Year: 2013

Multiple Version Songs (12): Similar songs in Hindi and Kannada

Guest article by Arunkumar Deshmukh

(When I mentioned that Arunji is a living encyclopaedia, I was thinking of Hindi, Marathi, and perhaps Telugu films because of his early association with Hyderabad. While I was still struggling if I knew anyone who could write about Kannada, out of the blue, Arunji made an offer to write on similar songs in Hindi and Kannada. Now I know whom to approach for Santhali, Chhatisgarhi, Dogri or Manipuri languages, but I am sure Arunji will never cease to surprise us! After his excellent piece on Hindi-Marathi, please enjoy another highly educative article on the history of Kannada films, and their linkages with Hindi and other languages. – AK)

Sati SulochanaThe First Talkie in 1931 was the beginning of a revolution in Filmdom. As expected even the first talking film was singing too! It had 7 songs. This stressed two points, one – India did not lag behind in technology, and two – music was an integral part of our lives, including entertainment.

From historical and even mythological times all kings – big or small had their “Court-Singers”. With love of common people and the royal patronage, it was not a wonder that ALL talkie films in ALL languages had songs in it.

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Songs of Yore completes three years

Celebrating with three triad songs

Songs of Yore Third AnniversaryToday SoY completes three years. When I look back, it is not merely more of the same. To be sure, the frequency has increased from the preceding two years. Thirty-three posts in the year gone by, i.e. a post every 11 days, is far more than the preceding two years. But more important is the variety. With songs on themes like River, Naiya, Kinare, Jigar; personalities like Asit Baran, Mubarak Begum, Minoo Mumtaz, some potpourri like Wrap Up of Songs of 1955, Mahamoorkhon ke gaane, and historical-musical travelogue of Rangoon/Burma, I have indulged in my freewheeling wanderings. I have to admit, as I have said earlier, that there is an element of स्वान्तः सुखाय here, borne out of the fact that I am the host of the blog. But what is really gratifying is that a lot many people with tremendous amount of knowledge have joined me in sharing my delights.

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Multiple Version Songs (11): Similar songs in Hindi and Malayalam

Guest article by Anuradha Warrier

(There are some guests on whose arrival you exclaim, “Wo aye hamarey ghar khuda ki qudarat, kabhi hum unko kabhi apne ghar ko dekhate hain!”   Anu writes an outstanding blog spanning books, movies, music and whatever. She is also a writer and editor. With all that, and with the constraint of having grown up outside Kerala, it is indeed a very kind gesture on her part to agree to write on similar songs from Hindi and Malayalam movies. With such generous people I am confident we should be able to cover all the major languages in India in which such cross fertilisation with Hindi movies and songs have taken place. Thank you , Anu, for your excellent article. – AK)

Yesudas and MS BaburajI’d been following the mega-series of posts by Mr Ashok Vaishnav on the various combinations of multiple versions of songs on Songs of Yore with great interest. With AK hosting these posts, and Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh and Mr N Venkatraman writing on the links between Hindi-Marathi and Hindi-Tamil songs, it’s been a journey worth travelling.

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Multiple Versions Songs (10): Gujarati to, and fro, Hindi (film) songs (2)

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav

(In the tenth article in the series on Multiple Vesrsion Songs, which is the second part of Ashokji’s article on cross-pollination between Hindi and Gujarati songs, he looks at the influence of Gujarati light/folk sangeet on Hindi film music.  Some of the examples are very well-known songs without our being aware of Gujarati folk influence on them.  So, here is another voyage of discovery of the Hindi film songs influenced by Gujarati folk dance and songs. – AK)

Gujarati GarabaWe had had a peep into the versions Gujarati light (sugam) sangeet from Hindi film music in the first part of this article. In this second part we will take a reverse track and have a look at the influence of Gujarati light / folk sangeet on Hindi film music.

