Indian Music

Musical Genius - A R Rahman
AR Rahman - The Pride of Indian Music
The first Indian to win two Oscars, the man who redefined contemporary Indian music, AR Rahman needs no introduction. He is fondly called as Isai Puyal in Tamilnadu, meaning Music Storm. TIME magazine hailed him as Mozart of Madras and placed him in the Top 100 list of 'Most Influential People in the World' in 2009. Extremely versatile, AR Rahman - the musical genius, creates wonders in numerous genres, composing music for foot tapping numbers to classic melodies, intense dramas to pop. Being...

Female-Female Duets in Hindi Cinema
Bringing out the best in Female Playback Singers
Male-Female Duets in Hindi Cinema is, well, ho-hum. Since most Bollywood movies deal with romantic subjects, you should expect male-female love sings. Sometimes, though there are female-female singers. And this presents a unique opportunity to compare two voice. In any case, the competition brings out the best in them. This lens is dedicated to showcase some of the best female-female duets of the Hindi Cinema. The picture used here belongs to Picture courtesy: Julia Freeman-Woolpert

Jaidev: The Underrated Musical Genius
Who is Jaidev?
Quick! Tell me the name of 5 Bollywood composers. Chances are that Jaidev wouldn't be one of them. Ok name 5 more. I am sure, Jaidev doesn't figure in this list either. Yet this brilliant composer gave us some of the most unforgettable music on Hindi silver screen. This lens showcases those wonderful songs and attempts to put Jaidev on the top of your list. I have taken this picture from http://www.downmelodylane.com/jaidev.html No one seems to know who to credit for this picture. However, s...

25 Songs from the Minnows of Hindi Playback
The almost-there singers
In the era when the giants, like Lata, Asha, Kishore, Rafi and Mukesh ruled the Hindi playback singing scene, there were a few very talented singers who came and left a mark. Perhaps there was something that was missing in their efforts, perhaps something lacking in their voice, or perhaps sheer luck that these did not make it as big as the others. This lens hopes to showcase their talent. The picture belongs to Conna Lee.

21 Songs By Music Directors Singing Their Own Composition
Singing to their own tunes
This is a variation of the 'dancing to their own tunes'. I believe that songs sung by Bollywood Music Directors are superior in quality to the songs that a playback singer would render. The music director understands his music better and is therefore able to sing it exactly the way he wants. This lens celebrates Hindi Film Music Directors who have sung some exquisite numbers. The lens includes songs by Hemant Kumar, Sachin Dev Burman, Rahul Dev Burman, Kishore Kumar, and Madan Mohan The pict...