Tribute to Anil Biswas... (7 July 1914 - 31 May 2003)

Anil Biswas first made name in Kolkata in the early 1930s, composing music for plays, later he joined 'Rangmahal Theatre', Kolkata, as an actor, singer, and assistant music director, 1932--34, during this period he sang and acted in several commercial stage productions. By this time he had masters singing styles like, khayal, thumri and dadra, and had become an accomplished singer of devotional music, in Shyama Sangeet and Kirtan styles.
He also worked as a singer, lyricist and composer, with the 'Hindustan Recording Company', where Kundan Lal Saigal and Sachin Dev Burman, before migrating to Bombay themselves. He got assignments from renowned Bengali poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam, all this got him into the notice of music director, Hiren Bose, and at whose behest he made his way to Bombay (Mumbai) in 1934 [10].
This was the period, when playback singing, was making its debut in Indian cinema, when Anil first joined Ram Daryani's, 'Eastern Art Syndicate', and was associated in composing music for 'Baal Hatya' and 'Bharat ki Beti', before making his debut as a film composer, with Dharam ki Devi (1935) for which he composed the background music, and also acted and sang the song, Kuch Bhi Nahin Bharosa.. In 1936 he joined 'Sagar Movietones' as a composer, first starting with assisting composers, Ashok Ghosh in films Manmohan and Deccan Queen and also Pransukh Nayak, and continued with Sagar Movietones, even after it merged with the Yusuf Fazalbhoy of RCA's newly established National Studios in 1939.
In the coming two years he did eleven film, mostly stunt film, until Mehboob Khan's Jagirdar (1937), a commercially hit, established him as a musical force in the film industry, there was no turning back from then on. Soon many more independent assignments came his way, most notably, 300 Days and After, Gramophone Singer, Hum Tum Aur Woh, Ek Hi Rasta, and Mehboob Khan's Watan (1938), Alibaba (1940), the classic, Aurat (1940), Bahen (1941), before working with him again, in Roti (1942), for which he also credited with the story and concept [11], and which featured many songs by film's actress, Akhtaribai Faizabadi (Begum Akhtar), though they were deleted due to a contractual conflict (the music was recorded with HMV, while she was in contract with Megaphone Gramophone Company). In following years he gave scores for Bombay Talkies films like Jwar Bhatta (1944), Dilip Kumar's debut film, and Milan (1947) also starring Dilip Kumar and directed by Nitin Bose, who made it in Bengali, as Naukadubi [7].In Delhi he became director of the National Orchestra at the All India Radio (AIR) in March 1963 [5], and remained Chief Producer -Sugam Sangeet (light Hindustani classical music) at AIR, Delhi till 1975 [15]. Though later, he composed music for Doordarshan's pioneering TV series Hum Log (1984) and a number of documentaries for the Films Division [9] as late as 1991 [10], and remained the vice chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University for 2 years. He won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986.

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• Tribute
• to
• Anil
• Biswas
• on
• his
• death
• anniversary
• (7
• July
• 1914
• 31
• May
• 2003)

[kanumody]

I ALONG WITH MY ENTIRE FAMILY HAVE BEEN AN UNFAILING ADMIRER OF

NAUSHAD ALI AS BEING THE G R E A T E S T COMPOSER EVER TO

HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY . BUT , AFTER THIS

GREAT MUSIC COMPOSER IMMEDIATELY COMES THE UNFAILING NAME

OF ANIL BISWAS . ALL THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE , HE HAS CONTRIBUTED

MAXIMUM TO THE HINDI FILM WORLD BY HIS EXTREMELY ARTISTIC MUSICAL CREATIONS . NO BODY WOULD EVER DISPUTE THAT UNDYING

FACT.

[anilvora2000]

Iam wordless. How to thank you? God bless you.

[YAWASIMOFA5]

Great composer with in depth knowledge of classical music.

Yes, he introduced both Mukesh and Talat to Hindi films.

His contribution to Indian film music will never be forgotten.

[jagjitisher]

thanx mirza g 4 the montage with the glimpse of many legends. gr8 tribute 2 the gr8 composer. anil biswas is no more with us but his sweet songs wll always echoe in our souls & minds. may his soul rest in eternal peace.

[kk10061]

mirza jee anil biswas introducemukesh in indian film industry .the song dil jalta hai to jalne do .no no mukesh and anil sahib were very much for each other.

[MrShamsunderS]

I remember once Anilda telling us that he had given music for a Bengali film "' Ami Dui"' which was probably his first independent music score. No further information is available in this case. So far I have not come across its songs.

[sazzadqadir]

Another great son of Barisal, Bangladesh...

[sazzadqadir]

good selection...

[crazyoldsongs]

outstanding in every aspect !

[jasbongy]

Wow, great,great selection of songs by you, from Anil Biswas ji's gems.and you have presented just beautifully with awesome pictures. I like the one at 2.55 where

Lata ji, Meena Kumari ji, Talat ji are seen.''Intzar aur'' from ''Char Dil Char Rahen.'' picturized on Nimmi is also beautiful song.Thumbs Up. Excellent tribute to Great Artist.W.R. Sarla.