Showing posts with label khemchand prakash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label khemchand prakash. Show all posts

Monday 10 August 2020

KHEMCHAND PRAKASH- A Forgotten Genius


Khemchand Prakash (12 December 1907 – 10 August 1949) is immortal to the music lovers who like old Bollywood songs. Very few of us know that greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Naushad, Manna Dey, and Bulo C Rani were mentored by him. But the creator of these musical gems and the mentor of this league of stalwarts is now largely forgotten. On his Death Anniversary, I pay my tribute to this great composer who composed the song Aayega Aane Wala Aayega sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

He got his training of music from his father Pt. Goverdhan Prasad was a renowned Dhrupad singer who received royal patronage and sang in the Jaipur Durbar. Khemchand was not only a trained classical singer but also mastered the Rajasthani folk music and trained as a Kathak dancer. Once the king of Nepal was in Jaipur, he saw him performing there, invited him to come to his Kingdom. He went there and spent 5 years in Nepal.

 The destiny landed him in Kolkata and he joined the legendary New Theaters. While working in New Theatres, he had a chance encounter with Prithviraj Kapoor, and they became lifelong friends. At his suggestion, Khemchand Prakash moved to Bombay along with Kidar Sharma, KN Singh, and last but not the least, the much-celebrated KL Saigal.

He was assistant to composer Timir Baran in Devdas (1935 film), and he sang a comedy song 'lo kha lo madam khaanaa' in Street Singer (1938). He made his debut as music director in 1939 with Supreme Pictures' films Meri Aankhein and Gazi Salauddin and was soon signed up by Ranjit Movietone Film Studio.

In this film, the great music director Naushad was his assistant. Khemchand Prakash used the Arabic style of orchestration to synchronise the ambience of the subject. He also composed Mirza Ghalib's famed ghazal, 'Kabhi neki bhi uske jee mein gar,' in Kalyani's voice. He got another offer for Dwarka Khosla's Meri Aankhein, wherein singer-actor Khursheed got her maiden break and sang 'Aisa geet suna jao' and 'Sach ke khel khilaye aasha,' 'Doodh piyo sab doodh'. These two films established Khemchand and in times to come, he gave classical gems to music lovers. Khursheed was his leading singer and both of them gave many hits of the early 40s. 

Khemchand tasted real success when he joined Ranjit Movietone and accomplished nineteen films during his five-year stint. His films, Pardesi and Shaadi became hits. Pardesi had a ghazal, 'Pahle jo Mohabbat se inkar kiya hota' (Khursheed), which became an instant rage. It is said that Khursheed rehearsed this ghazal for fifteen days before recording it.

 His biggest hit with Ranjit Studio was the film Tansen in 1943. Songs like "Diya jalaao jagmag jagmag", "Rumjhum rumjhum chal tihari", "More balpan ke saathi", "Sapt suran teen gram", "Hath sine pe jo rakh do to karara aa jaaye" were big hits. It is said that he played a key role in classic songs of Devdas( 1935) sung by KL Saigal: 'Balam aayo baso morey man mein' and 'Dukh ke din ab beetat nahin'. He also did cameo roles in New Theatres' films, and this song, 'Madam lo kha lo khana,' in Street Singer, was picturized on him and Kanan Devi. He was also seen in Debki Bose's Sapera.

After Tansen, the next film he did was Bhanwra (1944), starring K L Saigal. Khemchand Prakash offered a totally different type of music in Bhanwara, as evident in its compositions: 'Thukra rahi hai duniya,' 'Muskratey huey aankh churaya na karo,' 'Hum apna unhey bana na sakey,' 'Diya jisney dil' (Saigal), and a duet with Ameerbai Karnataki, 'Kya humne bigara hai,' became super hits.

Another classic of Khemchand Prakash was' Bhartihari' released in 1944, starring Surendra and Mumtaz Shanti. His compositions were once again in classical mode: 'Chanda des piya ke jaa' (Ameerbai Karnataki), and a duet in a dialogue form, 'Bhiksha de de maa pingla' (Surendra-Ameerbai Karnataki), became a listeners delight.

Prabhu Ka Ghar (1945) was the last film he composed music for Ranjeet Movietone, the same year his movie Dhanna Bhagat directed by Kidar Sharma had 'Panchhi pinjara hua purana' (Khan Mastana), that also became quite popular. He had differences with the owner Chandu Lal Shah of  Ranjeet Movietone on the issue of using a new voice in a film. Chandu Lal Shah didn't agree and outright rejected the new voice. The new voice was that of Lata Mangeshkar. Thereafter, Khemchand Prakash started freelancing.

