Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – November 2014

Welcome to November, 2014 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

We begin our journey with anniversary tributes.

Manna Dey – First Death Anniversary

• Five classic Manna Dey tunes to mark the singer’s first death anniversary

The post lists Manna Dey’s five most iconic songs:

§ Dil Ka Haal Sune Dilwala – Shree 420 (1955) | Shanker Jaikishan

§ Tu Pyar Ka Saagar Hai – Seema (1955) | Shanker Jaikishan

§ Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dwaare – Delkh Kabira Roya (1957) | Madan Mohan

§ Ae Meri Zohara Zabeen – Waqt (1965) | Ravi

§ Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli Haae – Anand (1970) | Salil Chaudhary

• Remembering Manna Dey on his first death anniversary

Also lists author’s choices 10 Manna Dey songs.

Mandatory Sahir Post of the week! – on his 34^th death anniversary on 25^th October

We select two songs form the post here;

• Laage Tose Nain (Chandi Ki Deewar, 1964, N.Dutta) – Talat Mahmood , Asha Bhosle

• Ishwar Allah Tere Naam (Naya Raasta, 1970, N.Dutta) – Mohammad Rafi and Chorus

Sahir Ludhyanwi also has a range of devotional songs to his credit – Allah Tero Naam (Hum Dono), and then that brilliant Asha song from Kaajal, Tora Man Darpan Kehlaye and that fervent Rafi prayer from Naya Daur, Aana Hai Toh Aah Raah Mein

A tribute to S.D. Burman – 39^th Death Anniversary on 31 October

Author writes – SDB is one of favorite music directors. O.P. Nayyar is another music director I have a special fondness for.

Remembering Rehman… An extremely talented but highly underrated actor with a powerful screen presence

We pick up these songs form the post:

• Gali Gali Sita Roye (1960, Chhalia, Kalyanji-Anandji) : Mohammad Rafi, singing for Raj Kapoor
• Jis Pyaar Mein Yeh Haal Ho (1958, Phir Subah Hogi, Khayyam) : Mohammad Rafi and Mukesh – Rehmaan teams in pricking Raaj Kapoor

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar

Our pick is:

• Haye Tabassum Tera (Nishaan,1965, MD: Usha Khanna): Mohammad Rafi and its female version sung by Asha Bhosle

The Unforgettable Geeta Dutt .. (so) ironical that her first super hit song was to be eventually prophetic about her short, tragic life – Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya, Main Prem Mein Sab Kuch Haar Gayi, Bedard Zamaana Jeet Gaya!

Our Picjk is:

• Chand Hai Wohi Sitaare Hai Wohi Gagan (1953, Parineeta, Arun Kumar)

Salil Chaudhary – versatile, experimenting, melodious

• A tribute to a master – Salil Choudhary – Measuring up to the task of presenting 10 of a vast range of songs
• The revolutionary music genius: Salil Chaudhary – article penned by Sadanand Warrier (a.k.a. SSW in the comments to various articles) as a first in the series of articles.

Happy Birthday, Sitara Devi!

..seven scenes represent a pretty nice range…Some of these are very lively and energetic dances, because she was extremely energetic (as Saadat Hasan Manto pointed out when he called her a typhoon). …also included are a couple of slower and less frenetic scenes that highlight her individual humor and unique expressions, because these have been an important aspect of her performances, too.

The Doyenne of Vintage Era: Khursheed

….. such a prominent singer of the Vintage Era.. Endowed with a full-throated, open and powerful voice… Vintage Era refers to not only a period of time, i.e. the 1930s through 40s, but also, and more importantly, a different style of singing, which became extinct with the arrival of Lata Mangeshkar….. No singer represented this contrast better than Khursheed

Anil Biswas’s songs for Bombay Saigal: Surendra

…because of contractual difficulties inherent in the Studio Era, Anil Biswas could not compose for KL Saigal, even though their careers overlapped for over a decade, half of which was in Bombay itself where Saigal shifted from Calcutta in the early 40s. But, when Saigal was becoming a national sensation with the New Theatres in Calcutta, especially after Devdas (1935), Bombay was looking for its own Saigal, and its prayers were soon answered in Surendra – a tall, handsome young man, with a melodious voice, from Lahore.

Musical Shammi Kapoor

…When you speak of Shammi Kapoor, music cannot be far behind. All his films had that in common – melodious songs that were loud and energetic, joyous and boisterous, soft and romantic… the songs chosen (here) had him playing one instrument or another, or even multiple instruments in the same song…

We now take up visits to different sites which have several articles for our view:

Scroll .in

§ Remembering the Jewish refugee who composed the All India Radio caller tune

All India Radio’s caller tune has been heard by hundreds of millions of people since it was composed in 1936. Somewhat improbably, the melody, based on raga Shivaranjini, was composed by the Czech man.. Walter Kaufmann. He was the director of music at AIR and was one of the many Jewish refugees who found a haven in India from the Nazis.

Here’s a clip of one of his tunes, titled Meditation

§ Rediscover the virtuosity of Hindustani vocalist Amir Khan … a bandish ki thumri in raag Khamaj that he sang for the Bengali film Kshudhita Pashan. The music for this film was composed by sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan.

