Nasir Hussain-The King Of Musical Hits

Nasir Hussain (16 November 1926 – 13 March 2002) had a ear for good, popular music.He gave us many Musical Hits like Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne(1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), Caravan (1971), Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973),  Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977). Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992).
He started his career as story writer in 1948. The famous films he wrote for Filmistan include Anarkali (1953), Munimji (1955), and Paying Guest (1957).

He directed his first film Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957 which established Shammi Kapoor as a successful Actor.
He was very fond of Dev Anand,he wanted Dev Anand to be Hero of Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Teesri Manzil but Dev Anand did not acept his offer,both the films went to Shammi Kapoor.

He also introduced Asha Parekh from Dil Deke Dekho( 1959).After that he had one of his longest associations was with leading lady Asha Parekh, from Dil Deke Dekho, through Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam until Caravan. After a gap of 13 years, she did a cameo in his film Manzil Manzil (1984).

Rajendra Nath the comedian was a fixture in almost all of his early productions. He was in Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), Zabardast (1985) and Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981).

R D Burman was another person who had a long association with him since Teesri Manzil  through Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, Caravan, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Manzil Manzil and Zabardast.
Another person was the lyricist Majroh Sultanpuri who was associated with him in 10 of his productions, apart from working with him in Paying Guest.
In the 80s he lost his magic touch,none of his films were clicking on the Box Office.In 1981 he made Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai but the film flopped, Undeterred, he directed his next film Manzil Manzil(1984) and brought back Asha for a small cameo in the mother role, but the film still flopped. As did his next film Zabardast (1985), which turned out to be his last directorial venture. He then handed the reins over to his son Mansoor Khan to direct Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), which starred his nephew Aamir Khan, which became a big hit. Since Nasir wrote the script, he won the Filmfare Best Screenplay Award. He would win the Filmfare Best Movie Award for producing Mansoor's directorial effort Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), which again starred his nephew Aamir Khan. The final film he wrote was Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995). He won a special Filmfare Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema in 1996.

 He was a big fan of Western music — be it the Beatles, Jose Feliciano, Abba, the Elvis Presley songs and these are all referenced in his films. I think this too contributed to his excellent working relationship with R D Burman.He died of a heart attack on March 13, 2002.He will be remembered for his musical hits.
Super Hit songs from Nasir Hussain Films

Song from Tumsa Nahin Dekha 1957

Song from Dil Deke Dekho 1959

Song from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961

Song from Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon 1963

Song from Baharon Ke Sapne 1967

Song from  Pyar Ka Mausam 1969

Song from Caravan 1971

Song from Yaadon Ki Baaraat 1973

Song from Hum Kisise Kum Naheen 1977

Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai

Song from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) 

Song from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992)

INDEEVAR- The Most Underrated Lyricist

Indeevar who wrote more than 1000 songs for Bollywood Films was not given his due he deserved.He had a wide range,penning emotionally uplifting songs, Indeevar also wrote peppy numbers including Nazia Hassan’s sung “Aap Jaisa Koi” and Feroz Khan’s Qurbani song “Laila O Laila”. 
Indeevar was born on 1st Jan in 1924 as Shyam Lal Babu Rai  and grew up to become a freedom fighter. He wrote under the pseudo name of Azad for which he was imprisoned by the British. He became a household name with the release of the song "Bade Armano Se Rakhha Hai Pehla Kadam"  from Malhar in 1949.

It was singer Mukesh who gave him the break as a lyricist from the film Malhar(1949) which was produced by him and composed by Roshan.He along with Music Director Kayanji Anandji gave many hit & memorable songs.

It was Indeevar with whose lyrics Laxmi-Pyare made their debut in ‘Parasmani’ I don’t have to quote the songs. They were so beautiful. In ‘Madari’ too the Lata song, ‘Pyar mera majboor pardesi piya’ was a big hit.. In ‘Dulha Dulhan’ Indeevar wrote that classic Mukesh number: ‘Jo pyar tu ne mujh ko diya hai’ and ‘Hum ne tum se pyar kiya hai jitna kaun kare ga itna’.

