Kavi Pradeep- His Songs Ignite Patriotism

 

Songs have always played an undisputed role in inciting the spirit of nationalism in the hearts of millions of people. Many patriotic songs, written by the literary stalwarts like Tagore or Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. 

Kavi Pradeep was the first songwriter to write patriotic songs for Bollywood. His song ' Chal Chal Re Naujawan", for the 1940 film Bandhan, made waves since the Indian freedom movement was at a crucial juncture.
The impact and popularity of the song can be gauged by the fact that the song used to be sung at these assemblies by patriotic INC activists. INC also formed a children corp known as “Vanar Sena” under the leadership of Indira Gandhi. Vanar Sena adopted the song as its marching song and Indira herself used to sing it at the meetings. She later admitted that this song had a lifelong impact on her.

His next song , “Aaj Himalaya ki choti se phir humne lalkara hai”  for the 1942 film 'Kismet' was very popular in the Quit India Movement. It is said that he had to go underground to avoid the arrest from the British Government.

Even after independence, he wrote many such songs. Recall the songs of Jagriti (1954)  'Aao Bachcho Tumhein Dikhayen Jhanki Hindustan Ki, Is Mitti Se Tilak Karo, Yeh Dharti Hai Balidan Ki" (sung by himself), "Hum Laye Hain Toofan Se Kishti Nikal Ke, Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachcho Sambhal Ke" and "De Dee Humein Azadi Bina Khadag Bina Dhal, Sabarmati Ke Sant Tu Ne Kar Diya Kamaal".

He always believed in writing songs in simple words portraying a meaning fitting into the situation. The popularity of his songs was due to his down-to-earth lyrics and simple language that was well understood by everyone.

He was the writer of Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo, that become one of the greatest patriotic songs of the country. It was while Lata Mangeshkar was rendering the song that the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was moved to tears. For writing the song Kavi Pradeep was conferred the honour of "Rashtriya Kavi" (National Poet) by the government of India.

Beside writing patriotic songs he wrote all type of songs for Bollywood,In a career span of five decades, Kavi Pradeep wrote about 1,700 songs.

Kavi Pradeep received numerous awards throughout his life. Some of which are:Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – 1961 and Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1997.

He died of old age at his bungalow, 'Panchamrita', at Vile Parle in north-west Bombay on 11th Dec 1998. He was 84 

Song of Bandhan 1940

Song of Kismet 1942

Song of  Mashal 1950

Song of Jagriti (1954)

Song of Nastik (1954)

Song of Naag Mani (1957)

Song of  Paigham 1959

Song of  Sambandh  1969

The Patriotic Songs Before Independence

Patriotism has always been an important theme in Hindi films. There were many films and songs which were banned or censored during British rule. It was this censor board that had forced V. Shantaram to change the name of his 1935 film from “Mahatma” to “Dharmatma”.  After Independence, many Films and songs were created in this theme. I talk about 10 songs that made exhortations for a free India before 1947.
The first song in my list is the song Chal Chal Re Naujawan from the film Bandhan released in 1940. It was in 1939 that the film studio Bombay Talkies hired a young and energetic Hindi poet, Pradeep, to pen lyrics of the songs. “Bandhan”,  

Song of Bandhan 1940

The next song in this list, sung by Ashok Kumar and Renuka Devi, is by a poet who would go on to be called Rashtrakavi – Kavi Pradeep for the film Naya Sansar in 1941

Song of Naya Sansar 1941

 In 1941, Sohrab Modi’s ‘Sikandar’ hit the screens. Pandit Sudarshan penned the lyrics for the movie while Mir Sahab and Rafiq Ghaznavi composed the music. The soundtrack has a song “Jeete desh humara, Bharat hai ghar baar humara, Bharat hai sansar humara” 

Song of Sikandar  1941

Kavi Pradeep wrote this song for the film Kismet during the Quit India movement. “Door Hato” was quite literally a demand for the British to quit India. To avoid objections by the censor board, Pradeep used the line “Tum Na Kise Ke Aage Jhukna German Ho Ya Japani” to make it appear that the song was against the Axis powers of World War II. 

