Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – July 2015

Welcome to July, 2015 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

As always we begin with posts dedicated to tributes.

How the groovy saxophonist Manohari Singh helped redefine Hindi film music – Rudradeep Bhattacharjee – Known for his solo in the super-hit ‘Satta Bazaar’, he was an important figure during the golden era of Hindi film music. It’s his fifth death anniversary on 13th July 2015. SD Burman asked him to play for the background score of ‘Sitaron Se Aage’ (1958) and then in his subsequent films. Some of vary famous pieces:

• Tumhe Yaad Hoga Kabhi Ham Mile The – Satta Bazar (1959).
• Jaa Re Ud jaa Re Panchchi – Maya (1961)
• Hai Duniya Usi Ki Jamana Usi Ka – Kashmir Ki Kali (1964)
• Raag Kalavati – Raag Jazz Style – Shanker Jaikishan (1968)

Even before ‘Pyaasa’, the shadows had started gathering in Guru Dutt’s ‘Mrs & Mrs 55’ – Nasreen Munni Kabir – To mark the filmmaker’s 90th birthday, we revisit the movie that signaled a maturing of style but also anticipated the turn towards darker material in his subsequent works.

Unfinished business: The movies that Guru Dutt announced and abandoned – Karan Bali – The celebrated director, actor and producer was responsible for several classics. But he also left many aborted projects.

An Afternoon Tryst with Madan Mohan and Lata Mangeshkar – an always welcome combination.

Anatomy of a Debate: Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) sums up extreme reactions of both affection and disgust from modern viewers.

Sanjeev Kumar was one of those few actor-stars to whom the role meant more than anything in the world…..he chose to tread the path set down by other actor-stars such as Motilal and Balraj Sahni and rewrote many of the conventions of Bollywood rather than follow the conventional star system.

Naushad’s exceptional Mukesh – a tribute on Mukesh’s 92nd birth anniversary (22 July 1923 – 27 August 1976) – presents 10 gems from 26 songs that Naushad composed in all with Mukesh.

We now turn to our other regular posts:

Memorable Guitar songs where a guitar is heard in the song. The post contains a medley of guitar pieces from 15 songs, the catchy prelude in the chart buster song – Dum maro dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna) and the 15 handpicked songs on the player

[More] Dances from Indian Dance Group Mayuri, from Petrozavodsk, Russia from the films came out at different times between the early’60s and the present decade. (The first dance is from a film made in the present decade, and it is not even Hindi; it’s Marathi.)

My favourite ‘car’ songs are with caveats that All the songs would have to take place for at least 80% in a moving car and No actor would feature in more than one song. (There is one exception – Guru Dutt. But well, he isn’t singing in either, so should not count!)

My favourite songs with the word ‘Badal/ Badra’ is a list of 10 songs that have the words badal or badra or badarva in the first line of the song and not a ‘My favourite Cloud Songs‘ post because I have left out songs with megha and ghata. We have picked two songs here:

• O Badal Ghir aaye – Karwat (1949) – Asha Bhosle and Geeta Dutt – Hansraj Behl
• Yeh rang bhare badal – Tu nahin aur sahi (1960) – Mohammad Rafi & Asha Bhosle – Ravi

Wedding Songs – And Beyond incorporates various elements that lead up to a wedding and its aftermath.

Some songs from Gopinath 1948 has remembered Ayee Gori Radhika – Neenu Majumdar and Meena Kapoor [The song seems to have provided the base inspiration for Satyam Shivam Sundaram’s Yashomati Maiya Se Bole Nandlala]. To which we add up other songs to update the records:

• Bali Umr Piya Mera Jiya Na Maane – Shamshad Begum and Chorus
• Jab Se Dekha Hai Tumhen – Raj Kapoor by Raj Kapoor himself
• O Bahutero Samjayo Ri Lakhan bar – Shamshad Begum –
• Main Birahan Jaagun Jagat Sab Sove – Meena Kapoor
• Kare Badar Baras Baras Kar Jayen (Solo) Ninu Majumdar
• Kare Badar Baras Baras Kar Jayen – Ninu Mazumdar and Meena Kapoor
• Aayee Sawan Ki Rut Hamare Jagmag Dole Jiya – Shamshad Begum
• Sakhi Mohe Neend Aye Ho – Meena Kapoor

MUSINGS has critically carved out the career path of Nutan – 1950 – 1951[Cradle, Cheshire Cat?], 1952- 1954 [The delicate Bud], 1955-1956 [The Pink Tip], 1957-1958 [The Rosebud], 1959-1960 [Parijata], 1962 – 1963 [Eternal Spring], and 1963-1970 [Bed of Thorns] – banking upon a good deal of well- reasoned research and well-presented chain of personal observations and opinions. There several more posts, which I would suggest that you take up directly at the blog.

Five psychedelic sitar classics by Ananda Shankar – Nate Rabe – The most low-key member of the fabulous Shankar family, Ananda Shankar created funky sitar versions of ‘Light My Fire’ and ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’. Listen to these tracks as a single playlist here on YouTube channel.

