Old Hindi songs, a timeless treasure, evoke nostalgia and emotions with their soulful melodies. These musical gems from the golden era, spanning the 1950s to the 1980s, hold a unique place in Indian culture. Composed by legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and Mohammed Rafi, these songs narrate tales of love, joy, and heartbreak. The orchestration, rich lyrics, and vocal prowess create an everlasting impact, transcending generations. Whether it's the romantic tunes of RD Burman or the classical brilliance of Naushad, these songs continue to captivate listeners, providing a musical journey that transcends time and connects hearts across generations.

When The Music Legend Gave An Interview To Former CEC Dr. S.Y. Quraishi

When The Music Legend Gave An Interview To Former CEC Dr. S.Y. Quraishi

New Delhi: Wednesday marks the death anniversary of legendary musician Naushad. Born in Lucknow on 25 December 1919, Naushad had been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1981) and the Padma Bhushan (1992) for his contribution to Indian music. Naushad changed Hindi film songs by introducing classical music to it in a way that was enjoyed by everyone. He was also one of the first composers…

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RAFI SAAB … Love you Rafi saab!

Naushad saab was asked during a radio interview in the 90’s, ‘if you were to compose the best music of your life now, what would you do?’ He replied, ‘I would pray to Allah to send Rafi back for an hour.’ Looking at this pic, I can only wonder, which eternal classic was being rehearsed? Were there any mistakes being made? Could they even go wrong somewhere? Did they ever imagine they would attain eternal standing in the realm of Indian music. Mann tarpat aise fankaaron ko aaj …

30 June Kalyanji Virji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji): 92nd Birth Anniversary

By

Siraj Syed

Kalyanji Virji Shah (Kalyanji-Anandji): 92nd Birth Anniversary 30 June 1928-24 August 2000

From sleeve notes written for SaReGaMa’s LEGENDS CD set in 2009: More than half a century after the cobra swayed to the clavioline, masquerading as the been, in ‘Tan dole mera man dole’, its notes still reverberate across India, and in many other parts of the world. It was, and remains, Kalyanji Virji Shah’s best-known musical signature. Kalyanji had first used the instrument in a film called Naag Panchami (1953, music Chitragupta), but that went largely un-noticed. ‘Tan dole’, a Hemant Kumar tune from a box-office hit, was the chart-topper of 1954, so listeners took good notice of its mesmerising been theme. Developed in France by a designer named Constant Martin, the clavioline was introduced in 1947. Five years later, musician Kalyanji was playing it here, in India, in film song takes. Four years after Nagin, Kalyanji had arrived as music director, with Samrat Chandragupta. And the following year, younger brother Anandji, who was a child actor and chorus singer too, joined him to create the K-A team that stood firm for over 40 years. Nevertheless, as Anandji, some four years younger (now 88), is often heard saying, “Kalyanjibhai is watching all this from above. He is very much with us in spirit.” Kalyanji Virji Shah died in the year 2000, at the age of 72.

Born in Kundrodi village of the Mundra taluka in Kutchh, the brothers grew up in Mumbai, where their father ran a food-grain store. Inclined more towards music than academics, they developed the self-taught ability to play a host of instruments, and formed part of school bands. By 1944-45, the teenager siblings had started playing in film song recordings. Big brother set up his own band in 1950, calling it Kalyanji and Party, with Purshottam Upadhyaya singing ‘Too mera chaand maen teree chaandnee’, the super-hit Naushad tune from Dillagi, to thunderous encores. The band performed in Bombay and in other nearby towns. For a while, the businessman in him did surface, and Kalyanji started a tailoring shop in partnership with a friend. Destiny, however, ensured that the shop did not prosper, drawing Kalyanji even closer to a world where a needle was something that played a gramophone record, not a device to stitch clothes with.

Many of us have heard the popular tunes the brothers composed for films like Samrat Chandragupta, Bedard Zamana Kya Jane, Chhalia and Bluff Master, the last two being the earliest directorial forays of director Manmohan Desai, but few would be aware that it was producer Subhash Desai, Manmohan’s brother, who gave Kalyanji his music directorial his break. Impressed with his prowess at song recordings of various recognised composers, Subhash saw a competent future music director in Kalyanji, and made him an offer that was strange, but nevertheless one that he could not refuse. Would he agree to a contract offering him 11 film assignments as music director, with a fee of Rs. 5,000 for the first film, Rs. 10,000 for the second…a recurring Rs. 5,000 increment per film, non-negotiable? The offer was too good to resist, so Kalyanji agreed, but he did ask Subhash, “Why11 films? Why not 10? Or 12?” The reply was convincing, “Eleven is my lucky number.” As it transpired, they did not do 11 films together, but Kalyanji’s career choice was made.

The K-A success story begins with Kalyanji’s kingly debut, Samrat Chandragupta. ‘Chahe paas ho’ is a touching lyric, with a tinge of sadness, as is the next number, ‘Door kahin tu chal’, another Rafi-Lata duet, from Bedard Zamana Kya Jaane, both penned by Bharat Vyas. With a title like Madari, there had to be a snake-charmer and his been in play, and the theme track, penned by Faruk Kaiser and rendered by Lata and Mukesh, indeed provided flashbacks of the legendary Kalyanji patent. Soon after he wrote his first song for them in Chandrasena, Gulshan Bawra penned a real gem in Satta Bazar, and this time the brothers invited their mentor Hemant Kumar to join Lata in the recording room, with amazing results. Who can forget ‘Tumhe yaad hoga’? Not yet the He Man he was to become in his later years, Dharmendra in Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere was emoting to Mukesh’s emotion-charged playback, rendering Shamim Jaipuri’s rich poetry. Graduating from smaller set-ups into a Raj Kapoor vehicle, K-A hit big time in Chhalia. Nonsensical verse from a sensible writer, Qamar Jalalabadi, ‘Dum dum diga diga’, with Mukesh providing playback to Raj’s on-screen antics, set the aisles afire.

Soon, they were signed to compose for Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath, a Shashi Kapoor starrer, and Bluff Master. Both films enjoyed reasonable success and the music went around too. In Bluff Master, we find the rare phenomenon of four voices being used for the same actor: Mukesh, Hemant Kumar, Shamshad Begum (Shammi Kapoor in drag) and Rafi. It was Rafi who immortalised ‘Govinda ala re’ and sang the duet ‘Husn chala kuchh aisi chal’ with Lata. Anand Bakhshi wrote inspired lyrics for Phool Bane Angaare, and Mukesh, as usual, delivered them with consummate artistry. By 1964, K-A were in the Premier League. That very year, they came up with such melodious tracks as the lilting ‘Humsafar mere humsafar’ (Purnima), where they teamed up with Gulzar, a rarity, and the two Mukesh solos from Ji Chahta Hai and Himalaya Ki God Mein. The former was written by Majrooh, not a K-A regular. Another infrequent teaming worked very well, as Hasrat Jaipuri wrote and Rafi sang in great style, ‘Dil beqarar sa hai’ (Ji Chahta Hai). Melodious, hummable and catchy. A ghazal on Shammi Kapoor with Bakhshi writing and Rafi singing may not be a common occurrence, but just savour ‘Teri zulfen pareshan’ (Preet Na Jane Reet). Staying with Mukesh on Shashi, after MLMH, the duo came up with a moody duet in Juari, ‘Humsafar ab yeh safar kat jayega’. If there was still any doubt about the standing of the duo in the rankings, Jab Jab Phool Khile laid to rest all criticism. Every track was heard everywhere. The songs had it all: pathos, fun, longing, depression, pep. For both K-A and Anand Bakhshi, the success of JJPK was to remain a milestone forever.

Rafi provided playback for debutant Rajesh Khanna in the theme song of his debut vehicle, Raaz, re-uniting K-A with Shamim Jaipuri, producing haunting results. Indeevar’s lyrics sang of cruel fate in Dil Ne Pukara, and who better to voice them than Mukesh, as ‘Waqt karta jo wafa’. In the same vein was the Suhag Raat lament, ‘Khush raho’. Manna De came in to give playback for Pran in Upkar and Zanjeer, rendering two of his most acclaimed numbers. It took the duo 19 hours to record ‘Mere desh ki dharti’, the patriotic anthem of Upkar. Saraswatichandra, based on a literary classic, needed the linguistic mastery of Indeevar to weave in the songs, and the author of ‘Kasme vaade pyar vafa’ made it count. Filmfare awarded the duo for the best music of the year. It was still pristine K-A, full of melody, working with Lata and Mukesh. Another award followed some years later, for Kora Kagaz, which had a pathos-laden title-track in the voice of Kishore. Not many might realise, but K-A used Kishore Kumar for the first time in the 1968 film Suhag Raat, singing a sad song, a full decade after the duo had started their career. A comic song was rendered by Manna De while Mukesh was called-upon to put across the other sad lyric.

