Songs on film stars

SAFARNAMA: In Pursuit of Two Iconic Lives

A Journey with Dilip Kumar (11th December 1922 – 7th July 2021) and Mohammed Rafi (24th December 1924 – 31st July 1980)

Guest article by N Venkataraman in the series of Centenary Celebrations of Rafi with his songs for Dilip Kumar on his 102nd Birth Anniversary

(Dilip Kumar is the undisputed thespian of acting. Rafi is unarguably the most versatile singer. He became identified with the voice of many heroes. No wonder he also became the voice of Dilip Kumar, with Naushad as the admirer of both and the music director in a succession of their films. Surprising, because Naushad came wholesale to Rafi quite late in the day. Dilip Kumar is known to have asked for Talat Mahmood as his voice in some early 50s’ films. Naushad himself used Mukesh as the voice of Dilip Kumar with great success in ‘Mela’ (1948) and ‘Andaaz’ (1949). Mukesh was his voice in some more films under the baton of other music directors.

Thus, if you were on a journey with Dilip Kumar, it was not obvious that Rafi would become identified as his voice, helmed by the great Naushad. Today happens to be the 102nd birth anniversary of Dilip Kumar. Venkataramanji takes us on a fascinating journey of the two maestros in tandem as only he could. Originally from South India, he is based out of Kolkata and is a polymath in the quintessential Bengali bhadralok tradition. Thanks a lot Venkataramanji for this double treat of 102nd birth anniversary tribute to Dilip Kumar and a tribute to Rafi in the series of his centenary celebrations. – AK)

Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Peshawar, there lived a well-bred, energetic, handsome teenager, who was one of the beloved sons of his parents and the light of his family. He was oblivious of where his destiny was leading him to. Roughly 400 kms away, another young boy, a radiant soul, lived in a sleepy village near Amritsar, who possessed a heart of gold, an infectious smile and tenderness. He cherished to conquer the world with his god-gifted melody. Both of them embarked upon a captivating journey, one in pursuit of an unknown destiny and the other in pursuit of his cherished dream, traversing the landscapes of life in the process with grace and determination.  This Safarnama unfolds on a prestigious train, echoing their splendid and eventful future. The Frontier Mail is about leave the Peshawar station and let me jump in to make it my Safarnama too. To waltz through the ups and downs of their journey I am inviting everyone to make it a part of OUR journey, with a caveat that it is going to be a long haul and an exhaustive one too. READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Mohammad Rafi & Johnny Walker in Symbiosis

Guest article by DP Rangan as a joint tribute to Rafi on his 44th Remembrance Day and Johnny Walker on his 21st Remembrance Day.

(The title of this post says it all. When you think of Johnny Walker you think of Rafi. JW established a presence for himself and soon the producers and music directors realised that giving a song or two to him increased the commercial prospects of a film. For a comedian to achieve that status was remarkable. Thus, many songs picturised on him achieved iconic status, and are often remembered till today towering over other songs in the film. The credit was also due to Rafi who could modulate his voice to sound like JW.

The indefatigable guest author DP Rangan describes this relationship in detail as only he could. The statistics relate to only those songs that Rafi sang for Johnny Walker. JW lip-synched several songs on the screen, sung by other singers. Further, JW acted in many films in which he had no songs or no songs by Rafi. That is why you would see difference in the number of films in two tables – one only for movies, and the other movies and songs.

The symbiotic relationship between JW and Rafi extended to another unique aspect. Their death anniversaries are separated by two days. Today is Rafi’s 44th Remembrance Day. We had JW’s 21st Remembrance Day two days ago. This is a befitting tribute to two great artists in symbiosis. Thank you Mr Rangan for another superb article. – AK)

The first post in the blog SOY for 2024 was posted on 1st January by AKji, on the late Mohammad Rafi (hereinafter referred to as Rafi for brevity), a superlative playback singer who straddled the film world as a giant for over 35 years from 1944 till his early demise in July 1980. A series of articles will probably appear during this centenary year of his birth. This is my humble endeavour to contribute at least one article on the symbiotic relations he had with the noted comedian Johnny Walker (JW). I am stretching the meaning of “symbiosis” a little by taking refuge under the assumption that one is a playback singer and the other is an actor, though both are homo sapiens. AKji has written everything of note about Rafi and I have nothing further to contribute.

