k.l. sahgal
Birth: 11 April 1904
Birthplace: Jammu
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
Family: Three children Nina , Bina , Madan
Long before Shah Rukh Khan was born and when amitabh bacchan was still an infant, a colossus ruled the silver screen of India. Going by the name of Kundan Lal Sehgal, he created the grammar of film singing in the nascent Indian talkie era.He was India’s first legendary superstar whose aura and charisma still remains intact.. Such was the power andmystique 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.
Born on April 11, 1904 at Jammu in Kashmir.His father Amarchand Saigal was employed with Maharaja Pratap Singh.As a boy his mother used to take him to a Sufi-Pir Salman Yousuf of the Yesvi sect. Singing was his hobby. At the age of 13 Saigal realised that his voice was cracking. So shocked was the intense singer that he remained silent for many months. A worried family took Saigalsaab to a saint who advised him to practice and cultivate his voice. He did as advised by the saint singlemindedly for three years. Due to which, he was able to attain a difference in tone and texture of notes. He also learnt from some of the great masters of the period: Faiyaaz Khan, Pankaj Mullick and Pahari Sanyal.
At the age of twelve Saigalsaab gave a rendition of Meera Bahjan in the court of Pratap Singh`s court. The Maharaja was impressed and predicted that Saigal had a bright singing future. In Jalhandar, Saigal learnt to sing in Punjabi style. Surprisingly Saigalsaab did not undergo any formal training. The legend however wished to be Ustaad Faiyyaz Khan`s student over which Saigal received the compliment of his life.
His formal schooling was brief and uneventful.His father was violently against his singing and was disappointed with his poor results at school. He left home and came to Calcutta. Before choosing music and singing as his vocation, he worked as a time-keeper in the Punjab Railways. He was a salesman for short time, selling typewriters. In those days, his singing was largely confined to a friend-circle. One such private concert had among its audience a sales representative of the Hindustan Record Company Rai Chand Bhoral. He immediately recognized Saigal's talent and the sales potential of his records if he were to be signed up for recordings. Saigal was persuaded to make a lifetime contract with this company, and one of his early records - ‘Jhulana Jhulao’ in Raga Dev Gandhar - became an instant hit.
In 1932 Kundan Lal Saigal`s successful career commenced after he signed a contract of Rs. 200/- a month, with New Theatre to act and sing in films. Some of the films in his early days were Subah Ke Sitare, Zinda Laash and Mohabbat Ke Aason. Later on sang songs like Premnagar Mein Basoongi Ghar Main, Tadapat Beeti Din Rain and Prem Ki Ho Jai from the first feature film Chandidas in which Saigal was the lead actor. The songs catapulted Saigal to stardom.
Thereafter, Saigal never looked back. Films that followed included some of the all-time greats like Chandidas, Yahoodi Ki Ladki and Rooplekha.The real breakthrough came soon thereafter with Devdas in 1935 which established him as the first superstar of the Indian Cinema. It created history and continued to haunt film lovers for years to come.
A year after Chandidas in 1935 Devdas benchmarked the star-singers popularity like no other singer before or after. The story of a love-struck and doomed Devdas. The Hindi version in which Saigal starred had immortal arias like Balam Aaye Baso and Dukh Ke Ab Din. The version by Bimal Roy starring Dilip Kumar, Vaijayanti Mala, and Suchitra Sen flopped.
The range of Saigal’s recorded music is vast. Besides film songs, he has sung khayal, bandish, ghazals, geets, bhajans, hori and dadra in numerous Ragas. He sang in Hindi, Urdu, Pushto, Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil.The distinct voice of Saigal transcended Saigal the actor. K. L. Saigal could render light classical with utmost ease. Saigal normally sang in lower octaves, which was emulated by many but was unmatched. It was said that Saigal never recorded without drinking (he used to call a peg Kaali Paanch).
In December 1940, Saigal shifted to Bombay where he did more memorable films like Bhakta Surdas, Tansen,kurukshetra, Omar Khayyam, Tadbeer,shahjahan and parwana. The songs which took him to greater heights were: Diya Jalao Jagmag Jagmag, Rumjhum Rumjhum Chaal Tihari, Baag Laga Doon Sajani, Chah Barbaad Karegi, Ai Dil-e-beqarar Jhoom, Gham Diye Mustaqil, and the immortal Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya.
From 1932 to 1846 , the Hindi film world was called as K. L. Saigal musical era. According to composer, Naushad, for his last two films Parwana and Shahjahan, Saigal recorded his compositions without his Kaali Paanch (peg). Some believe that Saigalsaab had a premonition of his death and that is the reason why he quickly completed the shooting.
Saigal acted in 36 films of which 29 were in Hindi and seven in Bengali. He sang 150 film songs and 110 non-film songs and lent his voice to the creations of Ghalib, Zauk and others.
Saigal had one son, Madan and two daughters, Nina and Bina. None of his children are now alive, the younger daughter Bina Chopra expired in October 2001 in Delhi.
The legend passed away on January 18, 1947 at the age of just forty-two depriving music lovers of his celestial voice. Fifty years since his demise Saigal still lingers in the memories of music lovers as K. L. Saigal the immortal singer.
Lata mangeskar
Birth: September 28th , 1929
Birthplace: Indore
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
Latabai Mangeshkar was born on 28th September, 1929, at Sikh Mohalla, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Lata's father , Pt. Dinanath Mangeshkar was also an amateurastrologer, he christened his newly born daughter Hema, as per the date and time of her birth. He, however, would prefer to call her Hridiya. Later on, the family members began calling her Lata. The name stuck andthe eldest daugter of Dinanath and Shrimati permanently came to be known as Lata Mangeshkar.
Deenanath Mangeshkar a classical singer & stage actor, who came from Mangeshi in Goa was trained in thecolourful Punjabi school of Baba Mushelkar. He owned a drama troupe which made him pitch his tent in nearly every town - such as Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Miraj.
Lata's family was a wandering family. Lata's father was a singer and in the employ of a music-theatre outfit, Kirloskar Sangeet Mandali, that would move from place to place to stage its shows
Although, the family surname was Hardikar, it was Lata's father who adopted Lata's paternal ancestors belonged to the priestly caste of the Karhadi Brahmin, and many of them fought fiercely against the Portuguese colonizers to maintain the dignity and sanctity of their temples. |
Lata her sisters and a brother ( Meena, Asha, Usha & Hridaynath) did not receive a proper schooling However to compensate this shortcoming he gave his children music lessons early in life.As lata grew up ,the peals of girlish giggles (still a characteristic) were present when Lata was a playful tomboy studying music from her father Master Dinanath Mangeshkar.Dinanath told his wife that Lata is going to be a miracle since he knew a little about astrology though he died before she started singing.
Films in which young Lata acted:
- 1942 - Pahili Mangalagaur
- 1943 - Chimukla Sansaar
- 1943 - Maajhe Baal
- 1944 - Gajabhau
- 1945 - Badi Maa
- 1946 - Jeevan Yaatra
- 1946 - Subhadra
- 1948 - Mandir
- 1952 - Chattrapati Shivaji (only in one song sequence)
The nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, who has charmed her fans with over 50,000 songs she has sung as a playback singer in films, has no regrets that she never got married. Lata, whose voice quality retains the freshness and innocence of a 16-year-old girl, says that in a way it has been good that she did not get married. “Had I got married, I may have got divorced in a year or two. It has all been all for the good,” she says.
For Lata ,the Filmfare Awards for playback singing first started in the year 1958. In 1956, 'Rasik Balma'( Chori- Chori ) won the Best Song Filmfare Award, Lata refused to sing it live in protest of no Playback Singer category, which paved way in 1958 of this new category ( though Male & Female Awardswhere started later on).
