Madhukar C. Dhas | |
---|---|
![]() Madhukar C. Dhas was the original singer of one of India's premier Rock and Roll bands, Atomic Forest | |
Born | Ebenezer Madhukar Chandra Dhas October 25, 1949 India |
Died | April 17, 2024 74) Philadelphia, USA | (aged
Other names | Madhukar Dhas, Madhu Dhas, Madooo, Madhukar Chandra Das |
Relatives | Sophia Chandra Dhas (wife), Aiesha Chandra Dhas (daughter), Devasahayam Manohar Chandra Dhas (brother), John Sudhakar Chandradhas (brother), Dheena Chandra Dhas (brother) |
Musical career | |
Origin | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
Genres | Rock and Roll, Psychedelic rock, Gospel |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, art director |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, Singing, |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels | MADOOO Records |
Formerly of | The Voodoos, Atomic Forest, |
Website | bigdooker |
Madhukar C. Dhas aka Madhu Dhas & Madooo, born Madhukar Chandra Dhas (25 October 1949 - April 17, 2024), was a singer, songwriter and performer of Indian origin, based in New York City. He was best known for his performances as lead singer of the Indian Rock band Atomic Forest in the 1970s, [1] and for his portrayal of Jesus [2] in Alyque Padamsee's production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
He was the elder brother of singer and actor, Dheena Chandra Dhas.
Madhukar grew up in Madras (now known as Chennai), India, where he was raised in a strong Christian tradition. His father expected him to become a doctor but he was influenced by, and played covers the music of The Troggs, The Turtles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Electric Prunes and The Doors among others, when in school.
He formed a band, "The Voodoos", [3] with classmate Sukumar Nambiar, son of actor M. N. Nambiar at MCCS and while attending Madras Christian College. With The Voodoos, Madhukar played in college festivals and competitions. He also became interested in art at this time which led to his Advertising career later.
After school and college, he moved to Bombay, working for advertising agencies such as Interpub and Lintas:India as an Art Director.
While continuing to work in advertising, Madhukar led one of India's premier Rock and Roll bands of the day, Atomic Forest in 1972 as their male vocalist, with Neel Chattodpadyaya on lead guitar, Keith Kanga on bass guitar and Valentine Lobo on drums. [4] [5] [6] in 1972.
Atomic Forest performed at The Sneha Yatra Festival [7] (aka) 'The Indian Woodstock' and were regular fixtures at prominent clubs and discos such as Slip Disc, [8] Blow Up at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Hell at Hotel Hilltop in Mumbai. [3] Their album Obsession '77 was re-released in 2011. [9]
After leaving Atomic Forest, he began performing solo at 5-star hotels in India as a spot singer and overseas at Oberoi Lanka and then on to Hotels in South East Asia en route to the USA. Madhukar sang in the presence of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Mumbai.
He also sang jingles in a vast array of commercials one of which was for Close-Up toothpaste [10] that played across India at all movie houses for 8 years.
The Creative Director of his at Lintas:India, Alyque Padamsee, who was also a theatrical producer, cast Madhukar in the title role [11] [12] of his 1974 production of the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' as Jesus [13] opposite Nandu Bhende's Judas. The show ran to packed houses at Birla Hall.
Madhukar performed the role for a year and a half, [14] which shot him to stardom as India's leading Male Vocalist. Madhukar and Nandu were selected from over 100 singers who auditioned for the roles. This production is considered a hallmark in Indian Rock Opera and theatre performances in general, and the director is working on a new production to commemorate 40 years since the original. [12]
Sidharth Bhatia's book on Indian Rock music [15] in the 1960s and 70s, entitled "India Psychedelic – The Story of a Rocking Generation [16] " has quite a few pages dedicated to Madhukar Dhas.
In 1978, he moved to the United States, settling in New York, where he again worked in advertising with agencies such as Bozell Worldwide and Deutsch Inc., while also pursuing his musical interests. He now seasonally performs at Beatlesfests across the U.S. and Canada.
In 2002, he self-released his first album, 'This Day Is Forever', containing "The 9/11 Memorial Song". He produced his 2nd album under indie label MADOOO Records, a Beatles tribute disc called "To the 'Fab Four' from Liverpool ... A Tribute from India", in 2004. [17] [18]
Some of his original songs can be heard on his 1st album, 'This day is forever'. His original songs and The Beatles tribute CD are all re-arranged in a unique fusion style of Western Rock n' Roll and Indian percussion sounds. His originals are written and performed again with that same fusion of Indian and Rock n' Roll music.
Alyque Padamsee was an Indian theatre personality and ad film maker. He played Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1982 British period film Gandhi.
Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his work in Baazigar (1993), Raja (1995), Hum hai rahi pyar ke (1993) and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Pyaar Ki Miss Call (2009) along with actor Gaurav Prateek. In the UK, he appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Dan Ferreira, the head of the Ferreira family, from June to December 2003.
Sharon Prabhakar is an Indian pop singer, theatre personality and public speaker.
Ranjit Chowdhry was an Indian character actor, known for his roles in television, movies, and theatre. He appeared in two episodes of The Office, as Vikram, a telemarketer who worked with Michael, and was briefly hired for The Michael Scott Paper Company.
