Main Chali, Main Chali - PROFESSOR(1962)
Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd Rafi
Music: Shankar Jaikishan
Lyricist: Sailendra
Actors: Kalpana Mohan, Shammi Kapoor
When the movie PROFESSOR released in 1962, Shammi Kapoor was 31 and Kalpana Mohan was sweet sixteen. It was Balraj Sahni and Ismat Chughtai, who encouraged her to come to Bombay. And when she came, she was offered PROFESSOR as her debut movie. Kalpana had no formal training in acting and she was pitted against Shammi. But youth and innocence paved her way to easiness that is seen as fresh flowering on the screen. It is another thing that the movie was a run away hit.
One reason for the movie's success was its lovely songs, one among them was "Main Chali, Main Chali". In the mesmerising voices of Rafi and Lata, the enchantment only increased. What lent credence was the lyrics of Shailendra. Add to the magic was the on-screeen pairing of Kalpana and Shammi. The scenario was complete. They made a perfect foil for each other.
Shammi's character in the movie needs a job urgently to pay for his mother's medical treatment. And there is Lalita Pawar, guardian of two young girls, who need a senior tutor. Shammi becomes and old man and in the process loses his heart to Kalpana. The complication arises when Lalita loses her heart to the professor! an excellent light-hearted comedy on the roll.
When Kalpana in tight pants and shirt climbed the moving train and mouthed:
Main chali main chali, pichhe pichhe jahan.
Yeh na poochho kidhar, ye na poochho kahan.
An entire nation joined Shammi singing the answer:
Sajde me husn ke, jhuk gaya aasmaan
Lo shuru ho gayi pyar ki dasatan
Sajde mein husn ke.
Kalpana continues even more romantically:
Jao jahan kahin ankhon se dur
Dil se na jaoge mere hujur
How can Shammi let go the opportunity to answer:
Jaadu fizaaon ka chhaya surur
Aise mein bahke to kiska qusoor
Kalpana doesn't care if youth is going wayward. It is an age to lose oneself in love. she replies beautifully:
Behke qadam chahe behke nazar
Jayenge dil leke jaayen jidhar
Shammi is overflowed with joy and love. He knows the fire is lit equally on both the sides. He doesn't mind losing himself totally in the way of love:
Pyaar ki rahon mein pyara safar
Hum kho bhi jaayen to kya hai fikar.
When released, the song became the love anthem. Girls imitated Kalpana. Every girl was going somewhere. Because every girl dreamt of her prince charming. The carefreeness of Kalpana had caught on with every girl. And there was no looking back. For all girls knew, their prince charming was following them. Such was the fecund imagination of that entire generation.
When I watched this song on youtube today, the same charm rubbed off on me. I am the same carefree Kalpana. I too am in the song. For her spirit has consumed me. Youth has its own power and energy that can be only seen and felt by ones, who can catch its magic. After nearly 53 years, the song touches the heart and makes one hum. Some things can never die. They just pass on from generation to generation. This is one timeless song.
A spin-off song "Main Chali Main Chali" was there in Padosan(1968) with Saira Banu. But it could not weave the magic of the original. For the original was the original. Simply awesome.