Song of Kismet 1943

Here is one such pre-independence patriotic song. This song is from “Koshish”(1943). This obscure movie was directed by Rafiq Rizvi for Deen Pictures, Bombay. This song is sung by G M Durrani. Bashir Dehalwi is the music director. Lyricist of this song is not known.

Song of Koshish 1943

This song is from the film  Pehle Aap released in 1944. This was the first song of Mohammad Rafi.written by D N Madhok composed by Naushad.

Song of  Pehle Aap 1944

Now you would be surprised to find our National Anthem Jana Gana Man which was used before independence in a film called Hamrahi released in 1945. The song was recorded by the film’s music director R.C. Boral and rendered by a choir. While the original Rabindranath Tagore hymn had five stanzas, the first of which became the national anthem, the film recorded only four stanzas.

Song of Hamrahi 1945

This song is from the film Humjoli released in 1946. The song was Composed by Hafeez Khan and written by Anjum Pilibhiti, the song is sung by Noor Jehan,

Song of Humjoli 1946

This song was written for the film Paro during the turmoil of Independence of India. By early 1947, it was clear that India would be divided and a new nation, based on religion, would be carved out by bifurcating United India. The name Pakistan was also known to everyone. This film was released in 1947

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https://vimeo.com/276694523

It was Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay who wrote the lyrics for the powerful “Vande Maataram”. It was Sanyasi Rebellion (1763-1800) that inspired Bankim to write the historical novel ‘Ananda Matth’.This song is from film ‘Andolan’. It is not a film song actually, but our National Song, suitably woven into the film story. “Vande Mataram” could have been our National Anthem, but things were manoeuvred in such a way that it did not get that place of honour. Let us see a brief history of Vande Mataram through the years.

Song of Aandolan 1951

Mahatma Gandhi and Hindi Cinema

Mahatma Gandhi is considered a symbol of peace as he chose to start a non-violent movement comprising of various Satyagrahas all over the country during India’s freedom struggle. Today on his birth anniversary I look forward to Gandhi's connection with cinema.
In an interview in Harijan in 1942, he reiterated that he had never been to the cinema, he feels that “cinema films are often bad”.  Gandhi had seen only 2 films in his life both while he was convalescing from malaria in Juhu, Mumbai, in 1944. The first was Michael Curtiz’s Mission To Moscow(1943), which he apparently disliked. The other was Vijay Bhatt’s Ram Rajya (1943), a Hindi mythological, more suited to his tastes. A newspaper report described this private screening as a “historical event in Indian cinema”, and said that, in the end, “Mahatmaji seemed quite cheerful”.
You would be surprised to note that the first attempt to make a film on gandhi was when D. W. Griffith was approached by the British government to make an anti-Gandhi film in 1923 (Chapman and Cull 2009: 189 – 90), but this film was never made.There are many footages of Gandhi Ji during the Freedom movement but the first documentary was made by A. K. Chettiar’s 1940 film Mahatma Gandhi, which has footage of Gandhi from 1912 that was shot by many cinematographers.

The first film that comes to our mind on Mahatma Gandhi is the 1982 British-Indian film, Gandhi. Directed by Richard Attenborough, the film features Ben Kingsley in the title role. You would again surprise to note that Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru was interested in a film on Mahatma Gandhi to be made by same Richard Attenborough in 1960s but it couldn't be materialised. later Indira Gandhi agreed for a joint venture with Govt of India.
The film focuses on his early life in South Africa and follows through the era when he took part in the freedom struggle of India until his assassination in 1948. It’s undoubtedly one of the best films on Gandhi.

Before this, a documentary film "Mahatma: Life of Gandhi" was released in 1968. This documentary was released in different versions including a 5-hour long English version as well as a Hindi version of 2 hours and 20 minutes. This black-and-white documentary details the life of Mahatma Gandhi using animation, live photography, and some old stills.

Sardar is a 1993 biopic on the one man titled the “Iron Man of India”. The film is directed by Ketan Mehta and features Paresh Rawal as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. While the film is not entirely based on Mahatma Gandhi and features the life of Sardar Patel. Anu Kapoor played the role of Gandhi.