The songs of ‘Chotey Babu’, ‘Himalaya Ki God Mein’ and Saheli were also big hits. But Upkar came as a major hit in his career too. How can we forget, among other hits of the movie, that sad number by Manna Dey for Pran: ‘Kasme wade pyar wafa sab baaten hain baton se kya’

In ‘Poorab aur Pachchim’ too Indeevar created havoc with his lyrics, specially the song, ‘Koi jab tumhara hridaya tod de, ‘

He wrote for almost all the music directors of his time except S D burman.With the arrival of the disco beat and the Bhappi Lahiri wave, Indeevar put poetry on the backburner and stood up to the task of delivering mindless lyrics. There was a preset combination for all these Southern-style 'pots-n-pans' hits: Jeetendra, Sridevi, Jaya Pradha, Bhappi Lahiri and Indeevar. All the way from Himmatwalas' (1983) ‘Nainon Mein Sapna’ to Tohfa's nonsensical title song, Indeevar willfully accepted and adapted to the changing trends in film music.

Towards the end of his career, he notched up a few hits with actor-turned-filmmaker Rakesh Roshan such as Karan Arjun (1995) and Koyla (1997). But even as he was trying to redeem himself as a poet, Indeevar passed away on February 27, 1999, leaving behind his words :

Song from Malhar 1951

Song from Malhar 1951

Song from Baadbaan (1954)

Song from Parasmani (1963)

Song from Dulha Dulhan 1964

Song from Himalay Ki God Mein (1965)

Song from Saheli (1965)

Song from Upkar (1967)

Song from Dil Ne Pukara (1967)

Song from Saraswati Chandra (1968)

Song from Safar (1970)

Song from Johny Mera Naam (1970)

Song from Sachha Jhutha (1970)

Song from Purab Aur Pachhim (1971)

Song from Amanush (1975)

Song from Qurbani (1980)

Song from Jurm (1990)

MADHUBALA-Whose Life Was Just As Tragic As Anarkali’s

Madhubala (February 14, 1933 - February 23, 1969) the woman who was born on Valentine's Day and became India's sweetheart struggled to find true love all through her life is one of the most gorgeous actresses to have graced the screens of Bollywood.Madhubala is an epitome of beauty, who had an unbeatable charm. She is admired for her looks and work even by the present day generations.
At a tender age of 9, Madhubala, then known as Mumtaz Begum, was signed in for the film Basant in 1942. It was only a matter of time that Madhubala shot to fame and her work in the 1949 film Mahal got her the success she rightfully deserved. She was just 16.
Her life was full of struggle,when she was 9 as her father lost his job. She was one of five children in the family and her earnings helped the family to survive hard times.  Her first film as child artist was Basant (1942), was a box-office success.As a child actress she went on to play in several movies. Actress Devika Rani was impressed by her performance and potential, and advised her to assume the screen name 'Madhubala'.
By the time she turned 14, Madhubala was playing the leading lady (in ‘Neel Kamal’) with Raj Kapoor in 1947.

It was in 1954 when the gorgeous Madhubala was shooting for SS Vasan’s film Bahut Din Huwe and during the shooting, she vomited blood, reportedly, for the very first time. She resumed shooting soon after being treated and everybody presumed that she was perfectly alright until she fainted while shooting with Raj Kapoor for the 1957 film Chalack. 
It was diagnosed that she had a serious condition of cyanosis and poor oxygen perfusion, colloquially referred to as a “hole in the heart”. And it’s our collective loss that during that time, the medical community’s understanding of the condition was in its infancy and there was no available treatment.
On the one hand, she was fighting for her life and doing justice to her art, and on the other, she was traversing and struggling with her personal life. Madhubala was engaged to the legendary actor Dilip Kumar. However, their relationship reportedly went south because Madhubala’s father wasn't happy with it.

Madhubala left Dilip Sahab soon after and subsequently, married Kishore Kumar. Well, things were looking up for her but the doctors soon informed her that she won’t live for long. The tragedy only deepened with Kishore Kumar buying her a house in Mumbai, only to leave her alone.

In 1960, Madhubala was at the peak of her career and popularity with the release of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat. She did have intermittent releases in the early 1960s. Some of these, like Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962) and Sharabi (1964).Her last film released was Jwala in 1971.
Isn’t it ironical that the beautiful and charming leading heroine of Indian films, who was growing into a vibrant and serene actor, accumulating recognition around the world, was also slowly and simultaneously degenerating into a fragile being, who’s plight was only known to a few.
Another tragedy was that She acted in 70 films but most of her films were flops.Only 15 films were hit,still she was the most saught after heroine of her time.but another irony was that she spent her last days in depression and loneliness. What was once the most beautiful face to ever grace the silver screen, full of freshness, vibrancy and youth, was left alone to perish.
She succumbed to her illness on February 23rd, 1969, and passed away, leaving behind a timeless remembrance, full of beauty, grit and ‘feathers’.
Best Of Madhubala's Song

