‘At a time when there was little consciousness of world music, taking part in western tunes on jap devices just like the flute and the dholak, mixing vocal polyphony with Indian people and up to date types, Salilkaku created a brand new musical style in Bengal referred to as Gana Sangeet.’

IMAGE: Vyjayanthimala within the music Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati.

In Salil Chowdhury’s centenary 12 months, a reputation that instantly involves thoughts each time you bear in mind the poet, playwright, screenwriter, lyricist and composer is Bimal Roy. He composed a few of his greatest songs for the filmmaker, together with Do Bigha Zamin‘s Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, the rain-drenched O Sajana, Barkha Bahar Aayee from Parakh and Madhumati‘s Aaja Re Pardesi and Suhana Safar.

The duo additionally had a collaborator in screenwriter Nabendu Ghosh, who befriended Chowdhury throughout their IPTA days in Kolkata, and like him, adopted Roy to Bombay the place he tailored, amongst many others, two Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay novels, Biraj Bahu and Devdas.

By the way, the music of Biraj Bahu was composed by Salil Chowdhury, who as we study, additionally contributed considerably to Devdas‘ rating.

Apparently, the households of those three stalwarts had been very close-knit and their kids grew up collectively.

Talking to Rediff Senior Contributor, Roshmila Bhattacharya, Bimal Roy’s daughters Rinki Roy Bhattacharya and Aparajita Sinha, together with their brother Pleasure Bimal Roy and Nabendu Ghosh’s daughter Ratnottama Sengupta, refresh reminiscences of their Salilkaku.

“The choir had its observe periods in our dwelling since we lived in a sprawling bungalow, with an enormous garden in entrance, and my mom (Manobina Roy) was a hospitable hostess, offering infinite cups of tea and Samosas. We might sit on the steps, listening to them singing. Salilkaku taught us among the songs,” recounts Aparajita.

What are your earliest reminiscences of the legend?

Aparajita: We did not consider Salilkaku as a legend. He was household, somebody who dropped by steadily.

Since my father hardly ever spoke, the 2 most garrulous uncles, Hrishikaku (Hrishikesh Mukherjee) and Salilkaku had been nice firm.

Even when he settled down in Kolkata and I moved to town after marriage, I might go to Salilkaku and collectively, we might fondly bear in mind Baba.

 

IMAGE: Lata Mangeshar with Salil Chowdhury. {Photograph}: Type courtesy Movie Historical past Pics/Instagram

Your father’s first dwelling manufacturing, the 1953 drama Do Bigha Zamin, was primarily based on a brief story written by him.

Aparajita: Sure, Rickshawalla, revolving round a farmer who desperately pulls a rickshaw by way of the streets of Kolkata to earn the Rs 235 wanted to avoid wasting his two acres of land within the village.

Whereas Hrishikaku is credited with the screenplay, I’ve heard from Nabendukaku that there have been two writing groups working concurrently on Parineeta and Do Bigha Zamin.

Within the case of Devdas too, earlier than the script was began, they’d lengthy conferences at which even Dilip Kumar, who performed Devdas, was current.

My father revered each individual he labored with so their opinions mattered and he wouldn’t take a single step with out consulting others round him.

Dilip Kumar would say, ‘Bimalda was a conference-oriented man.’

You’ll be able to see from the movies the super synergy that will need to have flowed between all the collaborators.

Do Bigha Zamin had some pretty songs composed by Salil Chowdhury.

Rinki: Sure, I bear in mind the fragile lori Aaja Ri Aa Nindiya Tu Aa sung by Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar).

It was filmed on Meena Kumari, the thakurain, who helps Nirupa Roy’s Parvati write letters to her husband when he strikes to town, in what was maybe her solely particular look.

She didn’t cost even a rupee.

The music was recorded at Mumbai’s Ranjit Studio, at 4 am.

It turned a muse for the lullabies that adopted in later movies.

Ratnottama: Even the movie’s first music, Hariyala Sawan Dhol Bajata Aaya, celebrating welcome showers after a protracted interval of drought, has impressed related songs, together with Lagaan‘s Ghanan Ghanan, as admitted by its director Ashutosh Gowarikar.

IMAGE: Balraj Sahni and Ratan Kumar within the music Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke from Do Bigha Zamin.

In a radio interview, the composer himself acknowledged that the tune of Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, primarily based on raag Bhairavi, which made singer Manna Dey a family title, was impressed by a marching music of Russia’s Purple Military.

Ratnottama: Salilkaku was an lively member of the Communist Get together of India.

After collaborating within the peasant rising of 1943, he needed to conceal within the paddy fields of Sunderbans to evade arrest.

My father wasn’t related to the Communist get together, however he was part of its cultural wing, IPTA (Indian Individuals’s Theatre Affiliation).

That was the place he befriended Salilkaku who was one of many first members of IPTA, doing performs with Mrinal Sen’s spouse Gita Sen and Utpal Dutt’s spouse Shobha Sen.

In 1958, the Bombay Youth Choir, India’s first secular choir, was began with Salil Chowdhury as its composer and conductor. Any reminiscences of the choir?

Aparajita: The choir had its observe periods in our dwelling since we lived in a sprawling bungalow, with an enormous garden in entrance, and my mom (Manobina Roy) was a hospitable hostess, offering infinite cups of tea and Samosas.

We might sit on the steps, listening to them singing.

Salilkaku taught us among the songs, lots of which, like Tu Zinda Hai, had a nationalistic ring.

