Showing posts with label Ustad Zakir Hussain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ustad Zakir Hussain. Show all posts
With changing technology, I felt that we could take the visual to a different level-Kunal Kohli
7:57 AM
Director Kunal Kohli on how Ramyug, originally designed as a film, has been converted into a series
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; May 4, 2021)
Only months after we witnessed the re-runs of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, director Kunal Kohli is set to offer a retelling of the ancient epic with Ramyug. The mythological outing, originally designed as a two-part film, has been converted into a web series, owing to the prevailing situation. The filmmaker is not complaining about the change of medium as he says, “The ultimate aim for all content makers is to reach a wider audience, so I am happy that Ramyug is releasing. We had close to four hours of content, so it was not difficult to convert it into eight episodes.”
The MX Player series features Diganth Manchale, Akshay Dogra, Aishwarya Ojha, Tisca Chopra and Dalip Tahil, among others. The timeless appeal of the epic aside, Kohli says that the ability to enhance it with innovative technology drew him to the project. “It’s an epic that has been with us since childhood. [While hearing the story], one always imagines the visuals in a particular way. With changing technology, I felt that we could take the visual to a different level.”
Ahead of the show dropping online, a music video, titled Jai Hanuman, with Amitabh Bachchan on the vocals and Ustad Zakir Hussain, was released last week. Asked how Bachchan came on board the project, the director says, “When Rahul Sharma [music director] played the song for me, I told him that it would be great to have Zakir Hussian play the tabla and Mr Bachchan sing it. We both laughed at the over ambitiousness of my thought. However, when I approached Mr Bachchan, he instantly agreed. [This episode] shows that a dream, no matter how big, might come true some day.”
We’ve tried to compose a good melody rather than running after creating hits - Salim-Sulaiman
10:47 AM
Music has always been a passion and not a profession, say composer duo Salim–Sulaiman
Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 2, 2020)
Music composers Salim–Sulaiman grew up in a family where music was a tradition. Salim mastered the piano at the Trinity College of Music in London, UK, while Sulaiman took up tabla training with legends such as Taufiq Qureshi and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
Composing music for over two decades now, they have scored for films like Chak De! India (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and Fashion (2008), among others. Over the years, the duo have also composed for many indi-pop performers including Viva, Aasma and Shweta Shetty, among others, composed and produced several TV commercials and collaborated with many artistes.
In an upcoming tribute concert titled Ustad Alla Rakha - A Homage to Abbaji, the duo will be performing to pay their respect to the timeless legacy of the tabla maestro. The two spoke to us about their love for music, the concert and their future plans. Excerpts:
What does your set for Ustad Alla Rakha — A Homage to Abbaji consist of?
Salim: Our set is going to be a mix of some folk fusion compositions that we have composed for another music show. It will also have some devotional songs featuring the Manganiyars of Rajasthan. Abbaji was a film composer too and we feel it is going to be fitting if we perform our popular film hits as well.
How relevant is a concert of this magnanimity in this day and age? How does it feel to be part of the concert as you will be performing for the first time?
Salim: This concert will be the most memorable one for me and Sulaiman, as we have been students of music under Ustad Zakir Hussain and Taufiq Qureshi. It’s a big honour for us to be part of this grand annual celebration. This will be my third time as a musician, but as a featured artiste, it’s going to be our first time.
Sulaiman: Zakir bhai and Taufiq bhai both have been mentors and gurus for both Salim and me, and for us to perform alongside them, will be a privilege and an honour.
Can you elaborate on your association with Ustad Zakir Hussain and your inspiration from Ustad Alla Rakha?
Salim: Ustad Zakir Hussain has been my teacher, guide, friend, a father figure from whom I’ve learnt a lot. From a very young age, I’ve been a part of his projects as a musician and then got the opportunity to perform with him under Tabla Beat Science. He’s been my idol and my mentor both as a musician and as a human being. I’m very grateful to have his guidance. I’m also very fortunate to have Taufiq bhai as our guru, mentor and friend. We’ve learnt so much under him and continue to do so. We had the greatest opportunity to meet Abbaji and have him witness some of the rehearsals while I was part of Surya (a fusion band with Taufiq Qureshi). Abbaji’s loving nature still lingers in our hearts.
