The birth of a Film song - Page 3

Everything said here is MUSIC to my ears... I have not read everything but eventually will... 👏

Music for healing


Blending music with medicines for patients
Smriti Malaviya
Allahabad, November 5

HE Has struck a perfect balance between music and medicine. Dr Nishindra Kinjalk, alumnus of Armed Force Medical College (AFMC) Pune, is one of the leading doctors in India, who has perfectly blended Western and Indian classical music with medicines, to help relieve patients suffering from cancer, HIV, hypertension, anxiety and depression.

He has also pioneered KIMMA (Kinjalk Mode of Music Application) technique, which identifies a particular set of music for different types of patients.
"KIMMA is based on the Rule of 3Ms--Man, Music and Match. Earlier, there was a missing link between the man and the music, because of it the patients were not getting full benefit of music therapy.

The KIMMA is this missing link, which identifies a set of music or ragas, based on the patient's general taste of music, family background and his upbringing, general environment, affordability and the type of disease, he is suffering from. This music therapy does not replace the medicines, but it provides a fast relief to the patients," said Dr Nishindra Kinjalk.

Dr Kinjalk, who is also a noted sitarist, took degrees in Sangeet Visharad and Sangeet Bhaskar and is a disciple of Pt Gopal Krishna (Vichitra Veena artiste) and Pt Uma Shankar Mishra (Sitar maestro).

"Music runs in my family. My father late Pt Ravindra Kinjalk was a renowned musician. But I found a perfect combination between medicine and music during my internship days. A heart patient borrowed my cassette of Rag Jog rendered by Hari Prasad Chaurasia and after listening it regularly he admitted that his condition has improved and didn't felt like having pain killers," recalled Dr Kinjalk
But is there any ancient link to music therapy?

"Yes definitely, in Gandharava Veda it is mentioned that the patients were treated by chanting shlokas and hymns, which had therapeutic values. Then in Mahabharat period, Shankhs were blown to charge the fighters and give them the feeling of valour and bravery. Tansen's Rag Deepak used to lit fire, whereas his daughter Saraswati's Rag Malhar used to start rainfall. In the 20th Century, Pt Onkar Nath Thakur was flown to Italy to treat a princess suffering from insomnia, with Rag Nilambari and Todi," he pointed out.

Dr Kinjalk said some countries were experimenting with Music Thanatology (use of music on terminally ill patients) on those who requested for euthanasia or mercy-killing. The results were amazing. Many cancer and HIV positive patients felt better after this therapy and again became connected with life. " There is a need to blend Western science with Indian music for breathtaking results on seriously ill patients," he added.

Dr Kinjalk also suggests musical remedy to ease stress and tension in offices. "It is advisable to have soft Indian or Western instrumental music like Santoor, which does not create large variations and disturbs employees. This type of music creates a pleasant ambience in the offices and cuts off extraneous disturbing sound," he said

Thanks Mahesh ji for this info

Originally posted by: ChameliKaYaar

Everything said here is MUSIC to my ears... I have not read everything but eventually will... 👏

gr88 comments butt....den u mst try to "LISTEN/HEAR " it.....coz as u said...its all MUZIK 2 Uu-----------wohoooooooo\!!m reallyl sorry but i m in a modd to do sum....kiddin'!!! 😉

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evolution of the hindi film song


More than anything the phenomenon of song and dance gives Indian Cinema its unique identity. Unlike Hollywood, where the 'Musical' was a separate genre by itself, song and dance has been an integral part of the narrative in Indian Cinema be it in any language or whichever genre often leading the Western world describing our films as those 'Indian musicals.'

Over the years, the Indian film song has evolved and has been developed and perfected to a T. Further, film songs have pervaded all aspects of Indian life - weddings, funerals, state occasions, religious festivals, parades, parties or political conventions. Consequently Film music is by far the most popular brand of music in India. Filmmakers too have realized the importance of the song and dance in their films. Even today, with its stunning camerawork, eye-catching locales and sets, colourful costumes and energetic choreography, the Indian film song is at times singularly responsible for the success or failure of a film giving it that so called 'repeat value.'

But then the use of Music and dance in Indian Art forms is nothing new. The use of song, dance and music was inseparably linked to drama in India for centuries be it the Golden Age of Sanskrit Theatre in ancient India, Indian Theatre in Bengal under the British in the 19th century, the tradition of Jatras in Bengali Theatre or the Ojapali of Assam, the Jashn of Kashmir, the Kathakali of Kerala and the Swang of Punjab. Thus when the first Indian Talkie Alam Ara was made, it inherited a river of music that had flowed through unbroken millennia of dramatic tradition.

March 14, 1931 saw the release of Imperial Film Company's Alam Ara. The Indian Film song was born as along with 'talking' the Indian Film also 'sang', the wafer thin plot merely serving as a rope to string together the dozen or so musical numbers. The film's director, Adershir Irani, himself chose the lyrics and the tunes. For recording the songs, just a harmonium and a tabla were used out of the camera range and the singer sang into a hidden microphone. The film was a smash hit and all the songs were extremely popular particularly the fakir song sung by W.M. Khan - De De Khuda ke Naam Par Pyaare.

