Rekha and Big B

Rekha and Big B.

Rekha had provided memorable performances over the years in huge number of bollywood films. Whenever she had acted with Big B, the performance of both the stars had impressed the audience.

Rekha was sublime in her performance in the film Silsila, where Big B had also done well. The songs composed by Shiv Hari were extraordinary. Lata’s song “yeh kaha a gaye hum” made everyone spellbound. Big B had sung songs in his own voice including songs like “neela aasman so gaya”, “rang barse”, etc.


Rekha had complimented Big B in the film Khoon Pasina. Although it was an action-pact film where Big B faced Vinod Khanna who had given strong performance in the film, Rekha had played her part very well. The film depicted corruption existing in Indian society in the mid-70s.


Rekha and Big B had done well in Muqaddar ka Sikandar. Although Big B loved Rakhee in the film, Rakhee never appreciated his weakness and admired Vinod Khanna. Rekha played the role of a tawaif, yet she had been loyal to Big B and helped him whenever required.

Both of them were sublime in the film Suhaag. Big B was a drunkard at the beginning of the film, but after Shashi Kapoor, the police officer, lost his eyes, Big B joined the police force. He took revenge against Amzad Khan who caused harm to their entire family and the people at large. Rekha did well in her portion.


The other successful films of Rekha and Big B include Do Anjane, Mr. Natwarlal, etc. All these films should be restored for their immense filmic value.

Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh.

Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh.

Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh had performed in successful films in the 60s which had picturesque locations, romantic music and decent stories. They were extremely successful in the film Phir Wahi dil Laya Hoon.

The film was mainly shot at Jammu & Kashmir and OP Nayyar’s compositions in the film had created a lasting effect for generations. Rafi and Asha’s songs “banda parwar”, “lakho hai nigahon me”, “zulf ke chaon me chehereka ujala lekar”, “aanchal me saza lena kaliya”, “naznee bara rangeen hai wada tera”, “aji kibla mohe tarma”, etc., had all become legendary creations over the years. Asha Parekh went to Kashmir with her friends and entered into an affair with Joy Mukherjee. Pran created problems at the by pretending as an impostor. Rajendernath showed his comedy skills in the film.


Both of them did well in the film Ziddi. Asha Parekh was very adamant about whatever she liked to have in life. Joy Mukherjee came to their house and taught her to be patient and have tolerance like her sister played by Nazima. The music composed by SD Burman is worth mentioning with songs like “teri surat se”, “bolo bolo bolo bolo” sung by Rafi, “pyar ki aag me’ sung by Manna Dey, etc. the comedy portion performed by Mehmood, Dhumal and Subha Khote require special mention.


Probably the greatest hit of Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh was the film Love in Tokyo. The film was shot in Tokyo, which added the attraction for the viewers along with strong music composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Songs like “Japan, love in Tokyo”, “aaja re aa zara aa”, “o mere shahe khuba”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, sung by Rafi and Lata stormed bollywood in the mid-60s.


Besides, Pran had kidnapped the nephew of Asha Parekh and created obstacles in the marriage of Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh in different ways. Lalita Power, the mother of Joy Mukherjee did not accept Asha Parekh as the daughter-in-law initially, which was resolved at the end of the film. Although these films did not provide any messag to the audience, they had entertained them to the fullest extent. The films should be restored for those reasons.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Songs in the films of Aishwarya Rai.

Songs in the films of Aishwarya Rai.

Aishwarya Rai had maintained her stardom in bollywood for the last 15 years. Music had played a very important role in the success of her films. She had got hit songs over the years based on diverse styles of compositions.

In Taal, the songs like “ishq bina kya jina, ishq bina kya marna”, “taal se taal milake”, were well appreciated by viewers. The film was based on music and the folk music that originated from the native lands and mountains were recorded by Anil Kapoor and used by his cassette company after modification.


In Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the songs like “aankho ki gustakhiyan maaf ho”, “hum dil de chuke sanam”, etc., became landmark hits. The story was related to Salman Khan’s learning of eastern classical music from the father of Aishwarya Rai. Besides he had presented some Italian music that he learnt when he stayed abroad. In fact the songs were responsible for the immense success of the film.