What do you think about the way your career has panned out?
Salim: I’ve never really thought about my music as a career, it has always been my passion and my ‘sadhana’, and it will continue to be so. We’ve tried to compose a good melody rather than running after creating hits. I believe a good song will mostly turn into a hit if it has that good, timeless melody.
Sulaiman: Music started out as a passion than a profession and you know what they say, ‘Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life’. We’ve been fortunate enough to have great mentors, who have taught us the importance of good music. We were also very fortunate to have worked in an era where innovative music was well appreciated. Our journey is far from over, but I must say it has been a good one so far.
What are your upcoming projects?
Salim: We’ve scored music for a film called Desert Dolphin. It’s an Indo-American film by Manjari Makijany. I’m also very excited about our new album, Bhoomi 2020. It’s releasing this year.
What is your opinion about covers and remixes?
Salim: I think remakes and remixes should have a little relevance. Labels and filmmakers need to have some thought before they just put out an old ’80s or ’90s hit into a new movie. It’s getting a bit too much. I think everyone (audience) is just done with that.
Shabana Azmi to celebrate Kaifi Azmi’s centenary birth anniversary
7:59 AM
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; December 19, 2018)
January 14, 2019, will mark the centenary birth anniversary of renowned Urdu poet, writer and activist Kaifi Azmi. To commemorate the occasion, his daughter, actress Shabana Azmi has planned year-long celebrations, which will include mushairas, plays, seminars, a pen festival and three book releases.
It will start with ‘Raag Shayari’, a special evening of music and Kaifi’s poetry starring Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, Javed Akhtar and Shabana. While Shankar will sing a selection of Kaifi’s poems, Javed will recite them in Urdu and Shabana will translate them in English. “It was Javed’s idea. For Kaifi, the central point is poetry. Through this programme, the attempt is to make his poetry accessible to people who don’t necessarily understand Urdu. That is the key point. With Shankar singing it, Zakir interpreting it and Javed reciting the original poetry, it would become an experience to cherish and have an archival value,” says Shabana.
Being sensitive
The award-winning actress has been planning the event and putting together the schedule for the year-long celebrations since January. “It’s important for me that the 100th year is celebrated with sensitivity and respect for the kind of work he did. Obviously, there will be many programmes throughout the year created especially for the centenary celebration, but ‘Raag Shayari’ will be the premiere event. The people on board are those with whom I have a deep emotional connect. I have worked with Feroz (Abbas Khan), who helmed Tumhari Amrita, for so many years. He is directing this show, too. I have a lot of respect for the aesthetics of Anuradha Parikh, who is doing the production design. Zakir has given the music of some of the films that I have done, his father Ustad Allah Rakha and Kaifi were friends and worked together. Now, their children are coming together for this tribute,” says the actress.
Tribute to an icon
Talking about Shankar being a part of the event, she says the singer’s maiden single, Breathless, was written by Javed and it was also the first music video that Farhan and Zoya Akhtar creatively did together. Shabana’s brother Baba Azmi was the cameraman while Bijon Das Gupta, who is their family friend, did the production design.
“‘Raag Shayari’ is about great artistes paying a tribute to a person they admire and love,” she says. When asked if there were any plans to televise the event, Shabana informs they didn’t want commerce to enter into it. “It was to create an evening to cherish, to have archival value, so we haven’t thought about it. But, we will surely record it,” she says. The first show will be held next year on January 13 at NCPA (Nariman Point), the second at St Andrew’s (Bandra) on December 14, on Kaifi’s birth anniversary while the third will be on December 17 in Kolkata to commemorate Javed’s birthday.
Besides this, on February 2, 100 special edition fountain pens will be launched. “The only material thing my father used was a Mont Blanc fountain pen and his communist party card, so it is befitting that a pen is released in his name,” reveals Shabana.
A documentary, Kaifinama, directed by Sumantra Ghosal is in the works. They will also stage a play Kaifi Aur Main, which will have Javed essaying Kaifi while Shabana will enact her mother, Shaukat. “Jaswinder Singh will be singing my father’s songs and poems, and we are planning many performances,” shares the actress. A retrospective of his films like Heer Raanjha, which the celebrated poet wrote in verse, Naseem, in which he acted, and Garam Hawa, a definitive film on Partition that won the National Award, will be held.