With Alam Ara's phenomenon success other 'All Talking All Singing All Dancing' productions were hurriedly put into production. Alam Ara was followed by Jamai Sashti, the first Bengali Talkie and then by Shirin Farhad featuring the most popular singing pair of the Urdu Stage - Jahan Ara Kajjan and Master Nissar. It is said that a Punjabi Tonga driver in Lahore pawned his horse to see the film 22 times! Recorded on RCA photophone sound system, the film was not only technically superior to Alam Ara but also contained three times as many songs. In fact, all early sound films produced in India had a profusion of songs - it is said that Indrasabha starring Master Nissar and Jahan Ara Kajjan had as many as 71 songs!

With the advent of the Talkie Film, the Hindi film song gave birth to a whole new song writing and music composing industry. Each of the major film studios had their own Music Directors who had associations with Marathi Parsi and Bengali Theatre. Saraswati Devi, perhaps India's first woman composer, composed the songs of the films made by Bombay Talkies. Her real name was Khurshid Minocher-Homji and she was trained by the well-known musician Pandit Vishnunarayan Bhatkande. She then studied at Lord Morris college in Lucknow with music as her subject. With the setting up of the radio station in Bombay in 1925-6, every month Khurshid and her sisters would present a programme on the radio. Known as the Homji sisters they were extremely popular. A chance meeting with Bombay Talkies owner Himansu Rai at a musical performance in Bombay led her to work at Bombay Talkies where she was re-christened Saraswati Devi. Once she joined Bombay Talkies, Saraswati Devi was taken to an empty room and told that this was her music room! Relishing the challenge, she got to work immediately. Small stools and stands were made for musicians and a tall stool for her to stand on and conduct the orchestra. Her songs at Bombay Talkies mainly with Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar proved to be extremely popular.

Two other major Studios that left their mark on Indian Cinema in the 1930s and early 1940s were the Prabhat Film Company at Pune and the New Theatres at Calcutta. The former studio's musical repertoire was shaped mainly by Bal Gandharva'a Gandharva Natak Mandali providing its two most famous music composers Govindrao Tembe and Master Krishnarao.

New Theatres at Calcutta was one of the most elite banners of pre-independence India. The studio with its richly educated personnel, unlike those at Prabhat who were uneducated, aimed for a cinematic equivalent of literature. New Theatres attracted major creative and technical talent and made some of the finest films of the Studio era. New Theatres has such stalwarts like R.C. Boral, Pankaj Mullick and Timir Baran on its musical payroll and introduced Rabindra Sangeet to the Cinema.

Producers now tried to get artistes from the stage because now voice was the chief criteria and not many actors of the silent films could adapt themselves to sound. Anglo Indian stars like Sulochana who did not speak fluent Urdu or Hindi were the worst hit. Also those who could not sing suffered the same fate since playback was not invented. And those who did survive and yet could barely get a note right still had to sing their own songs. Ashok Kumar, Devika Rani, Leela Chitnis all had to do their own 'singing'. Thus the era saw the rise of several 'singing stars' that went on to become extremely popular.

Undoubtedly the greatest singing star of them all was the legendary Kundan Lal Saigal. A school dropout, heworked first as a railway timekeeper and then as a typewriter salesman before B.N. Sircar recruited him at New Theatres. Saigal's first film was Mohabbat ke Aansoo made in 1932 but it was with the success of Chandidas in 1934 that he became a star. The following year, 1935, saw Saigal's career-defining role - the title role in P.C. Barua's masterpiece, Devdas. The film was a triumph for Saigal and took him to dizzying heights as he brought alive the character of Devdas creating the archetype of the relentlessly luckless, tragic hero. His brooding looks, the vagrant lock of hair, the resonant voice filled with love and despair drove the nation into a frenzy. Crowds thronged to hear him sing Balam Aaye Baso More Man Mein and Dukh ke Din Ab Beete Nahin. Seeing Saigal's phenomenal success, a rival studio Sagar Movietone went ahead and launched their own singing star as an answer to Saigal - Surendranath and though he was a reasonably popular star in his own right, Saigal was still Saigal.

If Saigal was the leading male playback singer then without a doubt the reigning diva of the Indian film scenario was Kanan Devi whose singing style in rapid tempo was responsible for some of New Theatres' biggest hits. Born Kananbala in 1916, she made her debut as a child actress with Joydev in 1926. She later worked with Radha Films in films mainly by Jyotish Banerjee. P.C. Barua's Mukti made her a star and led to a fruitful association with New Theatres. The success of Vidyapati (1937) in which she gave perhaps her finest performance, made her the studio's top star, Saigal notwithstanding!

The early film songs were extremely simple in terms of music, lyrics and orchestration. Often, just a harmonium and a tabla would accompany the actors and the lyrics too were almost like nursery rhymes. Music Directors used to compose simple little songs, which could fit into the range of the actor's voices. Soon however more and more instruments began being used in film songs - a sitar, jaltarang, and clarinet accompanied the tabla at different pitches. And as most of the music directors had a classical music background, the instruments were mainly Indian musical instruments. Early on a handful of people, many of them carefully handpicked by the Music Directors, from all over the country comprised the orchestra, which rose gradually in number to 20 or 30.

