Sheila Vaz with Shammi Kapoor in ‘Tumsa Nahi Dekha’
You will remember Sheila Vaz as the dancer of the fifties who featured in many hit songs and worked with great directors like Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. Originally from Goa but having grown up in Bombay, she featured in many hit films like CID, Shree 420, Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Chote Nawab and Mr and Mrs 55. She quit films after her marriage and currently lives in Mumbai.
Here are some of her most famous songs : Continue reading
Anil Biswas
Although Anil Biswas described R C Boral as the ‘Bhishma Pitamah of hindi film music , it would not be wrong to call Biswas as one of the pioneers of orchestral music and playback singing in hindi film songs.
Early Days
Born on the 7th of July 1914 in Barisal – East Bengal (now in Bangladesh) , Anil Krishna Biswas was fond of music since his childhood days. Although he was very talented , he could not dive into music in his early days. During his matriculation he joined the freedom struggle and was repeatedly jailed for his revolutionary activities.
Guru Dutt gave three landmark films to hindi cinema; ‘Pyaasa’, ‘ Kaagaz ke Phool’ and ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ in a period of roughly 6 years between 1957-62. Continue reading
One of my friend who loves watching old hindi films tells me that he often gets confused between Murad and Sapru. Not only because of their looks, but also because of the similar kind of characters they played on screen. Here are some details on the works of two wonderful character artists of Indian cinema – Murad and D K Sapru. Continue reading
Some of Rafi saheb’s finest renditions were for Naushad and S D Burman; both of whom are considered hindi cinema legends themselves. However what stands out is the contrast in styles between these two maestros – while Naushad excelled in compositions based on classical raagas; elder Burman was much more versatile.
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दिल का सूना साज़ तराना ढूंढेगा
तीर ए निगाहें नाज़ निशाना ढूंढेगा
मुझको मेरे बाद ज़माना ढूंढेगा…
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The release of Alam Ara in 1931 brought a new zeal in the field on Indian cinema. The 1930’s saw Indian cinema transform with the emergence of film studios. The cinema fraternity took a clue from Hollywood in their production methods and established production houses enabling film production to be done under one roof.
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