Shamshad Begum : छोड़ बाबुल का घर, आज पी के नगर, मोहे जाना पड़ा

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           APRIL 30 , 2013           07.00 P.M.

Shamshad Begum

April 14, 1919 – April 23, 2013

Shamshad Begum was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. She had sung over 6000 songs in Hindi , Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi languages. Her songs from the 1940s to the early 1970s remain popular and continue to be remixed.

Young Shamshad Begum

Shamshad Begum died this month on April 23 , 2013 at the age of 94 and I am forced to write 7th obituary in continuation in the month of April . Shamshad Begum , along with Noor Jahan and Amirbai Karnataki , dominated the pre-Lata Mangeshkar era in Indian playback singing .

Among female playback singers , She was blessed with a distinct voice with slight nasal twang and any lover of Hindi film music can immediately recognize her voice .

Since I was born and brought up in the Lata Mangeshkar era , I was not a fan of Shamshad Begum’s voice initially. But slowly , as my understanding grew , I started appreciating her voice .

The first song of hers , which caught my fancy , was ” Pee Ke Ghar Aaj Pyari Dulhaniya Chali ” . This ” Mother India ” [ 1957 ] song was immensely popular . Other songs of the same film ; ” Holi Ayee Re Kanhayi Rang Chhalke Suna De Zara Bansuri ” and ” Gadiwale Gadi Dheere Haank Re “ are also hit even today . Then I watched ” Mughal – E – Azam ” [ 1960] and its immortal qawwali is still fresh in my mind . ” Teri Mehfil Me Qismat Azma Ke Hum Bhi Dekhenge “ is a connoisseur’s delight . Then I watched ” Aan ” [ 1952 ] and I was permanently hooked to Shamshad Begum’s voice . All her popular songs , like ; ” Aag Lagi Tan Man Me Dil Ko Pada Thamna , Ram Jaane Kab Hoga Saiyyan Ji Ka Samna ” and ” Khelo Rang Hamare Sang Aaj Din Rang Rangeela Aaya “ are still my favourites . But ” C. I. D. ” [ 1956 ] was another revelation . ” Le Ke Pehla Pehla Pyaar , Bhar Ke Aankhon Me Khumar ” and ” Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana , Jeene Do Zalim Banao Na Deewana “ are just immortal . It is surprising that I heard her most popular song very late in my life . ” Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon Kiya Hai Wahan Se Telefoon , Tumhari Yaad Satati Hai “ . This song from ” Patanga ” [ 1949 ] is unforgettable and its several re-mixed versions are still extremely popular . ” Naya Daur ” [ 1957 ] film’s ” Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka “ was a craze of its time . Her last hit  ” Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon Me Aisa Dala “  from ” Kismat ” [ 1969 ] is one of the songs which was re-mixed again & again .

Shamshad Begum’s career was somewhat eclipsed with the advent of Lata Mangeshkar . She sang her first duet ” Dar Na Mohabbat Kar Le “ with Lata Mangeshkar in ” Andaz ” [ 1949 ] and her last duet with Lata Mangeshkar was ” Teri Mehfil Me Qismat Azma Kar Hum Bhi Dekhenge “ from ” Mughal – E – Azam ” [ 1960 ] . Within these 13 years Shamshad Begum’s career went downhill and after giving her last hit ” Kajra Mohabbatwala “ in 1969 , she bid adieu to playback singing .

