http://pankajmullick.org/

Remember Pankaj Mullick ??

Glanced through a name, Pankaj Kumar Malik as Music Director for a TV program "Mahalya" and that made me think of a long forgotten name "Pankaj Mullick". A little bit of Google Searches sure revived the memory.

Some Points:

Music Director

Music Composer

Playback Singer

It was under his Music Direction that Playback Singing was introduced in Hindi Films.

On Prime Minister Nehru's request, he sang and recorded the Indian National Anthem, Jana gana mana…, in a style that was deemed as the parameter to be followed while singing the anthem by all Indians.

At the behest of Sri. Sarat Bose (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's elder brother) he sang Kadam kadam barhaye jaa set to his own version of the tune, with J.L.Nehru and Shah Nawaz being present during the recording. Other members of Netaji's family too performed on this record.


List of Major Awards:

Title of Surosagar in 1931.

Title of Sangeet Ratnakar in 1962.

Title of Padmashree in 1970.

Dadasaheb Phalke Puraskar (the highest form of award presented by the Government of India to a person for pioneering activity in the field of Indian movies) in 1973.

Title of Rabindra Tattyacharya in 1977 from Tagore Research Institute.

Several other felicitations came his way, including the BFJA (Bengal Film Journalists' Association) Award and Rashtrapati Puraskar for composing the best film music of the year for the films Yatrik and Raikamal.

Commemorative awards from AIR on its Silver and Golden jubilees.

The Government of West Bengal named the erstwhile Ritchie Road as Pankaj Mullick Sarani in his honour, posthumously.

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Didn't find too many entries for Pankaj Mullick at imdb

His last film for which he was Music Director was in 1968-69, while imdb goes till 1952 and sure many entries are missing. imdb lists him as Music Composer and not as Music Director. Perhaps a mistake.

Yes - sure do remember him - piya milan ko jaana ... my Dad was a big fan and had a number of records / 78's that I remember listening to when I was younger. I also have one LP of Pankhaj Mullick songs.