Ek Chatur Naar Kar Ke Shringar…Remember the iconic rap battle between Kishore Kumar and Mehmood in the 1968 film, Padosan where they pitted against each other? Featuring Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Mehmood, and Saira Banu, the popular track still remains etched in our memories even after several decades. All thanks to the greatness of legendary singers, Kishore Da and Manna Dey, lyricist Rajendra Krishan and music composer RD Burman.
But do you know that Ek Chatur Naar was inspired by three other songs? We have found a thread on Twitter that explains it all.
A Twitter page named The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) shared the story behind Ek Chatur Naar on the micro-blogging platform. “A song created from three different songs almost 50 years ago that continues to charm us even today is quite a feat,” the first tweet reads.
It wasn’t an original track but a ‘puzzle perfected with bits and pieces’ taken by Kishore Da from other compositions. For example, the lines ‘Ek Chatur Naar Karke Shringar’ were borrowed from Kishore’s elder brother, actor Ashok Kumar-starrer Jhoola, who sang the original track in the 1941 film.
It was also inspired by films, Sant Tulsidas (1939) and Ziddi (1948).
Check out the thread here:
‘Ek Chatur Naar Karke Shringar’ is probably the most loved reel battle of all time in Bollywood. Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, 2 stalwarts from that bygone era, battled it out on screen that still brings out the same humor created for an audience more than 50 years ago. 2/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
The rendition was composed by R. D. Burman as a combination of Carnatic and Hindustani music. Dey being a more trained classical singer, was chosen to sing the Carnatic part while Kishore sang the Hindustani counterpart. 3/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
From Rajendra Krishan’s lyrical genius to Burman’s timeless composition, to Mehmood, Kishore, and Sunil Dutt’s humorous presentation – this song had it all and yet it wasn’t an original creation, but a puzzle perfected with bits and pieces taken from elsewhere by Kishore. 4/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
The alap of the song ‘Ek Chatur Naar Karke Shringar’ was originally inspired by Kishore’s elder brother Ashok Kumar. Ashok who played the lead role in Gyan Mukherjee’s ‘Jhoola’ (1941), had sung the song in his own voice. 5/10 pic.twitter.com/FyuJs1G1fT
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
27 years later, Kishore asked Rajendra Krishan to create an extended version of the old song with polished lyrics that would disgorge humor. However, the result wasn’t as satisfactory as intended. 6/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
One of the missing pieces came from an even older song. This time it was from Jayant Desai’s ‘Sant Tulsidas’ (1939). The tune used in the song ‘Ban Chale Raam Raghuraai’ was adapted into the part of ‘Are Dekhi Teri Chaturai’ in Padosan. 7/10 pic.twitter.com/cNrfrJmRDz
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
The final bit came from Shaheed Latif’s ‘Ziddi’ (1948). Kishore himself made his debut as a playback singer in the movie. However, he used a song that was sung by his duet partner from the movie, Lata Mangeshkar. 8/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
The tune used in ‘Chanda Re Jaa Re Jaa Re’ turned out to be the missing piece of the puzzle. Together with Rajendra Krishan and R. D. Burman, Kishore improvised the tune and made it fit into ‘Kala Re Jaa Re Jaa Re, Are Nale Mein Jake Tu Munh Dhoke Aa’. 9/10 pic.twitter.com/jEnJ6VV1im
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
One might criticize the effort that went in to create this timeless classic song. However, what can’t be ignored was Kishore’s vision to render the perfect result that was, is, and forever will be the benchmark of a humorous song. 10/10
— The Paperclip (@Paperclip_In) January 28, 2023
Here’s how Twitterati are reacting to it:
Watch the song, Ek Chatur Naar here:
Recreation ho toh aisa ho, warna na ho! What an iconic composition it was. Isn’t it? I still croon it, do you?
