Entertainment
Golden-voiced maestro whom classical musicians esteemed, playback singers emulated
New Delhi, April 11 (IANS) Soon after he revolutionised Indian film music with ‘Babul mora naihar’, top classical musicians, meeting in Calcutta, decided that Ustad Faiyyaz Khan, who had sung the thumri earlier, should tie a ritual thread to K. L. Saigal to signify discipleship. The Ustad wanted to meet the singer alone first, and after an hour, someone checked to find that both, in high spirits, were insisting on calling each other their ustad.
This was revealed by santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, who heard it from music director S. D. Burman, a disciple of top ustads then and an eyewitness, but a more attested incident is of the Ustad, doyen of the Agra Gharana, telling Saigal that he had nothing to teach him that would make him a greater singer.
Then, Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, of the Kirana Gharana, visited a cinema hall for the first time only to hear Saigal’s rendition of a song in ‘Devdas’ (1935) and was moved to tears.
That was the prowess of Kundan Lal Saigal, born on this day (April 11) in Jammu in 1904, and went on to become Hindi cinema’s first – and sole – male singing superstar, and a significant cultural icon.
In the film industry, all major singers who followed him – Mukesh, Mohd Rafi, Talat Mehmood, and Kishore Kumar – wanted to emulate him, and Rafi counted it a major achievement to sing in the chorus of one of his songs.
On the other hand, Lata Mangeshkar, who was five when she saw him on screen, solemnly declared that she wanted to marry him when she grew up!
But Saigal’s path was not easy or straight as he tackled the challenges of his changing voice in adolescence, his father’s opposition to his musical passion, and a variety of jobs – from railway timekeeper to typewriter salesman to hotel manager – before his tryst with films.
He was twice rejected by HMV, then India’s biggest music recording company, for “lack of training”. Yet, he was so proficient in pitch that musicians used to tune their instruments by asking him to sing a note. He also became the first non-Bengali allowed to render ‘Rabindrasangeet’ with Rabindranath Tagore himself giving him permission.
HMV’s loss was Hindusthan Records’ gain and he became a top-selling artiste for them. One 1933 record, containing just the bandish ‘Jhulana Jhulao Re’ and bhajan ‘Hori O Brajraj Dulare’ on the flip side, sold a whopping half a million pieces in the days when gramophones were rare.
Then to him, goes the credit for giving a new life to the ghazal and enabling all of India to hear his renditions of Mirza Ghalib, right from ‘Nuktacheen hai gham-e-dil’ from ‘Yahudi Ki Ladki’ (1933) – his first hit.
However, succeeding ages have not been very fair to Saigal. If not forgotten, he is mocked, or at best, parodied as an exponent of “old-fashioned” sorrow and pathos-imbued songs, especially his swan song ‘Jab dil hi toot gaya’ from ‘Shahjehan’ (1946) – where he did not play the title role!
But then, Saigal is never for the superficial listener. As all accounts of him and his singing agree, he requires a measured and mellow outlook to appreciate, and his baritone/tenor mix, with just the slightest hit of a twang, slowly entrances you with his intensity and intricate art.
In a career lasting just a decade and a half, spanning Calcutta and Bombay, and comprising 36 films – 28 Hindi, 7 Bengali, and one Tamil – he sang 185 songs, including non-film, in Hindustani, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, as well as Persian and Pashto.
These include rare gems like ‘Dukh ke ab din beetat nahi’ (‘Devdas’, 1935), ‘Ek bangla bane nyara’ (‘President’, 1937), ‘Karoon kya aas niras bhayi’ (‘Dushman’, 1939), ‘Ae qatib-e-taqdeer’ (‘My Sister’, 1943), among others.
Then there was ‘Mai kya janoon kya jadoo hai’ (‘Zindagi’, 1940), with the various shades he imbued in the second ‘kya’ – which is not easy to sing, or ‘Diya Jalao’ (‘Tansen’, 1943), where he emotes perfectly – especially where he seems a bit unsure of the raga’s potency and closes his eyes mid-note.
Then there is the breezy ‘Mere Sapnon ki Rani’ (Shahjehan) – where Rafi debuted as a chorus singer, and ‘Hum apna unhein bana na sake’ from ‘Bhanwara’ (1944) where he laughs mid-song.
And while he rendered many Ghalib ghazals, his version of Zauq’s ‘Laai hayat aaye..’ is matchless.
However, his liquor habit – though he was not a heavy drinker – led to his health deteriorating in December 1946, and he returned to his hometown Jalandhar, where he passed away on January 18, 1947, aged just 42.
Naushad, his composer for ‘Shahjehan’, penned the perfect epitaph: “Aisa koi fankar-e-mukammal nahi aaya/ Naghmon ka barasta badal nahi aaya/ Mausiqi ke maahir bahut aae lekin/ Duniya mein koi doosra Saigal nahi aaya.”
(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Senior actress Neetu Kapoor on Thursday took a trip down the memory lane, as she shared a childhood picture of her daughter and fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.
Neetu took to her Instagram Stories, where she has 2.1 million followers, and re-shared a post by her daughter Riddhima.
In the throwback photo shared by Riddhima on her Instagram Stories, we can see young Neetu holding her little baby girl. She captioned it as: “Oldie but goldie”.
Neetu wrote in the caption: “My ridz at 9 months”, followed by a heart emoji.
On the personal front, Neetu was married to late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor. The duo had tied the knot in January 1980. They have two children–daughter Riddhima, and son and actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir is married to actress Alia Bhatt, and the couple have a daughter named Raha.
Neetu made her debut in the 1966 swashbuckler film ‘Suraj’. The Ruritanian romance film directed by T Prakash Rao, starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Lalita Pawar, Gajanan Jagirdar, David Abraham Cheulkar, Agha, Mukri, Mallika and Niranjan Sharma in the pivotal roles.
She played a dual role in the romantic comedy ‘Do Kaliyaan’.
Neetu’s transition to mature roles came with the vigilante film ‘Rickshawala’. She got her breakthrough with Nasir Hussain’s masala film ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, where she appeared as a dancer.
She rose to fame with roles in the crime drama film ‘Deewaar’, the thriller film ‘Khel Khel Mein’, the musical film ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, the masala film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, and the fantasy film ‘Dharam Veer’.
The 68-year-old actress has been a part of movies like — ‘Doosra Aadmi’, ‘Kasme Vaade’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Jaani Dushman’, ‘Choron Ki Baaraat’, ‘Ganga Meri Maa’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’.
She last appeared in family comedy drama ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’, directed by Raj Mehta and produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film starred Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Manish Paul, and Prajakta Koli.
Neetu next has ‘Letters to Mr Khanna’ in the kitty.
–IANS
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