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Nimmi – ‘The Unkissed Girl of India’

A tribute to Nimmi on her 90th birth anniversary (b. 18 Feb 1933 – d. 25 March 2020) by guest writer DP Rangan

(When you think of Nimmi, you think of a live-wire, innocent village belle; a mountain girl who pines for her city-slick lover; a courtesan loved by a nawab who cannot disclose his relationship to the world, which the courtesan accepts in suffering, but gives a decent upbringing to his bright brother. A commoner who dares and looks in the eye of the villainous prince. And that takes me to Aan (1952) which has become the reference point for the tagline of this article on Nimmi by DP Rangan.

I have been so far describing Mr Rangan as a septuagenarian going on seventeen. I didn’t realise that the age counter moves up every year. Now he is well into his eighties with the same unbounded energy. He was forced to lie low for some medical issues and computer malfunction. As soon as he came out of this period he was raring to go with a number of ideas for different posts. My response to him has been, now he has to take it easy. Mr Rangan has been the most prolific guest writer on Songs of Yore, and he is familiar to SOY regulars. He has as usual written a thorough article on an important actress who debuted with RK’s Barsaat in 1949 and went on to make a mark in several superhit films as the lead or the second lead. Thank you Mr Ragan for this nice tribute to Nimmi on her 90th birth anniversary. – AK)

Let us jump back in time, a favourite concept in very many scientific novels/films (e.g. Back to the Future, a Hollywood movie) and position ourselves before Hotel Rialto, London on the 18th July 1952. It is a gathering of distinguished guests from England, India, Indonesia etc. Nimmi is part of the entourage along with Mehboob Khan, producer of the movie Aan. The premiere of the movie in its English version named The Savage Princess is being held. It is the first Indian film to be made in full colour and shown abroad. A few days later a reception was well attended by film personalities from Hollywood too. Dazzled by the charm of Nimmi, four producers from Hollywood, including Cecil B. De Mille offered her roles in their future ventures. Nimmi refused it. Errol Flynn, a leading Hollywood actor, sought  the hand of Nimmi to plant a kiss in the traditional western style. Taken aback, Nimmi declined it stating that she was an Indian girl and such practices were foreign to her culture. As usual paparazzi were buzzing among the guests. Next day came headlines in many papers – ‘Nimmi the Unkissed Girl of India’. This was stated by Nimmi herself in an interview. A truly remarkable way to gather such a title.READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Kumkum: The Danseuse Butterfly of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan to pay tribute to Kumkum (22 April 1934 – 28 July 2020) on her first death anniversary

(The dancers had an important place in our films. They came in amazing varieties. There was a tradition of the top actresses themselves being professionally trained in classical or popular dance forms, such as Vyjayanthimala and Waheeda Rehman, to Hema Malini to Madhuri Dixit, Rekha and Aishwarya Rai. Some mainstream actresses performed ‘Item Numbers’ for a lark. The other end was a night club or cabaret dancer, such as Helen, Bindu and Jayshree T etc. Since this was not seen as a very noble activity, they were generally given a small role of a vamp.

In this crowded field, it is to the credit of Kumkum that she carved out her own niche as a dancer with grace on whom some of the most memorable songs of the Golden Era have been picturised. As she had a proper training in Kathak, her dance always showed her class. Her natural talent for dance, her supple body and expressive eyes made her a sought after artist. She did several lead roles or second lead roles in which she showed her acting prowess too. To pay our tribute to her on her first death anniversary is the indefatigable DP Rangan.

