This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
Shakeel Badayuni started his film career with the 1947 film "Dard". The first song was written by him "Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon" sung by Uma Devi (TUN TUN) became super hit. The music of the film was given by Naushad. Together, he and Naushad became one of the most sought after composer/lyricist duos. They created many immortal songs of Bollywood. Kindly recall the songs of Deedar (1951), Baiju Bawra (1952), Mother India (1957), and Mughal-e-Azam (1960),Ganga Jamuna (1961), and Mere Mehboob (1963) that stand out. Naushad used Shakeel as the lyricist for his tunes for most of his films for a period of 24 years. Baiju Bawra, which was a milestone in both of their careers, He also collaborated with Ravi and Hemant Kumar as well. His lyrics for the song Husnwale Tera Jawab Nahin and Ravi's music score both won Filmfare Awards for the hit film Gharana. His other notable film with Ravi is Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), while Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) is his biggest hit with Hemant Kumar. The title song from Chaudhvin Ka Chand, rendered by Mohammed Rafi, won Badayuni the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1961. He penned songs for around 89 films. In addition, he wrote many popular ghazals sung by Begum Akhtar, and which are still sung by vocalists like Pankaj Udhas and others Shakeel Badayuni succumbed to diabetes complications at the age of fifty-three, on 20 April 1970 at Bombay Hospital
You will be surprised to know that In the late 1940s, the great composer Madan Mohan and Kishore Kumar sang as chorus boys for her songs at the Filmistan Studio. Begum promised at this time that she would sing songs composed by Mohan once he started his career as a music director and would accept a lower fee. She also predicted that Kumar would become a great playback singer. She later recorded duets with Kishore Kumar, including "Gori ke Nainon Mein Nindiya Bhari" from Angarey and "Mere Neendon Me Tum" from Naya Andaz. The credit of discovering Shamshad Begum’s talent, polishing her singing and bringing her to the limelight goes to the music director Gulam Haider. Her first song" Sawan Ke Nazare Hain" from Khajanchi(1941) was a hit. She became a favorite female singer of the composers of that era including Naushad Ali, O. P. Nayyar, C. Ramchandra and S. D. Burman from 1946 to 1960. Shamshad Begum was born on 14 th April 1919 and died on 23 rd April 2013. Hertalent was first spotted by her principal when she was in a primary school in 1924. Impressed by the quality of her voice, she was made head singer of classroom prayer. At 10, she started singing folk-based songs at religious functions and family marriages. She began her singing career from All India Radio (AIR) in Peshawar and Lahore from 1937.It was from here Ghulam Haider was popularly known as the Materji, who was the music director of Xenophone picked her and signed her for 12 songs at Rs 12.50 per song, a big sum that time. She was about 13 then.
Shamshad Begum’s debut in Hindi films came in 1941 in Khazanchi, a year before Noorjehan’s in Hindi films in Khandan (1942), both under Ghulam Haider. In the next year the song Duniya mein garibon ko aaram nahi milta from Zameendar (1942), and Gaaadiwale dupatta uda liya jaye re from Poonji (1943). Mehboob Khan liked her voice since Khajanchi so Khan used Begum's voice in Taqdeer (1943), where he introduced Nargis as the heroine. Begum was soon singing for other composers including Rafiq Ghaznavi, Ameer Ali, Pt. Gobindram, Pt. Amarnath, Bulo C. Rani, Rashid Atre and M. A. Mukhtar, in the pre-independence era.
Readers would be surprised to know that this popular song of Pakeezah was originally sung by Shamshad Begum way back in 1941 film Himmat, composed by Pt. Gobindram and written by Aziz Kashmiri.
