The upcoming episode of 'Indian Idol' will see lyricist and poet Manoj Muntashir taking viewers on a nostalgic journey, diving deep into the golden era of Indian cinema. Manoj was seen sharing a heartfelt anecdote about how the legendary music duo Shankar–Jaikishan first met.
Recalling the beautiful coincidence that brought the iconic duo together, Manoj shared, “I’ll tell you how Shankarji and Jaikishanji met by chance. Shankarji had come from Hyderabad and used to make frequent rounds to a film producer’s office looking for work. That producer kept making him wait for weeks and even months. One day, Shankarji noticed a young man (Jaikishanji) sitting quietly in a corner of the sofa. He asked him, ‘Why have you come here?’ The young man replied that he too had come looking for work. When Shankarji asked what he did, he said, ‘I play the harmonium.’”
He further added, “This was around the same time when Shankarji used to play the tabla at Prithvi Theatre. Shankarji immediately took Jaikishanji to Prithviraj Kapoor and said, ‘Papaji, he’s a good boy, please give him some work.’ Both of them ended up getting work together. It was there that they met Raj Kapoor saab, who was making his second film. The music for his first film, 'Aag', had been composed by Ram Ganguly, and for some time, Shankarji and Jaikishanji also worked as his assistants. Later, Raj Kapoor gave them the opportunity to compose the music for his second film. This duo was literally formed at Prithvi Theatre. And then, see how time played its part, the partnership that began at Prithvi Theatre went on to create songs so loved that people would stand in long queues outside theatres just to watch films featuring their music.”
Talking about the legendary composer duo Shankar–Jaikishan, he went on to become one of the most influential names in Hindi cinema music across the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Their unforgettable compositions include 'Awara Hoon' from 'Awaara', 'Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua' from 'Shree 420', 'Yeh Mera Prem Patra' from 'Sangam', and 'Baharon Phool Barsao' from 'Suraj' and many more.
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