Saturday, January 20, 2018

First playback singing in the Bengali film Bhagya Chakra (1935)

Compiled from Wikipedia etc. (List incomplete):


Chandidas (Bengaliচণ্ডীদাস; born 1408 CE) refers to a medieval poet of Bengal or possibly more than one. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, BaḍuDvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also. According to Banglapedia, Chandidas was the first Bengali-language poet to be a humanist. He asserted "Shobar upor manush shotto tahar upore nai" ("Above all is humanity, none else").[1]
The first major Bengali poet to write Vaishnava lyrics was Chandidas, in the 15th century. Chandidas is also known for his humanist proclamation—"Sabar upare manush satya, tahar upare nai" ("সবার উপরে মানুষ সত্য তাহার উপরে নাই ।।")—"The supreme truth is man, there is nothing more important than he is.".

Sadhak Rāmprasād Sen (Bengaliরামপ্রসাদ সেন; c. 1718 or c. 1723 – c. 1775) was a Shaktapoet and saint of eighteenth century Bengal.[3][4] His bhakti poems, known as Ramprasadi, are still popular in Bengal—they are usually addressed to the Hindu goddess Kali and written in Bengali.[5] Stories of Ramprasad's life typically include legends and myths mixed with biographical details.[6] He is credited with popularizing the bhaktiShakta tradition[29][30] and Shyama Sangeet.
Seminal Hindu religious works in Bengali include the many songs of Ramprasad Sen. His works (still sung today) from the 17th century cover an astonishing range of emotional responses to the goddess Kali, detailing complex philosophical statements based on Vedanta teachings and more visceral pronouncements of his love of the goddess. They are known as Shyama Sangeet and were the literary inspiration for Kazi Nazrul Islam's later, famed Shyama SangeetRamprasad is credited with creating a new compositional form that combined the Bengali folk style of Baul music with classical melodies and kirtanMany of his songs were sung by popular Shyama Sangeet singers like Dhananjay BhattacharyaPannalal Bhattacharya, and Anup Ghosal

Lalon also known as Lalon Sain, Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir or Mahatma Lalon (Bengaliলালন; c. 1772 – 17 October 1890; Bengali: 1 Kartik 1179)[1] was a prominent Bengali philosopher, Baul saint, mystic, songwriter, social reformer and thinker. Considered as an icon of Bengali culture, he inspired and influenced many poets, social and religious thinkers including Rabindranath Tagore,[2][3][4] Kazi Nazrul Islam,[5] and Allen Ginsberg[6] although he "rejected all distinctions of caste and creed".[7] 
https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn=1524552593
Mystic poet Lalon Shah is their predecessor in the field of Bengali literature and philosophy. The great influence of Fakir Lalon Shah on the music and poetry of both Tagore and Nazrul is undeniable and worth observing. Many ArabicFarsi words woven in a net of Bengali words by Kazi Nazrul Islam had been previously introduced into Bengali literature by Fakir Lalon Shah. Similarly, many phrases and thoughts that we come across in Tagore's composition have previously been written by Lalon. So undeniably, Lalon left behind a legacy for both Nazrul and Tagore.

Girish Chandra Ghosh (28 February 1844 – 8 February 1912) was a Bengali musician, poet, playwright, novelist, theatre director and actor. He was largely responsible for the golden age of Bengali theatre.[1][2][3] He can be referred to as the Father of Bengali Theatre. He was a versatile genius, a scholar without having any formal educational background, an actor of repute and a mentor who brought up many actors and actresses, including Binodini Dasi.

Hason Raja, (Bengaliহাসন রাজা; 1854–1922)[1] was a Bengali poet, mystic philosopher and songwriter from SylhetBangladesh. His unique style of music made him one of the most prominent figures in Bengali culture.