As a freelancer his significant film was Kishore Sahu's silver jubilee 'Sindoor'(1947) with such unforgettable numbers: 'Kissi Ke Madhur Pyaar Mein' (Nasim Akthar-Sushil Sahu), and Ameerbai's solo, 'O Roothey Huey Bhagwan'

1948 marked yet another significant film of his career, Bombay Talkies’s Ziddi. He gave first major break to Kishore Kumar as a singer for the song "Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu".Ziddi featured a beautiful song of Lata Mangeshkar "Chanda re ja re ja re".Lata sang for him for the first time in Asha released in 1948.

Kishore Sahu had Khemchand in his own home production 'Rimjhim'. He composed a rare gem for Kishore, 'Jagmag jagmag karta nikla chaand poonam ka pyaara' This film also had a super hit number in Shamshad's voice, 'Na tum aaye na neend aayi'. Kishore Sahu and Khemchand again came together in Sawan Aya Re, which had all-time greats of Rafi-Shamshad, 'Aye dil na mujhe yaad dila baatein purani.'In the same year released the film Mahal, its song 'Aayega Aane Wala' became a hit and made Lata a household name. The film and its music became a super hit, unfortunately, Khemchan Prakash died before the release of this film. He died at an early age of 41 on 10 August 1949 due to Cirrhosis.

Song of Street Singer 1938

Song of Tansen 1943

Song of Bhartrahari 1944

Song of  Dhanna Bhagat 1945

Song of Sindoor 1947

Song of Ziddi 1948

Song of Ziddi 1948

Song of Mahal 1949

Song of Rimjhim 1949
















Friday 10 August 2018

KHEM CHAND PRAKASH - The creator of musical gems, and the mentor of stalwarts


Very few of us know that greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Naushad, Manna Dey and Bulo C Rani were mentored by him. But the creator of these musical gems and the mentor of this league of stalwarts is now largely forgotten. On his Death Anniversary, I pay my tribute to this great composer who composed the song Aayega Aane Wala Aayega sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Khemchand Prakash was born in Jaipur in 1907 where his father Goverdhan Das was a Dhrupad singer & Kathak dancer in the royal court of Madho Singh II, and the boy, Khemchand got his first training in music & dance from his father. Soon he became popular for his Kathak dancing talent and for his unmatched skills in drawing animal sketches with gulaal on the floor using his feet while dancing!
He joined New Theaters as an assistant of Timir Baran, the music director of Devdas (1935) two of the classic compositions from Devdas, ‘Dukh ke din ab...’ and ‘Baalam aan baso...’ , were composed by him as an assistant Music Director.
Initial few years were not good for Khemchand Prakash, it was in 1943 that came a film which pushed Khemchand Prakash much ahead of the other music directors of the era and the film was KL Saigal starrer Tansen, considered one of the finest musicals. Diya jalaao jagmag jagmagRumjhum rumjhum chal tihariMore balpan ke saathiSapt suran teen gram... are musical gems.
Song of Tansen 1943

Legendary Music Director Naushad was his assistant in many films, in an interview, Naushad said it was Khemchan Prakash who made him assistant from the film Gaazi Salauddin, after that he was assistant to him for many films. He learnt from him a lot He was his real Guru.
We all know that Ghulam Haider was the mentor of Lata Mangeshkar. He introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie Shaheed (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin".Her voice was also rejected by producer Chandu Lal Shah, owner of Ranjit Movietone and Khemchand Prakash, music director with the studio, challenged his decision and told him that Lata’s voice will rule the nation one day and resigned from the studio. Khemchand’s first film with Bombay Talkies studio, Ziddi, also featured a beautiful song by Lata Mangeshkar, ‘Chanda re, ja re ja re...’. 
Song of Ziddi 1948

But what followed Ziddi was an outstanding piece of work in the form of the music of Mahal (1949).
Mahal made Lata Mangeshkar a popular name in every corner of the country. The haunting melodies and brilliant orchestration of Mahal, set the foundation for the golden period of Hindi film music of the 50s.
Song of Mahal 1949
1948 marked yet another significant film in Khemchand’s career - Bombay Talkies’s Ziddi, in which he gave Kishore Kumar his first major break as a singer with the song ‘Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu...’
Song of Ziddi 1948

Unfortunately, Khemchand Prakash did not survive long enough to see the success of Mahal or the shaping of the golden era of the Hindi film music of the 50s. He passed away on Aug 10 1950

Song from Sindoor 1947 (Audio only)