In the early days of the Indian talkie, direct recording meant that not only did artists had to sing their own songs but due to technical and initial teething problems the picturizations of songs had to be done in a single static shot live as the artist actually sang during the shot! (A far cry from today when often a single beat constitutes a single shot!) But 1935 saw the biggest revolution in the development of the Hindi Film song. At New Theatres in Calcutta, Nitin Bose along with his younger brother Mukul Bose and music director R.C. Boral introduced pre-recorded singing where the song was first recorded and then played back and picturized thus freeing the artiste and the camera from the bondage of the microphone. This was for the film Dhoop Chaon. (Though there is some debate on this as Bombat Talkies claimed to invented the sytem with Jawani ki Hawa). Initially, even as songs were recorded and picturized in this manner, artistes continued to sing their own songs. However slowly this process paved the way for trained musicians and singers to enter the film industry. Now songs could be recorded in the voice of a different singer while picturizing it on a totally different artiste thus being a boon in disguise to those artistes who could not sing. Thus one artist sang the song while another enacted it on screen.

With the advent of playback the Indian film song was poised at a very delicate yet exciting stage of development. From here on the possibilities were endless. Indian film music was still in its infancy but was moving ahead by leaps and bounds. The Best was undoubtedly still to come…

The development of playback in 1935 by New Theatres for the film Dhoop Chhaon revolutionalized the Indian Film Music Industry. Now songs could be recorded in the voice of a different singer while picturizing it on a totally different artiste thus being a boon in disguise to those artistes who could not sing. Thus one artist sang the song while another enacted it on screen. Thus slowly more and more people trained in music began to enter the film Industry. The advent of trained singers also gave Music Directors to try and experiment and compose more challenging tunes as they did not have to worry about the limitations of the actors singing their songs. Thus new sounds, newer innovations found their way into Hindi Film music. With his exposure to Western orchestras accompanying silent films, Keshavrao Bhole at Prabhat was the first to use instruments such as the piano, the Hawaiian guitar and the violin in his compositions. In fact in Prabhat's Duniya Na Mane (1937), he even got its lead actress Shanta Apte to sing an entire song in English! Continuing with the trends of innovation in his next film following Duniya Na Mane, Aadmi (1939), V. Shantaram used a multi-lingual song for the first time. The film is about a touching but ill-fated romance between a prostitute and a policeman. The multi-lingual song composed by Master Krishnarao was used as the prostitute, played by Shanta Hublikar, entertains her clients.

Starting from mainly Indian classical music, slowly more and more musical forms were experimented with such as the rich bank of Indian folk music. Folk songs began to be utilized in Hindi Films mainly when scenes were shown of people in their routine life where they are either drawing water from the well or working in the fields. Through films and Hindi films in particular these folk forms began getting a national audience. Perhaps one of the earliest use of using folk music was the Bhatiali or the song of the Bengali boatman by composer Ramchandra Pal in Bombay Talkies' Kangan (1939) .

1941 saw the release of a film, Pancholi Pictures Khazanchi, which was to change the face of Hindi Film Music. By then Music Directors of the 1930s, who had embellished films with their exquisite compositions set in classical ragas, were beginning to sound commonplace. Khazanchi's refreshingly free wheeling music by Ghulam Haider not only took the audiences by storm but also made other music directors sit up and take notice. Khazanchi, combining popular ragas with the rich verve and rhythm of Punjabi folk music, ensured that the Indian film song would never be the same again. Saawan ke Nazaare with the hero and heroine and their groups on cycles was a trendsetter song not only for its liveliness but also for introducing the big bang meeting of the boy and girl as they bang into each other's cycles!

Gradually Hindi Film Music also began drawing from other States of India - from Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh. Music forms like the Purabi or Pahadi also proved to be extremely popular.

While Folk music from all over India began being used in Indian Film music, surprisingly contribution from Maharashtra and Gujarat and till recently Rajashtan, was negligible. Marathi folk form did not so much succeed in reaching out to Hindi films largely because it stuck to the language. Also a form like the Lawani was a song and style associated with a Marathi courtesan. In Marathi Cinema and Theatre this was class of women who were freer in their sexual behaviour, in their experience of life in general. Therefore while Marathi Cinema made use of Lawanis quite frequently, Hindi Cinema hardly had such a protagonist. In Hindi Films even if such a female protagonist was used then it normally used the Nautanki folk style of dance drama but even this was rare as largely Hindi Films have had women in stereotypical traditional roles. Gujarati music in Hindi Films has largely been confined to either the Devotional song or the Garba song.

The 40s were perhaps the most rapid changing years of the Indian Film Industry as it saw the collapse of the studio system and the freelance system taking over. And as the technique of filmmaking grew so did the concept of film music. With the era of freelancing and playback now becoming an accepted phenomenon, the Industry opened its doors to a new professional breed of musicians and singers. Some of the earliest singers who came to sing in films included Parul Ghosh, Amirbai Karnataki, Zohrabai Ambalewali, Rajkumari, Arun Kumar, G.M. Durani and Shamshad Begum. Thus the 1940s also saw the decline of the singing star as now established singers sang for actors. Only the established and the best of the singing stars of the 1930s continued singing their own songs - Kanan Devi, Surendranath and of course Kundan Lal Saigal who just seemed to go from strength to strength.

By then the film industry had become more and more fragmented into small production units. Also in this period while active producers multiplied, there was no corresponding increase in exhibition outlets. The days when an exhibitor feared he would not have films to show were gone. Fear had shifted to the producer. Would he now have an outlet for his product? Thus power shifted from the producer to distributor and exhibitor. And they knew exactly what they wanted - big stars AND eight to nine hit songs!

