This extravagant musical epic is about the legendary rivalry between the court musicians Tansen and Baiju Bawra during the time of Emperor Akbar.


 Vijay Bhatt’s musical spectacle went into the period specified for a series of joyful jugalbandis between the arrogant Tansen (Surendra) and humble but exceptionally talented Baiju Bawra (Bharat Bhushan).

Their ongoing rivalry is fanned by fuelled when Baiju’s father is killed by Tansen’s guards and eventually it reaches a crescendo when the two battle it out in the chord-room of Emperor Akbar.

Echoing the arching animosity between the court musician Salieri and his protégé Mozart, Baiju Bawra seems sharply evocative of the classical heritage that was lost in the quest of popular element in the mainstream cinema. Director Vijay Bhatt made another film on the same theme ‘ Goonj Uthi Shahnai’, featuring the music of Ustad Bismillah Khan. Both Baiju Bawra and ‘ Gunj Uthi Shahnai’ were major hits and are today seen by critics as the true precursor of K Vishwanath’s explosion on classicism in ‘ Sur Sangam’ and ‘ Jaag Utha Insan’.

The film’s highlight is the classical jugalbandi between the two renowned raga maestros Ustad  Amir Khan and Pandit D V Paluskar, who sang the climatic song under Naushad’s able supervision, for Tansen and Baiju respectively. The music by Naushad is regarded by a majority of composer’s fans as his best ever.

And, how painfully pretty Meena Kumari looked as Baiju’s innocent and lovelorn sweetheart Gauri. This was Meena Kumari’s first major screen role. Singing Lata Mangeshkar’s dulcet and virginal, ‘ Mohey bhool gaye saawariya’, Meena Kumari climbed to dizzying heights of fame after Baiju Bawra.

 Sadly, Bharat Bhushan, who gave indications of being sensitively talented, never rose beyond the Baiju Bawra. His subsequent screen roles failed to match up to the majesty of this musical odyssey. Bharat Bhushan soon lost his stardom and ended his days in penury.

Director Vijay Bhatt went from strength to strength, churning out major hits like ‘ Goonj Uthi Shahnai’, ‘ Hariyali aur Raasta’, and  ‘  Himalay Ki God Mein.’  But if it is one film that Bhatt has to be identified with, its ‘ Baiju Bawra’.

The film won Naushad the first ever popular award for best music director. Meena Kumari won the first of her several Best Actress awards for ‘ Baiju Bawra.’ Vijay Bhatt’s musical offering opened the floodgates for films about the struggle of the classical artiste to make himself heard over the din of populism. It was a struggle sufficiently betokened by the release of Mehboob Khan’s kitschy and over saturated ‘ Aan’ during the same year as ‘ Baiju Bawra.’

COURTESY: STARDUST CLASSICS