Salute to a Lady in a Male Bastian!!

Usha Khanna is the only successful female music director in the Indian Film Industry till now.She made a history by surviving over 4 decades (Dil Deke Dekho, 1959 to Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, 2003) in an almost exclusively male dominated profession and industry. Salute to this great lady!!!

That brings me to my questions -- why could we not produce any other lady MD in over 75 years of Hindi film Industry? Do ladies lack in this faculty? Or are there other limitation to her because of her being a weaker sex? Or it is that bringing together a big team of instrumentalists and getting work done from them in not her cup of tea? I don't think so. If a lady can be a very successful director (Sai Paranjape, Mira Nair, Aparna Sen to name a few) that can bring together a big team, so can she be a successful music director bringing together a "musical" team.

What do you feel? Ladies, I welcome your comments.

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Deccan Herald, Sunday, August 31, 2003

Still going strong

From Dil Deke Dekho 44 years ago to the latest Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, Usha Khanna has churned out some of the best Hindi film music,
tells RAJIV VIJAYAKAR

She has proved herself. 44 years after her debut as composer in S Mukerji-Nasir Husain's silver jubilee hit Dil Deke Dekho Usha Khanna is still around, composing for selected films and for several TV serials. Yes, there have been sporadic lady music directors, the most noted being Saraswati Devi, who composed music for Bombay Talkies hits like Achhut Kanya. But none have stayed the course like Usha Khanna.

"I have been very lucky from the beginning," smiles the lady, whose fondness for dogs is second only to her love for music. "My father Manohar Khanna was a singer and lyricist and a trained musician, and he and my mother were always supportive. In childhood, I would bunk school as I was not interested in studies and would sneak into Super cinema near our home and watch films only for the songs, using my daily pocket allowance of 10 paise to buy those song books that contained lyrics of film songs.'

When O P Nayyar, who was a family friend, took the young girl in skirt-and-blouse to meet film baron S Mukerji, she sang a song that she had composed in the Nayyar mould. When Mukerji realized that it was Usha's own composition, he 'signed' her to make two compositions daily for a full year! "Since you cannot sing better than Lata and Asha, I suggest you try and become a music director!" was his advice to her. A few months later, he signed her for Dil Deke Dekho, in which he was introducing Asha Parekh opposite Shammi Kapoor. Usha's association with Asha continues to this day as she composes the title-songs of the latter's TV serials.

Says Usha, "I was always given tremendous encouragement and respect by singers, lyricists, musicians, filmmakers and stars. In fact, singers like Lata-ji, Asha-ji, Rafi-saab and Mukesh-ji would keep reminding me that I could pull them up if they were not coming up to my requirements! I had this tendency to use music directors as playback voices, and C Ramachandra-saab once chided me for being nervous when I was teaching him my song!'

Usha however concedes that as a lady in a male bastion she did lose out in some ways. "I could not take off with the producer and director to a hill-station to compose a score," she admits. "Neither could I socialize and hang around in producers' offices or throw parties. That is why I did lose on the biggest banners, though I did three films with Rajshri Productions, Accha Bura and some TV serials with Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and also worked with filmmakers like Sohanlal Kanwar, Ramesh Talwar, Mohan Kumar and others."

Usha's most fruitful associations were with Jugal Kishore (15 films including Shabnam, Lal Bungla, Munimji and Sabak) and Saawan Kumar (11 as director and lyricist).

The latter association (Saawan was her husband for a while before they split amicably) yielded musical triumphs like Hawas, Ab Kya Hoga, Saajan Bina Suhagan, Souten and now Saawan Kumar's latest film, Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya. Her other hits include Hum Hindustani, Honeymoon, Ek Sapera Ek Lutera, Aao Pyar Karen and Aap To Aise Na The.

Usha has never learnt music formally, but she did have a liking for Arabic music, from which she often took inspiration. "I never lifted a song directly, but dissected it and composed something along the lines. I am happy that A R Rehman did the same with my hit Har nazar ke sau afsane from Shabnam, which he recreated as TADA in Hindustani - he did a good job!"

She has been instrumental in introducing fresh talents like Hemlata, Pankaj Udhas, Shabbir Kumar, Vinod Rathod and Sonu Nigam.

And what does she think of today's music? "Anu Malik is doing good work. In our time good work got us assignments, today it is PR and camps. But I wish I had started out now - I would have been hyped so well!" she concludes mischievously.

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something ive always wondered why only one female md???? 😕

Originally posted by: adwarakanath31

Thanks for the article, saliluji! Never liked much of her work though, too much in the OP mould (Yeah, I don't like OP much too).

Actually, there have been some lady composers. Lataji used to compose under a pseudonym...I forgot. She's done four films in Hindi. Ai Kaash Kisi Deewane Ko, a duet between Lata and Asha is composed by her right? 😕

The first ever composer in the film industry went by the name of Saraswati something, and she was a lady.

Kishori Amonkar has given music for a couple of ventures.

SD's principal music assistant before RD was his wife, who was also a trained musician

thank god ur back hope ur the same adwarkanath but how come ur a newbie.but anyways welcome back director.the show needs one

Originally posted by: adwarakanath31

Thanks for the article, saliluji! Never liked much of her work though, too much in the OP mould (Yeah, I don't like OP much too).

