Musical Odyssey – D’Amel YESTERDAY’S PEOPLE / MOHAN NADKARNI Within the confines of near anonymity, members of the broadcasting organisation in India have produced some memorable work. D Ame’l could easily have become rich and famous on the concert circuit, yet the talented musician chose to pursue excellence at All India Radio. Mohan Nadkarni profiles the unassuming artiste who has just won the Sangeet...
Pioneer Singer – Composer Pankaj Mullick His music reflected a purposeful attempt to achieve a synthesis of tradition and experiment, of past achievement and future possibilities. A feature to mark the maestro’s death anniversary (February 18). By MOHAN NADKARNI The Illustrated Weekly of India February 22, 1981 KUNDAN LAL SAIGAL, Krishna Chandra Dey and Pankaj Kumar Mullick constituted the great trinity of New Theatres...
Another time, another song Should the Jana Mana have been anointed the national anthem, especially since the dispute about Tagore dictating it in praise of the king Emperor has never been settled? Would the Vande Mattram, with its vivid images, not have been a more sensible choice? The controversy continues Pandit V D Ambhaikar, who popularised Bankim Chandra Chatterji’s song during the struggle for...
Unsung genius Jaidev was the unsung genius of the film music firmament. Though only thirty odd films bear his coat of arms, the melody he produced is eternal. Mohan Nadkarni pays homage to the composer whose death last week truly leaves a vacuum in cine music. In the topsy-turvy world of Indian cinema, where the celebrities of yesterday are scoffed at as mediocrities today...
Magnificent Obsession: Naushad Ali Naushad Ali is one of the few masters the Hindi Film industry has produced. An innovative composer who pioneered the golden era of movie music. Creating in the process an oeuvre of magnificent tunes that continue to hold people spellbound wherever they are played. Deeply entrenched in our tradition and culture, Naushad had chosen to walk the lonely path of...
Khayyam, the durable composer who created the memorable score for films like Kabhi Kabhie and Umrao Jaan, has just won the celebrated Lata Mangeshkar Puraskar. A tribute. Money is the last consideration for me. I have given up films halfway, whenever there has been any kind of pressure on me from the film-makers. MOHAN NADKARNI The Illustrated Weekly of India, October 8, 1988 For...