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Ranu Mukherjee ā€“ Those were the days

I always wonder about Ranu Mukherjee. A prolific singer of the sixties and seventies, she sang in Hindi and Bangla but success eluded her.

She is the daughter of Music Director Hemanta Mukherjee and Bela Mukherjee. Bela Mukherjee herself a great singer left her singing career after marrying Hemanta. Hemanta Mukherjee gave music to this little known film of the seventies, ‘Bees Saal Pehley’ where he tried to launch his son Jayanta Mukherjee in an acting career. Jayanta Mukherjee is married to popular film actress Moushmi Chatterjee .

‘Bees Saal Pehley’ is known for its melodious song, ‘Kyu Hain Diwane Tu Akela’ sung by Ranu Mukherjee. The beautiful Padma Khanna does a scintillating dance number with this song. The actor playing the saxophone does a justice to his role.

This song is based on the original song in English, ‘Those were the days my friend’. Sung by Mary Hopkins, it was a regular number played repeatedly by Radio Ceylon during the sixties and seventies. I use to hear it on our GEC valve radio in Gwalior. A Sri Lankan group called ‘The Gypsies’ sang it in their own way.

Meena Chopra a well known artist and poet based in Canada writes about this number on Facebook, ‘Almost an everyday feature on Forces Request on All India Delhi B in seventies. Usha Uthup then Usha Iyer did a very good job with this’

A few years back I was sitting with my Polish colleague at his home, drinking rum when I suddenly broke out into this song. I was amazed and delighted to hear him singing it in Russian. 

This song originally was sung in Russian in the fifties and later sung by Mary Hopkins a Welsh folk singer in 1968, the music was of Paul McCartney. It reached number one hit in the UK singles chart and number 2 in US billboard hot hundred.

Sung in nearly every international language of the world, this song remains immortal, a part of a slice of our life predominantly as exciting as its memory.

‘In our heart, the dreams remain the same’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUs7Y11hCv8
  

More By  :  Dr. Amitabh Mitra

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  • Comments: 9


Comments on this Blog

Comment Hopkin!! Not Hopkins!!

Danny McEvoy
29-Jan-2023 13:24 PM

Comment I love Ranu Mukhopadhyay songs . Iā€™m unable to locate : : Shudhu ekti tofaat ...
ma amai boleche ami naki
Bodo hoyechi
Age kar moto chele khela jeno ami aar khele jaina
Shudhu .......
Please share this album with me urgently!

Asit Ray
23-Sep-2020 04:26 AM

Comment Sagnik Sen is not the son of Ranu & Gautam Mukherjee

Amitabh Mitra
07-Mar-2019 11:50 AM

Comment me and my wife had an argument. she says sagnik sen is son of ranu mukherjee. i like to know the true position. can any one help/

tapan kumar chattopadhyay
04-Mar-2019 05:20 AM

Comment Hello Mr.Gautam & Ranu jee... i have had the Utmost Pleasure of meeting n InterActing Witht You Beautifull n Gifted Couple... Personally.... and Very Regularlly... in the Mid 80's At BANDRA in BomBay.& OfCourse Heard You Play Live...At the Temple' n Further... Pls do call me on My no. 9820550880 Kamal Kukreja,, 703.Marble Arch ,94 Pali Hill , Bandra ,BombaY

Mr.Kamal Kukreja
16-Oct-2017 15:16 PM

Comment Thrilled to know that you actually met Ranu Mukherjee. Do u remember the event. Why dont you write about it or if u wish I can interview you over e mail, just to let us have your thoughts on Ranu Mukherjee and her music. I shall definitely listen to those songs you recommended My e mail is amitabh@amitabhmitra.com

Amitabh Mitra
14-Apr-2016 03:29 AM

Comment Many thanks Rohtas bhai Being an eager fan of Mary Hopkins from 70s onwards, "Those were the the days" and Ranu Mukherjee's "Kyun Hai Diwane Tu Akela", I can now sing both these songs with my own modifications. Thanks for the great memory, We should meet whenever I am in India All the best Amitabh

Amitabh Mitra
13-Apr-2016 04:18 AM

Comment Thanks Mr Mitra. I was a journalist in the early 90s when I met Ranu Mukherjee at her Southern Avenue residence for an interview. Of course, being a fan I had all the right questions ready and the interview went smooth like anything. We published it too.. unforunately I have lost the copy. For vintage Ranu Mukherjee songs, I recommend two Bengali numbers - Meghe Dhaka Akasher Niche and TUmi Hothath abaar keno phire je ele...

Samarjit Guha
13-Apr-2016 03:30 AM

Comment Thanks Mr.Mitra, for your wonderful brief on Ranu Mukhopadhyay with focus on the great song "Kyun Hai Diwane Tu Akela" from movie "Bees Saal Pahle". I was so much in love with this Marry Hopkins Hindi version that I purchased 2 copies of EP Record at that time. My last purchase was an LP record of Non-film hindi songs of Ranu Mukherjee (with Gautam Mukherjee). I am writing all these only because I am very happy that there is someone else named Dr.Amitabh Mitra in the world who is talking Ranu Mukherjee and her one of the best number "Kyun Hai Diwane Tu Akela". With regards Rohtas

Rohtas Bansal
15-Aug-2015 22:02 PM






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