Urge to Fly - film

Meena Kumari & Geeta Dutt - Mirrored Lives

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:01:00 +0530

I had written this post originally on the occasion of Geeta Dutt’s birth anniversary on November 23, for the blog section of geetadutt.com, the only comprehensive site dedicated to this wonderful singer. Here’s the link to the original post.

When it comes to listing the all time great actresses of Hindi cinema, Meena Kumari’s name would surely figure prominently. Known as the Tragedy Queen for her mastery in portraying sad roles, Meena Kumari demonstrated her acting prowess in a number of films in the 1950s and 1960s. Born Mahjabeen Bano on August 1, 1932, Meena Kumari’s acting career started as a child artiste in Leatherface in 1939. After a few mythological and fantasy films as an adult, Meena Kumari’s big break came with Baiju Bawara in 1952. The film earned her the first Filmfare Award for Best Actress and established her position as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema.

On watching a teenaged Meena Kumari lip-syncing to barely-out-of-her-teens voice of Geeta Roy in Sri Ganesh Mahima (Shri Krishna Vivah) in 1950, little would anyone in the audience have realized that that the lives of these two remarkable ladies would uncannily mirror each other over the next two decades.

When Geeta Roy sang for Meena Kumari for the first time, she was already a star, while Meena Kumari was just managing to gain a foothold as an adult actress. In the beginning, Meena Kumari did a lot of mythological films like Veer Ghatotkach, Shri Ganesh Mahima, Hanuman Patal Vijay, where…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings for R D Burman Part 2

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:06:00 +0530

As we move beyond 1975, Pancham continued to compose lovely melodies for Lata Mangeshkar. Unfortunately, Lata’s voice quality had started going down due to age and she sounded a tad tired in some of those songs. How one wishes all these delightful compositions had come at least a decade earlier. And as we moved into the 1980s, Pancham’s compositions also started becoming a little repetitive, although one did not see any compromise on the melody front, at least in the songs he composed for Lata. There were many RDB soundtracks in the late 1980s that were eminently forgettable, and there are very few Lata-Pancham songs worth mentioning.

Pancham was quite disappointed by the failure of Shakti Samanta’s Mehbooba in 1976, and although it had a very good soundtrack, the songs did not get their due when the film was released. The piece-de-resistance of this Lata dominated soundtrack was the haunting Mere Naina Sawan Bhado, a tandem song based on Raag Shivaranjini. Both the versions – by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar – have their own charm.

Mere Naina Sawan Bhado – Mehbooba (1976, Anand Bakshi)

Pancham might have composed more songs written by Anand Bakshi, Majrooh Sutanpuri or Gulshan Bawra, but if there is one lyricist with whom he had a special tuning, it is Gulzar. Whenever the two came together, the result was consistently good. And the Lata-Pancham-Gulzar trio rarely disappointed. In my opinion, some of the best Lata-Pancham songs are written by Gulzar.

Kuhu Kuhu Koyaliya Bulaye– Devdas (Unreleased,…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings for R D Burman - Part 1

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:44:00 +0530

When Rahul Dev Burman was signed on for Chhote Nawab, his first film as an independent Music Director, he was clear about one thing - that Lata Mangeshkar should sing for his first film. This was the time when papa Sachin Dev Burman and Lata Mangeshkar were engaged in a cold-war following some misunderstanding in 1957. It is difficult to say whether it was his putra prem that resulted in SDB making up with his favourite Lota, but RDB’s first recorded was sung by Lata Mangeshkar. Ghar Aaja Ghir Aaye, an exquisite composition in Raag Malgunji, demonstrates RDB’s strong grounding in Indian classical music (he had learnt sarod from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan). It is noteworthy that for his first song RDB selected a Raag that had till then not been used much in Hindi Film Music (I know of only one instance that predates this song)

Ghar Aaja Ghir Aaye - Chhote Nawab (1961, Shailendra)

Thus began a partnership that would result in close to 340 songs over the next 30+ years. I strongly believe that it is impossible to make a 'Best of RDB' list without including a few Lata songs (the reverse is possible, though). I also believe that Pancham reserved some of his best tunes for Lata, although his output with Asha Bhosle is much wider and deeper.

In the 1960s, Pancham wasn’t as prolific as in the subsequent decades. In fact, his second release as a composer came 4 year after his debut. Like Chhote Nawab,…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings For Shankar Jaikishan - Part 2

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:40:00 +0530

The Lata-Shankar Jaikishan association that produced such delectable melodies in the 50s, continued to remain strong, at least till the mid sixties. Of course the melodies paled in comparison to the 1950s, but that was true of the music scene in the 60s as a whole. At least in the earlier part of the 60s, there are many Lata-SJ songs that are popular till date.