Some Famous Songs of Shamshad Begum :

• Leke pehla pehla pyar, (CID 1956), (music: O.P. Nayyar)
• Milte hi aankhen dil hua, (Duet with Talat Mehmood), (Babul), (music: Naushad)
• Chali chali kaisi yeh hawa yeh, (Duet with Usha Mangeshkar), (Bluffmaster 1965), (music: Kalyanji Anandji)
• Kabhi aar kabhi paar lagathi re nazar, (Aar Paar), (music: O.P. Nayyar)
• O Gadiwale Dheere – Mother India – Naushad
• Kahin pe nigahen kahin pe nishana – CID (1956) – music O.P. Nayyar
• Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re – (1956) – music O.P.Nayyar
• Mere piya gaye Rangoon – Patanga – music C.Ramchandra
• Ek Tera Sahara – Shama – music Master Ghulam Haider
• Holi aayee re Kanhaai – Mother India (1957) – Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni, Music: Naushad
• Naina Bhar aye neer – Humayun – music Master Ghulam Haider
• Nazar Phero Na Humse -(Duet with G M Durani) – Deedar (1951) – music Naushad
• Chod Babul Ka Ghar – Babul – music Naushad
• Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon mein Aisa dala (Duet with Asha Bhosle) – Kismat (1968) – Music: O.P. Nayyar
• Meri neendon main tum, meri khwabon mein tum (Duet with Kishore Kumar) – Naya Andaz – Music: O.P.Nayyar
• Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat (Duet with Lata Mangeshkar) – Mughal-E-Azam
• Saiyan Dil mein aana re – Bahar
• Reshmi salwar kurta jaali da – Naya Daur
• Milte Hai Ankhen Dil Deewana Hua Kisika – Babul – with Talat Mahmood
• Kisike Dil Mein Rehna Tha – Babul – with Lata
• Dharti Ko Aakash Pukare – Mela – with Mukesh
• do teen aaja mausam hai rangeen – Awara

Shamshad Begum’s fans often allege that her career suffered because of the monopolistic politics of Lata Mangeshkar . I beg to differ . Shamshad Begum played her innings and retired gracefully . Her career suffered because of the changing times and changing taste of film-goers . Talat Memood’s career went downhill with the advent of Mohammad Rafi . Even mighty Mohammed Rafi , towards the end of his career , was confined in his home for many years without recording a single song and Kishore Kumar ruled that era . In the field of art such things happen .

Her distinct style , her nasal twang and her strong voice , which was her forte in the earlier years of her career , became her nemesis towards the end . It is not for nothing that towards the fag-end of her career , her voice was used for vamps and her last hit ” Kajra Mohabbatwala “ in ” Kismat ” [ 1969 ] was filmed on Vishwajeet , who was masquerading as woman in the said film .

On behalf of all the students and staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , which is known as  Vidur’s Kreating Charakters  , I offer my condolences to the family of the iconic singer . Self-proclaimed most famous acting school of Mumbai , self-anointed most famous acting institute of India and self-appointed most famous acting academy of bollywood has no time for such courtesy .

Shamshad Begum

May her soul rest in peace ! Her ephemeral body is gone but her perennial voice , the temple bell , will live on forever .

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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60 Years of Film ” Jaal ”

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           DECEMBER 08 , 2012           11.40 P.M.

After ” Aan “ and ” Baiju Bawra “ , the third most successful film of 1952 was Dev Anand starrer ” Jaal ” . It was written and directed by legendary Guru Dutt . This was Guru Dutt‘s second movie, after Dev Anand‘s production ” Baazi ” . After Baazi, this was the second film in which Dev Anand also came through as a confident star/actor, with a style uniquely his own.

It has some memorable melodies by music maestro Sachin Dev Burman , a Dev Anand regular . Lata Mangeshkar‘s 2 songs ” Chori Chori Meri Gali Aana Hai Bura …………………….. ” , ” Pighla Hai Sona Door Gagan Par , Phail Rahe Hain Shaam Ke Saaye ……………………….. “  are still very popular . Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt’s duet ” De Bhi Chuke Ham Dil Nazrana Dil Ka ……………………… “  is my eternal favourite . But Hemant Kumar‘s ” Ye Raat Ye Chandni Phir Kahan , Sun Ja Dil Ki Daastaan ………………… “ is immortal and perennial favourite with the connoisseurs of Hindi film songs . It has several versions . Sung by Hemant Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar separately , it has a duet version also by them .

