Roop kumar, Sunali win hearts

PUNE: The gentleman was dressed in chic black with golden motifs, the lady wrapped in a radiant peach-coloured sequinned sari... they walked together and took their place... in the backdrop was the historical Shaniwarwada. The cool breeze added that bit of romance to the evening air, as the velvet-voiced couple Roop Kumar Rathod and his wife, Sunali, took to the stage on Thursday.
The concert began with the musical couple welcoming the audience with their 'sher' — "Phir ummeedonki raat aayi hai, chaand taaronki raat chhaayi hai, aapki chaahat to dekho, humein Mumbai se aapke paas laayi hai." The couplet means — On a star-studded night filled with hope, your love has brought us to you all the way from Mumbai.
Roop Kumar then voiced his admiration for the famed venue. "We have heard of the valour of Bajirao Peshwa, who lived in this fort. Performing here is a privilege."
He urged the audience to send in their requests for songs. "You are also welcome to join us on the stage. Let this evening be a grand informal session. Let us not forget to thank the pleasant weather either. Here is a dedication to all those young at heart," he added, and broke into 'Tere liye...' the famous track from the film 'Veer-Zara'. The audience began to applaud even as the smooth notes of the saxophone lent the mush factor to the song he had sung with Lata Mangeshkar. "I feel fortunate to have done this duet with Lata didi," he said.
With musical accompaniment by Pradeep Phanis (harmonium), Sushant Sharma (guitar), Asrar Ahmed (tabla), Raj Soda (saxophone and English flute) and Vijay Chavan ('dholki'), Roop Kumar and Sunali put together an unparalleled performance.
Sunali's sonorous voice then rendered the evergreen musical call of the heart with the eternal 'ghazal' 'Aapki nazaron ne samjha pyaar ke kaabil mujhe, dil ki e dhadkan theher jaa mil gayi manzil mujhe...' — another powerful romantic invocation.
An intense yearning of a jilted heart soon followed with 'Aisa koi zindagi se wada to nahi tha... haan tere bina jeene ka irada to nahi tha...' sung by Roop Kumar in one of his albums that was set to tune by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with lyrics by Gulzar. Sprinkled with a feisty tabla interlude, the song picked up pace with a solid rhythm and melody, further upping the evening's musical quotient.
Sunali's richly composed 'aalap' that was complemented by Roopkumar's, saw many applauding in appreciation.
The audience got to see the couple's romantic side, too. "I'm dedicating the next song to Sunali and to all you romantics here. This is the song that gave a new direction to my singing career," said Roop Kumar, who then sang 'Maula Mere Maula.' The famous song from the film 'Anwar' had gone on to be rage when the film was released in 2007. The audience soaked up the rich Sufiyana influences reflected throughout this track meticulously composed by Pankaj Awasthi and Mithoon... And chants for encore vibrated through the air.
Sunali's 'sher' dedicated to her husband, "Nazar ke teer ko jab seekh lo tum kaargar karma... duayen maine dee hain pehle mujhe par nazar karma...", was reciprocated by her husband with, "Mera deewana ab mujhpe yu asar lata hai... ki har chehre pe mujhe tera chehra nazar aata hai...," that evoked loud whistles, claps and
light laughter.
The demure lady provided a befitting highlight to the evening when she rendered, 'Inn aankon ki masti ke mastane hazaaron hain...' the immortal track from 'Umrao Jaan' composed by the legendary Khayyam. This was followed by 'Laga chunari mein daag nikaloon kaise...' that took the musical crescendo to higher ocatves.
A glimpse of the singer couple's classical music training also shone bright with Roop Kumar and Sunali doing a 'jugalbandi' of sorts with the tabla player. And, adding the much-needed Maharashtrian colour to the evening were beats of 'dholki' and 'tutari" that accompanied Sunali's rendition of the 'lavani' — 'Haat naka laavu majhya saadila...' a track that was overwhelmingly received by the pleasantly surprised audience.
Sonu, who was concentrating on every word being sung by the duo, could not help but appreciate the performance. "I love Roop Kumar Rathod's 'Maula Mere Maula' the most and today's rendition was brilliant," said the young man.
Roop Kumar's dedication of the Sufi track 'Khwaja mere khwaja...' from 'Jodha Akbar' to the new year and his patriotic fervour with 'Sandese aate hain...." the award-winning number from JP Dutta's film 'Border' were the other highlights of the evening.