Baiju Bawra

What a wonderful film. On top of the fun twist on the story of historical legends Tansen and Baiju Bawra, I love the film because it features outstanding Hindustani music (Dhrupad), as well as some lighter forms (Ghazal, and a Bhajan.) I show it to my world music classes when we are discussing Hindustani music, and the students always really enjoy watching this. If you love Indian classical music, this is such a perfect thing to see! For those new to the main characters, it's worth reading a bit on wikipedia or other sites to get a sense of who these folks really were; that makes the movie just that much more enjoyable. The interweaving storylines of Baiju's quest to master Sangeet mixed with the tragic love for Gauri are wonderfully told and I'm always happy to re-watch this film again and again.For those worried about technical quality of the DVD - it was absolutely fine, mine came quite quickly and there were absolutely no issues.

The validity of the story of a wandering, gone-insane singer in the 16th century Moghul India is not provable. It appears from the introduction that the movie is based on folk lore. The tragic story is not especially appealing, but this is an unforgettable musical. The talents of the lyricist/composer, music director, singer, director and actor have come together so beautifully and perfectly to produce each classical/semi-classical song and scene.Being an older (1952) film, it shows special respect for the old traditions of India like the guru-shisya(disciple) relationship. The village life of the 1500s is portrayed very well.Music is the asset of this film. There are many songs, but four stand out- the opening improvisation, `O duniya ke Rakhwwale', `Mann Tarpat Hari Darshan', and `Aaj Gawaat'. The voice control of Mohammad Rafi and the improvisation skills of D V Paluskar and Amir Khan are divine. Rafi is at his best, and Baiju Bawra has been remembered more for its music than the movie itself, for almost 60 years.

This is a nice musical with with the fragrance of its time. The actors are very good. And if one is familare with the bhakti tradition, one finds the dialoge studded with gems. The only negative for me is that I dont know the India language, so a lot of what is said in all the songs remains hidden for me.The bhakti side of India are a gem to the world, times changes but I hope it wont get lost.Stefan Borg

love it.

Very good

excellent dvd