Sachin Dev Burman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lata Mangeshkar as a young woman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A typical crime thriller in Dev Anand style , ” Jaal “ was a far cry from swashbuckling  costume drama ” Aan “ and rustic , tender love story ” Baiju Bawra ” .World of Dev Anand was totally different from the world of Dilip Kumar and Bharat Bhushan . As I have written in my blog about ” Aan “ , I didn’t like the film when I watched it for the first time . But suave , debonaire , sweater clad and guitar strumming Dev Anand , playing a Christian character , became my instant favourite . Moon – kissed beach of Goa , Dev Anand’s immensely likable persona , Geeta Bali‘s vergin beauty and Lata Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar’s etherial voice in  ” Ye Raat Ye Chandni Phir Kahan , Sun Ja Dil Ki Dastan ……………………….. “ had mesmerizing effect on my mind and the charm refuses to fade away even after 6 decades . Geeta Bali , again my favourite , was in full form in ” Jaal ” . Sachin Dev Burman’s musical genius was totally opposite of Naushad’s . Mohammad Rafi was as different from Hemant Kumar as North Pole is from South Pole . So the liking for ” Jaal “ , compared to ” Aan “ was much more . It is still one of my favourite films . Lata Mangeshkar is the only common link between all the three films and she was equally superb in all of them .

Apart from Dev Anand and Geeta Bali , it has K. N. Singh and Johny Walker also in the steller roles .

As I have stated in my previous blog , as an acting trainer , its my job to make my students aware of these iconic films and I do it regularly in my acting class in Mumbai .

I strive to make it a regular feature in my acting school Vidur’s Kreating Charakters .

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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60 Years of Film ” Baiju Bawra “

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           DECEMBER 06 , 2012           11.30 P.M.

Today sitting in the office of my acting institute in Mumbai , I was going through some old issues of Screen . Suddenly I saw an article and came to know that the iconic film ” Baiju Bawra “ is now 60 years old . It was released in 1952 . It is the same year when I was born .

Baiju Bawra (1952 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

When I started following Hindi film songs in 1967 , I heard some of the songs of the film ” Baiju Bawra ” . In 1967 during my High School days , I didn’t know either Meena Kumari or Bharat Bhushan , the protagonists of ” Baiju Bawra ” . I was not even aware of Naushad or Shakeel Badayuni also , who gave music and wrote lyrics of the film respectively . I simply knew Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi , the singers of the film .

After passing High School from the Government Inter College , Deoria , I went to Government Inter College , Allahabad for intermediate in July 1967 . It was in Allahabad that I started following films religiously . There I watched ” Baiju Bawra “ and became aware of Meena Kumari and Bharat Bhushan . I became aware of the legendary status of Naushad and about the good work of lyricist Shakeel Badayuni .

Earlier I had heard the songs of ” Baiju Bawra “ but after watching the film , I started appreciating them in a more positive way . Mohammad Rafi’s ” O Duniya Ke Rakhwale ……… ” and ” Man Tadpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj ……….. “ were my favourites and they still have same sway over me . They are my perennial favourites . ” Tu Ganga Ki Mauj , Main Jamuna Ka Dhara ……….. “ is hugely popular even today .

 

Meena Kumari (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Meena Kumari and Bharat Bhushan were not stars when this film was made with them . Naushad , Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi were the only known names and they were the only stars of this non – star cast film . Music of the film was hit and is still remembered by all the connoisseurs of Hindi films .

Musician Naushad (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lata Mangeshkar as a young woman (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mohammed Rafi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

All lyrics written by Shakeel Badayuni, music composed by Naushad.