Pearl Padamsee was an Indian theatre personality as a stage actress, director and producer of English language theatre in Mumbai active in 1950s–1990s. She acted in a few Hindi and English language films, including Khatta Meetha, Junoon, Baaton Baaton Mein, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, and Such a Long Journey. She ran after-school theatre workshops for children.
Akbar Padamsee was an Indian artist and painter, considered one of the pioneers in modern Indian painting along with S.H. Raza, F.N. Souza and M.F. Husain. Over the years he also worked with various mediums from oil painting, plastic emulsion, water colour, sculpture, printmaking, to computer graphics, and photography. In addition, he worked as a film maker, sculptor, photographer, engraver, and lithographer. Today his paintings are among the most valued by modern Indian artists. His painting Reclining Nude was sold for US$1,426,500 at Sotheby's in New York on 25 March 2011.
Dolly Thakore is a veteran Indian theatre actress and casting director.
Quasar Thakore Padamsee is an Indian stage actor turned theatre director. Both his parents, Alyque Padamsee and Dolly Thakore, are renowned stage actors. His mother was a casting director for the Academy Award-winning film Gandhi in 1982. His father played the role of Jinnah in the same movie.
Dheena Chandra Dhas is an actor, singer, voice over artist and sound engineer. He is the youngest of 4 brothers and the younger brother of the well-known 70s musician Madhukar C. Dhas. He lives in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India, and does Voice Overs in his home-studio.
Samriddhi, a word which means prosperity in English, is an annual student-run business conference that takes place at the Goa Institute of Management, India. One of the largest Business School Conferences, it is a three-day event that features prominent speakers and participants from colleges all over India.
Nandu Bhende was an Indian singer and actor.
Shazahn Padamsee is an Indian actress and model who primarily worked in Hindi films. Daughter of noted actors Alyque Padamsee and Sharon Prabhakar, she made her first film appearance in the 2009 Hindi film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. After her début film, she went on to appear in two non-Hindi Indian films, gaining credit from critics for her performance, before featuring in Madhur Bhandarkar's Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji in a prominent role.
Tara Deshpande is an Indian actress, writer, former model and MTV VJ. Tara hosted a show called Kab Kyon Kahaan on Zee TV, along with Parth and then with Vinay Jain in the early 1990s. She appeared in several acclaimed films such as Sudhir Mishra's Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin and Kaizad Gustad's Bombay Boys. Since her marriage to an American citizen and moving to Boston in 2001, she lives in the Boston area. Her husband is a graduate of Harvard Business School and is in finance. Tara published her first book at the age of 23, Fifty and Done (HarperCollins). Before entering the world of movies she was a model and MTV VJ and a regular on the Mumbai stage. She played Begum Sumroo in Alyque Padamsee's play of the same name. Her book, A Sense for Spice: Recipes and Stories from a Konkan Kitchen was published in 2012 and Indian Sense of Salad in 2018. She travels between NYC and Mumbai.
MullenLowe Lintas Group, formerly Lintas, is an Indian advertising marketing communications company. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Interpublic Group (IPG), and is part of the multinational MullenLowe Group.
Communication Arts Guild or CAG is an organisation dedicated to the Indian advertising industry. Located in Mumbai, this is the only organisation which has the complete record of the growth of Indian Advertising since Independence.
Merlin D'Souza (Merlyn) is an Indian composer and pianist from Mumbai. She is a musician whose work includes composing for film, albums, theatre and advertising. She is based at Bandra, a Mumbai suburb. Formerly the Asian jazz ambassador for Hennessy X.O. – she has toured extensively, from Australia to China, from Europe to the United States.
Harssh Singh Ahluwalia, also known as Harssh A. Singh is an Indian actor, singer, theatre personality and voice over artist. He was a Radio Jockey with Radio Mirchi (Mumbai), 98.3 fm, and was the winner of their first ever "RJ Hunt". He is known for his performance in Thappad (2020), Kabir Singh (2019), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016) and in the Amazon Prime Video original series Bandish Bandits (2020) Directed by Anand Tiwari.
Atomic Forest was a popular Indian psychedelic and hard rock band from Mumbai, active in the early-1970s, formed by Neel Chattopadhyaya, with Keith Kanga, Valentine Lobo and Madhukar C. Dhas. The band's lineup changed over the years, as members left and others took their place. It was thought that they had recorded a single album, Obsession '77 However, since 2011, two LPs have been reissued by Now-Again Records, Obsession, and Disco Roar.
Hosi Hormusji Vasunia, known popularly as Hosi Vasunia, was an Indian theatre personality and film and television actor. He acted in the English theatre in Bombay ; he also appeared in Gujarati plays and in Hindi films and television. He was part of the flourishing of drama in Mumbai in the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s and continued the long tradition of Parsi theatre in India.
Sylvester da Cunha was an Indian advertising professional and theatre personality. He was most famously known for creating the Utterly Butterly advertising campaign and the Amul girl mascot for the Indian dairy cooperative Amul. He also served as a consultant to multinational agencies including the World Bank, UNICEF, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on various projects linked to food and nutrition.