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INDIAN FILM SONGS AND THE YEAR 1961

Scene from Bollywood film, "Junglee"(1961)

This page is but a small sampling of film songs for the year 1961. So sit back, relax, and enjoy

** World Events ** South Asian Events ** Film World Events ** Notable Films ** Film Song Videos ** Non-Musical Videos **
Last Year ** 1961 ** Next Year

World Events of 1961

John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th President of the United States.

John F. Kennedy
The ill fated Pay of Pigs incident occurs. A US sponsored army of 1,200 Cuban expatriates attempts to invade Cuba. They are all either captured or killed.
The number of US "advisors" in Vietnam reaches 2000.
US breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Uri Gagarin becomes first man to orbit the earth in a spacecraft.

Uri Gagarin
Berlin Wall is constructed.

Berlin Wall
USSR Detonates 50 megaton Hydrogen bomb.
Republic of South Africa formed.
OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) is formed.
All over the world, teenagers are dancing the twist.

Dancing the "Twist"
Hundreds of Algerian protesters are massacred by Paris police.
X-15 flown by Neil Armstrong sets world speed record of 6,587km/h

X-15 experimental rocket plane

** World Events ** South Asian Events ** Film World Events ** Notable Films ** Film Song Videos ** Non-Musical Videos **
Last Year ** 1961 ** Next Year

Major South Asian Events of 1961

December 17-19 - Indian troops invade and conquer the Portuguese territories of Goa, Daman and Diu.

Indian troops in Goa
Hungry generation movement launched in Calcutta.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi becomes captain of India's cricket team. He retains the position until 1975.

"Tiger" Pataudi
Village self-government introduced in much of India.
Veronica Torcato is awarded the title "Miss India".
Hindustani shehnai player Bismillah Khan is awarded the Padma Shree

Bismillah Khan

** World Events ** South Asian Events ** Film World Events ** Notable Films ** Film Song Videos ** Non-Musical Videos **
Last Year ** 1961 ** Next Year

Film World Events of 1961

R.D. Burman makes his debut as a music director with the film "Chhote Nawab". This also marks a reconciliation between Lata Mangeshkar and S.D. Burman

RD Burman
Music director Anil Biswas ("Kismet"-1943, "Milan"-1946, "Hum Log"-1984), under personal pressures, and disillusionment with the Bombay film industry, leaves for Delhi. He will do music for only two more films in his life.

Anil Biswas
"Mughal-e-Azam" wins Filmfare Award for "Best Picture".

Mughal-e-Azam
India's first colour cinemascope film is made. This Mahesh Kaul's "Pyar Ki Pyaas". India's first cinemascope film was "Kagaz Ke Phool" and made in black & white a couple of years earlier.
Shankar Jaikishan win Filmfare award for "Best Music Director" for their work in "Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai".
Mohd. Rafi wins the Filmfare Award for "Best Male Playback" for the song Chaudhvin Ka Chand from "Chaudhvin Ka Chand".

Mohd. Rafi
Taru Mukerki produces the first full length movie to have no dialogue since the 1930s; it is the film "Ingeet".
The importation of raw film stock is reduced.
Dilip Kumar wins the "Filmfare Best Actor Award" for his performance of Rajkumar Dhivendra Pratap Bahadur Chandrabhan in "Kohinoor".
Bina Rai wins the "Filmfare Best Actress Award" for her performance of Ghunghat in "Ghunghat".

Bina Rai
Hema Malini makes her film debut in the Telugu film "Pandava Vanavasam"; it is a small dance role.
Filming starts for S.N. Tripathi's "Sangeet Samrat Tansen", the Bollywood biography of the great musician Tansen.

Bharat Bhushan and Anita Guha filming "Sangeet Samrat Tansen"
Future actor/ film-maker Sunil Shetty is born in Karnatika.