No.	Title	Singer(s)	Length
1.	“Tu Ganga Ki Mauj” (Raga Bhairavi)	Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
2.	“Aaj Gawat Man Mero Jhoomke” (Raga Desi)	Ustad Amir Khan, D. V. Paluskar
3.	“O Duniya Ke Rakhwale” (Raga Darbari)	Mohammad Rafi
4.	“Door Koi Gaye” (Raga Des)	Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum and chorus
5.	“Mohe Bhool Gaye Sanwariya” (Raga Bhairav with traces of Raga Kalingda)	Lata Mangeshkar
6.	“Jhoole Mein Pawan Ki Aai Bahar” (Raga Pilu)	Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
7.	“Man Tarpat Hari Darsan Ko Aaj” (Raga Malkauns)	Mohammad Rafi
8.	“Bachpan Ki Muhabbat” (Based on Maand)	Lata Mangeshkar
9.	“Insaan Bano” (Raga Todi)	Mohammad Rafi
10.	“Tori Jai Jai Kartar” (Raga Puriya Dhanashree)	Ustad Amir Khan
11.	“Langar Kankariya Ji Na Maro” (Raga Todi)	Ustad Amir Khan, D. V. Paluskar
12.	“Ghanana Ghanana Ghana Garjo Re” (Raga Megh)	Ustad Amir Khan
13.	“Sargam” (Raga Darbari)	Ustad Amir Khan

This Vijay Bhatt directed film ran for 100 weeks and created history . It is so heartening to note that ” Baiju Bawra “ is now 60 years old and for a film connoisseur like me its magic refuses to fade away even after so many years .

As an acting trainer , its my job to make my students aware of these iconic films and I do it regularly in my acting class in Mumbai .

I , on behalf of all the students and staff of my acting school Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , express my happiness on this historic day .

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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Vidur’s Film Diary – January 2012

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           fEBRUARY 01 , 2012           11.45 P.M.

It is the first Film Diary of 2012 . A new year , a new beginning and a new hope for better future , industry is waiting with anticipation .

It is the 33rd Film Diary of mine .

First release of 2012 , ” Players “ was a major disappointment . But the second important film ” Agneepath “ changed the mood . It is the first mega – hit of 2012 .

Go through the tweets of eminent trade analysts Mr. Taran Adarsh and Mr. Komal Nahta to gauge the impact of ” Agneepath ” :

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Don2 Worldwide total *after 2nd wknd* – India Rs 97.6 cr [incl Mon figures] + Overseas Rs 58.55 cr. Total: Rs 156.15 cr.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Players *India* Monday 2.17 cr. 4-day total: approx 17.25 cr nett.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Players: Cost to Viacom18 – 65 cr to 70 cr. Recovers chunk of investment by selling India theatrical for Rs 35 cr [with prints] … contd.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Players: Money recovered by Viacom18 – India theatrical [35 cr] + Satellite [17 cr] + Music [3 cr] + Digital/Home Video [2.5 cr] = 57.5 cr

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Players: Viacom18 has to recover balance amount [8 cr to 12 cr] from Overseas to just break-even. Difficult, since Overseas is dull

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

At the rate it has *opened*, the only ‘competitor’ for #Agneepath is #Bodyguard. Neck to neck at most places, better at some.

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

#Agneepath opening: Vijay Dinanath Chauhan rules. Not just Mandwa. But entire India.

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

#Agneepath opening: Not just @iHrithik ’s biggest opener, but also amongst the biggest opener of all times. Should have a record Day 1.

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

#Agneepath *early trends* Thursday figure is 24.5 cr +. Creates HISTORY.

taran_adarsh taran adarsh

#Agneepath Thursday figure *revised* Rs 23 cr nett.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Agneepath – India *actuals*:- Thu 23 cr,Fri 12.75 cr, Sat 15.85 cr. Total: Rs 51.6 cr nett.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

#Agneepath *Overseas* Thu to Sat total stands at approx Rs 12 cr. Excellent.

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

Overseas: #Agneepath amongst biggest openers http://bit.ly/zi1mRm

taran_adarshtaran adarsh

Internationally, #Agneepath *opening weekend* figures have crossed #ZNMD by a big margin.

