Rupa Biswas

Last updated
Rupa Biswas
Born1955
Malda Town, West Bengal, India.
NationalityIndian
Occupationsinger

Rupa Biswas is an Indian singer who is known for her singular Disco Jazz album. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

She was born as Sukla Biswas in 1955, in Malda Town, West Bengal, India. [2] Biswas was married to Udayan and has a son Debayan. [2]

Her one and only album, Disco Jazz, was released in 1982 when her father took his family on a holiday to Canada. [2]

In 1981, at the University of Calgary's Boris Roubakine Hall, she sang geets and ghazals for three hours to an audience which included people such as Grammy Award winning musician Aashish Khan and his tabla-playing brother Pranesh Khan, who were grandsons of Allauddin Khan and former collaborators with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison of The Beatles. [2] Aashish and Pranesh Khan had taken an interest in disco music following the success of Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan. The Khan brothers had composed disco music for a project called Disco Jazz. After watching Rupa's performance, the Khan brothers approached her to perform vocals for the project. [4]

The Khan brothers produced her first album Disco Jazz, which was completed in 1981 and released in 1982. [4] The song "Aaj Shanibar" was mostly sung in the Bengali language, along with some Hindi. [5] She was given vocals written by Aashish Khan's wife Firoza Khan and a cordless mic, which she had never seen before. Rupa was used to wearing traditional Indian clothing and all this was a new experience for her. For the album cover image, she chose a dress which she found in the kids' section of a department store and decided to go with a haircut that she still uses today. [2]

After recording her vocals, she spent time in the United Kingdom with her brother Chandan, who later paid for all her recordings. [2] In 1982, Rupa sold a handful of copies of Disco Jazz and soon faded into anonymity. The album disappeared from circulation. [2]

For a long time Rupa remained away from the public eye until her work was rediscovered by Indian filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia, who owned a rare vinyl copy and selected the tracks "Aaj Shanibar", "Moja Bhari Moja", and "Ayee Morshume Be-Reham Duniya" for the soundtrack of his film, Miss Lovely , which competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. [2] It was also released unofficially on a German record label, Ovular. [6]

In 2014, Rupa's son, Debayan Sen, discovered an album inside his house in Kolkata, India. The album featured a picture of his mother, leading to the discovery of her buried musical career. On Google, Sen discovered that the album Disco Jazz was a rarity, selling at high prices on websites such as Discogs and was already viewed by millions on YouTube. [5] Pitchfork noted "Aaj Shanibar" contains "touches of what would now be considered Balearic beat music, with its expansive and hypnotic musical interludes." [5]

In April 2016, Fran Korzatowski, a music fan based in Albany, New York, identified the song "Aaj Shanibar" based on the Miss Lovely end credits and later uploaded it to YouTube.[1] A few months later, Dan Snaith discovered Aaj Shanibar on YouTube and immediately selected it for his live DJ sets and radio broadcasts on NTS and Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM.[1] Since then, the album has been re-issued by The Numero Group, a well-established archival record label.[2]

Discography

Albums

Songs

Related Research Articles

Fiji is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean. Though geographically Melanesian, the music of Fiji is more Polynesian in character. Nevertheless, Fijian folk styles are distinct in their fusion of Polynesian and Melanesian traditions. Folk music is dominated by vocal church music, as well as dances characterized by rich and dull harmony and complex percussion made from slit drums or natural materials, such as drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian pop</span> Pop music produced in India

Indian pop music, also known as Indi-pop, refers to pop music produced in India that is independent from filmi soundtracks for Indian cinema. Indian pop is closely linked to Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood and the Asian Underground scene of the United Kingdom. The variety of South Asian music from different countries are generally known as Desi music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saira Banu</span> Indian actress (born 1944)

Saira Banu is an Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of Indian cinema's finest actresses, she was among the most popular actresses of the 1960s and early 1970s. Banu received four Filmfare Awards nominations throughout her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen (actress)</span> Indian actress and dancer of Anglo-Burmese descent

Helen Ann Richardson Khan, known mononymously as Helen, is an Indian actress and dancer. She has appeared in over 1000 films, making her a prolific performer in Hindi cinema. She is known for her supporting, character roles and guest appearances in a career spanning 70 years.