A 300-seater Kaifi Azmi Kala Kendra or auditorium designed by M S Sathyu will be unveiled in Lucknow where the activist spent a major part of his life. “There is also a great need for an auditorium there and this one is like no other,” she says proudly. At his birthplace, Mijwan, where he founded an NGO, which is now run by Shabana, a film on her father, will be shown. “What will be more special is that children from our school and college will be involved in several shows. Kaifi looked upon the youth. He had great expectations and hope from them,” she says.
The celebrations will end with the Mijwan fashion show at the end of the year. “It is also Mijwan’s 10th anniversary, so I am hoping to do something spectacular for that, too,” signs off Shabana.
The Raag Shayari team
Zakir Hussain scores background music for Nandita Das's Manto
7:44 AM
Tabla maestro has done the background score for Nandita Das’s upcoming biopic on the literary great
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 24, 2018)
After composing the score for Aparna Sen’s National Award-winning Mr. and Mrs. Iyer in 2002, Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania, another National Award-winning drama, and Sona Jain’s first feature, For Real, in 2009, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain returns to films after nine years to work on the background score of Nandita Das’s Manto biopic which features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role.
Nandita, who has been editing the film for the last few months and recently started working on sound and music, informs that she wanted the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee as he is rooted in Hindustani classical music but at the same time is very knowledgeable about world music and has performed with many international artistes. “Initially, the work had to be long distance as Zakir bhai lives in California. I am glad that at this time of the year he comes down to India for his shows. His passion, openness and his brilliance as a musician made it all very exciting,” she exults, adding that it didn’t take much convincing to bring the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient on board.
“It was literally a message and a call, and of course, I sent him the rough cut of the film as well. I was a bit hesitant as our budget is so small, but that never came in the way,” she informs, admitting that she has thoroughly enjoyed watching the maestro at work with a bunch of young musicians. “And like every field has its own vocabulary; I have now learned lots of new words that musicians use,” she adds with a laugh.
Nandita recalls meeting the Ustad years ago. Her father Jatin Das is a celebrated artist who knew Hussain’s family and they often went for his concerts. “Considering we didn’t really ‘know’ each other, I was overwhelmed by his readiness to work on this project. After every piece, we would look at each other and gauge whether the other was happy with it. There were a few times when we had different ideas or even disagreed, but that in itself gave rise to something more creative, which often was a more interesting outcome,” she gushes, going on to rave about the tabla maestro’s great sense of humour, and that he is full of stories which she enjoyed listening to.
The actress who returns to direction 10 years after Firaaq points out that though Hussain is primarily seen as a percussionist, his understanding of pretty much every instrument is incredible. “I do not like overloading a film with music, so while this background score is fairly sparse, it plays a huge role in transforming the experience of watching a film,” she asserts.
Composer Sneha Khanwalkar, who has earlier worked on Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye and Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, has composed the music for this film as well.
Prod her on why didn’t she rope in Hussain to do the music as well, she says, “I had contacted her much earlier as we had needed some songs while we were shooting. We have bonded well ever since. Zakir bhai lives in California and I needed someone closer home (Sneha too lives in Bandra). I contacted Zakir bhai after the shooting was done, as we needed a solid collaborator for the background score,” she signs off.
After composing the score for Aparna Sen’s National Award-winning Mr. and Mrs. Iyer in 2002, Rahul Dholakia’s Parzania, another National Award-winning drama, and Sona Jain’s first feature, For Real, in 2009, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain returns to films after nine years to work on the background score of Nandita Das’s Manto biopic which features Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role.
Nandita, who has been editing the film for the last few months and recently started working on sound and music, informs that she wanted the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee as he is rooted in Hindustani classical music but at the same time is very knowledgeable about world music and has performed with many international artistes. “Initially, the work had to be long distance as Zakir bhai lives in California. I am glad that at this time of the year he comes down to India for his shows. His passion, openness and his brilliance as a musician made it all very exciting,” she exults, adding that it didn’t take much convincing to bring the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award recipient on board.