Thus even as Hindi Film music was gaining in popularity, thanks to the efforts of distributors, Hindi Cinema particularly in Bombay found its self going the formulaic way as success at the box office meant everything. Even as music began to undergo changes for the better the quality of films underwent changes for the worse. The story was now of declining importance. It was conceived and developed towards exploitation of the star and due to the importance of music the subject with increasing concentration was romance and boy meets girl stories. Dance and songs provided substitutes for lovemaking and emotional crisis.

At the other end of the coin, in the early 1940s the freedom movement had gathered great momentum. But films couldn't directly challenge the British rule for they would then be banned. Thus filmmakers had to find other ways to gather support for Indian Independence. Sohrab Modi released his magnum opus Sikander in 1941. Sikander, known for its rousing battle scenes, while ostensibly based on the great ruler's life actually used his rival, Porus' dialogues to arouse patriotic feelings and National sentiment. Though Sikander got by the Bombay Censor Board, it was banned in many theatres serving army cantonments. But undeterred by this, some conscious filmmakers were determined to do their cause for the freedom struggle and disguise their message in historic films, dialogues and yes even dance sequences and songs! (Door Hato O Duniyawalon Hundustan Humara Hai (Kismet (1943)).

The Indian film Song was by now rapidly on its way to becoming an extremely important art form with every new innovation bringing its share of joy and excitement. At the same time the Indian freedom movement was moving along at full throttle. But even as India was moving towards her Independence, related events were already starting that would shatter the Indian Music Industry forever…

The release of Khazanchi in 1941 with its freewheeling musical score with Punjabi rhythms changed the face of Hindi film music forever. Music director Ghulam Haider followed up Khazanchi with an even bigger success the following year - Khandaan (1942). Khandaan brought to the fore a singing sensation who would completely dominate the Hindi Film scene for the next five years – Noorjehan.

Born in the Kasur area of Punjab in 1929, Noorjehan was fascinated by singing since the age of six. She idolized Akhtari Begum and Kajjanbai and the former advised her to first learn classical music. Thus she first perfected her classical singing under Ghulam Mohammed Khan. She entered films as a child artiste in small roles before being seen prominently in the Punjabi film Gul-e-Bakavali (1939). However she was first noticed in a big way in Khandaan (1942) where her song Tu Kaunsi Badli Mein Mere Chand Hai Aajaa became a huge hit. Following Khandaan's success Noorjehan shifted to Bombay. She soon conquered India's film capital with her vibrant voice. She had that unusual combination of a good voice, a style that could perhaps be compared to those of good classical thumri singers and the striking stage presence of a good performer. Fortunately for her, her timing was perfect. The uninhibited culture of the heroines of the 1930s was drawing to a close and a more conservative heroine was coming to the fore. In Zeenat (1945) she popularized the qawali as never before with Aahein Na Bhari Shikwein Na Kiye sung with another famous singer of those days, Zohra Ambala.

1941 also saw a 12-year-old girl make her debut as a child star in the film Taj Mahal. The following year she did playback for a top film heroine of the day, Mehtab for the film Sharada. Because of her height she was given a stool to stand on since she couldn't reach the mike! Mehtab was convinced her career would be ruined if this child were to sing for her. However, not only did the songs of Sharada prove extremely popular but this girl went on to become a singing star in her own right and at the height of her peak generated the kind of hysteria that Rajesh Khanna did in his heyday from 1969 - 1972. Shops closed on the opening day of her starrers as even shopkeepers forgot their duties and swarmed the cinema theatres to see her films first day, first show! Crowds would throng outside her house just to get a glimpse of her. Actor Dharmendra remembers seeing her film Dillagi 40 times! The girl was… Suraiya!

Noorjehan and Suraiya were but two singing stars who rose to great heights of fame in the 1940s as now with established singers having entered the Hindi Music scenario, the days of singing stars was coming to an end. After the first lot of trained singers like Parul Ghosh, Amirbai Karnataki, Zohrabai Ambalewali, Rajkumari, Arun Kumar, G.M. Durani and Shamshad Begum, the 1940s also saw the introduction of several singers who would go on to become legends themselves – Mohd Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle and Lata Mangeshkar thus providing Indian cinema with its golden age in the 50s and 60s.



As newer and newer sounds pervaded Hindi Film Music the next big contribution after Ghulam Haider was that of C. Ramchandra. Ramchandra was a music sudent under Vinayakbua Patwardan at Gandharva Mahavidyala School. He began as a music director with Tamil films in 1937 before breaking through with Master Bhagwan's Sukhi Jeevan in 1942. It was C. Ramchandra who gave a new definition to Hindi Film music with the song Sunday ki Sunday from Shehnai(1947). Heavily influenced by Benny Goodman he introduced the use of Western instruments in Hindi Cinema in a big way using the alto sax in combination with guitar and harmonica and also whistling. In fact throughout his career, Ramchandra continued working with Western Sounds using combinations of bongo, oboe, trumpet, clarinets and the saxaphone even assimilating scat singing and rock rhythms as he brought a freewheeling hip approach to the Hindi Film Song. But while remembering such light-hearted masterpieces like Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon (Patanga(1949)) and Main Hoon Ek Khalasi Mera Naam Bheem Palasi (Sargam (1950)), Ramchandra in no way was just restricted to juvenile frivolous songs. He was equally at home composing songs with a strong Indian base as well be it ghazals, geets and thumris. And let it not be forgotten that it is Ramchandra who composed Ae Mere Watan ke Logon which brought tears to Jawaharlal Nehru's eyes! While Madan Mohan and Khayyam are the first names taken when the filmi ghazal comes to mind, it is forgotten that C. Ramchandra did some of the finest work in this genre.

