RMIM Archive Article "202".

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian
#
# RMIM Archives..
# Subject: Vasant Desai - Short Biography and Filmography
#
# Posted by: kalyank@sybase.com (Kalyan Kolachala)
#   	     Satish Subramanian (subraman@cs.umn.edu)
# Source: Encyclopaedia  of Indian Cinema
#


			 -------------------
			     Vasant Desai
			 -------------------


Music director born in the year 1912 in Kudal, Maharashtra. 

He was first employed at Prabhat studio as actor and studiohand from
1929. He was an assistant to composers Tembe, Krishnarao and Bhole.
He had been a actor-singer with successful solos in 'Ayodhyecha Raja'
and 'Amar Jyoti'. Later he became a music director at Rajkamal studio,
where he was a regular in V. Shantaram's films for over three decades
starting with 'Shakuntala'.

His best-known work mainly adapting traditional Maharashtrian musical
modes of Powada and Lavni (e.g. in 'Lokshahir Ramjoshi' and 'Amar
Bhoopali').  Made several mythologicals by Vijay Bhatt and Babubhai
Mistri and two major Shorab Modi films - 'Sheesh Mahal' and 'Jhansi Ki
Rani'. Later scored music for Hrishikesh Mukherjee ('Aashirwad',
'Guddi') and Gulzar ('Achanak').

Had a short partnership with music director C.Ramachandra. Vish
Krishnan when talking about this MD pair wrote:

	In the mid '50s, VD and CR worked together on 3 movies -
	SAAVADHAN, SUHAAGAN and KALAAKAAR.  More interestingly (and
	less conspicuously), they cooperated on background score for
	several Shantaram and Rajkamal productions INCLUDING those
	that neither got directly credited for (GEET GAAYA PATTARON
	NE, SEHRA and the like).  

Rajan Parrikar, quoting an incident narrated by his father, mentioned
that Vasant Desai met with a cruel end in an elevator mishap in 1975.


		       -----------------------
			     Filmography
			     (* act only)
		       -----------------------


1932 - Ayodhyecha Raja*
1935 - Dharmatma*
1936 - Amar jyoti
1937 - Wahan*
1940 - Sant Dnaneshwar*
1942 - Shobha
1943 - Aankh ki sharam, Mauj, Shakuntala
1944 - Parbat pe apna dera
1946 - Dr Kotnis ki amar kahani, Jeevan yatra, Subhadra
1947 - Andhon ki duniya, Lokshahir, Ramjoshi/Matwala Shayar Ramjoshi
1948 - Mandir, Sona
1949 - Narsinh avatar, Udhaar, Sakharpuda, Nai taleem
1950 - Krantiveer Vasudev Balwant, Dahej, Hindustan hamara, Sheesh mahal
1951 - Jeevan tara, Amar Bhoopali, Hi majhi Lakshmi
1952 - Hyderabad ki nazneen
1953 - Anand Bhavan, Dhuan, Jhansi ki Rani, Majhi Zameen, Shyamchi aai
1954 - Kalakaar, Savdhaan, Suhagan (all 3 with CR), Kanchenjunga
1955 - Jhanak jhanak payal baje, Ye re majhya maglya
1956 - Toofan aur diya
1957 - Do aankhen barah haath
1958 - Do phool, Mausi
1959 - Ardhangini, Do behnen, Goonj uthi shehnai, Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan
1960 - Umaji Naik
1961 - Pyar ki pyaas, Sampoorna Ramayan
1962 - Baap majha bramhachari
1963 - Chota jawan, Molkarin
1964 - Yaadein, Swayamvar jhale seetheche, Rahul
1965 - Amar jyothi, Bharat milap
1967 - Ramrajya
1968 - Aashirwad
1971 - Guddi
1972 - Grahan
1973 - Achanak
1974 - Jai Radhe Krishna
1975 - Rani aur lalpari

--

Subject: Correction on Vasant Desai filmography 
From: Sreenivas Paruchuri and Snehal B. Oza.


Sreenivas: 

First of all this seems to be an obscure film, most probably a
complete maraaThi production or dubbed from Marathi. Even the MDs
names are "royally misleading" the cine-goers/film song fans. Even in
my notes I wrote vasant+ramachandra only! Good that the _swaaraaSa_
book compiler mentioned their last names also, otherwise I 'd have
also believed that MDs were "annaa" and dESaai.

MDs: Vasant Pawar and Ramachandra Vadhawkar

Snehal: 

So, we need to relook at those three films. Right ? My copy of Lata's
song compilation by Vishwas Nerulkar credits Suhagan (1954) to
Vasant+Ramchandra.  No more detail is given. But it's possible the
three films (Kalakar, Suhagan, Savdhan) are by Vasant Pawar and
Ramchandra Vadhawkar; as against our belief (that they are by Vasant
Desai and Ramchandra Chitalkar). Interstingly CR seems to have given
music as Anna Saheb too. I will let you know the name of film that has
escaped from the volatile memory.
--

From the RMIM Article Archive maintained by Satish Subramanian