“It was literally a message and a call, and of course, I sent him the rough cut of the film as well. I was a bit hesitant as our budget is so small, but that never came in the way,” she informs, admitting that she has thoroughly enjoyed watching the maestro at work with a bunch of young musicians. “And like every field has its own vocabulary; I have now learned lots of new words that musicians use,” she adds with a laugh.
Nandita recalls meeting the Ustad years ago. Her father Jatin Das is a celebrated artist who knew Hussain’s family and they often went for his concerts. “Considering we didn’t really ‘know’ each other, I was overwhelmed by his readiness to work on this project. After every piece, we would look at each other and gauge whether the other was happy with it. There were a few times when we had different ideas or even disagreed, but that in itself gave rise to something more creative, which often was a more interesting outcome,” she gushes, going on to rave about the tabla maestro’s great sense of humour, and that he is full of stories which she enjoyed listening to.
The actress who returns to direction 10 years after Firaaq points out that though Hussain is primarily seen as a percussionist, his understanding of pretty much every instrument is incredible. “I do not like overloading a film with music, so while this background score is fairly sparse, it plays a huge role in transforming the experience of watching a film,” she asserts.
Composer Sneha Khanwalkar, who has earlier worked on Dibakar Banerjee’s Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye and Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur, has composed the music for this film as well.
Prod her on why didn’t she rope in Hussain to do the music as well, she says, “I had contacted her much earlier as we had needed some songs while we were shooting. We have bonded well ever since. Zakir bhai lives in California and I needed someone closer home (Sneha too lives in Bandra). I contacted Zakir bhai after the shooting was done, as we needed a solid collaborator for the background score,” she signs off.
In New York, I didn’t have to do room service, I got room service-Boman Irani
7:52 AM
As told to Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 23, 2017)
Even as a child, during vacations, I would help my mum and aunt at the family store called Golden Wafer Co. We used to fry and sell wafers and I’d mostly manage the ‘gulla’ (cash counter).
Later, I joined the Taj Mahal Hotel. During the interview, I was asked by Sam Bhada, the man who hired me, which department I’d like to start with. I picked The Rendezvous, the best French restaurant in Mumbai, and he retorted, “Idiot, to get to the top, you start at the bottom.” So, I ended up getting room service. I remember carrying trays to sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s room and also to the tabla ustad, Zakir Hussain. I also served many movie stars, including the Kapoors.
Once I mustered up the courage to wish Ustad Amjad Ali Khan luck for his show that evening. Today, I am wished luck for my shows. Feels good!
From room service I moved to the coffee shop and then the Apollo Bar where I worked as the wine waiter and learnt a trick or two about mixing drinks from this wonderful barman called Victor. The Apollo Bar was next to The Rendezvous and one fine day when a staff member there didn’t show up, I was asked to help out. I was feeling really proud of myself to have finally made it into the French restaurant when the manager shoved me into the linen room. It was like a tornado had hit the room. I was told to fold every table cloth and serviette and put them on the racks. By the end of the day my arms almost came off.
Once, during Christmas Eve, when lots of waiters take the day off, I was sent to the kitchen area to wash plates. It was a hard night’s work when everyone was partying out there. But honestly I didn’t mind.
Then, mum met with an accident and broke a couple of ribs. I had to return to the wafer shop where I worked for 11 years, from 21 years to 32, when I met my wife Zenobia through common friends. I proposed on our first date, she accepted. Before that, she used to come to see me on the pretext of buying wafers. Since she couldn’t take the ‘unhealthy’ wafers home, she gave them away to the beggar who sat at the end of the street. By the time we were married, that beggar had grown really fat from eating all those wafers!
Then, I wanted to do something creative and started writing short articles which I sent off to Busybee aka Behram Contractor. Later, I taught myself how to operate a camera by attending a few workshops. Back then photography was a rich man’s hobby. Cameras were difficult to buy and processing pictures was expensive. Still I persevered and became a sports photographer, mostly clicking school events. The Times of India bought some of my pictures and then I went on to do an ad campaign which required a sports action shot. A lot of photographers had tried but since they were fashion photographers, they couldn’t get it right. So I went to try my luck and was almost shown the door. But eventually I landed the campaign.
