News

Lucky Ali is now a
movie music director

Is Lucky Ali a lucky mascot? After his song Ek pal hai jeena became a commercial hit, along with the other tracks in Kaho Naa Pyaar Hain, he is now being considered for movie music composing assignments. He has won his debut film from Dev Anand.

Dev Anand has been shooting in New York for his Love at Times Square, and a report said early this year he was waving his hands in excitement "oblivious to the snowstorm or the freezing cold". Enthusiasm is something he has never lacked, although the quality of his films had sometimes dipped from the light and romantic to the gauche and laughable. 

Lucky Ali's albums Sunoh and Aks highlighted his guitar-strumming and ballad-singing, and with music videos shot in locations like Egypt, the New Zealand-based singer has cultivated the image of a footfree traveller. He has already composed the songs for Love at Times Square.

The film, described by its director as "an Indian love story set in Times Square", is produced by Tirlok Malik, who played the role of Lala Lala Lajpat Rai in Jabbar Patel's Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Published on 14 August 2001 

An alliance to mine gold

HMV and the Star TV network have come together to repackage some of the best music from Hindi films.
 
HMV will sell old film hits on cassettes and CDs, and Star Gold, a television channel specialising in vintage films, will step in to promote them. The new partnership will work under the joint imprint of Star Gold and HMV.

HMV's archives are a gold mine of nostalgia music. The label, the only one around then, acquired film titles at what many industry rivals call a pittance. Over the decades, HMV has been selling these film titles in single albums and in various combinations. It has also been bringing out thematic compilations -- with labels like Love, Pain, etc. The Legends series compiles songs from HMV's archives in artiste categories. 

Perhaps to compete in a marketplace swamped by flashy new releases, this vintage series is priced at Rs 40 a cassette and Rs 150 a CD. New film titles are usually priced at Rs 55 and Rs 225.

Star Gold is now gaining popularity as a well-produced nostalgia channel, and HMV already has a reputation as a treasure house of old hits. If Star Gold HMV can revive forgotten hits and unearth lost masters, the label might just be what vintage music lovers were waiting for. But its first release, Paan Khaye Saiyan Hamaro, hasn't got the critics raving. One newspaper critic, unhappy about the clubbing of Gotedar lehnga (Dharamkanta) and Koi shehri Babu (Loafer) with such gems as Papi bichua (Madhumati),  recommended the tape only to "hardcore film music fans who want nostalgia regardless of merit".  

Published on 10 Aug 2001

Tansen Samman for Amjad Ali Khan

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will receive the Tansen Samman in November.

The Madhya Pradesh government announced the award in the last week of August. The award is given to a musician every year for a lifetime's achievement. Earlier recepients include such greats as Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.

The sarod maestro will receive the award at Gwalior, where an annual festival is held.

The government has also just instituted an award in the name of Pandit Kumar Gandharva, and sitar player Shujan Khan has been selected for this year's honour.