TOTW # 11: (Historical/ Mythological songs) - Page 6

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

This song has no connection to history or mythology. The story is plain fiction, not historical fiction or mythology.

Edited to add:

The movie's portrayal of Umrao Jan's performing arts through songs like this one is historically inaccurate. As one can learn by reading the novel, Umrao Jan's singing was the real deal - classical music with deep understanding of Rāga structure. She didn't sing ghazals while dancing; she might dance early in the evening, and then take her seat to sing, and later recite ghazal poetry. The movie saves time by jumbling it all together for the assumed short attention span of movie spectators.

But there are some historical evidences too to prove that this is a real person story.

Amaresh Misra, author Lucknow: Fire of Grace believes Umrao Jaan really existed.

"Ruswa met Umrao in 1882 when she was reduced to penury," says Misra. "She was living as a destitute and she told her life story to him."

In his opinion, Umrao Jaan left Lucknow for Bhairach district in 1858 after Lucknow fell to Britishers, and moved back only much later in life, at an old age.

Amaresh is convinced Umrao was real because he feels there is historic evidence backing him.

"The character of dacoit Fazal Ali existed and he was killed in 1856. He was from Gonda and people of Gonda fought against Britishers in 1857 during the revolt because they killed their leader. This fact is recorded in history."

In the book, Fazal Ali meets Umrao and falls in love with her after Nawab Sultan refuses to marry her.

"Secondly," says Amaresh, "there's the character of Azizunbai, the famous courtesan. When the Britishers deposed Azizunbai for plotting against them in 1857, she said she was a disciple of Umrao Jaan, and this fact too is recorded in history."

The British executed Azizunbai, and till this day her grave exists in Kanpur.

Amar Bhoopali (English: The Immortal Song, French: Le Chant Immortel) is a 1951 Indian film, produced and directed by V. Shantaram and written by Vishram Bedekar. It is a true story about a simple cow herder who has an innate gift of poetry, set in the waning days of the Maratha confederacy, early 19th century. It is an ode to the saffron flag of Marathas, calling on people to rise again against the foreign enemy. It competed for the Grand Prize of the Festival at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

Honaji Bala, a simple cowherder, becomes a legendary bard who has an innate gift for poetry. The film is set in the last days of the Maratha confederacy in the early 19th Century.

The music for the film was composed by Vasant Desai, with lyrics penned by Shahir Honaji Bala. The soundtrack consists of twelve songs, featuring vocals by Panditrao Nagarkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. The song "Ghanashyama Sundara"

Director:V. Shantaramthis song based on Raag Bhoopali.

Music:Vasant Desai

Main Cast:Panditrao Nagarkar,Sandhya...

Genre: Musical

Release:1952

Ghana shyama sundarA shrIdhara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpBqoVVYyYw&list=RDEMaZEqWBchymymSgTomt4oPg&index=2

For lyrics and translation----

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfFtAnBhRck

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

In the book, Fazal Ali meets Umrao and falls in love with her after Nawab Sultan refuses to marry her.

"Secondly," says Amaresh, "there's the character of Azizunbai, the famous courtesan. When the Britishers deposed Azizunbai for plotting against them in 1857, she said she was a disciple of Umrao Jaan, and this fact too is recorded in history."

The British executed Azizunbai, and till this day her grave exists in Kanpur.

In the book, Umrao Jan is not so unrealistic as to expect Nawab Sultan to marry her! The dacoit who falls in love with her is named Faiz Ali, and later Umrao Jan lies to his associate Fazal and persuades him to call off a raid on Ram Dei's party.

When your source can't even recall the details of the novel correctly, mixing it up with movie kitsch, what expectation of historical discipline can we have?

There were women named Umrao. Not surprising. Those who were courtesans were called Umrao Jan. Duh! That doesn't mean that when Ruswa named his character Umrao Jan, she owed anything to a real person who also had to be named Umrao Jan. People who want fiction to be history point to a courtesan nicknamed Kali Umrao (i.e. black-skinned) who wasn't an all-round dancer/singer like the fictional fair-skinned Umrao Jan, and wasn't a poet with the signature Ada. Where is the resemblance?

Ruswa first wrote an incomplete novel, Afsha-e-Raz, in which a distinguished singer named Umrao Jan Ada briefly appears. Then he wrote and published the novel Umrao Jan Ada with this character as protagonist narrating her sensational life. In the sequel Junun-e-Intezar, he pretends that Umrao Jan is writing a tell-all book about him!

The song Ghanaśyāma Sundarā Śrīdharā was severely abridged for the movie Amara Bhūpāḷī. I have shared the full text here:

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/post/163601279

Movie: Sikander e azam (1965)

Song: Jaha daal daal par

Music:Hansraj Behl

Lyricist: Rajendra Krishna

The film is set in 326 B.C. when Alexander aka Sikander (Dara Singh) having conquered Persia and the Kabul valley descends to the Indian Border at Jhelum. King Porus (Prithviraj Kapoor) stops the advance with his troops.

https://youtu.be/eFOQPEUM99E

Originally posted by: Viswasruti

Amar Bhoopali (English: The Immortal Song, French: Le Chant Immortel) is a 1951 Indian film, produced and directed by V. Shantaram and written by Vishram Bedekar. It is a true story about a simple cow herder who has an innate gift of poetry, set in the waning days of the Maratha confederacy, early 19th century. It is an ode to the saffron flag of Marathas, calling on people to rise again against the foreign enemy. It competed for the Grand Prize of the Festival at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

Honaji Bala, a simple cowherder, becomes a legendary bard who has an innate gift for poetry. The film is set in the last days of the Maratha confederacy in the early 19th Century.

The music for the film was composed by Vasant Desai, with lyrics penned by Shahir Honaji Bala. The soundtrack consists of twelve songs, featuring vocals by Panditrao Nagarkar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. The song "Ghanashyama Sundara"

Director:V. Shantaramthis song based on Raag Bhoopali.

Music:Vasant Desai

Main Cast:Panditrao Nagarkar,Sandhya...

Genre: Musical

Release:1952

Ghana shyama sundarA shrIdhara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpBqoVVYyYw&list=RDEMaZEqWBchymymSgTomt4oPg&index=2

For lyrics and translation----

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfFtAnBhRck

Movie: Kesari (2019)

Song: Deh shiva

Artist: Sukhvinder Singh

This movie was based on the battle of Saragarhi;

the true story about the exceptional bravery of 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army.

https://youtu.be/nVl_DFjY6H8

Movie: Tanhaji (2020)

True story of Tanhaji Malasure, an army Subhedar under Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, how he charged and captured the strategically important Kondhana fort which was later named Sinhagad to honor him.

https://youtu.be/T55oeMYJUMQ

Originally posted by: NerdyMukta

Movie: Sikander e azam (1965)

Song: Jaha daal daal par

Music:Hansraj Behl

Lyricist: Rajendra Krishna

The film is set in 326 B.C. when Alexander aka Sikander (Dara Singh) having conquered Persia and the Kabul valley descends to the Indian Border at Jhelum. King Porus (Prithviraj Kapoor) stops the advance with his troops.

https://youtu.be/eFOQPEUM99E

Movie: Hirkani (2019) Marathi

Song: Shivrajyabhishek Geet

Music: Amitraj

In 17th-century India, Hira lived as a simple village woman; when the gates of Raigad Fort shut before she could leave, Hira dared to climb down a cliff in the dead of the night to get back to her infant son.

https://youtu.be/gxcJ8EPrMaE