How the film industry struggled against Audio Cassette Piracy? Music is the backbone of the Indian film industry. According to trade pundits, 70% of the film industry’s revenue is due to good music. Good music not only builds pre-release publicity but in most cases, it has played a pivotal role in the mega-success of a film. Since the early ’30s,…
Film making may be a director’s craft and a film star’s glitz to pull in the audience into cinema halls but without a sensible ‘producer’ a film cannot be imagined. Hence producers dominated filmmaking in the past. The glorious Prabhat Films founded by actor/director V Shantaram laid the foundation of filmmaking in India in 1929. Prabhat Films made several thought-provoking…
Many actresses in Bollywood have played mothers role but some have played with such conviction that they became stereotyped and did the off-repetitive mothers role in umpteen films yet it is tragic that the films buffs recognize them only by their ‘face’ and not by their ‘names’. Thus these actresses despite playing successful mother roles are ‘unsung’ or left unrecognized.…
Golden Era Music had competent lyricist and music directors well versed in ‘Classical Music’ During the Golden Era filmmakers used film songs as an integral part of the story to create a social awakening in society. Hence music played a key role. During pre-independence days it was the film songs like Door hatoon aye Duniya walo Hindustan Hamara hain… (Kismet…
Many beautiful actresses of Bollywood attempted film direction but tragically none of the popular actresses of Bollywood succeeded as director! Sadhana Shivdasani better is known as Sadhana, the stunningly beautiful actress of the 60’s was as a top-notch actress. She gave multiple hits like Hum Dono, Woh Kaun Thi, Waqt, Arzoo, Mera Saaya, Anita and Ek Phool Do Mali. Her…
The name Helen is synonymous with cabaret dances in Bollywood. She took item songs in Bollywood to dizzy heights so much that she was the most sought after actress for an item song in Bollywood in the ’50s and ’60s and ‘70s. Starting her career as an extra dancer in the chorus she raised to topmost position thanks to her…
Today, Rahul Dev Burman is regarded as a Music Genius, Music Maverick and Music director par excellence but the bitter truth is that when R.D. Burman was around in the film industry, he was never given his due place. He was ignored, overlooked and even ridiculed for lifting western album tunes and shamefully labeled as a plagiarist Agreed that there is a long list…
R.D. Burman joined his father S.D. Burman in 1955. He was just 18 years and began as an assistant music director with Guru Dutt‘s classic film Kaagaz Ke Phool and continued assisting his father till 1975 when his father expired. The highpoint of R.D. Burman was that though he had become an independent music director in 1961 with the film…
