Today I fulfill a request from a friend of the channel – a disc from my collection of 78 rpm records on the Young India label – this series featuring songs from early Parbhat Film Company movies.
The films produced by Parbhat are from the very early era of Indian cinema. Parbhat was founded in Kolhapur in 1929, and made 45 films in its run through the 30s and 40s. In 1960, the Indian government acquired the defunct Parbhat studio and transformed it into the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
This record features songs from the Parbhat’s film Nandkumar = नंदकुमार, released in 1938. The film recounts the birth, childhood, and early antics of Lord Krishna.
The film was directed by Keshav Rao Dhaibar, produced by Jayashree Films. Both songs in this video were sung by Durgābāī Khoṭe ( दुर्गाबाई खोटे ) – better known as Durga Khote – an actress with a long prolific career in Hindi and Marathi cinema who performed in over 200 films – the last produced in 1983.
Warning: You will hear a small baby crying on side one. That is Krishna, being comforted by a maternal figure played by Durga Khote, who then sings to him. This first side, रुठ गये क्युं , seems to translate as “Why are you displeased?”
The second side, सुत है जगमें सबसे प्यारा , translates to “The Son – dearest in all the world.” Some very beautiful instrumentation and arrangement on this side, which features Durga Khote singing to “the world’s most beloved son.”
I think this may be one of the more beautiful labels of records in my collection – and is somewhat unique, as later discs in the MP series had a different design that featured a small photo of the primary vocalist on the label with the recognizable graphic from Prabhat’s title sequence featuring a dramatic silhouetted figure holding a large curved horn. I think perhaps only the discs featuring songs from Nandkumar had this exquisite design.
Recorded in India circa 1938.
Released as Young India MP 552.
Mx JF 1572 and JF 1573.
Credits:
Durga Khote – vocals
Sources:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0213922/
https://scroll.in/reel/679099/the-story-of-how-prabhat-studios-made-india-s-biggest-hits-of-the-1930s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRRGzC_n-l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqtKe63Y-FM
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/brands-lost-time-prabhat-film-company-dr-mohan-dewan-qs4rf/