R D Burman-The music composer always look out for new sound

A lot has been written about R D Burman creating sound from various sources, like a broom and a comb, a glass hit by spoon, blow wind into a bottle or beat the table or the human back. It is not important to create that sound, in my mind the genius is to apply that sound into music and make it part of the melody. 

Song from Sholay 1975

In  Mehbooba Mehbooba  song from Sholay (1975), the song begins with the sound he created by blowing from his mouth into half filled cold drink bottles. Nobody before or after him has had these ideas.
In an interview he said that even a motorcycle wheel could get him thinking of a tune. In the song Kal Kya Hoga from Kasme Vaade (1978), he used the recorded sound of a motorbike and also created it vocally himself.

Song from Warrant 1975

On stage display of the sound created from coke bottle

Botal se ik baat chali hai (Ghar, 1978) with real time bottle effect ,similarly the sound from bottle was used in the Warrant song "Ruk Jana O Jana", watch above video.

Song from Kitab 1977

Masterji ki aa gai chitthi (Kitab, 1977) with students beating the table, and which kid has not done this in his/her school days? Then the Chhoti si kahani se, barishon ke paani se (Ijaazat, 1987) with rainfall sound, these and many more are not contrived sound effects, they are natural fits – uniquely blended within the melody, something that is unprecedented and was not heard of before.

Song from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973)

 In 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne', from Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), the spoon-on-glass sound heard in the beginning is an actual recording of a glass being struck by a spoon.

Song from Darling Darling 1977

In the song 'Raat Gai Baat Gai', from the Dev Anand-Zeenat Aman starrer Darling Darling (1977), at one point (the 2:22 mark in the video above), a beat is heard which doesn't sound like a conventional percussion instrument. In the song's picturisation, it is Aman who is creating the beat by tapping various parts of her own body (as well as a few extras). In the studio, that beat was played by Burman, literally, on the back of one of his trusted percussionists, Amrutrao Katkar.

Song from  Agar Tum Na Hote (1983),

 In 'Dheere Dheere Zara Zara' from Agar Tum Na Hote (1983), the rhythm created by actress Rekha on screen, where she's shown tapping a piece of jewelry around her waist, was actually the sound of a bunch of keys that was used in lieu of the traditional hi-hat.

Song from Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai 1981

In the song above "Hoga Tumse Pyara Kaun" from Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai he created a sound by rubbing two sand papers for creating the sound of a train.

Song from Mahan 1983

He created a different sound by a school bell dipping in a bucket full of water,Watch the above song "Yeh Din To aata Hai Ek Din Jawani Mein" from 1983 film Mahan.See how this sound was created in the video below.

Song from Ajnabee 1974

In the song"Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein" from Ajnabee 1974 film,he created the thunder sound by shaking a metal sheet
In Padosan song Mere Samne Wali Khidki Mein the beginning sound was created by rubbing Comb with a grooved pipe.Same sound again  was used in "Chingari Koi Bhadke" from Amar Prem Song.
R D was very fond of new and different types of musical instruments.He introduced Thumba to Bollywood,Pancham and his group had gone for some shows in Africa. There they saw this African Instrument called Tumba. This triggered Pancham and thus he brought TUMBA to India. The legendary TUMBA played in “Aya Hoon Main Tujhko Le Jaunga” from Manoranjan is a classic example of his rhythmic playing.  
In the film Jawani Diwani in asong "Samne Yeh Kaun Aya" he invented an instrument called Pedal Matka to produce a different sound.watch this video below.

Pancham Da was always on a look out for novelty.In the following song"Bandar Salam" from Teen Murti 1982 in the beginning the sound we listen is not from any instrument but produced from the mouth 

. 
He would make music out of everything — from a bunch of keys to physically playing a beat on the back of a shirtless and bewildered session percussionist

The journey of singing great Noor Jehan in Bollywood

Noor Jehan began to sing at the age of five and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana of Hindustani classical music and the classical forms of thumri, dhrupad, and khayal.
At the age of nine, Noor Jehan drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti, who would later introduce her to the stage in Lahore.She had a desire to act in films at that age.Theatre owner Diwan Sardari Lal took the small girl to Calcutta in early 1930s and the entire family moved to Calcutta.Here in Calcutta she got her new stage name Baby Noor Jehan. 

Still from Heer-Sayyal 

In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed the Punjabi movie Pind di Kuri in which Noor Jehan acted along with her sisters and sang the Punjabi song "Langh aja patan chanaan da o yaar", which became her earliest hit. She then acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer Damodar Sharma. Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). One of her popular songs from that period "Shala jawaniyan maney" is from Dalsukh Pancholi's Punjabi film Gul Bakawli (1939). All these Punjabi movies were made in Calcutta.