Dwijendralal Ray (Bengaliদ্বিজেন্দ্রলাল রায়; 19 July 1863 – 17 May 1913), also known as D. L. Ray (Bengaliডি. এল. রায়), was a Bengali poet, playwright, and musician. He was known for his Hindu mythological and Nationalist historical plays and songs known as Dwijendrageetior the Songs of Dwijendralal, which number over 500, create a separate subgenre of Bengali music. Two of his most famous compositions are Dhana Dhanya Pushpa Bhara and Banga Amar Janani Amar. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in early modern Bengali literature.

Rajanikanta Sen (26 July 1865 – 13 September 1910) was a Bengali poet and composer, known for his devotional (bhakti) compositions, as well as his patriotic songs.[1] Sen's mother Manomohini Devi had interest in Bengali literature. She used to discuss it with young Rajani. This influenced his future compositions a lot. Sen got interested in music from Tarakeshwar Chakrabarty, his friend in Bhangakuthi. He was fluent in writing poems in Bengali and Sanskrit from childhood. He started composing music for his poems and singing those along with playing musical instruments later. 
Atul Prasad Sen Bengaliঅতুল প্রসাদ সেন (20 October 1871 – 26 August 1934) was a noted Bengali composer, lyricist and singer, and also a successful lawyer, philanthropist, social worker, educationist and littérateur.[1] Atul Prasad is credited with introducing the Thumri style in Bengali music.[2] He also pioneered introduction of Ghazals in Bengali.[20] which was later enriched profusely by contribution of Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Indira Devi Chaudhurani (29 December 1873- 12 August 1960) was a Bengali Indian litereaur, author and musician. Born to the Tagore family, Indira was the younger child of Satyendranath Tagore and Jnanadanandini Devi and younger sister of Surendranath Tagore. She is noted for her work in scoring the music for a number of songs by her uncle Rabindranath, to who she was particularly close.

Krishna Chandra Dey (Bengaliকৃষ্ণ চন্দ্র দে) (1893–1962), better known as K.C. Dey, was a Bengali actor, singer, music composer and teacher born in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was S.D. Burman's first musical teacher and mentor. In 1906, at the age of thirteen, he lost his eyesight and became completely blind.[1] 

Dilipkumar Roy (22 January 1897 – 6 January 1980) was a Bengali Indian musician, musicologist, novelist, poet and essayist. He was the son of Dwijendralal Ray.

Harindranath Chattopadhyay (2 April 1898 – 23 June 1990) was an Indian English poet, a dramatist, an actor, a musician and a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency.[1] He was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu.

Kazi Nazrul Islam (Bengaliকাজী নজরুল ইসলামpronounced [kadʒi nodʒrul islam]) (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poetwritermusician, and revolutionary. He is the national poet of Bangladesh.[2] 


B. N. Sircar /Sarkar (Birendranath Sircar) (1901–1980) was an Indian film producer and the founder of New Theatres Calcutta. He made Bengali-language films that were noted for introducing many film directors who later became famous. 
In 1935, playback singing was first used in India in the Bengali film Bhagya Chakra by Nitin Bose. The singers were K C DeyParul Ghosh and Suprabha Sarkar.[5] Dhoop Chhaon, Hindi remake of this film, was the first Hindi film to use playback singing.[6]
Kanan Devi was the first popular star actress, who appeared in many films produced by New Theatres. Also there was a group of talented actors with New Theatres like K.L. SaigalK. C. DeyPrithviraj KapoorChhabi BiswasBikash RoyPahari SanyalBasanta Choudhury.Top directors like Premankur AtarthiP.C. BaruaDebaki Bose and Nitin Bose worked in New Theatres films. The musicians who worked there include R. C. BoralPankaj Mullick and Timir Baran.


Rai Chand Boral (19 October 1903 – 25 November 1981) was an Indian composer, considered by music conoisseurs to be the father of Bollywood film music.[1]
He dissolved the Ghazal style of singing from Northern India into the 19th Century Bengali tunes with string instrument medium. In 1935, he introduced playback singing for the first time in the Hindi feature film Dhoop Chhaon (1935). The song, "Main Khush Hona Chahun", had an all women chorus led by Parul Ghosh with Suprabha Sarkar and Harimati picturised in a dance sequence. After arriving at Bombay in 1953, Boral composed music for Dard-e-Dil(1953) with Lata's songs. Music for some basic records were composed by him. Anjangarh(1948) was his last famous film with New Theatres. He is correctly complimented by late Anil Biswas as the Father of Indian Cinema Music. He had directed music of 70–75 (?) films (excluding live scores of silent movies) including Hindi and Bengali films.