Among others, Anil Biswas was among the first music directors to make his mark in the early 1940s. A talented tabla player himself, Anilda worked in amateur theatre as a child singer. He became a political activist as a student and was repeatedly jailed in the 1930s. After scoring music in several commercial Calcutta Theatre stage productions, he moved to Bombay in 1934. After an initial stint with Daryani Picture and Sagar Movietone, Anilda came to notice with his score in films like Aurat (1940) and Roti (1942) for director Mehboob Khan under the banner of National Pictures. He moved to Bombay talkies in 1942 and created musical history there with films like Jwar Bhata (1944), Milan (1946) and of course Kismet (1943) where he made splendid use of Amirbai Karnataki's full throated voice. Anild''s best-known compositions are among the most effective film adaptations of theatrical music with 12 piece orchestras and full-blooded choral effects. But beyond all the musical masterpieces that Anilda composed, he was also responsible for being the man behind such voices as Surendranath, Parul Ghosh, Sitara Devi, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood and monitoring Lata Mangeshkar's early career. It was Anilda who taught Lata and other singers the techniques of breath control while singing and putting emphasis on syllables that came on the beat of the song.

Even as India marched towards her freedom, January 1947 saw the death of India's biggest musical icon - K.L. Saigal at Jullunder due to aftereffects of alcohol, which had fast overtaken his life. It was said he could only sing only when fortified with liquor. His health had begun failing. A last ditch effort at abstinence proved useless as he was too far-gone. But not before giving us such melodic gems like Mere Sapnon Ki Rani, Ae Dil-e-Bekaraar Jhoom, Jab Dil hi Toot Gaya - from Shah Jehan (1946). Such was the power and mystique of Saigal's singing that singers like Mukesh and Kishore Kumar started their careers singing in the 'Saigal style' before etching out their own identities.

Even as India gained Independence, the nation split into India, Pakistan and East Pakistan. If Saigal's death was a blow to the Hindi Film industry, partition was even more so. Like elsewhere the Film industry too witnessed mass migration between India and Pakistan. Major musical talent like singing stars Khurheed and Noorjehan, Music Directors Firoz Nizami and Master Ghulam Haider among a host of others chose to make Pakistan their home thus crippling the Hindi Film Industry. But as mentioned fortunately by then much of the talent that was to provide the Hindi Film with its golden age had begun to make its appearance. The best was still to come…

As new sounds, rhythms and beats pervaded the Hindi Film Industry thanks to the efforts of men like Ghulam Haider, Anil Biswas and C.Ramchandra another music director who would go on to rule the film industry through the late 1940s , 50s and 60s made his debut in 1940 with Prem Nagar. Born in Lucknow in 1919, since early childhood he was an avid listener to the live orchestras accompanying silent films. He studied under Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali and Ustad Babban Saheb and before coming to Bombay, he repaired harmoniums and composed for amateur theatricals such as the Windsor Music Entertainers. He moved to Bombay in the late 1930s to try his luck as a musician but had to really struggle and saw days of acute deprivation. He even had to spend nights on the footpath before he worked as a pianist in composer Mushtaq Hussain's orchestra. He joined music director Khemchand Prakash (whom he considers his teacher) as his assistant. One of his earliest hits came with Panchi Ja in Sharda (1942) where as we mentioned earlier he used a 12 year old Suraiya to sing for the heroine Mehtaab. In 1944 he introduced Mohd. Rafi to Hindi films with the film Pehle Aap and Rattan released the same year broke all musical records! The Music Director in question? Naushad Ali!

The phenomenal success of Rattan (Ankhiyaan Milaake, Saawan ke Badalon) took its singer Zohra Ambala and Music Director Naushad right to the top enabling him to charge Rs 25,000 for a film in those days! A fee charged then only by Ghulam Haider. In fact asfilm music became more and more popular, it is largely due to Master Ghulam Haider's efforts that musicians and Music Directors were given better wages in films. After Rattan, Naushad ruled in the 40s as he churned out successful and high quality music in film after film. Naushad churned out hit after hit in the 1940s mainly in the films of A.R. Kardar - Shahjehan (1946), Dard (1947), Dillagi (1949), Dulari (1949) and Mehboob Khan - Anmol Ghadi (1946), Elaan (1947), Anokhi Ada (1949) and Andaaz (1949). But all his musical hits notwithstanding, Naushad was also a man of great technical knowledge and capable of much innovation. He was the first to introduce sound mixing and the separate recording of voice and music tracks in playback singing which he did with Shahjehan getting Saigal to record separately on a different track and having the music on another track.

