JOIN USAnandji: 90 and still going strong
Inarguably one of the most illustrious names of Hindi film music, Anandji Virji Shah, known to the world as the second half of the luminous Kalyanji-Anandji duo that worked in over 250 films in over 35 years, touched a sprightly 90 this March 2.
Not many are aware that he, along with Kalyanji, pioneered the concept of film music-based variety shows in India even before they assisted composer-singer Hemant Kumar and then turned composers. “We come from a business community, and maybe we would have done shows like these if life had not taken us to where we are,” smiles the composer. The brothers’ father had a provision store in downtown Mumbai’s Girgaum area.
Attributing his good health to his lifestyle comprising a simple, healthy diet with no indulgence in vices, Anandji is grateful to the blessings of God as well. “What else can I ask for than being active and also working at this age?” he asks.
His wife, Shantaben, and a set of children and their families that include their progenies as well, add to Anandji’s contentment. “My wife, a great partner, deserves 100 percent credit. She has handled home and hearth very well.”
There is one dark spot though — the loss of his favourite daughter Rita a few years ago. Says Anandji, “She would always drive me on, motivating me to do new things.”
A good share of his mental agility comes from Anandji’s interminable quest for knowledge about everything, from technology to medicine to the origin of languages to wildlife and more. Anandji devours books and once surprised a wildlife ranger with some amazing knowledge about animals that the ranger was unaware of, despite working for decades. “My brother, Kalyanji-bhai and I both took life as it came,” he says. “As film composers, we got a break from the late Subhash Desai, Manmohan Desai’s elder brother. Later, I was often given the task of doing the background score, and we also became showmen, taking the topmost stars and singers for music concerts in India and around the world.”
He goes on, “Many of these shows were for charity. After that, we decided that we had to give back to the industry, and what better way was there to do this than to introduce and nurture fresh talent?”
The Kalyanji-Anandji discoveries include Tabassum and Johnny Lever, composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Babla and Kalyanji’s son Viju Shah and a whole cavalcade of singers from Manhar Udhas and Alka Yagnik to Sadhana Sargam, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu and Sunidhi Chauhan.
Another reason for Anandji’s positive outlook is his happy-go-lucky attitude. “I went with the flow, enjoying whatever life offered, without worries and unhealthy stress. My brother and I never thought we should get more work than the next man, and be in competition with anyone. Even on our shows, we presented songs of every composer.” Seeing the changes in film music by the 1990s, Anandji agreed with his brother Kalyanji’s view that they should now stop composing for movies. “After all, there were many more things to do in music, like training talents, and hosting shows.”
Explaining their mega-success, Anandji states simply, “We believed that the customer is always right. So even if a filmmaker did not like a great composition, we would never argue but offer him something else.”
The duo has worked with the biggest names among filmmakers — often in their first films as well — like with Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Feroz Khan, Subhash Ghai and Rajiv Rai. Anandji cherishes his special experiences with directors Vijay Anand (‘Johny Mera Naam’, ‘Blackmail’), Feroz Khan (‘Apradh’, ‘Dharmatma’, ‘Qurbani’ and ‘Janbaaz’), Prakash Mehra (a bevy of movies led by ‘Haseena Maan Jayegi’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikander’ and ‘Laawari’s) and Chandra Barot (‘Don’). He also mentions Vijay Bhatt (‘Himalay Ki God Mein’) and Govind Saraiya (‘Saraswatichandra’).