Kundanlal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal (11 April 1904 – 18 January 1947), was an Indian singer and actor who is considered the first superstar of the Hindi film industry, which was centred in Kolkata during Saigal's time, but is currently centred in Mumbai.[1][2]


Pankaj Mullick, also known as Pankaj Kumar Mullick (Pôngkoj Kumar Mollik; 10 May 1905 – 19 February 1978), was a Bengali Indian music director, who was a pioneer of film music in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema at the advent of playback singing, as well as an early exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.[1][2][3][4]

Pahari Sanyal (Bengaliপাহাড়ী সান্যাল) (22 February 1906 – 10 February 1974), born Nagendranath Sanyal, was a prominent Bengali character actor and also singer.[1]

Sachin Dev Burman (1 October 1906 – 31 October 1975) was an Indian music composer. A member of the Tripura royal family, he started his career with Bengali films in 1937. Later he began composing for Hindi movies, and became one of the most successful Bollywood film music composers. S D Burman composed music for over 100 movies, including Hindi and Bengali films.[1] Apart from being a versatile composer, he also sang songs in light semi-classical and folk style of Bengal. His son Rahul Dev Burman was also a celebrated music composer for Bollywood films.

Santidev Ghose (also Santidev GhoshShantidev Ghosh and Santideb Ghosh) (Santiniketan, 7 May 1910 – 1 December 1999)[1] was an Indian author, singer, actor, dancer and maestro of Rabindra Sangeet.

Debabrata Biswas (also known as George Biswas and George-da; 22 August 1911 – 18 August 1980), was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer.

Kamal Dasgupta or Kamal Uddin Ahmed (28 July 1912 – 20 July 1974) was a Bangladeshi music director, composer and folk artist. Rāga and Thumri were the main elements of his music.[1][2] His wife Feroza Begum was a noted Nazrul Sangeet singer. Their second and third sons Hamin Ahmed and Shafin Ahmed are the lead singers with Bangladeshi Band Miles.

Hemanga Biswas (Bengaliহেমাঙ্গ বিশ্বাস14 December 1912 –  22 November 1987) was a Bengali singer, composer, author and political activist, known for his advocacy of peoples music, drawing from the rich genres of folk music, including Bhatiali originally popular among the fishermen of Bengal. 

Anil Krishna Biswas (अनिल कृष्ण विश्वास / অনিল বিশ্বাস; 7 July 1914 – 31 May 2003) was an Indian film music composer from 1935 to 1965, who apart from being one of pioneers of playback singing, is also credited for the first Indian orchestra of twelve pieces and introducing orchestral music and full-blooded choral effects, into Indian cinema.[2] A master in western symphonic music was known for the Indian classical or folk elements, especially Baul and Bhatiyali in his music.[3][4][5] Out of his over 90 films, most memorable were, Roti(1942), Kismet (1943), Anokha Pyaar (1948), Taraana (1951), Waaris (1954), Pardesi (1957) and Char Dil Char Rahen (1959).

Parul Ghosh (née Biswas; 1915–August 13, 1977) was an Indian playback singer.[ ] Ghosh was married to the flautist Pannalal Ghosh[5] in 1924.[1] Ghosh sang in Hindi and Bengali movies from 1935 to 1951.[2] Hailing from Barisal (now in Bangladesh), she was introduced to playback singing by her brother Anil Biswas.[1][3] 

Prabodh Chandra Dey (1 May 1919 − 24 October 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an Indian playback singer. He debuted in the film Tamanna in 1942. After the song "Upar Gagan Bishal" composed by S D Burman he saw success and went on to record more than 4,000 songs till 2013. 

