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It is one of Hindi films’ most cherished and eternal romantic songs, featuring the urbane Guru Dutt and the ethereal Waheeda Rehman, but the dream-like music for “Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho” was scored by its composer within 10 minutes and its opening lyrics took even lesser time. Music director Ravi, to whom we owe this melody, revealed the tune came to him as he was returning home from work and it took him “just 5 to 7 minutes” to refine it.

Stopping there, he called up lyricist Shakeel Badayuni and recited “Chaudvin ka chand ho…”. In a minute, Shakeel responded with “Ya aftaab ho…” and after another couple of minutes, added “Jo bhi ho tum khuda ki kasam, laajawab ho”.

“Chaudvin ka Chand” (1960) proved to be a pace-setter for Ravi, who was born in Delhi on this day (March 3) in 1926, for it established his reputation, and he went on to score for many...

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is known for sharing fun anecdotes on the sets of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’, has now turned a love guru for the contestant, and suggested him some romantic dating ideas.

In the episode 66 of the knowledge based reality show, host Amitabh welcomed Shaikh Ajmat from Balasore, Odisha to the hot seat.

The contestant said after coming to the hot seat: “Sir, I’ve been trying for many days to get here. Sir, I’ll tell you what happens. This is not just an opportunity for me. It’s a fresh start in life. It’s not just a game to me. I come from a small village. You see, making it to a city like Mumbai… Words fail me, sir. Coming to the sets of Kbc in Mumbai, taking my first flight and my first stay in a hotel! I had never imagined this in my entire life.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who is known for sharing fun anecdotes on the sets of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 15’, has now turned a love guru for the contestant, and suggested him some romantic dating ideas.

In the episode 66 of the knowledge based reality show, host Amitabh welcomed Shaikh Ajmat from Balasore, Odisha to the hot seat.

The contestant said after coming to the hot seat: “Sir, I’ve been trying for many days to get here. Sir, I’ll tell you what happens. This is not just an opportunity for me. It’s a fresh start in life. It’s not just a game to me. I come from a small village. You see, making it to a city like Mumbai… Words fail me, sir. Coming to the sets of Kbc in Mumbai, taking my first flight and my first stay in a hotel! I had never imagined this in my entire life.

Traveling towards Raichur from Bellary in Karnataka, we had a tea break at this place. The tea stall owner, a Telugu settled in Karnataka (this region was part of erstwhile Hyderabad Karnataka), was playing songs of Mukesh on his ramshackle of a tape recorder. On further enquiry, he informed that his tea stall is thronged by the nearby residents and the labourers who work in different projects and they love to hear songs of Mukesh as they identify with the kind of songs that he sung or was fortunate to sing which endeared him and continues to endear him to the proletariat of the country.

Traveling towards Raichur from Bellary in Karnataka _ pic courtesy Nalin Rai

Recently, his 100th birth anniversary (22nd July) was celebrated and on this occasion even Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the contribution of Mukesh in Hindi cinema and underlined that “his golden voice and soul...

Noted musician Sidhant Kapoor is releasing his latest single titled ‘Beparwah’, inspired by the spirited life of children from the slums, as depicted in the poem ‘Slum Children at Play’ by legendary writer Ruskin Bond. The verses touched Sidhant’s heart and inspired him to compose Beparwah as a song that celebrates the carefree nature of street children. The single released in a gala ceremony at the Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai in the presence of guest star Tabu and other eminent guests; Sidhant’s father actor-singer Ruhan Kapoor, Paul Marshal, Tejas Verma, Gunjan Sinha and Somansh Dangwal.

To get the rights, Sidhant went all the way to meet the revered writer at his famous home in the hills of Mussoorie. Mr. Bond was moved by Sidhant’s passion. He not only gave his permission but narrated the poem in the track and made a special appearance in the video. Making...

For a self-taught musician, it is rather impressive how his melodies underscored popular culture for a range of occasions in late 20th century India – be it children’s lullabies “Chandamama door ke” or “Chal mere ghode”, “Ham bhi agar bachche hote” for their birthdays, “Mera yaar bana hai dulha” and “Aaj mere yaar ki shaadi hai” for marriages, as well introducing Afghan and Arab strains into Hindi film music.

