The musical Journey of Kavita Krishnamurthy

Kavita Krishnamurthy was born in a Tamil Iyer family in New Delhi, India to T.S. Krishnamurthy, an employee of the Education Ministry. She began her music training at the insistence of her aunt, Protima Bhattacharya who enrolled her with Suruma Basu, who taught her Rabindra Sangeet. She began her formal training in Hindustani classical music under Balram Puri, a classical singer. At the young age of eight, Kavita won a gold medal at a music competition. She won many medals participating in the Inter-Ministry Classical Competition in New Delhi in the mid-1960s
Jaya Chakravarty, Hema Malini’s mother, suggested Kavita that she sing for Bollywood and try her luck in filmdom. Though her father was apprehensive initially, yet later Kavita managed to assure him that she would complete her college education first.
She took admission in St. Xaviers’ College, Mumbai. Here she came across Ranu Mukherjee, a singer and the late composer-singer Hemant Kumar’s daughter, who was her classmate. She introduced Kavita to her father. Kavita’s first recording was a Bengali film duet with Lata Mangeshkar in 1971. Hemant Kumar was impressed by her performance and gave her a chance to perform on stage with him. Later she sang with Manna De. She was widely noticed in the TV music show — Aarohi, with Manna De and got chances to do jingles. 
After the TV show, Hema Malini's mother took the initiative of introducing Kavita to the music director Laxmikant (one of the composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal) in late 1976. Kavita impressed Laxmikant with her extremely strong grasp of Hindustani classical music. Laxmikant gave her an opportunity to work as a dubbing artist.
In 1978, she first sang the Kannada song "Ondanondu kaaladaga" in the film Ondanondu Kaladalli directed by Girish Karnad. This song became a hit and earned fame for Kavita Krishnamurthy. Then she went on to sing many Kannada songs.
She got her solo break in 1980 film Maang Bharo Sajana composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. In 1985, her career took off with her first major hit, "Tumse Milkar Na Jaane Kyon" from the Hindi film Pyaar Jhukta Nahin (1985) - Tumse milkar.Na Jaane kyun Post the success of the song, it opened up opportunities beyond the Laxmikant–Pyarelal camp. However, "Hawa Hawaii" and "Karte Hain Hum Pyaar Mr. India Se", two popular songs from the equally popular movie Mr. India (1986) - Karte Hain Hum pyaar Mr. India se, roved to be a turning point in her career. (The songs were composed by music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the latter being a duet with Kishore Kumar and lip-synced on screen by actress Sridevi.) Her collaboration with Laxmikant-Pyarelal produced several hits.
The 1990s thrust Kavita into being known as one of the leading female playback singers. In 1994 released 1942 A Love Story which won her much popular acclaim.She went on to work with several music directors of Hindi films of the 1990s, such as Bappi Lahiri, Anand-Milind, A. R. Rahman, Rajesh Roshan, Raamlaxman, Ismail Darbar, Himesh Reshammiya, Aadesh Shrivastava, Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin Lalit, Viju Shah and Anu Malik. Her work with A. R. Rahman and Ismail Darbar remains some of the most critically acclaimed renditions of the last two decades. During her stint as a playback singer, she sang duets with the leading male singers of her times. Early in her career, she sang duets with Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, and Shailendra Singh. Her most prolific work was with the leading singers of the 1990s: Amit Kumar,Mohammad Aziz, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, and Abhijeet Bhattacharya. She has also sung extensively with younger singers in the 2000s such as Sonu Nigam, Shaan, and Babul Supriyo. Her female duets mostly have been with Alka Yagnik, Anuradha Paudwal and Sadhana Sargam.
She married  to violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam in Bangalore on 11 November 1999, Kavita got extremely selective and cut down on her film singing. She started expanding her artistic range to areas which were never explored. She was the main featured soloist in the Global Fusion album released by Warner Bros. featuring musicians from five continents.
She also lent her voice for many pop and devotional albums. The most prominent ones being: Pop Time
Together Tagore, Athens etc.
Kavita Subramaniam has been making appearances in various music reality shows as a guest judge owing to her popularity as a playback singer.

Song of Teri Meherbaniyan 1985

Song of Pyar Jhukta Nahin 1986

Song of Mr India 1987

Song of Chaalbaaz 1989

Song of Ram Lakhan 1989

Song of Hum 1991

Song of 1942 A Love Story

Song of Khuda Gawah 1992

Song of Yaarana 1996

Song of Khamoshi: The Musical 1997

Song of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 1999

Song of Kya Kehna 2000

Song of Devdas 2002

Teen Deviyan - A Film way ahead of its time.

