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
Released on 30 June 1971, Mela was a hit film of that year. This was the first time the two Khan brothers, Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan appeared together in a film. Mumtaz was the heroine of the film. This film was the seconddirectorial venture of Prakash Mehra after Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968).
The film is a lost and found story, a very popular subject of the 70s. It was based on a rural background where a Shahri Babu(Sanjay Khan) comes and falls in love with a village girl(Mumtaz). There is a dacoit Shakti Singh(Feroz Khan who does not permit anyone to plow his land as he believes that his evil paternal uncle(Randhir) forged documents to make him the owner, and he blames himself for losing his brother, Kishan, during a Mela 20 years ago. Kanhaiya buys the land from his uncle in the city who dies soon after out of shock upon receiving such a large sum of money.,Now Kanhaiya comes with his foster mom to reside at the Uncle s home in the village.
The music of the film was given by R D Burman and the lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Few of the songs were popular but none of the songs is great.
It is the famous waltz 'Waves of the Danube' composed by the Romanian Josef (or Ion) Ivanovici in 1880. This tune has been used in many films over the years – Josef von Sternberg’s Dishonored, Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog, and Emir Kusturica’s When Father Was Away on Business, to name a few – but its most famous film incarnation is as The Anniversary Song from The Jazz Singer(1927)
Raj Kapoor first heard this tune when he saw The Jolson Story (1946) rather than coming across a recording of the original waltz. He was so mesmerized by this tune, he decided to use this in his film Barsaat. When he used this tune in Barsaat, he was approached by the copyright people for breaching the copyright. He had to pay something like 35,000 rupees, a handsome amount in the 40s.
Since he purchased the tune, he used this tune in RK films – Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Bobby (1973), Biwi O Biwi (1982) – either as background music or in song interludes.
This tune remained an integral part of the film. Raj Kapoor, who plays Pran in the film plays this tune on the violin throughout the film. Nargis (Reshma), who keeps referring to the instrument as a “sitar”, finds herself inextricably drawn to this haunting melody. In a crucial scene towards the end, when the lovers have been separated, Reshma again hears the tune and rushes off towards its source. She lands up in a posh club (with, apparently, not very sound-proof walls) and falls at the feet of the man playing the violin. But it is not Pran. The shocked violinist kicks out at her.
Song of Barsaat 1949
Losif Ivanovici - Donauwellen Walzer (Waves of the Danube Waltz)
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.
