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
TALAT MAHMOOD WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE GREATEST SINGING STARS OF ALL TIMES.The mellowness, sweetness and pathos in his voice set him apart from all the other singers. Here was a voice that was fresh ! The style absolutely new !! He was unanimously hailed as "The King Of Ghazals", a title he consolidated over the period of years to become the greatest name in ghazals. He was very handsome so he was offered the hero roles by many producersThe producer -director of the film 'Dil-e-Nadaan', A.R. Kardar, launched an 'All India Beauty Contest' to hunt for a beautiful girl who would play the heroine opposite the young and immensely talented superstar Talat Mahmood.Latter he worked in 13 films with top heroines of that time like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Suraiya, Shyama, Nadira and others.The first film he did as hero was Rajlakshmi in 1945 opposite Kananbala.In 1951 he did Araam with Dev Anand and Madhubala.The last time he apeared in Sone Ki Chidiya opposite Nutan in 1958. His reputation as a ghazal singer was not limited to his hometown of Lucknow, but it reached the city that proved to shape his destiny – Calcutta. In 1944 came the hit Tasveer teri dil mera behela nah sake gi. Its popularity was so phenomenal and unrivaled that even today it remains one of the top selling non-film discs. In 1949 Talat moved to Bombay, to sing for the Hindi film industry. His name and fame had already preceded him and soon he was flooded with offers. His big break came with the song Ae dil mujhe aisi jagha le chal jahan koi na ho composed by music director Anil Biswas for the soundtrack of the movie Arzoo. In the 50s Talat Mahmood with Muhammad Rafi and Mukesh.were the leading Male Singers,all three of them gave many immortal songs in that Golden Era of Hindi film music.Talat exerted a profound influence upon the ghazal singing of his time with his immensely melodious voice and artistic craftsmanship, particularly suitable for typically semi-classical ghazal singing. Here I am posting some of my favorite songs.
A distinctive voice and a versatile artist, singing over 6,000 songs in Hindi and Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi languages and of them 1287 songs were from Hindi films.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 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.Shamshad Begum sang extensively for composers including Naushad Ali, O. P. Nayyar, C. Ramchandra and S. D. Burman from 1946 to 1960.Her peak period in the Hindi film industry was from 1940 to 1955 and again from 1957 to 1968.Shewas the highest paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post Mother India in 1957 to 1964.Her song "Kajra Mohabbat Wala" from the 1968 film Kismat and Nathaniya Hale To Bada Maza from the 1971 film Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong remains popular. She was conferred with the prestigious O. P. Nayyar award for her contribution to Hindi film music. She was also conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009.Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94.She was cremated in a small, dignified ceremony. IMMORTAL SONGS Of SHAMSHAD BEGUM
Remembering Today on His Birth Anniversary Talat Mahmood(24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998) is considered one of the greatest male Indian non-classical and semi-classical singers. He was a born singer with an intuitive sense of beauty, charm and grace,he was one of the most important and significant singers of the Golden Era of Hindi film music.. Talat apprenticed classical music under Pandit S.C.R. Bhat at Marris College of Music, Lucknow.He began his singing career at the age of 16 in 1939 when he began singing the Ghazals of Daag, Mir, Jigar etc. on All India Radio, Lucknow. His voice had a quality distinct from all the other singers. HMV was quick to notice this and offered Talat his first disc in 1941 Sab din ek samaan nahin tha, Bun jaoon ga kya se kya main, Iska to kuch dhyan nahin tha. In 1944 came the hit Tasveer teri dil mera behela nah sake gi. Its popularity was so phenomenal and unrivalled that even today it remains one of the top selling non-film discs.This disc brought Talat the fame throughout India and soon he was beckoned by the Calcutta film industry. Talat made cameo appearances and starred in about 16 movies, for both the Calcutta (film hub of the 1940s) and Bombay Film Industry. In 1949 Talat moved to Bombay, to sing for the Hindi film industry. His name and fame had already preceded him and soon he was flooded with offers. His big break came with the song Ae dil mujhe aisi jagha le chal jahan koi na ho composed by music director Anil Biswas for the soundtrack of the movie Arzoo. Besides being a gifted singer, Mahmood was quite handsome as well. He acted in over