Teen Deviyan was released in 1965. That was the era when ideal Hindi film heroes were largely variants of epic heroes Ram and Yudhishtir but here Dev Anand romancing with three heroines. The movie panders to the male ego as the three attractive women throwing themselves at Dev while he gently keeps stepping aside. The women want him but they were also willing to move on if it doesn't work.
Teen Devian starts off to a commentary by Ameen Sayani, as the camera moves through Calcutta's streets, the pretty Nanda (Nanda) finds herself, as she sees it, being followed. She even sees this man following her to the house where she visits. At this point, Nanda loses her temper and yells at Dev, threatening to call the police. The house owner clears the misunderstanding. After some time they fell in love.

Dev  Anand plays Dev Dutt who is a salesman in a music store in Calcutta. He also writes poems. One day he comes across a celebrated actress Kalpana (Kalpana) to whom he proves in their first confrontation that he is not overwhelmed by glamorous women and does not allow them to dominate him. In the course of a series of meetings, Kalpana also starts liking Dev.

The third Devi(heroine) comes to his life in the form of Radha Rani (Simmi), a socialite who is intelligent and an ardent music lover. Torn between his three beloveds, Dev has a tormented life which is a mixture of uncertainties, pathos and restlessness. He ultimately opts for the simple middle-class Nanda in whom he finds his real love and life partner.
Dev Anand as Dev Dutt is confident, smart and looks divine in his urban costumes many of which became trendsetters of that period. 

The highlight of the film is its music. The lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri tuned to immortality by S.D. Burman. All the six songs, “Aise To Na Dekho”, “Likha Hai Teri”, “Are Yaar Meri”, “Khwab Ho Ya”, “Kaye Be Khayal Hoke” and “Kitni Sardi” rendered by Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle are super hits, well conceived and picturised. All the songs are listened and watched even now and create the same euphoria as at the time of its release. 

Teen Deviyan despite of great music and Dev Anand is at his peak was an average earner in Box Office. The reason being, it was given A certificate and was in Black & White, that time colour films were attraction The film was released on 1st Jan 1965

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Ramesh Sippy - Always wanted to do Big

Ramesh Sippy, the director of Sholay is the son of the great producer and filmmaker G P Sippy. His head was full of ideas. He desperately wanted to do something different.He was 6 years old when he visited the sets of the film Sazaa, his father's first film, Since then his fascination for cinema begun.
He worked in both the production and direction departments in films like Johar-Mehmood in Goa and Mere Sanam, which his father was producing. He worked for 7 years as an assistant before becoming the director of Andaz, in 1971 which starred Shammi Kapoor, Hema Malini and Rajesh Khanna in lead roles and was a box office success.

 His second film Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), featuring Hema Malini playing dual roles was highly successful and propelled Malini to superstardom. However, it was his 1975 blockbuster film, Sholay's blockbuster success which catapulted him to one of the most successful directors in Indian cinema.

After the Sholay, Ramesh went on to Direct "Shaan" in 1980 and this time also Film was with stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sunil Datt, Shatrughan Sinha, Bindya Goswami and Parveen Bobi but like the Sholay's Gabbar Singh highlight of the Film was the "Shakal" a villain role played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda. "Shaan" proved a milestone film for Mazhar Khan for his role of "Abdul" in the film but this film has also established Ramesh Sippy as the Director of Star.

His next film was Shakti in 1982, he brought two most popular stars and actors in his Film, the veteran actor Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. The film was moderately successful at the box office. After that, he went on to bring back the teenage silver screen romance of Rishi Kapoor & Dimple Kapadia [Debut Film Bobby] in the Film "Sagar" released in 1985 and looked at the comeback Film of Dimple.
The filmmaker is also responsible for giving Indian television one of its all-time classics in the form of Buniyaad (1986). Made roughly a decade after Sholay, it was a TV series that revolved around the Partition of India in 1947 and its consequences. 

