The Evolution of Hindi Film Song

The Evolution of Hindi Film Song

by A Kala

Party I : Clone Age

Initial songs were bereft any substantive orchestra. They were bland, nasal and predictive, clearly having influence of nautanki folk music. First break through came when K.L. Saigal enthralled the multitude with his soulful singing. His popularity burgeoned an army of clones prominent among then C.H.Atma and Pankaj Mallick. The songs had filler orchestra consisting of harmonium, tabla, tanpura and sarangi sometimes violin. The melody nearly always wailful and melancholy. Then came along Noorjehan, who also spawned her own clones including legendary Lata, at least in her initial stages. The music style however remained unimaginative and lacking innovation. Occasional innovation came from men like Naushad(Anmol Ghari) and Khemchand Prakash(Mahal). The only redeeming feature of the clone age, beginning from the advent of 'Talkie'. Till late fifties, near complete sway of K.L.Saigal and Noorjehan, yet old timers will vouchsafe this period as the golden age of Hindi music. This entire age actually belonged to the singer with very little contribution coming from either the poet or the composer. The signs of new age began to appear with songs like "Ayega ayega, ayega aanevala ayega" the original haunting melody from Mahal. You will notice in this song Lata largely cloning Noorjehan but at places trying to break free from the traditional straitjacket. When end came it came swiftly and abruptly. The man or rather men responsible for the collapse of Clone Age were Shankar Jaikishan, but that is another story.

Part II : Golden Age

Golden age was ushered in by Shankar-Jaikishan with their 150 men orchestra and changed the structure of Hindi songs irrevocably . In just a few years these musicians became so adept in music arrangement that vocals and orchestra melded seamlessly to produce one integral song. Today if you listen to any of the songs of this period all you have to hear is a few opening notes to identify it and not wait for the vocals to get it right. There are multiple reasons for the abrupt coming of age of Hindi Film music. Primary reason was simultaneous priming of several musicians and poets. What the Clone Age lacked was a colorful orchestra and inspired poetry which incidentally was the high point of Golden Age. Many of the heroes of Golden Age were actually apprentices of some of the well-known figures of earlier era. For instance Roshanlal(Roshan) and C.Ramchandar assisted Anil Biswas and went to become composers in their own right. While Lata and Md.Rafi held sway on singing firmament there were many niche singers too who excelled and even surpassed these two masters. Prominent among the fringe singers were Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna De, Mukesh and Talat Mehmood in the male playback while in the female category Kamal Barot, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur and Mubarak Begum. Actually if you consider a complete singer as one who could emote full range of emotions then even Asha would be regarded as niche singer only that the powerful Mangeshkar tag allowed her to grow at the cost of many lesser but more gifted singers. Among some of the composers who made their name were Ravi, Roshan, Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan, Naushad, Salil Chaudhury, Hemant Kumar, Sajjad Hussain, S.D.Burman, Sardar Mallick, Ghulam Mohammed, O.P.Nayar and Chitragupt. I may be missing out on some big names here. Among the poets who were in their prime were Shakeel Badayuni, Sahir, Hasrat Jaipuri, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Naqsh Layalpuri, Indivar, Mujrooh Sultanpuri, Gulshan Bawra, Prem Dhawan, Rajendra Kishan, Shailendra and of course Kaifi Azmi. The quality of music these men produced was unprecedented and that was not what made this age as the Golden Age but the consistently high percentage of classics each of these composers produced. It was kind of contagious for them to churn out movies having every single number a runaway success. The talent was so ubiquitous and infectious that even non-mainstream composers, the so called Dara Singh-Ajit genre composers, like G.S.Kohli and Iqbal Qureshi produced great music. As the men began to loose steam this era too began to wither around early seventies. First sulking and then ego clashes with Queen Mangheskar severely restricted variety and range, as niche singers disappeared completely. Just as Shankar -Jaikishan ushered in golden age, R.D. Burman, himself a maverick genius, caused death of the golden age.

