Laila Majnu (1949 film), Telugu film.

Laila Majnu (1976 film), Hindi film.

Name	Mohammed Rafi
Background	solo_singer
Born	December 24, 1924 Kotla Sultan Singh, Punjab, British India
Died	July 31, 1980 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Origin	Indian
Instrument	Vocalist
Genre	Indian classical, ghazal, playback singing
Occupation	Hindi and regional playback singer
Years active	1944–1980

Mohammed Rafi (, }}; December 24, 1924 – July 31, 1980), was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He won 5 National Awards and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

In a career spanning about 40 years, Rafi sang over 26,000 film songs. His songs ranged from classical numbers to patriotic songs, sad lamentations to highly romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans, and from slow melancholic tunes to fast fun filled songs. He had a strong command of Hindi and Urdu and a powerful range that could accommodate this variety. He sang in many Indian languages including Hindi, Konkani, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Sindhi, Kannada, Gujarati, Telugu, Maghi, Maithili and Assamese. He also recorded a few English, Persian, Spanish and Dutch songs.

An article in Times of India, published on July 24, 2010 sums up his voice as, "If there are 101 ways of saying "I love you" in a song, Mohammed Rafi knew them all. The awkwardness of puppy love, the friskiness of teen romance, the philosophy of unrequited love and the anguish of heartbreak - he could explore every crevice of ardour. It wasn't just love, his voice could capture the navras of life - a failed poet's melancholy, a fiery unionist's vim, a debt-ridden farmer's despair, really anybody at all.Rafi, whose career spanned nearly four decades, was a singer for every season and every reason."

Early years and background

Mohammed Rafi was born the youngest of six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad at Kotla Sultan Singh, a village near Amritsar in Punjab (British India). Rafi, whose nickname was Pheeko, started singing by imitating chants of a fakir in his village. It was his brother-in-law Mohammed Hameed who spotted the talent in Rafi and encouraged him. Rafi learnt classical music from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwanlal Matto and Firoze Nizami.

Rafi's first public performance came at the age of 13, when he was allowed to sing at a concert featuring K. L. Saigal. In that same year, Rafi was invited by All India Radio Lahore station to sing for them. He made his professional debut in the Shyam Sunder-directed 1941 film Gul Baloch and the Bombay film, Gaon Ki Gauri, the following year.

Rafi also did brief roles in movies like Laila-Majnu (1945) and Jugnu. In Laila-Majnu, he was seen singing ‘tera jalwa’ as a part of the chorus.

Advent in Bombay

In 1944, Rafi moved to Bombay (now Mumbai),The brothers took up a ten-by-ten-feet room in the crowded downtown Bhendi Bazar area. Here poet Tanvir Naqvi introduced him to some of film producers including Abdur Rashid Kardar, Mehboob Khan and actor-director Nazeer.

In 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the team of Husanlal Bhagatram-Rajendra Krishan-Rafi had overnight created the song ‘Suno suno ae duniyawalon, Bapuji ki amar kahani…’. and "Khabar Kisi ko Nahiin, woh kidhar Dekhte (Beqasoor, 1950), etc.

Recording career

He associated with many music directors of his time, most notably Naushad. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Rafi worked with other composers of the era such as O. P. Nayyar, Shankar Jaikishan and S.D. Burman.

Association with Naushad

As per Naushad, Rafi came to him with a letter of recommendation from Naushad's father. Rafi’s first song for Naushad was "Hindustan ke hum hain" ("We belong to Hindustan") for the film Pehle Aap in 1944. The first song for the duo was the soundtrack of the movie Anmol Ghadi (1946). Before Rafi, Naushad’s favorite singer was Talat Mahmood. Once Naushad found Talat smoking during a recording. He was annoyed and hired Rafi to sing all the songs of the movie Baiju Bawra.

Rafi's association with Naushad helped the former establish himself as one of the most prominent playback singers in Hindi Cinema.