Only Rafi could have set swinging mood for Shashi Kapoor to gyrate on screen in ‘Nain milakar chaen churana’ (Aamne Saamne). Rafi for Shashi it was again in Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati and Raja Saab. Part of the female vocals in Raja Saab came from Suman Kalyanpur. Suman had sung for K-A in MLMH and JJPK too, and was to partner Manhar in his first hit number in Vishwas. Giving Hemlata her break in the same film, K-A paired her with good-old friend Mukesh. Soon, the duo was to show its preference for rotating the strike, training and honing a host of budding singing talent, while reverting to the established names with equal regularity. Like a lot of extremely popular Mahendra-Manoj Kumar, Kishore-Amitabh Bachchan and Kishore-Rajesh Khanna outings. Incidentally, K-A took three days to record the back-ground score of Suhaag Raat, while they needed a whole month for Purab Aur Paschim. For the ‘Om jai Jagdeesh Hare’ bhajan of PAP, the composers used 50 chorus singers to get the effect normally created by violins. They called it human resonance. Delay (natural echo) was the highlight of ‘Mere mitwa’ (Geet). The child-like double speed of ‘Na sun sun sun bura’ (Priya) was simply achieved by recording on spool-tape at a particular speed and playing it back at double the speed. Most of their work was done at the Famous, Tardeo, recording studio.

There is Rafi, and not Kishore, for Rajesh Khanna, oozing sensuality as only he could, in Chhoti Bahu: ‘Yeh raat hai pyasi pyasi’, echoing musician hero Rajendra Kumar’s heart-rending call in Geet and charting a romantic route for Dharmendra in Kab Kyon Aur Kahan? He also offers love lessons in Upaasna; in the Haath Ki Safai duet, he makes a solemn promise of eternal love; and he goes on Dilip Kumar for the intoxicating ‘Peete peete’ duet with Asha Bhosle in Bairaag. As Western as it gets is the rare title chorus ‘Pretty pretty Priya’ (Priya) and as Sanskritised as it can get is the Kishore hilarity ‘Priye praneshwari’ (Hum Tum Aur Woh). Kalyanji-Anandji made Shatrughan Sinha sing in Kashmakash, Amitabh Bachchan in Laawaris and Anil Kapoor in Chameli Ki Shaadi. They also gave ample opportunities to the emerging talent of 70s’ generation, as you can sample on the Shailendra Singh, Suresh Wadkar, Anwar, Alka Yagnik and Kanchan tracks.

Known for their hundreds of stage performances, in India and abroad, both brothers also enjoyed a sturdy reputation as funsters, with a joke for every occasion and a keen sense of self-deprecating humour. They once famously described themselves as medical practitioners. “We offer all lines of treatment. If some producer approaches us with symptoms that demand a classical approach, we recommend the Ayurvedic style of medicine: Slow, but efficacious in the long-term. On the other hand, if some film-maker wants to experiment with the musical score of his film, we suggest Homoeopathic type of tunes: May work, may not. Some element of risk is involved. If, however, he wants the juke-boxes to jingle and listeners to start singing along instantaneously, we churn out Allopathic compositions: Like injections, they have instant, strong effect, but the effect may wear out sooner.” Music, along with laughter, is the best medicine known to mankind. Kalyanji-Anandji have already issued a statutory warning to your troubles to keep away, for there’s no place for them, ‘Mere angne men tumhara kya kaam hae?’

Tributes to Khemchand Prakash, one of the greatest Hindi film music directors, on his 112th birth anniversary. 

The era from 1931 to 1950, in context to Hindi film music, is largely ignored. Khemchand Prakash was no lesser a legend than Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan or S D Burman. Unfortunately, we are deprived of his history and contribution. We remember his songs but not his name. Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Naushad are considered gems of the Hindi film music world. It is not wrong to state that any essay or write-up on the music of Hindi cinema would be incomplete without the mention of the trio. However, very few people remember the person who played a major role in shaping their careers. That person was the late composer Khemchand Prakash. It was Khemchand Prakash who gave Kishore Kumar his first break in Ziddi (1948) with the song ‘Marne Ki Duaen Kyun Maangu.’ Due to this, Kishore ji always considered Khemchand Prakash as his guru. Khemchand Prakash also had a huge role to play in shaping Lata Mangeshkar's career and in helping her acquire fame. Although Lata started her career in 1947 with Aap Ki Seva, the film that really made audiences realise her talent was Ziddi. It has such sweet songs by Lata. Later, Mahal (1949) that made her a star with ‘Aayega aane wala.’ It is unparalleled. The song is a challenge for all the forthcoming generations of composers. He created the mukhda (starting line) with just three words. You won’t find such a small mukhda ever. Mahal, Tansen, Pardesi and Ziddi are just a few samples of Khemchand Prakash’s talent in the short span of his career. His timeless creations have been a part of our lives for over 65 years now. Khemchand Prakash passed away on August 10, 1950 at the relatively young age of 42. His immediate family, consisting of his wife Sridevi and daughter Chandrakala, didn’t get the required support from the industry and went through tough times financially. Chandrakala, who was a very good dancer like her father, had to do some small dancing roles in films to earn an income.

The Way We Were: Lata and the Dawn of the Playback Era - Art and Culture | ViralHai News [ad_1]

This theme is music, background score, soundtrack of our lives. The Hindi film song has been a part of our existence, seemingly forever. But you can actually put a date for it: 85 years ago, in 1935, the first playback song for Nitin Bose was recorded Curse six, By music directors RC Boral and Pankaj Mullick.

Previously, actors sang their own songs on the set, and musicians also played on the set - often hidden behind trees and other props! But not every star could sing, and in his book, Behind the Scenes: Making Music in the Film Studio of Mumbai, Gregory D. Booth, Auckland University Professor of Ethnomucology, quoted a letter to a film magazine in 1940, urging Ashok Kumar to "stop singing in pictures".

It took time to settle into playback singing, but 1947 was a turning point. India's best-known singing star KL Sehgal died earlier that year, and female singer of the reigning star Nur Jahan moved to newly-carved Pakistan, leaving behind a huge void. That void was filled by two singers who became playback legend: Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi.

But it would be another two years before playback singers achieved independent fame and fantasy. In film lore that things have changed Palace in1949. Lata was not mentioned as a singer Will come, On the music record for that film; The film was credited to the standout song instead of the character Kamini played by Madhubala. Fans were attached to the name of the actual singer and the 'mistake' was corrected in the next batch of records. Subsequently, giving credit to playback singers became the norm.

In his 2015 book by American music professor Jason Beister-Jones, Bollywood Sounds: The Cosmopolitan Meditations of Hindi Film SongStates that the presence of playback singers' names on the recording was "the turning point when playback singing was fully accepted by Indian audiences".

In these years the foundation of lateral singing was laid; Born in the late '40s and early' 50s in the '50s, it is generally considered the golden age of Hindi film music. Shankar Iyer, a musician at Team Rewind, a group of corporate professionals who strive to showcase films as art, agrees that the '50s was the defining decade. But he adds, "The overall song composition evolved over the next two decades, as singers matured more in their styles, but also thanks to the beautiful orchestral arrangements that embellished the original melodies of the songs."

Along with Lata and Rafi, other revered singers have come into their own over the years: Mukesh, Talat Mahmood, Geeta Dutt. (Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle later gained their huge stardom.) And the lyrics were of exceptional poets like Shakeel Badayuni and Shailendra.

Playback singing meant that the songs were recorded in different locations, usually in advance, and released before the film, to promote it - a practice that continues to this day. Booth points to that lateral technology, as it separated the production of music from films, giving the Hindi film song an independent existence (often cited for the absence of a non-film musical culture in India).

The professional recording space cropped up in Bombay and music composers and what Iyer mentioned earlier became the film orchestra, perhaps the biggest pillar of Hindi film music. Goans and Parsis (both had a strong grounding in Western music, classical and popular) became the backbone of the film orchestra, even bringing their expertise in sitar, tabla and other Indian musical instruments.

