Khemchand Prakash

Khemchand Prakash (12 December 1907 – 10 August 1949) was a music composer in the Hindi film industry. He had few peers in 1940s, the decade for Indian film music which started with Saigal very active on the scene and ended with Lata Mangeshkar firmly established in the industry. Lata had fruitful association with him (in films ''Asha, Ziddi, Mahal'') when she started making a name for herself. Many years after Khemchand Prakash's death, the ace composer Kamal Dasgupta rated him the best composer.

Khemchand's brother, Basant Prakash, was also a film composer. Khemchand Prakash had only 1 daughter & her name was Savitri.

Career

Born in Sujangarh, then located in Bikaner State in Rajputana Agency of British India (now in the Churu district of Rajasthan), he got his first training in music and dance from his father, who was a dhrupad singer and a Kathak dancer in the royal court. In his teens, he joined the royal court of Bikaner as a singer and later moved to the royal court of Nepal. But the destiny landed him in Kolkata and he joined the legendary New Theaters. He was assistant to composer Timir Baran in ''Devdas (1935 film)'', and he sang a comedy song 'lo kha lo madam khaanaa' (लो खा लो मॅडम खाना) in ''Street Singer'' (1938). He then moved to Mumbai and made his debut as music director in 1939 with Supreme Pictures' films ''Meri Aankhein'' and ''Gazi Salauddin'', and was soon signed up by ''Ranjit Movietone'' Film Studio.

His initial years with Ranjit Movietone produced significant films like ''Diwali'', ''Holi'', ''Pardesi'', ''Fariyaad'', etc. Khursheed was his leading singer and both of them gave many hits of early 40s. His biggest hit with Ranjit Studio was the film ''Tansen'' in 1943. Songs like "Diya jalaao jagmag jagmag", "Rumjhum rumjhum chal tihari", "More balpan ke saathi", "Sapt suran teen gram", "Hath sine pe jo rakh do to karara aa jaaye" were big hits. In a radio programme, famous composer Anil Biswas credited Khamchand Prakash for sticking to historical perspective and musical traditions by making K.L. Saigal sing the song 'Sapt Suran Teen Gram' in the Dhrupad style, instead of the Khayal genre, which was done in other films on Tansen, as he knew well that during the life and times of Tansen, the Khayal genre did not exist.

1948 marked yet another significant film of his career, Bombay Talkies’s ''Ziddi''. He gave first major break to Kishore Kumar as a singer for the song "Marne ki duaaen kyun maangu". ''Ziddi'' featured a beautiful song of Lata Mangeshkar "Chanda re ja re ja re".

But what followed ''Ziddi'' was another hit film ''Mahal (1949 film)''. ''Mahal'' made Lata Mangeshkar a popular name. Prior to ''Mahal'', the records used to feature only the character name on the record. Hence the first lot of records had "Aayega aane wala" credited to Kamini. The first time when the song was played on All India Radio many calls were received by AIR to know the singers name. AIR had to in turn ask the record company and announce Lata Mangeshkar's name on air.

Death

Khemchand Prakash died at an early age of 41 on 10 August 1949 due to Cirrhosis.

Kamal Amrohi wrote the opening lines of 'Khaamosh hai zamaana..' while Naqshab completed the rest. The first tune that composer Khemchand Prakash played on the harmonium was approved by Kamal Amrohi. Sadly Khemchand died at the Harikisondas Hospital two months before Mahal released and his creation ' Aayega Aanewala' became a sensation. Javed Akhtar quoted Khemchand Prakash's name in his maiden speech in Rajya Sabha on 17 May 2012 by mentioning that Khemchand Prakash's wife had to beg to be able to survive in her last days.

His grandsons Riju Bajaj (married to Meghna Malik and Aseem Bajaj (married to Leena Yadav), through his daughter Chandrakala Khemchand Prakash and her husband Ram Gopal Bajaj, have both worked as cinematographers in the Indian film industry.

Partial filmography as Composer

* 1939 ''Gazi Salauddin''
* 1939 ''Meri Aankhen''
* 1940 ''Aaj Ka Hindustan''
* 1940 ''Diwali''
* 1940 ''Holi''
* 1940 ''Pagal''
* 1941 '' Bambai Ki Sair''
* 1941 ''Pardesi''
* 1941 ''Pyaas''
* 1941 ''Shaadi''
* 1942 ''Fariyaad''
* 1942 '' Khilona''
* 1942 ''Maheman''
* 1942 ''Chandni''
* 1942 ''Dukh Sukh''
* 1943 ''Chirag''
* 1943 ''Gauri''
* 1943 ''Kurbani''
* 1943 ''Tansen''
* 1944 ''Bhartrahari''
* 1944 ''Mumtaz Mahal''
* 1944 ''Shahenshah Babar''
* 1945 ''Dhanna Bhagat''
* 1945 ''Prabhu Ka Ghar''
* 1947 ''Samaj Ko Badal Dalo''
* 1947 ''Sindoor''
* 1947 ''Chalte Chalte''
* 1947 ''Gaon''
* 1947 ''Mera Suhaag''
* 1948 ''Asha''
* 1948 ''Ziddi''
* 1949 '' Mahal''
* 1949 ''Rimjhim''
* 1949 ''Sawan Aya Re''
* 1950 ''Jan Pahchan''
* 1950 ''Sati Narmada''
* 1951 ''Jai Shankar''
* 1951 ''Shri Ganesh Janma''
* 1952 ''Tamasha''

References

External links

*
* http://members.tripod.com/oldies_club/KCParkash.htm

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Khemchand
Indian film score composers
Rajasthani people
1907 births
1950 deaths
20th-century composers
20th-century Indian musicians