Manek Premchand has a diploma in Journalism and a degree in Arts from Bombay University. He has many friends in the film industry and remains fascinated by the enormous role that Hindi cinema’s music has played as a key bonding medium in a country as disparate as ours. This fascination has motivated him to write several books on the subject. These are: Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories, Musical Moments From Hindi Films, Romancing The Song, Shiv Kumar Sharma, The Man and His Music (co-authored with two others), Talat Mahmood—The Velvet Voice, Hitting The Right Notes, The Hindi Music Jukebox, The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar, Majrooh Sultanpuri: The Poet For All Reasons, Windows to the Soul, DIRECTOR’S CHAIR — Hindi Cinema’s Golden Age, And the Music Lives On and Soulfully Yours, Ravi. Besides these, he has written hundreds of music-related articles for a variety of newspapers. He has also been a consultant with Saregama India Ltd. and a show host on many radio platforms including WorldSpace Satellite Radio. He also teaches elements of Broadcasting to post-graduate students at Xavier Institute of Communications, a part of Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He is currently an adviser to Manipal University Press.

My creations

Salil Chowdhury: The Unpredictable Genius

Salilda went on to improvise and create new forms, and refused to be predictable. The master music-maker was a restless perfectionist.

Early Films, and Raj Kapoor’s Best—with Nargis

Excerpted with permission from Director’s Chair – Hindi Cinema’s Golden Age by Manek Premchand, published by Blue Pencil in January 2024.

Welcomed with Arrows

Book excerpt from ‘And the Music Lives On’, by Manek Premchand.

OP Nayyar — Music Alchemist

Silhouette presents a collection of essays on music director OP Nayyar’s songs, curated by noted musicologist and author Manek Premchand.

Book(s) by Manek Premchand

The Music Hindi Cinema Forgot

Manek Premchand
₹599 ₹799

The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar

Manek Premchand, Antara Nanda Mondal
₹559 ₹699

Soulfully Yours, Ravi

Manek Premchand
₹630 ₹699

Romancing The Song (Used – Like New)

Manek Premchand
₹700 ₹1,500

Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice

Manek Premchand
₹545 ₹545

Romancing The Song

Manek Premchand
₹900 ₹1,500