KomalNahtaKomal Nahta

Last week’s releases, CHAALIS CHAURAASI, GHOST and SADDA ADDA, all have bombed at the box-office. No respite for PLAYERS either.

KomalNahta Komal Nahta

AGNEEPATH day one final tally: Rs 23 crore. Full report:koimoi.com/box-office/agn…

KomalNahtaKomal Nahta

AGNEEPATH 5-day total: Rs. 75 cr. Box-office report: http://www.koimoi.com/box-office/agneepath-5-day-total-rs-75-crore/

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Obituary :

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Darshan Sabharwal :

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Father of Suneel Darshan and Dharmesh Darshan , Darshan Sabharwal died on December 31 , 2011 . He was 78 years old . He was a distributor and maker of films like ; ” Yeh Raat Phir Na Ayegi ” , ” Samson ” , Kahin Din Kahin Raat ” , ” Ustaad “ and ” Naya Sansar “ .

Kalpana :

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Yesteryear actor Kalpana died in Pune on January 04 , 2012 . She was suffering from cancer and was 65-year-old at the time of her death .

Shammi Kapoor’s ” Professor “ and Dev Anand’s ” Teen Devian “ were her most memorable films .

Posting link of my blog  , which I wrote as obituary , about her :

VidurChaturvedi Kamal N. Chaturvedi

Death of Kalpana ; A ” Gul Badan ” Ceases to Exist wp.me/ptyXI-1AJ

Anthony Gonsalves :

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A renowned music arranger  and  legendary violinist , an inspiration behind Amitabh Bachchan’s name in ” Amar Akbar Anthony “ , Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves died on January 18, 2012 in Goa . He was 84 at the time of his death . He is considered the first music arranger of India apart from being a conductor and composer .

His career began with legendary Bombay Talkies in 1943 and later on he worked with many music directors like ; Naushad , Anil Biswas , Ghulam Haider , Sachin Dev Burman , Laxmikant Pyarelal and Rahul Dev Burman . In total he arranged music for almost 400 films . He even taught music to Pyarelal of Lakshmikant Pyarelal fame and later on taught music to Rahul Dev Burman and also worked with him as an arranger .

“  Mahal ” , ” Naya Daur ” , Dillagi ” and ” Pyasa “ are some of his well – known films as arranger .

SrBachchanAmitabh Bachchan

T 628 -Anthony Gonsalves .. passes away .. talented musician with LP and on his name my character name for AAAnthony was put ..prayers !!

Nikhat Kazmi :

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Renowned film critic of Times of India , Nikhat Kazmi died on January 20 , 2012 in Delhi . She was only 53 at the time of her death and was suffering from breast cancer .

Born in 1958 in Allahabad , Uttar Pradesh , she was associated with Times of India for almost 2 decades .  She was one of the few film critics who started star – rating  trends . Despite her ill-health , she continued watching films and writing reviews till the end . Her last reviewed films were last week released ” Ghost ” and ” Sadda Adda “ .

Posting link of my blog , which I wrote as obituary , about her :

VidurChaturvedi Kamal N. Chaturvedi

Adieu Nikhat Kazmi : A Film Critic Par Excellence wp.me/ptyXI-1Di

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New Hindi Film Releases & Me :

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First Week  – January 06

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1 – Players ………………………………………….. Neil Nitin Mukesh

…………………………………………………………. Sonam Kapoor

…………………………………………………………. Sikandar Kher

Second Week – January 13

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1 – Chaalis Chauraasi …………………………….. Arbaaz Khan

2 – Ghost …………………………………………….. Sayali Bhagat

3 – Sadda Adda …………………………………….. x

4 – Tutiya Dil ……………………………………….. Sidhant Kapur

Third Week – January 20

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1 – Phir Ek Sazish ………………………………….. x

2 – Sweet Love ……………………………………… x

Fourth Week – January 27

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1 – Agneepath ……………………………………… Hritik Roshan

…………………………………………………………. Priyanka Chopra

…………………………………………………………. Katrina Kaif

In total ……………….. 08   ………………… films got released this month . Out of these ………………….. 08 ………………….. films , there were ………………….. 09 …………………… students of mine , who played important part in them .