I nonetheless bear in mind the sOng.

(Buzzing) Tu Zinda Hai Toh Zindagi Ki Jeet Mein Yakeen Kar, Agar Kahin Hai Swarg Toh Utaar La Zameen Par…

IMAGE: Hema Malini within the music Allah Megh De Pani De in Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein.

The music was recorded with Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh, with due credit score to Salil Chowdhury and lyricist Shailendra, for Srijit Mukherjee’s 2024 biographical drama on Mrinal Sen, Padatik.

Ratnottama: At a time when there was little consciousness of world music, taking part in western tunes on jap devices just like the flute and the dholak, mixing vocal polyphony with Indian people and up to date types, Salilkaku created a brand new musical style in Bengal referred to as Gana Sangeet.

Songs like Abaak Prithibi and Gayer Badhu are rooted in political and social consciousness.

Aparajita: I bear in mind Brishti Pore Tapur Tupur, a Bengali kids’s rhyme, which Salilkaku become a patriotic ditty.

Additionally, O Bhai Re Bhai, depicting the lives of peasants in the course of the 1943 famine in Bengal, which he witnessed first-hand.

Ratnottama: Gana sangeet advanced into jibon mukhi gaan with songs like Palki Chole and Runner eulogising the widespread man who tirelessly toils for a dwelling.

Even Do Bigha Zamin‘s Ajab Tori Duniya underlines the woes of the migrant employee, who leaves behind his dwelling within the village to construct mansions for the wealthy in stunning cities, however by no means will get to embrace this world.

You see the affect of those songs which had a social conscience on the music of Anjan Dutta, Nachiketa, Kabir Suman and Bhupen Hazarika.

Even the current Benche Thakar Gaan could be traced again to Salilkaku.

Aparajita: That jogs my memory of an encounter with Bhupen Hazarika in Shillong…

Go on, we might love to listen to extra.

Aparajita: After Baba’s sudden demise, my mom sunk into a protracted interval of melancholy.

Desirous to snap out of it for our sake, she whisked mejh di (sister Yashodhara), Pleasure and me off on a trip.

In Darjeeling, we bumped into Satyajit Ray and his spouse Bijoya, who had been staying within the room proper subsequent to ours in the identical lodge.

We might meet each morning on the garden for tea and adda.

We then toured Assam’s Kaziranga Nationwide Park, lastly reaching our lodge in Shillong.

There we learnt, to our dismay, that there have been no rooms out there since a number of native bigwigs had come down for a convention to debate the formation of a brand new state, Meghalaya.

Happily, Bhupen Hazarika walked in simply then, and being an enormous title in Assam, instantly received us rooms.

He additionally graciously insisted on driving round with us and displaying us the sights.

Maa, remembering how we used to sing throughout related drives to Lonavala, Matheran and Mahabaleshwar, informed him I sang very properly.

He instantly urged me to sing, and whichever music I picked, he would say, ‘That is my music!’

That shocked me as a result of Salilkaku had taught them to me and I had all the time considered them as his songs.

It was solely later that I understood that lots of them, like Allah Megh De Pani De, are rooted in people songs, and had been later tailored by composers like Salilkaku and Bhupen Hazarika.

IMAGE: Sadhana and Basanta Choudhury in Parakh.

S D Burman additionally used Allah Megh De in Dev Anand’s movie Information whereas Laxmikant-Pyarelal recorded it over a decade later, in 1977, for the Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini starrer, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein.

Pleasure: Since we’re with regards to my mom, she determined, in 1979, to revive our dwelling banner, Bimal Roy Productions, with a movie that Basuda (Rinki’s ex-husband, director Basu Bhattacharya) was to direct.

Themahurat shot was taken on the 2 heroes, Vijendra Ghatge and Benjamin Gilani.

Salilkaku was given the duty of adapting the journey novel revolving round two younger males which Maa had learn and needed to deliver to the display.

Aparajita: Maa was a voracious reader and I’ve inherited her love for thrillers.

I bear in mind Tiger by the Story, a 1954 James Hadley Chase novel.

It is a couple of banker who meets a intercourse employee in a bar, and since his spouse is away, goes dwelling together with her, proper?

Aparajita: Sure, she is murdered the identical evening, in her condo by an unknown assailant with an ice pack, and the banker has to flee not simply the cops, however politicians and gangsters too.

Salilkaku was an exquisite raconteur and one afternoon, he sat on our sunny portico, with us perched on the steps, and narrated Tiger by the Story with no single pause.

For an hour-and-a-half, he had us entranced, his narration so vivid that it was like watching a movie play out.

How unbelievable! Pleasure, what was the movie you talked about your mom was producing?

Pleasure (Sighing): Sadly, for some motive, it by no means took off.

Salilkaku, who was the music director too, had even recorded a music which by no means launched.

Rinki: Certainly one of my favorite songs from Parakh, composed by Salilkaku, who additionally wrote the story and screenplay, additionally did not make it to the album as a result of the document label HMV was shut on the time.

But it surely’s there within the 1960 movie, superbly sung by Lataji, and filmed on Sadhana.

Her character, Seema, is upset as a result of her dad and mom are fixing her match with one other man when she is secretly in love with the village schoolmaster and opens her coronary heart, crooning, Mere Man Ke Diye, Yuhi Ghut Ghut Ke Jal Tu Mere Ladle.

Images curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff