Articles

Articles on Hindi Films

Details: Published: 23 September 2017; Last Updated: 23 September 2017

We all talk about the influence of Parsi-Gujarati-Marathi theater on cinema. We have about a dozen books on theater listing the plays, year, writer, company, actors, some cases MDs. Of course, we have at least two silent filmography books and the HFGK for talkies. Why cannot somebody just compare the two and say more?

Well, Dr Narendra Shrimali 'Kamal'. Associate Professor, Faculty of Performing Arts, M S Univ of Baroda has done that and much more in his path-breaking doctoral thesis published as a book, Music of Theatre and Hindi Cinema (1900-1950) [A discographical study with particular reference to the theatre of western India]

He lists about 55 dramas used as a basis for the silents and 59 for the takies mostly in the first 5 years.

Now you know!

Listen to Mujrim Kaun Khooni Kaun (1965)

Details: Published: 27 June 2018; Last Updated: 27 June 2018

So, June 26 was Gauhar Jan's birthday. The grand lie that she was the first Indian recording artist was repeated, again, ad nauseum. She absolutely was not the 1st, or 2nd, or 3rd, etc. The most authentic work, based on archival records, is the book, The Gramophone Company's First Indian Recordings 1899-1908, by Michael Kinnear sets the record straight. One can see from the first two pages of the 78 discography that the earliest recordings were done in London in 1899 and she was nowhere near it.

The recordist. F Gaisberg, then came to Calcutta in 1902 and did many more. Here are the next two pages. Gauhar Jan shows up on the last page.. Even discounting the London recordings, one can see that she is not even in the first 5.