Archive for the ‘Durga Khote solo song’ Category
Is veena ke taar niraaley
Posted on: November 1, 2023
This article is written by Arunkumar Deshmukh, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in other sites without the knowledge and consent of the web administrator of atulsongaday.me, then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
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Today’s song is from an old film of the early era-Pratibha-1937.
The film was made by Shalini Cinetone, a banner owned by the Maharaja of Kolhapur. It was directed by Baburao Painter, lyricist was Pt. Anand Kumar and the Music Director was Govindrao Tembe. The cast of the film was Durga Khote, Master Shyam, Heerabai Badodekar, Keshavrao Datey, Nanasaheb Phatak, Raja Paranjpe and others.
The film’s director Kala Maharshi Baburao Painter was the founder-owner of Maharashtra Film Company, Kolhapur. This was a premier film company which made several well known silent films. In 1929,, when a disgruntled group of his employees consisting of V.Shantaram, Keshavrao Dhaiber, Damle and others left the company to start their own outfit called ” Prabhat Film Company”, he was shocked and in 1930 he too left film making. However, on the insistence of the King of Kolhapur he directed 5 Marathi and 2 Hindi Talkie films, under the banner of Shalini Cinetone at Kolhapur. Today’s film Pratibha-1937 was made in Marathi and Hindi. It was based on a book ” हृदयाची श्रीमंती ” (The richness of Heart), written by a noted marathi author Narayan Hari Apte.
Initially films were made at several centres in India. Besides main cities like Bombay, Lahore and Calcutta, films were also made in other places like Kolhapur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Madras, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, Lucknow and some other cities. Out of all these Bombay had more advantages- especially Language. One could live in Bombay for 30 years and still not know Marathi. This was simply not possible in Calcutta or Madras. The regional cinema in Bengal and Madras fiercely competed with Hindi films here, sharing the only production centres in Southern and Eastern India. The result was, Hindi film production slowly diminished as Artistes made a beeline to Bombay. Not only Punjabi or the North Indian artistes, but even Bangla Directors (Nabendu Ghosh, Bimal Roy, Satyen Bose, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee etc),Music Directors and Singers( Pahadi Sanyal, K C Dey, S D Burman, Salil Chaudhari, Anil Biswas, Hemant Kumar, even R C Boral) and few actors(Abhi Bhattacharya, Mala Sinha, Talat Mehmood, Pradeep Kumar etc) shifted base to Bombay.
Bombay welcomed one and all from entire India, grew bigger and became the only Hindi cinema production Centre in India. It had markets in East, west, North and South. The number of Indian migrants to other countries was growing, and it made an Overseas market for Hindi films. Regional pride did not interfere, as it had other centres too in Kolhapur and Poona. Local Language was similar to Hindi/spoken Urdu, the social and commercial aspects were friendly and the cosmopolitan culture was conducive and adaptable to all.
No wonder, then, that Local artistes were in majority in the Bombay film world in early days. Heros like Master Vithal, Bhagwan, Nandrekar in the early era, Heroines like, Shanta Apte, Shanta Hublikar, Vanmala. Hansa Wadkar, Ratnaprabha, Snehprabha Pradhan, Nalini Tarkhad, Nalini Jaywant, Durga Khote, Leela Chitnis Lalita Pawar (Amboo) etc in the 40s, and Nutan, Usha Kiron later on and composers like C.Ramchandra, Sudhir Phadke, Snehal Bhatkar, N.Datta, K.Datta, Datta Davjekar etc were famous in Bombay film world.
In the early era of cinema, there were many Marathi heroines in films. Naturally so, because Bombay was the biggest film making centre and it was in Maharashtra. Out of these early Heroines,- Shanta Apte (1916-1964), Snehprabha Pradhan (1920-1930 ), Leela Chitnis ( 1912-2003), Durga Khote (1905-1991), Shobhana Samarth (1915-2000), Hansa Wadkar -Ratan Salgaonkar in real life (1924-1971) and Shanta Hublikar (1914-1992) had few things common.
They operated in films almost in the same period.
They were educated and hailed from upper castes.
They all were rebellious in nature.
They all had failed or no marriages.
They all worked in Marathi stage dramas and
They all ( except Shobhana Samarth) wrote Autobiographies in Marathi …. Shanta Apte- Jau mee Cinemaat ? means- shall I join films ? , Snehprabha Pradhan-Snehankita, Hansa Wadkar- Sangte Aika means- Listen to me (A Hindi film – Bhoomika-1977, with Smita Patil- was made based on this book ). I, Durga Khote by Durga Khote, Chanderi Duniyet by Leela Chitnis and Kashala Udyachi baat by Shanta Hublikar.