Part III : Age of Banality

R.D.Burman was a creative maverick. Many of the tunes attributed to his father, S.D.Burman had distinct signature of RD's style. He was restless and eager to create a distinct identity of his own. Meanwhile established composers were running out of steam or merely turning repetitive. Actually composers like Laxmi-Pyare and Kalyanji-Anandji could have extended Golden Age by producing fresher melodies of that era but due to popularity of R.D Burman, they began to ape him alas unsuccessfully because both Laxmi-Pyare and Kalyanji-Anandiji were essentially sixties genric composers. Just as C.Ramchandra announced his arrival with "Ina - meena dika" style of songs RD too brought in loudness and shrillness as essential component of his music. Meanwhile a laid-back generation of 'let it be' kind of attitude, though reluctant to vacate the consumer space was forced out by a youthful, restless and impatient generation. New consumers were partially exposed to western pop and culture of joints and of pot smoking and 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna'. These young men thrived on percussion and noise and R.D.Burman had suitable merchandise for them. Yours truly is also guilty of shaking legs under influence of pot (back then Yanks called smoking marijuana from chillum, pot) to the noise of "naach meri jaan phata phat..". If there was a period of colorless music this was one. In male playback there was Kishore, Kishore and more Kishore and on female side Asha, Asha and more Asha then there were Rafi and Lata. Niche singers almost disappeared. Among composers R.D.Burmn occupied first to ten places followed by Laxmi-Pyare, Kalyan-Anand, Bappi Lahri and then a few others. R.D's songs began to rapidly climb the charts but were as quickly displaced from the marquee to be forgotten forever. This was a period of assembly line composing. While Lata retained impression of numero-uno status actually her sister Asha was truly the number one due to R.D.Burman's preference for her. The reason for Kishore taking over from Rafi was RD's predilection for him and also rise of Rajesh Khanna as the first super-star, whose screen voice was Kishore. Soon Kishore had such sway over Hindi film songs that he too spawned scores of clones imitating his style. There were very few poets who still had creativity left in them. Among the better poets were Gulzar and Kaifi Azmi. The man who ran song factory was Anand Bakshi. R.D. Burman was a genius arriving at the music scene much ahead of his time. He created avante garde music taking advantage of modern synthesisers, echo and other new technologies and also with a little help of plagiarism. Some of the classics attributable to him are actually straight lifts of western music such as "Ye jo mohobbat hai..(Kati Patang), "Chura liya hai jo..."( Yadon Ki Baraat) and "Mehbooba o mehbooba.."Sholay). Actually he created some of the finest music of his time. It is not that soothing music was not created during this time, parallel cinema provided some of the greatest songs. How can we forget Andhi, Mausam or Anand etc. Some of his songs even had a shade sixties nostalgia, like "Tum ne mjhe dekha ho kar meherbaN" from Teesri Manzil. But his contemporary's were not as gifted so they too created rapid-fire music but their creations were neither inspiring nor durable. This guy, Bappi Lahri, thought orchestra was to create cacophony rather than support score for the vocals. In nutshell the age belonged to quick fix creations catering to a restless generation. The age of banality survived past the early eighties but the end of Kishore Kumar was also the beginning of Renaissance.

Final Part : Renaissance

With Kishore's death( 1987) an era came to an end. But even before his death, rumblings of change could be heard, though not in film music, but in independent albums of Ghazal singers like Jagjit Singh/Chitra Singh, Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hasan etc and becoming runaway success. The noise & shrillness associated with past phase began to give place to melody once again. R.D.Burman was on decline and newer composers like Nadeem-Shravan and Annu Mallick emerging on the horizon. These men had sound knowledge of classical music and grip on public pulse. While laud-shrill songs were still being composed, quieter and melodious songs too were making their mark. Established singers were displaced by a knew crop of artists like Kumar Shanu, Abhijit, Udit Narayan and long reign of Lata came to end with singers like Sadhana Sargan, Alka Yagnik etc occupying the vacuum left behind by Lata. Once again we began to have variety and colorful styles. This was the time when soft melody returned but also composers experimenting with a variety of styles. This period was also marked by rampant plagiarism. All the popular pop songs were repackaged and presented as original in Hindi films. Some songs began to have lasting appeal. However what they still lacked was absence of quality poetry. This was a short transition in Hindi lasting barely a decade. Late ninety saw emerging of a new star who revolutionized Hindi music forever. A.R.Rehman, before composing for films had been making jingles for the advertisers. He used the same style in film compositions, which to everybody's surprise became instant hit. Pakistan singing icon late Nusrat Fateh Ali too belonged this genre. We never had so many successful composers and mainstream singers each with a unique signature.

This is the age of Jingle.

..SHAIKH AZIZ

The political and social upheaval in the subcontinent could not break the basic structure and indigenous identity of South Asian music

The musical heritage of the subcontinent spans more than 5000 years during which it came to be exposed to a host of influences, both positive and negative. With every political, religious and sociological change brought on by countless military invasions the music of the subcontinent also underwent radical changes. Even so it always succeeded in retaining most of its basic structure and indigenous identity.

