A rare treat of Dev Anand music coming up

To millions of fans around the world, Dev Anand is an evergreen hero, whose films entertained not just for their ethos or story value, but also for their melodious music. Almost every music director worthy of mention – from Shankar Jaikishen, Kalyanji Anandji, O P Nayyar and Gulam Mohammed to Jaidev, Sachin Dev Burman and Rahul Dev Burman – has paid tribute to the ‘music sense’ of this great star.

Radio Tarana Marketing Executive and Programme Presenter Gopal Bhatia is getting ready to present (under his ‘Sursangam’ banner) an evening of songs culled from Dev Anand’s films in Auckland.

Gata Rahe Mera Dil, as the programme is called, will bring back memories of an era when songs were the raison d’être of Hindi films – songs that were truly original and mellifluous, not the loudness that passes off as music in today’s films, unabashedly lifted from elsewhere.

There are hundreds of ‘Dev Anand’ songs that have remained immortal. Here is a preliminary, short list of numbers that we hope to hear at the forthcoming show: Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein (by Geeta Dutt & Mohammed Rafi in CID), Are Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab (Kishore Kumar & Asha Bhosle in Teen Deviyan), Gata Rahe Mera Dil (Kishore Kumar & Lata Mangeshkar in Guide), Hum Bekhudi Mein (Mohammed Rafi in Kala Pani), Jayen to Jayen Kahan (Talat Mahmood in Taxi Driver), Jeevan Ki Safar Mein Rahi (Kishore Kumar in Munimji) and Ye Dil Na Hota Bechara (Kishore Kumar in Jewel Thief).

The highlight of the show will be the presence and participation of Kishor Bhanushali, popularly known as ‘Junior Dev Anand’ and Madhura Datar, a rising playback singer and performer on Zee Television.

Kishor, who imitates Dev Anand to the delight of his fans both on screen and on stage, will undoubtedly be a star attraction. An actor by his own right, he has more than 25 films to his credit, memorable among which are Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Dil, Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and Paayal.

Madhura is a gifted singer, capable of bringing out a cavalcade of emotions, the proof which is her album titled, Sparsh Gaandh. Following her audition (Marathi) on Zee TV, popular composer Hridaynath Mangeshkar, who was a judge, said, “Your voice is as melodious and flawless as Asha Bhosle (his sister).”

Radio Tarana newsreader Preeta Vyas is the Event Coordinator of Gata Rahe Mera Dil (see Talent of the Fortnight in this issue).

Tickets for the show are now on sale, with VIP seats, priced at $35 entitled for $5 discount until September 15, 2011.