Not like the nostalgic roll calls of these sparkling years: cellist Alfonso Albuquerque, guitarist Peter Sequeira, trumpet player chic chocolate, violinist Joaquim Menezes, jazz drummer Cavas Lord, Contestantist Gudi Cervei and many more.

These were busy years for musicians, as they stayed from recording to recording. Creators such as Naushad, SD Burman, C Ramachandra and Shankar-Jaikissen established their own orchestras, a system that would continue for decades, right up until the dawn of digital music in the 1990s. The classical, folk and western sounds merged into a spectacular blend, setting a pattern for years to come.

Perhaps it is not a coincidence that in the early years of nation-building, playback singing created a heart-warming landscape where everyone - not to mention singers, musicians, songwriters, orchestral musicians, directors and actors - worked together. Done, irrespective of region and religion. If it calls for a song, what could be more appropriate than the 1955 Mukesh number Shree 420: 'My jute is Japanese / Tu Pagla Inglitani / Sir Pe Lali Topi Rusi / Fer Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. '

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About Famous Bollywood Female Singers

Introduction to Hindi film songs

The origin of Hindi film songs can be traced to 194Os when the playback singing was introduced. While earlier the singing artists acted and sang their songs on their own, it was only in this decade the playback singing came into the picture when artists who did not sing were introduced.

Interestingly, one of the earliest singers was Suraiya, who sang at the age of 13 years for Mehtaab in Sharda(1943). Other notable female singers in mumbai who emerged after this were Shamshad Begum, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, etc. These singers became legends in their lifetime due to their magical voice and immortal melodies. Here is a tribute to divas of the Hindi Cinema in yesteryear.

Shamshad Begum

Shamshad was born in Amritsar and made her debut at AIR Lahore in 1937. Her enchanting depth of voice always haunted the listeners. Ghulam Haider, the famous musician of Lahore used her voice artfully in his hits like Khandan(1942) and Khazanchi(1941). As she stepped into the Hindi film music, contemporary composers almost fell over each other to book her for their songs. It led to her extremely prolific career until the late 50s. Most of her songs such as ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon (Patanga)���, Sayyan Dil Mein Aana Re’ (Bahar), ‘Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re’ (C.I.D.), ‘Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar’ (Aar Paar), etc became instant hits.

Geeta Dutt

At the age of 12 years, Geeta Roy came to Mumbai from East Bengal with her parents. The famous music director offered her a solo in Do Bhai when she was only 15. It became an instant hit. Her collaboration with the composer SD Burman came out to be very fruitful for her. They gave hits after hits such as Bhai, Kagaz Ke Phool, Munimji, etc. The jazzy tracks of Baazi gave a new avenue to Geeta’s singing. Both OP Nayyar and Geeta Dutt scaled new heights with Aar Paar. The songs like ‘‘Babuji Dheere Chalna’ and ‘Yeh Lo Mein Hari Piya’ became immortal hits.

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar, the most preferred name in the world of Hindi music is a combination of god-gifted high pitched voice and an inherent ability to pick up whatever was taught to her. The true colors of Lata’s voice emerged when she gave super hit songs back to back in three blockbusters namely, Naushad’s Andaaz, Khemchand Prakash’s Mahal and Shankar Jaikishan’s Barsaat. By 1950, the Lata wave had swept the industry and the heavy base nasal voice became obsolete. Though Lata sang under the guardianship of top composers, it was Madan Mohan who exploited her voice to come up with beautiful ghazals singer.

Asha Bhonsle

Asha Bhonsle can be called as the most versatile singer of the Hindi film industry. She has worked extensively with trendsetting composers of three generations. It can be from breezy songs of O.P Nayyar in the 1950s to foot-tapping tracks of RD Burman in the 1970s and finally to contemporary rhythms of A.R Rehman. The first rock and roll number ‘Eina Meena Deeka’ was sung by her in the 1950s. 1957 was her most significant year when O.P Nayyar used her voice for Naya Daur and Tumsa Nahi Dekha. The 1970s brought her close with music composer R.D Burman and she married him. They gave memorable hits in movies such as Hare Raam Hare Krishna, Teesri Manzil, Caravan and many more. In later years of her career, she has given many memorable live singing performances at various award functions and concerts.

The Path to Becoming a Legend

Nothing can replace hard work, sincerity, and dedication. Singers, who are giving playbacks in movies, have the popularity but not the same level of respect which professional singers from yesteryear enjoy.

The reasons are quite simple to understand. With the help of technology, it has become comparatively easier, even for out-of-tune singers, to render a song, which can be made popular with extensive marketing gimmicks and splashing it all over social media platforms.

But such songs often lack soul and they fade away rapidly with the passing time. Artists, who want to reach the same level of admiration, should try to make an honest start by learning the basics of singing skills, under the able guidance of an experienced teacher. With hard work, perseverance, and constant honing of skills, one can earn the respect of the audience.

Originally Published On: https://starclinch.com/blog/about-famous-bollywood-female-singers/

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Papon’s Har Lamhaa- A Romantic Song like no other

Every person has got one, or maybe dozens- a cherished love song- the first dance at the wedding, the one they slow-danced to in the arms of their crush, the one for unrequited love, the one for the one who got away or simply, the breakup song. There’s an anthem for every romantic relationship that lasts until death does the lovers apart, or at least until it goes on the rocks. Nobody seems to be sure as to how many love songs there actually are, but one thing is for sure- we love to love our love songs.

One such love song that recently came out and has taken the internet by storm is ‘Har Lamhaa’ sung by none other than the singer who has greatly contributed in making this genre a hit amongst the youth in India- Angarag Mahanta, commonly known as Papon. This sad romantic single was published on 20th June 2019. In a mere span of five days since its release, it has managed to bag more than 26,00,000 views and 32,000 likes. The track released on Indie Music Label’s official YouTube channel. The music video of the song features Dev Sharma and Neha Khan as a couple who are deeply in love. Tragedy befalls upon the couple and destiny has other plans for them. The lyrics of the song beautifully describe their situation and longing to be together again.There are also a few sections where Papon blends in a more classical vocal style.

In a recent interview, Papon was quoted saying,” I'm glad that I had the opportunity to sing a track like ‘Har lamhaa'. The entire team has worked very hard on the song and we are very satisfied with the end result. Independent music has been growing rapidly of late and platforms like Indie Music Label are a real boost to the indie space.” Naushad Khan, who happens to be the Managing Director of Indie Music Label was also quoted saying,” We had been planning ‘Har lamhaa' with Papon for a while now. He's such a fantastic artist and his songs have the rare quality of touching the listeners' heart. "With ‘Har lamhaa', we are very confident about the track and are rest assured that people will give it all the love it deserves.”

Time and again, Papon has proved that he is one of India’s finest independent singers. He puts all his heart and soul into his songs and that certainly appeals to the music- lover masses. His voice has an unusual texture that makes each of his songs unique. His strong classical background goes unnoticed in his compositions because of the way in which he plays with music in a highly confident and graceful manner.

The singer’s fans have loved the song more than anything and some people even went on to call the singer a living legend. This can easily be seen in the ‘Comments’ section of the official video. People just can’t seem to get tired of praising the singer for being a powerhouse of talent. Such is the vibe that Papon creates. He is our favourite too for a reason, after all!

 #papon #music #singer #Scams #news #Controversy #Bollywood #India

Musical review of film Yahudi

REVIEWER :[email protected]

Director: Bimal Roy; Producer: Savak B Vacha Artistes: Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Sohrab Modi, Nigar Sultana, Nazir Hussain, Kamala Laxman, Helen, Cuckoo, Tiwari, Baby Naaz, Anwar Hussain, Minoo Mumtaz, Murad, Indira Bansal, Munshi, Bikram Kapoor, Romi, Adil

This is only film Shankar Jaikishan did for Producer Savak B Vacha, who died even before this film could complete. Also its SJ’s only film for Director Bimal Roy- a legend director, who happened to be producer also for many films- notable were Do Bigha Jamin, Parakh, Devdas, Madhumati etc. He normally worked with Bengali MDs like SDB and Salil Chaudhury, but I think, for Yahudi, Savak Vacha chose SJ.

This is based on historic theme of Romans and Jews (Yahudis) rivalary in Rome thousand of years ago. SJ, master of varieties as they are, blended their music perefectly with situation and time frame of story- lot of arabian touch in music. This movie is a masterpiece, not only for its music but also direction,  acting,screenplay, sets, dialogues, acting and lyrics. Bimal Roy, as we know, was a master director. Film’s dialogues were very popular, eg. “Tumhara khun khun, hamara khun pani hai”. Two great actors of Hindi movies, Sohrab Modi and Dileep Kumar were at their best. The sets were very good and able to create scene of Rome hundreds of year ago. As usual SJ’s music was adding to magic- not only songs but background music too. On top of that simple but soulful lyrics by Shailendra- this film has 7 songs, in which 6 were written by Shailendra and he won first filmfare award for “Ye mera diwanapan hai”.

