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{{Other uses|Anil Biswas (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Anil Biswas
| image = File:Anil Biswas.jpg
| caption = ''Anil Biswas (1914-2003)''
| birthname = Anil Krishna Biswas<ref>[http://lyricsindia.net/isb/Profiles/AnilBiswas.html Anil Biswas] ''lyricsindia.net''.</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1914|7|7}}

| birth_place = [[Barisal]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]] (now in Bangladesh)
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|2003|5|31|1914|7|7}}
| death_place = [[New Delhi]], [[India]]
| occupation = [[music composer]], [[playback singer]], [[actor]]
| yearsactive = 1932- 1975
| spouse = Ashalata, née Mehrunnissa(17/10/1917- 1992) (divorced)( -1954)<br />[[Meena Kapoor]] (1959-2003) (his death)
| othername =
}}

'''Anil Krishna Biswas''' (7 July 1914 – 31 May 2003) was an Indian film [[music director]] and [[playback singer]] from 1935 to 1965, who apart from being one of pioneers of [[playback singing]], is also credited for the first Indian orchestra of twelve pieces and introducing [[orchestral music]] and full-blooded [[choral]] effects, into [[Indian cinema]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=4 June 2003 |title=Obituaries:Anil Biswas |url=https://www.variety.com/article/VR1117887338.html?categoryid=25&cs=1 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023182904/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117887338?refCatId=25 |archive-date=23 October 2012}}</ref> A master in western [[symphonic music]] was known for the [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]] or folk elements, especially [[Baul]] and [[Bhatiyali]] in his music.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/914078/Anil-Biswas Anil Biswas] ''[[Britannica.com]]''.</ref><ref name=dw/><ref name=ny/> Out of his over 90 films, most memorable were, ''Roti'' (1942), ''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'' (1943), ''Anokha Pyaar'' (1948), ''Taraana'' (1951), ''Waaris'' (1954), ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' (1957) and ''[[Char Dil Char Rahen]]'' (1959).

He was also the pioneer in using the counter melody in film scores, employing technique of western music, ‘cantala’, where one line overlaps the other in contra-melody, recitative prose songs as in ''[[Roti (1942 film)|Roti]]'' (1942), besides he was the first one to start extensively using the [[Ragmala]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/05/guardianobituaries.india Obituary: Anil Biswas] ''[[The Guardian]] '', 5 July 2003</ref><ref name=up/> Another important element that he introduced was western orchestration, using indigenous instruments both in the songs as well as in their melodic interludes, a trend that soon caught on and paved way for the musicals of Indian cinema today.<ref name=dw/>

He was awarded the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1986, given by the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama.<ref>[http://www.sangeetnatak.com/programmes_recognition&honours_music_creative.html Creative Music] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715210716/http://www.sangeetnatak.com/programmes_recognition%26honours_music_creative.html |date=15 July 2018 }} ''[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]'' Official Award listings.</ref>

==Biography==

===Early life===
Anil Krishna Biswas was born on 7 July 1914, in a small village of [[Barisal district]] in [[East Bengal]] (now in [[Bangladesh]]) in the household of J C Biswas, where at a young age he acted in a local amateur theater as a child star. He was fond of listening to music since his childhood. As he grew up, he displayed considerable musical talent, by 14 he was already accomplished in playing tabla,<ref name=dw>[http://www.dawn.com/weekly/images/archive/030608/images5.htm A composer with a difference] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081012172320/http://www.dawn.com/weekly/images/archive/030608/images5.htm |date=12 October 2008 }} '' [[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] '', 8 June 2003.</ref> while singing and composing music at local music concerts; though soon he joined the [[Indian Independence Movement]], while still doing his [[matriculation]], and was repeatedly jailed for his revolutionary activities, leading to repeated disruption of his studies. Eventually in 1930, after his father’s death he left for Calcutta in disguise to escape further arrest.<ref name=ny/>