Association with S D Burman

S. D. Burman patronized Rafi as the singing voice of Dev Anand and Guru Dutt. Rafi worked with Burman in movies like Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Tere Ghar ke Saamne (1962), Guide (1965), Aradhana (1969), and Abhimaan (1973). S. D. Burman was also another music director besides Naushad who used Rafi prolifically to sing for most of his songs.

Association with Shankar-Jaikishan

Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was a partnership in the Hindi film industry. Under Shankar-Jaikishan, Rafi produced some of his songs for actors like Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar. Out of six Filmfare awards, Rafi won three for S-J songs, viz., "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko", "Baharon phool barsao", and "Dil ke jharokhe mein". The song "Yahoo! Chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe" was sung by Rafi, only to be matched a fast-paced orchestra and a composition by Shankar Jaikishan. S-J made Rafi give playback for Kishore Kumar in the film Shararat ("Ajab hai daastan teri yeh zindagi"). Rafi sang a total of 341 numbers (216 solo) for Shankar-Jaikishan.

Ravi and Rafi produced several other songs, in the films China Town (1962), Kaajal (1965), and Do Badan (1966).

Association with Madan Mohan

Madan Mohan was another composer whose favorite singer was Rafi. Rafi's first solo with Madan Mohan in Ankhen (1950), "Hum ishq mein barbad hain barbad rahenge". The song "Jawaaniyan yeh mast mast" and the title song "Yun to humne lakh hansee dekhe hain, tumsa nahin dekha" of the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha. They were followed by songs like "Taareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya" from Kashmir ki Kali.

Association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal

The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) also patronized Rafi as one of their singers, right from their very first film, Parasmani (1963). Both Rafi and L-P won the Filmfare Awards for the song "Chahoonga main tujhe saanjh savere" from Dosti (1964). Rafi sang a total of 369 numbers (186 solo) for L-P. He sang for many male stars in Hindi films. In 1965, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Sri award. Rafi recorded two Hindi songs in English on 7" release in 1968. He also sang a song in Creole while on his visit to Mauritius in the late 1960s. Later, at the insistence of S. D. Burman, the two decided to reconcile and sing duets.

Guiness World Records

During his last years, Rafi was involved in a controversy over Lata Mangeshkar's introduction in to the Guinness Book of World Records. In a letter dated June 11, 1977 to the Guinness Book of World Records, Rafi had challenged the claim that Lata Mangeshkar has recorded the maximum number of songs ("not less than 25,000" according to Guinness). After receiving a reply from Guinness, in a letter dated November 20, 1979, he wrote: "I am disappointed that my request for a reassessment vis-a-vis Ms Mangeshkar's reported world record has gone unheeded.".

In an interview to BBC recorded in Nov 1977, Rafi claimed to have sung 25,000 to 26,000 songs till then. According to the available figures, Rafi has sung 4,516 Hindi film songs, 112 non-Hindi film songs, and 328 private (non-film) songs from 1945 to 1980.

At the same period Kishore Kumar's popularity increased due to the songs he sang, controversially, for the film Aradhana in Mohd Rafi`s absence during Rafi's Hajj pilgrimage in 1969. The music for Aradhana was composed by S. D. Burman, and he had used Rafi as the male playback voice for the first two recorded duets, "Baaghon Mein Bahaar Hai" and "Gunguna Rahen Hain Bhanwre". Some of Rafi's songs of the early 1970s were with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, R. D. Burman and S. D. Burman. These include "Tum mujhe Yun Bhula na Paoge" (a signature song of Rafi in 1971) from Pagla Kahin Ka, "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil" from Heer Ranjha (1970), "Jhilmil Sitaron ka" from Jeevan Mrityu (a duet with Lata Mangeshkar, 1970), "Gulabi Aankhen" from The Train (1970), "Yeh Jo Chilman Hain" and "Itna to Yaad Hain Mujhe" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi (1971), "Mera mann tera pyasa" Gambler, "Chalo Dildar Chalo" from 1972 released Pakeezah, "Chura Liya Hain Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baarat (a duet with Asha Bhosle, 1973), "Na tu Zameen Ke liye" from 1973 released Dilip Kumar movie Dastan, "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho" from Hanste Zakhm (1973), "teri bindiya re", from Abhimaan(1973) and "Aaj mausam bada beimaan hai" from Loafer (1973).