In 1960 came Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi, a Kishore Sahu directed Meena Kumari starrer tearjerker that had some nice Lata songs. My favourite from this film is the evergreen Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye, a ditty that I like as much for Lata’s voice as for the preludes and interludes, and of course the excellent choral use.

Ajeeb Dastan Hai Ye - Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960, Shailendra)

The other Lata-SJ song that I love from 1960 is O Basanti Pawan Pagal from Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai. This tune is a classic example of how SJ used some pieces of melody from the background score of their films to create a full-fledged song. The tune of this song came from the background music of Awaara.

O Basanti Pawan Pagal - Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960, Shailendra)

It was at this time that SJ also started a trend of sorts by making Lata sing tandem versions of songs that were originally composed for a male singer (in most cases, Mohd. Rafi). This meant that she had to sing at an…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings For Shankar Jaikishan - Part 1

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:28:00 +0530

“I believe no one can equal the music composed by Shankar-Jaikishan. They composed classical songs, cabarets, dance numbers, love songs, sad and happy songs. Few composers have been able to match their range. Their music has extended the life of many films - films that would have otherwise been forgotten..." Lata Mangeshkar (in Nasreen Munni Kabeer’s book, Lata Mangeshkar in Her Own Voice)

1949 was a significant year for Lata Mangeshkar in that it marked the beginning of her domination in the world of Hindi film playback singing – a domination that would last several decades. This year also saw the debut of one of the most successful composer duo in Hindi films – Shankar Jaikishan. Over the next 35 years, Lata and SJ collaborated on over 450 songs, many of which are firmly etched in the minds of Hindi film music lovers.

In the first part of this post, I will talk about the songs from the period 1949-59. This was the period when, in my opinion, SJ were at their creative best and Lata at the pinnacle in terms of voice quality. This was also the period when Lata was the main singer for SJ. She sang an unbelievable 65% of all songs composed by SJ during the period. And I really mean ALL songs, including those sung by male singers. During this period there were several SJ soundtracks (Kali Ghata, Parbat, Poonam, Aas, Aurat, Patrani, Halaku, etc. ) where every track had Lata’s voice – solo, chorus backed,…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings for Laxmikant Pyarelal Part 2

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:19:00 +0530

In the first part of this post, I had talked about the collaboration between Lata Mangeshkar and Laxmikant Pyarelal in the 60s. The 60s had accounted for less than a quarter of all songs Lata sang for the composer duo. A major chunk of their collaboration (about 350 songs) came in the 70s. In this post I will talk about the Lata-LP collaboration from 1970 till 1996, when she sang her last song for LP in RK’s Prem Granth. I must add a disclaimer here. Given the sheer volume of work they did together, one post is not sufficient to list down all their good songs. My intention is just to mention some of my favourite Lata-LP songs, which will hopefully also give an idea about the range of work they did together. Also, I am focusing only on Lata solos.

Although their successful spree had started towards the end of the 60s, the decade of the 70s truly belonged to LP (along with Kalyanji Anandji and Rahul Dev Burman). Churning out hits after hits with consistent regularity, they clearly seemed to have a good handle on the commercial aspects of music making. Personally I think that quantity took the better of quality in their output in the 70s. There was limited innovation and more monotony in their compositions, especially as we move into the 80s where neither Lata’s vocal prowess nor LP’s composing abilities were at their best. Yet, it would be unfair if one were to ignore some good…

Lata Mangeshkar Sings for Laxmikant Pyarelal Part 1

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:19:00 +0530

In her career spanning six decades, Lata Mangeshkar has sung Hindi film songs for more than 170 composers. Over the next few weeks I will be writing several posts on her collaboration with composers for whom she has sung the maximum number of songs.

I am no fan of Laxmikant Pyarelal’s music. However, when we talk of Lata there is no way we can ignore this highly prolific and successful composer duo. Lata and LP have collaborated for close to 700 songs (I think the actual figure is around 680), that range from plain mediocre to truly sublime, from cacophonous assault on the ears to sweet melodies. Given the sheer number of songs the duo composed, it is only natural that consistent quality is difficult to find in their repertoire. What is, however, noteworthy about LP’s collaboration with Lata is that very few other composers have created such a wide variety of songs for her to vocalize. Unfortunately, when we talk of LP today, all that is discussed is the heavily orchestrated, dholak dominated cacophonous mess that characterized their later output. If one carefully sifts through their output, especially their creations vocalized by Lata, one will come across many gems. Through this post I would like to reveal some of the beautiful melodies that the Lata-LP combination produced.