===Career===
Anil Biswas first made name in [[Kolkata]] in the early 1930s, composing music for plays, later he joined 'Rangmahal Theatre', Kolkata, as an actor, singer, and assistant music director, 1932–34, during this period he sang and acted in several commercial stage productions. By this time he had masters singing styles like, [[khayal]], [[thumri]] and [[dadra]], and had become an accomplished singer of devotional music, in [[Shyama Sangeet]] and [[Kirtan]] styles.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}

He also worked as a singer, lyricist and composer, with the 'Hindustan Recording Company', where [[Kundan Lal Saigal]] and [[Sachin Dev Burman]], before migrating to Bombay themselves. He got assignments from renowned Bengali poet, [[Kazi Nazrul Islam]], all this got him into the notice of music director, Hiren Bose, and at whose behest he made his way to Bombay ([[Mumbai]]) in 1934.<ref name=ashok>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZI1wqkWsIjYC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=Anil+Biswas&source=web&ots=_UaoQ1Ak57&sig=0FcfUsGh1xkX5tyLoToElQfvXn0&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result Early Composers (1931-1947)] ''Hindi Film Song: Music Beyond Boundaries: Music Beyond Boundaries'', by Ashok Da. Ranade. Published by Bibliophile South Asia. {{ISBN|81-85002-64-9}}. ''Page 183-186''.</ref>

This was the period when ''[[Playback singer|playback singing]]'' was making its debut in [[Indian cinema]], when Anil first joined Ram Daryani's, 'Eastern Art Syndicate', and was associated in composing music for 'Baal Hatya' and 'Bharat ki Beti', before making his debut as a film composer, with ''Dharam ki Devi'' (1935) for which he composed the [[background music]], and also acted and sang the song, ''Kuch Bhi Nahin Bharosa..'' In 1936 he joined 'Sagar Movietones' as a composer, first starting with assisting composers, Ashok Ghosh in films ''[[Manmohan (1936 film)|Manmohan]]'' and ''[[Deccan Queen (film)|Deccan Queen]]'' and also Pransukh Nayak, and continued with Sagar Movietones, even after it merged with the Yusuf Fazalbhoy of RCA’s newly established National Studios in 1939.

In the coming two years he did eleven films, mostly stunt films, until [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Jagirdar (film)|Jagirdar]]'' (1937), a commercially hit, established him as a musical force in the film industry. Soon many more independent assignments came his way, most notably, ''300 Days and After'', ''Gramophone Singer'', ''[[Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938 film)|Hum Tum Aur Woh]]'', ''[[Ek Hi Raasta (1939 film)|Ek Hi Raasta]]'', and [[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Watan (1938 film)|Watan]] ''(1938), ''Alibaba'' (1940), the classic, ''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940), ''[[Bahen (1941 film)|Bahen]]'' (1941), before working with him again, in ''Roti'' (1942), for which he also credited with the story and concept,<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/oldies_club/anil_biswas.htm Anil Biswas Biography]</ref> and which featured many songs by film's actress, [[Akhtaribai Faizabadi]] ([[Begum Akhtar]]), though they were deleted due to a contractual conflict (the music was recorded with [[HMV]], while she was in contract with Megaphone Gramophone Company). In following years he gave scores for [[Bombay Talkies]] films like ''[[Jwar Bhata (1944 film)|Jwar Bhata]]'' (1944), [[Dilip Kumar]]’s debut film, and ''[[Milan (1946 film)|Milan]]'' (1946) also starring Dilip Kumar and directed by [[Nitin Bose]], who made it in Bengali, as ''Naukadubi''.<ref name=up>[http://www.upperstall.com/people/anil-biswas Anil Biswas] ''Upperstall.com''.</ref>

He gave break to famed playback singer, [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]] in ''Pehli Nazar'' (1945), singing 'Dil Jalta Hai to Jalne De', and to [[Talat Mahmood]] in ''[[Arzoo (1950 film)|Arzoo]]'' (1949), singing 'Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jagah Ley Chal' his first song in Bombay;<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/may/31anil.htm Music composer Anil Biswas passes away] ''[[Rediff.com]]'', 31 May 2003.</ref> he was also behind the success of many singers such as Surendranath, Parul Ghosh, [[Amirbai Karnataki]], [[Lata Mangeshkar]] and [[Roshan Ara Begum]].<ref name=hin/> It was during his period that he married Asha Lata, an actress with Sagar Movietones under her maiden name Mehrunnisa who continued to act under the name Ashalata Biswas, and had three sons and a daughter, the couple later divorced. Later it was the death of his son Pradeep in an airplane accident, in 1961, which catapulted his exit from the film industry. [[Lata Mangeshkar]] has admitted that Anil Biswas gave her tips and trained her for breathing control during recording songs.

In 1942, he joined [[Bombay Talkies]] at an offer from [[Devika Rani]], where he got his biggest hit, [[Gyan Mukherjee]]'s ''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'' (1943), starring [[Ashok Kumar]] and Mumtaz Shanti,<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030601/main8.htm Anilda — the soul of melody] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 1 June 2003.</ref> most remembered for the song, 'Papihaare', sung by his sister [[Parul Ghosh]] (wife of the renowned flautist, [[Pannalal Ghosh]]), the patriotic hit, 'Door hato ai duniyaa waalo', and 'Dheere dheere aare badal, mera bulbul so raha hai, shorgul na macha' sung by the actor, [[Ashok Kumar]].<ref name=hin>{{cite news |title=Anil Biswas dead |url=https://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/06/01/stories/2003060103640800.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030725081835/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2003/06/01/stories/2003060103640800.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 July 2003 |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=1 June 2003}}</ref> In 1946, he left [[Bombay Talkies]] and set out as a freelancer, and later under the banner, ‘Variety Pictures’ owned by his wife, AshaLata Biswas, worked for four films, ''Laadli'' (1949), ''Laajawaab'' (1950), ''Badi Bahu'' (1951) and ''[[Humdard]]'' (1953), with [[KA Abbas]] ''Rahi'' (1952), songless ''Munna'' (1954), where he gave the background score, and Indo-Russian joint production, [[Nargis]] starrer, ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' (1957) and ''[[Char Dil Char Rahen]]'' (1959). By now, the kind of music perfect by ''Anilda'', as he was now called in the industry as, was fast changing, and so he gradually grew disillusioned by the changing dynamics of the film industry. In early 1960s, he retired from the cinema, while still at the peak of his game, he shifted base to New Delhi, though he did one or two films in between like Mahesh Kaul's, ''Sautela Bhai'' (1962), his final film as a composer was, actor [[Motilal (actor)|Motilal]]'s directorial venture, ''[[Chhoti Chhoti Baatein]]'' (1965), starring [[Nadira (actress)|Nadira]] and with [[Mukesh (singer)|Mukesh]]'s 'Zindagi Khwab Hai Tha Hamein Bhi'. Motilal died before its release, and the film flopped at the box office, though it did get a [[National Film Award (India)|National Film Award]].

In Delhi, he became director of the National Orchestra at the [[All India Radio]] (AIR) in March 1963,<ref name=ny>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/04/arts/anil-biswas-89-whose-music-used-orchestras-in-indian-films.html |title=Anil Biswas, 89, Whose Music Used Orchestras in Indian Films |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=4 June 2003}}</ref> and remained Chief Producer -''Sugam Sangeet'' (light [[Hindustani classical music]]) at [[AIR (program)|AIR]], Delhi till 1975.<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ba-Bo/Biswas-Anil.html Anil Biswas] ''filmreference.com''.</ref> Though later, he composed music for [[Doordarshan]]'s pioneering TV series ''[[Hum Log (TV series)|Hum Log]]'' (1984) and a number of documentaries for the Films Division as late as 1991,<ref name=ashok/> and remained the Advisor (Music) in the rank of a Professor at [[Jawaharlal Nehru University]] for 2 years.<ref>http://giitaayan.com/satish/art-195.htm</ref> He won the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1986.

==Personal life==
Biswas was first married for love, and much against the wishes of his own family, a Muslim actress who was four years older than him. This was Mehrunnisa (born 17 October 1910, died 1992), who had adopted the screen-name 'Ashalata' for work purposes. Upon her marriage, Mehrunnisa assumed the name Ashalata as her one and only name. Ashalata worked as an actress during the 1930s and 1940s, a period during which acting in films was considered disreputable and few women entered the industry; she also owned Variety Pictures, a film-making company.<ref>http://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2016/may/25/813/down-memory-lane-ashalata-biswas</ref> The couple became the parents of three sons and a daughter, named Pradeep, Amit, Utpal and Shikha. Their son, Utpal Biswas, also worked as a music composer, as part of the Amar-Uptal duo team which composed the music for a few films including ''Shahenshah'' (1988), ''Main Azaad Hoon'' and ''Aaja Meri Jaan'' (1993).<ref>[http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=21797 Music composer Anil Biswas passes away] ''[[Indian Express]]'', 31 May 2003.</ref> Biswas's daughter, Shikha Vohra, is the mother of the well-known documentary film maker, [[Paromita Vohra]].<ref>[http://www.parodevi.com/ Her production company is Devi Pictures] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528144808/http://www.parodevi.com/ |date=28 May 2010 }}</ref><ref>[http://parotechnics.blogspot.com/ Paromita Vohra's blog]</ref> Biswas and Ashalata were divorced in 1954; Ashalata Biswas died in 1992.

In 1959, five years after his divorce, Anil Biwas married the [[playback singer]], [[Meena Kapoor]], daughter of actor Bikram Kapoor. Meena Kapoor did not have any children. Meena was most noted for singing hit 1950s songs like, "Rasiya re man basiya re" in Nargis starrer ''[[Pardesi (1957 film)|Pardesi]]'' (1957) and "Kachhi hai umariya" picturised on [[Meena Kumari]] in ''Char Dil Char Raahein''.<ref>[http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=75513 ‘Anilji and I were like lovebirds’]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Rushes, ''[[Indian Express]]'', 9 February 2004.</ref>

Anil Biswas died in New Delhi on 31 May 2003.<ref>[http://www.lifeinlegacy.com/2003/WIR20030531.html#P56 Anil Biswas] ''lifeinlegacy.com''.</ref> He was survived by his wife Meena Kapoor, sons Amit Biswas and Utpal Biswas, and daughter Shikha Vohra, his son Pradeep Biswas having predeceased him. Upon his death, the then [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] called him, “a doyen of film music who struck the rare balance between classical purity of music and popular pulse”, and credited him for leaving, “an enduring legacy as he introduced many talented singers and innovations to the Indian film music.”<ref>[http://pib.nic.in/archieve/lreleng/lyr2003/rjun2003/01062003/r010620031.html Press Release] '' [[Prime Minister of India|Prime Minister]]'s Office, 1 June 2003.</ref>