One of these actresses was Durga Khote, whose life story is very inspiring. A girl from a well to do family marries and after her husband dies, fights the circumstances, going against the existing society norms and becomes successful. Despite the major ups and downs in life she maintains her reputation of being an actress without a blemish or controversy in her professional career. She ends her life with a success story.
Durga Khote (14 January 1905 − 22 September 1991) was one of the foremost leading ladies of her times. She remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema, as well as theatre, for over 50 years, starring in 182 Hindi films and numerous theatre productions. In 2000, in a millennium issue, India Today named her among “100 People Who Shaped India”, noting: “Durga Khote marks the pioneering phase for women in Indian Cinema” as she was one of the first women from respectable families to enter the film industry, thus breaking a social taboo.
She also ranks among the top ten actresses in mother roles in Hindi cinema, most notable among them were as Jodhabai in K. Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam (1960); as Kaikeyi in Vijay Bhatt’s classic Bharat Milap (1942); her other memorable roles as mother were in Charnon Ki Dasi (1941); Mirza Ghalib; Bobby (1973) and Bidaai (1974). She has received the highest award in Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1983), for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.
Khote was born as Vitha Lad, to a family which hailed from Goa and spoke Konkani at home. Her father’s name was Pandurang Shamrao Lad and her mother’s name was Manjulabai. She grew up in a large joint family in Kandewadi. She was educated at Cathedral High School and St. Xavier’s College where she studied for B.A. While still a college-going teenager, she married into the Khote family and settled down with her husband. By the age of 26, Durga Khote was a widowed mother with two young sons; Bakul and Harin. She had to seek work in film to support her children. In doing so, she became a pioneer of sorts: She hailed from a traditional family and the film industry was regarded as the preserve of the base and the bawdy. Also, most of the female characters were played by men at the time.
Durga Khote debuted in a minor role in the obscure 1931 Talkie film Farebi Jaal or trapped, by M. Bhavnani. She had to sing 3 songs also in this film. Followed by Maya Machindra (1932) by Prabhat Film company.. She was soon promoted to play heroine in the 1932 double version (Hindi and Marathi) Ayodhyecha Raja, another Prabhat film, which was the first ever Marathi talkie, and proved to be a runaway hit, where she played the role of Rani Taramati. Indeed, she ventured yet another pioneering trend: Despite working closely with the Prabhat Film Company, she broke away from the “studio system” (exclusive contract with a studio to work in its films on a monthly salary) then in vogue and became one of the first “freelance” artistes of that era by working occasionally with the New Theatres, East India Film Co. (both at Calcutta), and Prakash Pictures.
In 1936, she played Saudamini in Amar Jyoti, which is one of her most memorable roles. The characters played by her were very much like her regal personality and she commanded a screen presence even in front of legendary actors like Chandra Mohan, Sohrab Modi and Prithviraj Kapoor. In 1937, she produced and directed a film titled Saathi ( Sawangadi in Marathi), making her one of the first women to step into this role in Indian cinema. The 40s opened for her in a big way, with award-winning performances in Aacharya Atre’s Payachi Dasi (Marathi) and Charnon Ki Dasi (Hindi) (1941) and Vijay Bhatt’s classic Bharat Milap (1942), both of which got her the BFJA Best Actress Award for two consecutive years.
Durga Khote remained active in the theatre circuit for many years, especially the Marathi theatre in Mumbai. She was actively associated with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and worked in several plays for the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh. In 1954, she famously performed the role of Lady Macbeth in V.V. Shirwadkar’s Marathi adaptations of Macbeth, as Rajmukut, (The Royal Crown), along with Nanasaheb Phatak.
Durga Khote played a wide variety of roles over a career that was not only long, but also untouched by scandal. She was the inspiration for several generations of Indian actresses, including veterans such as the late Shobhna Samarth, who frequently spoke of how she had been inspired by Khote’s example. During later years, she played several important character roles, such as the mother of the protagonist. Her portrayal of Jodhabai, the queen of Akbar torn between duty towards her husband and love towards her son in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was well received. In 1963, she acted in Merchant Ivory’s debut film The Householder (1963).
She went on to play other widely appreciated character roles in later movies, such as the role of the grandmother of the heroine in Bobby (1973), the hero’s aunt in Abhimaan (1973), and the very memorable Bidaai (1974), where she played a mother, a very sensitive role that can make one cry and received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Her final memorable role was in Subhash Ghai’s Karz (1980), where she played the role of the mother of Raj Kiran and later, mother to Rishi Kapoor, who played the role of Raj Kiran’s reincarnation after the screen death of Raj Kiran in the movie.