Song from Mahal 1949 


Song from Tamasha 1952


Song from Tamasha 1952







Tuesday 12 December 2017

Khemchand Prakash-The Composer who gave us Immortal Songs


A Tribute To Khemchand Prakash on his 110th Birth Anniversary

Born on 12 Dec 1907 was one of the giants of the Hindi film industry. He shaped and defined Hindi film music when it was still in its nascent stages. In a short career spanning just about a decade, he left behind a legacy that exceeded his output as a music director.
Aayega Ane Wala (Mahal, 1949)  from Lata and Sapt Suran Teen Graam (Tansen, 1943) by K L Saigal are few of them.
Khemcand Prakash's father, Pandit Govardhan Prasad, was a musician in the royal court of Jaipur and also taught him music. He worked as a court singer and then tried his hand at acting in films before found his true calling in film music. After assisting composer Timir Baran in a few films, Khemchand Prakash debuted as a music director for the film Meri Aankhen (1939).
Early on in his career Khemchand Prakash showed glimpses of his ability to set trends and his penchant to handle the female voice. 'Pehle Jo Mohabbat…' catapulted singer-actress Khursheed from relative obscurity to becoming one of the leading female artists of the time.
His genius was visible in Tansen a 1943 film.Tansen was possibly the first film to embrace classical music with gusto. Backed by excellent subject matter and KL Saigal’s glorious voice, Khemchand Prakash composed songs that became immortal while retaining their authentic Hindustani classical base. The music of Tansen set the stage for a phase in Hindi films that borrowed heavily from classical music. 
Khemchand Prakash was among the few composers who heard the tremendous potential in Lata’s voice, when most of Bollywood was unsure if the thin voice of young Lata would appeal to the masses. Earlier he gave Lata a song "Chanda re Ja Re" in 1948 film Ziddi which became hit.He gave Lata Mangeshkar the song Aayega Aanewala despite Raaj kumari and Zorabai Ambalewali who were big names.
This was the song that made Lata Mangeshkar a household name, a name that would be at the forefront of Hindi film music for the next 60 years or so.
Very few know that K L Saigal's Devdas(1935) songs were also composed by him but the credit was not given to him.One of his assistant Daan Singh in an interview said that the two main songs of the film weren’t Baran’s compositions but Khemchand’s ‘Balam Aan Baso Mere Mann Mein’ and ‘Dukh Ke Din Ab Bitat Nahin.’ But as he was an assistant composer, the credit went to Baran.”
Unfortunately, Khemchand Prakash did not survive long enough to see the success of Mahal or the shaping of the golden era of the Hindi film music of the 50s. He passed away on August 10, 1950 at the relatively young age of 42. 
Song from Devdas 1935


Song from Shaadi 1941


Song from Tansen 1943


Song from Tansen 1943


Song from Sindoor 1947 


Song from Ziddi 1948


Song from Mahal 1949


Song from Mahal 1949


Thursday 10 August 2017

KHEMCHAND PRAKASH-The Composer who gave us Lata and Kishore Kumar


Very few of us know that greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Naushad, Manna Dey and Bulo C Rani were mentored by him. But the creator of these musical gems, and the mentor of this league of stalwarts is now largely forgotten.On his Death Anniversary I pay my tribute to this great composer who composed the song Aayega Aane Wala Aayega sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
Khemchand Prakash was born in Jaipur in 1907 where his father Goverdhan Das was a Dhrupad singer & Kathak dancer in the royal court of Madho Singh II, and the boy, Khemchand got his first training in music & dance from his father. Soon he became a popular for his Kathak dancing talent and for his unmatched skills in drawing animal sketches with gulaalon the floor using his feet while dancing!
Legendry Music Director was his assistant in many films,in an interview Naushad said it was Khemchan Prakash who made him assistant from the film Gaazi Salauddin, after that he was assistant to him for many films.
Initial few years were not good for Khemchand Prakash , it was in 1943 that came a film which pushed Khemchand Prakash much ahead of the other music directors of the era and the film was KL Saigal starrer Tansen, considered one of the finest musicals. Diya jalaao jagmag jagmagRumjhum rumjhum chal tihariMore balpan ke saathiSapt suran teen gram... are musical gems.


