Welcome to August, 2018 edition of Carnival of Blogs on Golden Era of Hindi Film Music.
Our focused topic for the month of August, 2018 is Mena Kumari’s 85th birthday on 1st August, 2018.
Google Doodle celebrates tragedienne Meena Kumari’s 85th birthday – The formidable actress in Indian cinema appeared in more than 90 movies during her career that spanned over three decades.
The Life And Death of Meena Kumari | Tabassum Talkies
The Films of Meena Kumari and Dev Anand did together are: Sanam (1951), Tamasha (1952), Baad Baan (1954) and Kinare Kinare (1963). I have selected on song from each of these films
Bedard Shikari Are Bedard Shikari – Sanam – Suraiya, Lata Mangeshkar – Husnlal Bhagatram – Qamar Jalalabadi
Thi Jinse Pal Bhar Ki Pehchan – Tamasha – Asha Bhosle – Khemchand Prakash / Manna Dey – Bharat Vyas
Dekho Chanchal Hai Mora Jiyara – Baadbaan – Asha Bhosle – Timir Baran, S K Pal – Indeevar
Har Ash Ashqbar Hai Har Saans Beqarar Hai – Kinare Kinare – Lata Mangeshkar – Jiadev – Nyay Sharma
And, now, we take up the tributes in August 2018:
The Great Sawan Songs of Bollywood – The month of Savan, 5th month in Hindu calendar, normally coincides with August. Hindi films have relished Savan in the songs.
Remembering Poet & Lyricist ‘Jan Nisar Akhtar’, whose maiden Hindi film song was Aa Jaane Wafa ( Anarkali, 1953, Geeta Dutt, Basant Prakash), but had first major commercial success was Yasmin (1955, C Ramchandra).
KHEM CHAND PRAKASH – The creator of musical gems, and the mentor of stalwarts like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Naushad, Manna Dey and Bulo C Rani
Neel gagan ki chhaon mein – Deepa Buty relives the song from Amrapali on Vyjayanthimala’s birthday on 13 August 2018
[N.B. Deepa Buty is the founder of the site SongPedia, which has a tagline “For Music Lovers, By Muisc Lovers’. The site spots tags like Legends , Song Sketch, Collections, Startups, People, Songs, We will commence our detailed visit to this site from our next issue.]
Most Memorable Films of Vyjayantimala – Born on August 13, 1933, she was a natural performer who danced for the pope at the age of four. She started in films under MV Raman’s direction at AVM with Vazhkai/Jeevitham (1949), a bilingual film in Tamil and Telugu. The immensely popular film was later adapted as Bahar (1951).
My Favourites by Shakeel Badayuni – the only lyricist to have scored a hat trick of Filmfare awards:
1961 – Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho – Chaudhvin Ka Chand
1962 – Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin – Gharana
1963 – Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil – Bees Saal Baad
Two faces of Haribhai, a.k.a. Sanjeev Kumar is an effort to say some vaguely nice things about SK, by the author who is generally skeptical about the histrionics abilities of Sanjeev Kumar.
Interestingly, but certainly not having any link to the previous article, Dusted Off has chosen Nishan (1965), one of the early, B-grade Sanjeev Kumar films, for a full-fledged review this month.
The Songs of Gulzar shadow over his other roles as (originally assistant director) director and film script and dialogue writer.
in Part II, Monica Kar follows up, Musically Yours, 1963 (Part I) to pay a personal tribute to 12 music directors who created note-worthy compositions in 1963.
The Unforgettable Tunes of JAIDEV – unfortunately many of his best compositions are lost in unfinished films and albums.
The Master of Qawwali Roshan and some hidden qawwalis of Madan Mohan – In a career which had many parallels, as Roshan carved a niche in qawwaalis, Madan Mohan was known to specialize in composing the ghazals. The present post, lists the well-known Roshan qawwalis and some not so-known Madan Mohan qawwaalis.
The Great Yodeling Songs of Kishore kumar on his 89th birthday on 3rd August.
The world’s first South Indian Pathan? Why Sridevi’s accent in her Hindi films has never mattered – Edited excerpts from an upcoming biography of the actress, who would have been 55 on 13th August this year, by Lalita Iyer. Shridevi had turned her language handicap into a quirk. Throughout her Hindi film career, she spoke Hindi with a thick, sing-song Tamil accent, and depending on whether one is a Shridevi fan or not, this could be grating or cute.
Shammi Kapoor – Who Sang his Songs from his Heart, whether they were serious pre-Tumsa Nahn Dekha songs or peppy post-Tumsa Nahin Dekha songs.
August, 2018 episode of Fading Memories, Unforgettable Songs is dedicated to Shailendra’s songs composed by Roshan.
And, now the posts on other subjects:
The Great Bollywood Songs based on Folk Music – The leading composers of Bollywood films had used the folk songs in successful films and popularized them.