Later years

Rafi made a comeback as a leading singer in the mid-1970s. In 1974, he won the Film World magazine Best Singer Award for the song "Teree Galiyon Mein Na Rakhenge Qadam Aaj Ke Baad" (Hawas, 1974) composed by Usha Khanna. His last song was "Shaam phir kyun udaas hai dost" (Aas Paas), which he had recorded with Laxmikant-Pyarelal few hours before his death. He was survived by four sons (Saeed Rafi, Khalid Rafi, Hamid Rafi, Shahid Rafi), three daughters (Parveen, Nasreen, Yasmin) and 18 grandchildren.

Rafi was buried at the Juhu Muslim cemetery. It was one of the biggest funeral processions Mumbai had ever witnessed, with over 10,000 people attending.

In 2010, his tomb was demolished to make space for new bodies. Fans of Mohammed Rafi who arrive twice a year at his tomb, on December 24 and July 31, to mark his birth and death anniversary, use the coconut tree nearest to his grave as a marker.

He was a teetotaller, a highly religious and extremely humble person. He was a devout Muslim. Once, when a lesser-known composer Nisar Bazmi (who had migrated from Pakistan) didn’t have enough money to pay him, Rafi charged a fee of one rupee and sang for him. He also helped producers financially. As Laxmikant (of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal duo) once observed – “He always gave without thinking of the returns”.

Legacy

The government of India announced a two-day public holiday on his death, honouring him.

Rafi's song from the film Gumnaam (1965), "Jaan Pehechan Ho", was used on the soundtrack of Ghost World (2001). The film opens with the lead character dancing around in her bedroom to a video of Gumnaam.

His "Aaj Mausam Bada Beiman Hai" is featured in the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding.

His song "Mera Man Tera Pyasa" (Gambler, 1970) has been used as one of the soundtracks in the Jim Carrey-Kate Winslet starrer Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This song is played in the background in Kate Winslet's character's home while the lead pair are having a drink - at approx 00.11.14 runtime.

Several of Rafi's unreleased songs will be used for an upcoming film titled Sorry Madam.

A documentary about Rafi’s life is under production by The Films Division of India.

In the summer of 2008, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released a double CD entitled Rafi Resurrected comprising 16 songs by Rafi. Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam provided the vocals for this project and toured with the CBSO in July 2008 at venues including the English National Opera in London, Manchester's Apollo Theatre and Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

The Padma Shri Mohammed Rafi Chowk in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai and Pune (extending MG Road) is named after Rafi. The same Poll voted "Man re, tu kahe na Dheer Dhare" (Chitralekha, 1964), sung by Rafi as the #1 song. Three songs tied up for the #2 place and two of them were sung by Rafi. The songs were "Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain" (Guide, 1965) and "Din Dhal Jaye, hai raat na jaye" (Guide, 1965).

This poll was published in Outlook Magazine, the jury of which included many people in the Indian music industry; Abhijeet, Adesh Srivastava, Alisha Chinai, Anu Malik, Ehsaan, Gulzar, Hariharan, Himesh Reshammiya, Jatin, Javed Akhtar, Kailash Kher, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Khayyam, Kumar Sanu, Lalit, Loy, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Prasoon Joshi, Rajesh Roshan, Sadhna Sargam, Sameer, Sandesh Shandilya, Shaan, Shankar, Shantanu Moitra, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam and Talat Aziz.

In an article in Times of India, Rafi is described as "a versatile singer, who could render classical, rock and roll, indeed any kind of song with ease, he was Hindi film's favourite male voice through the 1950s and 1960s". Music director Rajesh Roshan, who composed some of the songs with Rafi, remembers him as "a warm-hearted simple person with no ego".

Music lovers have appealed to the Government of India to honour the singer, posthumously, with Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award)

Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor said, "I am incomplete without Mohammad Rafi. I used to often go for the recoding of my song, which was sung by Mohammad Rafi, only because I used to like telling him how I would perform on this song on screen so that he can sing it that way. Even he liked my involvement".