From the year 1958 to 1966 no other female singer was able to get the filmfare award. Since she had won the popular Filmfare awards so many times & had always been accussed of monopolising the industry (along with sister Asha), after 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up FILMFAREawards in favour of fresh talent.
Filmfare Awards:
- 1958 - Aaja Re Pardesi [Madhumati]
- 1962 - Kahi Deep Jale Kahi Dil [Bees Saal Baad]
- 1965 - Tumhi Mere Mandir Tumhi Meri Pooja [Khandan]
- 1969 - Aap Mujhe Achhe Lagne Lage [Jeene Ki raah]
- 1993 : Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1993 : Filmfare felicitated by the Maharashra Government for completion of 50 years.
- 1994 : Filmfare Special Award (Didi Tera Devar Deewana - Hum Aapke Hain Kaun)
National Awards:
- 1972 - Parichay
- 1975 - Kora Kagaz
- 1990 - Lekin
Maharashtra State Award :
- 1966 - Sadhi Mansa
- 1967 - Jait Re Jait
Bengal Film Journalist's Association Award:
- 1964 - Woh Kaun Thi
- 1967 - Milan
- 1968 - Raja Aur Rank
- 1969 - Saraswati Chandra
- 1970 - Do Raaste
- 1971 - Tere Mere Sapne
- 1973 - Marjina Abdulla (Bengali)
- 1973 - Abhimaan
- 1975 - Kora Kagaz
- 1981 - Ek Duje Ke Liye
- 1985 - Ram Teri Ganga Maili
Other Awards:
- 1969 : Padam Bhushan
- 1974 : Guinness Book of World Records:for singing the maximum number Guinness book of World Records.
- 1980 : Was presented key of the city of Georgetown, Guyana, South America
- 1980 : Honorary Citizenship. The Republic of Suriname, South America
- 1985 : 9th June declared as Asia Day in honour of her arrival in Toronto, Canada
- 1987 : Honorary Citizenship of the U.S.A, Houston, Texas, U.S.A
- 1989 : Dada Saheb Phalke Award
- 1990 : Honorary Doctorate (Literature) By Pune University
- 1996 : Videocon Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1997 : Rajiv Gandhi Award.
- 1998 : Lux Zee Cine Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1999 : Padma Vibhushan
- 1999 : NTR Award
- 2000 : Lifetime Achievement Award by IIFA in London
- 2000 : Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar by the Chaturang Pratishthan
- 2001 : Bharat Ratna - The Nation's Highest Civilian Award
- 2001 : Noorjehan Award : First Reciepient
- 2001 : Maharashtra Ratna : First Reciepient
- 2002 : Asha Bhosle Award : First Reciepient
Geeta dutt
Birth: 1930
Birthplace: Faridpur , Bengal
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
'Blazing vividness she came and blazing vividness she went..' That sums up the life of Geeta Dutt, the songstress with the enchanting dulcet voice that defied convention.
Geeta Roy was born into a rich zamindar's family inFaridpur, East Bengal in the year 1930. In 1942 whenshe was just twelve her parents shifted to Mumbai.Here, Hanuman Prasad overheard Geeta singing in her Dadar apartment. He launched her in a chorus song in Bhakta Prahlad( 1946 ). She had two lines to sing but that was enough to change her destiny. S.D.Burman loved her voice and offered her a solo in Do Bhai.The music of that film clicked in a big way particularly 'Mera sundar sapna beet gaya.'a pathos ridden melody. She was only fifteen then. Disc scales of the song rocketed to new heights. 1947-1949 saw Geeta Roy rule as the number one playback singer in the Mumbai film industry as she moved from strength to strength. Unlike her contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, she had neither the heavily nasal voice nor the base in classical music. The only training she received was from Hirendranath Nandy back home.
Only two singers managed to survive the lata.onslaught in the 1950s. shamshad beghum and Geeta Roy. Though relegated to the second spot, Geeta managed to hold her own against Lata for more than a decade and she and Lata were the premier two female playback singers of the 1950s. At this time , Geeta ruled the roost. But her work up to now was mainly devotional (Jogan, for instance), and she was in danger of being slotted. But 1951 also saw the release of a film, baazi. Baazi with its fast, jazzy tracks changed that. ‘tadbeer se bigdi hui taqdeer'' became a rage and Geeta's image was never the same. Directed by first time director Guru Dutt, the film, a crime thriller was a trend setter of sorts, leading to a spate of urban crime films that Bollywood churned out in the 1950s. The jazzy musical score revealed a new facet to Geeta's singing. The sex appeal in her voice and the ease with which she went western was marvellous to behold. While every song in the film was a raging hit, one stood out for special appeal. From then on in the 1950s for a club dance or a seductive song, the first choice was Geeta.During the recording of the song she met the young director of the film, Guru Dutt. Thus blossomed a romance and an impulsive extrovert, Geeta married saturnine Guru Dutt on 26 May 1953 and had three children Tarun and Arun and a daughter Nina. Geeta went on to sing some of her best songs in her husband's films while continuing singing in various outside assignments as well. |
Around this time, novice composer O.P.Nayyar approached Geeta. Aasman bombed but she saw his potential and recommended him to Guru Dutt. With 'aar paar' the same year, both composer and singer scaled new heights with 'baabuji dheere chalna' and 'Yeh Lo Main Hari Piya'. Theirs was to be an eventful partnership yielding eighteen classic solos. Her sensuousness made her a favourite for rock and roll and seductive songs- 'Banki Adayen' from amanat, ''aye dil muje bata'' de from bhai bhai and of course Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo from Howrah Bridge.
She sang for most actresses of her time from Geeta Bali to Waheeda Rehman but it was the former on whom Geeta's voice fit perfectly. The Geeta-S.D. team was a legendary one, dishing out hit after hit. Films like Do Bhai, Baazi, Munimji,nau do gyarah and Sujata are just some examples.
By the late fifties, her marriage had run into rough weather and was on the rocks. Her life was fraught with personal problems and old faithfuls like O.P. and Burman were reluctant to work with her. Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam ('62) was an isolated success and her last film was Anubhav in '71.
Guru Dutt's liaison with Waheeda Rehman and Geeta's refusal to work in his pet project Gouri, along with his apparent refusal to let Geeta work on outside projects broke the marriage. To quieten things down Guru Dutt launched a film Gauri( 1957 ) with her in the lead. She was to be launched as a singing star and it was to be India's first film in cinemascope but the film was shelved after justa few days shooting. This was the time when one heard complaints from music directors about her not being easily available for either rehearsals or recordings. She neglected her riaz. And to make things worse both of them took to drinking heavily. Prior to their last attempt to reconcile, GuruDutt committed suicide on October 10, 1964.
And Geeta and he could never really get back together. It is said his death due to an overdose of sleeping tablets in his drink was an accident but the cause of death remains a mystery. Geeta was a broken woman, shattered by his death. She now had neither her singing or her husband. Lata's younger sister, Asha Bhonsle, had not only taken her place but had gone beyond her. Geeta suffered a nervous breakdown. When she recovered she found herself in a financial mess. She did try to resume singing again, cutting discs at Durga Puja and giving stage shows , even doing a Bengali film, Badhu Bharan ( 1967 ) as heroine! But her health kept failing as she drank herself to a point of no return. She died of cirrhosis of the liver on the 20th of July 1972 at the age of 41. But not before she showed she still had it in her were she given a mike to sing. The songs of Basu Bhattacharya's Anubhav ( 1971 ), 'Meri jaan mujhe jaan na kaho meri jaan', 'Koichupke se aake' and 'Mera dil jo mera hota' represent some of the finest work that Geeta Dutt ever did.
