Nanda would have been 76 had she been alive today (8th Jan 2015). In an era which was populated with legends, Nanda is one of the lesser feted actresses – underrated and not much appreciated – which is a pity. She tends to be associated with weepy, tragedy-queen type of roles. Unfortunately, that was an era […]
As I was surfing looking for pictures of Mohd Rafi, I was struck by the fact that he is smiling in all the pictures. Not one, where that kind smile has not lit his face and sparkled through his eyes. There is something gentle and loveable about the man. Thirty four years after his death, […]
Literature translated into cinema has a special appeal. It is always fascinating to see how an author’s imagination gets re-created on screen and to see if one’s visualisation (as a reader) matches up with the actual visuals. In two of my posts last week, I listed songs from the 1962 Guru Dutt classic movie, Saheb Bibi Aur […]
I felt rather incomplete after my earlier post in the day. Yes, one list of 10 songs does not do her any justice. So another list it shall be – of ten of my favourite duets. 1) Kya Ho Jo Phir Din Rangeela Ho (1957, Nau Do Gyarah, SDB, Co-singer: Asha Bhosle) : Geeta Dutt sang […]
Geeta Dutt would have been 84 years old today. This post is a tribute to one of the most versatile singers in the Hindi film music scene. Born in Faridpur, now in Bangladesh, as one among ten children, Geeta Dutt (nee Roy) moved to Bombay with her family in 1942. There is a well-known story […]
Nov 5th marked the thirtieth death anniversary of one of the most impressive actors of the fifties and sixties, the regal, suave Rehman. His family traced its roots to King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan and two of his grand-nephews are actors in Pakistan. Born in 1921 in Lahore, Rehman grew up in Jabalpur. After his graduation […]
There was a delightful post in one of the blogs I follow (Conversations over Chai) which talks about songs that never got filmed or got deleted from the final movie. A song that falls into the same category of “never filmed/ deleted songs” is that rare Geeta Dutt solo from Paying Guest (1957) – Gaye Ghabra ke Mil […]
Two posts in a day? Not intended at all… but cannot help this one. A particular tweet on my Twitter timeline this evening is responsible for this. @BhopalHouse tweeted about a song on Coke Studio (Pakistan – Season 7) that reminded her of O.P.Nayyar’s music. Intrigued by the tweet, I heard the song. And yes, she was […]
I heard an old Manna Dey – Geeta Dutt bhajan from the film Devdas after a long time. It found a reference in Dustedoff’s impressive post on her top 10 songs featuring string instruments. As is the case, often memories are triggered – due to a word, a sound or a song. In this case it […]
One of the self-imposed rules of this blog, which I have just now recognised, is that – Thou shalt write a long post on at least one Sahir Ludhianvi song per week. This realisation came about as I heard an old favourite play on the radio a short while ago. I try not to listen to the […]
Ramble on and on...blah blah blah
From the Author of Abhaya
Great film music and great music directors
Find a book to delight a child.
From academic history to historical fiction virtual conference
A Brief History of the saree blouse and Indian fashion before 1960 with an occasional excursion after. All images are credited but if they are here by accident please do let me know and I will take it down. All posts also on vintageindianclothing.tumblr.com
by arunava sinha [arunava@gmail.com]
swalpa sihi, swalpa spicy
Songs, Stories, Books and more... 