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Multiple Versions Songs (9) : Gujarati to, and fro, Hindi (film) songs (1)

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav

(Ashokji, who is the originator of the mega series on Multiple Version Songs, now takes us to the little known world of cross fertilisation between Hindi and Gujarati film and folk music.  He plans to do it in two parts, in the first part of which he presents an overview of the theme and impact of Hindi film music on Gujarati songs.  Needless to say, anything from his pen would show depth of research and eye for detail. – AK)

Gujarati sangeetI will begin this post with an humble and honest disclaimer: This preamble will provide an entrée background to our subject of the present post, and is in no way any statement of authority on the subject.

In order to make the posting of the article manageable, we will split the article in two parts, first part dealing with impact of Hindi film music on Gujarati songs, while the second part will present the reverse effect of Gujarati light sangeet on Hindi film music.

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Multiple Version Songs (8): Hindi-Tamil film songs (2) Songs from Dubbed Versions

Guest article by N. Venkataraman

(Mr Venkataraman’s first part of Hindi-Tamil similar songs was on ‘Inspired and adopted songs’.  He also mentioned in that article that he would be covering the subject in three parts.  In the second part he discusses songs from Hindi movies which were dubbed in Tamil.  Synchronizing the lyrics, meaning, meter and lip movement requires a great deal of talent.  It is a journey into a fascinating world, which, I presume, is unknown to most of us.  There is a warning though.  There is something infectious about these songs – you would soon forget that Madhubala ever sang ‘Mohabat ki jhoothi kahani pe roye’, because ‘Kanu kanda kaathal’ will grip you, or that Nargis sang ‘Raja ki ayegi baraat’, because after reading this article you would be humming, ‘Kalyana oorvalam varum’, and so on. – AK) 

Gul-e-bakawaliAt the outset, I feel like a traveller commencing the second part of my journey through a desert looking for the elusive oasis. I am afraid that the scope and variety found in the first part will be lacking to a great extent in this article. Except the lyrics and the singer(s), everything else will be almost similar in both the versions. Even the singer(s) in one or two instances can be the same. Hoping that the deserts too can provide enough charm on a calm and moonlit night.

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In conversation with Minoo Mumtaz

Wishing her Happy 71st Birthday on April 26, 2013

Minoo MumtazI am not a journalist, nor am I in a line which should bring me anywhere near film people. Yet, here I was having a relaxed conversation with Minoo Mumtaz in her apartment in Pune, a few months back. Some stories are epic in scale. This one had its beginning on the other side of the globe, about a year back, when I had gone for a conference in Toronto, Canada.

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Caught stealing from ‘Songs of Yore’, two Harvard students sadden me

plagiarismI wish I had never written this piece, and I tried my best to see that I didn’t have to. Yet there are times when you have to face up to unpleasant situations.

When I started Songs of Yore about three years ago, I did not have a clue what blogging meant. My only excuse was a notion I had about myself that I knew a good deal about old film music. As SoY has progressed, I have learnt a great deal more, and I realise how mistaken I was about myself and how little I knew. I have learnt from fellow bloggers and I have learnt from readers from their comments, and I have often been awed by them, and envious of them. At times I have also used material from them, acknowledging and praising them openly. Similarly, fellow bloggers, who are extremely accomplished, have often referred to something which I wrote, praising me generously and, at times, excessively. We have done it not only because it is legally and morally correct thing to do, but also because it comes so naturally.

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Multiple Versions Songs (7) – Both versions by female playback singers (2) – A Happy and A Sad Version

Guest article by Mr Ashok Vaishnav

(Ashokji continues his mega series which is the seventh article in the series, a couple of which have been contributed by other guest authors, namely Mr Arunkumar Deshmukh and Mr N Venkataraman.  His last piece was on both the versions by female playback singers.  He develops the same theme further in the second part which deals with the specific case of female versions in which one version is happy and the other sad.  This article too bears his characteristic depth of research and ear for detail.  –AK) 

Multiple version songsWe continue the second part of our journey of multiple version songs in Hindi films – all versions rendered by female playback singer(s), in the form of one of the most basic use of version songs – to present a happy and a sad situation in the same film.  The instances presented here have cases where both the versions are rendered by the same female playback singer. As it happens, all songs except the last one are rendered by Lata Mangeshkar

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