Actually, there have been some lady composers. Lataji used to compose under a pseudonym...I forgoti.e Anandghan for Marathi films.(Sadhi manase,Maratha tetuka milawa..Really nice music.)👏.. She's done four films in Hindi. Ai Kaash Kisi Deewane Ko, a duet between Lata and Asha is composed by her right? 😕

The first ever composer in the film industry went by the name of Saraswati something, and she was a lady.

Kishori Amonkar has given music for a couple of ventures.

SD's principal music assistant before RD was his wife, who was also a trained musician

Thanks for the article.

Welcome Abhi.Happy to see u. 😃

Originally posted by: adwarakanath31

Thanks for the article, saliluji! Never liked much of her work though, too much in the OP mould (Yeah, I don't like OP much too).

Actually, there have been some lady composers. Lataji used to compose under a pseudonym...I forgot. She's done four films in Hindi. Ai Kaash Kisi Deewane Ko, a duet between Lata and Asha is composed by her right? 😕

The first ever composer in the film industry went by the name of Saraswati something, and she was a lady.

Kishori Amonkar has given music for a couple of ventures.

SD's principal music assistant before RD was his wife, who was also a trained musician

Well, there have been very few lady MDs here and there but no one could survive that long. A music buff like you could not even remember the names and that says all!

Lata Mangeshkar gave music to 4 or 5 Marathi films under the name "Anandaghana" and the music was great. And all her songs became immensely popular. The story goes that the producers started lining behind her and that started affecting her brother who himself was a successful composer then.

I am not much of a Usha Khanna fan but I like few of her songs very much. I will post them separately. But I must admire her for surviving so long in the field that is totally and completely dominated by male MDs.

Some of my favorite Usha Khanna numbers --

Tu es tarah se meri zidagi mein shamil hai -- Aap to Aise na the, Mohd Rafi, Hemalata

Teri galiyo me na rakhenge kadam aaj ke bad - Hawas, Mohd Rafi

Madhuban khushboo deta hai -- Sajan Bina Suhagan, Yesudas

Hum Tumse juda hoke mar jayege ro ro ke -- Ek Sapera, Ek Lutera, Mohd Rafi

Dil ke tukde tukde kar ke muskura ke chal diye -- Dada, Yesudas

yaar chulbula hai haseen dilruba hai -- Dil Deke Dekho, Asha- Rafi

barkha raani zara jam ke barso mera dilbar jaa na paaye -- Sabak, Mukesh - Suman

Chhodo kal ki batein, kal ki baat purani -- Hum Hinustani, Mukesh

Originally posted by: adwarakanath31

Thanks coolestone, yup, I am the same Abhi 😉 . We're holding this show for a moment; something GRAND is being planned, just wait and watch 😉

thats ok but how come u became a newbie u were an if-rocker😕

Interesting facts about Usha Khanna.

1. Usha Khanna was 17 (yes SEVENTEEN) years old when she composed music for her first film Dil Deke Dekho (she was born in 1942 and Dil Deke Dekho was released in 1959)

2. It is difficult to believe but she gave music to nearly 140 films. Except for those produced by her one time husband Sawaan Kumar (Sajan Bina Suhagan, Sajan ki Saheli, Sauten and others), and few others (Dil Deke Dekho, Hum Hidustani, Aap to Aise na The), all others are less known movies, which many of us may not remember.

3. She directed (well, co-directed) one film -- Ramvati (1991)

4. She acted in one film -- Mehendi (1998)

5. She gave a break to many singers -- Pankaj Udhas, Hemlata, Mohammed Aziz, Roopkumar Rathod, Shabbir Kumar and last but not least Sonu Nigam, who today are all well known singers.

Music profile: Usha Khanna

Dancing to her own tune

In chauvinistic Bollywood, there has been one female music composer who has held her own in a traditionally male bastion. A look at Usha Khanna.

Bollywood has never lacked great music composers. Many timeless numbers are hummed by Indian music buffs even today. There have never been any female music composers, though – except Usha Khanna that is. She gave quite a few hits and is now in the news with her music for Saawan Kumar Tak'sDil Pardesi Ho Gaya.

Starting off in 1960, Khanna continued to give hits through the 70s and 80s, quite remarkable, when you consider that women are not encouraged to make music in Bollywood. Her first two films were Filmalaya's Hum Hindustani and Dil Deke Dekho. Remember Chhodo kal ki baatein kal ki baat purani... from Hum Hindustani sung by Mukesh? That was an Usha number. And of course there is another unforgettable song from the same film Raat nikhri hui zulf bikhri hui, har ada teri phoolon ki daali...In Dil Deke Dekho Khanna surpassed herself. Majrooh Sulanpuri came up with evergreen lyrics for the film. Mohammad Rafi sung Rahi mil gaye rahon mein... and teamed up with Asha Bhosle for some classy duets like Yaar chulbula hai haseen dilruba hai... and Pyar ki kasam hai.... Asha Parekh catapulted to stardom with this film.

Khanna's hits ranged from Maine rakha hai mohabbat apne afsane ka naam...(sung by Rafi in Shabnam) and Hum tumse judaa hoke mar jaayenge ro roke...(Ek Sapera Ek Lootera) to Ae zindagi ke saathi jaana na zindagi se...(Fareb) and Paani mein jale paani mein jale...(Munimji). All her numbers for Rajshri's film Honeymoon were huge hits. Khanna and Mukesh worked in sync with each other and gave many, many hit numbers in various films like Shabnam, Ek Raat and Sabak, to name a few.

Now, the lady is back with Saawan Kumar Tak's Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya. Music buffs are waiting to hear her music once again. Go for it, Usha!