She acted in 182 Hindi films in her career. Her last film as an actress was Daulat ka Dushman-1983. She had also sung 32 songs in 13 films. Her last song was in the film Panna Dai-1945. By the 1980s she successfully diversified into production of short films, ad films and documentaries by setting up Fact Films and later, Durga Khote Productions, which produced the Doordarshan TV series Wagle Ki Duniya.
Durga Khote was married when she was a teenager to Vishwanath Khote, a gentleman of her own caste and similar social background, in a match arranged by their parents in the usual Indian manner. It was a traditional marriage into an orthodox family, the couple lived a harmonious and happy life, and the marriage was blessed with two sons. Vishwanath was a mechanical engineer who had graduated from Banaras Hindu University. His family was upper middle class and professional, with modern English education and high social standing; his ancestors had been prominent bankers.
Unfortunately, Vishwanath Khote died young, when Durga was barely into her 20s. She and her sons continued to reside with her in-laws, as is traditional in India, but she was not comfortable with her dependent position, especially because her father-in-law was no more, and they were dependent on other family members for their expenses. She thus felt impelled to make a living any which way she could, and the opening in films happened entirely by chance. The fact that she came from a modern and English-educated family meant that, even as a widow, she was able to act in films, which was derided as a disreputable profession in those days.
She thus raised her two sons, Bakul and Harin, single-handedly. Both of them went on to become well-settled in life. But she suffered the loss of her son Harin, who predeceased her and died in his 40s. Harin was married to Vijaya Jaywant, and they were the parents of two sons. After Harin’s early death, his widow married a Parsi man named Farrokh Mehta and became famous as the film-maker Vijaya Mehta.
Durga Khote’s grandchildren (children of Bakul and Harin) include her grandson Ravi, a filmmaker; granddaughter Anjali Khote, an actress; and grandson Deven Khote, a successful producer who is one of the co-founders of UTV, and who has also directed a film. Deven Khote is noted for producing films such as Jodhaa Akbar and Life in a Metro.
Durga Khote’s brother-in-law, Nandu Khote (brother of Vishwanath), was a noted stage and silent movie actor. Two of Nandu’s children also became actors in the film industry. His son Viju Khote (1941-2019) was an actor perhaps best known for his role of “Kalia” in Sholay (1975). Nandu’s daughter is the actress Shubha Khote, who debuted in Seema (1955) and worked as a heroine in several films before moving to character roles. Still later, she moved to directing and producing Marathi films and also entered television in the 90s. Shubha’s daughter, Bhavana Balsavar, is also an award-winning TV actress who appeared in sitcoms like Dekh Bhai Dekh and Zabaan Sambhalke before deciding to settle down and raise a family. Thus, the acting profession which was pioneered by Durga Khote in her family has been fully embraced by her late husband’s family.
Later in life, Durga Khote wrote an autobiography in Marathi, entitled -“Mee, Durga Khote”, which was translated into English as “I, Durga Khote”, and moved to Alibaug, near Mumbai. Durga Khote died in Mumbai on 22 September 1991. ( Thanks to her autobiography, wiki,muVyz and my notes.)
The story of this film was, in short, this……
Poet Prasad (Datey) lives far from the city in a forest, enjoying only the company of wife Pratibha (Khote). The court poet Kaveeshwar (Phatak) of the neighbouring kingdom learns about his poetry and beautiful wife and invites them to his palace, promising glory and fame. Against Pratibha’s advice, Prasad succumbs to the temptation, only to find that his poetry is plagiarized and his wife is harassed.
Today’s song is sung by Durga Khote. She was not a trained singer but had studio training by the respective Music Directors, as per the prevailing custom in that period.
Song-Iss veena ke taar niraale (Pratibha)(1937) Singer- Durga Khote, Lyricist- Pt. Anand Kumar, MD- Govindrao Tembe
Lyrics
Niraale
iss veena ke taar niraale
iss beena ke taar
sab vidhya vaani haarat hai
sab vidhya vaani haarat hai
inki dhun ??
iss veena ke taar niraale
iss veena ke taar
teree komal see unglee (?)
teree komal see
aa aa aa aa
teree komal see
aa aa aa aa
teree komal see
aa aa aa aa aa aa aa aa
teree komal see unglee (?) se
ae ae ae ae ae
teree komal see unglee se??
teree komar see unglee se ??
ae ae ae
teree komal see
teree komal see unglee se??
?? haaree
?? hari se
?? haaree
?? hari se
daya(?) karat hai
pyaare niraale
daya(?) karat hai
pyaare niraale
daya(?) karat hai
pyaare niraale
daya karat hai
pyaare niraale
is veenaa ke taar niraale
is veenaa ke taar
sab vidhya vaani haarat hai
inki dhun ?? taar
is veenaa ke taar
Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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