A Journey Down Melody Lane

The Hindi film song has held millions spellbound for nearly eight decades. In this unputdownable ‘labour of love’, India’s leading film song historian, Raju Bharatan, delves deep into his treasure trove to tell us how singing is all about romancing, how composing is all about feelings, how the twain, stardom and songdom, do meet to make the vintage film number a part of the nation’s psyche. He reconstructs song happenings over the last sixty years or so to condense the emotion and passion going into legendary star hook-ups, showing us how with the pairing comes the vibe, with the vibe comes the tune, and with the tune unfolds cinema that is a ‘Madhuballad’ all the way. This volume also describes the creative inputs of music directors, lyricists and singers that go into the making of a Hindi film song. It is a compendium that no one can afford to miss! Raju Bharatan is popularly recognized as the last word on film music in India – as the only one physically there ‘on the scene’ through the decades. His knowledge of Hindustani cinesangeet is matched only by his grip on Indian cricket. He now packs fifty years of musical lore into a work sure to command a niche on your bookshelf.

How To Write A Dirty Book and Other Stories is Bruce Kimmel's first collection of short fiction. In these wonderful and evocative tales you'll find the warmth, humor, and emotion of his acclaimed Benjamin Kritzer trilogy (Benjamin Kritzer, Kritzerland, and Kritzer Time), the biting, acerbic wit of his two mysteries (Writer's Block and Rewind), and a new element the world of fantasy. All but one of the stories takes place in Mr. Kimmel's favorite world Los Angeles, both then and now. In I'll See You In My Dreams, a depressed, miserable man longs to escape to the world of a recurring dream, where the perfect woman is waiting for him. In How To Write A Dirty Book, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter in 1959 Hollywood takes on the challenge of writing a naughty novel as a way to supplement his meager income with surprising results! In Opening Out of Town, a bickering vacationing couple lose their way and stumble onto an all-singing, all-dancing small town. In Your Worst Nightmare, a seventy-two-year-old man seeks revenge against an Internet tormentor. With these and other stories, Mr. Kimmel takes you on a wild ride, a ride filled with nostalgia, longing, laugh-out-loud humor, fear, retribution, and love.

Guru Dutt’s filmography has some names which have long been considered as some of the best films to have ever been made in India. His masterpiece Pyaasa (1957) was featured in TIME magazine's All-Time 100 Movies list in 2005. His films are still celebrated and revered by viewers, critics and students of cinema the world over, not only for their technical brilliance but also for the eternal romanticism and their profound take on the emptiness of life and the shallowness of material success. He was Indian cinema’s Don Juan and Nietzsche rolled into one. But while much has been said and written on the film-maker and his art, little is known about his life behind the screens. This richly layered account takes a deep dive into the journey of a lonesome, troubled genius who was endlessly being pulled in contrary directions throughout his life. A child prodigy, who actually began as a dancer learning from the great Uday Shankar, an unconventional film-maker who desired commercial success without ever compromising on artistic satisfaction, a self-made entrepreneur who hated numbers yet single-handedly ran a film studio juggling the roles of a producer, director, actor, financier — all this while struggling silently with a deeply troubled personal life, at the centre of which was his tumultuous marriage with Geeta Dutt. Guru had it all — love, family, money, fame and validation from his audience. His untimely death by suicide, that too after multiple failed attempts, had shocked the entire film industry. But what led to that fateful night when he tipped his hat and said his final goodbye? Best-selling Bollywood biographer Yasser Usman explores the man and the myth Guru Dutt in this definitive biography of a nonconformist star, uncovering the extraordinary lives of the rich and the famous as well the incredible toll it takes on the emotional and mental health of a human being. With cameos from close friends and colleagues Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Johnny Walker, S.D. Burman and most significantly Dutt’s sister, noted painter Lalitha Lajmi, a short but compassionate, ambitious and ultimately tragic life reveals itself in the pages of this book. This is a gripping, meticulously researched and moving portrait of an unfinished life — a tale of unrequited love, unresolved relationships and unmatched cinematic talent.

The Routledge Companion to Popular Music History and Heritage examines the social, cultural, political and economic value of popular music as history and heritage. Taking a cross-disciplinary approach, the volume explores the relationship between popular music and the past, and how interpretations of the changing nature of the past in post-industrial societies play out in the field of popular music. In-depth chapters cover key themes around historiography, heritage, memory and institutions, alongside case studies from around the world, including the UK, Australia, South Africa and India, exploring popular music’s connection to culture both past and present. Wide-ranging in scope, the book is an excellent introduction for students and scholars working in musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, critical heritage studies, cultural studies, memory studies and other related fields.