In the film title, Only Dattaram’s name appeared as Asst. Music Director, so I believe Sebastian was not assisting SJ in this particular movie. Movie start with instrumental music of song “ye duniya , ye duniya” alongwith titles. For a change, this movie doesn’t have any title song. Also there are only 7 songs and its pity, IMO it should have atleast 3 more songs because its romantic story in backdrop of roman-yahudi rivalry and there is only one song picturised on hero Dilip Kumar. Definitely hero deserved couple of more songs- IMO. Out of 7, only 4 songs are picturised on main stars, 3 went to supporting cast. But Bimal Roy used songs’ beautifully to support flow of story and nowhere they looked unnecessary or coming in the way of story.

Here are the songs and commentary on them:

1) ye duniyaa, ye duniyaa, haa_e hamaarii ye duniyaa. Singers: Muhammad Rafi, Chorus; Lyricist: Shailendra

Picturised on supporting actor, only Md. Rafi song of film- lyrics and music give voice to pain of yahudis due to excesses by Romans. Md. Rafi did justice in expressing deep sorrow and pain.

2) bechain dil kho_ii sii nazar, tanhaaiyo.n me.n. Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt; Lyricist: Shailendra

Dance song by Lata and Geeta Dutt- picturised on Helen and Cukoo (?). Its treat to see this for dance lovers. Energy of orchestra and of dancers competing to each other. Traditional orchastrisation of SJ and fast rhythem but still very melodious song. You may not impress with song in first go but after hearing few times, you will fall in love with this song.  I feel SJ should have used Geeta Dutt for more songs in their films.

3) merii jaa.n merii jaa.n pyaar kisii se ho hii gayaa hai. Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Chorus; Lyricist: Shailendra

SJ were not getting best only out of singers but from chorus too and this is one of example. This is picturised on main heroine Meena Kumari who looks very young and beautiful and supporting actresses. Its a sheer melody and more you hear this song, more you will like it. And what a simple way to express feelings by Shailendra- “jinki nigahon ne ghayal kiya, unhi se lenge dil ki dawa, na ham muskurate na wo pas aate, uski mili hai saja kya kare….”

4) aate jaate pahluu mein aayaa ko_ii, mere dil batlaa na chhupaa. Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Chorus; Lyricist: Shailendra

Meena Kumari sings and dances while Dilip Kumar looks at hiding. Shankar Jaikishan actually known for variety and no other MD gave so many different kind of songs so you can not associate a single style with SJ but nevertheless by hearing some songs itself, especially their orchestra, you can identify them as SJ song and this is one of them. Use of violins, mendolin, congo, bongo and dattu ka thheka (dattaram’s rhythem)- a distinctive SJ song. The tune of mukhada is not so ‘catchy’ but antaras’ tunes are more attractive, especially when Lata take alaap aa, aa, aa…..and goes back to Mukhada. The continuously  playing rhythem instruments are the main attraction of this song.

5) dil se tujhko bedilii hai…ye meraa diiwaanaapan hai. Singer: Mukesh; Lyricist: Shailendra

Most hit song of the film, Mukesh beautifully expresses romantic as well as sad feelings at same time! Only song picturised on Dilip Kumar, which is quite unusual given the stardom Dilip kumar was enjoying and looking into his fondness for songs. Mukesh used to be voice of Dilip Kumar in late 40s and early 50s when Rafi was not established- In Naushad’s 1949’s superhit Andaz, Mukesh sang 6 evergreen song for Dilip Kumar while Rafi gave playback to Raj Kapoor!!But then Rafi and Talat Mehmood became voice of him, and Mukesh started getting identified more as Raj Kapoor’s voice. In early 1950s, Mukesh volunteerly left playback to pursue Acting career but miserably failed commercially and was struggling literally to get back his foothold in playback singing. It is said that this song and same year’s “Suhana safar aur ye mausam hasin” again picturised on Dilip Kumar gave him fresh lease of life and after that he never looked back till his death. Ironically he never sang for Dilip Kumar again. It is well known fact that Dilip Kumar wanted Talat to sing this song but Shankar was putting his full weight behind Mukesh. It is said that few people associated with movie wanted Rafi for this song. Shankarji has confirmed on record that Mukesh’s name was finalised by toss but even then Dilip Kumar wanted his approval before song finally goes to film and when he heard recording in voice of Mukesh, he embraced Shankarji for his judgement- for Shankarji made this song keeping Mukesh’s vocal in mind. The moment mukesh starts with lines “dil se tujko bediili hai..” one get immersed in melody of song. Interludes of song are very good and no need to write about orchestra which is outstanding by default as per SJ standard. Two lines of song repeats at the end also.

6) aa.nsuu kii aag leke terii yaad aa_ii, jalte hu_e raag leke. Singer: Lata Mangeshkar; Lyricist: Hasrat Jaipuri

Only Hasrat song of film, a very beautiful sad song, sang perfectly by Lata Mangeshkar. There is arabian touch to orchestrisation and instruments supporting singer like ‘chorus’. This is also one of the great feature of SJ songs, where musical instruments play such prominent role in some of songs, to such extent that without them song loose its sheen. Absolute melody- classic- what to say more?

7)dil me.n pyaar kaa tuufaan na samjhe ko_ii naadaan. Singer: Lata Mangeshkar; Lyricist: Shailendra

Picturised on supporting actress, I could not recognise- may be Kamla Laxman. This is very good dance number with long prelude. SJ used big orchestra for this but still its nowhere become loud. Needless to say Lata’s rendition was very good.

In summary, this is a classic SJ album, definitely in best 15 of them. Everything in music department was great here- lyrics, orchastrisation, rhythem, background music, preludes and interludes of songs, rendition by singers and picturisation- absolutely fantastic!!! !!!!!

I have pasted lyrics of songs in devnagri lipi below. Also given the links, where by clicking you will get lyrics in english fonts too. My sincere thanks to RajPrakashji Ratnam for providing me DVD of Yahudi twice, without which this review was not possible. Due to my limited knowledge of musical instuments and raags, I have not touched that part and that is lacking in review, but hopefully our learned members will add that in their comments to make review more meaningful.

Regards Hitesh

बेचैन दिल खोई सी नज़र – bechain dil kho_ii sii nazar ( Yahudi – 1958)

बेचैन दिल खोई सी नज़र तन्हाइयों में शाम\-ओ\-सहर तुम याद आते हो दिल नहीं पहलू में रह गईं दो आँखें जाने क्या\-क्या हमसे कह गईं दो आँखें सुनसान रातों में अक्सर जब चाँद पे जाती है नज़र तुम याद आते हो दिल तो दीवाना था हम भी क्या कर बैठे मर्ज़ जाने क्या था क्या दवा कर बैठे इक आह ठंडी सी भर कर उनसे कोई कह दे जा कर तुम याद आते हो हम तो ये समझे थे ख़त्म है अफ़साना उठ चुकी है महफ़िल रह गया वीराना हमको न थी लेकिन ये ख़बर ख़ुद हम कहेंगे रह\-रह कर तुम याद आते हो बेचैन दिल खोई सी ...

आँसू की आग ले के तेरी याद आई – aa.Nsuu kii aag le ke terii yaad aa_ii (Yahudi – 1958)

आँसू की आग लेके तेरी याद आई जलते हुए राग लेके तेरी याद आई शिक़वे हज़ार ले के तेरी याद आई हाय रे कैसी जुदाई रोता है गुँचा\-गुँचा आँगन उदास है अब दिल की आरज़ू को जलवों की प्यास है आँसू की आग लेके ... दोनों जहान तेरी चाहत में छोड़ दूँ प्यार का नाज़ुक रिश्ता कैसे मैं तोड़ दूँ आँसू की आग लेके ..

