Thursday is birth centenary of genius composer Sajjad Hussain

MUMBAI: Thursday June 15 marks the birth centenary of the remarkable music director of the 1940s-50s, Sajjad Hussain, an ace mandolin player whose love for Arabic tunes created masterpieces like 'Yeh kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayi hai', 'Phir tumhari yaad aayi hai sanam' and 'Ai dilruba'.
Sajjad Hussain was born June 15, 1917, in Sitamau, Madhya Pradesh, to self-taught sitar player Mohammed Amir.Nanhe, as he was called, arrived in Mumbai in 1937 to make a career in film music. He gathered acclaim with Shaukat Hussain Rizvi's Dost starring Rizvi's wife Noorjehan. Other milestones include Sangdil, Rustom Sohrab, Saiyyan and Hulchul. Sajjad Sahab wrote the music for barely a handful of 16 films, but 70 years later, his tunes prompt people to touch a hand to the ear, they are so intricate and so powerful.
Lata Mangeshkar, who once described Sajjad Hussain as her favourite composer, spoke to TOI at length about his wizardry with the mandolin, his impatience with imperfection -- and his biting wit. "Sajjad Sahab was very fond of Arabic music and he would instruct his singers to perform in that manner. I once said, I don't know how it is done, show me. And he did -- by singing himself. He disliked the loud alaap that comes naturally to most singers. He would instruct us to sing the notes in a feather-light manner. Do not let it seem as if you are making an effort to sing. Like Salil Chowdhury, he would compose the entire song including the interlude himself.''
"You will not believe, there is little one can do with the mandolin. It simply makes a staccato tan-tan-tan sound. But Sajjad Sahab used it to perform meend and taan which is surprising. No one played the mandolin like him. Yet he never performed a programme with the instrument. I would often urge him to do so but he said nahin, riyaaz nahin hai," Lataji says.
She remembers he was so particular about every note. "Unhein fat karke pata chal jata tha kisne ghalat bajaya hai. I liked that very much about him, otherwise it is as if we are singing something and the accompanist is going off in a different direction. He had such a sharp ear he could instantly tell which musician in the orchestra had hit a wrong note. One day, an accompanist who was playing with me simply could not get it right. An exasperated Sajjad Sahab asked him to leave the recording room. He then said, do not leave by the door next to Lata. You are so offkey you will spoil her mood also. I burst out laughing and said, Sajjad Sahab, what are you saying? The poor fellow is already embarrassed. But he said no, go out the window if you like, don't show Lataji your face," she laughs.
"Once or twice he would shake his head and say to me, you are not singing the way I want you to sing. He would wear a despondent look and say Maine kya socha tha aur... Ab main kya karoon. He was really so humorous. And you know what, he would suddenly make a remark that was so funny -- but he would never laugh himself. Very poker faced. Baaqi log hanste the magar woh serious rehte the. We would even say, look at him how he can do that. Also he would keep nicknames for everyone. Once there was a film which was finally never made, named Aakhri Mughal. He would say yeh naam mere liye hai, this is my movie. I am the aakhri mughal. How we laughed!''
She recalled that he made such witty remarks but never laughed himself. "He was poker faced. And yes, he had nicknames for everyone. He would visit my house every 15-20 days. I was born in Indore, and he was from MP, so he said that is our special connection,'' she said.
Lataji was privileged that Sajjad Sahab would confide his worries in her. "He would tell me everything about how a film was stalled or not released, how hard he had worked on its music. Every 15-20 days he would come to my house in Prabhu Kunj and talk nineteen to the dozen. You know, I was born in Indore and he was from Madhya Pradesh, so he said that is a special bond we share."
Lataji rues that Sajjad Sahab was a misunderstood artiste. ``People defamed him saying he is temperamental. But he was simply a perfectionist. Such a wonderful artiste never got his due while others who were often mediocre made such a name,'' she said. "I don't know why people maligned him in the industry. Logon ne badnaam kiya ki inko ghussa aata hai, kaam chhodke jaate hain. But it wasn't like that. I remember this film with Madhubala where Sajjan was the hero, I think it was Saiyyan, where I sang. Sajjan did a very good job and the film was also well made. But somehow the recording did not turn out as he wanted and that upset him. My song went something like Kaali kaali raat, din bada sataaye, teri yaad aaye. But the movie did not do well, and consequently the songs fell through also. Sometimes it is the reverse. Gaane chal jaate hain, picture nahin chalti. In that respect Sajjad Sahab was slightly unfortunate, some masterpiece songs failed because the films failed."
Listeners have always felt so, and now Lata confirms the belief that Sajjad Hussain never got his due. "Lesser talented music directors received name and fame but Sajjad Hussain was so much ahead yet never got enough work or recognition,'' she says.
Sajjad Hussain passed away in 1995 at his Mahim residence.