She sang everything from lullabies to folk tracks, exploring a gamut of emotions from subtle enticement to wistful longing. She reserved her best though for melancholic tracks like the incomparable ‘Waqt Ne Kiya’ and ‘Na Jao Saiyan’, Her strength lay in bringing out the 'bhava' or emotion of the song admirably. It was this that set her voice apart.
From 1947 to '63 she sang over 2,000 songs in various languages rendering most hits under the baton of S.D.Burman and O.P.Nayyar. She is, of course, best remembered for Guru Dutt films from Baazi to Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.
mukesh
Birthplace: Delhi
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
Mukesh Chandra Mathur was born in a small middle class family in Delhi. He was interested in acting and singing right from childhood and was a great fan and admirer of Kundan Lal Saigal. In spite of the fact that he only studied till the 10th grade (metric exam), he was able to obtain a good job as an assistant surveyor in the department of public works, where heworked for seven months.
In 1940, Mukesh had recorded secretly some non filmi songs in Delhi . Then, Mukesh was bitten by the Bombay bug like scores of other young people before and after him. He arrived in Bombay with the hope of becoming a movie star. He stayed with his relative the famous actor Motilal.
His debut as a singer came in the film 'Nirdosh'. The song was "dil hi bujha hua ho to...". Then in 1944 he followed with a duet with singer Kusum for the film 'Us paar'.
| The song was "Jara boli ri ho...". In 1945 he sang with Khursheed "Badariya baras gayi us paar..." for the film 'Murti'. By this time he had established a small place for himself in the hearts of his audience. In 1945, Anil Biswas asked him to record a song for the film 'Pehli Nazar'. The raag was darbari and the song "dil jalta hai to jalne de..." was a huge hit, popular to this day. Mukesh had arrived. By 1948, the streets of the sub continent were humming with his songs from Aag, Anokhi Ada, Mela, Veena and Vidya. |
In 1949, came another mile-stone in his life. In the studios of the great actor Prithviraj Kapoor there were two young musicians Shanker and Jaikishen. The young Raj Kapoor asked them to provide music for his own films. Shanker-Jaikishen asked Mukesh to sing for them and for ever afterwards, Mukesh would be Raj Kapoor's singing voice. Films like Aawara and Shree 420 spread the voice of Mukesh all the way to Russia where in the streets of Moscow you could hear people singing "aawara hoon..." and "mera joota hai japani...".
With Motilal's help, Mukesh got a role as an actor in the film Years later, he was to act again in Raj Kapoor’s Aah in 1953. However fate had other plans for him.He was best known for his singing talent.
It was under Naushad with Mela (1948) and particularly Andaaz (1949), that Mukesh finally discovered his own style. Andaaz (1949) was a major triumph for Mukesh. All his four solos were raging hits - Tu Kahe Agar, Jhoom Jhoom ke Naacho Aaj, Hum Aaj Kahin Dil Kho Baite, Toote na Dil Toote na. It is interesting to note that though Mukesh in later years was regarded as the voice of Raj Kapoor, in Andaaz, Mukesh's songs went on Dilip Kumar while Mohd. Rafi sang for Raj Kapoor.
The partnership with Raj Kapoor started with Aag (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 (1975). In its course was an endless list of hits. Among them are the evergreen songs of Awaara (1951), Shri 420 (1955), Parvarish (1958), Anadi (1959), Sangam (1964), Mera Naam Joker(1970).
However life was not always that easy and smooth. Following Awaara's success, Mukesh almost ruined himself when he sidelined his singing career to pursue acting - to try and make it as a singing star. Mashuqa (1953) withSuraiyaand Anuraag (1956) with Usha Kiron both sank at the box-office. (He also did a small role as a tangewala enacting his own song - Choti si Zindagani in Aah (1953))
Wizened by the ordeal, Mukesh returned to playback singing only to find that offers had dried up. The situation reached a point that his children Nitin and Ritu were turned out of school as they were unable to pay their fees.
It was finally with Yeh Mera Deewanapan Hai from Yahudi (1958), that Mukesh finally came back with a bang. Other hits that year like Madhumati, Parvarish and Phir Subah Hogi meant there was no turning back. Even S.D. Burman who had not utilized Mukesh's services for over a decade composed those two masterpieces for him - Chal ri Sajni from Bombay ka Babu (1960) and O Jaanewaale Ho Sake To Laut ke Aana from Bandini (1963).
Mukesh thereafter flourished right through the 1960s and mid 1970s with soulful hits like Main to Ek Khwab Hoon (Himalay ki God Mein (1965)), Jeena Yahaan Marna Yahaan (Mera Naam Joker), Maine Tere Liye hi Saat Rang ke Sanpne Chune (Anand (1970)), Main na Bhoolonga (Roti, Kapda Aur Makan (1974)) and of course Main Pal do Pal ka Shayar Hoon and Kabhi Kabhie (Kabhi Kabhie (1976)).
Mukesh worked with several music directors, lyricists, co-singers and was the on-screen voice for several actors - notably, Raj Kapoor and Manoj Kumar. Mukesh also acted in a few films like Mashooqa and Anurag, appeared in a cameo role as the kochavan in Aah, and composed the music for a handful of films which he produced.Among the other recent music directors for whom Mukesh sang a good number of his songs were Laxmikant Pyarelal, Kalyanji Anandji, Salil Choudhary, Usha Khanna, R.D. Burman, and S.D. Burman. Another music director to have used Mukesh’s voice well was Khaiyyam. The lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi, Khaiyyam’s music and Mukesh’s voice created magic in the film Kabhi Kabhie.
His last recorced song was Chanchal, Sheetal, Nirmal, Komal from Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978). He died on 27th August 1976, of a sudden heart attack in Detroit, while on a concert tour of the U.S.
mohammad rafi
Birthplace: Punjab (now in Pakistan)
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
Mohammad Rafi, one of the legends of the historical Hindi Film Industry still has his impact on the music lovers. His voice continues to haunt us even today. After all, he's left behind a rich legacy of songs sung by him over 35 years.
His voice was so versatile that it suited any mood ranging from the boisterous to the melancholic. In the 1960s Rafi sang for 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!
Rafi was born on December 24, 1924 in a small village in Punjab (now in Pakistan) near Amritsar and later shifted to Lahore when he was 14 years old. There he studied music under Khan Abdul Waheed Khan, Jeevanlal Matto and Ghulam Ali Khan. He recorded his first song in 1944 for a Punjabi film Gul Baloch with music director Shyam Sunder. Not many people know that had acted in couple of films, Laila Majnu (1945) and Jugnu (1947). Rafi made his mark with Tera Khilona Toota Balak in Anmol Ghari (1946). |
In the year 1944 Mohammad Rafi decided to move to Bombay where he was first given a break by Naushad in Pehle Aap (1944). Rafi's first big hit was in Jugnu (1947) where he sang the duet 'Yahaan Badla Wafaa ka Bewafaee ke Siva Kya Hai' with Noorjehan under Feroz Nizami.
His career took off with the all-time hit Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki from Dulari(1949). There was no looking back aftermath and Rafi ruled as the undisputed king of playback singing till the early 70s when Kishore Kumar took over. However it took Rafi much of the 50s to establish his superiority over rest of the competition. Kishore Kumar and to a lesser extent Mukesh and Talat Mehmood were preoccupied by their acting while Hemant Kumar saw a decline in his singing career by the end of the 1950s. Manna Dey never really got the breaks his talent deserved and from 1960-1970 Rafi was unchallenged at the top. In spite of his superstardom he remained humble and soft-spoken.
