yaahooo Male
The original rockstar

Shammi Kapoor was India’s Rock and Roll king. From Tumsa Nahin Dekha to his last film Rockstar, he remained the only one of his kind, writes Devinder Bir Kaur

Yaahooo!, when Shammi Kapoor screamed the lungful cry in Junglee, mountains echoed his yell signifying freedom from his suffocating household where laughter and love were forbidden.

Junglee was probably Shammi Kapoor’s most successful film, at least the most typical of him. After languishing in heroine-dominated B-grade films like Jeevan Jyoti, Laila Majnu, Miss Coca Cola, Shama Parwana, Rail Ka Dibba, Tangewali, Mem Sahib etc, Shammi Kapoor decided to go in for a total change of image. Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) presented him fully westernised with his mustache shaved off and an Elvis Presley hairstyle added at first wife Geeta Bali’s suggestion. With the film, Shammi Kapoor had discovered his forte — light, frothy, musical.

Both Tum Sa Nahin Dekha and Dil Deke Dekho established his strong physical presence on the screen that reinforced youthfulness. He wouldn’t sit still. He jumped, bounced, swayed and cavorted in ways unimagined till then.

This hyperactivity, was carried into his song renditions. Songs became Shammi Kapoor’s forte and his special way with them was his most identifiable trademark. He expressed love with arms outstretched and having a roguish glint in his eyes — the hazel eyes that pleaded and burned with passion at the same time.

Shammi Kapoor’s "Yun to humne lakh haseen dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" in Tumsa Nahin Dekha and "Yaar chulbula hai"‘ in Dil Deke Dekho, "Baar baar dekho, hazaar baar dekho" in China Town are hummed to this day.

Professor (1961) was another feather in his hat. A rollicking comedy, with spinster Lalita Pawar falling for the disguised old professor played by Shammi Kapoor, who in turn loved her niece Kalpana, it had the most delightful songs composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. By now Mohammed Rafi had become the voice of Shammi Kapoor. The Shankar-Jaikishan-Rafi-Shammi Kapoor combination had become firm after "Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe," "Aiyiyaa karoon main kya suku suku`85’ (both from Junglee). Hence, this bond of four in Professor made the entire nation listen enthralled to Main chali, main chali", "Khuli palak mein jhoota gussa".

Then came Rajkumar with hits like "Is rang badalti duniya mein", and of course the uniquely styled "Dil ruba, dil pe tu, ye sitam kiye ja."

Janwar had the typical Shammi-style "Lal chhari, maidan khari", "O, tumse achchha kaun hai", "Meri mohabbat jawan rahegi".

The star came out with another signature film An Evening in Paris. It had "Akele akele kahan ja rahe ho", "Deewane ka naam to poochho", the romantic "Raat ke humsafar thak ke ghar ko chale", and "Aasman se aaya farishta", which had Shammi hanging precariously from a helicopter in a bathrobe and singing to a swimming costume-clad Sharmila Tagore.

Sharmila had earlier debuted in Shammi Kapoor’s Kashmir Ki Kali known for its beautiful locales, shikaras and musical hits. The OP Nayyar-Rafi-Shammi combination came out with evergreen "Deewana hua badal", "Ishaaron ishaaron mein dil lene wale", and the boisterous "Taarif karoon kya uski." Shammi Kapoor got so carried away with the mood of the song, that he jumped into the icy Dal Lake even when it was not part of the script.

In fact, Shammi Kapoor’s dances were never choreographed. He danced to the music and generally had his eyes closed to follow his own rhythm. He would laugh and say that he wouldn’t be able to repeat his dance steps even if he tried. Teesri Manzil was a musical treat thanks to this trait in him. Till today, we have youngsters jiving to "O haseena zulfhon wali," and "Aa aa aaa jaa." Of course it was the magic of RD Burman in gems such as "Tumne mujhe, dekha", "Deewana mujhsa nahin" and "O mere sona re, sona re, sona re."

Much earlier, Shammi Kapoor’s Bluffmaster had a"Govinda aa la re, aa la, jare matki sambhal brijbala", which has become synonymous with the state’s Gokulashtami celebrations.

Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmachari had a mature-looking hero. The movie, which inspired the later-day Mr India, had the yahooing Shammi Kapoor make a transition to a caring orphan, who brings up other orphans as his own. He wins a damsel-in-distress Rajshri singing "Dil ke jharoke mein tujhko bitha kar" for her. "Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche" to a hipster-sari-clad Mumtaz remains his trademark song.

His yet another trademark song was "Badan pe sitare lapete hue", for Vyjayantimala in Prince.

But all that mad-dancing took its toll. His knees had taken the brunt and he had put on oodles of weight (besides, obesity runs in the Kapoor khandan). He switched over to character roles. But not before giving yet another hit as a hero. In Andaz, he played a widower with a small daughter. He gets attracted to the beautiful Hema Malini, who plays mother of a small boy. The film had another memorable song, ‘Hai na, bolo bolo, mummy ko papa se, papa ko".’

Shammi Kapoor also wore the director’s mantle for Manoranjan and Bundalbaaz, but stuck mainly to character roles of playing a dad or granddad, like in Prem Rog, Betaab, Parvarish, Shalimar, Zameer, Vidhaata and the yet-to-be released Rockstar to name a few.

He was the song-and dance man with a unique way with music, an image, which will inspire a new era of stars. But for moviegoers, Shammi Kapoor will remain the original rockstar.