It would be impossible to talk about the music of Hindi film industry's golden era without taking Manna Dey's exemplary contribution into account.
Not only was he credited with pioneering a new genre by infusing Indian classical music in a pop framework, the legendary singer also epitomised the golden period of Hindi cinema with memorable songs like Puchho na kaise, Aye meri zoharajabi and Laga chunri mein daag.
Along with Rafi, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar, Dey was the last member of the famous quartet of singers who dominated the Hindi music industry from 1950s to 1970s.
In a career spanning over five decades, Dey went on to sing over 3,500 songs in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada and Assamese films before quitting movies in the '90s.
His last song was Hamari hi mutthi mein for 1991 film Prahaar.
While Rafi, Mukesh and Kishore were the favoured voices when it came to the lead actors, Dey stood out for his unique voice.
Adept also at singing Rabindra Sangeet, the multi-talented legendary singer's experimentation with western music and qawwali produced many unforgettable melodies.
Dey, who had made Bangalore his home for the past few years, started his career in playback singing with the film Tamanna in 1943. The musical score was set by his uncle Krishna Chandra Dey and he had to sing a duet with Suraiya.
The song sur na saje kiya gaon mein was an instant hit.
In 1950, Mashal was the second film where Dey got the opportunity to sing a solo Upar gagan vishal, a melody created by Sachin Dev Burman.
In 1952, Dey sang both for a Bengali and a Marathi film of the same name and storyline, Amar Bhupali, and established himself as a booming Bengali playback singer that in years to
come took him to greater heights.
Dey was much in demand for complicated raag-based songs and was once even pitted against his idol Bhimsen Joshi in 1956 movie Basant Bahar for Ketki, gulab, juhi song, something that he initially refused.
While his mastery over classical numbers somewhat pigeonholed him, the uniqueness of his voice made it impossible for any singer to replicate him. A meticulous singer, Dey would often prepare extensively before rendering a song.
The singer gave credit to Shankar-Jaikishan for understanding his depth as a singer. Dey started singing for showman Raj Kapoor in Aawara, Shri 420 and Chori Chori.
"I am especially indebted to Shankerji, for had it not been for his patronage, I would certainly not have attained the heights of success I enjoyed in my career. Here was one man who knew how to bring out the best in me. In fact, he was the first music director who dared to experiment with my voice by making me sing romantic numbers," Dey recalled in his autobiography Memories Come Alive.
The duo also helped Dey realise his dream of singing for lead actors in movies. His famous song during this period include Tere bina aag yeh chandni from Aawara, Dil ka haal sune dilwala, Pyaar hua ikraar hua from Shri 420, Aaja sanam and Yeh raat bheegi bheegi from Chori Chori and Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo from Mera Naam Joker.
Dey died on Thursday (24th Oct, 2013) morning in a Bangalore hospital. Manna Dey was being treated for respiratory illness and renal failure.
The 94 year-old-legendary singer has sung over 3,500 songs in Hindi, Bengali and other regional languages.
His greatest hits include 'Ae meri zohrajabeen', 'Puchho na kaise bitayi raina' , 'Pyar hua ikrar hua' and 'Ek chatur naar'.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the country's highest honour in cinema, was conferred on Manna Dey in 2007.
The Author is an urban folk singer & musician
who works and lives in Delhi, India
No comments:
Post a Comment