C. Ramchandra

Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar(Marathi: रामचंद्र नरहर चितळकर /सी.रामचंद्र ) (1918–1982) was a renowned music composer in the movie industry of India. In the composer's role, he mostly used the name C. Ramachandra, though he also used the names Annasaheb (in the movies Bahadur Pratap, Matwale, and Madadgaar), Ram Chitalkar (in the movies Sukhi Jeevan, Badla, Mr. Jhatpat, Bahadur, and Dosti), and Shyamoo (in the movie Yeh hai duniya). Further, he often sang and acted in Marathi movies under the name R. N. Chitalkar. For his career as an occasional playback singer he used only his surname Chitalkar. Chitalkar sang some renowned and unforgettable duets with Lata such as Kitna haseen hai mausam in film Azad or Shola jo bhadke in Albela.

Biography

Ramachandra was born in January 12 1918 in Puntamba, a small town in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, India. He studied music under Vinayakbua Patwardhan at "Gandharva Mahavidyalaya" and also under Shankarrao Sapre of Nagpur where he studied music alongside Vasantrao Deshpande. He joined the movie industry playing the lead role in Y. V. Rao's movie, "Naganand". He also had some small roles at Minerva Movietone in the movies "Saeed-e-Havas" and "Atma Tarang".

Ramachandra provided harmonium accompaniment for Minerva composers Bindu Khan and Habib Khan. He debuted as music director in Tamil movies with Jayakkodi and [[Vana Mohini]]. He received public notice as a good composer in Bhagwan Dada's "Sukhi Jeevan", and established a long association that culminated with the musical box office hit "Albela".

Influenced by Benny Goodman, Ramachandra introduced in his compositions the alto sax in combination with guitar and harmonica. He also included whistling in one of his famous songs, "Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday" in "Shehnai". He used a combination of a bongo, an oboe, a trumpet, a clarinet and a sax for the song "Shola Jo Bhadke" in "Albela". He sang the title song "Shin Shinaki Boobla Boo" with Lata Mangeshkar, which included rock rhythms. He provided the musical score for the scat song "Ina mina dika" in "Aasha".

Perhaps C. Ramachandra's biggest success as a music composer was the 1953 movie Anarkali starring Beena Roy in the title role and Pradeep Kumar. The songs that he composed for this movie are today legendary. Songs of this movie like "Yeh Zindagi usiki hai", "Mujhse mat pooch mere ishq main kya rakha hai", "Mohabbat aise dhadkan hain", "Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag" etc.. went on to become huge hits and were also highly acclaimed as masterpieces. Anarkali also perhaps saw the famed composer-singer combine of Ramachandra and Lata Mangeshkar at their best ever together. A film critic in London who watched the movie is said to have remarked that the heroine sang like an angel without knowing that the angel was actually Lata giving playback for the actress.

The highly popular patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo", which was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and penned by poet Pradeep, was a composition of Ramachandra, it was later performed live, by Lata Mangeshkar, in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru at the Ramlila grounds, in New Delhi on Republic Day, 26 January 1963. Jawaharlal Nehru became so sentimental that tears rolled down his cheeks.^[1] He similarly provided a memorable musical score accompanying a competition between two dancers whose roles were played by Padmini and Vyjayanthimala in the Tamil movie "Vanjikottai Vaaliban".

Ramachandra provided music compositions for a few Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Bhojpuri movies besides Hindi movies. In 1953, he also produced with "New Sai Productions" three Hindi movies: "Jhanjhar", "Lehren", "Duniya Gol Hai".

In the late 1960s, Ramachandra produced two Marathi movies, "Dhananjay" and "Gharkul". He also acted in them and composed music for them. C. Ramchandra died of acute peptic ulcer on the 5th January 1982 at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai.

Ramchandra wrote his autobiography in Marathi in 1977.

Mumbai based troupe Musicolor,which is promoting vintage music, presented an exclusive tribute programmes featuring the gems of C Ramchandra at Dinanath Mangeshkar auditorium on 22 January 2010.

