Anupam Ghatak
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- Born: 1911 (Mymensingh)
One of the most important music composers of early Bengali cinema after R C Boral and Pankaj Mullick, Anupam Ghatak became hugely popular in the 30s and 40s. Born in 1911 in Mymensingh, he was initially trained as a flautist under his father Atul Ghatak and Keshab Ganesh Dhekan. He started singing on the radio around 1930 before assisting Bishen Chand Boral in Mahua (1934). He went on to assist R C Boral in the classic Vidyapati (1937). He received his forst opportunity as an independent composer in Payer Dhulo (1935). He went on to compose for films like Bhole Bhale (1939), Sadhana (1939), Seva Samaj (1939), Civil Marriage (1940), among others.
He returned to Kolkata with P C Barua's Shapmukti (1940), featuring the classic hit Ekti paisa dao go babu (though some reports state the song was composed by Robin Chatterjee). Through the 40s he worked extensively in both Kolkata and Lahore. Of these later works, Agni Pariksha (1954) is the most popular, featuring memorable songs like Gane mor kon indradhanu.
References
Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. Ed. Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1998