Proaudience - I shall admire you, my audience!Hindi Cinema

Hindi Movie Songs About Life (Zindagi)

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:48:40 +0000

This is 4th of August, 2010 – Kishoreda’s 81st birth anniversary! Time to be reflective, joyous and sentimental! And since I’ve not been able to write and publish about other stalwarts from Hindi cinema music in the recent months, I shall dedicate this particular day to all past playback greats by compiling a list of Hindi movie songs about life (Zindagi). This shall be a work in progress and open to more additions later. So here we go again…Aaj kee shaam, Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi tathaa sabhee anya diggajon ke naam!

Bachchan Has Thumbed Down Modi Haters

Outspoken Gujarati — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:44:58 +0000

The world admires Amitabh Bachchan for many a things apart from his movies; the blend of his diplomacy being one among that virtuous list. He has had a sizable fan-following despite his fallen off box-office value post 1990, and they belong to all faiths, classes, languages, political idioms and nationalities. And while keeping this diverse fan-following content with his diplomatic grandeur, he has also had many face offs with the media about his public conduct. Much has been reported about his thriving relationships with as contrasting public figures as Amar Singh and Mulayam Singh on one hand, and Bal Thackeray on the other.

The pseudo-secularist focus of targeting anyone that may be trying to approve Modi’s governance has started to shift towards Bachchan as well now, after the latter’s open endorsement of his administrative caliber. Some of his own fans have been hurt badly due to his alliance with Modi. Bachchan has taken the usual diplomatic route to counter this situation. But, it gives enough scope for both the anti and pro-Modi posters to start shooting off their mouths and keep his blog moderators overtly busy. I couldn’t stop myself either from posting the following comment, which I shall share with my fellow Modi supporters now.

Haven’t been to your blog for a while, but I knew the Modi affair would not allow you settle down in the near future. And the reasons of it are amply clear. Modi evokes two contrasting emotions in India. Those who wish to see India as a strong and blooming country, to get rid of its “ifs and buts”, to get rid of its inefficiencies, strongly support Modi. While those willing to milk India’s corrupt and sluggish nature and wish the status quo being maintained, would always strongly oppose Modi. Because “Modi means the right change in the right direction” in a simple sentence.

How ironic, that those unwilling to debate communalism in its entirety accuse Modi of the same crime they have committed for generations now! They start debating the 2002 events from Feb 28, the day riots broke out and not from Feb 27, because if started a day earlier, they may have to explain the dynamics of the Muslim communalism that was the cause behind the Godhra train carnage and its political patronage from the so-called mainstream secular outfits.

In my teenage-hood days in the 80s, when the BJP in Ahmedabad used to be confined to a two square kilometer area only, and the Congress used to call shots allover Gujarat, Hindus had no peace in those days either. There was a family of seven Hindus burnt alive in a Muslim strong hold. Agitated Hindus responded by torching up six Muslims in yet another area. Mumbai’s top cop Julio Ribeiro had to be called in, but he couldn’t control the repeated stabbings by Muslim goons for weeks on. He then threatened to bring in tanks if the violence did not subside quickly.

The ruling Congress was known to support the city’s Muslim mafia in those days, who were additionally, part of Dawood’s extended network. A goon named Alamzeb was known to pay 20K rupees to any Muslim stabbing and killing any Hindu. Somebody killed their fellow Muslim and the money had to be paid to the victim’s family, Muslims used to openly brag of such flawed heroics in those days.

On his own part, P Chidambaram, who was part of Rajiv Gandhi’s ministry and once happened to visit Ahmedabad with Gandhi during another similar strife, had openly accused the Muslims of having supported the Muslim underworld and harmed the city’s peace in that course. A bootlegger called Abdul Latif had been elected from five Muslim dominated AMC wards in those days, while carrying out his jail term. He was latter photographed shooting dead a PSI during another riot, but always evaded arrest due to his “secular” contacts in Gujarat Congress. He was finally gunned down by Shankar Sinh Vaghela’s cops in the 90s in yet another fake encounter, but nobody, not even the media questioned it with the Congress being Vaghela’s alliance partner.