On September 22, 2007, a shrine to Rafi designed by artist Tasawar Bashir was unveiled on Fazeley Street, Birmingham, UK. Bashir is hoping that Rafi will attain sainthood as a result.

Singers like Shabbir Kumar, Mohammed Aziz and, more recently, Sonu Nigam, who made a name by adopting his style, perhaps owe their entire careers to Rafi.

After his death, seven Hindi movies have been dedicated to Mohd Rafi; Allah Rakha, Mard, Coolie, Desh-Premee, Naseeb, Aas-Paas and Heeralal-Pannalal.

Personal life

In 1945, Rafi married his cousin Bilquis, in his village. He was very much a family man, following a recording-room to home to recording-room itenerary. He never attended filmy parties, did not smoke or drink. He used to perform his riyaz (musical practise) from 3 AM to 7 AM without fail. His only indulgences were playing carom and badminton and flying kites. Rafi has rendered the maximum number of songs for the music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal—a total of 369 numbers, 186 of them being solos. The song “ajab hai dasta teri ae zindagi…” was first given to Kishore Kumar to sing and he sung the first half of antara but in the second half, he faced some trouble and after many retakes, he was unable to give the effect that Shankar Jaikishan wanted, and finally the song was given to Rafi to sing. A man, sentenced to be hanged until dead, was asked what his last wish was. The man asks that he be allowed to listen to “O duniya ke rakhwale, sun dard bare mere naale; jeewan apna wapas lele, jeewan dene wale“. During a concert in Raipur with Shankar-Jaikishan, the audience kept on demanding "once more".. Even the musicians in the orchestra were tired. Finally, Rafi sang five songs with just Harmonium as a musical instrument. Then, he sang the National Anthem In the earlier years, Filmare used to have only One Best Singer Award (no distinction between a male or female singer). Rafi won it six times.

Awards

; Honorary 1948 - Rafi received a silver medal from the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on the first anniversary of the Indian Independence Day. | "Chahunga Main Tujhe" | Dosti | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | "Babul Ki Duaae " | Neel Kamal | Bombay Ravi | Sahir Ludhianvi |- | 1977 Winner: {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Song ! Film ! Music director ! Lyricist |- | 1960 | "Chaudhvin Ka Chand Ho" | Chaudhvin Ka Chand | Bombay Ravi | Shakeel Badayuni |- | 1961 | "Teri Pyaari Pyaari Surat Ko" | Sasural | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1964 | "Chahunga Main Tujhe" | Dosti | Laxmikant-Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | "Baharo Phool Barsao" | Suraj | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1968 | "Dil Ke Jharoke Mein" | Brahmachari | Shankar Jaikishan | Shailendra |- | 1977 | "Kya Hua Tera Wada" | Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin | Rahul Dev Burman | Majrooh Sultanpuri |}

Nominated: | Dosti | Laxmikant Pyarelal | Majrooh Sultanpuri |- | 1966 | Arzoo | Shankar Jaikishan | Hasrat Jaipuri |}

;Sur Sringar Award

Winner {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Music director ! Lyricist |- | 1964 | Chitralekha | Roshan | Sahir Ludhyanvi |}

References

External links

Mohammed Rafi at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1924 births Category:1980 deaths Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian Muslims Category:People from Amritsar Category:Indian male singers Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Punjabi people Category:Indian musicians Category:Indian singers Category:People from Mumbai Category:Marathi-language singers

Name	Shashi Kapoor
Birth date	March 18, 1938
Birth place	Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Years active	1942–1999 (retired)
Spouse	Jennifer Kendal (1958–1984) [Her Death (Cancer)]
Occupation	Actor, Director, Producer
Other names	Balbir Shashi Balbir Raj Shasha (Called him by this name by his brother, Shammi Kapoor

Shashi Kapoor (), born Balbir Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Kolkata (then Calcutta), is an award-winning Indian film actor and producer. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema, is the younger brother of Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, the widower of Jennifer Kendal, and the father of Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor, and Sanjana Kapoor. He is remembered for many hit Hindi films, including ones he starred in with Amitabh Bachchan, such as Deewar, Do Aur Do Paanch and Namak Halaal. He has also played leading roles in a number of British films, including several Merchant Ivory productions such as Shakespeare-Wallah.