Although Rafi worked with different music directors, the one who recognised and exploited his immense talent was Naushad. His first song for Naushad was Hindustan ke hum hain Hindustan hai hamara in the film Pehle Aap. The duo worked together to give hits such as Baiju Bawra and Mere Mehboob, to name a few. Rafi’s other fruitful partnership was with S D Burman are Kagaz Ke Phool, Guide, Tere Ghar Ke Samne and Pyaasa. Rafi has sung some of the best songs for heroes under the influence of alcohol like 'Din Dhal Jaaye' in Guide (1965) and 'Choo Lenedo Nazuk Hothon ko' in Kajal (1965) without touching the alcohol himself! Aradhana (1969) turned out to be another great movie where Rafi sang for the baton of Naushad and S.D. Burman. great hit Aradhana (1969).
Rafi was displaced by Kishore Kumar in the early seventies but Rafi made a grand comeback with the Nasir Hussain musical Hum Kissi se Kum Nahin (1977) and Amar Akbar Anthony the same year even winning the National Award for Kya Hua Tera Vaadaa for the former.
His last song was Tu kahin aas paas hai dost for Laxmikant Pyarelal in the film Aas Paas. He passed away on July 31, 1980. His immortality is vouched for by the fact that even almost two decades after his death, his popularity remains intact.
| Awards: |
| Award | Song - Movie |
| Filmfare Awards 1977 | Kya Hua Tera Wada - Naya Daur |
| Filmfare Awards 1968 | Dil Ke Jharoke Mein Tujko Bithakar - Brahmachari |
| Filmfare Awards 1967 | Neele Gagan Ke - Humraaz |
| Filmfare Awards 1966 | Baharon Phool Barsaao - Suraj |
| Filmfare Awards 1964 | Chahunga Main Tujhe - Dosti |
| Filmfare Awards 1961 | Chasme Baddor - Sasuraal |
| Filmfare Awards 1960 | Chaudvin Ka Chand - Chaudvin Ka Chand |
hemant kumar
Birth: June 16, 1920
Birthplace: Varanasi
Profession: Playback Singer, Music Director, Composer, Bollywood.
With his deep but passionate voice and melodic sensibility, Hemant Kumar (born Hemanta Kumar Mukherjee) helped steer the evolution of post-World War II Indian music. Well-known for his interpretations of Rabindranath Tagore's songs, Kumar was equally influential as a composer. In addition to scoring more than 150 Bengali films and 50 Hindi films, Kumar wrote an estimated 2,000 songs.
Hemanta Mukherjee was born on the 16th of June 1920 in Varanasi. From an early age he had developed an everlasting bond with music. He started his singing career on the radio in the late 30s. His first recorded Bengali (non-film) album was in 1937. His first song as a singer in movies was in a Bengalifilm. ‘Nimai Sanyasi’ released in 1940.
Appearing on Indian radio for the first time in 1933,at the age of 13. Kumar recorded his debut disc, "Janite Jadi Go Tumi" b/w "Balo Go Balo More," six years later. Despite his obvious talent, Kumar gave little thought to a career in music. Instead, he enrolled in a four-year course at the Engineering Collegeof Jaduvpar Polytechnic and dreamed of becoming a writer. In 1937, Dash magazine published one of Kumar's stories. Six years later he cut his first gramophone disc for HMV. Recognition soon followed in the elite music circle of India. In 1940 he sang his first Hindi geet 'Kitna dukh bhulaya tumne'. But commercial success was yet to come. |
Hemant Kumar sang his first Hindi song for in 1944 for Music Director Amarnaath in the movie Iraada produced by Indrapuri Studios Calcutta. He sang two solos,’phir muhabbat ke pyaam aane lage’, and, ‘aaraam se jo raaten kaate.n vo ashq bahaanaa kyaa jaanen’ written by Aziiz Kaash- miirii, and a duet with Raadhaaraanii,’nit nit ke roothane vaale saajan, tum deep bano’.
The impact of Kumar's voice could not be denied, however. Although he was turned down by the Senola and Megaphone Record labels, he was signed by Columbia and introduced to their staff trainer, Sailesh Dattagupta. Although he had previously begun studying classical Hindustani music with Ustad Faiyaz Khan, his lessons ended prematurely with Khan's untimely death.
Commercial success was much slower. For several years, Kumar sought a way to break into film playback. His chance came when he was chosen to be the playback singer in the hit film Nimai Sonyas. In 1944, he composed the entire score for Heman Gupta's film, Abhijatri. He resumed his work for Gupta in 1951 with the film Anandamath. He subsequently relocated to Bombay and took a staff composer position with S. Mukherjee's Filmistan Studios. Although he attempted to break into film direction with his own Geetanjali productions, his best work was done for other directors.
One of the most popular Rabindrasangeet singers of his time, starting under the tutelage of Anadi Dastidar, initially singing mainly in the tradition of Pankaj Mullick. Changed his style in context of a brief but fruitful collaboration with Salil Chowdhury(1949-52)associated with the Indian People's Theatrical Association(IPTA). Debut as singer in Bengali film with Phani Burma's Nimai Sanyasi(1940) and in Hindi with Iraada(1944). Early compositions for Hemen Gupta (Bhuli naai, '42, Anandmath, Kashti). Established himself as a Bengal composer with Ajoy Kar's Jighansa. Although he went on to become one of the most popular Bengali composers, his main fame derives from playback singing for Uttam Kumar, his baritone becoming a key ingredient of the star's romantic dramas; e.g., classic hits like 'Jhor uthechhe' in Sudhir Mukherjee's Shapmochan; 'Nir chhoto khati nei' in Niren Lahiri's Indrani; 'Ei path jadi na shesh hoi' in Ajoy Kar's Saptapadi; etc. Often partnered Sandya Mukherjee, female playback usually for Suchitra Sen.
Beginning in 1948, Kumar worked with lyricist/composer Salil Chowdhury to develop a new kind of music, Kavya-geeti, translated as "ballad but not necessarily romantic." From the 50's onwards his voice incarnated Bengalimiddle-class romanticism, having an enduring influence on all male playback singers in that language since. Became a star singer in Hindi with 'Ye raat ye chaandni' in Guru Dutt's Jaal(1952) picturised on Dev Anand on the beach among the fishing nets. Collaborated extensively with Dutt, e.g. 'Jaane vo kaise log the' in Pyaasa and scored the hauntingly beautiful numbers of Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam. First hindi hit as composer is Nagin adapting a tune from Bijon Bhattacharya's play Jivan kanya for the sinous snake dance number Man dole a landmark in the introduction of electronics into Hindi film music. Composed extensive for Tarun Majumdar and the early Mrinal Sen, producing Sen's Neel Akasher Neechey. As producer he often worked with set designer turned director Biren Nag, showing a penchant for thrillers like Bees Saal Baad (adapted from The Hound of the Baskervilles) and Kohraa borrowed from Daphne du Maurier's(and Hitchcock's) Rebecca. Also produced Pinaki Mukherjee's Faraar, Tarun Majumdar's Rahgir and Asit Sen's Rajesh Khanna psychodrama Khamoshi.
He was introduced as a music director in Hindi films by director Hemen Gupta in the film Anand Math released by Filmistan in 1952, which had tunes for traditional songs, like ‘Jai jagdeesha hare’, the patriotic song ‘Vande maataram sujalam suphalam’ (Bankim Chandra Chatter-jee). The patriotic tunes continued in Jagriti (Old), with ‘De di hamen aazaadi binaa khad binaa dhaal’, (which was an adaptation of the Noorjehan-Naushad hit ‘Kya mil gaya bhagwan tumhein dil ko dukha ke’, and ‘Ham laae hain toofaan se kashti nikaal ke’ (Rafi) and ‘Aao bachchon tumhe dikhaaen jhaanki hindustaan ki’ (Pradeep).