आते जाते पहलू में आया कोई – aate jaate pahaluu me.n aayaa koii (Yahudi – 1958)

आते जाते पहलू में आया कोई मेरे दिल बतला न छुपा आज से मैं तुझे दिल कहूँ या दिलरुबा तेरी सुनूँ और सुनती रहूँ मैं अपनी तड़प छुपा लूँ फिर भी कहाँ तक सब्र करूँ मैं खुद को कितना संभालूँ आते जाते   ... मस्त नज़र तूने ये क्या किया लिया ये कौन सा बदला है ये शराब\-ए\-नज़र का असर कि मुझे दिल भी न संभला आते जाते   ... तेरा तसव्वुर तेरा ही ग़म लबों पे अब तेरा तराना नींद से भी अब कहती हूँ मैं तू उनको ख़्वाब में लाना आते जाते   ...

दिल में प्यार का तूफ़ान ना समझे कोई नादान – dil me.n pyaar kaa tuufaan naa samajhe ko_ii naadaan ( Yahudi – 1958)

दिल में प्यार का तूफ़ान ना समझे कोई नादान ज़ालिम घूर\-घूर के देखे दूर\-दूर से दिल में प्यार का ... जिसके लिए मैं सारी रात जागी उसने ही देखो मेरी ख़बर न ली छेड़े मीठे राग मेरे दिल में जागे आग दिल में प्यार का ... ये बेरुख़ी न दुआ न सलाम मुझको वफ़ा का मिला ये ईनाम वादा करना था आसान जा देखा तेरा ईमान दिल में प्यार का ..

दिल से तुझको बेदिली है … ये मेरा दीवानापन है – dil se tujhako bedilii hai … ye meraa diivaanaapan hai ( Yahudi – 1958)

दिल से तुझको बेदिली है, मुझको है दिल का गुरूर तू ये माने के न माने, लोग मानेंगे ज़ुरूर ये मेरा दीवानापन है, या मुहब्बत का सुरूर तू न पहचाने तो है ये, तेरी नज़रों का क़ुसूर ये मेरा दीवानापन है ... दिल को तेरी ही तमन्ना, दिल को है तुझसे ही प्यार चाहे तू आए न आए, ह�� करेंगे इंतज़ार ये मेरा दीवानापन है ... ऐसे वीराने में इक दिन, घुट के मर जाएंगे हम जितना जी चाहे पुकारो, फिर नहीं आएंगे हम ये मेरा दीवानापन है ...

मेरी जाँ मेरी जाँ प्यार किसी से हो ही गया है – merii jaa.N merii jaa.N pyaar kisii se ho hii gayaa hai ( Yahudi – 1958)

मेरी जाँ मेरी जाँ प्यार किसीसे हो ही गया है, हम क्या करें \-२ हम क्या करें, और कोई क्या करे, दिल जो दिया है कोई क्या करे (भोली थी मैं, हाय क्या थी खबर लूटेगी यूँ मुझे उनकी नज़र) \-२ न होते मुक़ाबिल न दिल हारते हम ये अपनी ख़ता है, ग़िला क्या करें मेरी जाँ मेरी जाँ... (जिनकी निगाहों ने घायल किया लेंगे उन्हीं से दिल की दवा) \-२ न हम मुस्कुराते न वो पास आते उसकी मिली है हमको सज़ा, क्या करें मेरी जाँ मेरी जाँ ...

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#THEINCIDENCE @Nightingale of Bollywood Turns 89: 11 Little Known Stories About Lata Mangeshkar!

On her 89th birthday, we document some of the lesser-known stories about the legend’s life.

The Nightingale of Bollywood turned 89 today. She has recorded over 27,000 songs in 36 regional and foreign languages.

This is none other than legendary playback singer, Lata Mangeshkar. With melodious and soulful hits like Dafli Wale, Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, Dil To Pagal Hai, Luka Chupi, the woman who has earned herself the fond moniker of Lata Didi, enraptured the country with her ability to sing in the rare third octave.

But did you know Lata Didi’s original name is Hema? She was renamed Lata based on a character ‘Latika’ from her father’s play, BhaawBandhan.

And so, on her 89th birthday, we document some of the lesser-known stories about the legend’s life:

1. How her father discovered her singing talent at a tender age

A young Lata Mangeshkar.

Lata didi was born into a family of artists where her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar, a classical singer and theatre actor discovered her singing talent.

Deenanath ran a theatre company that produced musical plays where Lata started acting by the age of five.

Lata’s ability to sing Raag Puriya Dhanashree helped him discover her singing talent. Speaking to Stardust, she recalls, “It so happened that once my father asked his shagird (disciple) to practise a raag while he finished some work. I was playing nearby and suddenly a note of the raag that shagird was rendering, jarred. And the next minute, I was correcting him. When my father returned, he discovered a shagird in his own daughter.”

Lata’s father said to her mother, “We have a singer at home. We never knew it.”

2. A legend around why she left school

Lata & Asha – The Mangeshkar Sisters.

At five, Lata started working as an actress in her father’s Marathi musical plays, also known as ‘Sangeet Natak’.

On her first day at school, when she started teaching songs to other children, the teacher stopped her. While some believed that she stopped going to school because she was so angry, others said she left because they would not allow her to bring Asha.

3. Did you know that she made her singing debut in a studio at the age of 13?

Lataji learned music from stalwarts like Aman Ali Khan Sahib and Amanat Khan, apart from her father. She recorded her first song in 1942 for the Marathi film, Kiti Hasaal; but it never saw the light of day, as it was edited from the film. The song was called Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani. Although Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai is known as her Marathi song debut.

3. Did you know that she tried her hand at professional acting too?

After he father’s death in 1942, she tried her hand at acting until 1948 and acted in eight films. The oldest of five siblings–Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridaynath, Lata then shouldered the financial responsibility of the family.

Even though her acting career did not take off, she debuted with playback singing for Kiti Hasaal (1942).

4. She was told her voice was ‘too thin’ when she first started out in the industry

When she first entered the film industry as a playback singer, she was rejected. At the time, singers like Noor Jehan and Shamshad Begum ruled the roost. She was told her voice was ‘too thin’ for the time, in comparison to the heavy-nasal voices that belted hits.

Her major break came in 1949, with the song Aayega Aanewala from the film Mahal. She turned a sensation overnight with the song that not many can muster the courage to croon.

5. The time she moved Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears

The year was 1962. India had lost the war against China. When Lata Didi sang Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon to salute the martyrs of war, PM Nehru told her she had moved him to tears.

6. She was poisoned in 1962.

Naushad, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Majrooh Sultanpuri.

In 1962, when Didi fell extremely ill, her medical investigation revealed that she was given slow poison. She battled death for three days. Even though her life was saved, recovery was a long journey where she remained bedridden for three months.

It was later found that her cook had vanished from her home without taking his wages. For precautionary measures, late Bollywood lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri would regularly visit her, taste her food first and only then allow her to eat.

7. Didi’s love for Cricket, Madan Mohan and Saira Banu

With Madan Mohanji.

Her favourite game is cricket. Didi is reported to have a permanent gallery reserved for her at the Lord’s Stadium from where she enjoys watching her favourite game.

Of all the spectacular music directors she has worked with, Madan Mohan was closest to her heart.

“I shared a special relationship with Madan Mohan, which was much more than what a singer and a music composer share. This was a relationship of a brother and a sister. He trusted me to sing his best compositions,” she said in a 2011 collector’s item calendar.

Didi reportedly thinks her voice suits actress Saira Banu’s the best!

8. A global star!

The legendary singer’s fame goes far beyond the shores. In 1974, Didi became the first Indian to perform in the Royal Albert Hall, London. She has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by six universities, including the New York University.

France conferred its highest civilian award (Officer of the Legion of Honour) on Didi in 2007.

9. She served as an MP without charging a penny!

Didi was also nominated as a Member of Parliament. But her health restricted her from attending the sessions in the Rajya Sabha, which drew the ire of a few.

But according to a TOI report, it is said that she did not take a single penny or a salary or a house in Delhi for her services as an MP.

10. Her designs for a diamond company raked £105,000!

In 1999, the perfume Lata Eau de Parfum was launched in her honour. Didi also designed a collection called Swaranjali for an Indian diamond export company, Adora. Five pieces from this collection, when auctioned at Christie’s, earned £105,000 which Didi generously donated to the relief fund for the Kashmir earthquake in 2005.

11. Her last recorded song was in 2015

It was for an Indo-Pak gay love story. This means that from 1942 to 2015, she worked as a playback singer for 73 years!

In a career spanning seven decades, Didi has been bestowed several prestigious awards including the Bharat Ratna, India’s Highest Civilian Award. Didi became the second vocalist to ever receive it after M S Subbulakshmi!

