FUNDAMENTALS
Hindi movies have produced some of India’s most hummed tunes. This week’s theme is on the stories behind some of these classics.
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EVERGREEN BOLLYWOOD NUMBERS
1. This song first made its appearance in an eponymous 1963 Assamese film ‘Maniram Dewan’ based on the life of an 1857 martyr. The song became a nationwide hit when it appeared again in the 1993 Hindi movie. Name the song and the film?
2. ‘Aye mere watan ke logon’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar ranks as one of India’s most patriotic songs. C. Ramachandra composed the music. Name the lyricist?
3. Remember the catchy number ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’ from Amar Akbar Anthony. Simple question, who is the real life Anthony Gonsalves?
4. One of the most famous compositions of English composer Albert William Ketelbey is ‘In a Persian Market’. Which Shankar Jaikishan composition did it inspire?
5. ‘Babul Mora’, the Bhairavi thumri has been sung by several singers. The most memorable version is by KL Saigal in ‘Street Singer’. Who wrote the lyrics?
6. This eminently forgettable movie was directed by Sundar Dar starring Vishal Anand and Simi Garewal. Which eponymous song from this movie composed by Bappi Lahiri is one of the most hummable tunes even today?
7. The harmonica played an important role in the following two songs - ‘Hai
Apna Dil To Awara’ sung by Hemant Kumar in the film ‘Solva Saal’ and ‘Rahi manva dukh ki chinta’ from Dosti. Who played the harmonica in both the songs?
8. The first line of the song ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves’ which talks about “sophisticated rhetorician intoxicated by the exuberance of your own verbosity” was first uttered in a banquet in Knightsbridge, England in 1878. Who said this about whom?
9. “My heart is beating” sung by Preeti Sagar from the movie Julie was probably the first time an English song became a chart topper. The lyrics for the song were written by the brother of Sarojini Naidu. Name him?
10. ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon’ sung by Samshad Begum in the 1940s is one of India’s evergreen numbers. Name the movie where this song made its first appearance?
ANYTHING GOES
1. This person was India’s first ODI captain in Women’s cricket. She once said that the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) should change its name to MCP (male chauvinist pugs). Who? (Abhijit Basak, Dum Dum)
2. Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Madhu Mantena and Vikas Bahl got together in 2011 to set up a production company. It shut shop in 2018 on account of a metoo allegation. Which production company? (Dr Shanu Chandran, Vellore)
3. African trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic protozoan trypanosoma. How is this disease better known as? (Soulath Mohammed, Secunderabad)
4. Only one Indian has been crowned the Miss India Universe twice. In 2012, she was disqualified after the crowning owing to age discrepancies. She came back again in 2015 to win the title. Name her? (Dee Surendranath, Hyderabad)
5. Only four people from the Kauravas survive the battlefield in the Kurukshetra war. Name them? (M. Vislesha, Secunderabad)
6. What sector is the largest contributor to Bhutan’s economy constituting 25% of its GDP? (Yukta Aditi Rakshith, Secunderabad)
7. The first Pakistani to win the Filmfare award till date remains the youngest recipient of this award. Name this person who died of cancer in 2000 at the age of 34? (UN Murthy, Secunderabad)
8. The Brahmaputra river merges with the Padma in Bangladesh and assumes what name before it flows into the Bay of Bengal? (Dhiman Sinha, Kolkata)