As a music director, he made it big in Hindi films with his huge hit Nagin. This was the movie that introduced electronic synthesized music in films. As most people know, the famous ‘been’ music before the song ‘Tan dole mera man dole’ was synthesized and the credit for that goes to the music director’s assistants Kalyanji and Ravi. In Kohra, the song ‘Kahe bajaya tu ne paapi bansuriya’ by Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor too had such music.
For Lata, Hemant’s voice always reminded her of a sadhu/saint. It is probably this awe/reverence that reflects in her voice when she sang with Hemant. This was not just in the songs where Hemant was the Music Director, but also in most of their other duets, like, ‘Chandan ka palna resham ki Dori’ (Naushad), ‘Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag’ (C.Ramchandra), Lata has been the predominant female voice in Hemant’s films. The other female singers who have had their share of good songs with him were Geeta Dutt, ‘Na jaao saiyaan chudaake baiyaan’, Asha Bhosle, ‘Bhanvra bada nadaan hain’.
While Hemant sang most of his songs himself, he did leave some excellent compositions for some of his contemporary male singers. Rafi was used on and off is many of his movies Jagriti (Old), Miss Mary, Do Dil etc. For Talat Mahmood too, Hemant created some wonderful tunes in the movie Bahu. The Talat Mahmood -Geeta Dutt duets ‘Thandi hawaon mein tere hi baahon mein’, and ‘Dekho dekhoji balam aise birha ka gham mera nanha sa jiya tadpana na’ surely rank high in the list of the most popular songs of Talat Mahmood. He also gave Kishore Kumar the opportunity to sing the sensitive romantic duet with Sudha Malhotra ‘Aaj mujhe kuchh kahana hai’ penned by Sahir; Then with Gulzar, he again gave the opportunity to Kishore to sing evergreen songs like ‘Vo shaam kuch ajeeb thi ye shaam bhi ajeeb hai’ Khamoshi (Old).
He has worked with almost all the top lyricists of his time. Rajinder Krishan in Nagin, Kaifi Azmi in Kohra, Shakeel Badayuni in Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam,Shailendra in Chaand, Gulzar in Khamoshi, Majrooh Sultanpuri Ek Hi Raasta, Sahir Ludhianvi in Girl Friend and Pradeep in Jagriti. Strangely though some of these associations were limited to a single movie. But they were nevertheless memorable. Kaifi Azmi, who has had a better share of movies with Hemant, said that Hemant's tunes always did justice to his lyrics. A sentiment, which is probably shared by all the other lyricists too.
Hemant Kumar was as endearing in ‘Tum pukaar lo’ as he was in ‘Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan’, the pathos in ‘Ya dil ki suno duniya waalon’ was no less than the one seen in ‘Jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila.
However the gradual fade out of Hemant Kumar was reflected by some of his last few songs,like ‘ya dil ki suno duniya waalon’( Anupama) accurately describing the mood of Hemant at that time. He was last credited five or six years ago for the title song of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's tele-serial ‘Talaash’ starring Moushmi Chatterjee and Alok Nath. The song, sung by Suresh Wadkar, ‘Jeevan ek talaash hai’, had the same tune as ‘Tum pukaar lo’ from Khamoshi (Old).
| Awards And Honors: |
| Award | Song - Movie |
| Filmfare Award - 1955 | Film - Nagin |
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Birth: June 16, 1920
Birthplace: Varanasi
Profession: Playback Singer, Music Director, Composer, Bollywood.
With his deep but passionate voice and melodic sensibility, Hemant Kumar (born Hemanta Kumar Mukherjee) helped steer the evolution of post-World War II Indian music. Well-known for his interpretations of Rabindranath Tagore's songs, Kumar was equally influential as a composer. In addition to scoring more than 150 Bengali films and 50 Hindi films, Kumar wrote an estimated 2,000 songs.
Hemanta Mukherjee was born on the 16th of June 1920 in Varanasi. From an early age he had developed an everlasting bond with music. He started his singing career on the radio in the late 30s. His first recorded Bengali (non-film) album was in 1937. His first song as a singer in movies was in a Bengalifilm. ‘Nimai Sanyasi’ released in 1940.
Appearing on Indian radio for the first time in 1933,at the age of 13. Kumar recorded his debut disc, "Janite Jadi Go Tumi" b/w "Balo Go Balo More," six years later. Despite his obvious talent, Kumar gave little thought to a career in music. Instead, he enrolled in a four-year course at the Engineering College of Jaduvpar Polytechnic and dreamed of becoming a writer. In 1937, Dash magazine published one of Kumar's stories. Six years later he cut his first gramophone disc for HMV. Recognition soon followed in the elite music circle of India. In 1940 he sang his first Hindi geet 'Kitna dukh bhulaya tumne'. But commercial success was yet to come. |
Hemant Kumar sang his first Hindi song for in 1944 for Music Director Amarnaath in the movie Iraada produced by Indrapuri Studios Calcutta. He sang two solos,’phir muhabbat ke pyaam aane lage’, and, ‘aaraam se jo raaten kaate.n vo ashq bahaanaa kyaa jaanen’ written by Aziiz Kaash- miirii, and a duet with Raadhaaraanii,’nit nit ke roothane vaale saajan, tum deep bano’.
The impact of Kumar's voice could not be denied, however. Although he was turned down by the Senola and Megaphone Record labels, he was signed by Columbia and introduced to their staff trainer, Sailesh Dattagupta. Although he had previously begun studying classical Hindustani music with Ustad Faiyaz Khan, his lessons ended prematurely with Khan's untimely death.
Commercial success was much slower. For several years, Kumar sought a way to break into film playback. His chance came when he was chosen to be the playback singer in the hit film Nimai Sonyas. In 1944, he composed the entire score for Heman Gupta's film, Abhijatri. He resumed his work for Gupta in 1951 with the film Anandamath. He subsequently relocated to Bombay and took a staff composer position with S. Mukherjee's Filmistan Studios. Although he attempted to break into film direction with his own Geetanjali productions, his best work was done for other directors.
One of the most popular Rabindrasangeet singers of his time, starting under the tutelage of Anadi Dastidar, initially singing mainly in the tradition of Pankaj Mullick. Changed his style in context of a brief but fruitful collaboration with Salil Chowdhury(1949-52)associated with the Indian People's Theatrical Association(IPTA). Debut as singer in Bengali film with Phani Burma's Nimai Sanyasi(1940) and in Hindi with Iraada(1944). Early compositions for Hemen Gupta (Bhuli naai, '42, Anandmath, Kashti). Established himself as a Bengal composer with Ajoy Kar's Jighansa. Although he went on to become one of the most popular Bengali composers, his main fame derives from playback singing for Uttam Kumar, his baritone becoming a key ingredient of the star's romantic dramas; e.g., classic hits like 'Jhor uthechhe' in Sudhir Mukherjee's Shapmochan; 'Nir chhoto khati nei' in Niren Lahiri's Indrani; 'Ei path jadi na shesh hoi' in Ajoy Kar's Saptapadi; etc. Often partnered Sandya Mukherjee, female playback usually for Suchitra Sen.
Beginning in 1948, Kumar worked with lyricist/composer Salil Chowdhury to develop a new kind of music, Kavya-geeti, translated as "ballad but not necessarily romantic." From the 50's onwards his voice incarnated Bengalimiddle-class romanticism, having an enduring influence on all male playback singers in that language since. Became a star singer in Hindi with 'Ye raat ye chaandni' in Guru Dutt's Jaal(1952) picturised on Dev Anand on the beach among the fishing nets. Collaborated extensively with Dutt, e.g. 'Jaane vo kaise log the' in Pyaasa and scored the hauntingly beautiful numbers of Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam. First hindi hit as composer is Nagin adapting a tune from Bijon Bhattacharya's play Jivan kanya for the sinous snake dance number Man dole a landmark in the introduction of electronics into Hindi film music. Composed extensive for Tarun Majumdar and the early Mrinal Sen, producing Sen's Neel Akasher Neechey. As producer he often worked with set designer turned director Biren Nag, showing a penchant for thrillers like Bees Saal Baad (adapted from The Hound of the Baskervilles) and Kohraa borrowed from Daphne du Maurier's(and Hitchcock's) Rebecca. Also produced Pinaki Mukherjee's Faraar, Tarun Majumdar's Rahgir and Asit Sen's Rajesh Khanna psychodrama Khamoshi.