In 1996 another film on Gandhi "The Making of Mahatma" is another joint collaboration, this time between India and South Africa, which features the life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Directed by Shyam Benegal, the film focuses on the life of Mahatma Gandhi (played by Rajit Kapoor) during his 21 years stay in South Africa where he actually adapted his non-violent movement against racial discrimination. The film is adapted from the book titled The Apprenticeship of a Mahatma authored by Fatima Meer.

In 2000 Kamal Hasan made a film on Gandhi " Hey Ram". The film focuses on the famous Partition of India and the resultant murder of Mahatma Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. 

In 2005 a film called "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" was released. Actually, the film focuses on the life of a retired Hindi Professor who believes that he killed Mahatma Gandhi following an incident that happened in his childhood. The role of the professor was played by Anupam Kher.

In 2006 a film Lage Raho Munna Bhai released. In this film, Munna Bhai’s character starts seeing Mahatma Gandhi’s spirit that guides him to the path of non-violence and peace. The film became popular because of Gandhigiri.

Gandhi, My Father is a 2007 Indian biographical drama film by Feroz Abbas Khan (not to be confused with actor Feroz Khan). It was produced by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor,The film explores the troubled relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi. Darshan Jariwala played the role of Gandhi.

In 2011 a multilingual film called Gandhi To Hitler released.The film features Raghubir Yadav as Adolf Hitler, whereas Avijit Dutt plays a minor role in the film as Mohandas Gandhi. The film is based on “The Downfall” letters penned by Mahatma Gandhi addressed to Hitler. 

                    Bapu Ki Yeh Amar Kahaani

Song of Jagriti 1954

Song of Lage Raho Munnabhai

                                  Gandhi Film Theme music - "Discovery of India"

Bollywood Films Based on Bhagat Singh

 Martyrs’ Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas is observed on March 23.On this day in 1931. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru  sacrificed their lives for India’s independence.The lives of these freedom fighters have not only inspired India’s independence movement but also Bollywood.The first film based on the life of Bhagat Singh was released in 1954. The role of Bhagat Singh was played by Jairaj..The next film released in 1963 Shaheed Bhagat Singh this role was played by Shammi Kapoor.After this in 1965 came Manoj Kumar's "Shaheed" After 35 years Sonu Sood played this role in 2002 film"Shaheed e Azam".
Ajay Devgan also played the role in The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002),same year another film released "23rd March 1931: Shaheed" (2002) in this film Bobby Deol played the role of Bhagat Singh.
Beside this Som Dutt,the younger brother of Sunil Dutt played the role of Bhagat Singh in 1974 film "Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh" made in Punjabi and Hindi.
‘Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh

 The first film based on the life of Bhagat Singh. Directed by Jagdish Gautam, the film features Prem Abeed, Jairaj, Smriti Biswas and Ashita Mazumdar in lead roles. The film also has the classic patriotic song ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab humare dil main hain..’ in Mohammed Rafi’s melodious voice.

Song from Song from Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh 1954

Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)

 Directed by KN Bansal, the film features Shammi Kapoor essaying the role of Bhagat Singh. Besides Shammi Kapoor, the film stars Shakeela, Premnath, Ulhas and Achla Sachdev.  

Song from Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)

Shaheed (1965)

 it was produced by Kewal Kashyap and directed by S. Ram Sharma and stars Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Pran, Iftekhar, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Anwar Hussain in lead roles.Shaheed was the first of Manoj Kumar's series of patriotic films,

Song from Shaheed  (1965)

Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh 1974

 Directed by Omi Bedi. With Rajni Bala, Som Dutt, Achala Sachdev, Dara Singh. ... Also Known As: Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh The film was made in Punjabi and hindi released in 1974.

Song from Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh 1974

Shaheed-E-Azam (2002)

It is a 2002 Hindi film directed by Sukumar Nair. The film, based upon the life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, caused some controversy as the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice to the producers calling for a ban of the movie.It was released in 2002.

Song from Shaheed-E-Azam (2002)

The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

It is a 2002 Indian historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh,. It was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starred Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh, and D. Santosh. At the 50th National Film Awards, The Legend of Bhagat Singh won the Best Feature Film in Hindi and Devgn received the Best Actor award.

