The lyricist recalled the chaos that broke out when news spread that Shammi Kapoor had turned down the song. He shared, “Jab yeh gaana Shammi ji ko sunaya gaya tha, toh unhone is gaane ko picturise karne se mana kar diya tha (When this song was played for Shammi ji, he initially refused to picturize it).”He added, “‘Brahmachari’ film ke producer Ramesh Sippy ji the, aur set par sab jagah hadkamp mach gaya tha ki Shammi ji ne gaane ke liye mana kar diya. Sabko laga ki shayad unhe gaana pasand nahi aaya (Ramesh Sippy ji was the producer of Brahmachari, and there was complete panic on the set when everyone heard that Shammi ji had said no to the song. People assumed that perhaps he did not like the song).”
Manoj Muntashir reveals the real reason why Shammi Kapoor refused to film the song
But the truth behind his refusal was far more touching. Manoj revealed, “Actually wajah kuch aur hi thi. Shammi ji ne kaha tha ki film ki situation mein unhe rona nahi tha, lekin Shankar-Jaikishan ne itna emotional gaana bana diya tha ki unhe darr tha ki woh is gaane ko picturise karte hue apne aansu nahi rok paayenge. Unhone kaha tha, ‘I know myself… please gaana badal do.'”(But the actual reason was something else. Shammi ji had said that according to the film’s situation, he was not supposed to cry, but Shankar-Jaikishan had composed such an emotional song that he feared he would not be able to hold back his tears while picturizing it. He had said, ‘I know myself… please change the song.’)
Shammi Kapoor’s own words on the experience
Manoj added one final memory that made the moment even more poignant, recalling what Shammi Kapoor himself had once confessed publicly, “Shammi ji ne khud ek interview mein kaha tha ki is gaane ko shoot karte waqt apne aansu rok paana unke liye bahut mushkil tha aur uss ehsaas ko sirf unka dil hi samajh sakta hai (Shammi ji himself had once said in an interview that while shooting this song, controlling his tears was extremely difficult for him, and only his heart truly understood that emotion).“
More about the song
Composed by the iconic duo Shankar-Jaikishan and sung by Mohammed Rafi, ‘Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’ remains one of the most treasured songs in Bollywood history.The movie ‘Brahmachari’ starred Shammi Kapoor, Rajshree, Pran, Mumtaz, Jagdeep, Sachin and Asit Sen. Directed by Bhappie Soni, the movie was released on April 26, 1968.