As the regulars of SOY are well aware, Mr Rangan is 70-plus going on 17. He is the most prolific guest author on SOY. Undeterred by the difficulty of language, he is always after me what next he should write on. I instantly welcomed his suggestion to write on Kumkum. Thank you Mr Rangan for this tribute to Kumkum we all like so much. – AK)

The lure of filmdom started right after movies started invading everywhere. Men and women in search of fame and wealth had made a beeline for the tinsel towns where studios were rooted and functioning. Our Bharat is no exception to this golden rule. Lahore was probably the first town where this started during the colonial era. Calcutta also emerged as another such centre. Then Bombay joined the bandwagon and thereafter Chennai came into the film map. As part of technical advancement, silent movies were supplanted by talkies with the film Alam Ara in 1931. All with a histrionic talent or with pretensions to it sought fame and riches in this tinsel world of glamour. Most of them came from poor families ready to confront this game of life and death. Success meant stardom, wealth and fame and those who failed to make it count were left by the wayside. Ladies with alluring looks as a powerful weapon had an easier time at grappling with the studio moghuls and those with dancing skills had a decided advantage.

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NASEEM BANU: The Maiden Venus of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Naseem Banu on her 104th birth anniversary (4 July 1916 – 18 June 2002)

(Naseem Banu was arguably the most bewitching beauty of her time. When Saira Banu burst on the screen in the 1960s, she was immediately hailed as a Beauty Queen, and the media coverage was replete with references to her mother, Naseem Banu, who was regarded as even more mesmerising than her daughter. She achieved great fame as the lead actress of Sohrab Modi’s historical magnum opus, Pukaar (1939). And in keeping with the times she also sang many songs for films, but gradually let regular playback singers sing for her. She deserves to be remembered on Songs of Yore in a befitting manner, and DP Rangan is ever ready for doing the honours.

As the regulars of SoY are aware, Mr Rangan is a unique person. Though not familiar with the language, he has nevertheless written over twenty guest articles on various themes relating to old Hindi film songs, including on stars like Meena Kumari, Suraiya and Madhubala.  He does an equally competent job, typical of him, for Naseem Banu. Thank you Mr Rangan for this tribute to Naseem Banu. – AK)

Naseem BanoThe Industrial Revolution from the mid-nineteenth century ushered in an era of prosperity for a few and misery for the majority. Entertainment avenues also underwent a radical change. Introduction of cinematography was one such event and people crowded theatres to enjoy silent movies. Advent of talkies in 1927 was a fillip to boost people’s interest and India had its first talkie in 1931. Cinema viewing was a new rage among the populace and film actors commanded a huge following. The time was ripe for the arrival of a maiden of beauty and the miracle did happen.

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MADHUBALA: The Bewitching Beauty of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan as a tribute to Madhubala on her 86th birth anniversary (14 February 1933- 23 February 1969)

(The regular readers of Songs of Yore are aware of the tremendous enthusiasm of DP Rangan for writing on various themes and artistes associated with old film songs. After covering themes like Horses, Tonga, Moon, Stars, Bacchus, Deepavali, Steam Engine, Flowers, Cycle, Waterfall, Tasveer and Nuptials, Mr Rangan wrote life sketch of film stars and music directors. He has already written excellent articles on Sajjad Hussain, Suraiya and Meena Kumari. Carrying on the good work, Mr Rangan pays a tribute to the incredible beauty, Madhubala, commonly known as the Venus of Indian Cinema. It is a befitting coincidence that she was born on the Valentine’s Day.

Mr Rangan is a retired civil servant. At seventy-plus, his zeal can be the envy of many persons much younger to him. SoY is lucky to have him among the family. I join him in paying my tribute to the ethereal beauty, Madhubala, and also wishing the readers a very Happy Valentine’s day. Thank you Mr Rangan for your contribution to this blog. – AK)

MadhubalaImagine an audience bedazzled by the beauty of the heroine of the film they are intensely focused on, and coming out at the conclusion completely dazed and still reliving in the dream world of the preceding few hours, and the harsh wakeup to the reality of day to day struggle for carrying on their mundane life. Such was the hold of Madhubala on the public during the heydays of 1950s and 1960s. She was not an actress who could excel in serious roles as her contemporary Meena Kumari and yet such was her mesmerisation of one and all, even when her acting was below par now and then, it was glossed over. Yet her life was not a bed of roses, but one of thorn. She was a glorious star in the film world during her halcyon years, In astronomical language, she could be equated to super massive blue stars that gallop through their life rapidly and sink into a red dwarf or a black hole. She was amply endowed with je ne sais quoi. While Meena Kumari committed seppuku by excessive indulgence in drinks, our contemporaneous heroine was born with a major debility which was to prove a torment in the last few years of her life that did not complete forty years of existence. It is my humble attempt to recapitulate her life with my limited ability and I request patrons of the blog to keep this in mind while going through this post. This is my fourth biography and I am certain the three previous ones of Meena Kumari, Suraiya and Sajjad Hussain are already archaeologist’s delight.

