Pankaj Mullick


PANKAJ MULLICK


(10.5.1905 - 19.2.1978)


Pankaj Mullick, also known as Pankaj Kumar Mullick , was a popular Bengali Indian Music Composer and play back singer, who was a pioneer of film music in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema at the advent of playback singing, as well as early exponent of Ravindra sangeet, He was awarded the PadmaShree in 1970, followed by The Dada Sahab Phalke Award (India's highest in Cinema given by the Govt. of India) in 1972 for lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema.

Early Life and Training :

Pankaj Kumar Mullick was born in Kolkata to Monimohan and Monomohini Mullick. His father Monimohan had a deep interest in traditional Bangali Music. He started his early training in Indian classical music under the tutelage Durgadas Bandyopadhyaya. He studied at the Scottish Church College of the University of Calcutta. An important turning point in his life came when, after finishing his studies, he came in contact with Dinendranath Tagore, who was Rabindranath Tagore's grand nephew. This led to Pankaj Mullick's lasting interest in Rabindra Sangeet . Rabindranath Tagore, in turn grew fond of him and soon Mullick became known as one of the leading exponents of Tagore's songs.

Career 

Tagore's song Nemecche Aaj Prothom Badal  became his first commercial recording, with the Kolkata-based Videophone Company in 1926, at the age of twenty one. This was the first of many albums which  made him a household name in Rabindra sangeet.

He started his career with the Indian Broadcasting Corporation in Calcutta in 1927, the forerunner of All India Radio (AIR), along with composer R.C.Boral , where he contributed as music director and artist for nearly fifty years.

He contributed in various capacities to Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil language films for 38 years, starting in 1931. He worked as music director to artists like K.L.Saigal, S.D.Burman, Hemanta Mukherjee, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle. He acted with famous film actors like K.L.Saigal, P.C. Barua and Kanan Devi. Along with Nitin Bose and his reknowned sound engineer brother Mukul Bose Mullick introduced playback singing in Indian Cinema in the film Mukti (1937).

He worked with one of the early film studios, New Theatres, Calcutta for  25 years.
The Indian Postal Service released a postage stamp in 2006 on 4 August, and 
on May 10 Doordarshan, India's State Television channel, telecast a special music programme to  commemorate the occasion. Five decades earlier, it was he and Bharatanatyam danseuse Vyjanthimala who were lead performers at the nationwide launch of the channel in 1955.

Mullick on 2006 stamp of India

Filmography

Pankaj Mullick's filmography includes 35 films and some of them are - Yahudi ki Ladki (1933); Manzil (1936) ; Karodpati (1936); Devdas (1936); Mukti (1937); Dharti Mata (1938); Abhagin (1938); Kapalakundala (1939); Dushman (1939); Badi Didi (1938); Zindagi (1940); Nartaki (1940); Doctor (1940);
Kashinath (1943); Meri Bahen (1944); Manzoor (1949); Zalzala (1952) ; and Yatrik(1952).

Apart from Music Direction, composition and acting Pankaj Mullick was best  known for his singing as each of his songs offered a unique experience.

PANKAJ MULLICK' S SONGS ;
Playlist - part 1

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