The definitive saga, at once riveting and revelatory – studded with rare nuggets of information and fascinating anecdotes – that sparkingly brings out the life and times of an internationally acclaimed incredibly versatile singer. Asha Bhosle – a Guinness world record holder plus recipient of the Padma Vibhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award – has held one and all spellbound for six decades now. Her voice, both fluid and flexible, has infused neo life into a variety of genres – from the melancholy melody to the rollicking rock-’n’-roll; from the soulful creation to the vibrant disco; from the romantic rhapsody to the rambunctious folk song; from the dainty ghazal to the boisterous qawwali; and from the pathos-filled rendition to the naughty-naugthy seductive number. The author – on the strength of his vast and varied exposure and experience – turns the focus on enthralling behind-the-scenes happenings that shaped the advance of this artiste with a remarkable range and a noteworthy body of work. ‘The world has no time for losers’ has remained Asha’s performing credo. This volume captures Asha Bhosle in her numberless shades. It is about how – in her silken rivalry with elder sister Lata Mangeshkar – she moved with panache from O. P. Nayyar to S. D. Burman to R. D. Burman. It is about how she served a galaxy of composers; about how, in the end, she reached the pinnacle all by herself. Against odds that would have driven any other woman into quitting. No quitter ever, Asha Bhosle, as the supernova supreme, just went on to underline the adage: ‘No power like woman power’. No more can you stay away from this marvel of a musical biography than you can stay away from the matchless musicality of Asha Bhosle. If she is one of a kind, so is this musical masterpiece capturing all the resonances and nuances going with her piquant persona. Here is a long-awaited career study shedding light on the twists and turns marking the starry-eyed world of Hindustani film music.

Over the years many people have mentioned to me that I should write a book. Presently the time has come to tell my stories of what my God-given talents have helped me accomplish throughout my life. This book shares some of my legacy with the world. Within this autobiography I recount many of my personal stories and of some unusual experiences, namely: My Journey into Three Worlds: Physical, Psychic and Spiritual. Music has played a vital role throughout my life. Ive sung with 18-piece bands including Lionel Hampton and his band, jazz trios and quartets, solo with my guitar, performing in two separate duos plus I have written three musical stage plays and 75 songs. During this time, I was also working at the University of Vermont and raising my daughter by myself following a divorce. I have been a psychic all of my adult life having read thousands of people from all walks of life as I was able to lift the veil of their future. I was also blessed with a healing gift which helped hundreds of people alleviate assorted health problems. Some are chronicled within this book. Adding to my spiritual responsibilities, sometimes I had the most awesome visions for the world and what Gods judgment may bring to humankind. See within. I hope you will enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Simone Boisvert Author

Bollywood Sounds focuses on the songs of Indian films in their historical, social, commercial, and cinematic contexts. Author Jayson Beaster-Jones takes readers through the highly collaborative compositional process, highlighting the contributions of film directors, music directors (composers), lyricists, musicians, and singers in song production. Through close musical and multimedia analysis of more than twenty landmark compositions, Bollywood Sounds illustrates how the producers of Indian film songs have long mediated a variety of musical styles, instruments, and performance practices to create a uniquely cosmopolitan music genre. As an exploration of the music of seventy years of Hindi films, Bollywood Sounds provides long-term historical insights into film songs and their musical and cinematic conventions in ways that will appeal both to scholars and to newcomers to Indian cinema.

Enjoy this clean, small town, later in life, romance by award winning and bestselling author, Lucinda Race. Love knows no boundaries... In the years after Cari McKenna lost her husband, she threw her energy into raising her family and starting a thriving coffee shop. Now, her grown children have moved out and her daughters are pushing her to brave the perils of internet dating. Even Cari is forced to admit that her life might be a little too placid. Until, that is, a tree falls across her roof... Ray Davis always stops by What's Perkin' for his morning muffin, but the handsome master carpenter is starting to wonder if he'll ever find the chance to persuade Cari to see him as more than merely a neighbor. Consulting with Cari about rebuilding her damaged house gives Ray an excuse to spend more time with her, but she still only seems interested in him as a buddy. Then Ray's past suddenly comes looking for him, and he realizes that his dreams-or even his life-could be lost. Lost and Foundis the second novel in the McKenna Family Romance Series, although each book can be read as standalone. A clean romantic, later in life, story with a guaranteed happily ever after. Happy reading!

India is the largest film producing country in the world and its output has a global reach. After years of marginalisation by academics in the Western world, Indian cinemas have moved from the periphery to the centre of the world cinema in a comparatively short space of time. Bringing together contributions from leading scholars in the field, this Handbook looks at the complex reasons for this remarkable journey. Combining a historical and thematic approach, the Handbook discusses how Indian cinemas need to be understood in their historical unfolding as well as their complex relationships to social, economic, cultural, political, ideological, aesthetic, technical and institutional discourses. The thematic section provides an up-to-date critical narrative on diverse topics such as audience, censorship, film distribution, film industry, diaspora, sexuality, film music and nationalism. The Handbook provides a comprehensive and cutting edge survey of Indian cinemas, discussing Popular, Parallel/New Wave and Regional cinemas as well as the spectacular rise of Bollywood. It is an invaluable resource for students and academics of South Asian Studies, Film Studies and Cultural Studies.