I graduated to beauty pageants and in 1997, when Diana Hayden was crowned Miss India, I shot her portfolio. I went on to become an established photographer and clicked lots of photographs during a five-year stint before turning my attention to theatre. I started with a play, a musical titled Roshni, for which I was paid Rs 200 per show. This was followed by I’m Not Bajirao and Mahatma VS Gandhi. And then came, Munnabhai MBBS, Rajkumar Hirani’s directorial debut, and it was Act 2.
Years later, after I’d become popular as an actor, I went to New York and stayed at the Lexington Hotel. Sam Bhada was at the door to welcome me. This time I didn’t have to do room service, I got room service. And Sam and I had a good laugh over my humble beginnings.
I sometimes even tried to use my charm to sell the CDs-Vidya Balan
7:47 AM
As told to Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 25, 2017)
I was studying for my MA at
Mumbai University and would often visit the St. Xavier's College from
where I had graduated to use the library. I be friended some people
there who, like me, were interested in classical music and dance. We'd
go for concerts together.
One of these friend's sister and brother-in-law had an event management company called Banyan Tree. They were looking for volunteers to help them host a festival which featured 70 artistes from across the country. I ended up volunteering for it and forged a good equation with the promoters, Nandini and Mahesh Babu, who were looking for young college students to join them. I worked with them for around three months before I landed my first Malayalam film.
They already had a lot of concerts planned, our job was to get sponsors for them. They also had a lot of records. We would set up stalls at various Indian classical music concerts and sell them. I met a lot of people during my stint with this company and remember watching a performance by Yumlembam Gambhini Devi, the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natal Akademi awardee Manipuri singer-dancer. Though I didn't understand a word, as she performed in her local language, I was truly moved by her recital.
I even met flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and sarod maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Zakir (Hussain) bhai, the internationally renowned tabla exponent and the Gundecha Brothers. Then there was the classical music maestro Pandit Jasraj and another well-known singer, Suresh Wadkar ji. I remember at one of the concerts I had met Suresh Wadkar ji and was trying to sell a music CD to him. He actually mentioned that to me recently on a flight. He said, “I remember you from that time, Vista.“ It was really sweet.
I took my job quite seriously and would be at the concerts way before the appointed time so we could plan how we should handle things at the counter. We would set ourselves targets of how many CDs we wanted to sell. I sometimes even tried to use my charm to sell the CDs.
I would reach the office, which was in Charkop in Andheri, by 10 am and would leave around 6-6.30 pm. Most days I would think of taking the bus back home to Chembur where I lived, but almost all the money I earned was spent on auto rickshaw.
I earned Rs 3000 after working for three months for Banyan Tree. However, I had got my first cheque of Rs 1,200 from TV which I had started dabbling in when I'd just joined college. Sadly that serial was never aired. I bought my sister, Priya, a pair of earrings worth Rs 60 with the money.
My boss, Mahesh Babu, was the gentlest person I've met, he never screamed at us. In fact, he would call for wada pav every evening and indulge us. Besides him and Nandini, I had a third boss, Vinod, but he still calls me “boss“. It was an informal setup and these bosses always made us felt like our ideas are really valuable and never dismissed anything we had to suggest.
After I bagged the Malayalam film I couldn't continue working there. I had always wanted to become an actor and was biding my time. While I was doing my MA, I had a lot of time on my hand as we hardly ever attended lectures. The Kalina University campus is beautiful. On the rare instance when we went to the University, we would usually be hanging out outside.
I loved working at the Banyan Tree as I got to hear great music and meet a lot of artistes. If I ever play a classical musician, all those performances and back stage experiences will come in handy.
One of these friend's sister and brother-in-law had an event management company called Banyan Tree. They were looking for volunteers to help them host a festival which featured 70 artistes from across the country. I ended up volunteering for it and forged a good equation with the promoters, Nandini and Mahesh Babu, who were looking for young college students to join them. I worked with them for around three months before I landed my first Malayalam film.
They already had a lot of concerts planned, our job was to get sponsors for them. They also had a lot of records. We would set up stalls at various Indian classical music concerts and sell them. I met a lot of people during my stint with this company and remember watching a performance by Yumlembam Gambhini Devi, the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natal Akademi awardee Manipuri singer-dancer. Though I didn't understand a word, as she performed in her local language, I was truly moved by her recital.
I even met flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and sarod maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Zakir (Hussain) bhai, the internationally renowned tabla exponent and the Gundecha Brothers. Then there was the classical music maestro Pandit Jasraj and another well-known singer, Suresh Wadkar ji. I remember at one of the concerts I had met Suresh Wadkar ji and was trying to sell a music CD to him. He actually mentioned that to me recently on a flight. He said, “I remember you from that time, Vista.“ It was really sweet.
I took my job quite seriously and would be at the concerts way before the appointed time so we could plan how we should handle things at the counter. We would set ourselves targets of how many CDs we wanted to sell. I sometimes even tried to use my charm to sell the CDs.
I would reach the office, which was in Charkop in Andheri, by 10 am and would leave around 6-6.30 pm. Most days I would think of taking the bus back home to Chembur where I lived, but almost all the money I earned was spent on auto rickshaw.
I earned Rs 3000 after working for three months for Banyan Tree. However, I had got my first cheque of Rs 1,200 from TV which I had started dabbling in when I'd just joined college. Sadly that serial was never aired. I bought my sister, Priya, a pair of earrings worth Rs 60 with the money.
My boss, Mahesh Babu, was the gentlest person I've met, he never screamed at us. In fact, he would call for wada pav every evening and indulge us. Besides him and Nandini, I had a third boss, Vinod, but he still calls me “boss“. It was an informal setup and these bosses always made us felt like our ideas are really valuable and never dismissed anything we had to suggest.
After I bagged the Malayalam film I couldn't continue working there. I had always wanted to become an actor and was biding my time. While I was doing my MA, I had a lot of time on my hand as we hardly ever attended lectures. The Kalina University campus is beautiful. On the rare instance when we went to the University, we would usually be hanging out outside.
I loved working at the Banyan Tree as I got to hear great music and meet a lot of artistes. If I ever play a classical musician, all those performances and back stage experiences will come in handy.
Ustad Zakir Hussain to launch Rahul Bose's directorial, Poorna's music album
7:46 AM
Zakir Hussain will cheer on Arijit Singh, Salim-Sulaiman and his protégé Raj Pandit at the music launch of Rahul Bose’s next directorial
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 3, 2017)
Sixteen years after tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain collaborated with Rahul Bose on his directorial debut, Everybody Says I’m Fine, the duo will re-unite at a suburban theatre today for the music launch of Rahul’s upcoming directorial, Poorna.
The Padma Shri who composed the 15-track album, performing three of them, “Zindagi”, “Discovery” and “Somewhere”, for the 2001 film, is not a part of Poorna but his protégé, Raj Pandit, is one of the playback singers. But the Ustad will be launching the album with the other singers.
“Zakir is always there when I need him,” says Rahul who shares a close friendship with the maestro who often plays the piano and sings in the choir at Rahul’s charitable events.
The event will also have live acts by Salim-Sulaiman who’ve composed the album and Arijit Singh who has crooned two songs, “Kuch Parbat Hilayein” and “Babul Mora”.
“I wanted the music of Poorna to be soulful, emotional and inspirational. I narrated the story to Salim-Sulaiman and they immediately came on board,” says Rahul, adding that Amitabh Bhattacharya as the lyricist was a boon. “And I’m also delighted to have Zakirbhai join the live jamming session. All the singers are excited to meet Zakirbhai too,” Rahul beams.
Poorna follows the journey of Poorna Malavath, the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest, at 13.
“The film talks about gender equality, asserting that girls who dare to dream are determined to succeed too. The music had to be just as inspirational as the real-life journey,” Rahul signs off.
