A tribute to old Hindi film music. Songs of the 30s through the 60s.

Miscellaneous

Some unique good good songs

April 1, 2017

If you think there is a glaring mistake in the title of this post, you have to blame Mumbaikar8 for it. She only gave me the idea for this post. Don’t ask me what is her good name, please. If she is not disclosing it, I am also not disclosing it. As you know she […]

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“Whose father’s what goes?”

March 13, 2017

Wishing the readers a very Happy Holi with some songs of brazenness Once a casual acquaintance, but who had a way of showing great familiarity, visited me. He started discussing something very animatedly, every second sentence he would look at me intently and ask, “Whose father’s what goes? Isn’t it?” I didn’t know what to […]

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Hundreds of shades of Pyaar

February 14, 2017

Wishing the readers a very happy Valentine’s Day with guest article by Shalan Lal (Today on Valentine’s Day, love is in the air everywhere. Love of mushy messages; of roses and chocolates; of romance and togetherness. ‘Genre’-theorists hold that the concept of genre is not relevant for Indian films, as all our films are essentially […]

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Flowers bloom in Bollywood

February 5, 2017

Guest article by DP Rangan (Someone suggested a post on flower songs, Hans offered to compile a list of such songs, and our man of many flowers, the evergreen and eternal romantic, DP Rangan, offered to write a post. And here we are. Flowers are a common motif across cultures with a variety of associations – from […]

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Steam behemoth rides in Bollywood

Fairy Queen_World's oldest steam engine still running

January 1, 2017

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year with guest article by DP Rangan (Steam engines are everyone’s childhood romance. The billowing smoke, the speck of light becoming bigger, the strange rhythmic sound of the wheels clanking with the rails, and a gentle tremor as the train chugged into the station, were a source of wonder […]

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Songs of Angana

October 19, 2016

We have seen in the songs of atariya how its vantage location at the back of a house makes it an ideal secret meeting point for the lovers. Aangan or angana, i.e. courtyard, on the other hand, is a central feature of the house. Open to the sky, and surrounded on the four sides by […]

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Bacchus in Bollywood

October 9, 2016

Guest article by DP Rangan (The intoxicating drink as elixir of life is a part of mythology in almost all cultures. Harivansh Rai ‘Bachchan’ said that while the world celebrates Holi and Diwali only once a year, दिन को होली रात दीवाली रोज़ मनाती मधुशाला. After galloping on the High Horse, riding the tonga, and […]

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Dekho Dosto Chhed Ka Maza!

September 18, 2016

Guest article by Shalan Lal [The title is adapted from Hasrat Jaipuri’s lyrics in the film ‘Shararat’ (1959)] (From Krishna teasing the gopis to Kishore Kumar, Shammi Kapoor and other heroes teasing heroines in the films, chhed chhad has been an integral part of our culture. You would expect from the title that the post […]

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“Kuchh to log kahenge”

August 18, 2016

When the media described the change of portfolio of a high-profile minister in the last cabinet reshuffle as downsizing her, she tweeted, Kuchh to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kahna. The media makes its living out of saying up things, often with generous doses of spices and garnishing. Celebrities and public personalities learn to […]

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Star showers in Bollywood

July 4, 2016

Guest article by DP Rangan (Full Moon evokes poetry, beauty and romance. One would think its converse, Dark Moon, must be very depressing. But think again. That is the time when the stars come out in full glory. As with the moon, stars, too, have evoked wonder, admiration and myths. We see our seven ancient […]

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