Posts Tagged ‘Ashok Kumar’
Though the concept of playback singing was introduced in 1930s itself, but actors continued to sing their own songs till late 1940s. It was only in 1950s that the concept of singing actors finally gave way and playback singing finally became the norm.
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Radha Radha pyaari Radha
Posted on: July 2, 2011
I have discussed songs from a 1959 movie called “Kangan”. It turns out that there was another movie of the same name that was released exactly two decades before this movie. This older movie, viz “Kangan” (1939) had Ashok Kumar and Leela Chitnis in lead roles.
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Saaf karo insaaf karo
Posted on: July 1, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir,a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a regular contributor to this blog.
Vasant Desai had a fairly long stint of thirty plus years in the film industry, and yet his total assignments as a music director are less than fifty. It is said that he did not take up or did not get many assignments because of his style. His style is deeply rooted in the classical and folk traditions, and he maintained that style throughout his career. In the 60s and 70s, his assignments are few and far between, and yet, with each outing as a composer, he has left an indelible mark.
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Naao chali naani ki naao chali
Posted on: June 27, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie songs and a regular contributor to this blog.
As a child, I have been a very dedicated listener to the Hindi film songs on All India Radio and Radio Ceylon. Besides the song, another program that I never missed was the weekly program for children on Sundays, “Bacchon Ke Liye”, broadcast at 9 am. This hour long program was a most fascinating trip to many worlds. The program was hosted by the well known radio announcer Madhu Chanda (later also worked on Doordarshan), and a gentleman whose name I cannot recall now. The program consisted of information, entertainment, games (e.g. antaakshari competition, but not of filmi songs; it was on current Hindi poetry). We had stories, short plays, memoirs of great men and women from Indian history, programs on new adventures in science and exploration, programs on values and behavior. For all the years that I followed it on the radio, one thing that this program never was – it was never boring.
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Lehron se poochh lo
Posted on: June 19, 2011
I keep discovering rare musical gems on a regular basis. Look what I have discovered just now !
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Rail gaadi rail gaadi
Posted on: June 11, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir,a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie songs and a regular contributor to this blog.
Ashok Kumar has been the doyen of the male actors of the Hindi film world, with a career that started in the 1930s and lasted to the early 2000s. The one thing that was the most remarkable about him was his presence on the screen, and the fact that he could make the viewers feel that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. There are many actors who are natural, whose performance just blends into the situation without any kinks. One can think of Sanjeev Kumar, Guru Dutt, Geeta Bali, and many more. Their performance always seems so effortless as they work through their roles on the screen. But with Ashok Kumar, there is this added element of having fun, and even conveying to the audience that he is simply enjoying doing the role.
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I have already discussed as amany as eight songs from “Afsaanaa” (1951) but it turns out that I am not yet done with the songs of this movie.
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Ek thhaa bachpan
Posted on: April 12, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir,a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie songs and a regular contributor to this blog.
There are many songs in the movies that are for the children, and many of them are sung by children. Then there is another set of songs wherein bachpan (childhood) is being bid a goodbye and there is a welcome to youth, of the ilk “Ja Ja Ja Mere Bachpan, Kahin Jaa Ke Chhup Nadaan” from movie ‘Junglee’.
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Jeewan se lambe hain bandhu
Posted on: April 10, 2011
This article is written by Sudhir, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie songs and a regular contributor of articles to this blog.
The super Manna Dey song from Aashirwaad, 1968. Lyrics are by Gulzar and music is by Vasant Desai.
The lyrics of this song are just superb, very characteristic Gulzar poetry, use of very simple words, communicating a very profound ideas. The lines “saans ki dori chhoti pad gayee, lambi aas dagariyaa” is such a warm and touching thought, said so simply.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
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