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This unusual travel story – ‘Unexplored India Series – Kotla Sultan Singh – A Voyage of Emotions’, meant for the Non-Resident Indians, was published in the January 2014 issue of ‘NRI Achievers’, an NRI-focussed publication. It is a poignant account of my short visit to the legendary singer Mohammad Rafi’s birthplace.

Unexplored India Series – Kotla Sultan Singh – A Voyage of Emotions

A Blast from the Past

Many days of uncertainties, planning, and re-planning later, I finally left for Amritsar on 30th November 2013. I was to meet my friend after a gap of 30 years. Little did I know then that this journey was going to be more memorable than any I had ever undertaken!

Golden Temple at sunrise

After the first-day customary visit to the iconic Golden Temple, devouring some finger-licking delicious ‘Beere Da Chicken’ and witnessing an electrifying flag-lowering ceremony at Attari-Wagah border, my friend suggested that we visit a village next morning. Being from Punjab, such an invitation is always a welcome excitement for me. Upon enquiring, he mentioned we’d be visiting Kotla Sultan Singh. This name sounded vaguely familiar.

My friend JP who took me to Kotla Sultan Singh

Next morning, we drove off on Majitha Road – a road that forms a diagonal between the roads leading to Ajnala and Batala. Once on that road, for me, the penny dropped. I asked him if Kotla Sultan Singh is the village from where the famous singer, Late Mohammad Rafi, hailed. He responded in affirmative.

As an avid music lover, from then on, the next few hours were part-dream, part-nostalgia for me.

Entering Kotla Sultan Singh

Goosebumps and more

I have visited Shakespeare’s world-famous ‘Globe Theatre’ in London. While that visit was memorable, the feeling was nowhere close to what I was experiencing during my drive to Kotla Sultan Singh.

From my childhood to now, I do not remember a single day when Rafi Sahib’s soulful singing didn’t stir a feeling or two in me. Whilst the foot-tapping Shammi Kapoor numbers invariably surfaced during the happy-go-lucky moods, his romantic numbers floated by in the sub-conscious during the softer moments; when feeling low, an apt sad song by Rafi Ji would invariably come to mind, and similarly, during a festival or a special occasion, some other classic by him would fill the senses.

Farmhands at work in Kotla Sultan Singh

We drove past Majitha town, and my excitement started to mount. I instinctively knew we were very close to his village. My eyes were taking in every sight, sound, and smell along the way. The poplar-lined narrow, well-tarred road (for the most part) was cutting through the green vistas of a prosperous region that thrived in growing peas, potatoes, mustard, and wheat, besides many other vegetables, food grains, and cash crops. The traffic was sparse and mixed, with tractors rubbing shoulders with cars, buses, and bicycles. The farmhands and farmers were busy on their farms. While the air was crisp and fresh, the entire scene, calm and tranquil.

Erstwhile Urdu medium Primary School where Mohammad Rafi studied

Finding Rafi Ji’s Childhood Friend

A short dirt track through some houses finally led us out to a T-junction. To our right, we could see an entrance arch to a primary school which announced in Punjabi – Government Elementary School, Kotla Sultan Singh. We stopped there to make enquiries. We had heard that a schoolmate of Rafi Sahib still lived in the village. A gentleman, who was going about his business, very hospitably offered to help us find him and finally took us to Rafi Sahib’s schoolmate’s house.

Sardar Kundan Singh, Mohammad Rafi’s childhood friend

Sardar Kundan Singh, 87, was sitting in the open courtyard of his village home when we entered. His family warmly welcomed us. Given his age, and slight disability (partial paralysis), his grandson offered to act as the interpreter.

Kundan Singh Ji referred to Rafi Sahib as Pheeko (I learned later that was Rafi Sahib’s nickname). He shared that Rafi Sahib’s family belonged to Naai (barber) community, but in the same breath mentioned that during any weddings in the village, Rafi Sahib’s family would be responsible for making the sweets. Seeing my confusion, he was quick to clarify that ‘Naai’ community traditionally was responsible for all these odd jobs like cutting hair, making sweets, etc.

Bosom-buddy talks about the legend

He reminisced how Rafi sahib and a few other kids used to celebrate various festivals together. The normal mode of transportation those days was either horses or bicycles. Being young, they would often use these for visiting fairs in nearby villages. They were together till 4th standard, in the same Elementary School I mentioned earlier. Their main medium of education was Urdu, and their teacher was Mr. Nazeer Ahmed. The village had a population of just about 900 people. Their pastime was to go to the fields and help make jaggery, shepherd, or play eye-spies. And, while these games were on, Rafi Sahib would always be humming or singing.

He talked about how they were together till 1937 (the year Rafi Sahib’s family left for Lahore, as per his memory) and shared all that children of that age shared. Upon asking if he ever met Rafi Sahib again after he left for Lahore in 1937, he shared about his next and only meeting.

Mohammad Rafi’s bust in the new block of the school where he studied

It was 1956, and Rafi Sahib had a stage show in Amritsar. From the stage, he asked for Kundan Singh Ji by name on the mike. That’s when these childhood friends again met and hugged each other. Whilst sharing this, I could detect mixed feelings in Kundan Singh Ji’s faraway look – a hint of nostalgia, a touch of pride and a surge of emotion that moistened his eyes. And I realised that even my eyes had moistened.

The house that has replaced Mohammad Rafi’s childhood home

Walking about in Rafi Ji’s village

Kundan Singh’s Ji’s grandson then took us around – to a new house next door, where Rafi Sahib’s house used to be; to the Elementary School where Rafi Sahib had carved his name on the trunk of a mango tree, which had now been felled; and, to the new Higher Secondary School where Rafi Sahib’s statue had been erected. Silently, I went around, clicked some pictures, bade my goodbyes – my heart overflowing with emotion.

A plaque about Mohammad Rafi

As I left Kotla Sultan Singh…

During our drive back, all I could think of was the music lover’s pilgrimage I had just undertaken. It was 1st of December, and I realized if Rafi Sahib were alive today, he would have been 89 in another 3 weeks or so. The one song by Rafi Sahib that refused to get out of my head at that moment was – “Tum mujhe yoon, bhula na paaoge…” (You will not be able to forget me easily…)

Music Director Naushad had given a fitting tribute to this music great after he passed away. In complete agreement, I am privileged to share the same with you here:

“Kehta hai koi, dil gaya, dilbar chala gaya; Saahil pukarta hai, samandar chala gaya; Lekin jo baat sach hai, wo kehta nahi koi; Duniya se mosiaki ka, payambar chala gaya…”

(“Says someone, ‘the heart is gone, the heartthrob is gone’; The shore screams out ‘the entire sea is gone’; But what the truth is, no one is saying; From the world, the prophet of music is gone…”)

Like this series? Here is another of my Unexplored India Series posts – Collective Flight of the Demoiselles Cranes.

Unexplored India Series - Kotla Sultan Singh - A Voyage of Emotions - An offbeat travel to Mohammad Rafi Ji's birthplace This unusual travel story - 'Unexplored India Series - Kotla Sultan Singh - A Voyage of Emotions', meant for the Non-Resident Indians, was published in the January 2014 issue of 'NRI Achievers', an NRI-focussed publication.

Queens that made us ROFL: A flashback

Be it horror, melodrama or musical; comedy has remained a sub-genre within every genre. Providing a comic relief to the audiences in the midst of a suspense thriller or an emotional outbreak is a task that has always been assigned to the men. Comedy, typically and strangely, has never been the genre for women. Even today, we have no female actors to match with the likes of Akshay Kumar, Arshad Warsi and Varun Dhawan. Interestingly, many summers back, Bollywood saw a wave of comediennes who captured the funny bones of their audiences, made them roll on the floor with laughter and have left an indelible impression in their hearts. We bring to you a list of some of the most loved and popular Queens of Comedy!    

