And The Music Lives On
Writer: Manek Premchand
Writer: Norton Press, India, October 2024
ISBN (Paperback): 979-8-89588-290-0
Value (Amazon): ₹539 (Paperback); ₹269 (Kindle Version)
Pages: 417
Manek Premchand is a widely known identify to SOY readers as a author of many books on outdated movie music. I’ve reviewed his a number of books on this discussion board. When he despatched me his newest ebook contemporary from the mint, I used to be fairly eager to undergo it. On my final evaluate of RD Burman’s biography by Anirudh Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal, a reader was initially stunned to see evaluate of an outdated ebook. Here’s a new ebook for many of the readers.
The ebook is a compendium of 75 brief articles written by the writer for varied publications prior to now, up to date to present data. Every article’s unique date of publication and the journal’s identify is given – most of them have been printed in DNA, Jaipur. Since these articles have been meant for common studying, they’re fairly accessible, attention-grabbing, and written in a lucid language. The titles of the articles are enticing, you’re drawn to look into them. Chances are you’ll guess an article’s content material and you could discover it acquainted, however, it’s fairly informative, and even for the educated there’s attention-grabbing data and connections you could not have considered. For instance, Maan Gaye, Munshiji. Even if you happen to guess this is likely to be about Munshi Premchand and you’re acquainted with his writings, movies and songs, would you have the ability to consider the cosmic connection between Premchand and Rafi? Speaking about Pipra ke patwa sareekhe dole manwa ki jiyara mein uthat hilore, Manekji factors out Rafi handed away on 31 July 1980 precisely 100 years after the author was born on 31 July 1880. (And Manek Premchandji, is there a cosmic connection between you and the legendary author, Premchand?)
It’s apparent, Musically Merchandising could be about songs of road distributors in our movies, however you get to know the distinction between ‘busking’ and ‘merchandising’. Merchandising songs are fairly widespread, and Manekji has listed a number of them, however none of ‘busking’. ‘Busking’ songs are much less widespread – I consider Patanga’s (1949) Duniya ko pyaare phool aur sitaare is a pure ‘busking’ music. SOY readers are extra mathematically oriented and so they can consider a continuum the place a scenario/music could also be some proportion of ‘busking’ and a few of ‘merchandising’. I’d put Raj Kapoor’s act of promoting dant manjan manufactured from Pissa hua koyla and Chaupati ki khalis ret in Shree 420 (1955) as some mixture of busking and merchandising.
The remainder of the articles are in the identical vein – some fairly novel and informative; some commonplace. However even the ‘commonplace’ articles have attention-grabbing titles and their introduction has attention-grabbing particulars and historical past of the topic. On this class I’d place: Would You Like Some Tea Your Majesty (about ‘chai’ songs), Triangle of a Completely different Type (about ‘love triangle’ in our movies), Let’s Tighten the Booze Noose (about prohibition, ills of ingesting and ‘sharabi’ songs), The Unhurried Flautist (about Hariprasad Chaurasia and the movie songs wherein he performed the flute), Mera Naam Hai Shabnam (about Bindu), Door Hai Kinara (about seashore, kinara songs), Conceived Immaculately? (about atmospheric/ surrogate songs). Some have vanilla titles, similar to Ameen Sayani – Voice Extraordinaire!, Shyam – A Star Forgotten, RIP Qawwali?, Engagements with Shama, Daan Singh, Garam Dharam’s Musical Sizzlers, Knowledge In Swimwear, Joyful New 12 months Ensemble and so on. You understand the topic and the contents broadly, however you’d get pleasure from Manekji’s model of writing. There may be one other article with Ameen Sayani’s clarion name – Behno aur Bhaiyo! However its about Raksha Bandhan and raakhi songs.
