Matinee Masala

Indian cinema music wouldn’t have been what it is today without Rai Chand Boral, popularly known as RC Boral. RC Boral was born in 1903 at Calcutta, his father; Lal Chand Boral was a classical musician (expert of Dhrupad). He had three sons, and Rai Chand was the youngest. Music was in his blood but still never would let go an opportunity to learn from stalwarts of renowned Gharana’s.

RC Boral joined the Indian Broadcasting Company in the year of its inception, 1927. In 1931, he shifted to the New Theatres in the silent era for supporting the stage with live music. It was in 1935, where he introduced playback singing for the first time in the Hindi feature film Dhoop Chhaon (1935). The song- Main Khush Hona Chahun, had an all women chorus led by Parul Ghosh with Suprova Sarkar and Harimati picturised in a dance sequence. R.C. Boral came to Bombay in 1953. After coming to Bombay, he composed music for Dard-e-Dil (1953) with Lata’s songs.

RC Boral went on to compose music for more than 150 films including Hindi and Bengali films. He received National Award Sagar Sangam in 1958 and Sangeet Natak Akedemi Award in 1978. He also received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1978 and died in 1981 at the age of 78.

RC Boral’s Filmography

Mohabbat Ke Aansoo (1932), Zinda Laash (1932), Subah Ka Sitaara, Pooran Bhagat (1933), Rajrani Meera (1933), Chandidas (1934), Dakoo Mansoor (1934), Rooplekha (1934), After the Earthquake (1935), Karwan-e-Hayaat (1935), Dhoop Chhaon (1935), Manzil (1936), Millionaire (1936), Maya (1936), Anath Aashram (1937), Vidyapati (1937), President (1937), Abhagin (1938), Street Singer (1938), Jawani Ki Reet (1939), Sapera (1939), Haar Jeet (1940), Lagan (1941), Sugand (1942), Waapas (1943), Humrahi (1945), Wasiatnaama (1945), Anjangarh (1948), Pahela Admi (1950), Dard-e-Dil (1953), Shree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953), Swami Vivekanand (1955), Amar Saigal (1955)

Many might have not heard of the name Kanan Devi, who enthralled listeners with her voice in the 30’s and 40’s. She was one of the early singing stars who was instrumental in giving some of the biggest hits of Indian cinema.

Born by the name of Kananbala in Howrah, Bengal 1916, she belonged to a poor family where she lost her father at an early age. She and her mother worked hard for a living but as luck would have it Kanan Devi got her first break as a child artist in Joydev (1926) at the age of ten.

After a few years she happened to get work as a singer at Megaphone Gramaphone Co. where she got trained under Bhishmadev Chatterjee and learnt Rabindra Sangeet. She missed out on working in P.C. Barua’s Devdas (1935) as Paro but eventually played the lead in his Mukti (1937).

Mukti (1937) turned out to be the turning point of her career in which she gave perhaps her finest performance, making her the studio’s top star. The films of New Theatres established her as a superhit singer. It was her association with K.C. Dey whom people enjoyed the most. Kanan Devi remained the top star of New Theatres till she resigned in 1941 and began to freelance in Bengali and Hindi films. M.P. Productions’ Jawaab, saw perhaps her biggest hit. Her song Yeh Duniya Hai Toofan Mai… rocked the entire nation that year. She repeated the same feast in Hospital (1943), Banphool (1945), and Rajlakshmi (1946).

Kanan Devi turned producer with Shrimati Pictures in 1949 and later launched the Sabyasachi Collective with the film Ananya (1949). Her own productions were mainly based on the stories of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Kanan Devi worked as the president of Mahila Shilpi Mahal, an organization that helps aged and needy female artistes of the yesteryears and for the upliftment of Bengali cinema. Kanan Devi, the first lady of the Bengali screen was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her contribution to Indian cinema, in 1976. She passed away on July 17, 1992 in Calcutta at the age of 76 years.

Kanan Devi’s Memorable Films

Manmoyee’s Girlschool (1935), Mukti (1937), Vidyapati (1937), Street Singer (1938), Jawaani ki Reet (1939), Lagan (1941), Jawab (1942), Hospital (1943), Chandrasekhar (1948), Ananya (1949), Mejdidi (1950)

Husnlal and Bhagatram were the first musical duo composers of Indian cinema who burst on to the scene with in the 40’s where film music was getting recognition in a big way. Husnlal and Bhagatram were younger brothers of Pandit Amarnath, who also a famous composer of the 40’s. Husnlal was an accomplished violinist and a classical singer whereas Bhagatram was an ace Harmonium player.

Husnlal & Bhagatram assisted their brother before getting their first break in Chand in 1944. They gave their first hit with ‘Do Dilon Ko Yeh Duniya..’ sung by Manju. Husnlal Bhagatram popularised Punjabi folk music, and their range of music has a rare lilt and rhythm. They became the most sought after composers with the success of films like Pyar Ki Jeet (1948) and Badi Bahen (1949).

Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazaar Huye… from Pyar Ki Jeet sung by Mohd. Rafi was the song that marked their arrival, it gave a new dimension to their career. Mohd. Rafi’s voice was magic to people’s ears who also happen to sing quite a few Punjabi songs for the duo.

Husnlal Bhagatram continued giving hits as their songs became a big rage in the 50’s. They also composed the famous song Suno Suno Ai Duniya Walo and Bapu Ki Yeh Amar Kahani, sung by Mohd. Rafi. This song became very popular all over the nation. Husnlal Bhagatram mostly used voices of Rafi, Lata, and Suraiya, who sang her own playback. They used songs written by Qamar Jalalabadi for most of their films.

They parted ways by the late 60’s. Husnlal left for Delhi and Bhagatram stayed on in Bombay. Husnlal died in December 1968, and Bhagatram expired in November 1973. Husnlal’s family resides in Delhi, and Bhagatram’s son Ashok Sharma is a noted sitarist with Doordarshan, and lives in Mumbai with his family.

Husnlal Bhagatram’s Memorable Films

Chaand [1944], Hum Ek Hain [1946], Nargis [1946], Heera [1947], Mohan [1947], Romeo & Juliet [1947], Aaj Ki Raat [1948], Lakhpati [1948], Pyaar Ki Jeet [1948], Amar Kahaani [1949], Badi Bahen [1949], Hamaari Manzil [1949], Jal Tarang [1949], Raakhi [1949], Saawan Bhaadon [1949], Chhoti Bhabhi [1950], Meena Baazaar [1950], Afsaana [1951], Sanam [1951], Raja Harishchandra [1952], Shama Parwaana [1954], Adl-E-Jahangir [1955], Aan Baan [1956], Dushman[1957], Jannat[1957], Krishna Sudaama [1957], Trolly Driver [1958], Shaheed Bhagat Singh [1963], Tarzan And Circus [1965], Sher Afghan [1966].

Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazar Hue…, sung by Mohd. Rafi gave a new lease to his singing career. According to Husnlal Bhagatram who composed this song said that it wasn’t easy to compose a song like this as a lot of effort had gone into making this song an instant hit.

Although the lyrics of the song were credited to Qamar Jalalabadi but he denied it writing for Pyar Ki Jeet. He later disclosed by saying that he wrote it for Sindoor in 1941 but Shashidhar Mukherji, director of Sindoor rejected the song and declared it ‘useless’. Later, O P Dutta, director of Pyar Ki Jeet heard it and was so excited that he changed the picturization according to the demand of the story, and Husnlal Bhagatram proved him right, as the song became an instant hit soon after the release of the film.

Pyarelal of Laxmikant Pyarelal learnt the violin under the guidance of Husnlal before he met Laxmikant who was a harmonica player. On Husnlal’s suggestion Laxmikant Pyarelal assisted the then famous Kalyanji Anandji in a few films before giving music independently.

It was in the 1930’s that the world started taking notice of films being made in India. Music was just about gaining momentum in films, slowly becoming an integral part of film making. Many musicians entered the fray during this period and joining the bandwagon was Ghulam Haider who went on to make a mark in the 40’s and 50’s.

Ghulam Haider was born in 1908 in Hyderabad (Sind, Pakistan). He gave up dentistry to work in a theatre in Calcutta as a harmonium player. He briefly worked with the Jenaphone recording company as composer and broke into films in Lahore with the father-son duo of Roshan Lal Shorey and Roop Kishore Shorey.

He got his big break in D.M. Pancholi’s Punjabi film Gul-e-Bakavali (1939) followed by Yamla Jat (1940), both starring Noor Jehan.

His biggest hit came the following year with Khazanchi (1941). The music of Khazanchi caused a revolution. Khazanchi’s refreshingly free wheeling music not only took the audiences by storm but also made other music directors sit up and take notice. Haider ensured that the Indian film song would never be the same again.

Khandaan the following year with Noor Jehan was again a mega hit establishing him at the very top.

He moved to Bombay where he worked in films like Chal Chal re Naujawaan (1944), Phool (1944) and Humayun (1945). His best-known compositions were sung by Shamshad Begum and invoke Punjabi folk and extensively featured percussion instruments like the dholak.

Ghulam Haider encouraged fresh talents like Lata Mangeshkar, Sudha Malhotra, Shyam Sunder, Husnlal-Bhagatram, Feroz Nizami and Hansraj Behl to the film world.

Shaheed’s - Watan ki Raah Mein Watan ke Naujawan Shaheed ho… is remembered to date. He was responsible for raising the status of Music Directors which resulted in Music directors getting paid Rs.25,000 a film.

After partition in 1947, Haider returned to Lahore where he continued dabbling with film music but could never taste the kind of success that he had in India. He passed away in 1953 soon after the release of Gulnar leaving behind remnants of his work and the works of others influenced by him.