a dozen films with top actresses of the time like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Suraiya and others.Some of the films were Rajlaxmi 1945,Tum Aur Main 1947,Araam with Dev Anand and Madhubala in 1951,Thokar with Shammi Kapoor in 1953,his last appearance was in Sone ki Chidiya (1958) opposite Nutan. Later he decided to give up acting to concentrate on singing. Talat Mahmood was probably the pioneer of international concert tours – his first tour was to East Africa in 1956.Music directors felt that Talat, busy with his films and overseas concerts, wouldn’t be available to sing playback.Music directors who had earlier given him plum assignments now began favouring other singers. SD Burman, for whom Talat had rendered the sublime Jaaye toh jaaye kahan wanted Mohammed Rafi for the plaintive Jalte hain jiske liye, and it was only on Bimal Roy's insistence that Talat got to sing it. By the 60s, things had taken a turn for the worse. There seemed to be no place for Talat’s voice by this time .Talat’s career never quite recovered. Except for the odd song in a few nondescript films, Talat Mahmood retired graciously from film music, preferring to focus on his non-film records and live shows, until ill-health saw him leave the limelight completely. Talat recorded his first track way back in 1941 and sang around 750 songs in 12 languages. My Tribute to this Great Singer First Song for Hindi film Rajlaxmi 1945
Khayyam was born on 18th Feb 1927 as Sa'aadat Hussain in undivided Punjab in Rahon, a town in Nawanshahr District no in India. When he was young. It was his dream to become like a singer-actor like the great KL Saigal whose movies he used to watch very often. However, his family opposed this and he had to leave his house. Khayyam then went to his uncle in Delhi to learn music but was forced to return to complete his education. Khayyam then went to Lahore to learn music from the famous Baba Chishti. He made his debut as Sharmaji of the Sharmaji-Varmaji composer duo with the movie Heer Ranjha in 1948. He went solo after his co-composer Rahman Varma went to the newly created Pakistan post partition. One of his earliest breaks was in the film Biwi in which the song "Akele mein wo ghabrate to Honge" sung by Mohammed Rafi was a huge hit. But he gained greater recognition from the film Phir Subha Hogi starring Raj Kapoor and Mala Sinha, in which songs written by Sahir Ludhyanvi and sung by Mukesh and Asha Bhonsle were set to tune by Khayyam, notable amongst them "Wo Subha Kabhi to Aayegi", "Aasman Pe hai Khauda aur Zameen pe Hum" and "Chin-o-Arab Humara". The song "Jaane kya dhhonti rehti hein ye aanken mujhmen" sung by Rafi from the film Shola Aur Shabnam established Khayyam's reputation as a great composer.Latter on Songs from the film Shagun which had Khayyam's wife Jagjit Kaur sing "Tum apna ranj-o-gham" and "Tum chali Jaogi". From the film Lala Rukh "Hai Kali Kali ke lab par" sung by Rafi and from Footpath "Shyam-e-Gham ki Kasam" sung by Talat Mehmood. From Mohhabat Isko Kehte hein "Theheriye hosh mein aa lun to chaley jaiyega" by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur made him popular composer. Khayyam teamed up with Sahir Ludhyanvi once again to work in the Yash Chopra-directed "Kabhi Kabhi". The songs were super hits and showed Khayyam's versatility with huge hits like "Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein Khayal ata hai" (Sung by Mukesh), "Tere chehre se nazar Nahin hatti" (Kishore & Lata) and "Mein Pal do pal ka Shayar Hun" (Mukesh). Again pairing with Sahir in Trishul he produced great songs like "Mohabbat bare kaam ki cheez hai" and "Janeman tum kamal karti ho" and the light "Gapuchi Gapuchi gam gam". "Hazar rahen" from Thodi si Bewafai and "Aaja re o mere dilbar Aaja" from Noorie and "Dikahyi Diye" from Bazaar are some noticeable songs. Khayyam also created music for the Kamal Amrohi directed "Razia Sultan" and his "Aye dil-e-nadan" sung by Lata capturing the mood beautifully. One of popular song is Cho lene do. How can we forget him in Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan in 1981. He made Asha Bhonsle sing songs which are indisputably her best. "In Aankhon ki masti ke", "Ye Kya Jagah hai doston" and "Dil Cheez kya hai" are evergreen.
Akhtaribaipopularly known as Begum Akhtar was born on 7th Oct 1914 at Bada Darwaza, Town Bhadarsa, Bharatkund, District Faizabad U P.Infact she was born as Bibbi along with Zohra as twin daughters to Mushtari and Ashgar HussainHer family belonged to the upper class of the society and was not even inclined towards music. She showed interest in music at a very young age and was sent to train under the great sarangi player, Ustad Imdad Khan. Later, she learnt classical music from great exponents of this field like Mohammad Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan and Ustad Jhande Khan Saheb.
