Vintage film : Aag (1948)

Aag (Hindi: आग) is a 1948 Hindi film which was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. He also played the male lead. The film marked the debut of Raj Kapoor as producer and director and was the first film produced by his R K banner. It was also the first of many films he did with actress Nargis. Premnath, Nigar Sultana, Kamal Kapoor and Kamini Kaushal also starred in supporting roles. Raj Kapoor's youngest brother Shashi Kapoor appeared as a child artist in this film playing the younger version of his character. The film's music was directed by Ram Ganguly.



Kewal (Raj Kapoor) reluctantly accepts his father (Kamal Kapoor)'s demands to continue the family tradition by studying law and become a successful lawyer just like him. However due to a lack of interest in becoming a lawyer and more interest in opening up his own theatre company, he fails his law exams and is thrown out of the house by his father. Luckily he finds a patron of the arts, Rajan (Premnath), who is the owner of a theatre company, that has closed down. A childhood romance with a girl named Nimmi haunts his fantasies, and Kewal searches for her in other women, even renaming them after his former sweetheart. With a theatre, a play and a feminine image in his mind, he discovers a woman (Nargis) made homeless by the Partition and the play of his dreams can at last be written and performed.

Shamshad Begum & Shailesh - Dekh Chand Ki Or :  



Shamshad Begum - Kahe Koyal Shor Machaye Re :  



Shamshad Begum & Mukesh - Raat Ko Ji :  



Mukesh - Zinda Hoon Is Tarah :  



.. more vintage Films »

Vintage film : Anmol Ghadi (1946)

Anmol Ghadi was a 1946 Hindi film directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan. The film, with 12 songs, was a musical hit and is still remembered for its music by Naushad. The film became the highest grossing film at the Indian box office in 1946. Today's younger generation of movie buffs may not know that Noor Jehan was a huge star as a singer-actress in pre-independence India, until she moved on and settled in Pakistan. She even starred with the then rising star Dilip Kumar in Jugnu (1947).

Noor Jehan - Aaja Meri Mohabbat Ke Sahare :  



Noor Jehan & Surendra - Awaj De Kahan Hai :  



Noor Jehan - Jawan Hai Mohabbat :  





Noor Jehan - Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi :  



Suraiya - Socha Tha Kya, Kya Ho Gaya :  



Shamshad Begum & Zohrabai Ambalawali - Uran Khatole Pe :  



.. more Vintage Films »

Lost melodies part 1

Those were pre-Mangeshkar days of playback singing. Female singers like Parul Ghosh, Khursheed, Rajkumari, Shamshad Begum, Uma Devi (who later became famous as comedienne Tun Tun), Suraiya, Noor Jehan (until she left India and settled in Pakistan), Zohrabai Ambalawali and Amirbai Karnataki ruled the roost. The advent of the Mangeshkar sisters, however, changed the playback singing scenario altogether. Here in this series of brief posts, I take up some of these marvellous singers, both male and female, of that bygone era. These are randomly picked songs and are not presented in a particular order.

Amirbai Karnataki - Maar Katari Mar Jana (Shehnai 1943) :  



Amirbai Karnataki - Mora Dheere Se Ghoonghat (Bhartruhari 1945) :  





Zohrabai Ambalawali - More Saiyanji Ne Bheji (Pahele Aap 1944) :  



Zohrabai Ambalawali - Mori Bali Umariya (Nateeja 1948) :  

Vintage film : Rattan (1944)

The film Rattan, released in 1944 and starring Amir Banu, Karan Dewan and Swarnalata was a landmark movie in more than one way. First, it catapulted music maestro Naushad to the top and perhaps for the first time the use of folk percussion instruments like dholak etc. instilled a new sense of rhythm into film music which until then was more melody and less rhythm. Rattan was a huge success and it enabled Naushad to charge Rs 25,000 per film, a big amount those days. It also brought singers like Amirbai Karnataki and Zohrabai Ambalawali amongst the top-notch female singers of their time.

Zohrabai Ambalawali - Ankhiyan Milake :  



Zohrabai Ambalawali - Rumjhum Barse Badarwa :  





Amirbai Karnataki & Shyam Kumar - O Janewale Balamwa :  



Karan Dewan - Jab Tum Hi Chale Pardes :  

A glimpse into the old world

Partial list of the legends of yesteryears and some blockbusters of that period. Do not feel disheartened if your favourite singer or movie is not in the list. This is not the complete list. These are old screenshots. My vintage songs collection has multiplied manifold since then. The list is first arranged decade-wise and then in alphabetic order. Scroll each column vertically to get the right glimpse.








You may refer to this list if you want me to post specific songs. Feel free to point out the errors in the list if you find any. Thanks.