She  returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, renowned music director Ghulam Haider composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity, and he thus became her early mentor.It was in 1942 she got a film Khandan as an adult heroine role,in this film Pran the legendary villain was her hero. The success of Khandaan saw her shifting to Bombay, with director Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. She shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai(1943). It was in this film that Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. She married Rizvi later the same year.
After taking the role of leading lady in Nadan (1943), she was presented with second lead in Naukar (1943) while Shobana Samarth (Indian film actress Nutan's mother) played the heroine opposite Chandramohan. Dost (1944), directedby Rizvi, had the extremely gifted Motilal as the leading man opposite Noor Jehan, with Rizvi (who was now her husband) playing her brother in the film. It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the first time to another actress, Husn Bano. It was in Lal Haveli (1944) that Noor Jehan starred opposite singing star Surendra Nath for the first time (they later made the all time classic Anmol Ghadi (1946)). Lal Haveli (1944) was also notable for the fact that Meena Kumari, then a child star, acted as the young Noor Jehan.

The year 1945 was a turning point for Noor Jehan. In Master Vinayak's Badi Maa (1945) she played lead with "Baby Lata Mangeshkar" and "Baby Asha Mangeshkar" in supporting roles. 
The year 1945 also brought Noor Jehan her first superhit in Bombay, Zeenat (1945). It was her inimitable rendition of "Bulbulo Mat Ro Yahan" that gained her the title Malka-e-Tarranum, Queen of Melody. 
In 1946 Noor Jehan acted in the enduring classic Anmol Ghadi (1946).The songs like 'Awaz De Kahan Hai', 'Jawan Hai Mohabbat', 'Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi', 'Aaja Meri Barbad Mohabbat' and 'Kya Mil Gaya Bhagwan' composed by Naushad to make her the undisputed queen of films.

Noorjehan in Jugnu

The year 1947 saw the release of Jugnu.She starred with Dilip Kumar in this film that time Dilip Kumar was an upcoming star.In this film Mohammad Rafi sang his first duet with Noorjehan "Yahan Badla Wafa Ka Bewafai Ke Siva Kya Hai".This song gave popularity to Mohammad Rafi.
Unfotunately the year also saw the partition of the country,Noorjehan opted to leave the country. 
Noor Jehan's last film in India was Mirza Sahiban (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's brother Trilok Kapoor. Many of the songs were hits like 'Aaja Tujhe Afsana Judaai Ka Sunaye' and the duet with G M Durrani 'Haath Seene Pe Jo Rakh Do To Qarar Aaye'.

Song from Khandaan 1942

Song from Zeenat 1945

Song from  Badi Maa 1945

Song from Anmol Ghadi 1946

Song from Anmol Ghadi 1946

Song from  Jugnu 1947

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

A Tribute to Dada Muni on his 16th Death Anniversary

An actor who could capture all your attention in a single shot, a man who added glamour to Hindi film fraternity and promoted talents from all corners of the country, Ashok Kumar has ruled the silver screen and melted millions of hearts with his charismatic screen appearance and personality.He was the first superstar of Hindi cinema as well as the first lead actor to play an anti-hero. He also became the first star to reinvent himself, enjoying a long and hugely successful career as a character actor.

He never ever wanted to become an actor. He came to Bombay to become a director. Those days, actors were really looked down upon. They were believed to come from the lowest strata of society. So he joined Bombay Talkies as a technician. he worked in the camera department. Later, he was made a lab assistant." It was sheer fluke that he became an actor. 
 He got the lead role in Jeevan Naiya (1936), a Bombay Talkies production. His first big hit was Achhut Kanya (1936), where he again paired with Devika Rani. The film was about a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the 'untouchable' class. 
He  was the first anti-hero of Indian cinema. Gyan Mukherjee's Kismet (1943) presented Ashok as a pickpocket who falls in love. This was the first film in Indian cinema that grossed at one crore rupees. So technically, Ashok Kumar was the one to set up the 'crore club'.

His rise to fame however rattled his parents. In an interview he said "My mother was certain that since I'd joined films, I would fall into bad ways. So without letting me know, she arranged my marriage. I didn't even see my wife before the wedding. Meeting your bride before marriage wasn't the done thing then".

Post Kismet, Ashok Kumar became the most bankable star of the era, delivering a succession of box office successes with movies like Chal Chal Re Naujawan (1944), Shikari (1946), Sajan (1947), Mahal (1949), Sangram (1950) and Samadhi (1950).
He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including Ziddi (1948), which established the careers of Dev Anand and Pran,Later on he quit the Bombay Talkies and started Filmistan Studio with Shashdhar Mukharjee ,his desire to return to Bomaby Talkies was always there." He re bought Bombay Talkies in 1947. "Devika Rani had left by then. But the Talkies had fallen on bad days. The debts amounted to Rs 28 lakhs. We made movies like Majboor, Ziddi, Mahal and Mashal to repay the debts."