Career

Shashi Kapoor started acting in films as a child in the early 1940s appearing in several mythological films. His best known performances were in Aag (1948) and Awaara (1951) where he played the younger version of the characters played by his older brother Raj Kapoor.

He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 Yash Chopra film Dharmputra and went on to appear in over 100 films. He was a very popular debonair actor in Bollywood during the 1960s, 1970s and the early 1980s with his most famous movies include Waqt (1965), Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965), Kanyadan (1969), Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968), Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973), Roti Kapda Aur Makan (1974), Chor Machaye Shor (1974), Deewaar (1975), Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Fakira (1976) Trishul (1978), Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), Suhaag (1979), Shaan (1980), Kranti (1981) and Namak Halaal (1982). In most of his successful films in the 1970s and early 1980s he co-starred alongside Amitabh Bachchan.

He was also known internationally for starring in many British and American films, notably Merchant Ivory productions, such as Shakespeare Wallah (1965) opposite his future sister-in-law Felicity Kendal, Bombay Talkie (1970), and Heat and Dust (1982) in which he co-starred with his wife Jennifer Kendal. He also starred in other British and American films such as Pretty Polly (1967) opposite Hayley Mills, Siddhartha (1972), and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987).

In 1980 he set up his production house, Film Valas, which produced critically acclaimed films such as Junoon (1978), Kalyug (1981), 36 Chowringhee Lane (1981), Vijeta (1982) and Utsav (1984). In 1991 he produced and directed a fantasy film titled Ajooba which had his frequent co-star Amitabh Bachchan and nephew Rishi Kapoor in the lead.

His last and most recent film appearances were in Jinnah (1998), a biopic of Mohammed Ali Jinnah in which he was the narrator and another Merchant-Ivory production titled Side Streets (1998). He has now retired from the film industry and not appeared in any film since. He has been seen in the limelight at the "Shashi Kapoor Film Festival" held in Muscat, Oman (Sept 2007). He has lost a considerable amount of weight and looked healthy. Recently, at the 55th Annual Filmfare Awards, Shashi Kapoor received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

Personal life

Attended Don Bosco High School in Matunga, Bombay. In July 1958, he married the English actress Jennifer Kendal and they acted in a number of films together, most notably in the Merchant Ivory productions. He had three children with Kendal; Karan Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and Sanjana Kapoor all of whom for a short while became film actors. Kendal died of cancer in 1984. The English actress Felicity Kendal is his sister-in-law.

His son Kunal is married to director Ramesh Sippy's daughter and Sanjana to wildlife conservationist Valmik Thapar.

Awards

National Film Awards

Winner

1986 – National Film Award for Best Actor for New Delhi Times

1994 – National Film Award – Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film) for Muhafiz (1993)

Filmfare Awards

Winner

1975 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Deewar

1980 – Filmfare Award for Best Movie for Junoon

1982 – Filmfare Award for Best Movie for Kalyug

2010 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

1977 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Kabhi Kabhie

1983 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Namak Halaal

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

1965 – BFJA Award Best Actor for Jab Jab Phool Khile 1988 – BFJA Award Best Actor for New Delhi Times

Other Awards

2009 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF)

Selected filmography

Actor

Aag (1948) …. Young Kewal

Awaara (1951) …. Young Raj (child artist)

Dharamputra (1961) …. Dilip Rai

The Householder (1963) …. Prem

Waqt (1965) …. Vijay Kumar

Shakespeare Wallah (1965) …. Sanju

Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) … Rajkumar

Aamne Samne… (1967)

Pretty Polly (1967) …. Amaz

Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968) … Rakesh/Kamal (dual role)

Kanyadan (1969)… Amar/Kumar (dual role)

