C. Ramchandra

C. Ramchandra
Birth name	Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar
Born	January 12, 1918 Puntamba, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India
Died	January 5, 1982 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres	Film score
Occupations	Composer, Producer

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 Vanamohini. 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  Aanchal  Aazad  Ahinsa  Albela  Amar Rahe Ye Pyar  Amardeep  Anarkali  Asha  Baarish  Bachchon Ka Khel  Badla  Bahadur  Bahadur Pratap  Bahu Rani  Balram Shri Krishna  Bhakt Raaj  Chhatrapati Shivaji  Daal Me Kaala  Devta  Dil Ki Baat  Dosti  Duniya  Duniya Gol Hai  Ghungroo  Girls School  Hanso Hanso Ae Duniya Walo  Hum diwane [as Annasahib]  Hungama  Insaniyat  Jhaanjhar  Jhamela  Jitne Door Utne Paas  Kaarigar  Kavi  Khazana  Khidki  Labelaa  Lahren  Lalkaar  Leela  Lutera  Madadgaar  Madam Zapazta  Manorama  Matwaale  Meenar  Mera Munna  Mr. Jhatpat  Muskurahat  Naastik  Nadiya Ke Paar  Naghma-e-Sehra  Namoona  Naushervan-e-Dil  Navrang  Nazrana  Nirala  Paayal Ki Jhankar  Paigham  Parchhain  Patangaa  Pehli Jhalak  Raj Tilak  Raunaq  Rootha Na Karo  Roshni  Saajan  Saanwaria  Saaqi  Saavdhan  Saawan  Safar  Sagaai  Samadhi  Samrat Chandragupt  Sangeeta  Sangraam  Sargam  Sarhad  Saudagar  Shabistaan  Shadi Se Pehle  Shagoofa  Sharda  Shatranj  Shehnai  Sher Dil  Shin Shinaki Bublaa Boo  Siphaiya  Stree  Subah Ka Tara  Sukhi Jivan  Talaaq  Talaash  Tasveer  Teerandaaz  Toofani Takkar  Tulsi Vivaah  Ustaad Pedro  Veer Bhimsen  Wahaan Ke Log  Yasmeen  Zabaan  Zindagi Aur Maut

References

1. ^ Unforgettable songs of national fervour Hindustan Times, 14 August 2008.

External links

• C. Ramchandra at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Ramchandra, C
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1918
Place of birth
Date of death	1982
Place of death