The Vedic music of earlier centuries changed under Turko-Arab-Persian influence lasting for over a thousand years. In the thirteenth century the subcontinent's music was divided into two distinctive schools - the northern Indian music and South Indian or the Karnatica music. Before the advent of the Muslims, music was mostly confined to ritual forms of Chhand, Durband and Dhurpad. Muslims added Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Tappa and Ghazal. These forms added a new flair to the musical heritage.

During the twentieth century, music in this part of the world came under western influence. The British in an effort to impose their culture on the subcontinent, introduced orchestration. They brought in alien instruments such as harmonium, clarinet, trumpet and violin. Many organizations of symphony and orchestration were formed and attempts were made to write Indian music in western staff notations. But it goes to the intrinsic strength and superiority of the indigenous music that it soon adapted these instruments to its own requirements. Today the harmonium is a basic instrument of accompaniment.

In the latter half of the century, the music of the subcontinent came to be confronted with new challenges. On the positive note, the advent of electronics added a new dimension to the quality of music, as it brought music to the average listener, specially the classical music which was till then confined to the royal courts. And on the not-so-positive note, the rising influence of jazz, rock and pop in all their various facets threatened the indigenous classical genre. But the sound foundations on which music in South Asia was built enabled great masters like Pundit Vishnu Digambar, Bhatkhande and others to survive the onslaught with only minor bruises.

Music in the first half of the century was particularly very productive. Big names like Allah Diya Khan, Allauddin Khan, Abdul Aziz Khan, Digambar, Bhaskar Rao, Ashiq Ali Khan, Abdul Waheed Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, dominated the scene and music came to be identified with Gharanas - Kirana, Tilwandi, Patiala, Agra, Gwaliar, Mewati, etc.

After independence, a lot changed but the tradition of music remained largely intact. Bundu Khan, Nathoo Khan, Akhtar Hussain Khan, Amanat, Fateh, Nazakat and Salamat came to Pakistan. Later, they were joined by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan but due to the apathy of the government he spent some miserable days and went back to India where he was accorded Padma Bhooshan and died honourably. In India, great masters like Abdul Wahid Khan, V. D. Pulskar, Amir Khan, Rajab Ali Khan, Mushtaq Hussain Khan, Begum Akhtar, Hirabai Barodekar, Fayaz Khan, Omkarnath Thakur, Girija Devi, Kumar Gandharwa, Gangoo Bai Hangal etc gave new life to classical music. Among the present-day generation a new liking for the classical music has drawn a number of highly educated literate artistes, some of them even abandoned their professions in microbiology and engineering and adopted music as their living. At present over 5,000 artistes are engaged in the pursuit of music, among them are masters like Pundit Jasraj, Pundit Bhimsen Joshi, Dr Prabha Atre, Kishwari Amonkar, Malini Rajorkar, Perveen Sultana, Nirmala Devi and Ganpatti Bhat.

India has also produced a number of great instrumentalists. A few of them are Allah Diya Khan, Bismillah Khan, Vilayat Khan, Allah Rakha, Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Panalal Ghosh, Amjad Ali Khan, Shivkumar Sharma and Dr M. Rajam.

At the time of independence, Pakistan had a galaxy of artistes Some of them were Roshan Ara Begum, Mubarak Ali Khan, Sardar Khan, Bhailal Chhela, Barkat Ali Khan, Bundoo Khan, Umeed Ali Khan, Habib Ali Khan Beenkar and Allah Ditta Khan. But owing to bureaucratic indifference and lack of public support, they all faded with the passage of time. Whenever, a maestro died, there was no one around to succeed him and carry on the tradition, and classical music suffered heavily. At present Hamid Ali Fateh Ali, Amjad Amanat, Ghulam Hussain Shagan, Suraiya Multanikar, Ashraf Sharif, Saleem Khan, Rustam Fateh Ali, Badruzamman Qamaruzamman, Akhtar Ali Zakir Ali, Sharafat Ali comprise the total legacy of classical music we are left with. With the exception of Mehdi Hassan, Malka Pukhraj, Iqbal Banu, Farida Khanum and Tahira Syed, the Ghazal or Thumri gaikee, too, is on the way out in Pakistan.