Pyaar Ka Mausam (1969) …. Sunder

Ek Shrimaan Ek Shrimati (1969) …. Preetam

Bombay Talkie (1970) …. Vikram

Sharmilee (1971) …. Ajit Kapoor

Siddhartha (1972) …. Siddhartha

Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) …. Prem

Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) …. Mohan Babu

Chor Machaye Shor (1974) …. Vijay Sharma

Deewaar (1975) …. Ravi Verma

Kabhi Kabhie (1976) …. Vijay Khanna

Fakira (1976) ….Fakira

''Farishta ya Qatil (1977)…

Immaan Dharam (1977) …. Mohan Kumar Saxena

Trishul (1978) …. Shekhar Gupta

Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) …. Ranjeev

Junoon (1978) …. Javed Khan

Suhaag (1979) …. Kishen Kapoor

Kaala Patthar (1979) …. Ravi Malhotra

Krodhi (1981) …..Sunny Gill from Vancouver

Kalyug (1980) …. Karan Singh

Do Aur Do Paanch (1980) …. Sunil/Laxshman

Shaan (1980) …. Ravi Kumar

Kranti (1981) …. Shakti

Silsila (1981) …. Shekhar Malhotra

Baseraa (1981) …. Balraj Kohli

Vijeta (1982) …. Nihaal

Namak Halaal (1982) …. Raja

Sawaal (1982) …. Ravi

Heat and Dust (1982) …. The Nawab (At the Palace in Khatm)

New Delhi Times (1986) …. Vikas Pande

''Ek Main Aur Ek Tu" (1986)….

Iłżaam (1986) …. Ranjit Singh

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987) …. Rafi Rahman

Pyaar Ki Jeet (1987) …. Dr Rehman

Ijaazat (1987) …. Special Appearance

The Deceivers (1988) …. Chandra Singh

Akayla (1991) …. Police Commissioner

In Custody (1993) …. Nur

Gulliver's Travels (1996) …. Raja

Jinnah (1998) …. Narrator

Side Streets (1998) …. Vikram Raj

Producer

Junoon (1978)

Kalyug (1980)

36 Chowringhee Lane (1981)

Vijeta (1982)

Utsav (1984)

Ajooba (1991)

raman (1993)

Director

Manoranjan (1974) (assistant director)

Ajooba (1991)

Works

Shashi Kapoor presents the Prithviwallahs, by Shashi Kapoor, Deepa Gahlot, Prithvi Theatre (Bombay, India). Roli Books, 2004. ISBN 8174363483.

Further reading

The Kapoors: the first family of Indian cinema, by Madhu Jain. Penguin, Viking, 2005. ISBN 0670058378.

References

External links

Image: http://movies.ndtv.com/images/PhotoGallery/foreignwomenbollywood/14.jpg

Category:National Film Award winners Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:1938 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Hindi film directors Category:Indian child actors Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:Punjabi people Category:People from Mumbai

Name	Manna Dey
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Prabodh Chandra Dey
Born	May 01, 1919Calcutta, British India
Instrument	Vocalist
Genre	Playback singing
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1939–present
Url	http://www.mannadey.in

Prabodh Chandra Dey (born 1 May 1919), better known by his nickname Manna Dey (), is a playback singer in Bengali and Hindi films. Along with Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh, he was a part of Indian film playback music from the 1950s to the 1970s. He has recorded more than 3500 songs over the course of his career. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2009.

Biography

Dey was born to Purna Chandra (father) and Mahamaya Dey (mother) on 1 May 1919. Besides his parents, his youngest paternal uncle Sangeetacharya (meaning "Venerable Teacher of Music" in Sanskrit). K. C. Dey highly inspired and influenced him. Dey received his early education in a small pre-primary school named Indu Babur Pathshala. Thereafter he attended Scottish Church Collegiate School and Scottish Church College, followed by Vidyasagar College where he received his graduate education.

During Dey’s years at Scottish Church College, he sang to entertain his classmates. He began taking singing lessons from his uncle, Krishna Chandra Dey and Ustad Dabir Khan. During this period, Manna Dey stood first for three consecutive years in three different categories of inter-collegiate singing competitions.