Five Pakistani-Christian singers who were the mainstay of Lollywood’s golden years – Nate Rabe – An introduction to Salim Raza (aka Noel Dias), Irene Parveen and more . We have picked up this one as an interesting illustration: Yaaro Mujhe Maaf Karo Mein Nashe Main Hun – Salim Raza – Saat Lakh. There are several illustrious versions of this nazm. We will take one by Ghulam Ali on records here and may take up other versions in a separate post at a more opportune platform.

Book Review: Sidharth Bhatia’s ‘The Patels of Filmindia: Pioneers of Indian Film Journalism’ – If nothing else, then the book ought to be read for the art, the ads, the feel of the 30s, the 40s, the 50s. Even the 60s. -The golden age of Hindi cinema.

Posts culling out excerpts from Jai Arjun Singh, a.k.a Jabberwock’s book on Hrishikesh Mukherjee: a photo from the Satyakam set; Biswajit and a five-year-old movie star and Hrishi-da in a house full of bitches – does kindle the appetite to read the book, while furnishing a fairly satisfying preview on each of the topic picked up.

 This photograph almost gives the impression that David is directing Dharmendra, while the real director passively looks on

SoY continues with the series on multiple versions of songs. We have Multiple Versions Songs (22): Female Solo and A Duet or A Chorus and Multiple Versions Songs (23): A Male / Female solo / duet or a Chorus – More than two versions of a song. Each post has a very rich supplement from the readers.

Now we move over songs remembered by our friends in this month –

Samir Dholakia

Arun Kumar Deshmukh’s Ik din tumne kahaa thha ji has a very high-octane prologue that so excellently pays tribute to according to one estimate, at least 1000 Music Directors, who gave music to just one film and disappeared. The song is Ik din tumne kaha thha ji (Ek Thha Ladka)(1951) Shamshad Begam, G M Durrani, Lyrics-Rajesh Kumar, MD-Rajhans Kataria.

Bhagvan Thavrani

• Kitna meetha hota hai kitna pyaara – Teen Batti Char Rasta (1953) – Lata Mangeshkar – Shivram Krishna
• Thandi Hawa Kaali Ghata – Zimbo Comes to Town (1960) – Usha Mangeshkar – Chitragupta
• Jhoom Jhoom Jhoom Le…Mohabbat Ka Jadoo Hua Thoda – Trunk Call (1960) – Asha Bhosale and Chorus – Qamar Jalalabadi – Ravi
• Khuda Kare Aye Janeman – Samson (1964) – Lata Mangeshkar – Chitragupta
• Bulati Hai Bahar – Begana (1963) – Lata Mangeshkar – Sapan Jagmohan
• Sham Ki Tanhain Hain – Zarak Khan (1963) – Asha Bhosle – S Mohinder

In the last episode of our carnival, we had talked about the very widely discussed and participated exercise of annual review of songs of a particular year – Best songs of 1950: And the winners are?. We have covered up documentation of the further micro-review of the songs C Ramchandra, Husnlal Bhagatram and Ghulam Mohammad, Anil Biswas and other Music directors’ Lata Mangeshakar’s songs, as well as those of Suraiya and Shamshad Begum in June 2015. We continue with the posts published during the present month:

• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Female Solo Songs– Other Singers – Raj Kumari, Geeta Roy and Others
• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Male Solo Songs – Mukesh
• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Male Solo Songs – Talat Mahmood
• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Male Solo Songs – Mohammad Rafi
• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Male Solo Songs – G M Durrani
• The Micro View of The Best Songs of 1950 @ Songs of Yore – Male Solo Songs – Chitalkar, Manna Dey, Arun Kumar, Manmohan Krishna and others

In the meanwhile SoY has now released Best songs of 1950: Wrap Up 1.

We will continue with the series in the next couple of months as well……

In the end, we have (our customary) very special songs of Mohammad Rafi taken out from the songs Bhagwan Thavrani has sent us –

• Mere Pahlu Mein Aa – Rustom – E- Hind – Hansraj Behl
• Kahin Qarar Na Ho Aur Kahin Khushi – Chandi Ki Deewar 1964 – N Dutta
• Baat To Kuchch Bhi Nahin – Thes (1949) – Snehal Bhatkar – A rare duet with Mukesh

We also have some more songs from Zimbo Comes…. Series of films:

• Yeh Maana Dil Jisse Dhoondhe – Zimbo – Chitragupta
• O Zalimaa Chala Kahan – Zimbo – Chitragupta
• Nazaro Ne Maara Hum Kya Kare – Zimbo Comes to Town (1960) – Chitragupta

Samir Dholakia has remembered Dekh Liya Maine Kismat Ka Tamasha Dekh Liya – Deedar (1951) – Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar – Naushad.

We continue our pursuit of the golden period of Hindi Film Music …….