Those residing in Gujarat have known why things finally boiled up after the brazen carnage in Godhra. Both the sides were blood-thirsty demons that targeted only innocents, but they both were and not just the post-Godhra rioters. Let there be no doubt, that the things would not have been any different without Modi. The Gujarat electorate understands this simple truth without any tinge of doubt and hence has voted back Modi as their CM twice. He is widely known to be an incorruptible, workaholic and impartial administrator throughout Gujarat. Those trying to pick up only the negative half of the 2002 story are finally getting exposed with more and more people acknowledging Modi’s true caliber outside Gujarat.

(The author, a North Indian and who as a first time voter had voted for Rajiv Gandhi in the late 80s, was brought up in Ahmedabad since 1972 and knows a great deal of Gujarat’s transformation from a Congress stronghold in the 1980s to a BJP bastion in the new millennium.)

Madan Mohan Songs By Others

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:46:47 +0000

And here is a list of Madan Mohan songs by several singers, including some duets by Lata Tai. Also, click here to go to the official Madan Mohan website to surf more about him.

Ab Agar Hum Se (Rafi-Lata)
Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan (Rafi)
Aye Dil Mujhe Bata De (Geeta Dutt)
Baad Muddat Ke Ye Ghadi (Rafi)
Barbad E Mohabbat (Rafi)
Bhor Aayi Gaya Andhera (Manna Dey and others)
Chirag Dil Ka Jalao (Rafi)
Dil Dhoodhta Hai (Bhupinder)
Ek Haseen Sham Ko (Rafi)
Han Yeh Mana Meri Jaan (Rafi-Balbir)
Har Koi Chahta Hai Ek Mutthi Aasman (Kishore)
Har Taraf Ab Yehi (Manna Dey)
Hindustan Ki Kasam (Rafi, Manna Dey & Chorus)
Hoke Majboor Mujhe (Bhupinder, Manna Dey, Mohd Rafi, Talat Mahmood)
Hoke Mayus Tere Dar Se (Ambar Kumar, Mohd Rafi, Shankar Shambhu)
Hum Chal Rahe The (Mukesh)
Hum Se Aaya Na Gaya (Talat)
Is Reshmi Paazeb (Lata-Rafi)
Kaun Aaya Mere Man Ke Dware (Manna Dey)
Likh Kar Tera (Lata-Rafi)
Mai Ri Main Kase Kahoon (Lata & ??)
Mera Naam Abdul Rehman (Kishore-Lata)
Mere Ishq Mein (Asha)
Phir Wohi Sham Wohi Gham (Talat)
Pyar Kabhi Kam (Kishore-Lata)
Saba Se Yeh Kah Do (Asha)
Seekhlo Seekhlo (Kishore-Asha-Usha Mangeshkar)
Shokh Nazar Ki Bijiliyan (Asha)
Tere Dar Pe Aaya Hoon (Rafi)
Tere Kooche Mein (Rafi)
Teri Aankh Ke Ansoon (Talat)
Teri Aankhon Ke Siva (Rafi)
Teri Nigahon Mein (Talat-Asha)
Tum Bin Jeevan (Manna Dey)
Tum Chal Rahe Ho Hum (Lata-Mukesh)
Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho (Rafi)
Yeh Deewane Ki Zid Hai (Rafi)
Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil (Rafi)
Zameen Se Hamen Aasman Par (Rafi-Asha)
Zaroorat Hai Zaroorat Hai (Kishore)
Jhumka Gira Re (Asha)

Madan Mohan Songs By Lata Mangeshkar

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:08:43 +0000

One of my priorities before I started blogging in Oct 2007 was to list all popular Kishore Kumar songs in my blog. Soon I deviated into Rafi, Lata, Asha and Mukesh genres as well. However, the endless hours spent on researching these song tracks has also made me appreciate composers and lyricists, and inspired to blog about them as well.

