By presenting evergreen songs from the golden era of hindi film music vile parle based Rajesh Subramanian and his troupe Musicolor take the listeners on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

The golden era of hindi film music is eternal and the music of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s magical. Decades have passed, generations have changed, several legends from the music world have bid adieu, technology has advanced by leaps and bounds from the humble gramophone record to  flashy Ipod, but one thing that has remained static and unfazed is the undying passion of music lovers for the evergreen classics and immortal gems of yore. 

This is precisely where Mumbai based musicologist Rajesh Subramanian and his troupe Musicolor come into the spotlight. The band has carved a niche for itself by staging 250 odd theme based music concerts in an effort to promulgate Hindi cine sangeet of the bygone era. “The songs we present are several decades old but the impact is tremendous. The instant reaction of the audience is extremely gratifying. For many in the audience it’s a flashback to those good old days which rekindles fond memories”, elucidates singer Sarita, finalists of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

In the five years Musicolor has staged immensely successful theme based events like ‘Immortal Gems of Lata Mangeshkar’, ‘Mohammed Rafi - The Legend’, ‘Anmol Rattan - Hits of Naushad & Madan Mohan’, Guru Dutt…The Genius, Phir Wohi Sham…memories of MAdan Mohan, ‘ Dil Dhoondta Hai - All time hits of Gulzar’, ‘ Teen Deviyan - Greatest hits of Nargis, Madhubala & Nutan’, ‘Memories of Mukesh’, Remembering C Ramchandra & Roshan, ‘ Dil Pukare - Melodies of Dev Anand’, Tribute to Shammi Kapoor and ‘Hits of Rajesh Khanna’. 

Avid music lover and Powai resident Nandini Gupta says it’s a gratifying experience to be in the Musicolor audience and hum along immortal melodies like Yaad kiya dilne, Lara lappa, Ae dil mujhe bata de, Chand phir nikhla, Yeh raatein yeh mausam, Kuch dil ne kaha, Shola jo bhadke . “The Musicolor programmes feature an ensemble of timeless gems of legendary singers and composers which is an awesome experience.”, she quips while another music buff Shubangi Bhagat chips in, ”Apart from being melodious these songs have a nostalgic element in them. The talented singers and musicians do complete justice and elevate the event to a different level altogether “. 

Musicolor boasts of talented singers like Srikant Narayan, Sarita Rajesh, Sagar Savarkar, Nilima Gokhale, Vrushali Patil, Mona Kamat,  Vinod Seshadri,  Gaurav Bangia, Sandeep Shah, Neha Verma, Anand Bahal, Archana Gore, Viren Bilicia who have lent their melodious vocals and renowned musicians like Praveen Pathak, Nilesh Devasthali, Milind Dabholkar (Synthesizer), Deepak Borkar (Percussion), Vijay Tambe (Flute), Vasu Mathre (Congo/Dholak), Umashankar Shukla (Sitar), Sushil Gangavane (Tabla), Nandkishore (Saxophone), Amit Pujjar (Base Guitar), Vijay Jadhav (Octopad) and lead guitarist and music arranger Ajay Madan who recreate the magic on stage after rigorous rehearsals.

Musicolor was formed with the vision to spread the gems from the golden era of Hindi cinema. “In this age of cacophony and mindless technical jugglery the simple soothing melodies of the black and white era comes as a blessing in disguise for scores of music lovers. Musicolor has truly revived the gems and their shows are a melodious experience”, points Jayu Babla of Lions Club. Another significant aspect about Musicolor is that apart from creating a musical revolution the programmes are a stress buster. It offers the audience a wonderful opportunity to relax and listen to mellifluous music in the cools confines of an auditorium forgetting all the tensions of daily life.

According to Rajesh Subramanian, the initiator and creative head of the group, “Musicolor’s vision rests on three tenets – creativity, synergy and quality. Our aim is to enthrall the audience with good music and spread joy.” With an unflinching passion, a professional outlook and determination to forge ahead, Musicolor is sure to enthrall music lovers around the glove with melodious bliss.

 - Vishal Kamat