Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1923 – 5 September 1995) was a music composer, who mainly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He was also a poet and a playwright. He is affectionately called Salil da by his admirers. His musical ability was widely recognized and acknowledged in the Indian film industry. He was an accomplished composer and arranger who was proficient in several musical instruments, including flute, the piano, and the esraj. He was also widely acclaimed and admired for his inspirational and original poetry in the Bengali language.
Salil’s music was a blending of Eastern and the Western music traditions. He had once said: “I want to create a style which shall transcend borders – a genre which is emphatic and polished, but never predictable” He dabbled in a lot of things and it was his ambition to achieve greatness in everything he did. But at times, his confusion was fairly evident: “I do not know what to opt for: poetry, story writing, orchestration or composing for films. I just try to be creative with what fits the moment and my temperament”, he once told a journalist.
Also Read: Salil Chowdhury’s Malayalam Songs
A narrative documentary movie on Salil Chowdhury directed by Jagadish Banerjee and produced by Films Division.
Music:- “O Moder Deshbasire” by Sabita Chowdhury, Salil Chowdhury, Others & Montoo Ghosh
Courtesy: Film Division
