The incredibly resourceful Mahesh Bhatt who turns 75 today , September 20, has been getting an incessant torrent of messages and calls from the morning.
But the one call that has left Mahesh Bhatt most deeply touched came from composer M M Keeravani.
“He called and sang Gali mein aaj chand nikla for me. My day was made,” says Mahesh Bhatt emotionally.
For those who came in late, M M Keeravani, then known as M M Kreem composed the song Gali mein aaj chand nikla for Mahesh Bhatt’s Zakham in 1998. The song remains iconic to this day.
Recalls Mahesh Bhatt, “My association with Keeravani started with my film Criminal. It was a rank bad film. But the music by Keeravani especially the song Tum miley dil khile was outstanding. Nothing like this had been heard in Hindi cinema. The melody was strong and unforgettable.”
Gali mein aaj chand nikla is the most iconic song in Mahesh Bhatt’s cinema. “The true identity of a classic is revealed only after it passes the test of time.And Keeravani’s melodies do just that.There are plenty of classics in his past repertoire, some of them, I am proud to say, in films produced by me.And I am sure there are vast areas in Keeravani’s creativity that are yet to be explored. He did not speak or understand Hindi or Urdu. And yet he came up with a song like Gali mein aaj chand nikla in my film Zakham. Over the decades when it was first composed , the song has become an anthem for Eid.That’s the kind of power Keeravani’s music has.”