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
Kashmir was an integral part of Hindi films through the sixties, seventies, and most of the eighties. Many hit songs were picturized at the beautiful locations in Kashmir. The first song that emerges in our mind is Shammi Kapoor's Yahoo dance in the snowy peaks of Kashmir. The other song Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra from the 1964 film 'Kashmir Ki Kali' that was picturized on Shikaras has been wildly popular ever since the release of the film.
The beauty of Kashmir is eternal and so is Love, barring one or two songs Most of the evergreen romantic numbers in the Bollywood albums of the golden era of Indian Cinema were picturized on the blissful moments of love in the snow-clad and lush green locales of Jammu & Kashmir,. The earliest known arrival of a film unit in Kashmir dates back to 1944. That year, the Taj Mahal Film Company, Bombay to shoot scenes of its movie, Begum, featuring Ashok Kumar as a shepherd and Naseem alias Pari Chehra or the Fairy-Face, as a village damsel.So, let's take you through some popular Bollywood songs shot in Kashmir.
His range varied from the catchy 'Aaja Aaja' from Teesri Manzil to the soulful thumri 'Hame Tumse Pyar Kitna' by Parveen Sultana in Kudrat. He also composed the mischievous number Ek Chatur Naar, Badi Hoshiyar from Padosan, and the melodious Tere Bina Zindagi Se koi Shikwa to Nahin from Aandhi
A magical maestro, he could conjure up a serenading classical raga theme or a peppy Western romantic tune out of thin air. He Revolutionised Hindi Film Music by introducing new elements (jazz and rock styles) into Hindi film songsFor several decades, he produced iconic music in Hindi and Bengali for as many as 330 films. Most of the current generation of music directors have been influenced by him.
He was the master of experiments and changed the way one would look at music. His voice modulation brought in a new dimension to popular music. Burman brought in various innovations to the background music of Hindi and Bengali films. His unconventional way of generating rhythm would totally blow one’s mind in those times. Objects used in daily life found a place in his compositions. For Meri Samne Wali Khidki Main, the whooshing sound came from rubbing a comb on a coarse shell. For ‘Chura Liya' from Yaadon Ki Baraat? he created that sound using glasses and spoons.
R.D. Burman was born in Calcutta on June 27th, 1939, in Calcutta. His father was the legendary music director S.D. Burman and his mother was Meera a classical singer. As a child, he was nicknamed "Pancham". Music was natural to him, there was the influence of growing up in his father's home, with constant music surrounding him. Furthermore, after the family moved from Calcutta to Bombay, he started to learn sarod from the famous Ali Akbar Khan. He also learned to play the harmonica. With such a musical environment, it is not surprising that he started to compose music very quickly. He was only nine years old when he composed his first song; this was Aye Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa and his father used it in the film "Funtoosh" 1956.
In his teenage, he started assisting his father. His name first appeared on the big screen as assistant music director in "Solva Saal" (1958). After that, he assisted his father in almost all the films till Jewel Thief(1967).
His first released film as a music director was Mehmood's "Chote Nawaab" (1961). From there his career was firmly launched."Teesri Manzil" (1967) marked a major milestone in his career. From this point on, he well established and was able to be the music director for a number of major films. This brought him a number of successful films such as "Padosan" (1968) and "Waris" (1969). The dawn of the 70s saw RD Burman become Bollywood's most sought-after music director. This was represented by such immortal hits as Kati Patang (1970), "Amar Prem" (1971), "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" (1971), Carvaan (1970), "Seeta Aur Geeta" (1972), Jawani Diwani(1972), Yadon Ki Barat, "Sholay" (1975), and Aandhi(1975).
The mid-1980s were a very hard time for R.D. Burman, both personally as well as professionally. The general perception was that he had lost his touch. The songs that he did, generally failed to make a major impact on the public.
In 1988 at the age of 49, he suffered a heart attack. He underwent surgery and continued to make music. But his career limped into the 1990s with very lackluster commercial success. There were a few exceptions to the public rejection of his music, most notably "1942: A Love Story". But by and large, he was considered finished in the Bollywood film industry. At the age of 54, he suffered another heart attack. With his wife Asha at his side, he died on January 4, 1994.
The Ganga (Ganges) flows for a distance of 2,525 km, all the way from the Himalayas, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It is the holiest river for the people of India. Hindi cinema has embraced it wholeheartedly, Many film titles and songs have been written on this river.
Raj Kapoor had a great fascination for Ganga, he made two films with Ganga in the title Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai(1960) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili(1985) and recall the song 'Bol Radha Bol' from the 1964 film Sangam. Since the beginning of sound cinema, many songs have been written praising Ganga by almost all lyricists. The first song on Ganga as per my research was written by Pt. Niranjan Sharma ‘Ajit’, for the 1939 film 'Sach Hai'.
