Pankaj Mullick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pankaj Mullick
Mullick in the film Doctor, 1940
Born	(1905-05-10)10 May 1905 Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
Died	19 February 1978(1978-02-19) (aged 72) Calcutta, West Bengal, Republic of India
Nationality	India
Occupation	musical composer, singer and actor
Known for	singing, music direction, composition and acting

Pankaj Mullick (born May 10, 1905 – died February 19, 1978) was a very famous Indian music composer, singer, and actor. He was also known as Pankaj Kumar Mullick. He played a big part in creating film music in both Bengali and Hindi cinema.

Pankaj Mullick was one of the first to use "playback singing" in movies. Playback singing is when a singer records a song, and an actor then lip-syncs (moves their lips as if singing) to that recorded song on screen. He was also an early expert in Rabindra Sangeet, which are songs written by the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore.

He received the Padma Shri award in 1970. In 1972, he was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. This is India's highest award for people who have made a great contribution to Indian cinema.

Early Life and Music Training

Pankaj Kumar Mullick was born in Kolkata, India. His parents were Monimohan and Monomohini Mullick. His father, Monimohan, loved traditional Bengali music very much.

Pankaj started learning Indian classical music from a teacher named Durgadas Bandyopadhyaya. He later studied at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata.

A very important moment in his life happened after he finished his studies. He met Dinendranath Tagore, who was the grand-nephew of Rabindranath Tagore. This meeting made Pankaj Mullick very interested in Rabindra Sangeet. Rabindranath Tagore himself grew fond of Pankaj. Soon, Pankaj Mullick became known as one of the best singers of Tagore's songs.

Career in Music and Film

Pankaj Mullick's first song to be released commercially was "Nemecche Aaj Prothom Badal." This was a song by Rabindranath Tagore. He recorded it in 1926 when he was 21 years old. This song was the first of many that made him famous for singing Rabindra Sangeet.

In 1927, he started working for the Indian Broadcasting Corporation in Kolkata. This was the early version of what is now All India Radio (AIR). He worked there for almost 50 years as a music director and artist.

Besides making music for movies, he also created a special radio program. It was called "Mahishashur Mardini." This program told the story of Maa Durga's victory over the demon Mahishashur. It included prayers and songs for the goddess. This program became incredibly popular. Even today, a recorded version of it is played on All India Radio every year. It plays at 4:00 AM on the day of Mahalaya, which is an important day before the Durga Puja festival.

Pankaj Mullick worked in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, and Tamil language films for 38 years, starting in 1931. He was a music director for many famous singers. These included K. L. Saigal, S. D. Burman, Hemanta Mukherjee, Geeta Dutt, and Asha Bhosle. He also acted in movies with well-known actors like K. L. Saigal and Kanan Devi.

Pankaj Mullick, along with Nitin Bose and his sound engineer brother Mukul Bose, helped bring playback singing to Indian cinema. He worked for 25 years with one of the first film studios, New Theatres Calcutta.

Legacy and Recognition

Mullick on a 2006 stamp of India

To honor Pankaj Mullick, the Indian Postal Service released a special postage stamp. This stamp was released in 2006, on his 100th birth anniversary.

Also, on May 10, 2006, Doordarshan, India's national TV channel, showed a special music program. This program celebrated his life and music. Fifty years earlier, in 1959, Pankaj Mullick and the dancer Vyjayanthimala were the main performers. They helped launch Doordarshan across the country.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Pankaj Mullick para niños