Naushad was also the first to combine the flute and the clarinet, the sitar and mandolin. He also introduced the accordion to Hindi film music and was among the first to concentrate on background music to extend characters' moods and dialogues through music. But perhaps Naushad's greatest contribution was to bring Indian classical music into the film medium and what's more make them extremely accessible to the layman in films like Baiju Bawra(1952) and Mughal-e-Azam (1960).

While Shahjehan was a big success for Saigal and Naushad, the film introduced a new lyricist to the Hindi Film Industry - Majrooh Sultanpuri. He was born Asrar Hussain Khan in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a police constable. After studying Persian in Aligarh, he moved to Bombay. His early and best-known independent poetry was in the ghazal form. Majrooh Saab's songs touched the core of human experience. And although a product of the hoary adabi tradition of classical Urdu poetry, his film songs adhered to simple Hindustani, which struck a chord in both the commoner and the connoisseurs alike.

Majrooh Sultanpuri ideally blended popularity with purity of thought and expression. He went on to become part of the formidable quartet that ruled Hindi Cinema in the 1950s and early 60s, the others being Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakeel Badayuni and Shailendra but Majrooh Saab outlasted them all working right up to his death, his career spanning over five decades and over 350 films, many of them extremely successful at the box office. And though he has written all types of lyrics and worked for all the top Music Directors of the day - Anil Biswas, Naushad, O.P. Nayyar, Roshan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, his work with S.D. Burman and R.D. Burman particularly in the light and frothy Nasir Hussain musicals really stands out for its youthfulness and sense of fun.

The other really important lyricist to enter Hindi Films in the 1940s was Shailendra. Shailendra was an employee with Indian Railways. Raj Kapoor who had just turned actor-producer and was making Aag (1948)had heard Shailendra recite an inflammatory poem Jalta Hai Punjab and was highly impressed. He offered Shailendra a chance to write the songs of Aag. However Shailendra, a member of the leftwing IPTA, was wary of mainstream Indian Cinema and refused Raj Kapoor. However the birth of his son, Shaily precipitated the need for money and he himself approached Raj Kapoor for work and for Rs 500 he wrote two songs for Barsaat (1949) - Patli Qamar Hai and Barsaat Mein Humse Mile Tum. This led to a lifelong partnership with Raj Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishen. Shailendra had found his vocation in life…

As Shailendra became a full time lyricist, his songs dazzled with their lyrical lustre. His acute sensitivity and emotionalism were wrapped in simple yet extremely effectively Hindustani. Besides his association with Raj Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishen, some of his best work came for Bimal Roy in films like Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Madhumati (1958) and Bandini (1963).

The man Naushad considers his Guru, Khemchand Prakash, was among the other distinguished Music Directors of the 1940s. Born in Jaipur in 1907, he was appointed court singer by the Maharaja of Bikaner while just 19! He also served under Nepal royalty and worked in Calcutta as a radio artist and with Timir Baran at New Theatres. His work in the 40s is associated mainly with Ranjit Movietone, most famously the Saigal-Khursheed starrer Tansen (1943). A pioneer in the field of classical music and rajasthani folk music, he had a complete grasp of Marwar folk songs, thumris and ghazals.

Among his later years Khemchand Prakash's work at Bombay Talkies stands out. Besides turning around Lata Mangeshkar's career, It was he who gave Kishore Kumar his initial break with Marne ki Duayen Kyon Mangoon in Ziddi in 1948 and gave him one of his earlier assignments in Rhim Jhim coming the same year as his musical masterpiece Mahal in 1949. But more of Lata and Kishore later. Unfortunately Khemchand Prakash couldn't live for long to enjoy Mahal's stupendous success as he passed away the following year when still in his early 40s. But not before giving us two scintillating musical scores in Bombay Talkies Tamasha (1952) and the Raj Kapoor - Nargis starrer Jan Pehchan (1950).

As mentioned, the 1940s saw most of the legends of playback singing entering the Industry. But not just singers or lyricists, the late 1940s saw other Composers taking their first steps - SD Burman, Shankar-Jaikishen, Roshan were all climbing the first rungs of the ladder that would see them at their creative best in the forthcoming golden period of Hindi Film Music, the 1950s and 1960s...

Even as India attained independence in its aftermath came the aftermath of partition - the partition resulted in a mass migration from the Film Industry as well to Pakistan; stalwarts like Khursheed, Master Ghulam Haider and Noorjehan chose to make Pakistan their new home. But though somewhat crippled by their departure, the Indian Film Industry more than survived as much new talent had entered it in the early 1940s and was to provide it with its golden age in the 1950s and 1960s. We saw the late 30s and early 40s responsible for the entry of singers such as GM Durrani, Arun Kumar, Parul Ghosh, Zohra Ambala, Amirbai Karnataki, Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum and Suraiya. Now a newer generation of singers followed them. Among the male singers, Shankar Rao Vyas introduced Manna Dey with Ram Rajya in 1943, Naushad introduced Mohd. Rafi to Hindi films with Pehle Aap in 1944 and Anil Biswas introduced Mukesh in Pehli Nazar in 1945. Of these perhaps the most important talent was undoubetly Mohd. Rafi.

