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1-15 of 15
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Ravi Shankar was a world-renowned musician, composer, performer, and scholar of classical Indian music. He was one of the leading cultural figures of the twentieth century whose accomplishments placed him as the leading figure of an important musical tradition. His long and distinguished musical career included numerous recordings, performances at all the world's leading venues, and a series of unprecedented collaborations with other leading musicians. Although he is well known because of his interaction with the popular music world, it is important to underscore that Shankar is considered the leading international figure in a very elevated art form, Hindustani music. Shankar was born on April 7, 1920, in Varanasi, India. He moved to Paris in 1930, and received most of his education there. From the age of 12, he performed as a musician and dancer on tour in Europe and America with his brother Uday Shankar, and in 1939 had his first concert as soloist at a music conference in Allahabad. By 1945 Shankar's reputation as the leading performer of traditional Hindustani music on the sitar had coalesced. He began to branch out as a composer, writing music for ballet and for important films such as such as Dharti Ke Lal and Neecha Nagar. He also composed the song Sare Jahan Se Accha, which is one of the most widely known piece of music in India. In 1949, Shankar became Music Director of All-India Radio at Delhi, and founded the Vadya Vrinda Chamber Orchestra. During the years 1950-55 Shankar composed some of his most famous music, most notably in the internationally-acclaimed film studios of Calcutta, where he scored The Ray Triology. For his outstanding contribution to Indian music and culture, he received his first of five Presidential Awards in 1962, India's highest honor in the arts. In the mid-1960s, his preeminence as one of the world's leading serious musicians was augmented with wide popular success. George Harrison of The Beatles developed a deep, abiding interest in Hindustani music, and began to study with Shankar. One influence of this study can be heard in his song Within You, Without You. Shankar died in San Diego, California in 2012 at the age of 92.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Actor and producer Sujit Kumar was born as Shamsher Bahadur Singh on June 26 1934 in Benares, British India. As a film actor, he worked in the Hindi-language film industry for more than four decades and is particularly well-known for his roles in Aradhana (1969), Ittefaq (1969) and Dharam Veer (1977). As a producer, he is known for Anubhav (1986), Asmaan Se Ooncha (1989) and Khel (1992). Sujit was also regarded as the first superstar of Bhojpuri films.
Sujit was married to Kiran Singh with whom he had a son (Jatin Kumar) and a daughter (Henna Nathani). Sujit died on February 5, 2010 in Mumbai, India.
Sujit is a part of the Varma family, which includes members that have had careers in the Bollywood industry as producers, distributors, actors, film directors, writers and film editors. The Varma family began working in the film industry in the late 1940s and continues into the 2020s; the family has had a staying power that has extended to more than seven decades.
Sujit joined the Varma Family when he married Kiran Singh née Varma, the daughter of Santram Varma, a founder of Varma Films and a patriarch of the Varma family.- Music Artist
- Music Department
- Composer
Hemanta Mukherjee was born on 16 June 1920 in Benares, Benares State, British India. He was a music artist and composer, known for Nagin (1954), Bees Saal Baad (1962) and Lalan Fakir (1987). He was married to Bela Mukherjee. He died on 26 September 1989 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Music Department
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Anjaan was born on 28 October 1930 in Benares, United Provinces, British India. Anjaan was a writer, known for Kaabil (2017), Don (2006) and Don (1978). Anjaan died on 13 September 1997 in India.- Composer
- Actor
- Director
S.N. Tripathi was born on 14 March 1913 in Benares, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. He was a composer and actor, known for Rani Rupmati (1959), Lav-Kush (1967) and Sati Sulochana (1969). He died on 28 March 1988 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Writer
- Director
- Music Department
Premendra Mitra was born in 1904 in Benares, Benares State, British India [now India]. He was a writer and director, known for Hanabari (1952), Samadhan (1943) and Rajlaxmi (1945). He died on 2 May 1988 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Bhagwati Prasad Mishra was born in Payasi village of Deoria District.
He gave break to Prithvi Raj Kapoor as an Actor in film Cinegirl.
He directed film Alam Ara which was the first Indian film with sound and also played a role in it as an actor
Other films directed by him are Draupadi, Cinegirl etc.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Gyan Mukherjee was born on 30 September 1909 in Benares, Benares State, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Jhoola (1941), Kismet (1943) and Sangram (1950). He died on 13 November 1956 in Calcutta, West Bengal, India.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Anand Prasad Kapoor was born in 1892 in Benares, North-Western Provinces, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Bansari Bala (1927), June-E-Daulat (1931) and Chirag E Kohistan (1929). He died on 16 September 1966 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Aga Hashr Kashmiri was born on 3 April 1879 in Benares, North-Western Provinces, British India. He was a writer and director, known for Wealth or Love (1922), Matri Snara (1922) and Sansar Chakra (1925). He died on 28 April 1935 in Lahore, Punjab, British India.- Ranu Mukherjee was born in 1906 in Benares, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. Ranu died in 2000.
- Actress
- Music Department
Menaka Devi was born in Varanasi in 1918. Her mother was a resident of the holy city although her father was from Bengal. Her interest in music and dance took her to Bombay where she starred in a couple of films like Prince Thaksen (1929), Uttara abhimanyu, Iswar Ki Maut and others as a child artiste. Reportedly, she met the legendary film director Debaki Bose of Bengal during a train journey and he was so impressed by her that he decided to cast her in the lead role of his next venture in the Hindi version of the bilingual Sonar Sansar (1936) and thus began the illustrous career of Menaka. Her devotion to work was such that she learnt Bengali, her mother tongue although she was anything but fluent in it having spent all her life till then outside Bengal, so that she could play the same role (that of Alaka) in the Bengali version also. Dhiraj Bhattacharya was her first hero on the screen. P.C.Barua, who was on the lookout for a young and fresh face to play Jharna in his forthcoming production Mukti (1937) selected her for both the versions and a flow started whereby she starred in films like Adhikar (1939), Abhigyan (1938), Bardidi (1939), Rajat Jayanti (1940) and others. She decided to try her luck in Bombay around 1944 and starred in more than twenty films there and definitely made her presence felt although playing the second lead most of the time. Kishore Sahu procured her services for Hamari Duniya (1952). She turned producer also and this proved her undoing. Both her films as producer, Apna na Huye Apne and Jeene Do, both starring herself with prominent Bombay stars flopped. She returned to Calcutta a broken woman and found to her dismay that roles were not coming to her. She joined the MG Enterprise, a drama group of Molina Devi and performed on the stage to continue to live as an actress. She even arranged magic shows along with husband Pannalal Srivastava while small roles came pouring in films like Ekti Raat (1956) and others. The feature that strikes even today while seeing her performance is the spontaneous nature of her acting. Why good roles eluded her is a mystery. She was last seen on the screen in Bhombal Sardar (1983). Her end came in 2004 after a prolonged fight not only against poor health but also poverty. Her death was reported only in one Bengali daily although her death news received good coverage on television.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
R.S. Choudhury was born on 8 June 1903 in Benares, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India. He was a director and writer, known for Talwar Ka Dhani (1929), Punjab Mail (1929) and Khuda Ki Shan (1931). He died on 22 August 1972 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.- Additional Crew
Jaikishen Maharaj was born on 3 September 1923 in Benares, Uttar Pradesh, British India [now Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India]. Jaikishen is known for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Prem Rog (1982). Jaikishen died on 4 May 2008 in Khajuri, Karnataka, India.- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Kaumudi Munshi was born on 3 February 1929 in Benares, Uttar Pradesh, British India [now Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India]. Kaumudi is known for Bidesiya (1963).