Baiju Bawra (film)

Baiju Bawra is a 1952 Hindi film directed by Vijay Bhatt. Produced by Prakash Pictures, with story by Ramchandra Thakur and dialogues by Zia Sarhadi, Baiju Bawra was a musical megahit. Bhatts decision to make a film based on classical music was met with scepticism by the Indian film industry due to its lack of mass appeal, but the film and music turned out be an overwhelming success. The films music director was Naushad, who had become popular giving folkbased music in films like Rattan, Anmol Ghadi, Shahjehan 1946 and Deedar 1951. With Bhatts Baiju Bawra, Naushad introduced classical component in Hindi film songs. The soundtrack based on light classical ragas, made use of folk, thumri or dadra, with a stronger raga used in the last contest song between Tansen and Baiju. The lyricist was Shakeel Badayuni, a Naushad discovery. For Baiju Bawra, he had to forgo Urdu, and write lyrics in pure Hindi, with songs like the bhajan, Man Tadpat Hari Darshan Ko Aaj, becoming popular.

Tansen is known to be the greatest classical vocalist ever to have existed in India, and was one of the nine jewels Navaratnas of Emperor Akbars court. Nobody could sing in the city unless he or she could sing better than Tansen. If this was not the case, he or she was executed. Baiju Bawra is the story of an unknown singer, Baiju, who is on a mission to defeat Tansen in a musical duel to avenge the death of his father.When Baiju is still a child, Tansens sentry tries to stop Baijus father from singing, and in the ensuing scuffle, his father dies. Before dying, he extracts a promise from his son to take revenge against Tansen. Baiju gets shelter from a village priest and while growing up, falls in love with Gauri, the daughter of a boatman. He continues his musical education on his own, but gets so enamoured by Gauris love that he forgets the promise made to his father. ........

Source: Wikipedia