How could I forget movies like Kaala Paani or Kaala Bazaar? And more than that, the stunningly patriotic and trendsetting film Mother India! Then there’s Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Dhool Ka Phool, and Ganga Jamuna. These were the days of unforgettable songs. We had legendary singers like Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh (the voice of Raj Kapoor), Mahendra Kapoor, Manna Dey, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, and of course, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. They worked alongside the music directors who created those everlasting melodies: Naushad, Hemant Kumar, Madan Mohan (one of my favorites—the song "Naina Barse" rushes to mind), Ravi, Chitragupt, C. Ramachandra, O.P. Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishen, and R.D. Burman. There was also Usha Khanna, perhaps the first female Hindi music director, who made her debut with Dil Deke Dekho.

One singer whose voice still reverberates in my memory now and then is Subir Sen. He might not have sung many songs, but those he did became incredibly popular. Some of his memorable songs that come readily to mind are "Manzil Wohi Hai Pyaar Ki" and "Main Pyaar Ka Raahi Hoon."

I must also mention the melody king, Salil Chowdhury. How can one forget the haunting music from Madhumati in the early days or the more recent (relatively speaking) Rajnigandha?

Back then, most movies were shot in studios. They had grand sets with mega constructions—parks and bridges that looked magnificent on screen. But if you observed closely, sometimes these sets weren’t perfect. In one movie, when a character angrily grabs the railing and storms up some steps, the entire railing shook! I remember being fortunate enough to watch the shooting of a scene for a grand movie starring one of the greatest Tamil actors of all time. It was supposed to be a palace scene, but in reality, it was just a large canvas painted to resemble a palace. When the actor stormed off in anger, it all looked so real on the screen, even though it was just a painted backdrop. I was still quite young then, so it all seemed magical.

Outdoor scenes were rare in those days. Simla was a popular destination for outdoor shoots, and Kashmir too. How wonderful they looked on screen! Ooty in South India was another favored location, though scenes shot on actual roads or streets were scarce back then. That has changed now—there are many outdoor scenes, with locations spanning the globe.

Don’t I remember any Tamil movies? Of course, I do. But from my days in Delhi, only a few come to mind: Kalyana Parisu, Manamulla Marudharam, Vanji Kottai Vaalibhan, Kanavane Kankanda Deivam, and the last Tamil movie I saw before leaving Delhi in the Sheila cinema—*Bhaga Pirivinai*. I wonder if Sheila was the first 70mm theater in Delhi or perhaps even India?

Continued in 201. Lights And Sights - Part 3