One for all eternity…..

I have always admitted to one and all of my adulation for the gentle multifaceted genius of Hemanta Kumar Mukhopadhyay. A lifelong admiration whose undoubted high point was a chance to observe him perform “live” from close by sneaking into a Doordarshan Kendra Mumbai studio while I was there for one of my routine appearances there in the late 70s. That was an enriching experience which was truly unparalleled. His ability to excel in many aspects of music including his sublime singing and his contribution to Rabindrasangeet by itself would have made him truly immortal but his ability as a filmmaker to spot and adapt classic novels and get movies made based on them sets him apart from all others of his ilk. This song is from his much applauded score from a movie made in the 50s, Nagin. Although the central theme was quite corny, and the beautiful Vyjayanthimala had to bear the emotively challenged leading man , Pradeep Kumar (who went bare chested much before Salman Khan’s parents were contemplating marriage, & who like the “craftsmen” of his trade at the time didn’t ever let the audience suspect he was there to act). The movie was written by Rajendra Krishna and was directed by Nandlal Jaswantlal a big name at the time – Anarkali with the most amazing score by C Ramachandra was a very famous project by him, too, – a movie which earned by the truckload due to 2 principal factors, Vyjayanthimala and Hemantada’s music. In fact it would be fair to say this movie, which showcased all of the lady’s strong points, helped establish her career as an actress in Bollywood

Look at this amazing song. https://youtu.be/3SSa0RLK2Bs

Lata Mangeshkar at her absolute best (she was not even 25 when the movie released) & the song is truly eternal.

The clavioline were incidentally played by Kalyanji Veerji Shah, who also served as assistant to Hemantada later before moving out on himself (later with his brother Anandji). Nagin was a musical extravaganza with thirteen tracks, including the superhit “Man Dole Mera Tan Dole”, whose “Been music” was performed by Kalyanji and by Ravi on the harmonium (both had worked as Hemantada’s deputies and later became independent music directors).

Quite unsurprisingly, the movie was the biggest blockbuster of the year. Hemantada remained the genial, modest self despite his amazing artistry , truly one for all eternity