==Filmography==

*''Dharam Ki Devi'' (1935)
*''Fida-e-Vatan'' (alias ''Tasveer-e-vafa'') (1935, co-composer with Jhande Khan)
*''Piya Ki Jogan'' (alias ''Purchased Bride'')
*''Pratima'' (alias ''Prem Murti'')
*''Prem Bandhan'' (alias ''Victims of Love'')
*''Sangdil Samaj''
*''Sher Ka Panja''
*''Shokh Dilruba'' (1936, with Sunder Daas)
*''Bulldog'' (1936)
*''Dukhiari'' (alias ''A Tale of Selfless Love'') (1936, with Madhulal Damodar Master)
*''Gentleman Daku'' (1937)
*''[[Jagirdar (film)|Jagirdar]]'' (1937)
*''[[Kokila (1937 film)|Kokila]]'' (1937)
*''Mahageet'' (1937)
*''[[Watan (1938 film)|Watan]]'' (1938)
*''[[Teen Sau Din Ke Baad]]'' (1938)
*''[[Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938 film)|Hum Tum Aur Woh]]'' (1938)
*''Gramophone Singer'' (1938)
*''Dynamite'' (1938)
*''Abhilasha'' (1938)
*''Jeevan Saathi'' (1939)
*''[[Ek Hi Raasta (1939 film)|Ek Hi Raasta]]'' (1939)
*''[[Pooja (1940 film)|Pooja]]'' (1940)
*''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940)
*''[[Alibaba (1940 film)|Alibaba]]'' (1940/I)
*''[[Bahen (1941 film)|Bahen]]'' (1941)
*''Aasra'' (1941)
*''Vijay'' (1942)
*''Jawani'' (1942)
*''[[Kismet (1943 film)|Kismet]]'' (1943)
*''Hamari Baat'' (1943)
*''[[Jwar Bhata (1944 film)|Jwar Bhata]]'' (1944)
*''Pahali Nazar'' (1945)
*''[[Bhookh (1947 film)|Bhookh]]'' (1947)
*''[[Manjhdhar (1947 film)|Manjhdhar]]'' (1947)
*''Veena'' (1948)
*''Gajre'' (1948)
*''[[Anokha Pyar]]'' (1948)
*''Ladli'' (1949)
*''Jeet'' (1949)
*''Girls' School'' (1949)
*''[[Beqasoor]]'' (1950)
*''[[Arzoo (1950 film)|Arzoo]]'' (1950)
*Lajawab (1950)
*''[[Tarana (1951 film)|Tarana]]'' (1951)
*''Do Sitare'' (1951)
*''[[Aaram (film)|Aaram]]'' (1951)
*''Do Raha'' (1952)
*''[[Rahi (film)|Rahi]]'' (1952)
*''Mehmaan'' (1953)
*''Jallianwalla Baag Ki Jyoti'' (1953)
*''Fareb'' (1953)
*''Dil-E-Nadan'' (1953)
*''Akash'' (1953)
*''Waris'' (1954)
*''Naaz'' (1954)
*''Mahatma Kabir'' (1954)
*''Maan'' (1954)
*''Jasoos'' (1957)
*''Jalti Nishani'' (1955)
*''Faraar'' (1955)
*''Du-janay'' (1955)
*''Paisa Hi Paisa'' (1956)
*''Heer'' (1956)
*''[[Pardesi (1957 film)]]'' (1957)
*''Abhimaan'' (1957)
*''Sanskar'' (1958)
*''[[Char dil char rahein|Char Dil Char Raahein]]'' (1959)
*''[[Return of Mr. Superman]]'' (alias ''Mr. Superman ki Wapsi'') (1960)
*''[[Angulimaal (film)|Angulimaal]]'' (1960)
*''Sautela Bhai'' (1962)
* ''[[Chhoti Chhoti Baatein]]'' (1965)

==Further reading==
* ''Anil Biswas: Tribute'', A Collection of Essays on the Occasion of His Fiftieth Year of Music Composition for Films, Bangalore, 1986.

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|id=0084433|name=Anil Biswas}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190906163350/http://www.anilbiswas.com/ anilbiswas.com A Tribute website]
* [http://www.giitaayan.com/search.asp?s=Anil+Biswas&browse=Music A List of Hindi Film Songs (with lyrics) composed by Anil Biswas]
* [http://lyricsindia.net/vyakti/227 List of Songs composed by Anil Biswas]
* Complete filmography including lists of songs based on Hindi Film Geet Kosh [http://www.hamraaz.org/] is here [http://films.hindi-movies-songs.com/anilbiswascomplete.txt] (text format) and here [http://survey.giitaayan.com/ab/anilbiswascomplete.pdf] (PDF)
;Video link
* [http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Anil+Biswas&hl=en&emb=0&aq=-1&oq=# Anil Biswas film songs]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biswas, Anil}}
[[Category:1914 births|Biswas (composer), Anil]]
[[Category:2003 deaths|Biswas (composer), Anil]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award|Biswas (composer), Anil]]
[[Category:Indian male film singers|Biswas (composer), Anil]]
[[Category:Indian film score composers|Biswas (composer), Anil]]
[[Category:People from Barisal District]]
[[Category:Bengali singers]]
[[Category:Indian musical theatre composers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian singers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:Male film score composers]]
[[Category:20th-century male singers]]

Anil Biswas (composer) - Revision history

>Gotitbro at 10:04, 3 July 2021