With the advent of the 1950s Ashok Kumar switched over to more mature roles, with the exception of the 1958 classic Howrah Bridge. Despite the arrival of a younger crop of stars like Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar remained one of the stars of the era with hits like Afsana (1951), Nau Bahar (1952), Parineeta (1953), Bandish (1955) and EK Hi Raasta (1956). His most successful film of that era was Deedar (1951), in which he played second fiddle to Dilip Kumar.

Ashok Kumar played an important role in several landmark movies in the 1960s and 1970s, including Jewel Thief (1967), Aashirwad (1968) (for which he won a Filmfare Award as well as National Award in 1969), Purab aur Pashchim (1970), Pakeezah (1972), Mili (1975), Chhoti Si Baat (1975) and Khoobsurat (1980).

Ashok Kumar's last film role was in the 1997 movie Aankhon Mein Tum Ho.

. Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria.He was honored in 1988 with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India and also received the Padma Bhushan in 1999 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

He died at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 of heart failure at his residence in Chembur. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described him as "an inspiration... for many generations of aspiring actors.

Songs from Ashok Kumar's Films

Koi Hamdam Na Raha from Jeewan Naiya 1936

Song from Achhut Kanya 1936

Original Ek Chatur Naar from Jhula 1941

Song from Kismet 1943

Naani ki naao chali  from Aashirwad

Song from Aashirwad 1968

Dev Anand-The Original Style Icon of India

 

Fashion is a big industry today in India .An early trendsetter in fashion was Bollywood(Hindi cinema).If we look back we will find Dev Anand was the original Trend Setter. He was the style icon of 1950s and 1960s, scripted a fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers,hats Shirt collars and jackets and his singnature puff.
Dev saab created style "not only in reel but also in real life. His signature strip black trousers, cap wore on one side, bright cardigans and scarves tied around his neck created sensation." I will consider him as the father of fashion in the lead actors wardrobe. 
I think that era will never come back because right now people are too much influenced by outside world. Rather than creating their own style, many people are looking at the West. In the 50s there were no fashion designers,Dev Saheb  used to create his own style which later becomes a fashion
Thanks to his good looks, further enhanced by his stylish wardrobe and on-screen romantic image portrayed in songs like Abhi NA Jao Chodkar, Jia O and Khoya Khoya Chand, Dev Anand had girls swooning over him.
In an interview he was asked about fashion he said"I have always had the passion for clothes and what I wear should be perfect. If I like something, I do it. That's how everybody should, and the world should function. Dev Anand likes fashion. I look myself in the mirror everyday and say, "I look good" and don't care what everyone has to say about me as long as I like it. That's what fashion is all about. Fashion is what suits a man, his body, his physique, his appearance. You cannot follow a fashion designer but you can follow your own personality."

 Black Suit-His black coat after Kaala bazaar became a trend. His looks were compared to Gregory Pack- the great Hollywood star, his charisma, charm & child like smile was intoxicating & every generation admired, adored and appreciated him. He was asked not to wear black color in public as women would jump from buildings after seeing him dresses in black. Such was his charisma.

Hair Style-Dev Anand’s much-aped hair-style the Puff symbolized an urban chic fashion trend.This trend remained till Pyar Mohabbat released in 1966.From this film onwards he stopped making Puff,soon all the young generation changed their hair style.

His penchant for hats- Like every piece of accessory that defined his wardrobe,his hats became a rage. From the artistic beret to the classic cowboy hat to the sophisticated panama,the Jewel Thief cap very few Bollywood stars could carry a range of hats the way Dev saab did!

 His Walk: Mr. Anand was known for his trademark sloping walk, which added to his charisma. Watch the song Khoa Khoya Chand from Kaala Bazar for his walk.

His Sweaters and Jackets-He made the effortless way of wearing sweaters on shoulders a big rage during the 50s,60s and is still the only man you think of when we talk about retro style in Bollywood. Many many years past his hey day, He used a lot vibrant colours and psychedelic hues in his wardrobe when most people during that time didn’t prefer to experiment much. His understanding of colour-coding was phenomenal and personalised it to the hilt. In Guide he challenged all the existing norms with his big floral prints and buttoned up turtle-neck shirts. Dev Anand (inspired heavily by Gregory Peck) draped a sweater over his shoulders, a trend that was replicated years later by Shahrukh Khan in Mohabbatein. 

Scarfs and Muffler-He employed a variety of mufflers in  range of psychedelic hues quite effortlessly. He paired up those bold and outrageously colourful accessories with big and conspicuous floral motifs. It is said he popularized mufflers in India.