Vijay Anand - Master of Picturising Songs

Like Dev Anand, Vijay Anand also believed that songs are the soul of Indian films.  He knew songs are the glue that binds audiences to Hindi films. Close your eyes and you can see Shammi Kapoor with a scarf around his neck, singing “Deewana Mujhsa Nahin” on a colourful hilltop, or instantly recall the smiling faces of Dev Anand and Nutan as they sing “Dil Ka Bhanwar Kare Pukaar” on the inner stairway of the Qutab Minar.
 Few could rival his abilities when it came to writing natural and easy-flowing dialogue or picturising songs. Most directors depended on choreographers to picturise the songs and dances. He believed that if the song is picturised well it will bring back the audience back to the theatre. In this blog, we will look into some of his fantastically picturised songs.
 “Hum hain raahi pyaar ke hum se kuchh na boliye.”  from Nau Do Gyarha was the first song he picturised. He didn't take any choreographer in that film. At that time he used to think a choreographer ruins songs. They interfere with the characterisation. He felt they impose their own personalities through their dance steps and don’t allow the artists to express themselves in the way they should.
He used to say that if the director understands his subject, story and characters well, he will not compromise in any aspect. If he is working on a film like Devdas then he has to have songs for Devdas, not for Shammi Kapoor.
As a director, he was very particular about its music. When he was working on Jewel Thief, he discussed with the composer. he told SD Burman: “Dada, this song is for Vyjayanthimala. I am going to use her talents as a dancer.”
In Teesri Manzil P L Raj was the choreographer. He used to sit with the choreographer when they were composing the songs. That time all their assistants, including Saroj Khan, who was Sohanlal’s assistant. She would always ask him: “Goldie Saab, what do you want?”
Sometimes he would tell them they were going off track. This is not the character. I did not want any artificiality. My characters should not become artificial when they sing. The characters are not supposed to be dancers in the film. They are merely expressing emotion through a song. 
He told in an interview that during the picturisation of Teesri Manzil's songs he told Shammi to Go wild!” He would because he had such a tremendous sense of rhythm. He just got into the music and every fibre of his body would dance. The only thing you had to make sure was that he did not overdo it. OK, the character is fooling about—this much is allowed, but not beyond that. All the expressions are in the song words: “Dekhiye… naazneen…” It’s all there, so you don’t have to do much more.
In the Kala Bazar song “Khoya Khoya Chand”, Dev sings as he runs down the hill. He is madly in love and believes his dream is coming true. So let him move his hands— white hands against dark clothes—[as] he makes his way down the hill. It suited the scene, so once in a while, you let him go.
In the same movie, there was a scene in a train compartment. Dev Anand is sitting on the lower berth and Waheeda Rehman is lying on the upper berth. The girl’s parents are also in the compartment. Dev saab sings the song: “Apni to har aah ek toofaan hai/ Kya karen woh jaan kar anjaan hai/ Uparwala jaan kar anjaan hai.” Waheeda Rehman is listening to him but she cannot move much because she’s lying on the upper berth. There is a double meaning behind the whole situation, which is beyond choreography.

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Song of Guide 1965

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Black Mail 1973

Some Hit Totally Nonsensical Songs from Bollywood

Those old songs are composed of heart touching lyrics which make us feel something real that sometimes makes us feel as the song is composed for our particular situation only.
At the same time, we come across some vulgar and nonsensical lyric songs, which made you hate the new songs! During old days also, some nonsensical songs are portrayed on the movie but because of their poor quality, we don't even remember them.
 Come to think of it, the lyrics of most popular Hindi songs make absolutely no sense but we can’t seem to get over them. Remember ‘Jab tak rahega samose mein alu, tera rahunga o meri Shalu’? Of course, you do.
Prepare yourself for more of these. Trash lyrics are the future.

1 Lara lappa lara lappa layi rakhda  Ek Thi Ladki, 1949.  This timeless hit from the late 1940’s is one of the very few songs that features Mohammad Rafi with his idol, GM Durrani. You can hear Rafi in the chorus. GM Durrani was India’s first male professional playback singer. Rafi modelled his voice after him, in his early days. The female lead voice is that of Lata Mangeshkar.

Song from  Ek Thi Ladki, 1949.

2. Shin Shinaki Boobla Boo this song was sung by Lata and Chitalkar from the 1952 film Shin Shinati Boobla Boo. This meaningless title was written by P L Santoshi the great Director of that era.

Song from Shin Shinaki Boobla Boo 1952

3. Ramaya vastavayya … Shree 420, 1955.  Another classic from the black-and-white era, Shree 420 dealt with the chronic issue of corruption in our society. The movie was a runaway success and each song in it was a hit.

The lyrics were by Shailendra, regarded as one of the finest songwriters of his time. He heard the Telugu phrase ‘Ramaya vastavayya’ in the folk songs of migrant labourers in his neighbourhood, and used it in this evergreen hit.

Song from Shree 420, 1955.

4.Taka taka dum dum … Do Aankhen Barah Haath, 1957. 

Lata Mangeshkar also sang this off-beat dance number, performed quite vigorously by Shantaram’s wife, Sandhya.

