I have never been much of a Mukesh fan. I found him a bit limited in his range and technical mastery, when compared to my favourites Rafi and Manna Dey. And most of his songs sounded morose – not particularly endearing to my younger self. And in particular he was the voice of an actor I … More My favourite songs sung by Mukesh
Some years back, the vibrant city of Amsterdam with winding canals and narrow houses and steep staircases was the place I used to call home. A singular aspect of life in Amsterdam is cycling. The entire city has a cycling path of nearly 400 kms. It is the preferred mode of travel for most residents. You aren’t … More My Favourite Cycle songs
I realised a few days ago, that of all the many song lists, I have not compiled a list of songs featuring one of my favourite actors – Sunil Dutt. Sure enough, many of his songs have regularly featured in other lists on my blog (also primarily because he has acted in so many songs penned … More Remembering Sunil Dutt ….. with a song list!
It is an irony that one of the finest music composers in Hindi cinema is known today more for the one thing he did not do, rather than what he did! Omkar Prasad Nayyar is the only composer from the golden age of Hindi film music who did not record a song with Lata Mangeshkar. … More My favourite O.P. Nayyar songs
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
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
(Yes this post is a day early – but I am a bit tied up tomorrow and hence this post now.) November 6, 2014 will mark the 29th death anniversary of one of Indian cinema’s finest actors – one of my personal favourites – the talented, versatile and charming Sanjeev Kumar. (Check him out in his early … More Remembering Sanjeev Kumar
Songs, Stories, Books and more... 