What connects Liril, Kamal Haasan, & Piyush Pandey? | #117

Also, Fun Facts about AR Rahman's Vande Mataram ➡️

Aug 13, 2022

Hello,

On 15th August 1988, Rajiv Gandhi addressed the nation from the Red Fort. The state broadcaster Doordarshan then proceeded to show a video that starts with a shot of the sun, followed by waves and then the wondrous baritone of Pandit Bhimsen Joshi singing ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’. An entire generation grew up listening to this song that promotes national integration and a key message that there is unity in diversity.

This week on the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day, we revisit this iconic video and share some Fun Facts™ about it.

Things we learnt this week 🤓

The video starts with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi singing ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ next to a gushing waterfall. This waterfall has its own history with iconic TV moments. It is the Pambar Falls in Kodaikanal - the same place where the Liril Ads were shot. Listening to Bhimsen Joshi, you do come alive with freshness.

Getting Kamal Hassan for the video was a big coup - but the superstar is barely on screen for more than 2 seconds. This was deliberate on the part of Kamal Hassan. The actor had accompanied Carnatic singer M Balamuralikrishna, who was shooting a sequence at a beach. In deference to the maestro, Kamal didn't want to be featured prominently in the video, and can be seen enjoying the music as a shishya to his guru.

As the story goes, the lyrics of the song were supposed to be written by Pandit Vinod Sharma. Piyush Pandey, a young account manager at Ogilvy, was given the not-so-envious assignment of managing the Pandit who had a fondness for his drink. Faced with a time crunch, Piyush Pandey took a shot at attempting the song lyrics himself. Piyush eventually penned ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara …’ And that kids, is how you move up from an account man to a creative man.