1948 marked yet another significant film in Khemchand’s career - Bombay Talkies’s Ziddi, in which he gave Kishore Kumar his first major break as a singer with the song ‘Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu...’in the same film he intoduced Lata Mangeshkar.Next year 1949 was the year Mahal was released,The haunting melodies and brilliant orchestration of Mahal, set the foundation for the golden period of Hindi film music of the 50s. All the songs of Mahal (Ghabara ke jo hum sar ko..., Mushkil hai bahut mushkil..., Dil ne phir yaad kiya...) are just as timeless.But it was Aayega Aane Wala that made Lata Mangeshkar a popular name in every corner of the country. 
Unfortunately, Khemchand Prakash did not survive long enough to see the success of Mahal or the shaping of the golden era of the Hindi film music of the 50s. He passed away on August 10, 1950 at the relatively young age of 42. 
Song fromTansen 1943

Song fromTansen 1943

Song fromTansen 1943

Song from Sindoor 1947 (Audio only)

The first ever Duet of Lata and Kishore from Ziddi 1948

Song from Ziddi 1948

The first song of Kishore Kumar from Ziddi 1948

Song from Mahal 1949(Aayega Aane Wala)

Song from Mahal 1949 (Hai Mera Dil)

Song from Mahal 1949

Song from Tamasha 1952

Song from Tamasha 1952





Wednesday 10 August 2016

Great Songs by Forgotten Composers


KHEMCHAND PRAKASH-The Composer that  gave us 2 Gems,LATA and KISHORE KUMAR


Khemchand Prakash was born in Jaipur 0n 12th Dec 1907 where his father Goverdhan Das was a Dhrupad singer & Kathak dancer in the royal court of Madho Singh II, and the boy, Khemchand got his first training in music & dance from his father. Soon he became a popular for his Kathak dancing talent and for his unmatched skills in drawing animal sketches with gulaal on the floor using his feet while dancing!
Khemchand prakash singing in Street Singer

In his teens, he joined Bikaner Royal court as a singer performer and later moved to the royal court ofNepal. But the destiny landed him in Kolkata and he joined the legendary New Theaters. He was assistant to composer Timir Baran in Devdas (1935 film), and he sang a comedy song 'lo kha lo madam khaanaa' in Street Singer (1938). 
His debut as music director in 1939 with Supreme Pictures' films Meri Aankhein and Gazi Salauddin, and was soon signed up by Ranjit Movietone Film Studio.
Song from Meri Aankhen 1939

In the movie Gazi Salauddin his assistant was Naushad.in an interview Naushad said that because of him he became the great Music Composer.Daan Singh another forgotten Music Composer was also his assistant.Balu C Rani was another Music composer who was given to this industry.Manna Dey was also his gift to industry.
Song from Pardesi 1941

His initial years had a few more significant films like Pardesi, Holi and Fariyaad. Khursheed was his leading singer and both of them gave a lot of hits of the early 40s. 1941’s Pardesi turned out to be a big hit and made Khursheed a big star.
In 1943 the film Tansen released the songs of that film sung by K L Sehgal became very popular,even now these songs are being listrned by the real music lovers.
Song from Tansen K L Sehgal

 Songs like "Diya jalaao jagmag jagmag", "Rumjhum rumjhum chal tihari", "More balpan ke saathi", "Sapt suran teen gram", "Hath sine pe jo rakh do to karara aa jaaye" were big hits.
1948 marked yet another significant film of his career, Bombay Talkies’s Ziddi. He gave first major break to Kishore Kumar as a singer for the song “Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu”.[1] Ziddi featured a beautiful song of Lata Mangeshkar "Chanda re ja re ja re".




But what followed Ziddi was another hit film Mahal (1949 film)Mahal made Lata Mangeshkar a popular name. Prior to Mahal, the records used to feature only the character name on the record. Hence the first lot of records had “Aayega aane wala” credited to Kamini. The first time when the song was played on All India Radio many calls were received by AIR to know the singers name. AIR had to in turn ask the record company and announce Lata Mangeshkar's name on air.

Though Lata was singing before Mahal but the song Aayega Aane Wala made her LATA,the film Mahal was  a landmark for Rajkumari, too. Ghabra ke jo hum sar ko takraayein to achchha ho became one of her most recognisable songs that gave her a long lease of life on music reality shows on TV, many years after her singing-career had come to a halt.
Another famous singer of 30s and 40s Khursheed once said that Khemchand Prakash was the most important composer in her career with films like Pardesi, Shadi (1941) andTansen (1943). And Tansen, of course, is regarded as KL Saigal’s most importantmusical film, with his Diya jalaao in Deepak, and Sapt suran teen graam in Dhrupad ang.


Its very unfortunate for Hindi Film Industry that Khemchand Prakash died at a young age of 43 on 10th Aug 1950.He composed music for about 45 films in a career of 11 years. 
He shaped and defined Hindi film music when it was still in its nascent stages. In a short career spanning just about a decade, he left behind a legacy that exceeded his output as a music director.