Suraiya

The first duo Husnlal-Bhagatram (1): Their songs for Suraiya, Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi

Husnlal-Bhagatram July 11, 2017

I have signed off the series on Shankar-Jaikishan recently. Before that I had done series on Anil Biswas, Naushad, C Ramchandra and SD Burman. As the readers now expect the next famous music directors in line, there are some yesteryears stalwarts who shone like meteor for a short while, or who gave great music consistently over […]

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Suraiya’s songs by SD Burman

SD Burman and Suraiya June 15, 2014

A tribute on her 85th birth anniversary, June 15 SD Burman getting into Navketan camp and Suraiya’s intense romance with Dev Anand meant that there would be a number of songs of this singer (and actor)-composer pair. Since SD Burman made his debut late, his songs for Suraiya are much less compared to, say, Naushad’s, […]

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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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Door Papiha Bola: Suraiya by Anil Biswas

Anil Biswas and Suraiya January 31, 2014

A tribute to Anil Biswas in his centenary year and to Suraiya on her 10th death anniversary For many years after getting deeply attached to the vintage songs, I regarded Anil Biswas as peripheral to the music career of Suraiya. When I thought of Suraiya, the composers who came to mind most prominently were Naushad, […]

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Forgotten Composers Unforgettable Melodies (7): Jamal Sen

Jamal Sen July 1, 2013

There are some people whose reputation precedes their arrival.  Jamal Sen has come in for some great praise on at least three occasions on this blog. In Subodh’s piece on Yaman, Jamal Sen’s composition Sapna ban sajan aye was mentioned in comments as one of the best examples of Yaman, and several readers mentioned him […]

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