Kaagaz Ki Kashti a film biography by Brahmanand S Siingh
50 years of singing, over 5,000 concerts, more than 40 countries on music tours ... 80 albums, 500 plus ghazals, 300 bhajans and many memorable film songs that will resound loud for eternity ... Jagjit Singh was perhaps the first Independent music star of India. Brahmanand S Siingh’s Kaagaz Ki Kashti brings us the legend’s life story interwoven with his musical journey, highs-lows, losses and all his soulful yet resounding ghazals ... which will live with us forever.
Celebrating Jagjit Singh in the beginning of a new platinum , Kaagaz Ki Kashti -Jagjit Singh Come Alive, is on a film festival voyage and has now docked for a special screening hosted by Nawab Ahmed Alam Khan at Maimanath Manzil, Hyderabad on 19th March, 2017. Experience the magic of the Ghazal Maestro in the presence of Director, Brahmanand S Siingh and Associate Director, Tanvi Jain.
About Kaagaz Ki Kashti
In an era when Bollywood music ruled the Indian households and when Ghazal as a genre was limited to only the connoisseurs, Jagjit Singh made Ghazals a necessity of every music lover's collection. With a voice as cool as ice and stirring enough to break or mend your heart, he brought to life some of the most fascinating compositions of all times with unparalleled charm.
Kaagaz Ki Kashti traces the life journey of a down-to-earth, small-town boy, who made it big by breaking through the norms and revolutionising the Ghazal scenario, by texturing traditional Ghazal singing with western instrumentation and making it simple and hummable, enticing new listeners into becoming Ghazal fans. Tracing three converging tracks ... the struggle and stardom in his musical career, the love & loss in his personal life and the scope and limitations in the music scenario of the times.
Kaagaz Ki Kashti is an evocative film of not just Jagjit Singh's life, but also of the monumental legacy he has left behind. Through in-depth conversations with friends, family, colleagues and through archival footage, the film becomes an intimate portrait of the iconic Ghazal maestro, Padma Bhushan Jagjit Singh.
From the makers of the award-winning film on RD Burman, Pancham Unmixed, now comes another riveting film that explores the artistry and pioneering positioning of the larger-than-life yet man-next-door icon, Jagjit Singh ... with charm, delight, depth, insight, humour in the process of a gripping narrative of one of the most admired and loved musicians of the century.
Featuring
Chitra Singh, Gulzar, Mahesh Bhatt, Subhash Ghai, Ustaad Zakir Hussain, Pankaj Udhas, Ghulam Ali, Roop Kumar Rathod, Anup Jalota, Talat Aziz, Ameesha Patel, Sunil Gavaskar, Geeta Prem, Kartar Singh, Salim Arif, Shamir Tandon, Shekhar Sen, Deepak Khazanchi, Pt Ronu Majumdar, Abhinav Upadhayay, Deepak Pandit, Kuldeep Desai, Raja Sehgal and many more ...
Testimonials:
Jagjitji is no more yet through clips, people who knew him, etc. you recreated for us rather brought back a live person most loved. When the film gets over, it comes as a shock to experience the void his absence creates. It takes some time to come to terms with one's thoughts, emotions and perceptions of the film and the presence of the person who now is no more, to bridge the entity to now non-entity. There are other emotions too involved and only silence can help everything settle down. To imbibe and get back to reality is a process every individual needs to pass through, where we fit in the pieces together our individual way. It’s not just Jagjitji, could be some other humane person, a good human being but it is the way the whole is presented that stuns the mind. It is the director’s wand that casts the spell. Hope to see your earlier one on R.D. Burman. Good luck!
Brahmaand Singh's meticulously researched, superbly edited labour of love brings alive the man, his music and the highs and lows of a ghazal maestro we all cherish ... It is a film that we wish never ends, such is the wealth of detail and insight that Singh brings to the evocatively titled Kagaz Ki Kashti.
This really pulled at my heart ... I think every Indian who has ever known or heard of his music ... must see this film ... This film must have a worldwide distribution. So the millions of Indians can see ... This man is still alive. This film makes him. And all I could think at the end of the film was ... 1 wish I had met this man. It was really special... Great job !!!
What an amazing experience! What a genius piece of work! Moving and Mesmerising! I think, for the entire duration of the film ... I was deeply and emotionally involved ... it's a fabulous piece of work. Not just about the music ... but the man behind the music. And how it has touched our souls. It was an overwhelming and ... completely inspiring experience.
Oh! It was absolutely mesmerizing ... This is a film which is going to stay with people ... for many, many years. You really feel sad when it ends. I wanted to see more of what he has created ... I'm totally thrilled. A
mesmerizing experience!!
The film refuses to go out of the mind ... Kudos to you and your whole team for bringing alive the icon on the screen. Over the 2 hour trance your film cast over the audience, one realizes how much pain went into that magical voice ... Thanks for giving us 3 years of toil and painstaking efforts. Only lines that can justify KAAGAZ K1 KASHT1 and your amazing team - "Jism ki baat nahi thi unke dil tak jaana tha ... Lambi doori tay kame me waqt to lagta hai." ... You touched our hearts exactly as his magical voice did over the last 40 years. The legacy continues. Thanks Team MOBIUS.
~ Madhav Ajgaokar
This is perhaps the best Indian documentary I have ever seen...not a moment's slack in the 126 minutes ... brilliant edited and woven ... It has been worth the wait... you made us all very proud ...
-- Dolly Thakore
Making a biopic is not easy, as one has to obtain insights and information about protagonist's life from available video and audio recordings of past events, and through interviews with people who have been closely associated with key character. These have to be then woven creatively into a credible story . which when screened will keep audiences riveted. Kaagaz ki Kashti is mesmerizing in its narration and Jagjit Singh , whom we mostly saw on photo shopped glossy LP covers, moves into your heart by the time the film ends . One is able to appreciate better the innovations he bought to ghazal singing making it mainstream music. Apart form being a genius in music, his zinda dili , benevolence and forbearance in the face of tragedy show him to be an extraordinary human being. The reserved Chitra Singh - equally talented singer wife of Jagjit Singh - opens up and shares interesting episodes from their life together during happier times and also towards the end when two successive tragedies hit the family. The film inspires and elevates spiritually.
I saw this wonderful film by filmmaker extraordinaire Brahmanand Singh last week and highly recommend to anyone local to go to the next screening! This film explores and perfectly covers all the periods of his life from his early career to his sad demise. The archival footage is amazing ... The film is in league with the best music or music personality docus that I have seen coming from anyw'here Internationally, including films like the one on George Harrison by Scorsese .... Amazing work! It keeps you magically captivated ... The thread that is woven by them throughout the film keeps the humour, sadness and all emotions going ... the filmmaker and his wonderful team ... are owed a debt of gratitude for archiving his life and in such an endearing way...
-- Andrew T Mackay
Few more documentaries on some more prominent musical gems of India and Brahma will be one of the most formidable names for preserving India's glorious past in Music & Musicians for future generations! Something that should have been Government Of India's prerogative and initiative but it's not! Even now it's not too late for the GOI to back people like Brahma flushing them with funds- just to let them keep making films on such gems orelse they become a myth like Tansen! Thank you Brahma for the wonderful film - a worthy follow up after your RD docu ... this is a masterpiece!
Brahmanand Singh's documentary made me realise the presence of Jagjit Singh in my entire being ... He & his music were always part of all the stages of my life ... The film makes me miss him in me ... !!!
There are two steps involved in knowing who Jagjit Singh is — one is to listen to all Jagjit Singh ghazals ... And the second is to watch the two hour biopic on him by Brahmanand Singh. Why else, is everyone's eyes