He was introduced as a music director in Hindi films by director Hemen Gupta in the film Anand Math released by Filmistan in 1952, which had tunes for traditional songs, like ‘Jai jagdeesha hare’, the patriotic song ‘Vande maataram sujalam suphalam’ (Bankim Chandra Chatter-jee). The patriotic tunes continued in Jagriti (Old), with ‘De di hamen aazaadi binaa khad binaa dhaal’, (which was an adaptation of the Noorjehan-Naushad hit ‘Kya mil gaya bhagwan tumhein dil ko dukha ke’, and ‘Ham laae hain toofaan se kashti nikaal ke’ (Rafi) and ‘Aao bachchon tumhe dikhaaen jhaanki hindustaan ki’ (Pradeep).
As a music director, he made it big in Hindi films with his huge hit Nagin. This was the movie that introduced electronic synthesized music in films. As most people know, the famous ‘been’ music before the song ‘Tan dole mera man dole’ was synthesized and the credit for that goes to the music director’s assistants Kalyanji and Ravi. In Kohra, the song ‘Kahe bajaya tu ne paapi bansuriya’ by Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor too had such music.
For Lata, Hemant’s voice always reminded her of a sadhu/saint. It is probably this awe/reverence that reflects in her voice when she sang with Hemant. This was not just in the songs where Hemant was the Music Director, but also in most of their other duets, like, ‘Chandan ka palna resham ki Dori’ (Naushad), ‘Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag’ (C.Ramchandra), Lata has been the predominant female voice in Hemant’s films. The other female singers who have had their share of good songs with him were Geeta Dutt, ‘Na jaao saiyaan chudaake baiyaan’, Asha Bhosle, ‘Bhanvra bada nadaan hain’.
While Hemant sang most of his songs himself, he did leave some excellent compositions for some of his contemporary male singers. Rafi was used on and off is many of his movies Jagriti (Old), Miss Mary, Do Dil etc. For Talat Mahmood too, Hemant created some wonderful tunes in the movie Bahu. The Talat Mahmood -Geeta Dutt duets ‘Thandi hawaon mein tere hi baahon mein’, and ‘Dekho dekhoji balam aise birha ka gham mera nanha sa jiya tadpana na’ surely rank high in the list of the most popular songs of Talat Mahmood. He also gave Kishore Kumar the opportunity to sing the sensitive romantic duet with Sudha Malhotra ‘Aaj mujhe kuchh kahana hai’ penned by Sahir; Then with Gulzar, he again gave the opportunity to Kishore to sing evergreen songs like ‘Vo shaam kuch ajeeb thi ye shaam bhi ajeeb hai’ Khamoshi (Old).
He has worked with almost all the top lyricists of his time. Rajinder Krishan in Nagin, Kaifi Azmi in Kohra, Shakeel Badayuni in Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam,Shailendra in Chaand, Gulzar in Khamoshi, Majrooh Sultanpuri Ek Hi Raasta, Sahir Ludhianvi in Girl Friend and Pradeep in Jagriti. Strangely though some of these associations were limited to a single movie. But they were nevertheless memorable. Kaifi Azmi, who has had a better share of movies with Hemant, said that Hemant's tunes always did justice to his lyrics. A sentiment, which is probably shared by all the other lyricists too.
Hemant Kumar was as endearing in ‘Tum pukaar lo’ as he was in ‘Ye raat ye chandni phir kahan’, the pathos in ‘Ya dil ki suno duniya waalon’ was no less than the one seen in ‘Jaane wo kaise log the jinke pyaar ko pyaar mila.
However the gradual fade out of Hemant Kumar was reflected by some of his last few songs,like ‘ya dil ki suno duniya waalon’( Anupama) accurately describing the mood of Hemant at that time. He was last credited five or six years ago for the title song of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's tele-serial ‘Talaash’ starring Moushmi Chatterjee and Alok Nath. The song, sung by Suresh Wadkar, ‘Jeevan ek talaash hai’, had the same tune as ‘Tum pukaar lo’ from Khamoshi (Old).
| Awards And Honors: |
| Award | Song - Movie |
| Filmfare Award - 1955 | Film - Nagin |
kishor kumar
Birthplace: Khandwa
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
Kishore Kumar's was the second golden male voice that the film industry produced. , the first being that of Kundan Lal Sehgal. Besides being a singer, Kishore was a talented actor and comedian who stood out for his performances. He made his mark as an accomplished film and music director. The traditional concept of a comedian has always been one of lowly stature, that of a sidekick. It was Kishore Kumar who successfully became Hindi cinema's comic hero whose popularity relied primarily on his comic talents. Add to that his phenomenal acting talent and amazing singing voice and you have a performer who bordered on the genius. And like most geniuses he was notoriously eccentric!
At the age of 18, he came to Bombay where elder brother Ashok Kumar was a major star. He got his first opportunity as a singer in Bombay Talkies Ziddi (1948) where he sang the song Marne ki Duayen Kyon Mangu for Dev Anand. Being an ardent admirer of K.L. Saigal, the song was sung in the style of the legend. But in spite of Ziddi's success, Kishore found few offers forthcoming and did the odd singing assignment with bit roles making a rather tepid acting debut as hero in the forgettable Andolen (1951). At the age of 18, he came to Bombay where elder brother Ashok Kumar was a major star. He got his first opportunity as a singer in Bombay Talkies Ziddi (1948) where he sang the song Marne ki Duayen Kyon Mangu for Dev Anand. Being an ardent admirer of K.L. Saigal, the song was sung in the style of the legend. But in spite of Ziddi's success, Kishore found few offers forthcoming and did the odd singing assignment with bit roles making a rather tepid acting debut as hero in the forgettable Andolen (1951). After his marriage to Ruma Devi resulted in a split in the family, Kishore approached S.D. Burman who had given him an opportunity in Pyar (1950) where interestingly he had sung for Raj Kapoor. Burmanda gave him the song Qusoor Aapka in Bahar (1951) which became a hit. As he got more singing assignments, he also began being offered leading roles in films. Kishore was initially taken quite lightly as a singer and was given mainly lighter songs by Burmanda and other music directors. But with the soulful Dukhi Man Mere from Funtoosh (1956), Kishore was now taken seriously as a singer. Though he was formally untrained, he assimilated jazz-scat fragmented musical notes into a rhythmic sequence and once its beat was established, departed from the pattern and combined notes and words/ syllables into new kinds of musical harmony. |
He was born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly in Khandwa. As a child, he had been mischievous and loved playing pranks on everyone around him. His penchant for effortless comedy perhaps, came from his early days of pranks and mimicry. And there were directors like Kalidas (Half Ticket) and Satyen Bose (Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi) and actor-director Keshto Mukherjee (co-star inPadosan) who realised this potential and cashed in on his unusual brand of humour with stupendous success.