That was the talent of music composer Ravi, whose contributions went beyond providing enthralling music in films such as “Chaudhvin ka Chand” (1960), “Gharana” (1961), “Waqt” (1965), “Do Badan” (1966), and “Hamraaz” (1967).

To Ravi also goes credit for giving Asha Bhosle a prominent place in playback with songs ranging from playful “C A T cat, cat maane billii” to wistfully romantic “Jab chali thandi hawa” (“Do Badan”) to the entrancingly philosophical “Aage bhi na jaane tu” (“Waqt”), as well helping Mahendra Kapoor evolve from yet another Mohd Rafi clone,...

The eternal combination of music with films and stars, many a times their fate intertwined, with each giving a boost to the other, is considered a hallmark of Indian movies. This has been the tradition of almost all films produced in India – since the humble beginning made with “Raja Harishchandra” (1913) by the venerable Father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind ‘Dadasaheb’ Phalke.

Among the sackful of musical blockbusters churned out by Bollywood, one of the front-rankers is K Asif’s National Award winner “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960) with a dozen unforgettable scores by the Master of the Baton, Naushad Ali. Surprisingly, this all-time megabuster did not see Dilip Kumar, the winsome Prince Salim, singing a single song on the silver screen.

All the 12 songs in “Mughal-e-Azam” were left to other characters such as the besotted Madhubala (Anarkali) and the jealous Bahar Begum (Nigar Sultana), a wandering soothsayer, or royal court musician Tansen, in the...

DeathLata-tai, as she was fondly called, has recorded melodies in almost 36 Indian languages, and had a unique voice extended over three octaves.Tnm StaffPTIIt is the end of an era in Indian music, as the Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, whose voice serenaded and soothed millions for over 60 years, passed away on Sunday, February 6 in Mumbai. She was 92. Lata-tai, as she was fondly called, had sung melodies in almost 36 Indian languages, and had a unique voice extended over three octaves. The 92-year-old singer tested positive for the novel coronavirus with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital's intensive care unit. On January 29, she had shown signs of marginal improvement and was taken off the ventilator but continued to be under observation in the ICU. In November 2019, she had been admitted to the same hospital after she complained of difficulty in breathing and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

As India celebrates 72nd Republic Day on Tuesday, it is time for a musical rewind, the Bollywood way.

There are a countless classics that spring to mind. We look at a few that continue to resonate with the youth today, for the way they capture various moods of India.

Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo

The definitive Republic Day song, it was sung live by Lata Mangeshkar on January 26, 1963, as a tribute to Indian soldiers who died during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. The song is written by Kavi Pradeep and composed by C. Ramchandra. The first rendition of Mangeshkar, a live rendition at National Stadium in New Delhi, happened with President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the audience.

Nanha Munna Rahi Hoon

Sung by Shanti Mathur for the 1962 film "Son Of India", this song has long been associated with Republic Day and Independence Day, especially at schools where students perform to its beat.

Talat Mehmood, the unparallel king of ghazal needs no introduction. His super hit ghazals like Sham-E-Gham Ki Qassam ....; Jalte Hain Jiske Liye .... Aye Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal.... are immortal and shall continue to regale ghazal lovers for centuries to come.

However, readers would be stunned to know that though Talat Mehmood, who ruled the mid-40s and the 50s as the most sought after playback singer, had to face bitter competition in the 60s from emerging new talents like Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor etc.

In fact, his popularity plunged so low that film distributers declined to accept his songs and music directors had to tragically re-record the song in other singers' voice. For instance, in Dilip Kumar's movie Aadmi, music maestro Naushad had recorded a duet on Dilip Kumar and Manoj Kumar.

The song was Kaisi Haseen Aaj Bahaaron Ki Raat Hai...

New Delhi, April 20: "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa" judges Madhuri Dixit, Remo D'Souza and Karan Johar have stepped into the shoes of veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan , Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna's shoes for a promo of the upcoming season of the dance reality show.

They have danced to a customised version of the title track of 1977 film "Amar Akbar Anthony". The song has been recreated and sung by multi-talented singer Jaaspreet Kohli, who has also given his voice to the song "Nimma nimma", composed by A.R. Rahman for the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Director Karan Johar is excited about featuring in the new version of the song, which was originally sung by Kishore Kumar, Shailendra Kumar and Mahendra Kapoor.

"It's.