Compositions

The following is a short list of some of Ramachandra's best compositions:

• Yeh zindagi usi ki hai jo kisi ka ho gaya (Anarkali)
• Dheere se aaja re akhiyan mein (Albela)
• 'Katatay hain dukh mein ye din (Parchhaain)
• Tum kya jaano, tumhari yaad mein (Shin Shinaki Bubala Boo)
• Aankhon mein sama jao is dil mein raha karana (Yasmin)
• Kitna haseen hai mausam (Azaad)
• Koi kisi ka deewaana na bane (Sargam)
• Jaag dard-e-ishq jaag (Anarkali)
• Mehfil mein jal uthi shama (Nirala)
• Aye pyar teri duniya se hum (Jhanjar)
• Wafaaon ka majboor daman bichha kar dua kar gume dil khuda se dua kar (Anarkali)
• Muhobbat aisi dhadkan hai jo samjhayi nahi jati (Anarkali)
• Main jagu sari rain (Bahu Rani)
• Ab woh raate kahan ab woh baate kahan (Yasmin)
• Jo mujhe bhula ke chale gaye (Sangeeta)
• Mujh se mat poochh mere ishq mein kya rakha hai (Anarkali)
• Dekho ji bahar aayi (Azad)
• Jo dil ko jalaye sataye dukhaye aisi muhobbat se hum baaz aaye (Nirala)
• Mujh pe ilzaam-e-bewafaai hai (Yasmin)
• Aye chand pyar mera tujh se ye kah raha hai (Khazana)
• Muhobbat mein aise zamane bhi aaye (Sagaai)
• Aa ja ab to aa ja (Anarkali)
• Tere dar se khushi mangi magar gum de diya tu ne (Hungama)
• Tere phoolon se bhi pyar (Nastik)
• Kali kali ratiyan yaad sataye (Ghungaroo)
• O nirdayi pritam (Stree)
• Balma bada nadan (Albela)
• Dil se bhula do tum humen (Patanga)
• Kaghaz ki thi woh nao jis main ham jarahe the (Zaban)
• Dil ki duniya basa ke sawariyan (Amardeep)

Filmography

Movies for which Ramachandra provided musical scores are listed below in chronological order:

 26 January

1.  Aanchal
2.  Aazad
3.  Ahinsa
4.  Albela
5.  Amar Rahe Ye Pyar
6.  Amardeep
7.  Anarkali
8.  Asha
9.  Baarish
10.  Bachchon Ka Khel
11.  Badla
12.  Bahadur
13.  Bahadur Pratap
14.  Bahu Rani
15.  Balram Shri Krishna
16.  Bhakt Raaj
17.  Chhatrapati Shivaji
18.  Daal Me Kaala
19.  Devta
20.  Dil Ki Baat
21.  Dosti
22.  Duniya
23.  Duniya Gol Hai
24.  Ghungroo
25.  Girls School
26.  Hanso Hanso Ae Duniya Walo
27.  Hum diwane [as Annasahib]
28.  Hungama
29.  Insaniyat
30.  Jhaanjhar
31.  Jhamela
32.  Jitne Door Utne Paas
33.  Kaarigar
34.  Kavi
35.  Khazana
36.  Khidki
37.  Labelaa
38.  Lahren
39.  Lalkaar
40.  Leela
41.  Lutera
42.  Madadgaar
43.  Madam Zapazta
44.  Manorama
45.  Matwaale
46.  Meenar
47.  Mera Munna
48.  Mr. Jhatpat
49.  Muskurahat
50.  Naastik
51.  Nadiya Ke Paar
52.  Naghma-e-Sehra
53.  Namoona
54.  Naushervan-e-Dil
55.  Navrang
56.  Nazrana
57.  Nirala
58.  Paayal Ki Jhankar
59.  Paigham
60.  Parchhain
61.  Patangaa
62.  Pehli Jhalak
63.  Raj Tilak
64.  Raunaq
65.  Rootha Na Karo
66.  Roshni
67.  Saajan
68.  Saanwaria
69.  Saaqi
70.  Saavdhan
71.  Saawan
72.  Safar
73.  Sagaai
74.  Samadhi
75.  Samrat Chandragupt
76.  Sangeeta
77.  Sangraam
78.  Sargam
79.  Sarhad
80.  Saudagar
81.  Shabistaan
82.  Shadi Se Pehle
83.  Shagoofa
84.  Sharda
85.  Shatranj
86.  Shehnai
87.  Sher Dil
88.  Shin Shinaki Bublaa Boo
89.  Siphaiya
90.  Stree
91.  Subah Ka Tara
92.  Sukhi Jivan
93.  Talaaq
94.  Talaash
95.  Tasveer
96.  Teerandaaz
97.  Toofani Takkar
98.  Tulsi Vivaah
99.  Ustaad Pedro
100.  Veer Bhimsen
101.  Wahaan Ke Log
102.  Yasmeen
103.  Zabaan
104.  Zindagi Aur Maut

References

External links

• C. Ramchandra at the Internet Movie Database