Musical Rhythms of the Running Train – Trains have been integral to the lives of people ever since the first train ran in 1853 in India. In Indian cinema, there are lots of songs which are picturized either on the running train or in the backdrop of the moving locomotive, snaking through the hills and the fields. Kunal Desai observes how composers have created the basic rhythm for songs which were picturized on a train or with the train as the subject. It is the story and the scene sequences, which influence the sound arrangement of any song.
Hindi Songs with ‘Anokhe Bol’ is akin to the songs that Radio Ceylonbroadcasted in it’s the tehn popular program Anokhe Bol
On the World Photography Day, The Hindi Films where Hero plays a photographer.
Ten Songs from ‘One-Song-Wonder’ Films is a list of songs that were the one major hit song in a film otherwise characterized by forgettable songs. E.g. Tum jo aao toh pyaar aa jaaye from Sakhi Robin,
Seen But Not Observed the instrument Double Bass like Michael Caine, who got his fame “as being seen, but not being observed”. Check out Mera naam Chin Chin Choo from Howrah Bridge, 1958, and also Teen canastar peet-peet kar gala phaad kar chillaana from Love Marriage, 1959). The interesting thing is that while most significant instruments have been played by at least one major Hindi film actor on the screen, the Double Bass has the dubious distinction of never having been played by a significant actor, except for a few seconds by Kishore Kumar in Gaana na aaya.
The Great FRIENDSHIP Songs of Bollywood – Friendships have remained a popular genre in Hindi Film songs.
Live Music While You Eat – Many restaurants offer music to add to the dining experience; ghazals, popular film songs or pop, jazz, country western, etc. A book by Charles Spence of Oxford University, Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating, announces that music can make our food taste better. The posts lists songs where a person was seen singing in a restaurant. Not dancing and singing, because that becomes a story of song and dance. If the patrons themselves dance, that’s ok J
‘Forgotten Artists of Early Cinema and The Same Name Confusion’ – While introducing the maiden book – Forgotten Artists of Early Cinema and The Same Name Confusion’ – published by Shri Arunkumar Deshmukh , co-authored by Surjeet Singh, the post has listed a few songs that link up with the subject of the book. Here is one such song:
Hath Chakra Trishul Sadashiv Alakh Jagaate Nagari Mein – Abhram Bhagat (NFS bhajan, 1940)
Book Review: Anil Zankar’s ‘Mughal-e-Azam: Legend as Epic’ (Harper Collins Publishers India, 2013; 200 pages; Rs 250) – The author,among a good many other interesting details, mentions that of the fifteen songs originally written for the film, only twelve were finally used, he doesn’t mention that one song—Husn ki baaraat chali—was actually shot, though eventually not used in the film.
Behind the Human Curtain – As for our poetry, we put all cloaks under the simplistic umbrellas of ghunghat, parda and naqaab. While by parda we also mean a curtain separating the women from the men, the result being the same. And in this collective simplification can be found several songs from Hindi cinema.
We continue Micro View of Best songs of 1947: And the winners are? with female solo songs, wherein after having covered solo songs of Suraiya and Geeta Roy, Shamshad Begum. Rajkumari, Amirbai Karnataki (Part I and Part II) Zohrabai Ambalewali (Part I and Part II), we have now covered Khursheed, Noor Jehan & Kanan Devi, Meena Kumar, Naseem Akhtar and Zeenat Begum in ‘other’ female singers.
In our tradition of ending our post with article on Mohammad Rafi or a topical song of his, I have picked up one SoY post, one video clip and a few songs that basically have link with the topics discussed in the present post.
Rafi’s best songs by Madan Mohan – Madan Mohan has composed nearly 168 Mohammad Rafi songs, of which quite a few have everlasting fame. I have also picked up a very rarely heard, but famously enjoyable, song from the list:
Duniya Ke Saare Ghamon Se Begana, Ho Main Hun Mastana – Mastana (1954) – Madan Mohan – Rajendra Krishna
Yeh To Kaho Kaun Ho Tum – Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) – with Lata Mangeshkar – Madan Mohan – Majrooh Sultanpuri
Yahan Koi Nahi Tera Mere Siwa – Dil Ek Mandir (1963 – Shanker Jaikishan – Hasrat Jaipuri
Sanjeev Kumar Speaks on Mohammed Rafi
Haye Tabassum Tera – Nishan (1965) – Usha Khanna – Javed Anwar
Chalte Chale Chalo Chalta Hua Saahil Hai Zindagi – Insaan Aur Shaitan (1970) – Usha Khanna – Asad Bhopali
Teen Taal Par Naach Budhape Bachpan Aur Jawani Ka – Ek Bul Bula Paani Ka (1970 – Jaidev – Kaifi Azmi
I earnestly seek your suggestions / inputs / criticisms so as to make our Film Blog Festival more interesting and live.
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