Toone but e harjaayi kuchh aisi adaa paayi(Begam Akhtar NFS)(1930)
She gave her first public performance.when she was only 15 years old.People were moved by her voice and she gained instant recognition.Her first recording was done by the Megaphone Record Company and they released many gramophone records with her melodious Ghazals, thumris, dadras, etc. In 1930's,
Begum Akhtar was very beautiful and her sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. Those days only those actors were chosen who can sing also .Begum Akhtar was also aproached by many people from bombay to work in films.So she acted in a few Hindi filmsShe was signed by East India Film Company as a singing actor. Her first film was East India Film Company’s ‘Ek Din Ka Baadshah’ (1933). This was followed by ‘Nal Damyanti’ (1933), ‘Mumtaz Begum’ (1934), ‘Roop Kumari’ (1934), ‘Ameena’ (1934), ‘Jawani Ka Nasha’ (1935), ‘Naseeb Ka Chakkar’ (1936) etc.. In all these films, she sang all her songs herself.
WOH HANS RAHE FROM ROTI 1942
Seeing her performance in these films the renowned director Mehboob Khan approached her for a film titled "Roti". The music was composed by the famous Anil Biswas. The movie was released in the year 1942 in which Begum Akhtar had sung six Ghazals. Unfortunately, four of the Ghazals were deleted due to some tension between the producer and the director. The film was appreciated by one and all and the music took the industry by storm. After her marriage with barrister Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi in the year 1945.she could not sing for almost five years. But In the year 1949, she returned to record at the Lucknow Radio station and sang three Ghazals and a Dadra. She felt so satisfied and happy that she wept with joy. She then continued to give public performances and sing in concerts till she passed away
Aye Ishq Mujhe Aur to Kuch Yaad
Begum Akhtar was persuaded by Madan Mohan, a famous music director to sing in two movies "Daana Paani" (1953) and "Ehsaan" (1954). The songs "Aye Ishq Mujhe Aur to Kuch Yaad" and "Hamein Dil Mein Basa Bhi Lo" were absolutely melodious and were liked by one and all. Her last movie stint was that of a classical singer in Satyajit Ray's film "Jalsa Ghar". Begum Akhtar was a refined Ghazal singer and was called as Mallika-e-Ghazal or the Queen of Ghazals.
Fasl e gul aayi hamen yaad teri phir aane lagi (Panna Dai)(1945)
Begum Akhtar performed last in a concert in Ahmedabad. That day she felt that her voice was not upto the mark and raised her pitch. This put much stress on her and her health deteriorated. The situation became critical and she had to be rushed to the hospital. She breathed her last on 30th October 1974, leaving many fans disappointed and heart broken. Her tomb was built in a mango orchard within her home, ‘Pasanda Bagh’ in Thakurganj area, of Lucknow. She was buried alongside her mother, Mushtari Sahiba.Attempts are on to convert her home built in 1936 in China bazaar, Lucknow into a museum. She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan(posthumously) by Govt. of India. She was given the title of Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals). Her taseer(soulful sound) was the result of years of “loneliness, pain, suppression and silence, she had the ability to sing the saddest song with a bright smile .On the conclusion of her 102 nd birth anniversary, I have selected one of her six songs from the film ‘Roti’ (1942), ‘Chaar Dinon Ki Jawaani’ . This song was written by Dr. Safdar ‘Aah’ Sitapuri and the music was given by Anil Biswas. The film was produced under the banner of National Studios and was directed by Mehboob.
‘Chaar Dinon Ki Jawaani
Meghraj Aaye Barkha Laye from Roti 1942
The Ghazal that gave Begum Akhtar name and fame was written by Behzad Lucknowi –deewaana banaana hai to deewaana banaa dethat she became famous as a ghazal singer. Interestingly, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan accompanied her on Sarangi in this ghazal. This record not only cut a platinum disc, Megaphone Company had to set up a full fledged plant at Dum Dum to meet the unprecedented demand for this ghazal’s gramophone record
.
Begum Akhtar - diwana banana hai to
This song is from the Film Roti 1942 in which Begum Akhtar sang 6 songs but all the songs were removed from this film due to the contract she signed with the record company earlier not to sing for others.Later this song was released by the same company.All the songs were written by Behzad Lucknowi,keeping Akhtaribai in his mind.I think he was in love with Akhtaribai Faizabadi or with her singing .
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi's early years 6 Aye mohabbat tere anjam pe rona aaya
The ghazal is ‘mere hum-nafas mere hum-nawaa mujhe dost banke dagha na de’ written by Shakeel Badayuni. This ghazal was first issued by HMV on LP No.ECSD 2486 in 1971.This was composed by Khayyam
Mere ham nafas mujhe dost ban kar daga na de
Deewana Banana hai to
Jigar Moradabadi remained one of her favourite poets and she continued to sing his ghazals until her death in October 1974.The ghazal is ‘koi ye keh de gulshan gulshan’. Begum Akhtar had composed this ghazal and sang in concerts sometime in latter half of 30s, but it was recorded for HMV sometime in early 50s
Koi ye keh de gulshan gulshan
Here is this song which is sung and composed by Begam Akhtar. The lyrics are traditional and the lyricist is not known.