Born in Kotta Sultansingh village in 1924, he moved to Lahore when he was 14. There he studied music under Khan Abdul Waheed Khan, Jeevanlal Matto and Ghulam Ali Khan. He was introduced to radio Lahore by composer Feroz Nizami and made his film debut as playback singer in the Punjabi film Gul Baloch in 1944.He moved to Bombay the same year where Pehle Aap happened. Rafi began his career being influenced by GM Durrani with songs like Tera Khilona Toota in films like Anmol Ghadi before attracting notice with his duet with Noorjehan in Jugnu (1947), Yahaan Badla Wafaa Ka Bewafaiee ke Siva Kya Hai. If Mohd. Rafi owes his break to Naushad with Pehle Aap, then he also also owes his breakthrough to the top courtesy Naushad. The film was Dulari (1949) and the song, the all time favourite Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki. From then on Rafi ruled as the undisputed top male playback singer of Hindi films right till 1969 when Aradhana saw him overtaken by Kishore Kumar.

Rafi's advantage was he could sing anything for anyone. At one stage in the 1960s Rafi was the voice of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Johnny Walker, Sunil Dutt, Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Raaj Kumar! From the classical Madhuban mein Radhika Nachi re to the swinging Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera, from the soulful Hum Bekhudi Mein Aapko Pukarein to the comic Sar jo Tera Chakraye, from the philosophical Dekhi Zamaane ki Yaari to the frivolous Aiaiya Karoon Main Kya Sookoo Sookoo, he could sing anything! In fact Rafi was blessed with such a range that he could easily sing in three octaves without veering out of control.

If Mohd. Rafi was the undisputed top male playback singer of the day, few equalled Mukesh for his ability to breathe a thousand shades of despair and distill a lifetime of heartache in the few minutes it took to record a song. No other singer was capable of projecting emotions in their raw, unfurnished state the way he could. His was a voice that could on one hand be deeply melancholic and on the other hand exude a profoundly innocent and mellifluous sweetness. It was an exquisite blend of torment and anguish, tenderness and joy.

Mukesh came from a middle class family in Delhi. The first person that noticed him from the film Industry was Motilal, a distant relative.Motilal brought him to Bombay and kept him at home and groomed him as a singer under Pundit Jaganath Prasad. His first break as mentioned was in the film Pehli Nazar when Anil Biswas used him for the song Dil Jalta Hai. Though a popular song, it sounded as if Mukesh was just another Saigal imitator. It was finally under Naushad and Anil Biswas in the 1948-9 period that Mukesh discovered his own identity as a singer with Mela, Anokha Pyaar and Andaaz. Andaaz was a major triumph for Mukesh. All his songs in the film were raging hits and interestingly though he was identified later as the voice of Raj Kapoor, Naushad used his voice on Dilip Kumar while Rafi known later as the voice of Dilip Kumar.

But it is impossible if you think of Mukesh and don't remember Raj Kapoor. The partnership with Raj Kapoor started with Aag in 1948 where Raj's feelings of despondency and despair were vividly caught by Mukesh in Ram Ganguly's composition Zinda Hoon Is Tarah, and ended with R.D. Burman's Ek Din Bik Jaayega in the film Dharam Karam in 1975. In its course was an endless list of hits.

The other most important male playback singer introduced in the forties was Kishore Kumar. Kishore Kumar Ganguly was born in Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 1929. At the age of 18 he came to Bombay where elder brother Ashok Kumar was a major star with Bombay Takies and Filmistan. His first break as a singer came in the Bombay Talkies film Ziddi in 1948 where he sang for Dev Anand. Like Mukesh being an ardent fan of Saigal, the song was sung in Saigal's style.

Ziddi was a major success at the box office and made Dev Anand into a star. But Kishore Kumar found few offers forthcoming as a singer. Ziddi's music director Khemchand Prakash gave him another assignment with the film Rhim Jhim in 1949 and S.D. Burman utilized his services the following year in the Nargis-Raj Kapoor starrer Pyaar (1950). Kishore struggling on his own approached Burmanda. Burmanda gave him the song Qusoor Aapka in Bahar (1951) which became a hit. Gradually Kishore got more singing offers as well as acting offers as well. However apart from singing for himself, Kishore Kumar chose to do playback only for Dev Anand and for no other hero! However in spite of a rising acting career, Kishore Kumar however was taken lightly as a singer and it was not until Dukhi Man Mere from Funtoosh released in 1956 that music directors took him seriously as a singer.

While Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar went on to rule the Hindi Film Industries from the 1950s, there were other male playback singers whose contribution could not be denied - Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood and Hemant Kumar but more about them later. Meanwhile the 1940s had also thrown up some of the best female talent in playback singing - Meena Kapoor, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and of course the one and only Lata Mangeshkar…

In the early and mid 40s apart from singing stars Noorjehan and Suraiya, if two female singers stood out the most it was perhaps Rajkumari and Shamshad Begum. Interestingly enough in those days Rajkumari was one singer who was brought up on film music! Opposite her house was a cinema hall where she befriended the projectionist who'd allow her to see the film standing on a stool in the projection room! Rajkumari began her career in the late 1930s as a singer actress with Prakash Pictures. But the love of food and a resulting weight problem forced her to concentrate on playback singing only. Such was her success that even before partnerships like Mukesh - Raj Kapoor or Talat Mehmood - Dilip Kumar or Rafi - Dilip Kumar were formed, heroines like Shobana Samarth had stipulations in their contracts that Rajkumari would sing for them! Her sweet voice which was strong and not sharply high pitched was used particularly well in her films for Kedar Sharma where she often sang for Geeta Bali.

