Editing Hemant Kumar (section)

==Emergence as a national artist==

[[File:Hemanta Mukherjee with Rajendra Prasad and Jwaharlal Nehru, 1950.JPG|thumb|Hemanta Mukherjee with Rajendra Prasad and Jwaharlal Nehru, 1950]]

In the mid-1940s{{When|date=January 2025}}, Hemanta became actively involved with the [[Indian People's Theatre Association]] (IPTA), where he formed a significant collaboration with fellow member and composer [[Salil Chowdhury]]. The devastating [[Bengal famine of 1943]] and the inaction of both British authorities and wealthy Indians had been instrumental in IPTA's formation.
His 1947 recording of "Ganyer Badhu" ("The rural bride"), composed and written by Salil Chowdhury, marked a turning point in his career. This unconventional six-minute composition, recorded on both sides of a 78 rpm disc, departed from traditional Bengali song structure and romantic themes. Instead, it portrayed the tragic transformation of an idyllic rural life devastated by famine and poverty. The song's unprecedented success established Hemanta as a leading voice in eastern India, elevating him above his male contemporaries. This successful partnership with Salil Chowdhury continued through numerous popular collaborations in subsequent years.<ref name=":0" />

During this period, Hemanta received increasing opportunities as a music composer for Bengali films, notably working with director [[Hemen Gupta]]. When Gupta relocated to Mumbai, he invited Hemanta to compose for his Hindi directorial debut ''Anandmath'' under the [[Filmistan]] banner. This led to Hemanta's migration to Mumbai in 1951, where he joined [[Filmistan]] Studios. He named his Mumbai residence in Khar after [[Rabindranath Tagore]]'s [[Gitanjali]]. ''[[Anand Math]]'' (1952) achieved moderate success, with its standout contribution being [[Lata Mangeshkar]]'s rendition of '[[Vande mataram]]', which Hemanta set to a stirring martial tune.
Following ''Anandamath'', Hemanta composed for several Filmistan productions, including ''Shart'', gaining modest popularity. Simultaneously, he established himself as a prominent playback singer in Mumbai.<ref name=":1" /> His collaborations with [[S. D. Burman]] for actor [[Dev Anand]] produced numerous hits, including "Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni Phir Kahan" (''[[Jaal (1952 film)|Jaal]]'', 1952), "Chup Hai Dharti" and "Teri Duniya Mein Jeene Se" (''[[House No. 44]]'', 1955), "Hai Apna Dil To Awara" (''[[Solva Saal]]'', 1958), and "Na Tum Humen Jano" (''[[Baat Ek Raat Ki]]'', 1962). He also provided playback for other leading actors including [[Pradeep Kumar]] (''Nagin'', ''Detective''), [[Sunil Dutt]] (''Duniya Jhukti Hain''), and later [[Biswajeet]] (''[[Bees Saal Baad (1962 film)|Bees Saal Baad]]'', ''[[Bin Badal Barsaat]]'', ''[[Kohra (1964 film)|Kohra]]'') and [[Dharmendra]] (''[[Anupama (1966 film)|Anupama]]''), while also serving as the music composer for these films.