Friday, October 07, 2005

Quiz-1- Answer

In the post-independence era, Name the first Indian Motion-picture Soundtrack (including songs and Background Score),which was played/aired on BBC Radio,London. What was the speciality of this soundtrack? try your guesses, fairly. and yes, it is implied that you need to crack the name of the composer too.. good luck.

Answer:

The film is Aan (released in 1952), directed by Mehboob Khan.
Composer is Naushad Ali.
Speciality of the Background score : Symphony by Naushad.

(chandhu! U came close..but missed the film-name. It was Naushad and Mehboob Khan combination, but not Mother India.)

A month ago, i happen to watch a programme on TV, on Maestro Naushad and was surprised to know some snippets. Aan's soundtrack being the first-one being played on BBC, was one such snippet. They showed a clipping from the film which had phenomenal background music.

Aan also happens to be the 1st colour(technicolour) film of India.




Also, i found this in the internet -->
Speaking of Aan, Naushad says “I created a symphony for Aan on stage with a hundred musicians. I had a special tent... made of blankets... on the surface, I laid out coir carpets, so that the sound wouldn't echo. The final recording was done in London. We worked day in and day out for three months. We were under enormous pressure when we received news that the Liberty cinema in Bombay would open with this film. People slept for days outside the theatre to book tickets in advance. My symphony was widely appreciated in Britain, it was played on BBC. Orson Welles who was busy with his Othello also happened to see the rushes of Aan and loved the music.”

The extravagant opulence of the sets, the spectacular visuals and the universal appeal of good triumphing over evil propelled Aan to elicit notice even beyond Indian frontiers. Edited to 129 minutes, it was released all over Europe, titled ‘Mangala, the Rose of India’. The enchanting epic prompted Cecil B. Demille write to Mehboob Khan, “I found it an important piece of work, not only because I enjoyed it but also because it shows the tremendous potential of Indian motion pictures for securing world markets. I believe it is quite possible to make pictures in your great country which will be understood and enjoyed by all nations and without sacrificing the culture and customs of India. We look forward to the day when you will be regular contributors to our screen fare with many fine stories bringing the romance and magic of India.”

8 comments:

Sketchy Self said...

I would guess Mehboob's "Mother India" (not sure if it was post independence - i think it was) composed by the inimitable Naushad, but no idea what the specialty of this track was :(

Aakarsh said...

No chandu.
btw, Mother India was indeed made in 1956.

Random Walker said...

Okay. My guess is some work of post 90s composers. Illu never released his bgms. And old Bollywood masters never released bgms. If BBC must have aired it (without violating copyrights) it must be the later generation composers. So which one? A fair guess is ARR. Or one of the maverick composers like L Subbi. Tell me if my logic is right and I will try to google search.

Aakarsh said...

sorry ravi,thats not the answer.i am eager to reveal the answer..but waiting for some more trials by others..

palamoor-poragadu said...

ok... this is a poor try but anyways...

also Iam taking 2 chances (hehe)
Dalapathi?
Sholay?

Gandaragolaka said...

actually vidya.. that was a very intelligent guess which has its rootes in the very psyche of aakarsh!

(I remember a song from dalapathi winning some award on BBC)

Aakarsh said...

No Vidya, thats not the answer. i think u too had a hangover of ravi's logic, which was wrong. Now, let me reveal the answer, in the main blog.

Sketchy Self said...

Ayyaa, katti! came so close :D I had no idea of ravi's logic, but knew that some of the movie-making giants of old were much better-connected with the international (esp. british) arena than those of modern times, notable examples being mehboob khan, K asif and prithviraj kapoor. I knew mother india got to the oscars and is one of the 50 most loved movies ever.
Also it had to be naushad, though i had no idea of symphony, but i knew he was not only extremely accomplished, but also scored the bgms for most of the above giants who were way into grandeur and "dhamakedaar" openings/distribution to their films. So if it got to BBC, it must have been such a combo.
Regarding Aan, it was a surprise to me, but not too much, because i saw some of it. It was during Dilip Kumar's younger, swashbuckling days, and the heroine was the woman Mehboob is said to have called the find of the century, Nadira, whose looks mimicked the GReta Garbos and Barbara Stanwycks of Hollywood. It was also, as aakarsh pointed out, India's first totally technicolor movie. Remember the song on the horse-buggy - "Maan meraa ehsaan arey nadaan ke maine tujh se kiyaa hai pyaar.." by Rafi.
Thanks Aakarsh, that brought back some memories! Looking for more :D