Rajkumari sang in an era when the rupee had value, petrol cost 6 annas a gallon and she was paid the princely sum of Rs 50 a song! With no name of the playback singer indicated on the discs of the songs. In fact the disc carried the film name of the artiste on whom the song was picturised! It was only as the 1940s dawned to a close that playback singers got their credits on discs! And it would still be a while before they were given screen credit for their work as well.

Shamshad Begum really became the first female playback star. Making her debut on radio in Lahore in 1937, the Amritsar-born singer captivated the hearts of listeners with the enchanting depth of her voice. The then AIR Lahore helped her in entering the world of movies as frequent broadcasting of her songs induced music directors to use her voice for film songs. Shamshad Begum also recorded naats and devotional songs for a couple of gramophone recording companies which where then located in the Bakshi Market of Anarkali, Lahore.

Lahore-based composer Ghulam Haider used her voice skillfully in some of his earlier films, mostly in Punjabi. When he shifted to Bombay in 1944, Shamshad Begum went with him as a member of his team. In 1944, when Mehboob Khan launched his historical venture, Humayun, Master Ghulam Haider used Shamshad Begum's voice in the film. The song Naina Bhar Aaye Neer captured the imagination on the country.

That was the time when Amirbai Karnataki was considered number one playback singer in Bombay. With the introduction of Shamshad Begum in the film world in Bombay, contemporary composers almost fell over each other in booking her for the recording of their songs leading to an extremely prolific career till the mid to late 1950s. Music directors like C. Ramchandra, SD Burman and Naushad used her as their prime female vocalist in the early part of their careers.

1946 saw a young Bengali singer make her debut singing two lines of a song in the film Bhakt Prahlad. Giving playback for some children, she astonished Music Director Hanuman Prasad and all present in the recording studio with her rendering of those two lines. A minor incident was to become the genesis of a great musical career. Music Director S.D. Burman making his beginnings in Bombay with Filmistan Studio, heard those two lines and used the singer's voice for heroine Kamini Kaushal for his forthcoming film Do Bhai. Disc Sales of the film rocketed to new heights particularly the weepy song - Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya Beet Gaya. Geeta Roy had arrived…

The success of Do Bhai took Geeta Roy right to the top and she ruled as the Film Industry's premier playback female playback artiste from 1947 - 1949 moving from strength to strength. Of all her contemporaries her musical training was perhaps the sketchiest but what she lacked in training and technique, she more than made it with her ability to breathe life and emotion into any song she was singing. Little wonder then as she initially made her reputation as a singer suited primarily for bhajans and weepy, weepy sad songs. The peak of this phase came really in 1950 with Jogan which saw 12 solos sung by her, most of them Meera Bhajans…

Even as Geeta Roy rocketed to the very top with Do Bhai, another woman was quietly trying to make her name on the playback scene. Born in 1929 and given music lessons from the age of five by her classical musician father and later by Aman Ali Khan and Amanat Khan, she had to take on the mantle of becoming breadwinner of her family due to his untimely death in 1942. She took to acting in Marathi and Hindi Films. She even made her debut as a playback singer in the Marathi film Kiti Hasaal in 1942 only for the song to be edited out! Her singing debut in Hindi with Aap ki Seva Mein in 1947 went unnoticed as her thin high-pitched voice was against the order of the day favouring heavy robust Punjabi voices like Noorjehan, Shamshad Begum and Zohra Ambala. She was even rejected by producer S. Mukherjee who vetoed music director Ghulam Haider from using her for his film Shaheed (1948) saying her voice was too thin and squeaky! Haider warned Mukherjee that this girl would one day overtake Noorjehan and helped her breakthrough withthe song Mera Dil Toda from Majboor (1948). The song sung in the presence of many prominent music directors having come to hear Ghulam Haider's discovery was finally okayed in the 32nd take! Immediately after the recording however Naushad and Husnlal-Bhagatram were the first to offer her singing offers. 1949 saw the release of four films primarily depending on her vocals - Dulari, Andaaz, Barsaat and Mahal. All four huge musical hits…The Lata Mangeshkar Magic had begun! Of the four, perhaps the film to take Lata right to the top was Mahal. Lata's songs in Mahal - Dil ne Phir Yaad Kiya, Mushkil Hai Bahut Mushkil were hummed across the nation but none so more than Aayega Aanewala which was the turning point in Lata's career. The song set the trend for a suspense and ghost film to always have a song that works as a leitmotif throughout the film. It is said the recording began with the mike placed in the center of a large hall with Lata in the corner of the room. As the prelude began she inched her way to the mike singing Khamosh Hai Zamana… (an early use of prelude before the actual song) However Mahal also saw the old guard more than holding its own against this sensational new singer as Rajkumari sang perhaps the finest song of her now coming to an end career in this film - Ghabrake Jo Hum Sarko.

Such was Lata Mangeshkar's impact that within a year she had changed the face of the playback singer as her highly trained high-pitched singing rendered the nasal, basy voices of the day totally obsolete. At least music directors had found the voice that could stretch their creative experiments to the fullest. The only two singers to survive the Lata onslaught were Geeta Roy and to a certain extent Shamshad Begum as Lata went on to conquer all and sundry with her magical voice…