Tun Tun

Image source: Medium

Uma Devi Khatri is hailed as the first comedienne of Hindi cinema. Actor Dilip Kumar renamed her as Tun Tun, which became her screen name. Born in Uttar Pradesh, music fascinated her. A few years later, she ran away from her home to Mumbai to pursue her dream of making it big as a playback singer. Naushad Ali launched her voice in Wamiq Azra in 1946. Due to intense competition, she moved to acting on the recommendation of Ali.  She claimed to be a big fan of Dilip Kumar and told Ali that she would act only if her big break came in a film with Kumar. Finally, she made her debut in Dilip Kumar-Nargis starrer Babul in 1950. Soon, a comic legend was born. She came to be known for her effervescent personality, myriad forms of facial expressions and impeccable comic timing. She was famous for shedding off her real life persona and effectively slipping under the skin of any character she took up without being conscious of her image. Despite sharing screen space with Madhubala in Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955) and Amitabh Bachchan in Namak Halal (1982), she managed to create a noteworthy frame for herself. In a career spanning several decades, she worked with other comic actors such as Johnny Walker, Bhagwan Dada and Keshto Mukherjee and established herself equal to her male peers. The 60s and the 70s belonged to Tun Tun who became a permanent comic relief in Hindi films. Her performance in films like Aabroo (1968, as Whiskey Rani), Pandit Aur Pathan (1977, as Champakali), Coolie (1983, as the mother to seven babies) and Shehzaade (1989, as Hitler’s bride) were praised and remembered to this day. She broke norms and set a new trend that was taken ahead by Sri Devi and Hema Malini.

Manorama

Image source: Desimartini

Remember Champa from Ek Phool Do Maali (1969), or the more popular tyrannical Chachi from Seeta Aur Geeta (1972)? Yes, that is Manorama for you. Born as Erin Isaac Daniel, she started her career as a leading lady in the 40s. She came to be known as Manorama, which became her screen name, after she played a character of the same name in the 1941 pre-partition blockbuster Khazanchi. Thereafter, she shifted to comic and antagonistic roles. When asked the reason for the shift, she said in an interview with BBC in 2015 - “If I had chosen to act only as a heroine then I would have disappeared from the scene long ago.” She carved a niche for herself as a woman with superb comic timing and her idiosyncrasies such as exaggerated expressions, angry rants, iconic frown, eloquent eye movements and dramatic eye-lashes. Subsequently, she became famous as the stubborn wife with a henpecked husband. She made her own mark and held on her own despite sharing the same frame with acclaimed actors like Kishore Kumar, Madhubala, Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rahman and Rajesh Khanna in films like Half Ticket (1962), Mujhe Jeeno Do (1963) and Mehboob Ki Mehendi (1971). Bombay To Goa (1971) achieved a cult status and became a very significant part of Manorama’s oeuvre as she shared screen space with some of the best comic actors of her times – Keshto Mukherjee, Mehmood, Sukhri, Sunder, Asit Sen and Oscar.

Preeti Ganguly

Image source: OshoNews

Actor Ashok Kumar’s younger daughter Preeti Ganguly rose to eminence as a comic actress in the 70s and 80s. She became popular for her role in Basu Chatterjee’s Khatta Meetha (1978) as Freni Sethna, a big Amitabh Bachchan fan. In a career spanning 14 years, she appeared in 30 films as a comic relief. She, predominantly, played frumpy characters that made her a favourite among audiences. She featured in most of her films as an overly healthy woman. This was the sole criteria of being and making it big as a comic artist back in the day. When she began to shed some weight, she stopped getting film offers. She is remembered for her roles in films like Dillagi (1978), Chor Ke Ghar Chor (1978), Damaad (1978) and Jhoota Kahin Ka (1979).

Remembering Tun Tun on her 95th birth anniversary. Tun Tun (11 July 1923 – 24 November 2003) was the screen name of playback singer and actress-comedian, Uma Devi Khatri, who was called "Hindi cinema's first-ever comedienne". She arrived in Bombay (Mumbai) at the age of 23, having run away from home, and knocked on composer Naushad Ali's door. She told him that she could sing and that she would throw herself in the ocean if he didn't give her a chance. He auditioned her, and hired her on the spot. She made her debut as a solo playback singer, in Nazir's Wamiq Azra (1946). Soon she signed a contract with the producer-director A.R. Kardar, who used Naushad as music director, and went on make a place for herself amidst music stalwarts like Noor Jehan, Rajkumari, Khursheed and Zohrabai Ambalewali. In 1947, she had huge hits with "Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon Dil-e-beqarar ka", "Yeh Kaun Chala Meri Aankhon Mein Sama Kar", and "Aaj Machi Hai Dhoom Jhoom Khushi Se Jhoom", which she sang for actress Munawar Sultana in A.R. Kardar's Dard (1947), again under the music direction of Naushad; she also sang a duet, "Betaab Hai Dil Dard-e-Mohabat Ke Asar Se", with Suraiya In fact, a gentleman from Delhi was so enamoured by her song, "Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon", that he stayed with her in Bombay. They got married, and the couple had two daughters and two sons; her husband, whom she called Mohan, died in 1992. Success of Dard meant that she next received Mehboob Khan's Anokhi Ada (1948), which again had two hit numbers, "Kahe jiya dole" and "Dil ko lagake humne kuch bhi na paya". This brought her into the league of highly rated playback singers. She reached her peak as a vocalist in director S.S. Vasan's "Chandralekha" (1948) made by Gemini Studios, Chennai. Her seven songs, which include hits like, "Saanjh ki bela", remain her most accomplished work in her singing career; though signing the film also meant a breach of contract with producer-director Kardar, which led to her dwindling fortunes in the industry. Moreover, in following years, owing to her older style of singing and limited vocal range, she found it difficult to compete with the rising singing stars, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Eventually Naushad suggested that she take up acting, because she had a very bubbly personality and wonderful comic timing. He asked his friend Dilip Kumar to cast her in one of his films, and she appeared in Babul (1950) with him, which had Nargis as the lead actress; it is he who renamed her as 'Tun Tun' to suit her comic persona, the name stayed with her, and a comedic legend was born. She went on to act in Guru Dutt's classics like Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) and Pyaasa (1957). In the 1960s and 1970s, she was a permanent comic relief in numerous Bollywood films, a few years down the line, she most notably starred in Amitabh Bachchan starrer, Namak Halaal (1982), a Prakash Mehra's blockbuster. In her career spanning five decades, she acted in around 198 films in Hindi/Urdu and other languages like Punjabi etc, pairing with top comedy actors of her times like Bhagwan Dada, Agha, Sunder, Mukri, Dhumal, Johnny Walker and Keshto Mukherjee. She was last seen in Hindi film in 'Kasam Dhande Ki' (1990).

Remembering Bharat Bhushan, one of the finest actors of Hindi cinema, on his 98th birth anniversary.

Bharat Bhushan (June 14, 1920 – January 27, 1992) was an actor in Hindi language films, scriptwriter, and producer, who is best remembered for playing Baiju Bawra in the 1952 film of the same name. He was born in Meerut and brought up in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.

He made his debut with the Kidar Sharma hit, Chitralekha (1941). However, he struggled for over a decade to make a mark in Hindi movies till Baiju Bawra (1952), which gave him instant stardom and legendary status along with Mohammad Rafi, Meena Kumari and Naushad Ali. Though a very talented actor and a prominent star of the 1950s and 1960s in Hindi language films, he often took on roles of tragic musicians in the movies. Films in which he starred as lead actor include Basant Bahar.

"He portrays historical and mythological characters the best in Hindi movies," states contemporary actor-producer Chandrashekar. He wrote scripts and stories for Barsat Ki Raat, Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal, Basant Bahar, Dooj Ka Chand, etc. He was the producer of Dooj Ka Chand. His brother R. Chandra made many films such as Bebus, Minar, and Basant Bahar.

He was the recipient of the second Filmfare best actor award for the film Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in 1954. Most of the great songs of major singers of that period Rafi, Manna Dey, Talat, and Mukesh were pictured on him. He was the first chocolate-faced good-looking star of Hindi films. He was one of the few actors who had a good sense of music, so most music-based movies were made with him in lead roles in the 1950s and 1960s.

He acted in Hindi language movies until the 1990s. He is still loved and revered by the Indians for the great movies and great songs that he gave in spite of personal tragedies and stiff competition from his contemporaries. He is considered to be one of the greatest stars and legends of Hindi cinema.

