Kabhi Kabhie

Awards

Album Awards:
• 1976 - Filmfare Awards - Best Lyricist - Sahir Ludhianvi
• 1976 - Filmfare Awards - Best Music Director - Khayyam
Song Awards:
• 1976 - Filmfare Awards - Best Male Playback Singer - Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai (Male) - Mukesh

Trivia

Album

• After coming up with the film's story, which was credited to his wife Pamela Chopra, Yash Chopra brought lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi on board. There were rumours that the film's story was inspired by Sahir's life, but Yash Chopra dismissed them. Sahir was his dear friend, and the filmmaker wanted to use in the film a poem he had written more than thirty years ago for his poetry collection "Talkhiyan" (1943). It was this poem that gave the film its title.[MR5]
• After the success of "Daag" (1973), Yash Chopra had planned to repeat Laxmikant - Pyarelal for this film. However, the music director duo was very busy then, and it was difficult to get time from them. Since the film's central character played by Amitabh Bachchan was a poet, Sahir recommended that they move on and pick a music director who understood and appreciated poetry - Khayyam. In what was a contrarian choice for mainstream films, Yash Chopra then hired Khayyam to compose the film's music. Khayyam was an odd choice because after making a comeback to films in 1973 after a gap of six years, he had not met with much success. The risk Yash Chopra took paid dividends when the film and its music became big hits. Both Sahir and Khayyam won Filmfare Awards for the film. This film paved the path for Khayyam's second innings in films, which turned out to be a lot more successful than his first.[1][MR5]
• Gulshan Rai, who was financing this film, believed that other than its music, the film had everything else going against it. He was particularly concerned that the audience would not accept Amitabh Bachchan shedding his "angry young man" image for this film. When Rai shared this feedback with Yash Chopra, the director consulted with Mangesh Desai during a re-recording session. Desai said that the film was fine, but he recommended one change. He felt that the film's opening was too artistic. It involved Amitabh Bachchan's character watching his lover, played by Rakhee, doing the wedding "pheras", with each "phera" intercut with his memory of an intimate moment with his lover. Desai recommended that Chopra remove the intercutting and tell the story chronologically. Chopra implemented this recommendation by shooting new scenes involving Amitabh and Rakhee in Kashmir for a few days and making some edits to come up with the opening that eventually hit the theatres. Fearing a flop, Gulshan Rai left Bombay for a few days when the film was released. However, after a cold start, the film went on to become a huge hit.[2]
• Yash Chopra conceived the idea for this film with actress Rakhee in mind while making "Daag" (1973). Rakhee agreed to work in the film but by the time work started on it, she had gotten married to Gulzar. Rakhee was in a quandary because while she had committed to working in this film, her husband wanted her to quit acting. Yash Chopra found out about this when the film's cast and crew were about to leave for Kashmir to start shooting for the film. In a bind, Chopra approached Gulzar to seek his permission to let Rakhee work in the film, and Gulzar agreed.[3]
• Yash Chopra recounted the shooting of this film in Kashmir as a big family gathering. Many of the film's cast and crew, including Yash Chopra, Amitabh Bachchan and Waheeda Rehman, had travelled to Kashmir along with their family. In fact, Amitabh's parents, Harivansh Rai and Teji Bachchan, and his brother and his wife, Ajitabh and Ramola, even shot for the wedding scene in the film's beginning.[4]
• Parveen Babi was Yash Chopra's initial choice for the role in this film that eventually went to Neetu Singh.
• Although Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh had worked together before, it was around the time of this film's making that they fell in love. According to Yash Chopra, Rishi Kapoor had travelled to Paris to shoot for "Barood" (1976) at the time and had begun missing Neetu Singh so much that he would constantly send her messages via telegram. The couple went on to get married in 1980.[5][6]

Song

• Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon - Yash Chopra got a poem Sahir Ludhianvi had written in his earlier days repurposed for this song.[MR5]
• Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai - This poem, recited by Amitabh Bachchan in the film, was a slightly modified version of a poem that was part of Sahir Ludhianvi's first book of poetry "Talkhiyan" (1943). In 1965, HMV had released a record of Sahir reciting the original poem himself. Sahir adapted the poem and wrote new lyrics for the two versions of the film's title song.
• Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai - Khayyam had recorded this Sahir Ludhianvi poem earlier for Chetan Anand's shelved film "Kaafir". Sudha Malhotra and Geeta Dutt had recorded that version of the song. Sahir took Chetan Anand's permission to use the poem in this film. However, Anand had a change of heart when the songs became a hit and sent Sahir and Khayyam legal notices claiming copyright infringement! The matter appears to have been resolved out of court.[7][MR5]
• Tere Phoolon Jaisa Rang - The tune of the lines starting "Mohabbat har dil ka armaan" in this song was taken from the traditional Punjabi wedding song "Jind Mahi Baaj Tere Kumalaaiyaan". This tune was also used in the Hindi film songs "I Love You" ("Khud-Daar", 1982), "Hamari Shaadi Mein" ("Vivah", 2006), "Tauba Main Pyaar Karke Pachhtaaya" ("Pyaar Ke Side Effects", 2006) and "Arjan Vailly" ("Animal", 2023).[8][9][10][11][12]
• Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai (Male) - This song won Mukesh his last Filmfare Award. The singer died of a heart attack a few months after the release of this film.

1. ^ Daag (1973)
2. ^ Yash Chopra in Conversation with Karan Johar | Kabhi Kabhie | Part 1
3. ^ Yash Chopra in Conversation with Karan Johar | Kabhi Kabhie | Part 2
4. ^ Yash Chopra in Conversation with Karan Johar | Kabhi Kabhie | Part 2
5. ^ Yash Chopra in Conversation with Karan Johar | Kabhi Kabhie | Part 3
6. ^ Barood (1976)
7. ^ Guftagoo - Sudha Malhotra
8. ^ Jind Mahi Baaj Tere Kumalaaiyaan
9. ^ I Love You (Khud-Daar, 1982)
10. ^ Hamari Shaadi Mein (Vivah, 2006)
11. ^ Tauba Main Pyaar Karke Pachhtaaya (Pyaar Ke Side Effects, 2006)
12. ^ Arjan Vailly (Animal, 2023)