The Mohd. Rafi Academy that was launched on July 31 is hosting its first musical event. It will pay tribute to the late lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri on October 1, his 91st birth anniversary, at Bandra’s Rang Sharda auditorium. Among the singers who have confirmed their participation are Abhijeet Sawant, the first Indian Idol, Sandeep Batra, one of the finalists of the TV show Fame Gurukul, Arpita Mukherjee another contestant of Fame Gurukul, Ravindra Upadhyay from Channel [V] Super Singer, Rohan, late singer Mahendra Kapoor’s son and Dr Ashok Chopra, Priyanka Chopra’s father.The ‘singing surgeon’ has sung at several Mohd Rafi ...

New Delhi, Sep 24 – Bollywood veteran Manoj Kumar says he has fond memories of legendary singer Mahendra Kapoor, who sang many songs for him including National Award winning number ‘Mere desh ki dharti’ in ‘Upkar’.

‘I shared many memorable moments with Mahendra Kapoor. I remember him everyday, after all he was my voice,’ Manoj said in a press statement.

Mahendra died following cardiac arrest Sep 27, 2008. He was 73.

Some of his timeless hits are ‘Neele.

Shahid Rafi, the son of the legendary singer late Mohd. Rafi is all set to launch 'Mohammed Rafi Academy' in a high-profile event on the 31st of this month, in accordance with the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi's 30th death anniversary. There are many USPs and firsts that the said academy will boast of. The most prominent of them all is the fact that, its for the first time that prolific singer-sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle will be imparting their musical knowledge to the students of the academy. The academy also boasts of having on board many talented names like Raju Naushad (Naushad's son), Andalib Majrooh Sultanpuri (Majrooh Sultanpuri's son), Ruhan Mahendra Kapoor (Mahendra Kapoor's son) and Firdaus Shahid Rafi (Rafi's grandson) in it. Bollywood Hungama wishes Shahid Rafi all the very best for the launch of Rafi Academy.

Shahid Rafi, the son of the legendary singer late Mohd. Rafi is all set to launch 'Mohammed Rafi Academy' in a high-profile event on the 31st of this month, in accordance with the legendary singer Mohammed Rafi's 30th death anniversary. There are many USPs and firsts that the said academy will boast of. The most prominent of them all is the fact that, its for the first time that prolific singer-sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle will be imparting their musical knowledge to the students of the academy. The academy also boasts of having on board many talented names like Raju Naushad (Naushad's son), Andalib Majrooh Sultanpuri (Majrooh Sultanpuri's son), Ruhan Mahendra Kapoor (Mahendra Kapoor's son) and Firdaus Shahid Rafi (Rafi's grandson) in it. Bollywood Hungama wishes Shahid Rafi all the very best for the launch of Rafi Academy.

May 5, 2010: Legendary singers Mohammad Rafi and Mahendra Kapoor have only ever sung one song together in their entire career.

Audiences were enthralled by their number, ‘Kaisi haseen aaj bahaaron ki raat hai’, in the 1986 film Aadmi, which featured Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman and Manoj Kumar.

After 24 years, their sons – Rohan Kapoor and Shahid Rafi, will be coming together to sing that same song together. The music for Aadmi had been composed by the legendary Naushad Ali. Rohan and Shahid will be performing this song at a concert to be held in Naushad’s memory today. Rohan states that every year on May.

It is the 76th birth anniversary of noted playback singer Mahendra Kapoor. Born in 1934 in Amritsar, Kapoor's voice delighted music lovers across generations. The phenomenal singer was another name for patriotic songs. He got into singing through an all-India singing competition. And, later on music director C Ramchandra gave him his first break with Aadha Hai Chandrama Raat Aadhi for V Shantaram's Navrang in 1958, which opened an entire new world for him. Then, came songs like Chalo Ek Bar Chalo (Gumraah), Neele Gagan Ke Tale (Humraaz) and many others, which made him a household ...

Sonu Niigam had promised to sing with his favorite singer Kailash Kher when he had come last. This week we will see him keep his words as he and Kailash take the floor with élan. The two gave a mind blowing performance with Ya Rabba…. When Sonu is around how can fun and laughter be far behind? Amongst all the laughter, Sonu displayed his seriousness when it comes to his craft. He demonstrated his observation about all the singing greats down the ages from Mohhamad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood, Hemant Kumar, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor… There are few as talented as Sonu.