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Remembering Khemchand Prakash the legendary music composer on his 68th death anniversary. The Hindi film industry is known to be ruthlessly forgetful about some of its legends, and music director Khemchand Prakash is one of them. His timeless creations have been a part of our lives for over 60 years now. Few know that greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar and Naushad were mentored by him. But the creator of these musical gems, and the mentor of this league of stalwarts is now largely forgotten. Khemchand Prakash was born in Jaipur in 1907 where his father Goverdhan Das was a Dhrupad singer and Kathak dancer in the royal court of Madho Singh II, and the boy, Khemchand got his first training in music and dance from his father. Khemchand Prakash began his career in the early 30s. He was assistant to famed composer Timir Baran on KL Saigal's classic Devdas (1935) before branching out on his own. His initial years had a few significant films like Pardesi, Holi and Fariyaad. Khursheed was his leading singer and both of them gave a lot of hits of the early 40s. 1941’s Pardesi turned out to be a big hit and made Khursheed a big star. But it was in 1943 that came a film which pushed Khemchand Prakash much ahead of the other music directors of the era and the film was KL Saigal starrer Tansen, considered one of the finest musicals. Diya jalaao jagmag jagmag, Rumjhum rumjhum chal tihari, More balpan ke saathi,Sapt suran teen gram... are musical gems that have not their lost shine even after seventy years. Although he composed for several films on the trot, including the KL Saigal starrer Tansen (1943), his first film as a composer Ghazi Salahuddin (1939) deserves special mention. The special thing about Ghazi Salahuddin (1939) is that Khemchand Praksh gave another struggler a chance as his assistant. This struggling composer was Naushad. Naushad started his career by assisting Ustad Jhande Khan and Khemchand Prakash. 1948 marked yet another significant film in Khemchand’s career - Bombay Talkies’s Ziddi, in which he gave Kishore Kumar his first major break as a singer with the song “Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu...” Khemchand began his career with the musical legend of KL Saigal on the horizon, and ended it when a new star, Lata Mangeshkar started to rise. Mahal, Tansen, Pardesi and Ziddi are just a few samples of Khemchand Prakash’s talent in the short span of his career. Khemchand Prakash has to his credit some classic gems. The most famous of all is ‘Aayega Aanewala’ from Mahal (1949), the song that made Lata Mangeshkar an overnight sensation. The haunting melodies and brilliant orchestration of Mahal, set the foundation for the golden period of Hindi film music of the 50s. Unfortunately, Khemchand Prakash did not survive long enough to see the success of Mahal or the shaping of the golden era of the Hindi film music of the 50s. He passed away on August 10, 1950 at the relatively young age of 42. His immediate family, consisting of his wife Sridevi and daughter Chandrakala, didn’t get the required support from the industry and went through tough times financially. Chandrakala, who was a very good dancer like her father, had to do some small dancing roles in films to earn an income. Khemchand Prakash will be remembered for erecting ‘mahals' of melody.

SEBASTIAN D’SOUZA – THE MUSIC ARRANGER A MUSICAL LEGEND

by Dr Padmanabh K. Joshi

If you listen to a film song composed by maestros Shanker-Jaikishan, O. P. Nayyar or Salil Chowdhury, you also hear a tune being played along with the song in the background. This parallel tune is created with violin, cello, piano, Spanish guitar or an organ. This “parallel tune for a song” technique, known as a Counter-Melody, was introduced in SJ music a musician – a violinist from Goa – Mr. Sebastian D’Souza. Sebastian D’Souza was a pioneer in creating counter-melody in film songs. This technique became popular and from 1950 onwards Sebastian became a well-known and most wanted Music Arranger of many music directors of Hindi Film industry.

Sebastian was born on 29 January 1906 in Reis-Megos, Goa. He learnt to play the violin and piano in a local church school. While learning these instruments, he also learnt to write music notation. It was during this time that he listened to the famous symphonies of well-known composers of the western world, namely, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Haydon and Richard Wagner. Deeply interested in violin and piano, Sebastian continued his learning and went place to place like Allahabad, Mussorie and Delhi. At Delhi, in Hotel Astoria, he started his own band and people appreciated it. In 1942, he went to Lahore, and in Hotel Stiffels, he started his own band. This continued until 1947. After partition, he went to Bombay and started his career as a violinist in the film industry. He played for well-known music directors like Anil Biswas, Naushad, Vinod, Ghulam Haider, Husnalal-Bhagatram, S. D. Burman, Sajjad Hussain and Shanker-Jaikishan.

He started his career as a Music Arranger in 1948-49 with O. P. Nayyar when Nayyar recorded his first song “Preetam aan milo.....” sung by C. H. Atma and written by Mrs. Saroj Mohini Nayyar (O. P. Nayyar’s wife) . After three years, Nayyar signed his first film, Dalsukh Pancholi’s “Aasman”, as an independent music director. At that time, he called Sebastian to work as his Arranger. Sebastian, thus, started his career as an arranger with O. P. Nayyar in 1952 which he continued till 1973. The last film for which he worked with O. P. Nayyar was ‘Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye’. Incidentally this was also the last film of singer Asha Bhosale with Nayyar. In 1952, Sebastian’s friend Sunny Castellino, who worked as an arranger for Shanker-Jaikishan, introduced Sebastian to the duo. So Sebastian started as Shanker-Jaikishan’s arranger from 1952 with Amiya Chakravarty’s Daag, and continued until 1975. Film Sanyasi was Sebastian’s last film with them. In film Daag as an arranger, Sebastian’s most successful innovative work was the creation of a memorable counter-melody for a song sung by both Talat Mehmood and Lata Mangeshker –‘Ai mere dil kahin aur chal.....’ According to Sebastian, in this song he used the accordion for creating counter-melody along with violin and mandolin. And the result was excellent. Sebastian used accordion for interlude music in a number of songs but its use as the main instrument for counter-melody was rare.

Using cellos and piano to support his counter-melodies of violin obbligato, he arranged a number of memorable songs. A few examples: Kya huva O muze kya huva (Jis Deshmen Ganga Bahti hai), Raat ke hum safar (An Evening in Paris), Aaja re aa jara aa (Love in Tokyo), Soja re soja & Bol re Kath Putli (Kathputli), Aaj kal men dhal gai (Beti Bete), Aaja aai bahar & Janevale Jara (Raj Kumar). These are a few examples of the songs in which one can experience the beauty of counter-melodies that Sebastian created with a unique combination of violins and cellos. Another of his specialties was using chorus with violin, cello & piano combinations. A few examples: Bol re Kath Putli (Kathputli), Aa ab Laut Chale (Jis Deshmen Ganga Bahti Hai), Dil ke Jharukhemen (Brahmachari) and the musical fountain sequence in film Around the World etc.

While working with Shanker-Jaikishan, the first challenge that he faced was that both Shanker and Jaikishan preferred Indian Classical Raag based tunes. And to create counter-melodies, interlude music as well as background music, he had to learn the basics of Indian classical music during his busiest recording schedules. Sebastian found this very interesting and it helped him very much during his career as an arranger. If you listen to songs of SJ like Koi Matvala aaya...(Love in Tokyo), all the songs of film Basant Bahar, all the songs from film Amrapali and many classical raag based songs in which he created counter-melodies and interlude music, his mastery over both classical music as well as western music is well experienced. Combination of sitar & violin, cellos almost became an expertise of Sebastian’s counter-melody and interlude music. The last film that Sebastian worked on for Shanker-Jaikishan was Sanyasi, it was a challenge to Sebastian as all the songs as well as the background music of the film was based on Raag Bhairavi. And he succeeded remarkably. It was a record that an Arranger like Sebastian worked continuously for Shanker-Jaikishan for 23 years without break. Sebastian enjoyed very much working with SJ as he recalled it was a great teamwork – Shanker, Jaikishan, Shailendra, Hasrat, Sebastian & Dattaram. He remembered that as Shanker was a great song composer, Jaikishan was a rare background music composer. Sebastian, along with Jaikishan, Dattaram and Raj Kapoor completed the background music of Mera Naam Joker in 5 days......

Shanker-Jaikishan being lovers of Indian Classical Music, composed a LP record titled Raga Jazz Style in which they presented 11 Raga in Jazz style. Sebastian arranged the music and wrote the notations.

Sebastian also worked for great music directors like Salil Chowdhury, Vasant Desai, S. D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Dattaram and N. Datta.

Sebastian expressed his gratitude to well-known music maestros like Robert Correa, Mike Machado - the Pianists, Albuquerque, Verga, Simplicio D’Souza, John Gonsalves - the Cellists, V. Balsara, Goody Seervai – the Accordionists, Duorado, Narvekar, Karnard – the solo Violinists and David – the Mandolin player.

He also recalled few music arrangers of his time like Johny Gomes, Castellino, Chic Chocolate, Ram Singh, Rizbert and Franky. I asked Sebastian, how individual music directors could maintain their originality as well as identity even when he worked for them as their Arranger? He answered that he never interfered with their original tune.

Sebastian’s remarkable contribution was his ability to combine Western orchestra with the Indian. His are the songs which we remember even today due to the richness of his musical arrangements and the variations in his melodies.

Sebastian was a complete musician. His music lovers will remember his music for years to come. ---------------------------