Her Majestic Voice

Autorentext

Kiranmayi Indraganti currently teaches film at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. She has been an independent filmmaker for over 15 years, and has made 12 documentaries on social and development issues. She holds a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Nottingham, an MFA from York University, and an MA from the University of Madras.

Klappentext

This work brings to light previously uncharted history of female playback singers in the South Indian (Telugu) film industry between 1945 and 1955. South Indian Cinema and its icons are usually side-lined by Bollywood/Hindi Cinema, when Indian Cinema is being discussed.

Zusammenfassung
The emergence of singers in Bombay, Madras, and other film industries of India, as musical models to be admired and remembered, coincided with the ascendancy of film songs as the dominant mode of entertainment. In the 1950s, many a south-Indian film song belonged to playback singers such as R. Balasaraswati Devi, K. Jamuna Rani, Jikki Krishnaveni, P. Leela, and the singing actress P. Bhanumati, whose popularity and stardom flourished and remained independent of the 'Bombay influence' and its specific vocal endorsements. Based on personal interviews of the singers, extensive archival research on film practices, and close textual analysis, this work fills a gap in the history of Indian cinema by presenting a compelling account of the ways in which playback stardom developed under specific socio-cultural conditions and was closely connected with ideas of respectability, art, and artistic talent. An important work on early cinema and unfamiliar song-production practices, Her Majestic Voice chronicles a hitherto untold history of struggles, artistry, and rise to fame while analysing the historical role of playback singers in south India between 1945 and 1955.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements; Authors Note; Introduction; 1 Chapter 1: Broad Strokes and Simple Chords; 2 Chapter 2: Telugu Talkies; 3 Chapter 3: Of Ghosts and Singers: Debates Around Playback Singing; 4 Chapter 4: My song: Life as Playback Singer; 5 Chapter 5: New Language, New Singer; Conclusion; Bibliography; Appendix 1: Transcribed Interviews; Appendix 2: Questions About Songs and Singers in the Report of the Film Enquiry Committee 1951; Appendix 3: Select Songs in Telugu Text (with Functional English Translation); Index; About the author