Song from Mahal 1949

Song from Amar 1954

Song from Mr. & Mrs. '55 1955

Song from Kala Pani 1958

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Song from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958

Song from Barsaat Ki Raat 1960

Song from Mughal-e-Azam 1960

Pankaj Mallik-The Singer,Composer Admired By Rabindranath Tagore

It is said that when Tagore heard Mullick sing one of his verses `Diner Sheshey Ghumer Deshey`, the `bard` hugged him and told him that he was free to set tune to those writings of his which he would not be able to accomplish during his lifetime.
The credit of taking Tagore’s songs and music, which have come to be known as 'Rabindra Sangeet', to the masses goes to 'Mukti'. 
The unprecedented popularity of Kanan Devi & Pankaj Mullick songs in 'Mukti' played a major role in creating a mass appeal for this kind of songs which were hitherto unknown. 
Pankaj Mallik was born on 10th May 1905 in Calcutta. He started his early training in Indian classical music under the tutelage of Durgadas Bandopadhaya. An important turning point in his life came when, after finishing his studies, he came in contact with Dinendranath Tagore, who was Rabindranath Tagore's great-nephew. This led to Pankaj Mullick's lasting interest in Rabindra Sangeet. Rabindranath Tagore, in turn, grew fond of him, and soon Mullick became known as one of the leading exponents of Tagore's songs.
He started his career with the Indian Broadcasting Corporation in Calcutta in 1927, the forerunner of All India Radio (AIR), along with composer R. C. Boral, where he contributed as a music director and artist for nearly fifty years.
Along with RC Boral, Pankaj Mullick helped New Theatres dominate the film industry in the 1930s. They worked together on a few films and one of the best examples of their combined brilliance was President. 
He was a man of many talents. Other than composing music, he played the lead role in a few films and was an excellent singer. Undeniably, though, the highlights of his career were the songs he composed for KL Saigal.The two legendary songs in Zindagi were the musical opposites of each other. In ‘Main Kya Janoon Kya Jadoo Hai’and ‘So Ja Rajkumari’, on the other hand, was slow and sonorous. 
Pankaj Mullick innovated not only the Tonga rhythm, but was also the first to breathe the locomotive breath into a Hindi film song. Amazingly, he did both in the same film, Doctor. 
He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1970, followed by the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (India's highest award in cinema, given by the Government of India) in 1972 for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.He died on 19th Feb 1978.

Here is my pick of Ten Pankaj Mullick songs that bring out the essence of his talent.

Song from Adhikar 1938

Song from Kapal Kundla.1939

Song from Zindagi 1940

Song from Zindagi 1940

Song from Nartaki 1940

Song from Nartaki 1940

Song from  Doctor 1941

Song from  Doctor 1941

Song from Meri Behen 1944

                                          Ye Ratein Ye Mousam - Pankaj Mullick.

Suraiya -The Top Singing Star of Independent India

There was a time when traffic jams at Marine Drive (Mumbai) were caused not due to a long line of cars, but because of a young charismatic actress - Suraiya..
During the mid-forties the two faces which dominated the film world with their music were Suraiya and Noor Jehan. 
Noorjehan left India after Partition so she became the Top Leading Singing Star of Bollywood.Both of them appeared together in that celebrated Mehboob’s musical Anmol Ghadi. Though overshadowed by Noor Jehan, it goes to her credit that Suraiya, even in a supporting role, was able to hold her own and make her presence felt with her evergreen melodies like “Socha tha kya, kya ho gaya” and “Man leta hai angrahi”.
Suraiya with her distinct individual style, her sweet seasoned voice and direct simple diction succeeded in captivating the listeners and her popularity knew no bounds.She had 3 box-office hits in quick succession were “Pyar ki Jeet” (1948), “Badi Behan” (1949) and “Dillagi” (1949).In her heyday she was known as 'Malika-e-Husn' (queen of beauty), 'Malika-e-Tarannum' (queen of melody) and 'Malika-e-Adakaari' (queen of acting), all rolled into one.
She was born on 15 June 1929.She was the only child of her parents.She received basic training in music when her mother used to take her to a Hindustani music teacher or 'Master ji' for training. She first sang for a children's program for All India Radio in 1937. Later on Naushad gave her on the job 'training', while recording. She went on to become one of the most successful singing film stars of Bollywood.  