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New Regional Films & Me :

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Tamil : 1 – Sameera Reddy is doing lead role in ” Vettai ” .

VIDUR

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Wilting Traditions – 1 : Holi & Hindi Cinema

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           MARCH 26, 2011                   12. 2O A.M.

We just celebrated Holi. Indian festivals, specially North Indian festivals always played major roles in the Hindi films of yesteryears. Once upon a time Holi , Deewali , Makar Sankranti and  Raksha Bandhan used to be part of the story and were filmed lavishly and portrayed prominently in Hindi films. There used to be hit songs in films celebrating these festivals. And they are still remembered.

When I started watching films, I vividly remember Mehboob Khan‘s films , where Holi was always a part of the story and he used to picturize it lavishly. His first colour film ” Aan ” [ 1951 ] had a memorable Holi song – khelo rang hamare sang aaj din rang rangeela aaya…………..It was filmed on Dilip Kumar , Nimmi and large number of junior artistes.

Image via Wikipedia

Mehboob Khan’s another timeless classic in colour was  ” Mother India ” [ 1957 ] . It had immensely popular Holi number – holi aayi re kanhayee rang chhalke suna de jara bansuri………It was filmed on Nargis , Sunil Dutt , Rajendra Kumar , Kumkum and large number of junior artistes. Its canvass was vast and it carried the story forward with the help of intercuts and flash-backs . This song is my personal favourite. Mehboob Khan had earlier made ” Mother India ” in Black & white as ” Aurat ” [ 1940 ] and it too had Holi number filmed on Sardar Akhtar , Surendra and Yakub. Incidently ” Aurat “ also had an artiste named Arun [ father of present day star Govinda ]. So in total Mehboob Khan had 3 memorable Holi songs to his credit in classic films like – ” Aurat ” , ” Aan ” and ” Mother India. ”

After Mehboob Khan’s ” Aan ” [ 1951 ] , Dilip Kumar had another memorable Holi number picturized on him in S. U. Sunny’s ” Kohinoor” [ 196 0 ] . It was - man rang lo ji aaj tan rang lo , khelo umang bhar rang pyar ke le lo…………….During his later years Dilip Kumar did a film ” Mashaal “  [ 1984 ] for Yash Chopra and it too had a hit and lovely Holi number - o dekho holi aayi ………….

Cover of Mashaal

It is noteworthy that all the above mentioned numbers were composed by Naushad and were written by Shakeel Badayuni. Only ” Aurat ” and ” Mashaal “ numbers are exceptions. ” Aurat ” Holi number was composed by Anil Biswas and ” Mashaal “ was composed by Hriday Nath Mangeshkar and was written by Anand Bakshi.

After Mehboob Khan , Dilip Kumar , Naushad and Shakeel Badayuni another filmmaker who filmed magnificient Holi scenes and songs , was veteran V. Shantaram. His ” Navrang ” [ 1959 ] had a wonderful Holi number – arre ja re arre natkhat………………..

Among the yesteryear filmmakers , strangely , Raj Kapoor never filmed a single Holi song or scene in his directorial ventures. Though in real life , his larger than life Holi celebrations were talk of the film industry and are still envied and remembered by many.

Another curious case is Dev Anand’s. His suave and urbane personality was not fit for such kind of rustic and robust celebrations but he has one memorable exception. His immortal film ” Guide ” [ 1965 ] had a popular dance number – piya tose naina lage re , naina lage re…………….In this particular song there was one para dedicated to Holi. It was – aayi holi aayi , sab rang layi , bin tere holi bhi na bhaye………………….. Though Dev Anand was not shown in the song . It was magnificently picturized on Waheeda Rehman by director Vijay Anand. It was composed by Sachin Dev Burman and was written by Shailendra.

