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 … More My favourite songs of Nanda
30th December, 2014 marks the 27th death anniversary of the unfairly under-rated and lesser known composer, Datta Naik, also credited as N. Dutta. (The above pic has him at the harmonium in a rehearsal with Rafi.) Datta Naik was born in a small village, Oroba, in the then Portuguese colony of Goa in 1930. At … More Remembering N. Dutta (Datta Naik)
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, … More A Tribute to Mohd Rafi – Part 2
Today (24th December 2014) will mark the 90th birth anniversary of one of Hindi cinema’s finest singers and my personal favourite, Mohd Rafi. When I planned to make a list of my favourite Rafi numbers as a tribute, it struck me that I would just not be able to come up with a list of 10 … More A Tribute to Mohd Rafi – Part 1
Most people associate a song with the actor or the actress on whom it is picturised. And if one is a bit more interested then perhaps they can identify the singer and music director. The person behind the words is by and large forgotten. Even though, the lyrics are what help us connect to a song. … More My favourite Shailendra songs
There are some movies that can be watched again and again – not necessarily because they are classics, but just because they are light, breezy, sweet and great fun. Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, 1963 Navketan production directed by Vijay Anand, falls under this category. I remember watching it way back, the year Nutan passed away, when … More Tere Ghar Ke Saamne (1963)
Two posts in the span of couple of hours was certainly not intended. But, today is the 91st birth anniversary of one of the finest music composers of Indian cinema – Salil Choudhary. What can one say about this immensely talented genius! He was a dramatist, writer, scriptwriter, lyricist and musician – composer and arranger … More A tribute to a master – Salil Choudhary
Okay, I am not really that much of a Lata Mangeshkar fan – yes I belong to the other camp! However, having said that, since I do love old Hindi film songs and her contribution to that genre can’t be ignored either. And to be honest, despite loving Asha Bhosle to the core, there are … More Happy Birthday, Lata ji
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