She made her debut as a child artist in Madam Fashion in 1936 as Miss Suraiya, along with Nargis as Baby Rani. The film was directed by Jaddan Bai, mother of Nargis, with Jaddan Bai herself as heroine,
As a child artist, she acted and also sang in Tamanna (1942), Station Master (1942), and Hamari Baat (1943). As an adult, Suraiya initially played as a heroine in K. Asif's Phool as Shama, with Prithviraj Kapoor as hero,and as a co-star in Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946), (which was written by Aghajani Kashmeri, also known as Kashmiri) and Dard (1947).
She acted as a heroine in the film Tadbir (1945) on the recommendation of K. L. Saigal, who liked her voice during a rehearsal of a song for Jayant Desai's film Samrat Chandragupt (1945) in which she was acting. He recommended her to Desai, opposite himself in Tadbir (1945). She went on to co-star with K. L. Saigal in Omar Khayyam (1946) and Parwana (1947 film).Suraiya appeared in scores of films, including at least 25 between 1946 and 1950, and at her peak was one of Bollywood’s highest-paid stars. She worked only a few films after 1952 and retired in 1963 at the age of 34.
She played the leading role with almost every famous star of her time and also sang with the leading playback singers like Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mehmood and Mukesh

. 
The most striking and much-publicised episode of Suraiya’s life was her romance with the upcoming young actor Dev Anand in the early 1950s. It was then the ‘talk of the town’, the very stuff legends are made of. She was Dev Anand’s heroine in seven films which had moderate success . During the shooting of a film, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. This incident was the beginning of their romance. Suraiya fell in love with him and both of them planned to get married but Suraiya’s grandmother opposed the relationship and persuaded her to turn down Dev’s marriage proposal. She chose to remain unmarried throughout her life and died a lonely woman on 31st January 2004.
Suraiya's Great Songs

The first recorded song of Manna De and Child Suraiya

Song from Tamanna (1942)

Song from Tadbir (1945)

Song from Anmol Ghadi 1946

Song from Dard 1947

Song from Parwana 1947

Song from Pyar Ki Jeet 1948

Song from Vidya 1948

Song from Dillagi 1949

Song from DASTAN 1950

Song from Rajput 1951

Song from Mirza Ghalib (1954)

Song from Waris 1954

Song from Shama (1961)

K L Sehgal-The Ultimate Zenith of the Singing Voices of Bollywood

K L Sehgal – the divine, the inimitable, the ultimate zenith of the singing voices. He came on right in the beginning of the age of talking cinema in India, and departed all too soon. This year, it is seventy years that he left this mortal existence. And to wit – no other singer since then, has ever been able to match his singing abilities, nor has been able to achieve the quality and the depth / breadth of renditions.  He was a class unto himself, with none other besides him.
Many singers tried to imitate Saigal’s style, tone and tenor. If Talat Mahmood’s first song ‘Sab din ek samaan nahin thha..’ reminds us of Saigal, so does Mukesh’s ‘Dil jalta hai to jalne de..’. C.H. Atma sounds like Saigal in ‘Preetam aan milo..’, Surrender in ‘Aawaaz de kahan hai..’ and Kishore Kumar in ‘Jagmag jagmag karta nikla chaand punam ka pyara..’ could not resist trying a Saigal style. The young Rafi virtually requested to Naushad to allow him to sing with Saigal the last lines of ‘Mere sapno ki Rani..’.