Hemanta Mukherjee (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989); often credited as Hemant Kumaroutside Bengal) was an Indian playback singermusic director and film producer, who sang in BengaliHindi and other Indian languages. He is also the greatest artist of Rabindra Sangeet

Dhananjay Bhattacharya (1922 - 1992) was one of the finest modern Bengali singers. He was a great versatile Shyama Sangeet singer. He was eight years elder than his younger brother Pannalal. He studied in Rivers Thompson School, Bally, Howrah... He was best known for singing Shyama Sangeet. Out of the total 24 songs in the movie Sadhak Ramprasad(1956), Dhananjay sang 23 songs. 

Salil Chowdhury (Bengaliসলিল চৌধুরী; 'Solil Choudhuri' in phonetic Wiki-Bengali; 19 November 1922[1] – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music composer, who mainly composed for BengaliHindi and Malayalam films. He was also a poet and a playwright. He is affectionately called Salilda by his admirers.

Utpala Sen (12 March 1924 - 13 May 2005) was a prominent Indian Bengali playback singer. She was a very popular playback singer in the 1950s alongside Sandhya Mukherjee, Pratima Banerjee and Alpana Banerjee etc. She has sung numerous duets with prominent male singers such as Hemanta MukherjeeManna Dey and also her husband, Satinath Mukherjee.[1][2]

Suchitra Mitra (19 September 1924 – 3 January 2011) was an Indian singer, composer, exponent of Rabindra Sangeet or the songs of Bengal's poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore, professor, and sheriff of Kolkata, India. As an academic, she remained a professor and the Head of Rabindra Sangeet Department at the Rabindra Bharati University for many years. Mitra was a playback singer, acted in a Bengali films as well,[1][2] and was many years associated with IPTA.

Kanika Banerjee (October 12, 1924 – April 5, 2000) was an Indian Rabindra Sangeet singer... Her gramophone records came out even in the lifetime of the Poet (Tagore) and there are over 300 gramophone discs to her credit. She was also a singer of Bhajans, Nazrulgeeti (songs by Kazi Nazrul Islam) and Atulprasad's songs. However the first song recorded by her was neither a Tagore song nor a Nazrul Geeti but a Bengali Adhunik song composed by Niharbindu Sen.
Kanika Bandyopadhyay was a contemporary of other notable exponents of Rabindrasangeet, namely Hemanta MukhopadhyayChinmoy ChattopadhyaySuchitra MitraDebabrata BiswasSagar SenSumitra SenSantidev Ghosh and Subinoy Roy. In particular, her musical style has often been compared and contrasted with that of Suchitra Mitra. While both singers excelled in songs of love and worship (puja and prem), Kanika's oeuvre was melodious yet melancholy, plaintive yet soul-stirring, whereas Suchitra was bold and strong in her renditions.

Gauriprasanna Mazumder (1924–1986[1]) was an Indian Bengali lyricist.[2] He is most commonly associated with the black and white era of Bengali cinema, when he penned several enduring classics for the films Anyay Abichar, Maqsad, Tinmurti, Aparupa, Anusandhan, and Aaj Ka Mahatma. 

Nachiketa Ghosh (20 May 1925 – 12 October 1976) was one of the most acclaimed music directors and composers of India. He mainly composed for BengaliHindi, and Oriya songs. He gave a new dimension to the Bengali music for both the arenas of Bengali modern song as well as Bengali film song. He was also an excellent singer and there are around five published Gramophone records where his role was just of the singer.

Bhupen Hazarika  (1926 - 2011) was an Indian playback singer, lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam, widely known as Sudhakantha... He was also considered as a new trend setter in Bengali music. The famous musical genre of West Bengal, the Jivanmukhi geet started by Kabir Suman in 1990's is thought to be influenced by Hazarika. 


Shyamal Mitra (14 January 1929 – 15 November 1987) was a Bengali singercomposer and producer. Along with Hemanta Mukherjee and Manna Dey, he was the most notable musician of the golden era of Bengali music industry. His baritone voice reflected a range of emotions.