Khalid Mohamed & Durga Jasraj remember Sitara Devi
7:38 AM
By Durga Jasraj [singer and producer] MUMBAI MIRROR (November 26, 2014)
Kathak queen Sitara Devi breathed her last after a prolonged illness on Tuesday. She was 94. I had almost come to believe
that she would be there for us forever. Even at 94 years of age, she
still had ghungroos tied to her feet and was ever ready to dance to
the song of joy called Life.I was merely 6 or 7 years old when I first watched her perform. She was accompanied by Ustad Allah Rakha's son on the tabla. She was so impressed with the young tabla player, that she gave him her garland and predicted that he will one day become a great artiste. The boy was none other than tabla maestro Zakir Hussain.
The last time I met her was at Zakir Hussain's house. I thought she would have forgotten me and avoided the formality of reintroducing myself.
However, as luck would have it, while returning home, we were in the same car. She suddenly said: “Why don't you come and meet me Durga? You do so much to promote music, but there is so much to do for dance as well...“ I felt really stupid and sheepishly apologised. It is then that I realised how sharp she was even at that age.
----------------------------------------
By Khalid Mohamed (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 26, 2014)
Scrunched up on a bed, she was sans her mandatory cosmetic coated face. No moon-sized bindi on her forehead either. She was caught off guard and detested that.
I had sauntered, unannounced, into the first floor Napean Sea Road apartment of her musician son Ranjit Barot, who was using a section of the apartment as a recording studio. Sitara Devi was accustomed to the stream of singers and musicians. A journalist suddenly gaping at her annoyed her.“That's mom,“ Barot said quickly hustling me towards the studio. And she laughed, “His mother and a big star in my time. Do you know of me?“ “Yes, of course. Who doesn't?“ I lied shamelessly.
Emaciated with age but her eyes flashing like torches, she ordered her son, “why are you whisking him away? Let me talk.“
Obviously, she liked borrowing an ear. Sitting up, ready for oration, she gestured, “Sit! I know who you are. My son thinks I'm deaf. I'd heard him saying, a journalist was coming over for an interview. Once they wanted to interview me... and I would mesmerise them. Now they come to interview Ranjit and I'm sure they are bored to death.“
Frankly, time had zipped past for one of the first divas, so to speak. She had oozed stardom and seduction in an era, which was a mystery. Or should I say barely chronicled. For the post-independence generation she was a hell-raiser, bold and brazen, as evidenced in the surviving photographs of the whoopee Holi celebrations at the R K Studios. She was a regular having the time of her life, literally let ting her down. For a kid bred on the Mumbai movies and the magazines, trade papers of the 1960s particularly Filmfare and Screen, I'd wonder, “who's she?“ She had appeared in a palmful of films take, Mehboob Khan's Mother India in which she was Lord Krishna to a coy Radha.
That was her last screen appearance, it seems. No, she wasn't a household name. Kukoo and Helen were. And her nephew, Gopikrishna, could dance up a thunderstorm, landing the lead role of V Shantaram's Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. She could never grab that kind of grandstanding, which could have us lamenting her loss today at the age of 94. By 'lamenting' I mean according to Sitara Devi, the adieu, perhaps deserved by her.
Yes, there is no doubt that she was the proverbial woman of substance, fiercely independent and the sort who could drive the men in her life, insane, and bankrupt, or both.
The most vivid, and perhaps, the only pen-portrait of Sitara Devi was authored by Saadat Hasan Manto. It is not a flattering one; Manto makes her out to be a predator, a cougar. The very fact that Manto chose to write about her, indicated that she was not an ordinary citizen of showbiz. What Sitara Devi wanted, Sitara Devi got. Apologies? Forget it.
Her inflexible personality would inspire a spate of biographies in Hollywood, as they did of Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe. Besides Manto, no other dared to cross the path.
That day, at the studio-apartment, she wanted to talk about her passion for kathak, about her lust for life perhaps. She saw my eyes go blank, perhaps, as she elaborated on kathak. “You're not interested,“ she said correctly. “Go, go talk to Ranjit about music.“
I bolted from the bed. Ranjit Barot wasn't embarrassed. Clearly, he adored her, but wasn't going to let her hold forth, on kathak, for hours. “Get him a cup of tea,“ Sitara yelled out to the kitchen. “And lage haath mere liye bhi chaai le aana.“ That's the last I saw or heard of her.
