The Hindu

IN HARMONY: Guru Dutt listening to a song being sung by his wife Geeta Dutt, while their son Arun looks on.   | Photo Credit: HINDU PHOTO ARCHIVES A tribute to the genius of Geeta Dutt, whose 86th birth anniversary was celebrated last week. Geeta Roy appeared on the world […]

Her songs never die

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HAPPY DAYS Pran Nevile and his wife Savitri Pran Nevile’s memoir “Carefree Days: Many Roles, Many Lives” brings to fore several aspects of his personality Come October, Pran Nevile turns 94. Perhaps, he is the oldest surviving writer who is still at it! Nah, no crying halt to writing. This […]

In his prolific nineties…

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As we celebrate Shakeel Badayuni’s birth centenary, let’s go back to the life and times of the instinctive poet-lyricist. Among the composer-singer-lyrist triumvirate of the music world, the lyricist is the one whose contribution is denied due recognition. Overshadowed by the other two, stalwarts such as Majrooh Sultanpuri, Sahir Ludhianvi […]

Straight from the heart

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As the entertainment industry celebrates the birth centenary of Kanan Devi, let’s rewind to the life and times of the first melody queen of Indian cinema. Kanan Devi, the melody queen and superstar of 1930s and 40s, was a remarkable personality. An epitome of beauty, glamour and grace and the […]

Our fair lady

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R. V. SMITH India Gate gardens Photo PTI   | Photo Credit: PTI Ride back to the congestion and pollution free New Delhi with Pran Nevile latest book, “Carefree Days” The ambience of New Delhi in the 1940s was such that few cities could compete with it. Lutyens and Baker […]

The palmy days

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Jahanara Kajjan.   | Photo Credit: 25dfr kajjan1 Here is a peep into the artistic and personal life of Jahanara Kajjan, a forgotten actor and a singing star of the 1930s. Hailed as the reigning queen of the stage, the glamorous movie actor, the trained singer, the fashionable modern girl, […]

A gem called Jahanara Kajjan

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A relook at “Devdas”, 80 years after it first kissed the silver screen. Recently, I saw Saigal’s “Devdas” on television which virtually transported me to 1935 – three quarters of a century ago when I had first seen it in Lahore as a schoolboy. An all-time classic “Devdas” turned out […]

Radiating with brilliance

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BOOKS   The book is a rich repository of information about those who were responsible for Saigal’s becoming a singing sensation Pran Nevile has dedicated this book to “all those who love to hear K.L. Saigal”. The big question is: how many of them are still around? Saigal, hailed as […]

The fountainhead of Hindi film music

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Abdullah Khan The Hindu Title: Sahib’s India, Vignettes from the Raj. Author: Pran Nevile TOPICS arts, culture and entertainment books and literature A fascinating look at the social lives of the British in colonial India. Pran Nevile’s Sahib’s India is a fascinating expedition into the social lives of British in […]

Days of the Raj

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Pran Neviles book Marvels of Indian Painting/Rise and Demise of Company School chronicles the efforts of Indian artists in the Moghul era, says R.V. SMITH   The Turkish Sultana of Akbars reign is still remembered because of the palace named after her in Fatehpur Sikri. She must have been very […]

Paintings bring Moghul Delhi alive

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The revised edition of Pran Nevile’s new book on his hometown is now available As the revised edition of Pran Nevile’s “Lahore – A Sentimental Journey” (Penguin) is formally released this Friday by Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s High Commissioner, there are a few aspects worth noticing. One must admit Pran Nevile […]

Lahore revisited

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