Dev  Anand’s style was highly individualistic. Though widely imitated, 

Song from Kala Bazar

Song from Tere Ghar Ke Samne

Song from Teen Deviyan

Song from Guide

Remembering Ghulam Haider on his Death anniversary

Ghulam Haider the Great Composer is remembered the Music Director who gave this world the Bharat Ratna LATA MANGESHKAR. He also introduced Sudha Malhotra to the Hindi films. Ghulam Haider also introduced the Punjabi folk music and instruments like Dholak in the film music. Today he is no more, but his music inspired the later Punjabi music directors to take music career confidently. His work inspired many Punjabi music directors like Hansraj Behl, Husnlal Bhagatram, Shyam Sunder and Feroz Nizami.
His first big hit song came with Khazanchi in 1941, which caused a revolution in the music industry.The music of the film Khazanchi (1941), in particular, the song Sawan Ke Nazare Hain sung by Shamshad Begum and himself caused a revolution in music composing. Khandan (1942), the first film of Noor Jehan as lead actress, was also a big hit and established him as a top film composer. 
Ghulam Haider was born in 1908 in Narowal now in Pakistan.Being curious about music he started learning music from Babu Ganesh Lal. His love for music made him leave his career as a dentist.he got a job with Alfred Theatrical Company and Alexander Theatrical Company as a piano player in Calcutta,He got his first break with D.M. Pancholi's Punjabi film, Gul-E-Bakavali (1939) starring Noor Jehan.^[1][2] This was followed by film Yamla Jat (1940).
Haider moved to Bombay and composed music for many films including Humayun (1945) and Majboor (1948 film), the first major break for Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi films.Shaheed (1948) and Kaneez (1949 film) are his other big hits. Shamshad Begum had sung many of the popular compositions of Haider. Along with music composing
After independence, he returned to Lahore and his first Pakistani film was Shahida (film) (1949). He composed music for many other Pakistani films like Beqarar (1950), Akeli (1951) and Bheegi Palken (1952) but the films flopped. He died just a few days after the release of film Gulnar (1953)

Song from Khazanchi 1941

Song from Khandan (1942)

Song from Khandan (1942)

Song from Humayun 1945

Song from Shaheed 1948

Song from  Majboor (1948)

Song from Gulnar 1953 

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar-The Versatile Actor

On the 32nd Death Anniversary, we bring to you some interesting facts about Sanjeev Kumar the man who was known for his older roles, died at a young age. Sanjeev Kumar died on November 6, 1985 at the age of 47 due to a heart attack.He started his acting career as a theatre actor got his first break in hindi film as hero in Nishan which was directed by Aspi Irani.released in 1965 
He never minded playing small roles or playing older roles. He played older roles and always cared about the scope of the roles.Sanjeev Kumar was known for his iconic roles in the films like Sholay, Trishul, Shikar, Pati Patni Aur Woh etc

Sanjeev Kumar in Nishaan

He was born on 9 July 1938 in a Gujarati family at Surat as Harihar Jethalal Jariwala. He made his film debut with a small role in Hum Hindustani in 1960.In 1970, the movie Khilona brought Kumar recognition. In 1972, he played in an Indo-Iranian film, Subah aur Shaam. This was when director Gulzar first spotted him; later he cast Kumar in the roles of older men in Koshish (1973), Aandhi (1975) and Mausam (1975)
Sanjeev Kumar was nominated for 14 Filmfare Awards, thrice as Best Supporting Actor and the remaining as Best Actor. He won the awards twice as Best Actor and once as Best Supporting Actor.He got 2  National Awards from  the Govt.of India.

He  won the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) for his exemplary portrayal of a deaf and mute person in Koshish, in which the female lead was played by Jaya Bhaduri, who acted as his deaf and mute wife and was herself nominated for Best Actor award by Filmfare for the same role.
Some of his important films are  Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), Manchali (1973) Aap Ki Kasam (1974), Aandhi (1975), Mausam (1975). Swarg Narak (1978) Biwi O Biwi (1981),Pati, Patni Aur Woh, Angoor (1982),Naya Din Naya Raat and Hero (1983)

His role as Mirza Sajjad Ali, a chess-obsessed Lucknowi (citizen of Lucknow), in Satyajit Ray's classic Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) exemplified that aspect. Perhaps his best remembered roles were in the blockbuster films Sholay (1975) and Trishul (1978). His portrayal of the character Thakur, from Sholay, released in August 1975 was one of his stellar performances. In Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974) he played Nine Roles ,Beside hindi films he has done many regional films in different languages including Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Sindhi and his mother tongue Gujarati.
Songs of Sanjeev Kumar

Song from Nishaan 1965

Song from Raja Aur Runk  1968

Song from Anokhi Raat 1968

Song from Khilona 1970

Song from Devi 1970

Song from Seeta Aur Geeta 1972

Song from Parichay 1972

Song from Anamika 1973

Song from Aandhi 1975

Song from Pati Patni Aur Woh