Tuesday, September 7, 2010

My Other Favourite Hindi Film Music Composers

In my earlier two blogs I paid a critical obeisance to Naushad's music in details.Though I have put Naushad on a pedestal,nevertheless there are equally talented music composers who have enlightened me with their tilting melodies through my musical journey from my childhood to youth. I have shortlisted five music directors whose compositions always give me a sense of dej vu.

1. Khem Chand Prakash

Khem Chand Prakash is a very respected name in the annals of the history of Hindi film music. My first experience of film songs based on Indian classical music as a child ofthree wassongof the filmTansen sung by the legendary K.L. Sehgal and composed by Khem Chand Praksh.I still remember my father's gramophone of HMV make with a collection of records and Hindi ffilm songs of that era.We enjoyed all sorts of music but the record which always fascinated us {my elder brother and me} was that of Tansen which had on one side "Rumjhum Rumjhum Chal Tumhari" and on the other side 'bagh Laga Dun Sajni sung by K.L. Sehgal. At that time we were too young to read the prints on the record but by sheer instinct we usd to recognize the exact song on either side of the record. My mother very proudly preented this feat of ours before visitors at our home.Later when I grew up I could know that the music director of Tansen was Khem Chand Prakash, real Guru of Indian fim music. His music is so eternal that even today after fifty yers I stop all my activities whenever the song "Aaga Aane Wala" of the film Mahal sung by Lata is being played. This is the immortal magic of Khem Chand Prakash.