Song from Do Aankhen Barah Haath, 1957. 

5.Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu  from Howrah Bridge, 1959 is another meaningless song but became hit

Song from Howrah Bridge, 1959

6.Timbaktu  Another popular song of its time from Jhumroo, showcasing Kishore Kumar in a different avatar.

Song from Jhumroo 1961

7 Bakkamma bakkama yekada pathoda … Shatranj, 1969. 

Rendered by Rafi and Sharada, this wacky dance number performed by Mehmood (who else?) and Helen was the highlight of an otherwise forgettable spy thriller.

Song from Shatranj, 1969. 

8.Goyake chunanche … Manoranjan, 1974 film directed by Shammi Kapoor, Manoranjan was a spicy comedy with Zeenat Aman and Sanjeev Kumar in the lead. Unlike other Indian movies, Manoranjan depicted prostitution as a fun activity, with the heroine openly enjoying herself with several men. No wonder the movie was generally panned by serious film critics. But the lay public (like me) enjoyed watching it all the same, and this wacky item song topped the charts.

The lyrics were penned by Anand Bakshi. Apparently, the phrase Goyake chunanche is from Urdu.

Song from Manoranjan, 1974 

9.Gapuchi gapuchi gamgam … Trishul, 1978.

 remember this song because of Poonam Dhillon in a wet, tight, green monokini, rather than its lyrics! Poonam Dhillon was a Yash Chopra discovery and Trishul, directed by him, was her debut film. She made quite an impression with this one song, written by Sahir Ludhianvi. That led to her lead role in Chopra’s very next venture, Noorie, the movie that made her a big-time star.

Song from Trishul, 1978.

10. Su Su Su aa gya mai kya karu  from TARAZU movie starring Akshay Kumar, Sonali Bendre, Mohnish Bahl in lead roles, released in 1997. The song is sung by Kumar Sanu and music is given by Rajesh Roshan,

Song from  TARAZU  1997

11.Pom pom pom pom pom  from Son Of Sardar what on earth do these words even mean? Just another meaningless chart buster.

Song from Son Of Sardar 2012

12.Babaji Ka Thullu  from the movie Dolly Ki Doli 2015 starring Sonam Kapoor, Pulkit Samrat, Rajkumar Rao 

Song from  Dolly Ki Doli 2015 

13.Tooh from the film ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein'. Featuring Kareena Kapoor & Imran Khan. it's about shaking your butt but it's in a fun way

Song from Gori Tere Pyaar Mein'.2014

14.Dreamum Wakeupum’ – Aiyyaa

Thighsum thunderum downum underum. Sizeum matterum thinkum wonderum. Jumpingum, pumpingum.’

Song from Aiyyaa 2012

15.Unche Se Uncha Banda from Dum Maro Dum starring Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Rana, Prateik Babbar. The song has Bollywood hot bombshell Deepika Padukone. Translation: "Even the highest man, sits naked on the potty."Listen

Song from Dum Maro Dum 2013

16 You are my chicken fry

Song of Ragini MMS

 

Footpath 1953 Film Review

This film was released in 1953. The film was a flop but the film earned critical acclaims for Dilip Kumar's Performance. Dilip Kumar in an interview said "My scene of breaking down after my elder brother Bani passes away remains my all type favourite scenes"

The film stars Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Anwar Hussain. The music of the film is by Timir Baran and Khayyam. The highlight of the film is One of the finest Ghazals "Sham e Gham Ki Kasam by Talat Mahmood.

Tired of being poor, Noshu(Dilip Kumar), a newspaperman, abandons his scruples and starts to make money as a black marketeer. He gains his fortune but ruins his brother's life causing him to lose his job, his home and his wife whilst simultaneously losing his own self-respect and that of his former neighbours and his girl. Tormented by his conscience, he writes an expose′ of the illegal trade, but cannot prevent his own brother becoming a victim when an epidemic rages unchecked because criminals have stockpiled all the medicine.

Meena Kumari performs very convincingly matching Dilip Kumar’s intensity in every scene. She never appears vulgar during her bathing scene. Romesh Thapar is restrained and Achla Sachdev tries hard to appear heartless. Anwar Hussain does not impress too much. The other actors are just adequate.

A taut screenplay and meaningful dialogues penned by Zia Sarhadi make “Footpath” a truly memorable film. Sarhadi showed a lot of promise and eye for detail. The sequences shot indoors as well as in the black-marketing den shot in natural light sans cinematic jugglery by N. Raiaram is really convincing. 
Songs of Footpath