Mahesh Bhatt Gets A Surprise Call On His Birthday

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.”