LP made their debut with Parasmani (1963), a fantasy film with a hugely popular music score. Lata Mangeshkar sang 5 songs in the film, out of which Hansta Hua Noorani Chehra (a duet…

Delhi 6 - Ode to a City

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:56:00 +0530

It was Mohammed Ibrahim Zauq’s love for the city of Delhi (old Delhi – Shahjahanabad - to be precise) that resulted in that gem of a she’r

इन दिनों गर्चिह दखन में है बहुत क़द्र-ए-सुख़न
कौन जाए ‘ज़ौक़’ पर दिल्ली की गलियाँ छोड़ कर

(In dinon garchih dakhan mein hai bahut qadr-e-sukhan
Kaun jaaye ‘Zauq’ par Dilli ki galiyan chhod kar

Agreed, there are many patrons of poetry in Deccan these days
But who, ‘Zauq’, wants to leave the by-lanes of Delhi)

It is the same love for this city of contradictions that Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra displays so warm-heartedly in his latest Delhi-6. The second-line of the couplet above goes beyond being just a line mouthed by one of the many lovable characters of Delhi-6. The sense of nostalgia the director has towards a city he has grown up in is clearly evident if each and every frame, each and every passage of the film. It is this love that makes him (with the able support of his cameraman Binod Pradhan) see the chaotic by-lanes of Chandni Chowk as a picture of beauty. The Chandni Chowk of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi-6 is visually arresting. Almost as if the immortal lines below were written by him, not the legendary Mir Taqi 'Mir'.

दिल्ली के न थे कूचे औराक़-ए-मुसव्विर थे
जो शक्ल नज़र आई तस्वीर नज़र आई

(Dilli ke na the kooche auraaq-e- musavvir the
Jo shakl nazar aayi tasveer nazar aayi

The by-lanes of Delhi were but a painter’s canvas
Every face…

Slumdog Millionaire - Enjoy the Experience

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:51:00 +0530

Much like the game show that forms the crux of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, the experience of watching this much-talked about film is all about choices.

The first choice, which a fairly large number of people in India have greedily grabbed, is to jump into the high-decibel debate about how this film represents ‘poverty-porn’ at its worst. You could argue that it’s nothing but selling India’s poverty to the West, looking at India from the jaundiced viewpoint of a westerner whose vision of India is limited to chaos, poverty, slums, riots, beggars, Taj Mahal, and yes, call centers.

Or, you could analyze the film in all earnestness. You could start pointing out all the flaws in the Golden Globe award winning and Oscar nominated screenplay (which, honestly, are many) and argue against the implausible contrivances of the screenplay. As one of characters in the film says, it is all ‘bizarrely plausible’. You could raise a genuine objection about how for all his commendable acting display, Dev Patel’s accent was all wrong for the part, or how the grown-up Jamal didn’t even look like a ‘slumdog’. You could even talk about how 'unreal' was it to have slum boys speak in English, or how tacky the choreography for the Jai Ho song in the end looked, or bash the writer for some really corny dialogue, or simply dismiss this film as a Bollywood 101 for westerners, what with all the elements of a quintessential Bollywood masala film in ample doses – themes…

Top 10 Hindi Films in 2008

noreply@blogspirit.com (Khwaahish-e-Parwaaz) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:48:00 +0530

As I start the new year with a reflection on the Hindi films I watched last year, the first thought that comes to my mind is that 2008 was not like 2007. What a dumb statement, this one? Is it possible at all for a year to be like another? But when I say that 2008 was 'different' as compared to 2007, I am referring to a very significant difference. I just didn't watch as many films as I did in the previous year. While in 2007 I had watched almost every major Hindi film that was released, I could catch very few in the theatres in 2008 (although I did clear a lot of my backlog by watching on DVD some of the films I had missed).

The other difference between the two years was in the overall quality of films released. In 2007, the overall quality of films was quite good. So good, that instead of the usual Top 10 list, I was forced to do a Top 20 (here and here). Not that we saw many masterpieces in 2007, but there was a large number of films that I enjoyed watching. The same cannot be said about the films released in 2008. I have really struggled to complete a list of 10 best films I watched during the year. Barring a few (2 to be precise), I've had issues with all the films that make it to my Top 10 list. They were flawed, no two ways about…