Kishore Kumar (4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, and screenwriter.[1] He is considered one of the most successful playback singers in the Hindi film industry.

Manabendra Mukhopadhyay (Bengaliমানবেন্দ্র মুখোপাধ্যায়) was a Bengali singer[1]and composer. Manabendra was born in Kolkata on 11th August, 1929. His father’s name was Atulchandra Mukhopadhay. It is considered that during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s the Bengali modern songs reached its peak of excellence and that period is usually called the "Golden age of Bengali Adhunik Songs".[citation needed] At that time Bengal had a unique mix of singers which inspired composers and lyricists to create innumerable treasure of creative music. Each singer had his own inimitable style and compositions were made to match their individual ability. Bengali non-film modern songs were in fact was as popular, if not more, than film songs which also reached a level of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s.
Coming to limelight in the early 1950s Manabendra was an innovative and stylish singer who had a strong foundation in Indian classical music. With his distinctive voice, Manabendra was an instant hit with the audience. demonstrating great talent also as a composer, using the lyrics and melody of a song with good effect. At that time Bengali modern song world had the presence of some outstanding performers like Dhananjay Bhattacharya, Manna Dey, Satinath Mukherjee, Akhil Bandhu Ghosh, Hemanta Mukhopadhyay to name a few.
Sudhin Dasgupta (Bengaliসুধীন দাশগুপ্ত; 9 October 1929 – 8 January 1982) was a prolific Bengali music director, lyricist, and singer. He worked in various other Indian languages, such as HindiAssamese and Oriya. His contribution opened a new horizon to the Bengali music for both the arenas of Bengali basic song as well as Bengali film song.

Feroza Begum (Bengaliফিরোজা বেগম) (28 July 1930 – 9 September 2014) was a Bangladeshi Nazrul Sangeet singer.[2] She was awarded the Independence Day Award in 1979 by the Government of Bangladesh.

Geeta Dutt (born Geeta Ghosh Roy Chowdhuri; 23 November 1930 – 20 July 1972[1]) was a prominent Indian singer, born in Faridpur before the Partition of India. She found particular prominence as a playback singer in Hindi cinema. She also sang many modern Bengalisongs, both in film and non-film genre.

Pulak Bandyopadhyay (2 May 1931 – 7 September 1999) was a Bengali Indian lyricist, songwriter and music composer of Bengali cinema.[1] He died on 7 September 1999.[2]

Sandhya Mukhopadhyay (also Sandhya Mukherjee) is an Indian singer and musician, specialising in Bengali music. Born in Kolkata, India, on 4 October 1931, she received Banga Bibhushan, the highest civilian honour in West Bengal in 2011[1] and National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her songs in the films Jay Jayanti and Nishi Padma in the year 1970.[2]
She married Bengali poet Shyamal Gupta in 1966. Gupta went on to write the lyrics for many of her songs. 

Alpana Mukherjee (née Banerjee) (Bengaliআল্পনা মুখার্জী) (March 14, 1934 – July 24, 2009) was a successful Bengali singer during the late 1940s and 1950s and onwards. Her most noted songs are 'Hatti Matim Tim', 'Mon Bolchhe Aaj Sandhyay', 'Chotto Pakhi Chandana' and 'Ami Alpana Enke Jai Aloy Chhayay'.

Ruma Guha Thakurta[1] (Bengaliরুমা গুহঠাকুরতা) is a Bengali actress and singer. She was born on 21 November 1934.[2] She founded Calcutta Youth Choir in 1958. She is the daughter of Satyen Ghosh (Monty Ghosh) and her mother was Sati Devi (a famous singer of her times).[3] She was married to Kishore Kumar in 1951 and has a son Amit Kumar by this marriage . The couple got divorced in 1958 and she married Arup Guha Thakurta.

Pratima Bandopadhyay (Bengaliপ্রতিমা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়) (21 December 1934 – 29 July 2004) (born as Pratima Chatterjee aka Pratima Chattopadhyay) was a Bengali playback singer from Kolkata, who sang numerous songs in popular Bengali language movies and non-film as well, particularly during the 1950s, 60s and 70s.[1][2] She was also known as Pratima Banerjee.