§ ‘Sun Mere Bandhu Re’: The double notes of S.D. Burman’s life – The thing about great stories is that there are a million way to say them and this is what makes reading Sathya Saran’s Sun Mere Bandhu Re ‒The Musical World of S. D. Burman a pleasure unlike any recent biography.

§ Before movie trailers, Indian producers used song booklets to publicise films – Ever since the release of India’s first talkie, Alam Ara, in 1931, songs have had the power of making or breaking a movie. Some releases scored big at the box-office only because of their repeat-value soundtracks. For music fans, the song booklet outlived the movie and became a record of who wrote the lyrics and who appeared in the production.

§ What’s Lata doing in a Britney Spears song? Western tunes with unlikely Bollywood samples – It’s not only Indian artists who get inspired by music from elsewhere. American music producers, with their penchant for overproduction and constant search for new, exotic sounds, have been sampling Bollywood music for years now. And it’s turned up in the most unlikely of places.

Songs, Stories, Books and More…

• Sau Baar Janam Lenge (Ustadon Ke Ustad, 1963)– The “dead” lover is singing to a distraught Shakila and is asking her to be hopeful….”Sau Baar Janam Lenge, Sau Baar Fanaa Honge, Aye Jaanewafa phir bhi Hum Tum Na juda honge….. Ustadon Ke Ustad was remade in Tamil as Vallavanukku Vallavan (1965). Sau Baar Janam Lenge is rehashed as Orayiram Parvayile, down to the picturisation!
• Gaye Ghabra ke Mil Do Dhadakte Se Dil (Paying Guest, 1957) – Deleted song – It is also the only song Geeta Dutt sings in Paying Guest… An interesting aside about this tune is that this is a rehash of a Bengali number sung by Burmanda himself. The original song is Tumi Ar Nei Sei Tumi.
• A tweet, a new song and Aar Paar (1954) – Nadiya Paar Paar Karke, Tukde Chaar Chaar Karke, Kahin Door Kahin.. Woh Chali. .. this is NOT a new song at all. The portion – Zara Halke Halke is a direct lift from a song from the Pakistani film Anokhi (1956) which has an uncanny resemblance to Na Na Na Tauba Tauba Main Na Pyaar Karoongi (Aar Paar, 1954) – Geeta Dutt and Mohammad Rafi – O P Nayyar.

Before we switch over to our customary Mohammad Rafi ending of the carnival, we have a few more posts to visit –

• My Favourites: Songs of First Love – What happens when you find that special someone? When Cupid’s arrows strike your heart, when one smile, one glance is enough to make your heart beat faster? How does it feel like to be in love? For that very first time?…..There is a special place in our poems and literature for pehla pyar. Perhaps it is the implication of innocence….the first realisation that someone else has become so important to your happiness….the hopes that he or she feels the same way about you….the dreams of living together forever…the expectation of happiness. … As always, Hindi films celebrate that first flush of love with songs. Seek, and ye shall find a cornucopia of songs that soak in this emotion…these songs that express many different shades of the same emotion.
• Leke Pahela Pahela Pyar – Two other artists with Dev Anad and Shakeela were Sheela Vaz and Shyam Kappor, an assistant to Guru Dutt… the article narrates Shyam Kapoor’s fond memories of Gurudutt films, while updating on the present life of Shyam Kapoor.

Our friend Bhagwan Thavrani writes in to send the video clip – Woh dekho udhar chaand – Roop Kumari (1956) – Geeta Dutt , Manna Dey , because SN Tripathi has made exact replica later in 1961 as Nigahon mein tum ho – Jadoo Nagri. – Lata Mangeshkar

And now over to exclusive articles on Mohammad Rafi…

• Combination of LP and Rafi in the films of Dharmendra and Jeetendra in the 1960s – By Dr. Souvik Chatterji – During 60s LP composed music for 71 films, which had pivotal songs of Mohammad Rafi.
• HEADY WINE : Rafi-Dada Burman By K.V.Ramesh – Like many of his contemporaries SD Burman started out with his scores dominated by female voices. Shamshad Begum and Geeta Roy / Dutt were the two earlier voices usually associated with Dada Burman. The trend for male voices was seemingly straight forward – to replace Saigal Rafi sang his first song for S.D.Burman in ‘Do Bhai’(1947). Raja Mahendi Ali Khan’s ‘Duniya mein meri aaj andhera hi andhera’ is very Saigal inspired in so far as singing style goes.. In a movie dominated by two Geeta Roy killers – ‘Yaad karoge’ and ‘Mera sundar sapna beet gaya’ (both sung and emoted with exquisite pain) – it was but natural that this song probably sank without a trace and it’s not present in public consciousness.
• Rafi’s Pancham note By Anuj Sharma – The combination of Rafi and Pancham produced around 110 songs and barring 4 – 5 songs each and every song of this combination was a gem….Even before Chhote Nawab happened in 1961, RD had already chosen Rafi for his first independent assignment under Guru Dutt Productions’ Raaz in around 1957. An eighteen year old Pancham had selected Rafi, Geeta Dutt and Hemant Kumar as his first set of singers for his first film….R.D’s third film ‘Teesra Kaun’ released in 1965 carried one solo by Rafi- ‘Meri jaan tu khafa hai to kya huwa’….. Do you hear SJ tune in the song????

——————————

P.S. – Even before the post was published, Sitara Devi put the curtain down on her LIVE performances on 25-11-2014.