Mumbai: Do you know who played the guitar in the song ‘Neele Neele Ambar Par’? Have you ever heard of jazz musician Chic Chocolate and his contribution to the song ‘Shola Jo Bhadke’?

54-year-old Greg Booth has been digging out Bollywood’s less known musical past so that it gets a place in history. A professor of ethnomusicology in Auckland University, he has been travelling across the country for five years, meeting musicians who used to be part of the orchestra in the good old days.

Well, the beginning is always hard, finding the first person. The first guy is the main trick,” said Greg.

He explained his journey. “Fortunately, I knew people who could introduce me to people, got to know someone who is in the percussion line for a long time, who was very kind and helpful, who introduced me to many people, a whole range of folks. Then somebody would say you should go to so and so,”

One of Greg’s recent musical discoveries is Sunil Kaushik. This unheard-of musician played the guitar for the hit number from Kalakaar, ‘Neele Neela Ambar Par’.

From 1950's to late 80's, Sunil played guitar for almost every music composer from Naushad and R D Burman to Om Prakash Sharma. These days he composes background music for films.

“Oh yeah, I miss that time, no doubt about that because of the interaction while playing and the singing, interaction among musicians and singers...it was something else,” reminisced Sunil.

“It was live, live, live. Today, you go play in the studio, play our part – dhak dhak dhak - and you’re gone, and then singer comes and record their voice and then okay, change this line or that, copy it, paste it. This is now a different time. But you have to live like that,” he said.

Greg's book Behind The Curtain will tell the stories of many like Sunil who contributed immensely to the growth of Hindi film music but had their work get lost with the passage of time.