Naushad acknowledged in an interview that he was indebted to Begum in reaching the top.It was Begum's solo and duet songs sung for Naushad in the late 1940s and early 1950s which made Naushad famous. Naushad was floored on the clarity of her tone, She sang 60 songs under his direction. She was the lead singer in Anokhi Ada, Mela (1948) and Chaandni Raat (1949). After using Lata Mangeshkar as the lead singer in Andaaz (1949), Naushad came back to Shamshad Begum with a bang in Baabul (1950) and Jadoo (1951). Her last song for him was the iconic qawwali-muqaabala – Teri mehfil mein kismet aazma kar hum bhi dekhenge (Mughal-e-Azam , 1960).
Two of the most iconic songs of our films – Ana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday and Mere piya gaye Rangoon – are C Ramchandra-Shamshad Begum creation, She sang nearly 60 songs for C Ramchandra. He used her voice for the first time in a film Safar, 1946, in a duet with him. Sheis credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday", this made her the most sellable female voice. She kept getting more offers to sing songs and was the highest-paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post-Mother India in 1957 to 1964.
In 1946, S D Burman asked Shamshad Begum to sing in his debut Hindi film as music director, Shikari (1946), with the song, "Kuch Rang Badal Rahi". In 1949, came Shabnam, in which Burman asked her to sing duets named "Pyar Main Tumne" and "Kismat Bhi Bhichadna" with Mukesh, which became popular. Shabnam was Burman's biggest hit to that date with Filmistan,
In 1954, when Nayyar got a break as a composer, he approached Begum to record songs for Mangu. Nayyar described her voice as resembling a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. He worked with her until the late 1960s and gave her many hit songs, including "Ab To Jee Hone Laga" from Mr. & Mrs. '55, "Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar", "Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana", "Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re" – CID (1956); "Main Jaan Gayi Tujhe" from Howrah Bridge, "Zara Pyar Karle" from Mangu, "Saiyan Teri Ankhon Mein" from 12' O Clock, "Thodasa Dil Lagana" from Musafirkhana, and many others.
Her songs from the 1940s to the early 1970s remain popular and continue to be remixed. She sang over 6,000 songs in Hindi and Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Punjabi languages and of the 1287 songs were Hindi film songs.
Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94 that time. Her melodious voice with powerful lyrics gave us songs that have remained popular even today.
Not many of us know about the Russian connection of iconic Indian actor Dev Anand. In his struggling days, he had a leaning towards communism. In fact, he became a member of IPTA along with his brother Chetan Anand. He visited Russia in 1954 as a part of an Indian Film Delegation along with Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Balraj Sahni, and Nirupa Roy.
The popularity of Indian films and their songs was at its peak during those days.In fact, 800 prints each of Dev Anand’s film Rahi and Raj Kapoor’s Aawara were released in all the languages of the 15 Soviet republics. The adulation Indian films got and the spontaneous enthusiasm of people was simply overwhelming. Aawara and Rahi became so famous and popular across the country that when in 1955, India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union, he took Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Dilip Kumar, the legendary trio of then Bombay film industry, as part of his delegation. To his amazement, Nehru found that the whole country was singing “Aawara.” “Rahi” was based on Mulk Raj Anand's, Two Leaves and a Bud, scripted and directed by K.A. Abba. It was India's official entry to the first-ever Venice and Moscow International Film Festivals in 1954. The other Dev Anand film screened in this festival was the 1952 film Aandhiyan written and directed by Chetan Anand. It also won international accolades at the Venice, Moscow and Peking film festivals. Again when in 1955, India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Soviet Union, he took Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Dilip Kumar, the legendary trio of then Bombay film industry, as part of his delegation. By that time the “trio” had already made a big impact on the people throughout India through their leading roles in Hindi films, sympathizing with common and downtrodden people and conveying the message of socialist egalitarianism, love, and freedom. Their roles in films resonated well with Nehru’s socialist ideology and will later strike a chord with Russians. Here I am posting a rare video of Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, and Nargis in Russia
Meena Kumari (1 August 1933– 31 March 1972) who is known as Tragedy Queen of Bollywood was not only an ace actress but also a singer and a poet. She started her career as a child artist.In an interview given in 1962, Meena Kumari explained that the fact she had been supporting her parents from the age of four gave her immense satisfaction. Director Vijay Bhatt cast her in the film Leatherface and on the first day she was paid Rs. 25. She appeared in many films as a child artist In 1941 Mehboob Khan took her in his film "Bahen" as a child artist and also got her sing for the first time in the films. As a heroine, she rendered her voice to songs from films like Duniya Ek Sarai (1946), Piya Ghar Aaja (1948), Bichchade Balam (1948)and Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966). She also sung for Pakeezah (1972), however, the song was not used in the film and was later released in the album Pakeezah-Rang Ba Rang (1977). In this blog, I am posting the songs Meena Kumari sang for herself.