While trying to compile Lata Mangeshkar song lists, I came to know about the contribution Madan Mohan played in a large number of them. There is something special about their mutual effort. Madan Mohan, who basically wanted to act in Hindi movies, and who strangely had no Filmfare awards to showcase by the time he bid adieu to this world, enjoyed a great fusion of minds in Lata Tai. Pick any song by the duo, even the least played ones, and you might immediately be swayed by its enchanting romance, moods of dejection and refinement. Both had a great expertise in highlighting the female protagonist of the Hindi movies through Ghazals.

Gujarati Movie Songs And Videos

admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:10:35 +0000

I was looking for Gujarati folk and movie songs and Bhajans on youtube and came up with the following list. This also includes three songs by Kishoreda that I was so keen to have listed in my weblog.

Gujarati Folk And Movie Songs

Ke Odhani Odhu Odhu Ne

Maro Sona No Ghadulo Re

Hoo Amdavad No Rickshaa Walo – Kishore Kumar

Chalto Rehjey – Kishore Kumar

Mumbai nee Kamaani – Kishore Kumar

Kon Halave Limbdi

Pardesi Maniyaro

Gujarati Folk Music And Bhajans

Pankhida O Pankhida

Raakh Na Ramakada

Patay Raja No Garbo

Check out chamundamaa for more such videos.

Ek Taro Series

Check out abrat1313 for more such videos.

And here is a list of Bhajans from dharmaraksha on youtube.

Click this to watch some interesting clips on Praful Dave.

Mohammed Rafi Songs And Videos

admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:09:30 +0000

I googled for Mohammed Rafi songs and videos and came up with the following list of youtube profilese on his 85th birth anniversary. Will keep adding more to it in future, as they come along my way. For now, check these profiles to watch/ listen to their uploads. No better tribute to Rafi Saab than listening to his numbers and rejoicing at golden era Hindi music.

The Indian Cult Movie, Sholay (1)

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:51:04 +0000

This is first in a series of articles about Sholay, to be published here.

If you have watched Indian movies for long enough, you must have noticed the amount of belief Indian producers do have in fate. They roll out movies without any ground work, yet hope for gala box-office returns at the same time. They believe in targeting the jackpot blindfolded. Their ideas can be described at best as ill-conceived, scripts poorly written and their movie-making shoddy in nature.

What they normally seem to follow is, formula movie-making, where they have the liberty (rather compulsion) of adding as many emotional and dramatic twists in stories as they might wish to (stories that are stale as hell, anyway) and stuff in violent reprisals and half nude song items. There is no reason why such movies should be appreciated at the box-office. An industry that has not been successful in producing anything close to the Sholay cult since 1975, should seriously examine its reasons and try improving its craft.

Sholay Was No Accident

Contrary to what most Indian movie makers might seem to believe, Sholay was no one-time accident. Each scene, each action, each character, each song, the background music score, camera work and the flow and continuity of the whole movie spoke of dedicated efforts. It spoke of the time, energy and planning gone into making that epic. It also brought out some of the best performances seen in Indian movies ever, that of movie production, script writing, movie direction, music composition and the actors, a whole lot of them at their prime and in their best elements.

So, what made RGV (Ram Gopal Verma) think he could produce anything akin to Sholay? He is among the top Bollywood directors today, no doubt, but he also recently admitted how much speedily he makes those movies. How can he then think of producing a masterpiece like Sholay in four months (symbolic expression, am not considering the actual time taken for RGV’s AAG)? How can a movie-wallahs that loves announcing his next two movies beforehand, while still working on his ongoing project could think of reproducing Sholay? I never saw “Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag”, but had known its fate from the day it was announced.

I should stop now, and be back with more on this subject in the near future. Will try making a series of posts about Sholay in the next round.

PS – Btw, examine the interest taken by non-Indians in Sholay here.

Pritish Nandy’s Take On Kishore Kumar

admin — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:48:56 +0000

Kishore Kumar, the only Genius I ever knew – Pritish Nandy

I thought this article, written by Pritish Nandy, who has seen Kishore Kumar from close quarters during the latter’s last years, needed to be showcased here. If you enjoyed reading the other article (rather interview) by Nandy I’d linked in my blog earlier, i.e. Hilarious Kishoreda Interview, you should also be reading this one. The earlier one was penned by Nandy in the mid-80s, while starting his journalistic career. In this one, he remembers the undiminishing Kishore Kumar in 2009, and how familiar it all sounds, with KK’s trademark humor and the unparalleled genius had had underlying throughout this story.

