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 picture 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 producer Ramesh Sippy ji was there, and there was a fight everywhere on the set that Shammi ji had forbidden him to sing. Everyone assumed that perhaps he did not like the song (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 the face was much worse. Shammi ji had said that he did not cry in the situation of the film, but Shankar-Jaikishan made the song so emotional that he felt that he would not be able to stop his tears while picturizing this song. He said, ‘I know myself… please change the song.’”(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 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.
