This is my fiftieth review on MS…. Being the music fanatic, what better topic can I chose for my golden jubilee than to dedicate this to the men who created magic through their music!
This is my tribute to the great music directors, who made Bollywood music what it is!
Before I go to the count down, I would like to mention the names, the legends, whom I could not include in my list.
The early days of film music saw the legends like Kidar Sharma, Shyam Sunder, Anil Biswas, Khemchand Prakash, Pankaj Mullik, Hansraj Bahl, Ram Ganguly and Hushnlal Bhagatram manning the ship called music.
As we entered to another phase of film music we legends like Ghulam Mohd, Roshan, OP Nayar, Vasant Desai, Kalyanji Anandji, Khayyam, Ravi, Chitragupt, Jaidev.
In the modern age, we have seen some great composition from Jatin-Lalit, Anand-Milind, Dilipsen-Sameersen, Nadeem-Shravan, Ismail Durbaar, Anu Malik etc, who have given the hope of keeping up the great tradition.
Now coming to my list of 10 MDs… I have picked up the 10 MDs, who I thought have excelled in their field and have gauged them on 4 parameters: Critics Appreciation, Mass Appeal, Variety and Sustainability.
I have given the rankings in the form of a quiz. Try and guess the MDs’ names. I’ll give the answers in the comments after seeing the first 5 comments or within 24 hours, whichever comes first! So keep spamming!
10. Bangali Babu with soulful music
He was in the industry from the 1950s to the 1970s, with his presence widely felt. His versatility was unquestionable. He was the most frequently used MD for movie makers like Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee. A music director, for whom the barriers of language did not matter as he shoed with his hits in Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Kannada, Telegu and Tamil!
My favourite: *O Sajna barkha bahaar ayee from Parakh.
9. The genius who refused to compromise
If I were to pen my favourite 10 and not the greatest 10, this man would be topping my list. He was the real genius if there was any ever. He was acknowledged by his contemporaries as the only MD who was never “inspired” by others’ works…. A true original. High in critics’ choice and versatility, he found it quite difficult to sustain himself. His perfectionist attitude was soon termed as arrogance and he became his own worst enemy.
My Favourite: Of course…* Woh raat din woh shaam ki(Saiyyan)
8. They ruled the hearts in 1970s and 1980s
This duo virtually ruled Bollywood in late sixties and were always among the top 2 MDs in 1970s and 1980s. Started with high quality music in late sixties and slowly changed themselves to popular music as time passed by. Though rated very high in popular choice and reasonably high on critics choice(as the numerous Filmfare Awards show), I wish, they had continued giving us the quality music that they had given in Saathi and Milan.
My Favourite: *Ik Pyar Ka Nagma Hai(Shor)
7. The Gazal King
He was known as the Gazal King of Bollywood. His songs were of high class and has given us several memorable hits with Lata Mangeshkar… alas… he did not get the patronage of any big banner movie house and that was the biggest grief of his career. He patronized the two best singers of Bollywood: Lata and Rafi and the result is visible. So much so that, almost 30 years after his death, we are seeing his tunes being immensely popular!
My Favourite: * Ye Duniya Ye Mehfil(Heer Ranjha)
6. They made music close to common man.
They were called as the king of Bollywood…. The men, who carved a niche for themselves and ruled popular segment in Bollywood, during the Golden Era. The awesome number of songs that have finished in top 3 of Bollywood in 1950s and 1960s, is a great proof of their talents. However, their more memorable songs have been for starts such as Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar.
My Favourite: *Ye Raat Bhigi Bhigi(Chori Chori)
5. The man who created superstars with one musical movie!
This man from Tripura knew how to bridge the gap with time as he progressed. Held by many critics as the most talented MD ever, he has shown his worth from serious movie makers like Guru Dutt to more commercial movie makers like Navketan Films and Sakthi Samantha. He was the man behind the biggest revolution in Hindi Film Music: aaradhana. An equally talented singer, he has sung quite a few memorable and deep in thought songs.
My Favourite: *Safal Hogi Teri Aaradhana(Aaradhana)
4. The man who defined the course of music in 40s and 50s.
Some say he was the greatest musician ever born, some say he has never given a bad movie. In my opinion, he was a great music director, who could have been the greatest had he experimented a bit more. Known mostly for the Rafi gems, he was the king of sad songs and classical numbers. He is the man who discovered Mohd. Rafi(Pehle Aap), gave India a never before musical phenomena like Baiju Bawra and created magic with Mughal-e-Aazam. I think we can write of his Guddu in 1990s.
My Favourite: *Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki(Dulari)
3. The voice of the new generation.
What to say of this man…. He has shown Indian(not Hindi alone) film industry what versatility and newness can mean. He has reached that status at Bollywood, where no south Indian could reach earlier. In todays era of mediocrity and double meaning songs, he has carried out the mantle of maintaining quality in songs. That’s why probably he is the most sought after guy today!
My Favourite: *Chhaiyaan Chhaiyaan(Dil Se)
2. The man who made Pandit Neheru cry.
Another prime example of a versatile music director, who had appealed to the masses and the classes equally. From Ina Mina Dika to Yeh Zindagi Ushiki hai, from shaam dhale khidki tale to dheere se aaja ri and from Albela to Navrang, each movie of this man was a master piece. Today probably he is best remembered for his numerous Lata gems, especially “ae mere watan ke logon” that is said to have brought tears to Pt. Neheru’s eyes.
My Favourite: *Yeh Zindagi Ushiki Hai(Anarkali)
1. He who defined and re defined popular music.
What to say of this man! Mass appeal? He ruled as the most popular music director for the 1970s and eighties…. Critics Choice? The articles in praise of this great man never seem to end! Versatility? He has given us the twisting Teesri Manzil and the very serious Aandhi, popular Sholay and romantic Kati Patang… Sustainability? He has made his presence felt for nearly 4 decades! He was superb, fantabulous etc. etc…. He adapted himself to the changing need of Bollywood and ensured that others follow his lead. This man got a fitting obituary with his last film: 1942 A Love Story
My Favourite:* Tere Bina Zindagi se Koi(Aandhi)