Mirza Ghalib,the great 19th-century poet, also wrote in praise of Ganga and Banaras when he visited Varanasi. It all comes out in ‘Chiragh-e-Dair’ (Temple Lamp), a masnavi in Persian which Ghalib wrote on Banaras. Shakeel Badayuni wrote a song in the 1954 film Mirza Ghalib inspired by Ghalib
Song of Mirza Ghalib 1954
Shakeel Badayuni also wrote about Ganga in 1952 film Baiju Bawra
Madan Mohan worked with all the legendary male playback singers of the time, including Talat Mahmood, Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, and Hemant Kumar, the maximum songs were sung by the great Mohd. Rafi Saab. Between solos and duets, Rafi Saab sang almost 170 songs for Madanji.
Madan Mohan scored his first big break with the film Aankhen in 1950, which marked the beginning of a long-lasting collaboration with Mohammed Rafi. The song was 'Hum Ishq Mein Barbad' was a serious song. Next few years were the testing time for Madan Mohan, he gave more songs to Talat mehmood and one or two songs to Rafi. The song 'Basti Basti Parbat Parbat' from Railway Platform (1955) was the first hit song of this combination.The next memorable song was'Tujhe Kya Sunaun Mein Dilruba' from Aakhri Dao (1958). In the 1960s they gave many memorable songs. Here are a few of the great songs of this combination.
A super hit movie of 1971 starting Dharmendra, Asha Parekh, and Vinod Khanna shot in Rajasthan is sheer eye candy. It has its romance, its moments of comedy, and its melodrama, but ( Vinod Khanna) Jabbar Singh vs. Ajit(Dharmendra) is, eventually, the focus of the film. it has a lot of the tropes and motifs of the Clint Eastwood films. The film was a huge blockbuster at the box office cementing Vinod Khanna's place as a top actor.
Dharmendra plays Ajit, an orphan, who is reformed by an ex-soldier Jayant. The village is repeatedly looted and savaged by Jabbar’s gang and Ajit stands up to wage a lone fight.
Asha Parekh is the heroine of the film but has nothing to do except singing one or two songs.
Music is the strong point of the film. All the songs were popular but the background score by Laxmikant Pyarelal adds to the ferocity that Jabbar comes to signify.
Vinod Khanna as Jabbar Singh shall live for all times to come. I recommend every one who has seen this movie or not ; please watch it again and get mesmerized.
Rehman (23 June 1921- 5 Nov 1984), a man whose majestic voice was his signature in the Golden Era of Bollywood. He was an integral part of the Guru Dutt team, and most known for his roles in films such as Pyar ki Jeet, Badi Behen, Pyaasa, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, like Guru Dutt he was also signed by Prabhat Studios as 3rd assistant director to Vishram Bedekar during the shooting of Lakharani (1945).
He was the hero of Suraya in Pyar Ki Jeet(1948), and Badi Behan(1949). Hero of Kamini Kaushal & Madhubala in Paras(1949) and Pardes(1950), as time passed, he accepted supporting roles and made his mark in some hit films like Pyaasa(1957), Phir Subah Hogi (1958),Chaudhvin Ka Chand(1960)and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam(1962).
After college (1942), he joined the Royal Indian Air Force and trained at Poona as a pilot. The Air Force didn't appeal to him and soon left for a career in films at Bombay. His first brush with acting happened almost by chance. Director D.D. Kashyap, whom Rehman was assisting at that time, urgently required someone to play the role of a Pathan in his film ‘Chand’ (1944). Since Rehman was the only one on the sets who could tie a turban the Pathani way, he got this role, for this role he had to speak one dialogue, he had to give 50 takes for this dialogue. The next film was Hum Ek Hain followed by Pyar Ki Jeet(1948) and Badi Behan(1949) as hero opposite Suraiya. Both films were hit but after these films, none of his films as hero clicked. It was Guru Dutt who offered him the character role in Pyasa Rehman also did key roles in ‘Waqt’, ‘Baharon Ki Manzil’, ‘Gomti ke Kinare’, ‘Dushman’, ‘Holi Ayi Re’. Rehman received four Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actor for: Choti Bahen (1958), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (1966). In 1977, he suffered heart attacks after which he got throat cancer and died after a prolonged and painful illness in 1979. What a tragedy, the man who had an impressive, majestic voice lost his voice and he was unable to speak during his last days in his life. The song in which he appeared with Suraiya in Badi Behan will be remembered forever. “Chup Chup Khade ho, Zaroor koi Baat hai”, will always be in our memories.
