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He should truly be lauded for his remarkable effort in playing the violin nonstop for 16 hours a day, when he was taking his first steps in the Hindi film industry. But when Uttam Singh today basks in the glory of his fine musical scores, he has still not forgotten his bearings. His unassuming nature is evident in his attire. In his white kurta-pyjama, he could easily pass off as the man on the street, but Singh is the proverbial goose that layts the golden eggs.
Uttam Singh was fortunate enough to be influenced by music early. His father was a sitar player, and the family moved to Mumbai when Singh was 12. His thirst for music was fuelled at this time. He soon mastered the tabla and took to the Western violin like a fish takes to water. Singh would soon spend long hours pursuing his passion. The family spent time singing in gurudwaras, and this gave Singh firm grounding in classical music.
Singh spent the initial years in the industry as a violinist, and his first big break came in 1963, for a film being made by Mohammad Safi, an assistant to Naushad. He then graduated to playing the violin for major composers like Naushad, Roshan, Madan Mohan, C Ramachandra, S D Burman. He then became the main violinist for R D Burman.
Singh soon came to be known as an arranger of repute. Together with his partner Jagdish, he arranged music for more than 65 films in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Konkani and Punjabi. The two also made a splash in Hindi with blockbusters like Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
The two became independent composers with Painter Babu. Manoj Kumar then offered them Clerk and Waaris. The duo's talent was recognised in numbers like Husn ki vaadiyon mein, sung by Kishore Kumar. Singh branched off on his own after the death of Jagdish in 1992.
Celluloid history was made when Singh bagged Dil To Pagal Hai. Yash Chopra switched loyalties and chose Singh instead of regulars Shiv-Hari. Singh handled the mammoth task of scoring music for the multistarrer with ease, and many of the tunes were chartbusters. In fact, the title song, Are re are, Bholi si soorat and Le gayi are still remembered and hummed.
Singh's run continued with the Tanuja Chandra film Dushman and the Govinda starrer Hum Tumpe Marte Hain. The composer also recorded his first private album Om Sai Ram in 1996. He followed it up with Sur, which showcased daughter Preeti's lush vocals. Singh is now back in the reckoning with Farz and Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai. He has also composed a 20-minute music piece for Sunny Deol's Gaddar, which runs through the length of the film at different points.
Singh is on his way to his halcyon days, and his 16 hours of violin-playing are a distant memory. But he is still doing what he does best - making music.
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