Tribute to a Maestro

Pankaj Mullick, the legendary singer-composer and actor may not be around anymore but his legacy lives on through his immortal creations– be they his songs or compositions.

His pioneering activities in the field of Indian Film Music are still contributing to the tunes and formats of songs being composed today. However, over time his legacy has gathered dust and to blow away that veneer of obscurity, Pankaj Mullick Music and Art Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation, promotion and propagation of artist’s myriad creations, is organising a three-day festival related to his creations, to revive and resurrect his legacy for the Mumbai audience.

In the NCPA programme, which happens to be the first of the event, Jhinuk Gupta (granddaughter-in-law of Pankaj Mullick) will present Pankaj Mullick’s songs and compositions, with a focus on Hindi numbers. Rajib Gupta (grandson of Pankaj Mullick) will present an audio-visual show alongside the songs, which will take the members of the audience on a journey down memory lane where they will get to know of the amazing history behind almost all the songs. In the programme, evergreen songs like Piya Milan Ko Jaana, Chhupo Na Chhupo Na, Aai Bahar Aaj among others will come to life once again and melody will rule supreme.

This part of the programme will be followed the renditions of songs made famous by legendary singers like Md. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. These songs will be rendered by Vipin Sachdeva, Gaurav Bangia and Jhinuk Gupta. These songs will highlight the legacy carried on by the aforementioned maestros.
The NFDC Auditorium at Nehru Planetarium will have a different programme.

There will be screening of two documentary films – Pankaj Mullick: The Reel Story and Mahishasuramardini: A Passage Through Time. The first is produced by Pankaj Mullick Music and Art Foundation and directed by Rajib Gupta, comprising rare film footage featuring music maestro Pankaj Mullick as a singer, composer and actor along with interviews of legendary film personalities; strung together with a relevant and informative narration highlights the pioneering activities of Dada Saheb Phalke Awardee Pankaj Mullick- in the arena of Indian Films.

This documentary film was first screened on the occasion of The Celebration of 100 years on Indian Cinema at Nandan– the film hub in Kolkata. The second, produced by Films Division, Government of India and directed by Rajib Gupta is a documentary film that traces the creation and evolution of Mahishasuramardini, the legendary radio programme broadcast annually on the dawn of Mahalaya. This programme has been broadcast in this manner from 1931 till date – a feature probably without parallel in the area of worldwide radio broadcasts.  The programme has become an integral part of Bengali Puja Culture and has been considered as the herald of the Durga Puja Celebrations. All this has been depicted in the abovementioned documentary film.

These events organised by Sur Aradhana Events are sure to be a huge draw for music lovers across downtown Mumbai.

For more information you can visit www.pankajmullick.com.

Jot the dates
1. Sureela Safar
    October 4: Tata Theatre at NCPA

2. Pankaj Mullick: The Reel Story & Mahishasuramardini– A passage through time
    October 5: NFDC Auditorium at Nehru Planetarium, Worli