Originally posted by: *salil*
Sarita - not sure if your "term" is over yet so let me ask a few questions.
1. What makes Talat Mehmood so special to you? What are the singing qualities in him that you do not find in other singers?
Talat sings with his heart and sings with full devotion and respect to the music that has been set out for him. Often singers do it the other way round. They make the song, raga or music their slave [I'd say this of at least 2 very famous playback singers and one popular female vocalist].
The soothing, rich quality in his voice, combined with his style of singing - the slight shake - is very, very unique. And this I haven't till date found in any singer. What's more? Loads of singers have come and tried to imitate the way Rafi, Kishore, Lata and Asha sing. But, not one has been able to imitate Talat. He is indeed truly inimitable!
2. Who are your favorite music composers and how will you rate Madan Mohan?
Music composers in Hindi music? Then I'd say SD Burman tops my list. But equally dear to me are Anil Biswas, C Ramchandra, Salil Chowdhury, Roshan, Naushad (though not all of Naushad's compositions) and of course Madan Mohan and Jaidev. Some of the master pieces by Ravi, Sajjad Hussain and Sardar Mallik are also my all-time favourites.
Madan Mohan's knowledge of music - the raagas, raginis, technical nuances - showed in all his compositions. But, somehow his gems were those created in the 1950s and early 1960s.
3. Your favorite filmi and non-filmi ghazals.
This is a toughie, coz it's really hard to pick! Besides, if I do choose a composition, you might just shoot it down saying that I am wrong and that technically it's not a ghazal! 😛😆 But, what appealed to my heart, my emotions and my aesthetic sense were: of course Sahir's 'Woh subah kabhi to aayegi' from 'Phir Subah Hogi'. Also Sahir's 'Yeh mahalon yeh takhton...' from Pyaasa; "Na milta gham to barbaadi ke afsaane kahaan jaate" by Shakeel Badayuni from the movie, 'Amar'. There are many more, but these came to my mind for now.
Non-filmi, actually 3 of them. Lata's rendition of Ghalib's 'Har ek baat pe'; 'Ranjish hi sahi' by Nizar Bazmi (if I'm not wrong...) and 'Raat yoon dil mein teri, khoi hui yaad...' (can't recall the composer). Actually, I heard the last one in a Pakistani serial, 'Dhoop Kinare'. That's another passion of mine. Love these 5 gems of Pakistani serial, Ankahi, Tanhaaiyan, Dhoop Kinare, Samundar and Waaris. Perfect masterpieces. Seeing them is also like reading a book each time and reading a poem.
4. If you get a chance to go to the live concert of just one classical musician (singer or intrumentalist), who that musician would be?
Nikhil Banerjee ANYDAY!! If he can move me to tears just by recordings, he would have had to risk a deluge at his concert 😊
5. What is your opinion on the classical artists like Shubha Mudgal who dared to walk on a different road by cutting pop music album?
Her effort is indeed commendable. That she was able to bring pure, Hindustani music to the youth and the present day generation, by mixing it with folk and pop music. I somehow prefer her kind of classical-turned-folk / pop to the endless reams being churned out by the Bangash brothers. Her work appears more mature.
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Anupamaa
