2014

Songs of Yore completes four years

Songs of Yore completes four years June 7, 2014

With a tribute to Juthika Roy I have often said I started blogging स्वान्तः सुखाय. As Songs of Yore completes four years today, I find I have become a little less selfish. Now I do a lot of things that are suggested and driven by the readers. And, you don’t need a preacher to tell […]

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The incredible brother-sister in music: Anil Biswas’s songs for Parul Ghosh

Anil Biswas and Parul Ghosh May 27, 2014

Continuing Anil Biswas Centenary Year celebration with his songs for Parul Ghosh as a tribute to her I can’t think of a weightier brother sister-duo in Hindi film music. Obviously, Mangeshkars’ dominance is unparalleled, but they are primarily ‘sisters’; Hridaynath’s footprint is very negligible on film music, whereas Anil Biswas is a Titan. Parul Ghosh […]

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Multiple Versions Songs (17): Haunting Melodies in Different Moods And Settings

Haunting Melodies May 17, 2014

Guest article by Ashok M Vaishnav (As the SoY regulars are aware, the series on  Multiple Version Songs has grown in dimension well beyond what was originally envisaged by Ashokji, about a year and half back.   Fortunately, SoY family has some tremendously talented and knowledgeable people, and they chipped in with guest articles, on my […]

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Multiple Version Songs (16): Rabindra Sangeet and Pankaj Mullick

Rabindranath Tagore and Pankaj Mullick May 7, 2014

Hridaya Pankaje Rabi Viraje A tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur (7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) and Pankaj Mullick (10 May 1905 – 19 February 1978) by guest author N Venkataraman (The appeal of Rabindranath Thakur’s poetry and songs of love, nature and worship transcends the boundaries of language and culture. Pankaj Mullick, one […]

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East meets West: Shamshad Begum’s songs by SD Burman

SD Burman and Shamshad Begum April 23, 2014

A tribute on Shamshad Begum’s first death anniversary April 23 As the ethnic stereotypes go, no two people can be further apart from each other than a Bengali and a Punjabi. SD Burman and Shamshad Begum were the leading lights of the two extremes – East Bengal and the West Punjab, yet when they combined they […]

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Best songs of 1951: And the winners are?

Best songs of 1951 April 10, 2014

After reviewing the best songs of 1955 and 1953, which were gap years in the Filmfare Awards (Baiju Bawra, 1952 was the first film to get the Filmfare Awards for the best music, but in the later years no films of 1953 and 1955 won these awards), I come to the pre-Filmfare era with 1951. […]

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Forgotten Composers Unforgettable Melodies (9): Lachhiram

Music Director Lachhiram March 30, 2014

Who is not aware of Tu shokh kali main mast pawan, tu shamm-e-wafa main parwana or Dhalti jaye raat kah de dil ki baat? The songs are among all time greats of Rafi. But many lovers of old film music may not be aware or might have forgotten the name of Lachhiram. A very awkward […]

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A ‘serious’ review of Sangam (1964) in its Golden Jubilee Year

Sangam March 17, 2014

Raj Kapoor overturns Bollywood triangle to convey profound social messages Reviewing a film is not a joke unless you are Madhu, Anu or Memsaab Greta. Then, why am I venturing into a field in which I have no expertise, and why Sangam? Review of a Bollywood blockbuster like Sangam suffers from both the ends. At […]

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Talat Mahmood’s songs by SD Burman

Talat Mahmood and SD Burman March 6, 2014

My last post on Talat Mahmood’s songs by Anil Biswas reminded me that last year when I had ‘closed’ my series on SD Burman, Venkatarmanji and some other readers mentioned some more singers who gave memorable songs with Dada. Talat Mahmood was one of the names mentioned. They fit in very nicely. SD Burman was […]

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The Mentor and the Protégé: Talat Mahmood songs by Anil Biswas

Anil Biswas and Talat Mahmood February 24, 2014

A tribute to Talat Mahmood on his 90th birth anniversary Anil Biswas was not the first composer for whom Talat Mahmood sang in films. He debuted as an actor-singer in Calcutta in Raj Laxmi (1945). While in Calcutta, he also sang (and acted) in Tum Aur Main (1947), Samapti and Swayansiddha (1949). During this period […]

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