Sheikh Sadi Khan tells
Noted composer Sheikh Sadi Khan considers himself lucky as the recently demised legendary singer Manna Dey rendered two songs composed by him, which had been used as playbacks in a local film released in the mid 1980s.
Manna Dey lent his voice for the solo Balo na ma keno klanto lage and for the duet titled Bhalobasa lage bhalo, with another renowned Indian singer Haimanti Shukla , which had been used as playbacks in Shahidul Haque Khan’s film Sukher Sandhaney.
‘Both of the playbacks were written by Shahidul Haque Khan. The hero of the film was picturised with the solo song while the duet one was lip-synced by the hero and the “heroine” of the film,’ Sheikh Sadi Khan told New Age in an interview.
‘I initially planned that another late legendary singer Hemanta Mukhopadhyay would lend his voice in the playbacks. Going to Kolkata, I found out that Hemanta Mukhopadhyay was not well. I was in dilemma what to do. Then Haimanti Shukla suggested me to approach Manna Dey and gave his contact number,’ Khan added.
But, Manna Dey did not show any interest initially due to his busy schedule with stage shows. ‘I gave reference to my elder brother Ustad Bahadur Khan, who established himself in the classical music arena in Kolkata. Only, then Manna Dey thought for a while and finally agreed to lend his voice for the songs, and gave me an appointment on the next day,’ Sheikh Sadi Khan said.
Khan also said that working with Manna Dey was a great experience. ‘He was a gifted singer so he did not take much time to understand the songs and to sing those perfectly,’ said Khan adding that Manna Dey was a short tempered man.
‘Even though he had a reserved personality, he would become very friendly with someone once he began to talk to that person. Thus, we got into friendly terms within a few days, and he invited me to meet him again whenever I would be in India,’ said a nostalgic Khan.
Sheikh Sadi Khan said that he was busy directing music for Akhtaruzzaman’s Suchona Rekhar Dikey. ‘Nowadays, I am more selective regarding my works. Only when I’m convinced by the quality of script, I agree to direct music on the condition that I would select the singers for the playbacks,’ Khan told New Age.
Sheikh Sadi Khan has won the National Film Award twice in the Best Music Director category in 1996 and 2010. He has composed some evergreen songs including Amar e duti chokh, Prithibitey prem boley kichhu nei, Dakey pakhi kholo ankhi and Kal shararat chhilo swaponero raat.
-With New Age input