Besides, read this one by Lata Mangeshkar as well:

Kishoreda, please let me sing: Lata

Btw, I was saddened for the first time learning Kishoreda’s desire to sing for a pan-world audience, which I believe he thoroughly deserved since his “Main Hoon Zumroo” yodeling, and unfortunately remained unfulfilled. I’ve argued for long, the music lovers outside India have missed listening not only to him, but also several other greats from Hindi music from the 50s onwards. This was the reason I was not fully appreciative about the recent Oscars to Gulzar and Rehman, even though they fully deserved it. Yes, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)…(hmm…how shortened a name!)….has to follow norms before giving Oscars, but equally stark should also be the facts that not only the above duo did not deserve to be the first Indian composure and lyricist to be there – there is a long list of DAADUs from the 50s onwards that can easily fill that bill – nor they were awarded for their best works – they have done far better things previously.

Should stop this whining for now though, and let you read Nandy’s article on KK.

Should We Call This Kishoreda’s Best Period?

admin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:37:09 +0000

While conceding, most Kishore Kumar fans will find all his songs priceless without any doubt, one still wonders, if KK sang better than himself ever at some point of his own career? Was he more at ease, more in Mastee, more romantic, more sentimental and more transcending ever for his listeners compared to his other times?

While making it amply clear, the following is a personal opinion and carries no academic study as such to back it up, I’d be tempted in believing, Kishore Kumar sang his best from circa 1970 to 1979, more so during the mid-70s, i.e. 72-78. There is something special about his songs from these years – the depth, intensity and flare of his voice, and the intensity of emotions and the romance he sang would often leave you ecstatic. His voice blended well with all kinds of recording methods and instruments being used in those days. He could more easily and more often transcend you, take you into an out-of-world experience through his amazing artistry. He often seemed deviating from the rehearsed compositions only to come back more exciting, overwhelming and pleasing to one’s music sense.

Did events of his life help him sing better during this period? Was he living on a different plateau during this era? He lived single from 1969 to 1976, after Madhubala’s passing away. His marital life with Yogita Bali, which he later called “a joke” in an interview, lasted just for two years from 1976 to 1978. Could it be that he was living a detached and burden-free life in emotional sense? Men often climb up their intellectual and creative summits in around their 40s. This may start from the mid-late 30s until they managed to carry on with their jobs (this may not apply to all cases, though). You can notice most greats giving their best renditions from the late 30s onwards. Bachchan was at his usual best from his mid 30s to mid-40s. Dharampaji’s prime acts, including Sholay, came during his mid-late 30s and the subsequent years. Shahrukh Khan has given some of his most successful movies in the same age-group. Even Rafi and Mukesh seemed to have evolved more after their late 30s. I’ve found their last numbers more audible compared to their earlier works.

Kishoreda’s Best Period (Random videos. No Order Of Songs, Moods And Years Selected)

Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai

Waada Tera Waada

Haal Kya Hai Dilon Kaa

O Mere Dil Ke Chain

Yeh Lal Rang

Chingari Koee Bhadke

Kitne Atal The Tere Irade

Tum Bhi Chalo

Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka

Khilte Hain Gul Yahan

Dil Kya Kare

Aapke Kamrey Mein Koee

Yaadon Ki Barat

Sama Hai Suhana Suhana

Tera Mujhse Hai Pahle Ka

Waada Karo

Jai Jai Shiv Shankar

Tere Chehre Mein Vo Jaadoo

Ek Main Aur Ek Tu

Pyar Kar Liya To Kya

Tere Chehre Se

Chanda O Chanda

Koi Haseena Jab Rooth

Rote Huye Aate Hain Sab

Jiska Mujhe Tha Intezar

Leena O Leena

O Padosan Ki Ladki

Naach Meri Jaan

Priye Praneshwari

Peene Walon Ko

Mukesh Hindi Movie Songs (K-Z)

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 19:46:30 +0000