SALIL CHOWDHURY
About Salil Chowdhary
Born 19th November, 1925 at Gazipur, South 24 Parganas. Bengal Presidency, British India (Present day West Bengal, India) and died on 5th September 1995 (age 69) Calcutta, West Bengal, India.
Salil’s childhood was spent in the tea gardens region of Assam. His father was a medical officer in the tea gardens and had a good collection of Western classical music. He also had a gramophone presented to him by his Irish colleague. From an early age, Salil had the opportunity of listening to western music collections, During World War II, Chowdhary was observing closely the human sufferings, hunger and problems of refugees. He studied in DVAS High School and thereafter graduated from Bangabasi College, affiliated to the University of Calcutta, and played the flute, harmonium, and esraj. He learnt to play piano from his elder brother at the age of 6. Once in college, he also began to compose tunes. Chowdhary shifted to a village in 24 Parganas to live with his maternal uncles, where he was witness to a big peasant uprising there in 1943. He got involved with them and began writing songs for the peasant movement. In 1944, while studying for his MA, Chowdhary witnessed people dying on the streets of Calcutta, as 50 Lakh Bengalis died through the famine created by the British. The famine was man made as local rice was instead directed to British war efforts overseas, leading to scarcity, aggravated by black marketeers and hoarders. This led Chowdhary to become fully involved in the peasant movement, and became a full time member of IPTRA (Indian People Theatre Association), and the Communist Party. Subsequently, arrest warrants were issued in his name and he went underground in Sunderbans, hiding in Paddy fields and supported by local peasants. During this time, he continued writing plays and songs.
Film Career:
The first Bengali film in which Salil Chowdhary composed music was Paribartan - released in 1949. Thereafter, he composed music for 41 Bengali films. In 1953, he came to Bombay as a stroke of luck. He was writing a script for a Bengali film about a peasant who was disowned of his land and had gone to Calcutta to earn money as a Riksha puller. Hrishikesh Mukherjee who heard of it from Chowdhary during his visit to Calcutta, and liked it extremely. He suggested that Chowdhary should narrate it to Director Bimal Roy. Roy heard it and asked him to meet him again next morning. However, the next morning Chowdhary had learnt that Roy has rushed to Bombay, an urgent call. A week later, he received a telegram from Roy that he wanted to turn the script into a movie. This resulted in the Chowdhary’s debut in the Hindi film industry in 1953 as a music director for ‘Do Bigha Zamin’. The story was written by Salil Chowdhary himself. Directed by Bimal Roy, this film wook his career to new heights, which became the first film to win FIlmfare Best Movie Award and won the International Prize of Cannes Film Festival. In 1964, Salil Chowdhary entered the Malayalam film industry and composed music for the film Chemmeen. He went on to compose music for films in 13 languages, which include over 75 Hindi films, 41 Bengali films, around 27 Malayalam films and a few Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Oria, and a few Assamese films. Being a poet, playwright, short story writer, Salil Chowdhary also directed a film ‘Pinjre Ke Panchi’ starring Meena Kumari, Balraj Sahni and Mehmood based on his own story and screenplay in 1966.
His noted Hindi films include some of the following: Do Bigha Zameen (1953), Biraj Bahu (19540, Naukri (1954), Amaanat (1955), Tangewali (1955), Awaaz (1956), Pariwar (1956), Jagte Raho (1956), Apradhi Kaun (1957), Ek Gaon Ki Kahani (1957)Lall Batti (1957), Musafir (1957), Madhumati (1958), Parakh (1960), Usne Kaha Tha (1960), Chhaya (1961), Kabuliwala (1961), Maya (1961), Mem Didi (1961), Sapne Suhane (1961), Half Ticket (1962), Jhoola (1962), Prem Patra (1962), Chand Aur Sooraj (1965), Poonam Ki Raat (1965), Aanand (1970), MereApne (1971), Rajanigandha (1974), Chhotisi Baat (1975), etc.
Honours and Awards:
A commemorative stamp was released on Salil Chowdhury by the India Post , Government of India on the occasion of “Hundred years of Indian Cinema” in 2013.
1953 : Do Bigha Zameen : 1st Filmfare Award for Best Film, Best Director (Bimal Roy); First National Film Award(India), All India Certificate of Merit for Best Film; 7th Cannes Film Festival (1954)Winner of Prix International (International Prize); Karlovy Vary International Film Festival -Winner - Prize for Social Progress.
1965 Chemmeen (Malayalam Film)- Recipient of President’s Gold Medal in 1965.
1958 - Madhumati - Received Filmfare Best Music Director Award along with eight other filmfare awards.Madhumati won the National Film Awards for best feature film in Hindi.
The Uttar Pradesh Film Patrakar Sangh Puraskar in 1966 for his only Hindi Directorial film ‘Pinjre Ke Panchi”
The Bengal Films Journalist Award, Calcutta in 1973.
The Allauddin Smrithi Puraskar in 1985 from Govt. of West Bengal.
1988 - Salil Chowdhury received Sangeet Natak Academy Award .
The Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar Award in 1990.
Posthumously he was awarded the Muktijuddho Maitreyi Samman Award by Govt,Bangladesh in 2012.
Salil chowdhury songs - Playlist
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Salil chowdhary songs - Part 1
(Songs from movies Do Bigha Zameen;, Naukri, Biraj Bahu and Amaanat)
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Salil choqdhary songs - Part 2
(Songs from movies Tangewali, Aawaz and Parivaar )
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 3
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 3
(Songs from movies Jaagte Raho , Apradhi Kaun , and Ek Gaon ki Kahani )
Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 4
(Songs from movies Laal Batti , Musafir , and Madhumati )
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 5
(Songs from movies Parakh, Usne Kaha Tha and Chhaya ),
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 6
(Songs from movies Kabuliwala , Maaya , and Mem Didi )
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 7
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Salil chowdhary Songs - Part 7
( Songs from movies Half Ticket , Jhoola, Prem Patra, and Anand )
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Salil choudhary Songs - Part 8
Songs from movies Mere Apne, Rajnigandha, Chhotisi Baat and Sangat )
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https://youtube.com/playlist?
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