Cinemaazi remembers Dada Chandekar on his birth anniversary
19 Mar 1897
One of Hindi cinema’s most influential music directors, Dada Chandekar played a crucial role in the soundscape of the early talkies era. Born on this day in 1897 as Shankar Vishnu Chandekar in Kolhapur, he followed his passion for music and joined Dinanath Mangeshkar’s theatre troupe Balwant as a harmonium player for fifteen years. With the advent of sound in cinema, Chandekar took his chances and joined Kolhapure Cinetone as an independent musician. The first Hindi-Marathi bilingual film he composed for was Kalia Mardan (1933). Chandekar is also credited for introducing the angelic voice of Lata Mangeshkar in 1942’s Pahili Mangalagaur. Some of his well-known films are Brandi Ki Botal (1939), Ghar Ki Rani (1940), Amrit (1941), Main Tera Hoon (1947), and Sansar Maher (1954). Later, he worked in All India Radio, Poona towards the end of his career. Cinemaazi remembers the legend on his birth anniversary.
