RMIM Archive Article "129".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Salil Chowdhury: A Biography
#
# Posted by:  Ashok (ADhareshwar@WorldBank.org)
#
# Source: Encyclopoedia of Indian Cinema 
# Published by British Film Institute and Oxford University Press, 1994
# Author: Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen (Editors)
#


----=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=----
		     Salil Choudhury - A Biography
----=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=----


Salil Choudhury (b. 1925)


        Self-trained composer and music director.   Active  among
peasantry  in '24 Parganas' District, Bengal.  Did music for IPTA
(Indian People's Theatre Association) plays  and  musical  squads
performing  in Bengali countryside, calling for cultural interna-
tionalism as opposed to an emphasis on regional  folk  traditions
(cf  entry  on  Bhupen Hazarika; also Chowdhury's "Modern Bengali
Music in Crisis," 1951).   His  influences--in  songs  that  have
remained  enduring  favourites with left cultural groups all over
India--include Mozart, Hans Eisler and contemporary Latin  Ameri-
can  forms.   Ghatak, in Komal Gandhar, and Mrinal Sen, in Akaler
Sandhaney, used his music to typify the  spirit  of  40s  Bengali
agitational  theatre  movements,  which he also extended to cover
other genres, like Zia Sarhadi's Awaaz and Tarafdar's Ganga.

Entered films with Satyen Bose.  First major hit was Bimal  Roy's
Do  Bigha  Zameen, based on a story by himself, with full-blooded
choral compositions celebrating peasant  vitality  (monsoon  song
'hariyala  sawan'),  a form still most associated with him.  Went
on to score the pathbreaking soundtrack of Bimal Roy's Madhumati.
Also  did  notable work for Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, e.g., his
debut Musafir and the 70s hit Anand.

The only front-line Hindi composer to work in several  languages:
Assamese  (the  experimental  Aparajeya by the Chaturanga collec-
tive), Kannada (A.M. Samiulla's films,  including  Samshayaphala,
Onde  Roopa  Eradu Guna, etc., and Balu Mahendra's debut Kokila),
Tamil (Doorathu Idhi Muzhakkam) and Telugu (Chairman Chalamayya).
Most  spectacular work outside Bengali and Hindi is, however, for
Ramu Kariat, scoring several hits in his  breakthrough  Chemmeen,
followed by Ezhu Rathrikal.

----=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=--------=-------

(Salil's Filmography is present in a separate article. Check the
automailer list for more details).



From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian