Women who dared to be different - Page 3

women have the right to do what men can do too because what guys can do girls can do better(no offence to any guy on IF 😆 ) no i was just joking

Qwest you have great topic about these things 👏

Thanks Salil for such nice articles

we needed them... 👏

Youth for Equality website for USA and Shicago people

http://www.youthforequalityusa.org/


http://www.yfechicago.blogspot.com/


👏

Originally posted by: charades

If anyone is interested I can upload Anoushka's scores tomorrow for download....She is Amazing...

I am always ready VJ to read or listen that you post. You always come with quality post. I agree with Z ji also what she said on her last post thanks to you my man you are a valuable member of this (IF).!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by: charades

If anyone is interested I can upload Anoushka's scores tomorrow for download....She is Amazing...

Vj

Any thing you post I am either read that or listen to it because what you deliver comes with quality and like Z ji said you are one of the best (IF) contributor.

Thanks for woderful articles Saliluji, Barnaliji, Qwestji and Charadesji.

Thanks a million Vijay for adding so much information here. I never knew some of these women artists and it was wonderful to read their journey into music.

About Anumapa Bhagwat, she performed twice here in bay area in California where I stay but unfortunately I could not make it both the times. I will not miss her concert if she performs here again.

And what should I say about Anoushka? I attended her live concert in San Fransisco in 2000 when she performed along with Ravi Shankar-ji. It was such a great treat! The sounds of her strings still echo in my ears after so many years!!!!!

Deccan Herald, Sunday, August 31, 2003

Still going strong

From Dil Deke Dekho 44 years ago to the latest Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, Usha Khanna has churned out some of the best Hindi film music,
tells RAJIV VIJAYAKAR

She has proved herself. 44 years after her debut as composer in S Mukerji-Nasir Husain's silver jubilee hit Dil Deke Dekho Usha Khanna is still around, composing for selected films and for several TV serials. Yes, there have been sporadic lady music directors, the most noted being Saraswati Devi, who composed music for Bombay Talkies hits like Achhut Kanya. But none have stayed the course like Usha Khanna.

"I have been very lucky from the beginning," smiles the lady, whose fondness for dogs is second only to her love for music. "My father Manohar Khanna was a singer and lyricist and a trained musician, and he and my mother were always supportive. In childhood, I would bunk school as I was not interested in studies and would sneak into Super cinema near our home and watch films only for the songs, using my daily pocket allowance of 10 paise to buy those song books that contained lyrics of film songs.'

When O P Nayyar, who was a family friend, took the young girl in skirt-and-blouse to meet film baron S Mukerji, she sang a song that she had composed in the Nayyar mould. When Mukerji realized that it was Usha's own composition, he 'signed' her to make two compositions daily for a full year! "Since you cannot sing better than Lata and Asha, I suggest you try and become a music director!" was his advice to her. A few months later, he signed her for Dil Deke Dekho, in which he was introducing Asha Parekh opposite Shammi Kapoor. Usha's association with Asha continues to this day as she composes the title-songs of the latter's TV serials.

Says Usha, "I was always given tremendous encouragement and respect by singers, lyricists, musicians, filmmakers and stars. In fact, singers like Lata-ji, Asha-ji, Rafi-saab and Mukesh-ji would keep reminding me that I could pull them up if they were not coming up to my requirements! I had this tendency to use music directors as playback voices, and C Ramachandra-saab once chided me for being nervous when I was teaching him my song!'

Usha however concedes that as a lady in a male bastion she did lose out in some ways. "I could not take off with the producer and director to a hill-station to compose a score," she admits. "Neither could I socialize and hang around in producers' offices or throw parties. That is why I did lose on the biggest banners, though I did three films with Rajshri Productions, Accha Bura and some TV serials with Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and also worked with filmmakers like Sohanlal Kanwar, Ramesh Talwar, Mohan Kumar and others."

Usha's most fruitful associations were with Jugal Kishore (15 films including Shabnam, Lal Bungla, Munimji and Sabak) and Saawan Kumar (11 as director and lyricist).

The latter association (Saawan was her husband for a while before they split amicably) yielded musical triumphs like Hawas, Ab Kya Hoga, Saajan Bina Suhagan, Souten and now Saawan Kumar's latest film, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya. Her other hits include Hum Hindustani, Honeymoon, Ek Sapera Ek Lutera, Aao Pyar Karen and Aap To Aise Na The.

Usha has never learnt music formally, but she did have a liking for Arabic music, from which she often took inspiration. "I never lifted a song directly, but dissected it and composed something along the lines. I am happy that A R Rehman did the same with my hit Har nazar ke sau afsane from Shabnam, which he recreated as TADA in Hindustani - he did a good job!"

She has been instrumental in introducing fresh talents like Hemlata, Pankaj Udhas, Shabbir Kumar, Vinod Rathod and Sonu Nigam.

And what does she think of today's music? "Anu Malik is doing good work. In our time good work got us assignments, today it is PR and camps. But I wish I had started out now - I would have been hyped so well!" she concludes mischievously.

And old article but none-the-less...

Music profile: Usha Khanna

Dancing to her own tune

In chauvinistic Bollywood, there has been one female music composer who has held her own in a traditionally male bastion. A look at Usha Khanna.

Bollywood has never lacked great music composers. Many timeless numbers are hummed by Indian music buffs even today. There have never been any female music composers, though – except Usha Khanna that is. She gave quite a few hits and is now in the news with her music for Saawan Kumar Tak'sDil Pardesi Ho Gaya.

Starting off in 1960, Khanna continued to give hits through the 70s and 80s, quite remarkable, when you consider that women are not encouraged to make music in Bollywood. Her first two films were Filmalaya's Hum Hindustani and Dil Deke Dekho. Remember Chhodo kal ki baatein kal ki baat purani... from Hum Hindustani sung by Mukesh? That was an Usha number. And of course there is another unforgettable song from the same film Raat nikhri hui zulf bikhri hui, har ada teri phoolon ki daali...In Dil Deke Dekho Khanna surpassed herself. Majrooh Sulanpuri came up with evergreen lyrics for the film. Mohammad Rafi sung Rahi mil gaye rahon mein... and teamed up with Asha Bhosle for some classy duets like Yaar chulbula hai haseen dilruba hai... and Pyar ki kasam hai.... Asha Parekh catapulted to stardom with this film.

Khanna's hits ranged from Maine rakha hai mohabbat apne afsane ka naam...(sung by Rafi in Shabnam) and Hum tumse judaa hoke mar jaayenge ro roke...(Ek Sapera Ek Lootera) to Ae zindagi ke saathi jaana na zindagi se...(Fareb) and Paani mein jale paani mein jale...(Munimji). All her numbers for Rajshri's film Honeymoon were huge hits. Khanna and Mukesh worked in sync with each other and gave many, many hit numbers in various films like Shabnam, Ek Raat and Sabak, to name a few.

Now, the lady is back with Saawan Kumar Tak's Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya. Music buffs are waiting to hear her music once again. Go for it, Usha!