Kishore reached his peak as an actor with the zany comedy Chalti ka Naam Gaadi (1958) which starred all the three Ganguly brothers and Madhubala. Kishore and Madhubala matched each other step for step in this comic caper with Burmanda composing such lighthearted ditties as Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka and Paanch Rupaiya Barah Anna. After Kishore's marriage to Ruma Devi disintegrated, he married Madhubala. The two starred in Jhumroo (1961), which Kishore produced and directed. He also composed the music of the film. The riotous Half Ticket (1962) with the two of them saw Kishore at his madcap best impersonating a 12 year old! For all his eccentricity, Kishore married some of the most beautiful women in India. First Ruma Guha-Thakurta (the mother of his singer son Amit Kumar), then the beautiful Madhubala (whom he literally nursed for years till her death), Yogita Bali (niece of the great Geeta Bali) and finally Leena Chandavarkar. There are any number of Kishore Kumar tales to be heard in Mumbai. The best is how when he was shooting for a Satyen Bose film in Mahableshwar, he was supposed to come out of a bungalow, get into a car and go past the gate. After a couple of retakes, Kishore got into the car and drove past straight to Bombay while the entire unit waited for him to return. Night fell, but there was no sign of the man. To make matters worse, the car belonged to the producer. He was a miser, screamed that the taxmen took away all his earnings. And considerable earnings they were too: he charged Rs 15,000 per song. He charged one rupee less than Lata Mangeshkar to show his respect for her and her seniority. And he talked of going back to Khandwa to become a farmer. He shunned people, never smoke or drank and had no friends. Once when a lady gossip writer asked him who his friends were, he took her to his backyard and introduced her to half-a-dozen trees. There they are, he said, Janardhan, Raghunandan, Gangadhar, Jagannath, Budhuram and Jhatpatjhatpat-jhatpat! The lady wrote that he was mad. Door Gagan ki Chaon Main (1964) further confirmed Kishore's acting talent as he scored heavily in a rather serious film. But the 60s also saw Kishore fall from grace as beset by tax problems he was reduced to doing B-films with the likes of Kum Kum. He had the odd singing assignment for Dev Anand in Guide(1965) and Jewel Thief (1967) but that was all. The turning point came withAradhana (1969).Though Burmanda used Kishore as what he called his second service, his songs for Rajesh Khanna - Mere Sapnon ki Rani and Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera proved super duper hits ahead of the Mohd. Rafisongs for the same film. It was a second coming and there was no turning back. Kishore formed a solid hit pairing with Rajesh Khanna and in the early 70s the duo churned out hit after hit. He overtook all competition and was the undisputed number one male playback singer of Hindi films, his voice pulsing with verve and exuberance. As his fame grew so did stories of his eccentricities. He put up a board outside his house saying 'THIS IS A LUNATIC ASYLUM.' He reportedly spoke to his trees in his backyard addressing eachMby a special name. He zipped through a marriage with Yogita Bali which lasted just about a month and then married his fourth wife Leena Chandavarkar who was two years older than his son, Amit! Kishore remained at the top till the very end succumbing to a major heart attack in 1987. The singer left for Mumbai when he was 18 years old but never failed to tell people that he hailed from Khandwa. But his wish to spend the twilight of his life here was never fulfilled. He succumbed to a heart attack in Mumbai on October 13, 1987. His body was subsequently brought to Khandwa. It was placed in the room where he was born.
| Awards And Honors : |
| Award | Song - Movie |
| Filmfare Award - 1985 | Saagar kinare - Saagar |
| Filmfare Award - 1984 | Manzilen apni jageh - Sharabi |
| Filmfare Award - 1983 | Agar Tum Na Hote - Agar Tum Na Hote |
| Filmfare Award - 1982 | Pag Ghungroo - Namak Halal |
| Filmfare Award - 1980 | Hazar rahen - Thodisi Bewafayi |
| Filmfare Award - 1978 | Khaaike Paan Banaaras Wala - Don |
| Filmfare Award - 1975 | Dil ayesa kisi ne mera toda - Amanush |
| Filmfare Award - 1969 | Roop tera mastana - Aradhana |
AAsha bhonsle
Birth: September 8th 1933
Birthplace: Goar , Maharashtra
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood.
At 60-plus she still dares to challenge the youngsters onthe scene, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurty, Sadhana Sargam in evocative songs 'Yai Re, Yai Re...' and 'Tanha Tanha...' both from Rangeela or 'Rang De...' from Takshak. She teams with Adnam Sami and 'Ghulam Ali' with the equal ease for private albums of Songs or ghazal.
Asha Bhosle has been a name to contend with in the Hindi film industry since the last four decades, considering that she had to grow up in the shadow ofher sister, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha has indeed done very well for herself.Initially she had to face the inevitable – unfair comparisons with her more popular sister. But she did not let that affect her. Perseverance paid off, as she overtook tough contenders, including Geeta Dutt.
Asha Bhonsle, one of the Mangeshkar sisters was born on 8th September, 1933 to the renowed Maharashtrian parent, actor and singer Dinanath Mangeshkar in a small hamlet called 'Goar' in Maharastra. Like her older sisterLata Mangeshkar Asha also initially did a small stint as a child artist. But being trained in classical music by her father Dinanath Mangeshkar it was more natural she too turn to playback singing like Lata did.
In April 1942 her father Dinath Mangeshkar died, causing upheaval in the family which moved from Pune to Kolhapur and in turn to Bombay. Around the age of ten she apparently sang her first film song in the Marathi film Majha Bal. Asha like her other sisters and brother was introduced to music at a very tender age. Asha remembers her birthplace as she says " I still remember my childhood days in sangli, because of me Lata didi use to bunk the school, I cannot forget sangli as it's my birth place ".
In a world so much in awe of elder sister Lata Mangeshkar, s he had to work that much harder. Time has not touched her voice, she can please pop lovers with rap and remix. At the same time, she has the ability to match the tunes of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Playful love songs or lusty cabaret numbers, soulful ghazals or funky pop, Bhosle's trod everywhere, with aplomb. From the early rock 'n' roll Eena meena deeka, to the seductive Burman number Piya tu ab to aaja in Caravan, to the unforgettable ghazals of Umrao Jaan.To a large degree, her success can be attributed to her versatility. She has successfully sung in many different voices and in many different styles.
Asha made her playback debut in 1948 with the film Chunariya. But it took a long, long time for Asha to make it to the top. in the 1950s Asha sang more songs than any other playback singer but the bulk of these were in small films with no distinction.That was the time of Lata Mangeshkar , Shamshad Begumand Geeta Dutt.
1957 was her breakthrough year when O.P. Nayyar used her to sing the heroine's songs in Tumsa Nahin Dekha and Naya Daur. The same year S.D. Burman had his rift with Lata. Also Geeta Dutt’s troubled marriage did not make her easily available . Consequently S.D. Burman chose to groom Asha along with O.P. Nayyar rather than wait for Geeta. The following year Asha made it right to the top with hit songs in films like Howrah Bridge (1958),Chalti ka Naam Ghadi (1958) and Lajwanti (1958). Asha got involved with O.P. Nayyar and thereafter she remained his premier singer till their break-up in the 1970s.
The 1960s saw Asha at her best as she belted out her best songs particularly under O.P. Nayyar's baton - Aankhon se Jo Utri hai Dil Mein from Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon(1964), Jayiye Aap Kahaan Jayenge from Mere Sanam (1965) and Woh Haseen Dard De Do from Humsaaya (1968) to name but a few.
The 1970s also brought her close with R.D. Burman who gave her a new hip and happening sound altogether. Piya Tu Ab To Aajaa (Caravan (1971)), Dum Maro Dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971)), offered fresh and stimulating challenges to her voice. Jaane Jaa from Jawaani Diwaani (1972) had her switching from the higher scales to the absolute lower ones within the song with ease!
