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Brahmanand S Siingh is an
award-winning filmmaker and writer based
out of Mumbai. He has made films, written screenplays and published stories, poems and essays
extensively in India and abroad.
Prominent among his films are Pancham
Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai (an unending journey), a National Award winning (among other awards) feature-length documentary on legendary
music composer RD Burman; Ragpickers, scavengers of a different
graveyard; Uncaging the Body (Apsara Award for Best Short Film,
2003-2004); A Burden of Love (on Alzheimer’s
disease) and Ashgari Bai (on an octogenarian legendary dhrupad singer).
In addition, he has been commissioned to make a whole lot of other short, corporate and documentary films.
Many of
his films have been screened at various International film festivals as
well as on national and international television channels, and been
nominated for and won awards. Other
than filmmaking, he has written a great deal on music, cinema and
literature.
Currently, he is doing feature films --
Surmayee
Shaam (A Musical Sunset)
& Ek Aur Bachpan (A
Different Childhood).
Some Reviews
& feedback:
About Pancham Unmixed (an unending journey …)
Pancham
Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai by
Brahmanand Singh brings rare glimpses into the life of the legend … The
two-hour long documentary … features over 40 eminent personalities from the
industry, who unequivocally vouch for Burman's genius and largesse as a
human being.
--
Mumbai Mirror, Jan 6,
2008
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?Page=article§id=47&contentid=200801062008010604274662d9ca9a59
The tribute is a thorough look at R D Burman's life and work
- and what exactly made his music so trend setting and timeless …
-- HT Café Jan 4, 2008
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=19be3f30-133f-423b-93c0-134f9f042f8a
The film takes an incisive look not only at the body of
work of the legendary composer, but also reveals various facets of R D Burman that you would never know.
-- Yahoo.com,
In.Movies
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/news-detail/16424/Filmmaker-pays-tribute-R-D-Burman-death-anniv.html
Simply Great Documentary ... --- "Nitin Shitole" <nittins@yahoo.com> Sun, 27 Apr 2008
Brahmanand, like a master craftsman, weaves his tale
without any sign or fingerprint of the master on his work …
--- "shashirao"
<shashi@uscorp.net> Tue, 29 Apr 2008 (penname Loin)
These 113 mins in your life are most precious … You
hear many untold and told stories again through narration, which makes you,
hold the chair-arms firmly all the time …
---"sagar kopardekar"
<sagarkopardekar@yahoo.com> Tue, 29 Apr 2008
The audience was spell bound with the RD magic unfolding
for 2hrs. I was skeptical before the screening, but all my
inhibitions were dispelled within minutes … I was engaged TOTALLY …
--- Rajeev Chaurasia (Filmmaker & Media Expert)
THANK U FOR THE
FILM (had tears in my eyes) … one of the finest films I have seen in 2008 …
--- Mayank
Shekhar (Film Critic)
Fantastic docu … Sincerity, passion, honesty,
absolutely visible … You’ve made more than a documentary … You’ve restored
faith in passion, in the crass commercial world … Needlesss to say, it has
inspired me …
--- Manoj
Tapadia (Creative Head at Lintas, lyricist and
writer)
I
was very, very tired and down with a cold and thought I would not be able
to see much of it. The film revived me completely. It is so very
interesting and absorbing …
--- Uma da Cunha (International Cinema Impresario)
Thanx for the great time ... I cant get over it ... I suddenly
found myself in a state of emotional high that I had never experienced
before … It’s such a well made documentary ... it took me to a different
world....
--- Sohini Ray (Media Marketing)
Your film is a gem – educative, informative, entertaining and
moving. Thank you for making the film. Thank you for sharing the man, the
genius with the world.
BR Sharan (Chief Creative
Officer, Saregama)
The film lingers in your mind well after leaving the screen …
--- Madhav Ajgaokar (music compser)
We saw Pancham Unmixed at IFFLA 2007 and were blown away… it’s
one of the highly engrossing and moving documentary in such a long time …
the rest of the world doesn’t know what it’s missing.
--- Pankaj Sikka (of Passion for Cinema)
Truly a fantastic documentary, touching and
elegant …
--- Nina
Rothe (Writer & Blogger), on June 30th, 2008
It’s just simply fantastic! Haven’t
seen such a moving / engaging / informative / revealing two hour docu on a musician
before! In fact, have become an even more ardent admierer of RD after
watching this film! --- Sanjivan Lal (filmmaker) on June 28th, 2008
There was not a moment where one felt uninvolved and
it was one engrossing scene after the other. It was a memorable Sunday.
-- Ramchandran (at the East Coast premier in New Jersey), Sept 22, 2008
The film was beautiful, a masterclass in documentary
filmmaking by itself, never a dull or digressing moment. Not to mention,
the nostalgia and closeness of the topic to my heart made my eyes swell up
no less than a dozen times I reckon.
-- Arun Varma (at the East Coast premier in New Jersey), Sept 22, 2008
We are honored to have Pancham
Unmixed as part of our showcase … As per the feedback from our
audience, we strongly feel that your film not only entertained our audience
a great deal, but also gave us further insights into our culture and our
heritage, and helped us in understanding ourselves better as 21st century generation of South Asians. We
owe the success of NJISACF 08 to films like Pancham Unmixed.
-- Debarati Sengupta
(Filmmaker Liaison, NJISACF), 24th Sept 2008
… Completely sold out were Amal by Richie Mehta and Pancham Unmixed
by Brahmanand Singh. After the screening of both the films, the audience
went ga-ga, clapping and wiping their tears simultaneously … Both the
filmmakers were present to answer questions from the overwhelmed audience …
--- The South Asian Times, reporting on NJISACF, New Jeresey, Sept 23 - Oct
7, 2008
About A Burden of Love:
The
documentary is the first of its kind to explore the status of Alzheimer’s
disease in India.
--- Bombay Times
A
significant film towards creating awareness about this tragic illness…a
comprehensive film.
--- Sunday
Review, Times of India
The film
is shot interestingly…Singh has taken enough care to handle his subjects
sensitively.
---
Mid-Day
Informative,
engaging and often, touching.
--- AD
International World Congress
About Ashgari Bai:
An
engrossing 45-minute documentary on the life and times of this
extraordinary lady.
---
Afternoon on Sunday
Adoring
camera…superb editing…the finished product, like its subject, is perfect.
---
Outlook
The
documentary is also, perhaps, the story of any number of musicians in India who
have slipped into poverty, loneliness and oblivion.
--- Times
of India
Fortunately,
her story was captured on film before it was too late…a charming film.
---
Mid-Day
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