He appeared in 36 full length feature films (28 Hindi + 7 Bangla + 1 Tamil). The stature of his persona, and the standing of the production houses, has ensured that majority of the body of his work is available today in public domain. There are a few films in the period 1932 to 1935 – namely ‘Mohabbat Ke Aansoo’ (1932), ‘Subah Ka Sitaara’ (1932), ‘Zinda Laash’ (1932), ‘Daaku Mansoor’ (1934), ‘Rooplekha’ (1934), ‘Pooran Bhagat’ (1933), ‘Raajrani Meera’ (1933), ‘Yahudi Ki Ladki’ (1933), and ‘Kaarwaan e Hayaat’ (1935), which seem to have been lost forever. Of these nine films the first five have been erased, with even no music / songs / records traceable. A few songs of the remaining four films is the priceless legacy that has survived to attest a substantive existence of these films.
Sehgal was born in Jammu(11 April 1904), where his father Amarchand Saigal was a tehsildar at the court of the Raja of Jammu and Kashmir. Saigal dropped out of school and started earning money by working as a railway timekeeper. Later, he worked as a typewriter salesman for the Remington Typewriter Company, which allowed him to tour several parts of India.
Once on his travel to Lahore  he befriended Mehrchand Jain (who later went on to start the Assam Soap Factory in Shillong) at the Anarkali Bazaar. Mehrchand and Kundan remained friends when they both moved to Calcutta and had many a mehfil-e-mushaira. In those days Saigal was a budding singer and Mehrchand encouraged him to pursue his talent. His passion for singing continued and became more intense with the passage of time. 
In Calcutta he was introduced to R. C. Boral. who liked his talent of singing and acting. Those days all actors used to sing their own songs.Soon Sehgal was hired by B. N. Sircar's Calcutta-based film studio New Theatres on a contract of Rs. 200 per month. There he came into contact with contemporaries like Pankaj Mullick, K. C. Dey and Pahari Sanyal.
The first film in which Sehgal had a role was the film Mohabbat Ke Ansu, followed by Subah Ka Sitara and Zinda Lash, all released in 1932. However, these films did not do very well. Sehgal used the name Saigal Kashmiri for his first three films and used his own name Kundan Lal Sehgal (K. L. Sehgal) from Yahudi Ki Ladki (1933).In 1933, four bhajans sung by Saigal for the film Puran Bhagat created a sensation throughout India.
In 1935,he played the role that would come to define his acting career: that of the drunken title character in Devdas, based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name and directed by P.C. Barua. His songs in the film Devdas (1935), "Balam Aaye Baso Moray Man Mein" and "Dukh Ke Ab Din Beetat Naahi", became popular throughout the country.
His association with New Theatres continued to bear fruit in the successful films Didi (Bengali), President (Hindi) in 1937, Desher Mati(Bengali), Dharti Mata (Hindi) in 1938, Saathi (Bengali), Street Singer (Hindi) in 1938, Dushman (1939), Jiban Maran (1939) and Zindagi in 1940, with Sehgal in the lead. In Street Singer, Sehgal rendered the song "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye" live in front of the camera, even though playback was becoming the preferred method of singing songs in films.
In December 1941, Saigal moved to Mumbai to work with Ranjit Movietone. Here he acted and sang in a number of successful films. Bhukt Surdas (1942) and Tansen (1943) were hits during this period. The latter film is still remembered for Saigal's performance of the song "Diya Jalao" in Raga Deepak; in the same movie, he also sang "Sapta Suran" and "Tin .. Gaa-o Saba Guni Jan". In 1944, he returned to New Theatres to complete My Sister. This film contained the songs "Do Naina Matware" and "Ae Qatib-e-Taqdeer Mujhe Itna Bata De".
In 1945 his film Tadbeer with Suraiya released which was a hit.Its song Mein Panchhi Azad was a huge hit.When Suraiyya got a chance to act with Saigal in Parwana, she was so overawed that she could not sing even one duet with him. In a career of fifteen years, Saigal acted in 36 feature films – 28 in Hindi, seven in Bengali, and one in Tamil. In addition, he acted in a short comedy Hindi film, Dulari Bibi (three reels), released in 1933.
 Sehgal died in his ancestral city of Jalandhar on 18 January 1947, at the age of 42. However, before his death, he was able to churn out three more hits under the baton of Naushad Ali for the film Shahjehan (1946). These are "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani", "Ae Dil-e-Beqaraar Jhoom" and "Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya". Parwana (1947) was his last film, released after his death, in which he sang under the baton of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar. The four songs which Saigal sang in Parwana are: "Toot gaye sab sapne mere", "Mohabbat mein kabhi aisi bhi haalat", "Jeene ka dhang sikhaae ja", and "Kahin ulajh na jaana"
.Sehgal's distinctive singing was revered and idolised by the first generation of post-independence Hindi Film playback singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh. Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar have even gone on record in an interview that they consider Kundan Lal Saigal to be their music Guru.  
However, the appeal of Saigal’s songs is eternal and enduring. The freshness of his songs is undiminished by time. Music lovers would cling to his memory for all time to come.

Song from Yahudi Ki Ladki’ (1933)

Song from Devdas (1935)

Song from Street Singer (1938

Song from Zindagi (1940)

Song from Zindagi (1940)

Song from Tansen (1943)

Song from My Sister (1944)

Song from Shahjehan (1946)

Song from Shahjehan (1946)