Madhuri Chattopadhyay (16 December 1940 – 19 October 2013) was a Bengali singer from Kolkata, who sang numerous songs in popular Bengali language during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.[1][2]

Nirmala Mishra, was a play back singer of Odia movies in the decade of 60 and 70. She was considered as the Lata Mangeskar of Odia movie.

Subir Sen
(–2015) is known for his work on Passport (1961), Midnight (1972) and Chhoti Bahen (1959). He died on December 29, 2015 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.See full bio » the singer of 'Dharoniro pathey pathey', 'Eto sur aar eto gaan', 'Saradin tomae bhebe', 'Manzil wohi hai pyar ki', 'Main rangeela pyar ka rahi' and 'Dil leke jate ho kaha'.

Rahul Dev Burman (Bengali pronunciation: [Rahul Deb Bôrmon]; 27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian film score composer, who is considered one of the all time greatest music directors of the Indian film industry.[1] Nicknamed Pancham, he was the only son of the composer Sachin Dev Burman. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films.[2]
Aarti Mukherji 1945 (also known as Aarti Mukherjee or Arati Mukhopadhyay) is a Bengaliplayback singer who has also sung in Hindi films such as Geet Gata Chal (1975), Tapasya(1976), Manokamana and Masoom (1983).
Haimanti Sukla (Bengaliহৈমন্তী শুক্লা Hoimonti Shukla) (born 2 February 1949) is a Bengalisinger.[1] The tradition of Hindustani classical music was in her family[2] and this helped her to become a classically trained singer.[3] She recorded her first song E to kanna noy aamar in 1972.[2] Her popular song in Bollywood is Kahan Se Aaya Badra from movie "Chasmebadoor", Her first Hindi movie song was "jivan ki kitabon par" from movie "Amavas ka Chand"
Kabir Suman ( born Suman Chattopadhyay on 16 March 1949) is an Indian singersongwritermusicianmusic directorpoetnovelistpolyglotjournalistpolitical activist, TV presenter, and occasional actor.[2][3] Kabir Suman was the pioneer of alternative Bengali music around 1991. He advocated a new trend in Bengali Music with songs that were written, composed and sung, all by a single individual. Many contemporary solo artists like Anjan DuttaNachiketa ChakrabortyAnupam Roy and Rupam Islam followed this trend. He has influenced bands like Chandrabindoo and Cactus. He is the first singer of Bengali music industry who is a multi-instrumentalist. As of 2016 Suman has been married five times.[15] He is married to Sabina Yasmin, a Bangladeshi singer.[1][16]
Sabina Yasmin (born 1953) is a Bangladeshi singer. She is best known as a playback singerin Bengali cinema. She has won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer a record 12 times.[2] She has recorded more than 1,500 songs for films and over 10,000 songs in total.[3]


Swapna Chakraborty


www.swapnachakraborty.com/


Mrs. Swapna Chakraborty is an expert in Dwijendra Geeti, Rajanikanta, Atul Prasad, Nazrul Geeti & Rabindra Sangeet.

Kedarnath Bhattacharya, better known as Kumar Sanu (born 20 October 1957), is a leading Indian playback singer of Bengali background, popular for rendering his voice in Bollywoodmovies of the 1990s and early 2000s. 

Abhijeet Bhattacharya, or Abhijeet Dhirendranath 1958 better known as Abhijeet, is a Bollywood playback singer

Anup Ghoshal 1968 is a singer in Hindi films and other vernacular Indian films, especially Bengali language films. He is known in his native Bengal primarily as one of the foremost Nazrulgeeti exponents, and was one of the foremost artistes of the 'golden age' of Nazrulgeeti (c. 1930s–1970s). 

Andrew Kishore is a Bangladeshi singer who is active in the music industry of the country since the 1980s. He has played back about 15,000 songs. 

Shreya Ghoshal (born 12 March 1984)[2] is an Indian playback singer. She has received four National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards


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