Song from the legend of bhagat singh (2002)

23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002)

It is a 2002 Indian Hindi historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh, directed by Guddu Dhanoa which depicts the events leading up to the hanging of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his companions Rajguru and Sukhdev .The film stars Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh, his elder brother Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad 

Song from 23rd march 1931 shaheed (2002)

Rang De Basanti (2006)

The movie revolves around the life of a group of friends who work together on a documentary film on the revolutionaries.The film features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Siddharth Narayan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten. 

Kavi Pradeep- The Nationalistic Poet who got immortalized for writing Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo

Kavi Pradeep, who was born on 6th Feb 1915 as Ramchandra Narayanji Dwivedi, penned 1,700 songs for more than 85 Hindi films, most of them embellished with a patriotic fervour, including Chal chal re naujawaan and Door hato aye duniyawalon Hindustan hamara hai (both from Kismet, India's first golden jubilee hit), which stirred the souls of the people during the 1942 Quit India Movement. 
His first recognition came for his patriotic lyrics for the film Bandhan (1940) with the song Chal Chal Re Naujawan which made waves since the Indian freedom movement was at a crucial juncture.He worked on five more movies for Bombay Talkies which included Punar Milan (1940), Jhoola (1941), Naya Sansar (1941), Anjan (1943) and Kismet (1943). Kismet is known for its patriotic song "Aaj Himalay Ki Choti Se Phir Hum Ne Lalkara Hai, Door Hato Ae Duniyawalon Hindustan Hamara Hai" 
Pradeep also penned a large number of non-film songs that inspired freedom-fighters during the independence movement. After Independence, he wrote several more to promote national integration, bringing him a wealth of honours and the title, Rashtra Kavi.
Kavi Pradeep was at his peak of creativity when he wrote for the films Nastik (1954) and Jagriti (1954). He even lent his voice for the evergreen song "Dekh Tere Sansar Ki Halat Kya Ho Gayi Bhagwaan, Kitna Badal Gaya Insaan" (Look at your world, O God. How the man has changed!) from the film Nastik (1954). Jagriti is considered to be among his best work for one movie as it includes hit songs such as Aao Bachcho Tumhein Dikhayen Jhanki Hindustan Ki, Is Mitti Se Tilak Karo, Yeh Dharti Hai Balidan Ki" (sung by himself), "Hum Laye Hain Toofan Se Kishti Nikal Ke, Is Desh Ko Rakhna Mere Bachcho Sambhal Ke" and "De Dee Humein Azadi Bina Khadag Bina Dhal, Sabarmati Ke Sant Tu Ne Kar Diya Kamaal".
Beside writing patriotic songs he wrote all kind of songs.His songs on love specially  between a mother and her children, between a father and his children, between a bhakt (devotee) and his deity,In fact the songs of 1975 film Jai Santoshi Ma became very popular. Ladies would perform poojas when the immortal song "Main To Aarti Utaroon Re Santoshi Mata Ki" was played in the theatres. He also sang one of the songs "Yahan Wahan" from the film for which he received the award as Best Male Playback Singer from the Bengal Film Journalists' Association in 1975.
S. Mukerji's Sambandh (1969) starring Pradeep Kumar was a movie that ran on the popularity of songs such as "Chal Akela Chal Akela, Tera Mela Peechhe Chhoota Raahi Chal Akela", "Jo Diya Tha Tum Ne Ek Din, Mujhe Phir Wohi Pyar De Do, Ek Karz Mangta Hoon, Bachpan Udhar De Do" were written by Kavi Pradeep. 
In 1997, he was honoured by India's highest award in Cinema, the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for Lifetime Achievement.He died at the age of 83 on 11 December 1998.  

The Great Songs By Kavi Pradeep

Song from Bandhan 1940

Song from Kismet 1943

Song from Mashaal 1950

Song from Nastik 1954

Song from Jagriti 1954

Song from Jagriti 1954

Song from Paigham 1959

Song from Harishchand Taramati 1963

Song from Sambandh 1968

Song from Jai Santoshi Maa 1975