<i>Biwi No.1</i> 1999 film by David Dhawan

Biwi No.1 is a 1999 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by David Dhawan, being a remake of the 1995 Tamil film Sathi Leelavathi. It stars Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Tabu and Sushmita Sen in lead roles with Amitabh Bachchan and Saif Ali Khan in a special appearance.

<i>Khamoshi: The Musical</i> 1996 Hindi film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Khamoshi: The Musical is a 1996 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama musical film. The film was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in his directorial debut. The film stars Nana Patekar, Salman Khan, Manisha Koirala and Seema Biswas. The film was a debut of Sanjay Leela Bhansali as a filmmaker. A box office bomb when released, the film has over the years gained cult following and cited as one of the best films of Hindi cinema.

<i>Kismet</i> (1943 film) 1943 film directed by Gyan Mukherjee

Kismet (transl. Fate) is a 1943 Indian drama film, directed by Gyan Mukherjee, written by Mukherjee with Aghajani Kashmeri, and produced by Bombay Talkies, during the Second World War, while it was in a succession battle between Devika Rani and Sashadhar Mukherjee after owner Himanshu Rai's death. The film was the first big hit in the history of Bombay cinema, and the first blockbuster in Indian cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aashish Khan</span> Musical artist

Aashish Khan Debsharma is an Indian classical musician, a player of the sarod. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006 for the 'Best Traditional World Music Album' category for his album "Golden Strings of the Sarode". He is also a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. Besides being a performer, composer, and conductor, he is also an adjunct professor of Indian classical music at the California Institute of the Arts, and the University of California at Santa Cruz, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Choudry</span> British singer and actress

Sophie Choudry is a British singer and actress based in India. She has been active primarily in Hindi-language films and is also a former MTV India VJ and occasional model, and television presenter.

<i>Qayamat: City Under Threat</i> 2003 Indian film

Qayamat: City Under Threat is an Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Harry Baweja. Starring Ajay Devgn, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Kapoor, Arbaaz Khan, Isha Koppikar, Riya Sen, Neha Dhupia and Aashish Chaudhary, it is a remake of the 1996 American film The Rock. It was the first Indian film to be digitally colour corrected. The film was shot in Australia, Mauritius and Diu. It also marks the second collaboration between Devgn, Shetty and Baweja after Dilwale.

Aarti Mukherjee, also known as Aarti Mukherji or Arati Mukhopadhyay , is an Indian playback singer who has sung in Hindi films such as Geet Gata Chal (1975), Tapasya (1976), Manokamana, Masoom (1983) and Sooraj Mukhi (1992).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rekha filmography</span>

Rekha is an Indian actress who has had a prolific career in Hindi films, and is acknowledged as one of the finest actresses of Indian cinema. She first appeared as a child artist in two Telugu-language films Inti Guttu (1958) and Rangula Ratnam (1966), but her career as a lead started with the Kannada film Operation Jackpot Nalli C.I.D 999 in 1969. In that same year, she starred in her first Hindi film, Anjana Safar, which was delayed for ten years due to censorship problems. Her first Hindi release was Sawan Bhadon (1970), a commercial success which established her as a rising star. She followed with roles in Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972), Kahani Kismat Ki (1973), and Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974), to mainstream success but little recognition for her acting, and press criticism of her looks and overweight. Rekha was motivated to improve her acting and appearance and managed a well-publicised transformation, both physically and in terms of her screen persona and command of the Hindi language. Her work in the 1976 drama Do Anjaane was better received, and critical recognition of her roles as a rape victim in Ghar and a courtesan in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978) marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career.

