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Published: 30 January 2022

Last Updated: 30 January 2022

The music director who also acted in about 60 films.

Shree Rambhakt Hanuman (1948) and Ali Baba and 40 Theives (1966).

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Published: 22 August 2023

Last Updated: 22 August 2023

Kishore Kumar : The Ultimate Biography
by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Parthiv Dhar

Available everywhere.

When I was growing up, I knew about Kishore Kumar as a singer who sometimes sang for Dev Anand. I knew that he acted also but the first film I saw was Pyar Kiye Ja (1966), then Padosan (1968). Then I went to the US for studies and missed the whole Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna phenomenon. When I returned in 1975, he was singing lots of popular songs for everybody.

On the whole I thought he was a good singer (could have been another KL Saigal!). And a comedic actor with a good sense of timing. But I did not know much more.

What I wanted to know and learnt by reading this book is best expressed in the Introduction by Prince Rama Varma, Carnatic singer and veena artiste

"Despite being diehard admirers of Kishore Kumar, the authors have succeeded in keeping things in proper perspective throughout the book, without making anything sentimental or one-sided. In the present-day scenario, when sensationalizing anything and everything seems to be the general trend, they have kept things as objective and balanced as possible, even though the subject of the book was an extremely colourful individual, to say the least. His four marriages, his run-ins with income tax authorities, with Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, his perceived rivalry with good friend and legend Mohammed Rafi—all these and more have been covered in a matter-of-fact manner."

Basically all my questions about him are answered (and much more is covered) in 534 pages, more than 450 end-notes, with fully-sourced information, no gossip, so much so that the book may be eligible for a PhD thesis in Film Studies!

I must admit that I have read the book like one reads an encyclopedia, dipping into articles and savoring the information provided. So, I can say at this stage, I have not found anything that I do not like about this book. Going by the previous books by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, I don't think I will find anything.

Happy Birthday Anirudha (and his other co-author Balaji Vittal, how they managed to be born on the same day is a mystery!)

Note: The car photo is from the website https://www.team-bhp.com/ where they have a whole thread on Bollywood and cars.

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Published: 14 February 2022

Last Updated: 14 February 2022

When I first heard this song from Ek Thi Ladki (1949) on Radio Ceylon on the morning show while going to school in the late fifties I had a vague feeling that I had heard it before. I kept thinking about it and other vague memories came back. I talked to my father, he corroborated and clarified my three vague memories from 1950.

1. Lots of people and food. He said it was my uncle Amar Singh’s wedding in Patiala in the middle of 1950 and, of course, there were people and good food.

2. Plastic duck laying eggs. He said that he had bought this for me and it dispensed candy eggs when pressed in the middle. He would refill it when I was not looking. I was surprised as to how it could keep laying eggs, so I broke it open to find nothing.

3. Lara Lappa. He said it was very popular and was playing everywhere, and, definitely during the wedding all day!

Of course, being just 3 years old, I had no idea about films, singers, music, etc. But I do remember that I liked it and also sang along without understanding much of it.

Lata Didi and I go way back.

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