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Suraiya: The Last Nightingale of Bollywood

Guest article by DP Rangan

(Suraiya was literally as sweet as a nightingale. I have covered her in some detail. But with his amazing enthusiasm for research, DP Rangan was not deterred in finding enough interesting material and uncovered songs on her. I thank Mr Rangan for this nice article and join him in paying my tribute to one of my greatest favourite singers on her 89th birth anniversary (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004). – AK)

SuraiyaThis is the seventh in the series of posts on this chanteuse, a rage among her admirers in late 1940s. The earlier six posts were all creations of the blog master. Four of the posts were on her combination with the music directors Naushad, S D Burman, Anil Biswas and Husnlal-Bhagatram. The fifth one was general in character based on her songs of the later part of her career, i.e. 1950s through 60s, and the sixth was a small writeup focused on a song Door papiha bola. Naushad, Husanlal Bhagatram and Ghulam Mohammad were music directors in bulk of her films and it will be difficult to exclude Naushad in any discussion of her songs. I have tried as far as possible not to repeat any of the songs from the earlier posts. Such are her achievements, blogs can be written on several aspects of her personality ad infinitum. I have tried to trace her biography and illustrated with songs not so well known as is my usual practice.

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Songs of stars

Songs of starsFor the SoY regulars, the title of this post may come as a surprise, because DP Rangan has already written an exhaustive post on songs on stars. That was about stars in the sky (i.e. तारे/सितारे). However, there are another kind of stars around whom the film world revolves. They have names like you and me, but when they become too big, they acquire special monikers like ‘the Great Trinity’, ‘the Dream Girl’, ‘the Big B’, ‘the Jumping Jack’, ‘the Phenomenon’, ‘the Three Khans’  and so on. From the media we know that they inhabit the terra firma, but for common folks like us, they are really the ‘Stars from Another Sky’.

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MEENA KUMARI: An enigma

A tribute to Meena Kumari on her 85th birth anniversary (1 August 1932 – 31 March 1972) by guest author DP Rangan

(SoY readers are now familiar with DP Rangan’s prolific guest posts. So far, he has focused on themes. He now forays into film personalities. Several readers have suggested that I write on songs picturised on specific heroes or heroines. I have been generally hesitant, because my primary classifications are music directors and singers, and any new category becomes overlapping. Our 70-year-old-going-on-17 Mr Rangan is not deterred by such challenges. The tinsel town is full of stars who were at the height of name and fame, but who had a most unhappy personal life, finally dying in penury. Meena Kumari is the foremost example of such tragic figures. It is befitting that Mr Rangan chooses her to pay tribute on her 85th birth anniversary. He also introduces us to her less known singing talent; and true to SoY’s tradition, he presents a good number of her vintage and unknown songs. Thank you Mr Rangan for another excellent article. – AK)

Meena KumariIt was about a year ago that my ‘writing’ was first published, thanks to the generosity of AK in accepting it for this august blog. It was a wonderful moment for me, and enthused by this success I wrote a number of posts on different themes. Emboldened by my new-found confidence, I decided to foray into areas other than themes and plunge into the field of biography, even though I knew it to be a minefield.

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MS Subbulakshmi: A journey from Kunjamma to Meera

A tribute on MS Subbulakshmi on her birth centenary (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) by guest author N Venkataraman (About three months ago, there was a burst of discussion on SoY on MS Subbulaxmi, initiated by a new member RSR (RS Ramaswamy) to which many others joined. Shalan Lal posed a question whyREAD THE FULL ARTICLE