Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music – August, 2017

Welcome to August, 2017 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.

We have three posts for our present episode that befit the season:

Beyond ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’, the film songs that dare to step out of line when things go off-key – Rather than pop patriotism tunes, it’s the songs about dissent and debate that resonate as India turns 70 – Rineeta Naik recalls the anti-nationals in Hindi films who stepped out of line and reminded us of the times when things went off-key… The songs presented here convey a poet’s despair over social and moral decay, the agony of a man unfairly marked as a traitor, and the exuberant cynicism of city-dwellers who discovered that “sone ki chidiya” rhymes nicely with malaria.

Celebrate the monsoon with this performance of raag Mia ki Malhar by Amir Khan – Malhar raags are prescribed for the rainy season. – Aneesh Pradhan – Amir Khan’s presentation of Mia ki Malhar, a raag considered to have been created by the 16th-century vocalist and composer Mia Tansen, has always been considered by musicians and aficionados as one of the most iconic interpretations of the raag. The recording featured here was made for the All India Radio National Programme of Music in 1958, but it continues to haunt listeners to this day.

Rainy Days has captured songs picturised in the rain, let it be for a part of the song or the entire length, from drizzle to showers! The song may not be about the rain itself.

We will first take up the posts on Meena Kumari in our regular anniversaries or eulogies posts:

Meena Kumari: An enigma – DP Rangan pays a very touching and vivid tribute to Meena Kumari on her 85^th birth anniversary (1 August 1932 – 31 March 1972).

Gaddeswaroop’s Blog has added two songs in Meena Kumari singing for herself in 1947

Ankhiyan Taras Rahin Un Bin – Piya Ghar Aaja (1947) – Bulo C Rani – Pt. Indra

Sawan Beet Gayo Mai Ri – Duniya Ek Sarai (1947) – Hansraj Behl – Kidar Sharma

We also take a look at the life of Meena Kumari in Meena Kumari Biography by Javed Akhtar. The Enigma Called Tragedy Queen Meena Kumari Part 1 ǁ Part 2 ǁ Part 3; Virasat – Meena Kumari Part 1 of 2 ǁ Part 2 of 2 and the 20 Rare Pictures of Meena Kumarisupplement good deal of interesting aspects on the subject

We have chosen to take a Retrospective look to revisit:

‘No One Quite Like Her –  The Inimitable Meena Kumari’ – “Good looks, great talent and unhappiness. Perhaps no other star combined all three in such a heady brew as Meena Kumari did.” Sathya Saran writes about how the iconic actress carved out an inimitable niche for herself, had held sway over her audiences for two decades and continues to fascinate her fans to this day….. Nothing added as much to the legend of Meena Kumari as her liviing of it. For many it seemed the natural culmination to a life of suffering. To be abandoned and exploited, and left without money after earning  sums that were beyond the reach of lesser stars, and die sick in heart and body is a tale that cannot fail to touch anyone who hears it.

The Legend That Was Meena Kumari in which Antara Nanda Mondal poignantly notes that pain and anguish was part of her life and she brought them to the fore in her performances that became iconic.

At a film premiere – Talat Mahmood with Meena Kumari, Usha Kiran, music director Madan Mohan and other guests

Meena Kumari – Interview (1952). This is an interview when Meena Kumari was on the verge completing two significant and much talked-about films, “Footpath” and “Baiju Bawra”, in which she had played the feminine lead.

Remembering singer Parul Ghosh, one of Hindi cinema’s quietest trailblazers – Wife of an illustrious husband, sister of a famous brother, Parul Ghosh made indelible contributions to music. Rudradeep Bhattacharjee pays tribute on her fortieth death anniversary.

All these years later, nobody exudes flamboyance like Shammi Kapoor – On the Hindi film star’s death anniversary, a reminder of his irresistible exuberance. Akshay Manwani states that In his book on dancing star and rebel hero, Shammi Kapoor: The Game Changer, journalist and film critic Rauf Ahmed gives readers a view of Kapoor’s ascent into stardom.

70mm Man: C Mohan, who designed the logo for ‘Sholay’ and other classics – Ramesh Sippy’s landmark film was released this week 42 years ago. Its designer was one of the leading exponents of Bollywoood Expressionism.

And Happy Birthday to Another Big Reason I Got Drawn Into Hindi Films, that of Vyjayanthimala, who just happens to be celebrating her birthday as this post was in the writing. There is one more post on Vaijayantimala’s birthday – Seven Dances for Vyjayanthimala’s Birthday  – posted seven years ago. This post has video clips of some of her lesser known dance songs,

Of the Ten of my favourite Mumtaz songs, presented in celebration of the 70^th birthday on 31sy July, I have picked up O matwaare saajna chhalak gaya mera pyaar (Faulad, 1963) as my own offering to the celebration.

The August 2017 episode of Fading Memories, Unforgettable Songs was dedicated to Shailendra and “Other” Music Directors

Here are posts on other subjects as well:

‘The first duo Husnlal-Bhagatram (2): Their songs for ‘other’ singers’ is a follow up post to The first duo Husnlal-Bhagatram (1): Their songs for Suraiya, Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi, SoY recounts the memorable meeting with 90-year-old Nirmala Devi, wife of Pt. Husnlal.

Gulzar’s 1988 movie ‘Libaas’ to be finally released later this year -Zee Classic and Amul Mohan, the son of the producer Vikas Mohan, will release the film.

Subodh Agrwal has taken up a very difficult subject of Asymmetric Duets. He has further tightened the rules by taking up the duets in which the rhythm and the tune do diverge and yet complement each other too. SoY readers have chipped in a very large number of such interesting songs.

In our series Micro View of Best Songs 1948 @SoY of Best songs of 1948: And the winners are?, we have conclude the sub-series of Male Solo Songs with My Top Male Solo Songs and commenced the series of posts on Female Solo Songs with 21-solo-songs of Suraiya, following up with the first part and second part  of the solo songs of Geeta Dutt.

We will end the present post with a chance Mohammad Rafi song that an e-mail from my friend Samir Dholakia presented me.

De De Mori Mundari – Sat Saaliyaan (Punjabi) 1964 – S.Madan- Naqsh Lyallpuri – Mohd.Rafi

Note: In the song @4.28 a reference to other well-known songs – Akhiyan Sakhi Akhiyan Lagi and Ek Chatur Naar- is made as a parody

The song merited some more searches that led to a full-fledged parody song as well from the same film:

Bahut Shukriya Badi Meharbaani

Not to be satisfied now, I search more, and get two beautiful duets with Suman Kalyanpur:

Sohniye Tu Na Modi Munh

Kehdi Gallon Russiyan Ne

and a signature Rafi song

Sat Saaliyaan – Oye Sohna Jeha Mukhda

BTW, the music director S Madan is known to us for his far more famous and melodious duet with Asha Bhosle:

Ye Raat Ye Fizaain Phir Aain Naa Aaye – Batwara –Majrooh Sultanpuri

Batwara too had one signature Rafi song:

Yeh Kaisi Deewar Hai Duniya 

I trust you will always feel free to proffer your suggestions for making this series of posts more lively and informative….