1980’s brought a lucky and prosperous year for Asha as she rocked the show with evergreen ghazals like Dil Cheez Kya Hai, In Aankhon ki Masti, Yeh Kaisi Jagah hai Doston, Justaju Jiski Ki (Umrao Jaan,1981) , a few of the finest singing.Ijaazat (1987) saw her in top form winning a National Award for Mera Kuch Samaan, a most difficult song to sing as the lyrics were more in prose form rather than standard rhythmic verse.
Asha Bhosle has since sung in virtually every Indian language, in Russian and Malay, has sung Rabindra Sangeet (the songs of Bengali poet Tagore), has sung with the bhangra groupAlaap , the Indian rap act Baba Sehgal and Boy George, the former lead vocalist of the British pop group Cassette compilations and recyclings of her work are numerous.
In the 1990s Asha has even further widened her horizon by succesfully coming out with albums in Indipop giving the albums a western touch and beating the Indian pop artists on their own turf. Though she has cut down on her singing now she still makes an Urmila Matonder or Aishwarya Rai sizzle inRangeela (1994) or Taal (1999).
Today her vocals are in better, more supple, sensuous and inviting shape then ever before. If we listen to her singing R.D. Burman’s Teri meri yaari badi purani, right before going on to Sandeep Chowta’s Kambakht ishq, we notice no perceptible difference in the rendition of the two tracks, even though they are separated by 30 years.
  When R.D. Burman arrived, Asha married him. The great composer gave his wife some unforgettable numbers including Chura liya hai tumnein and Mera samaan lauta do. How can one forget Asha in Teesri Manzil and Yaadon Ki Baarat? In Umrao Jaan, Asha sang for Rekha playing a courtesan and created some evergreen numbers.
Her favourite singers include her father Master Dinanath Mangeshkar ,sister Lata Mangeshkar , Mohammad Rafi , Manna Dey , Kishore Kumar,Mukeshji, Hemant Da, Noorjehan,Mehdi Hasan and Gulam Ali.
yeshudaas
Birth: Jan 10 , 1940
Birthplace: Cochin
Profession: Playback Singer, Bollywood
Family: Wife Prabha and children
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas was born on January 10, 1940, in Fort Cochin, the ancient port city of Kerala to father Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth. His father himself was a well-known singer and stage actor who rode the Kerala stage like a colossus for over a quarter of a century.Eldest of the four sons and one daughter of the Joseph couple, Yesudas took to music at a very early age. His first guru was his beloved father, who lovingly and painstakingly led little Yesudas through the basic precepts of Carnatic music while he was hardly five years old.
At the St Sebastian's High School, Pallurthi, Cochin, Yesudas was the top singer for several consecutive years. In 1957, he stood first at the state-level school youth festival in Carnatic vocal singing. In 1958, he was the recipient of a gold medal for vocal singing at the 'All Kerala Catholic Youth Festival' at Ernakulam.
After school, Yesudas joined R L V Music Academy, Thirupanithura, near Cochin, for the Ganabhooshanam course.He was scoffed at for being a Christian and attempting to learn Carnatic music,which he completed with a double promotion and distinction in 1960.He was almost thrown out of the RLV Music Academy for defaulting the monthly fees and when he was found not upto the mark by the All India Radio, Trivandrum, he did not lose heart. It failed to deter the singer in Yesudas from his passion and love for music. The young singer then joined the Sree Swatithirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum, for higher studies.
The budding singer took lessons under several musical wizards in and around Cochin and nurtured his native talent with discipline, dedication and determination.He learnt music from Kunjuvelan Aasan, who was a disciple of nagaswara vidwan Rajaratnam Pillai. Then came Joseph, Ramakutti Bhagavathar and Sivarama Nayar. Then he got received training under Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.
Yesudas got his first break in 'Kaalpadugal', a Malayalam movie, on November 14, 1961. The first song was with the verse written by Sri Narayana Guru. The lyrics were very meaningful: "This is a model place where all the people live like brothers and sisters, unaffected by the difference of caste and the enmities of religion." Besides Malayalam, he sang in all other South Indian languages. In 1976, he started singing for Hindi movies, and films in other North Indian languages. Today he is the only Indian musician to have recorded songs in all Indian languages except Kashmiri and Assamiya.
As a singer, Yesudas, has become a legend in his own lifetime. Yesudas got his first recognition at the tender age of nine; he won a gold medal for music, at a local competition in Cochin. Yesudas, son of the noted stage actor-singer of yesteryears, Augustine Joseph,fulfilled his dream of being a singer, when divine intervention made it possible for Yesudas to get his first break in the film 'Kalpaddukal' in 1961.
Endowed with a "divine" voice and a penchant for hard work, it was a triumphant journey for him, becoming one of the most recorded artists ever. After recording over 40,000 songs and winning scores of accolades including the coveted Padmashree honor and seven national awards for the best playback singer, he is till enchanting music lovers the world over. Yesudas is the recipient of thirty-four State Awards. Sixteen from Kerala, eight from Tamil Nadu, Five from Karnataka, Four from Andhra Pradesh and one from Bengal. India has bestowed upon him the highest honors including the PadmaBhushan, the Padmashree, Sangeetha Raja, Sangeetha Chakravarthy, and Sangeetha Sagara for his invaluable contributions to Indian music and national integration.
Till the date he has recorded over 40,000 songs in different languages and won scores of accolades including the coveted Padmashree honour and seven national awards for the best playback singer and many more awards . In spite of all his success in popular music, he enjoys classical Karnatik music more than any other. He is one of the few singers in the world who sings in the classical idiom as well as he does in the popular.
Yesudas, has assumed the role of cultural ambassador of India during his numerable performances abroad, promoting both Carnatic and film music. He is largely responsible for popularizing Indian music and spreading the message of international fellowship, for which Mother Theresa of Calcutta rightfully honored him with the National Citizens Award on World Peace Day, 1994. On November 14, 1999, Yesudas was presented an honorary award by UNESCO for "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" at the event named "Music for Peace", a concert to mark the dawn of the new millennium.
Yesudas performed the title track from his new album, "Ahimsa", accompanied by the extraordinary Pakistani group Junoon. The synergy created by Yesudas and Junoon, aimed at peace, was an inspiration to all those present, which included renowned artists like Lionel Ritchie, Ray Charles, Montzerra Caballe and Zubin Mehta conducting the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. The legendary actors Gregory Peck, Sydney Poiter, and Peter Ustinov were the masters of ceremony. Dignitaries from around the world, including the heads of the European union and the ambassadors from 170 countries attended this global event. They gave Yesudas's performance a standing ovation.
His humility, perseverance and devotion to music are an inspiration to all the young aspiring musicians, who wish to follow in his footsteps. Yesudas's life's philosophy has been that expounded by Sri. Narayana Guru of "One Religion, One Caste of all Humans". Yesudas continues to mesmerize us with his ageless, magical voice.
Awards And Honors:
- Padmashree award ( 1973 ).
- Kerala state awards - 16 times.
- Tamil Nadu state awards - 8 times.
- Karnataka state awards - 5 times.
- Andra Pradesh state awards - 5 times.
- Bengal state awards - 1 time.
| Filmfare Awards |
| Award | Movie |
| National Award 1972 | Achanum bapaiyum - Manushayn mathangale ( Malayalam ) |
| National Award 1973 | Gaayathri - Padmatheerthame unaru ( Malayalam ) |
| National Award 1976 | Chitchore - Gori tera gaumabada ( Hindi ) |
| National Award 1982 | Mega Sandhesham - Aagasha desana ( Telugu ) |
| National Award 1987 | Unnigale Oru Kadha Parayam - Unnigale Oru Kadha Parayan ( Malayalam ) |
| National Award 1991 | Bharatham - Rama kadha gana layam ( Malayalam ) |
| National Award 1992 | Sopanam - Sopanam Title Song ( Malayalam ) |
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