Background
Anil Biswas has two sons:Amit Biswas and Utpal Biswas. Utpal Biswas is also part of Amar-Uptal duo team Hindi Film Music composers of hit films such as Shahenshah, Main Azaad Hoon and Aaja Meri Jaan, and his daughter, Shikha Vohra. Upon his death, the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee called him, “a doyen of film music who struck the rare balance between classical purity of music and popular pulse”, and credited him for leaving, “an enduring legacy as he introduced many talented singers and innovations to the Indian film music”.
Anil Biswas joined Sagar Movietone and then its successor National studio from 1940 - 1942 wherein he gave the music for three outstanding Mehboob Khan films - Aurat (1940), Bahen (1941) and Roti (1942). His recitative prose songs in the last mentioned film helped give the film its parable dimension and came close to an indigenous Brechtian mode. He then shifted to Bombay Talkies where he worked from 1942 - 46.
Feeling disillusioned with the changing trends and the tragic end of his younger brother and elder son in the year 1961, Anilda shifted base to Delhi. Anil Biswas took charge of Chief Producer (Sugam Sangeet) at AIR, Delhi on 1st March 1963 and served upto June 1975 (though with a break in between). Anil Biswas was also vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University for 2 years. In between he did the odd film like Mahesh Kaul's Sautela Bhai before retiring with Motilal's Chhoti Chhoti Baatein in 1965. The film although failing at the box office is still remembered for his singer wife Meena Kapoor's rendering of Kuchh Aur Zamana Kehta Hai. Incidentally Anilda's one grouse with the Film Iindustry was that it never gave Meena Kapoor (Rasiya re - Pardesi) her due. He always used to say that her was a voice with base, huskiness and sex! But the Film Industry just didn't know how to use it!