In 1942, Dey accompanied Krishna Chandra Dey on a visit to Bombay. There he started working as an assistant, first under Krishna Chandra Dey, and then under Sachin Dev Burman. Later he assisted other music composers and then started to work independently. While working independently as a music director for various Hindi movies, Manna Dey continued to take musical lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.

Dey started his career in playback singing with the movie, Tamanna, in 1943. The musical score was by Krishna Chandra Dey and Manna sang a duet with Suraiya. The song was an instant hit. He sang a solo composed by Sachin Dev Burman, Upar Gagan Vishal, in the 1950 movie, Mashal. Its lyrics were written by Kavi Pradeep. In 1952, Dey sang for a Bengali and a Marathi movie with the same name and storyline, Amar Bhupali. This established him as a leading playback singer.

Dey recorded a popular duet, Ketaki Gulab Juhi, with classicist Bhimsen Joshi. With Kishore Kumar, he sang duets of different genres such as, Yeh Dosti Hum Nehi Torenge (Sholay) and Ek Chatur Naar (Padosan). Dey sang with singer/composer, Hemant Kumar (Hemanta Mukherjee), in Bengali movies, and also for some other Bengali composers. He sang a duet, "Ke Prothom Kachhe Esechi", with Lata Mangeshkar in the movie Sankhyabela. He also performed Rabindra Sangeet and has recorded over 3500 songs.

Personal life

On 18 December 1953, Manna Dey married Sulochana Kumaran from Kerala. They have two daughters: Shuroma, born on 19 October 1956; and Sumita, born on 20 June 1958.

Manna Dey currently lives in Bangalore in the township of Kalyannagar after spending more than fifty years in Mumbai. He also maintains a Calcutta address. He still travels widely in the world to present musical programs.

His Bengali-language autobiography, Jiboner Jalsaghorey, has been published by the renowned Ananda Publisher in the year 2005 which has been translated in English as Memories Come Alive, in Hindi as Yaden Jee Uthi and in Marathi as Jiboner Jalsaghorey.

Jibaner Jalsaghore, a documentary on Dey's life, was released in 2008. Manna Dey Sangeet Academy is developing a complete archive on Manna Dey. In association with Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, the Manna Dey Music Archive has been developed in the Sangeet Bhawan.

Accolades and awards

Dey has been honored with the titles Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

The following is the list of Manna Dey's other awards:

1969 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Hindi Film Mere Huzur

1971 National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Bengali film Nishi Padma

1971 Padma Shri Award by Government of India

1985 Lata Mangeshkar Award awarded by Government of Madhya Pradesh

1988 Michale Sahittyo Puraskar awarded by Renaissance Sanskritik Parishad, Dhaka

1990 Shyamal Mitra Award by Mithun Fans Association

1991 Sangeet Swarnachurr Award awarded by Shree Khetra Kala Prakashika, Puri

1993 P.C.Chandra Award by P.C.Chandra Group & others

1999 Kamala Devi Roy Award by Kamala Devi Group

2001 Anandalok Lifetime Award by the Anandabazar Group

2002 Special Jury Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding performance in music

2003 Alauddin Khan Award by the Government of West Bengal

2004 National Award as Playback singer by Government of Kerala

2004 D. Litt Honoris Causa by the Rabindra Bharati University

2005 Lifetime Achievement award by the Government of Maharashtra

2005 D.Litt Honoris Causa by the University of Burdwan

2005 Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India

2007 First AKSHAYA Award by Government of Orissa

2007 Awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award by the Government of India

2008 D.Litt Honoris Causa by Jadavpur University

Filmography

References

External links

Manna Dey official website

Manna Dey unofficial website

Manna Dey interview at 90 in Anandabazar Patrika

Manna Dey's interview by Chandan Mitra

Shekhar Gupta">Manna Dey's interview by Shekhar Gupta

"Ai Mere Pyare Watan" Little India article

"Being Manna Dey: The modest musical maestro" - IBNLive interview

Category:1919 births Category:Living people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Indian actors Category:Indian autobiographers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian memoirists Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Alumni of Vidyasagar College, Kolkata Category:Alumni of Scottish Church College, Calcutta Category:University of Calcutta alumni Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Marathi playback singers