Amongst very novel articles that give some attention-grabbing perception and historical past recognized solely to consultants of the topic and widely-read individuals is The Irony of an Iron Constructing. Lumiere Brothers’ first movies which have been a collection of transferring photographs on display screen was proven in Bombay within the then well-known Watson’s Esplanade Resort which was proven to a paying viewers. An Indian businessman Jamshedji Tata, the founding father of the Tata Group, was denied entry to the ‘whites solely’ resort. Feeling insulted, he constructed his personal resort a couple of minutes away from the Watson Resort, now the long-lasting The Taj Mahal Resort on the waterfront reverse the Gateway of India. Within the Nineteen Twenties Watson ceased to be a resort, having been offered to a brand new get together who additionally renamed it Mahendra Mansion. Within the later years the oldest cast-iron constructing of India was in critical structural disrepair with its items crumbling. There is no such thing as a signal wherever that India’s movie historical past began right here. Then again 26/11 earned the Taj Mahal Resort renewed respect for the valour and dedication to the service and dedication of its employees, 11 of whom misplaced their lives in attempting to defend their visitors and bringing them to security. At the moment it finds point out among the many greatest motels of the world.
One other informative article is The FRS Issue, FRS standing for Well-known Recording Studio situated in Mumbai’s Tardeo space. Belonging to Seksaria household, they’d acquired the Bombay Talkies after Himanshu Rai’s loss of life in 1940, the Well-known Cine Laboratory fell of their lap as a result of a courtroom ruling; they subsequently went on to amass Fashionable Studio at Andheri. Now the movies could possibly be shot at one place, the songs could possibly be recorded on the recording studio close by. The movie then could be dropped at the Cine Lab the place sound could be synchronised, the movie could be processed, edited and so on. The constructive would thus grow to be the grasp print from which lots of of prints could be made for exhibition within the cinema halls throughout the nation. The significance of FRS lies in the truth that the songs of lots of of movies and hundreds of all-time nice songs have been recorded right here. From 1955 to 1984, out of 964 songs featured in Ameen Sayani’s Geetmala, 459 have been recorded at FRS. This text whereas speaking concerning the bodily facility, additionally talks about its technicians and the sound recordist Minoo Kartak who additionally performed a serious position in creating songs like Aa ab laut chalein (Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai, 1960) involving large orchestra and dozes of refrain singers a lot bigger than the bodily facility might accommodate. The final article As soon as Bitten, Twice Shy lists numerous artistes who have been related solely as soon as with some side of movie making – directed just one movie, lyricists who wrote only one music, singers who sang only one, appeared solely as soon as on the display screen and so on. Ataullah Khan, recognized extra famously as for the daddy of Madhubala, directed only one movie Pathan (1962), which has a novel distinction. The movie used 9 lyricists for 7 songs.
Music being a matter of subjective selection you could differ with the writer on some lists and a few assertions. In Elevate Kara De, the writer tries to select one music from every decade which vitalise our spirits. Is such an inventory doable to make? Even when I take it because the writer’s selection and agree along with his greatest music for the Nineteen Thirties, Duniya rang rangeeli baba (Dhartimata, 1938), sung by Pankaj Mullick (playbacking for KC Dey), Uma Shashi and KL Saigal, I used to be sceptical about Manekji’s assertion that it was the primary trio music in Hindi movies. Whereas randomly looking the Hindi Movie Geet Kosh, I got here throughout a music, Rani, Aao sunaun man nagri ki tumko ek kahani from the 1937 movie, Toofani Toli (Gyan Dutt). This songs is out there on the YouTube. Hindi Filmdom’s Doubtful Distinction Songs talks about songs that caught out as a dud from superhit musical movies. Thus, that is converse of “Hans Akela”, the visitor article by Mr Rahul Bhagwanrao Muli printed on 1st January 2021. However many could also be stunned by the writer’s choice of the least fashionable songs, similar to Hum haal-e-dil sunayenge kahiye ki na kahiye (Madhumati, 1958, Mubarak Begum), Haaye re haaye, ye mere haath mein tera haath (Kashmir Ki Kali, 1964, Asha Bhosle, Rafi), Tohe saanwariya, naahi khabarya (Milan, 1967, Lata Mangeshkar), Mera naam hai Shabnam (Kati Patang, 1970, Asha Bhosle and RD Burman). In Daan Singh, many could be stunned that the writer fails to say the quintessential Mukesh music, Gham-e-dil kisse kahun koi bhi ghamkhwar nahin from the unreleased movie, Bhool Na Jana, although he does point out different fashionable songs of Mukesh, composed by Daan Singh.
The ebook is a superb bedside studying, filled with songs, trivia and new data – you could or might not agree fully with the writer, however that’s within the very nature of the subject material of the ebook.