<i>Love Aaj Kal</i> (2009 film) 2009 film by Imtiaz Ali

Love Aaj Kal is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Saif Ali Khan and Dinesh Vijan under the production of Illuminati Films and Maddock Films. Starring Khan and Deepika Padukone, it features Rishi Kapoor and Giselli Monteiro in supporting roles with Neetu Singh in a special appearance. The film follows Jai and Meera's journey, and portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes, although the perspective of realizing one's soulmate has changed over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irshad Kamil</span> Indian songwriter

Dr. Irshad Kamil is an Indian poet and lyricist. His songs appear in Bollywood films including Jab We Met, Chameli, Love Aaj Kal, Rockstar, Laila Majnu, Aashiqui 2, Raanjhanaa, Highway, Tamasha, Jab Harry Met Sejal, Kabir Singh, Dunki and Love Aaj Kal.

<i>Kamla</i> (film) 1985 Indian film

Kamla is a 1984 Hindi film produced and directed by Jagmohan Mundhra, starring Deepti Naval, Shabana Azmi, and Marc Zuber in lead roles. The film is titled after the character of Naval. The screenplay by Vijay Tendulkar was based on his play Kamala, written in 1981.

Samira Koppikar is a music director, composer, singer and songwriter. In 2015 she made her debut as a Bollywood music composer with the song "Maati Ka Palang" for the film NH10. As a Bollywood playback singer she made her Bollywood playback singing debut in 2014 with two back to back songs Aaj Phir Tum Pe for the film Hate Story 2 which was landed at number 7 in the top 10 Bollywood songs of 2014, and "Mohabbat Barsaa Dena tu" for the film Creature 3D. Co-sung with Arijit Singh, both the voice and the songs were received well by Indian audiences. She has performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

<i>Janaan</i> 2016 film by Azfar Jafri

Janaan is a 2016 Pakistani romantic comedy film directed by Azfar Jafri, written by Osman Khalid Butt and co-produced by Hareem Farooq, Munir Hussain, Imran Raza Kazmi and Reham Khan, under production banners of IRK Films and Munir Hussain Films – UK. The film stars Armeena Khan, Bilal Ashraf and Ali Rehman Khan in lead roles.

<i>Love Aaj Kal</i> (2020 film) 2020 Indian film directed by Imtiaz Ali

Love Aaj Kal is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy-drama film directed by Imtiaz Ali and starring Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan in lead roles, with Randeep Hooda and Arushi Sharma in pivotal supporting roles. Principal photography began in the first half of March 2019 and ended in July 2019. It was released in India on Valentine's Day 2020.

<i>Namak Issk Ka</i> Indian television series

Namak Issk Ka is an Indian drama television series that premiered on Colors TV on 7 December 2020. Produced by Gul Khan and Deepti Kalwani under 4 Lions Films, it starred Shruti Sharma, Aditya Ojha and Antara Biswas in lead roles. Principal photography ended on 13 August 2021. The show telecast its last episode on 20 August 2021 and was replaced by Nima Denzongpa.

<i>Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972</i> 2019 live album by Alice Coltrane

Live at the Berkeley Community Theater 1972 is a live album by Alice Coltrane. It was recorded at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California, in July 1972, and was released as a double album in 2019 by the German label BCT. On the album, Coltrane appears on harp, piano and organ, and is joined by bassist Charlie Haden, sarod player Aashish Khan, tabla player Pranesh Khan, drummer Ben Riley, and a tamboura player listed simply as Bobby W. The recording features three compositions associated with John Coltrane plus a version of Alice Coltrane's "Journey in Satchidananda".

References

  1. ↑ "BBC World Service - Outlook, My mother, India's forgotten disco diva". BBC.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "From Bengal to boogie: Rupa Biswas, India's rediscovered disco diva | Disco". The Guardian. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  3. 1 2 Nate Rabe. "Who is Rupa Sen and why has her Disco Jazz album become a 'holy grail' after 40 years of anonymity?". scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  4. 1 2 "Rupa, the voice of "Aaj Shanibar," speaks out after 40 years". Wax Poetics . 16 March 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 "How a Long-Lost Indian Disco Record Won Over Crate Diggers and Cracked the YouTube Algorithm". Pitchfork . 22 January 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "Rediscovering Calcutta's Disco Jazz From The '80s & Its Star". homegrown.co.in.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.