Film music

Besides classical music, folk, film and fusion music are the other areas in which music has undergone visible changes in the subcontinent. In the pre-independence period, film music drew its existence from the theatre music which later changed in content and form. While in India, music directors such as Master Ghulam Haider, Naushad, Anil Biswas, Khemchand Parkash, Master Sajjad and O.P. Nayar produced some of the memorable tunes; in Pakistan Khurshid Anwar, Baba Chishti, A. Hameed, Tasadduq Hussain, Robin Ghosh, Sohail Raana and Nisar Bazmi made outstanding contribution in the field of film music. Some of their compositions were even copied by Indian musicians. And of course, the melody queen, Noorjahan dominated the scene for decades.

The western influence on film has been overly visible on film music in both India and Pakistan. During the 1950s, rock-n-roll, African and Latin American music was evident in compositions. Film directors used to make a conscious effort to create a situation wherein they could add at least one club song or dance for accommodating western tunes. This fusion tendency found instant popularity which continued for quite some years till in the 1980s it was overshadowed by another western influence - the pop.

Modern music

Today's pop is quite different from the earlier one. In the beginning, the western pop was directly copied along with its chords, but the present generation of modern singers took cue from folk music. Sohail Raana's efforts need special mention in this regard. Indian musicians made a fuller use of modern influences and folk music and created a number of new compositions.

An example of the folk influence on film music is the popular Indian song 'Chhanyaan Chhanyaan' which has been copied from Pakistan's Seraiki kafi 'Thayaan Thayaan' sung by Faqir Abdul Ghafoor, thirty years ago. One name that cannot be overlooked is that of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who has left an indelible mark on modern folk singing in the subcontinent.

In India, composers such as A.R. Rehman, Bally Sagu, Gulshan Kumar, Jatin-Latlit and Anu Malik continue with their efforts. Singers like Daler Mehndi, Sukhbir, Ila Arun mix western music with the Indian folk. In Pakistan, pop singers Alamgir, Mohammad Ali Shehki and Nazia/Zohaib founded the modern music of Pakistan in the mid-1980s. New singers such as Sajjad Ali, Ali Haider, Shahzad and groups like Junoon, Vital Signs and Aawaaz have created some scintillating compositions which reflect the modern influence.

Folk music

Pakistan and India are two countries where folk music has survived over the centuries. This is the true cultural heritage that has thrived with popular support and acclaim.

In Pakistan, the institution of folk music is as alive today as it ever was. The Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi, Baloch, Pashto, Balti, Chitrali, Sheeni, Kashmiri, Pothohari, Sohni are the main strains. Zahirok, Durgaee, Nimkai, of Baloch music, Mahya, Dhola, Bhangra, Kikli of Punjab, Kohiyari, Rano, Sorath of Sindh, Chaarbita of Pushto music, Sortha and Teej of Rajasthan are some of the rich compositions that have been preserved for ages by the people. Some of our modern composers have used this heritage and reset the tunes in modern compositions. Faiz Mohammad, Reshmaan, Mai Bhagi, Pathane Khan, Alam Lohar sang some of the traditional folk songs which became instantly popular among the urban population.

The 20th century could be said to be the confluence of several influences. This century saw successive changes in the form and content of the music of the subcontinent. Perhaps, no other century brought about such dynamic changes in the realm of music - be it classical, folk or film.

Technology also played a great role in this. The transistor, television, loudspeakers and now the audio cassettes and cds not only revolutionized communication they also made music more accessible to the masses.

This complete article is also in 4 parts.:😊

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...

Era of Talking Movies

In 1931, movies got voice. India's first talkie, Alam Ara, was released. Alam Ara was produced by Imperial Film Company and directed by Ardeshir Irani. It was dubbed in both Hindi and Urdu. The film took months to make because of recording difficulties; with no sound-proof studios, shooting was done indoors and at night. Microphones had to be hidden in incredible places to avoid being captured in the visual recording of the movie.

As the talkies emerged, so did issues related to language of the film emerge. The various regional languages in India led film makers to produce films in both the regional language (Bengali, Marathi), and in Hindi, in order to cater to the larger Hindi-speaking market.

In the same year as the first talkie, three regional language films in Bengali, Tamil and Telegu were also made. Bengal's first was Jamai Sasthi, a hilarious comedy directed by Amar Choudhary. The Tamil, Kalidasa was made by Ardeshir Irani's Imperial Company, while the Telegu one, Bhakta Prahlada, was produced by H.M. Reddi for Bharat Movietone.

The films of this era were mostly musicals and some of them had up to 40 songs. This song tradition still persists in Indian commercial cinema.