ANIL BISWAS-A Composer With A Difference

Remembering today on his Birth Anniversary

Born on 7th July 1914 at Barisal( Bangladesh).He was an Indian film music composer from 1935 to 1965, who apart from being one of pioneers of playback singing, is also credited for the first Indian orchestra of twelve pieces and introducing orchestral music and full-blooded choral effects, into Indian cinema.Anil Biswas first made name in Kolkata in the early 1930s, composing music for plays, later he joined 'Rangmahal Theatre', Kolkata, as an actor, singer, and assistant music director, 1932–34, during this period he sang and acted in several commercial stage productions.

He was associated in composing music for 'Baal Hatya' and 'Bharat ki Beti', before making his debut as a film composer, with Dharam ki Devi (1935) for which he composed the background music, and also acted and sang the song, Kuch Bhi Nahin Bharosa.. In 1936 he joined 'Sagar Movietones' as a composer, first starting with assisting composers, Ashok Ghosh in films Manmohan andDeccan Queen and also Pransukh Nayak, and continued with Sagar Movietones, even after it merged with the Yusuf Fazalbhoy of RCA’s newly established National Studios in 1939.

 Mehboob Khan's Jagirdar (1937), a commercially hit, established him as a musical force in the film industry. He gave to the Hindi Film Industry Two Jewls.He gave break to famed playback singer, Mukesh in Pehli Nazar (1945), singing 'Dil Jalta Hai to Jalne De', and to Talat Mahmood in Arzoo (1949), singing 'Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Ley Chal' his first song in Bombay.

In 1942, he joined Bombay Talkies at an offer from Devika Rani, where he got his biggest hit, Gyan Mukherjee's Kismet (1943), starring Ashok Kumar and Mumtaz Shanti,most remembered for the song, 'Papihaare', sung by his sister Parul Ghosh (wife of the renowned flautist, Pannalal Ghosh), the patriotic hit, 'Door hato ai duniyaa waalo', and 'Dheere dheere aare badal, mera bulbul so raha hai, shorgul na macha' sung by the actor, Ashok Kumar.

He married Asha Lata, an actress with Sagar Movietones under her maiden name Mehrunnisa who continued to act under the name Ashalata Biswas, and had three sons and a daughter,He was associated with Bombay Talkies for a long time and gave many musical hits like Jwar Bhata (1944),Dilip Kumar's debute film and another film Milan (1946) again Dilip Kumar as hero.In 1948 his movie Anokha Pyar released it Was a Musical Hit in which Mukesh and Meena kapur gave some good songs.

Anil Da married the same Meena Kapur after the divorce of first wife Asha Lata.The decade of 1950s witness the great music of Anil Da,during this decade he gave the music in more than 30 movies,the music of Chaar Dil Chaar Rahen was very popular.In early 1960s,

 He retired from the cinema, while still at the peak of his game, he shifted base to New Delhi, though he did one or two films in between like Mahesh Kaul's, Sautela Bhai (1962), his final film as a composer was, actor Motilal's directorial venture, Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), starring Nadira and with Mukesh's 'Zindagi Khwab Hai Tha Hamein Bhi' After that he moved to Delhi 

In Delhi he became director of the National Orchestra at the All India Radio (AIR) in March 1963,^[5] and remained Chief Producer -Sugam Sangeet (light Hindustani classical music) at AIR, Delhi till 1975.^[15] Though later, he composed music for Doordarshan's pioneering TV series Hum Log (1984) and a number of documentaries for the Films Division^[9] as late as 1991,^[10] and remained the vice chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University for 2 years. He won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986.Anil Biswas died in New Delhi on 31st May 2003.Upon his death, the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee called him, “a doyen of film music who struck the rare balance between classical purity of music and popular pulse”, and credited him for leaving, “an enduring legacy as he introduced many talented singers and innovations to the Indian film music.

Here I am Giving a rare sonf from Anil da;s first movie “Piya Ki Jogan”(1936) , also known as “Puchased Bride” was directed by Hiren Bose for Golden Eagle Movietone, Sindh. The movie had Sardar Akhtar, Pramod Chandra, Krishna Kumari, Merwan Irani, D Manik, Ashalat, Vasu H K, Sheila, Agha Jaan, Bannerji, Niranjan Singh, Meharbaan, Anil Biswas etc in it.This song is sung by Sardar Akhtar. It was picturised on Sardar Akhtar herself.Thismovie had two lyricists cum dialogue writers, viz Munshi Zahiruddin and Niranjan Singh, but the lyricist of the songs of the movie are not specifically identified.