M Rafi Ahmed
One voice that captivated the radio listeners across the Indian sub-continent for well over four decades or so by his opening lines of ‘Behno aur Bhaiyon’ (sisters and brothers) which became his trademark vanished into thin air. Ninety-one-year-old Ameen Sayani, who ruled the radio through ‘Binaca Geetmala’ till 1994 breathed his last on Tuesday after he suffered a heart attack.
In fact, it was Ameen Sayani, who made the Binaca toothpaste brand popular among the consumers across the globe since he started presenting the programme from Radio Ceylon (Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation) as B V Keskar, the then Information and Broadcasting Minister banned airing film music as he felt that it was erotic and vulgar wayback in 1952.
The young broadcaster seized the opportunity to his best and created ripples across the country by making the programme lively. The first show brought in Rs 25 as salary for Sayani and 9000 letters, some requesting songs and others from women fans who liberally sprinkled romantic adulation for the voice they had fallen in love with. Soon after the ban was lifted, he was back to his home nation and continued the much sought-after sponsored programme on All India Radio’s Vividh Bharati commercial broadcast since 1970.
Amin’s some of the most significant interviews includes with playback singers Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and actor, director and producer Raj Kapoor. His most favourite show titled ‘Lata Se Darte Darte’ was well received among the ardent listeners wherein he asked Mangeshkar difficult questions dealing with royalty issues with Mohammad Rafi, her issues with SD Burman, her relationship with her sister Asha Bhosle besides intimate questions on marriage and her personal life – one of the few times Mangeshkar spoke about her life in detail.
According to sources, it was his elder brother Hamid Sayani, who was with AIR introduced him to do programmes in Mumbai All India Radio station. Notably, Ameen Sayani had featured in a few movies starting from ‘Boot Bangla’ (1965) wherein he appeared as a compere to a light music night starring Tanuja and Nazir Hussain and produced by Mehmood besides Teen Devian, Boxer, and Qatl.
He has to his credit over 54,000 radio programmes and 19,000 jingles right from AIR in 1951 to AIR’s commercial broadcast in 1970 to various foreign stations in 1976 which has been recorded in the Lima Book of World Records. Little known fact is that he worked in the marketing Department of Tata Oil Mills Ltd. during 1960–62 as Brand Executive – mainly looking after their toilet soaps: Hamam and Jai.
It is learnt that Ameen Sayani worked till the end as he would get ready everyday until recently and reaches his studio in Colaba with his son Rajil Sayani, touch up his old work, record something new, and archive his work. Age didn’t deter him from doing interviews as he was wedded to his passion. He is no more, but his voice will remain forever entertaining his diehard fans through the repeat broadcasts of his favourite programmes.