Jagdeep(born 29 March 1939), the comedian of Golden Era started his film career as a child artist extra in B. R. Chopra's Afsana, then went on to do films as a child artist in films like Ab Dilli Door Nahin, K. A. Abbas's Munna, Guru Dutt's Aar Paar, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin and AVM's Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke. He was launched as a leading man by AVM in the films Bhabhi, Barkha and Bindaya, and went on to do a few more films as a leading man. We remember him today for some of the hit songs picturized on him like "Paas Baitho Tabiyat Bahal Jayegi" from Punarmilan, "In Pyar ki Rahon Mein" from the same film, "Chal Ud Ja Re Panchhi" and "Chali Chali Re Patang", from the superhit movie Bhabhi, where he is paired opposite Nanda, and "Aa Gaye Yaaro Jeene Ke Din" from Phir Wohi Raat. He was a hero of 5 films starring opposite Nanda, Azra, and Amita. He got success only as a comedian. He acted in more than 400 films. He is also known for his appearances in many horror movies, especially in projects of the Ramsay Brothers. He appeared in famous hits like Purana Mandir and 3D Saamri. He was a natural actor, believed in original acting by bringing out his own style. When people make his signature sound from his character Soorma Bhopali in Sholay, everybody knows it is Jagdeep’s style. In this blog, I am posting some of the memorable songs picturized on him.
Nanda(8 January 1939 – 25 March 2014) started her career in films as a child artist. It was her father who took her in his film Mandir (1948). While making the film her father expired, the film was completed by Dinakar Patil. After her father's untimely death, she decided to do films besides attending the school. First, she did Jaggu (1952) as a child artist in which Shyama was playing the heroine. In 1954 she did Jagadguru Shankaracharya. In the same year, she did Angaray directed by K.B. Lal that starred Nargis and Nasir Khan V Shantaram took her as a leading actress in her film Toofan Aur Diya released in 1956. But after that, she was offered roles of sister or side roles in many films. Dev Anand took her in his sister's role in Navketan's Kala Bazarin 1960 with a promise he would cast her heroine in his next film. It was in Hum Dono released in 1961, she was one of the heroines in that film. After Hum Donobig banners started approaching her with good offers.Nanda went on to rule the screen space from 1960 till 1973 with Nutan, Waheeda Rehman, and Sadhna. Some of her most memorable roles were in 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', 'Gumnaam' and 'Hum Dono'.She was once again one of the heroines in Dev Anand's Teen Deviyan. In 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', Nanda played her career's first westernized role and paired up with Shashi Kapoor with whom she went on to do eight films. She worked with Rajesh Khanna in 'The Train' when he was just starting out as an actor. She also worked with him in Ittefaq and Joru Ka Gulam. Manoj Kumar took her in Shor released in 1972. She made a brief return to acting in 1982 as a character actress where she played the onscreen mother of Padmini Kolhapure in 'Ahista Ahista', 'Mazdoor' R K Films Prem Rog Nanda was nominated for Filmfare Award five times for her performance in Bhabhi (1957), Aanchal (1960), Ittefaq (1969), Ahista Ahista (1981) and Prem Rog (1982). She won Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for 'Aanchal'