After above mentioned artistes and specially after Dilip Kumar , Amitabh Bachchan had most number of memorable Holi songs to his credit. His immortal classic ” Sisila ” [ 1981 ] had a song – rang barse bheege chunar wali rang barse ………… It is a cult song even today. One of his recent hits ” Baghbaan ” [ 2003 ] had another memorable number - holi khelen raghubeera awadh men holi khelen raghubeera……… .. According to me , Amitabh Bachchan has the dubious distinction of having one of the worst Holi number in the history of Hindi cinema to his credit. His later year hit ” Waqt – Race Against Time ” [ 2005 ] had a number composed by Anu Malik – do me a favour lets play holi……………….. Unfortunately this worst Holi song  is the last Holi number in Hindi films till date.

Yash Chopra , director of ” Silsila ” [ 1981 ] , is the second filmmaker after Mehboob Khan , who has filmed large number of memorable Holi songs in his films. After ” Silsila ” [ 1981 ] , he picturized a melodious Holi song on Dilip Kumar , Anil Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman in ” Mashaal ” [ 1984 ]. The song was - o dekho holi aayi……………..After ” Mashaal “ he made ” Lamhe ” [ 1991 ] and once again gave us a hit song - mohe chhedo na……………His another classic ” Darr ” [ 1993 ] had another lovely song – ang se ang lagaana sajan mohe aise rang lagaana………………….It was picturized on Shah Rukh Khan , Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. So Yash Chopra has 4 Holi songs to his credit , while Mehboob Khan has 3.

In between Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan , for a brief period of time , Rajesh Khanna was the reigning deity. His one of the early successes ” Kati Patang ” [ 1970 ] had a memorable Holi number – aaj na chhodenge bas hamjoli……………It was composed by Rahul Dev Burman and was written by Anand Bakshi. Incidently same composer – lyricist duo gave us another Holi chart-buster in ” Sholay ” [ 1975 ]. It was - holi ke din dil khil jaate hain…………..Though ” Sholay “ was made in the tradition of western cowboy films but it’s Holi song was so wonderfully woven in the story and it was filmed so beautifully that it is remembered even today .

Among today’s stars Aamir Khan had a wonderful song in ” Mangal Pandey  - The Rising “ [ 2005 ] . It is - dekho aayi holi………….. It is quirk of the matter that worst Holi song of Hindi films , do me a favour , lets play holi……… also came in the same year [ 2005 ] in ” Waqt – Race Against Time ” .

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There are some other films also which have some good Holi songs . Rajshri Productions massive hit ” Nadiya Ke Paar ” [ 1982 ] had a catchy number - jogi ji wah jogi ji…………. but it was an exception rather than a rule. After 2005, it is sad that all the recent released films have not portrayed Holi or any other festivals prominently. There are several causes for this scenario.

A - Delhi – UP has ceased to be a prominent territory for Hindi films. Now younger filmmakers make films for metropolitan cities and for overseas markets. So this rustic , robust festival of colours is not finding favours.

B – Younger filmmakers are not familiar with the hinterlands of our country. They seldom go to villages and are unaware of the circumstances of our middle and lower middle class population.

C - Story line of recent films have become city – centric. Rampaging consumerism has changed the scenario beyond recognition and this is being reflected in the recently released films.

D - Rise of television is another root cause for this change. Since films are being made for the overseas territories and for metropolitan centers, so various channels started catering to the rural masses and started beaming village – centric serials. So filmmakers are now not bothered for the masses of hinterlands.

E - Rise of Bhojpuri films are another nail in the coffin. These films specially cater to North Indian public and most of them are still village – centric . So they picturize Holi songs on lavish scale . Recently released hit Bhojpuri film ” Diljale ” [ 2011 ] has a memorable Holi song.

There might be other reasons too, but I am sad that slowly and firmly our festival of colours is coming to a virtual neglect in Hindi films.

It is sad , very sad !

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

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