SELECTION GATHERED ON 'SARKARI SHORTS' BLOG.
1. "AMIR KHAN" by S.N.S Sastry, 1970 - 18:26
A remarkably intimate portrait of Ustad Amir Khan (1912-74) by the Films Division experimentalist stalwart S.N.S. Sastry (1930-78). Khansaheb was emblematic of the profound changes in 20th century Hindustani music as the gharana system gave way to media-saturated propagation and public concerts.
Synopsis: The film portrays the personality and family life of Ustad Amir Khan, the famous vocalist and his music. Director: S. N. S. Sastry
2. "HANS AKELA" by Jabbar Patel, 2005 - 1:17:34
A sympathetic, insider’s take on the iconoclast Wunderkind Kumar Gandharva (1924-1992) from Jabbar Patel, veteran Marathi stage and film director. Patel nicely frames the tale as the journey of Kumarji’s grandson Bhuvanesh Komkali, himself a practicing vocalist, to discover and understand further the life and music of his ancestor.
Kumar Gandharva or Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was a Hindustani classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style and his refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana.
3. "RASAYATRA" (The Travelling Song), by Nandan Kudhyadi, 1994 - 48:03
This luminous tribute to Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur (1910-92), who died during its making, was filmed by the Film and Television Institute of India graduate and acute documentarian Nandan Kudhyadi. It was inspired by Mansur’s autobiography. Even now, it’s baffling how even the highest echelon of sarkari bureaucracy via the Ministry of External Affairs would sponsor this level of abstraction. This film that won the National Award for the best short film in 1995.
'Rasayatra' presents the life and music of Mallikarjum Bheemarayappa Mansur (1910-92). Visualising the music of the maestro the film explores Mansur's love and passion for music. Using his interviews the film takes us on a journey through his life, starting from his love for music as a child to his greatest achievements.
4. "BABA", by N.D. Keluskar, 1969 - 14:56
Ustad Allauddin Khan (1862?-1972), reverentially and affectionately called Baba, is one of the most profoundly influential figures of 20th century Hindustani music. He was a master multi-instrumentalist and the founder and propagator of the Senia-Maihar Gharana, the juggernaut by which most non-South Asian folk got turned on to ragas.
The film is an intimate portrait of the maestro Ustad Allaudin Khan, the founder of the Maihar Gharana. Director : N.D. Keluskar Year : 1969 To buy DVDs, visit : http://filmsdivision.org/shop
5. "SANGE MEEL SE MULAQAT" (Meeting A Milestone), by Goutam Ghose, 1989 - 1:28:36
Onto this 1989 Goutam Ghose (b. 1950) beauty produced by Films Division’s powerful sister branch, the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC). Ghose, like his mentor Satyajit Ray, is another Bengali autodidact who is adept in film, photography, music and theater. Indeed, the cinematography shot by Ghose himself is the eye to the soul of this brilliant documentary on Ustad Bismillah Khan.
The film captures the magic of Bismillah Khan's music: the Shehnai, and Bismillah Khan, the man his hometown, Benaras. We learn how Bismillah Khan, the phenomenon, gradually evolved from a 14-year-old boy accompanying his Mamu (uncle) and guru Nabi Baksh Khan at a concert in Allahabad to become, in course of time, one of India's all time greats.
6. "PANDIT BHIMSEN JOSHI", BY Gulzhar, 1992 - 1:13:48
Looking for that most touching of moods, pathos, on film? Then check Gulzar’s (the multi-awarded poet, lyricist, script writer and director) sarkari approach in this bio-documentary treatment of the troubled genius of Pt. Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011). This was Gulzar’s third Films Division foray after “Ek Akar” and “Ustad Amjad Ali Khan” (1990). Gulzar not only presents a window into Joshi’s life story but also a history of his lineage within the Kirana gharana.
Director: Gulzar This is a biographical film on Bhimsen Joshi who is undoubtedly the singer of this century.An exponent of the Kirana Gharana he is equally at ease with lighter varieties such as 'Bhajans' and stage shows. His guru's have taught him not to be gimmicky and therefore he remains one of the most sought after vocalists at most prestigious music concerts.
7. "THE SHRUTI AND GRACE OF INDIAN MUSIC", by Shyam Benegal, 1972 - 13:04
It’s a juicy one, this little gem, with Shyam Benegal getting inside the ragas in his representation of the ineffable shruti (“that which can be heard”) and the graces (gamak, meend, murki), ornamental techniques which transport the adept there. Benegal manifests this through extreme close-ups of the face and hands, and above all the breathing tones of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, maestro of that most sensuous of instruments, the bansuri bamboo flute, Lord Krishna’s own.
1001 thanks to Phong Tran, cataloger of South Indian materials for the Library of Congress.