Ghulam Haider’s Memorable Films

Gul-e-Bakavali (Punjabi) (1939), Yamla Jat (Punjabi) (1940), Khazanchi (1941), Khandaan (1942). Zamindar (1942), Poonji (1943), Phool (1944), Humayun (1945), Majboor (1948), Shaheed (1948), Kaneez (1949), Gulnar (1953).

Ever thought what would SD Burman + Neeraj + Kishore Kumar + Lata = ?. Well, the result would be nothing but a super hit song. Confused? Let me explain. Remember the Kishore & Lata duet Shokhiyon mein ghola jaaye… from Dev Anand’s Prem Pujari (1970) which stayed on the top of the charts for a long time.

After the song became popular a few people found the lyrics of the duet absurd as it sounded very much like a chemical formula- Shokhiyon mein ghola jaaye phoolon ka shabaab usmein phir milaaii jaaye thodi si sharaab, hoga yun nasha jo taiyyaar vo pyaar hai…but when did poetry have any logic, it has always been an imagination of the poet who finds different ways to profess love, and as the old saying goes- All is fair in Love, War and…the Movies!!!

Many may not know that the late O.P. Nayyar dropped out of college to compose music. He belonged to a family who knew nothing about music. His father never encouraged him but at the age of 11, he became an AIR artiste. At the age of 17, HMV, the recording company, released his compositions’ Pritam aan milo and Kaun nagar tera door thikana.

The lyricists that he worked most with were SH Bihari, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Sahir. In the late 1960s, Nayyar fell out with his favorite Mohammad Rafi but managed to conjure memorable songs even with Mukesh, Mahendra Kapoor and Kishore Kumar.

My Top 10 O.P. Nayyar films-

Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. 55 (1955), CID (1956), Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1962), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Mere Sanam (1965), HumSaya/ Kismat (1968)

My Top 20 O.P. Nayyar songs-

1. Babuji dheere chalna- Aar Paar
2. Aye dil hai mushkil- CID
3. Aankhon hi aankhon mein- CID
4. Jaane kahaan mera jigar- Mr. & Mrs. 55
5. Aaiye meherbaan- Howrah Bridge
6. Yeh desh hai- Naya Daur
7. Ude Jab Jab Zulfein Teri- Naya Daur
8. Yun to humne laakh- Tumsa Nahin Dekha
9. Jawaaniyaan yeh mast-mast- Tumsa Nahin Dekha
10.Dekho kasam se- Tumsa Nahin Dekha
11.Baar Baar Dekho- China Town
12.Deewana hua baadal - Kashmir Ki Kali
13.Pukarta chala hoon main- Mere Sanam
14.Jaaiye aap kahaan- Mere Sanam
15.Yeh reshmi zulfon – Mere Sanam
16.Aapke haseen rukh pe- Baharein Phir Bhi Aayegi
17.Laakhon hain yahaan – Kismat
18.Chal akela chal akela - Sambandh
19.Tu auron ki kyon ho gayee- Ek Baar Muskura Do
20.Chain se humko kabhi- Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye

Before taking the music world by storm with their first film Parasmani in 1963, Laxmikant Pyarelal were assistants to Kalyanji- Anandji. L-P who later broke away to form their own pair received great support from Lata Mangeshkar. The flamboyant Laxmikant was more of a composer and a big fan of Jaikishan who aped his style of talking and dressing. The reserved Pyarelal was more of an arranger.

L-P were nominated for the Best Music Directors in their very first film itself which consisted the hit Hansta Hua Noorani Chehra, but it was Dosti in 1964 which gave them their first Filmfare award for Best Music Director. Since then L-P have been nominated almost each and every year for their compositions.

There are many years where L-P were nominated for 3 or more numbers of films in a particular year. Films like Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Intquam, Do Raaste, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Shor, Daag, Bobby, Ek Duuje Ke Liye, Utsav, Kranti, Sur Sangam certainly deserves the Filmfare Awards for the best music director.

All together L-P won 7 Filmfare Trophies for the following films, including FOUR in a row, a record till date.

Dosti (1964)
Milan (1967)
Jeene Ki Raah (1969)
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977)
Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978)
Sargam (1979)
Karz (1980)

Yash Chopra’s Veer- Zaara was not the only instance when a music director’s (Late Madan Mohan) composition was used for a film, from the bank of tunes the music composer had left behind after his death.

On January 31st, 1978 a song penned and composed by the late KL Saigal about 39 years ago was used by the late Premnath for his film Hawaldar Dharti Dhakel. The music was tuned by Sardar Malik which was rendered by Chandru Atma.

The living legend Asha Bhonsle was born on 8th September, 1933 in a small hamlet called ‘Goar’ in Maharastra. Born to the renowed Maharashtrian parent, actor and singer Dinanath Mangeshkar, Asha like her other sisters and brother was introduced to music at a very tender age.

Asha gave her first playback for the movie ‘Badi Maa’ released in the year 1944 at the age of 11. Though officially her first song was for the movie Chunaria (1948). Her first solo was for the film Raat Ki Raani (1949). Reputed to have sung over 20,000 songs in more than 14 languages, her lively style knows no limit which happens to grow younger day by day.