Judiciously, Ranjit Barot has never discussed his star mother, rewinding to her glory days. Wikipedia talks about her brief marriage to the movie moghul, K Asif, about her transition from a child artiste to a woman who led her life on her own unwritten terms. Rabindranath Tagore had praised the child dancer. Manto had disparaged the woman, painting her scarlet. And when I pass by that apartment on Napean Sea Road, I feel guilty. Sitara Devi's story from her point of view will remain untold.
Need for soulful songs doesn't arise in Bollywood films today-Hariharan
7:41 AM
Hariharan, on his ongoing musical journey and classical musicians getting fewer opportunities in Bollywood, in recent years
Srishti Ghosh Shinde (BOMBAY TIMES; March 7, 2014)
By most accounts, one of the most prominent faces of Carnatic music in India, Hariharan has contributed to the classical, fusion and ghazal genres. He’s dabbled in singing in several languages over the years and most recently, in Marathi. From someone so entrenched in Bollywood music to not being “approached for a long time now”, the singer and musician we grew up listening to, has lost none of his charm. We caught up him recently. Excerpts from that conversation...
You recently released a non-film album.
Yes. It's called Hazir 2, a collaborative work with Ustad Zakir Hussain that includes the work of contemporary poets with a different kind of composition. It’s a mix of classical music like Raagdhari, as well as Urdu blues, ghazals and romantic songs. It is a very special album, the first part of which was released 21 years back. It’s a collection of eight ghazals, all unique in character and style. It is a mix of masters and contemporary moods in the form of ghazals. We’ve included raag based, ballet as well as qawwali styles as well. One of my personal favourites is Koi Gila Koi Shikva which is an Urdu Blues style of ghazal, another one being Bekhayali Mein. Jolly Mukherjee has arranged the music for the album, while my son Akshay has arranged the song Koi Gila Koi Shikva. The album lasts for an hour, but gives you a feel of just 15 minutes (talk about relativity of time!). So much so, you feel it’s over too fast and would want to hear it again.
Bollywood-wise, why aren’t we hearing more of you?
My last Bollywood song was Ae Hairat E Aashiqui for Guru. I would love to sing for Bollywood films even today, but I haven't been approached for a long time now. And times have drastically changed. Music, now, has a different feel altogether and people enjoy this kind of music. With every new generation, come new singers and there are songs that suit their voices better. But I would love to sing for Bollywood films, let’s just leave
it there.
But you’re singing for other film industries...
I sing in a lot of Tamil films and one of my songs had been topping charts until a fort night back.
Marathi songs, too, from what we hear...
I’ve ventured into the Marathi film industry recently and it is a very nice place to be. The people here are simple and create nice melodies. After Jogwa, I’ve been doing quite a lot of work with them, my son too has sung a song for the film Kokanasthaand we are doing a lot of work here. There is still a ‘want’ for Hariharan in the Marathi film industry.
Why doesn’t classical music find more of a space in Bollywood these days?
These days, films are more about the script and the story and not about songs. Most Bollywood films today have no soul-searching characters; hence the need for soulful songs doesn't arise. It’s an era of light-hearted films, where classical music doesn’t fit in.
You perform quite regularly. What’s the live music scene like?
It’s great! The number of concerts in India have gone up three-fold. If you happen to visit the airport on a Friday, you’ll find so many artistes flying to perform at places. Singing today has gained mass awareness; it’s no more a class phenomenon, where only a particular section of people enjoyed a certain kind of music. Moreover, the advent of Sufi poetic compositions has changed the face of Hindi film music.
Is classical music dying a slow death?
Not really, there’s a still a lot of classical music happening. I have several classical music concerts lined up, and a lot of community organisations and institutions promote this music. In fact, NRIs love to listen to classical music. However, it needs to be promoted well; especially the government should do something to revive it. Classical music should be played on radios when people are awake. If there are ten rock concerts in the city, there should be at least one classical music concert happening, otherwise there’s no way to promote this genre. In cities, the music culture is modernised, however classical music still holds sway in rural areas.
Looking back at your musical journey, what are your thoughts on past, present and the future?
I have had a very multi-faceted career, I created my own music, I sung for films, released my own albums and did shows and still do a lot of live shows. I think it’s now time to promote alternative music.
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