In Devdas, the song “dil dola re” became one of the landmarks which shaped the career of Shreya Ghoshal. The song was picturised on Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit who played the roles of Parvati and Chandramukhi respectively in the film. Music had significance in the film based on classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji.

The song of the film Bunti Aur Babli, where Aishwarya Rai provided an item number also became hit. The song was titled “kajra re kajra re” sung by Alisha and written by Gulzar. The other songs in the film were also successful like “dharak dharak dhuya uraire re”, picturised on Rani Mukherjee and Abhishek Bacchan.


Songs in the film Guru, titled “basro re megha megha” composed by AR Rehman also created a huge impact in the minds of the viewers. Besides Aishwarya’s songs “krazy kiya re” sung by Sunidhi Chauhan in the film Dhoom -2 had become super hit.

The viewers expect Aishwarya Rai to continue to provide her excellent lips in songs in bollywood films in future in the same way as she had done in the past.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Raj Kumar Santoshi’s films.

Raj Kumar Santoshi’s films.

During the last 20 years, Raj Kumar Santoshi had entertained the viewers with his action films which best on anti-establishment themes. The viewers had identified themselves with the unfair practices that took place which were shown in the films.

In Ghayal, Raj Kumar Santoshi had used Sunny Deol to protest against the oppression of Amrish Puri in the film. Amrish Puri had used the industry, the police force, the ministry and all the influential people in the film to plant false cases against Sunny and get him imprisoned after killing Raj Babbar. Sunny got out of prison, took the help of three other prisoners and destroyed the unlawful business establishments of Amrish Puri. While taking revenge against him, he also attracted the attention of Om Puri, an honest police officer that the police force was also responsible for making Amrish Puri a tyrant.


Similarly in Ghatak, Sunny came from Benaras and raised voice against the mafias working in Mumbai who had dominated over shopkeepers and other businessmen in the area. His father Amrish Puri who was suffering from Cancer was ill-treated by Danny, the leader of the gang, and Sunny fought against the entire gang alone. Meenakshi had ably supported him in his fight against evil.

Also in Damini, it was shown that a middle-class witness faces huge amount of obstacles while giving testimony about what the person had witnessed before a court of law. Meenakshi saw the bodily assault of her servant in the house, but when she went to give her testimony, the entire family of her inlaws stopped her, even proved her to be insane. Only the lawyer played by Sunny and her husband Rishi Kapoor, had the courage to disclose the truth and see that the criminals are punished.


He also showed the struggle of Anil Kapoor in Pukar, where he was a military officer who faced court martial for the false allegations against him which were planted by Madhuri Dixit. Eventually he unearthed the terrorist activity of Danny who wanted to kill huge number of people in a banquet hall, which he stopped at the end of the people. Even China Gate was successful, showing the fight of retired military officers against a group of dacoits who became notorious due to corruption of local police. Om Puri, Nasiruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, all did well in the film. The viewers expect similar types of films from Raj Kumar Santoshi in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Manoj Vajpayee – the seasoned actor of bollywood.

Manoj Vajpayee – the seasoned actor of bollywood.

Manoj Vajpayee, had shown his calibre of performing in various roles in bollywood films in the last 10 years. He kept his mark in the film Shool, where played the role of a fearless police officer who never compromised with corruption, red tapism in the area where he operated. The film showed the amount of corruption existing in the different departments and the amount of pressure created by the politicians on the police force to prevent their independent functioning.

He was ably supported by Ravina Tandon, who played the role of his wife who was subjected to assault to obstruct Manoj Vajpayee from independently dealing with the cases. He also did very well as a dacoit who helped Phulan Devi in the film Bandit Queen directed by Shekhar Kapoor.

He also acted in the role of a fearless police officer in the film Jago. The daughter of Ravina Tandon and Sanjay Kapoor was assaulted and killed by three persons while she was travelling in local train in Mumbai. Due to immense pressure created by the perpetrators of crime, the witnesses never had the courage to testify before the court of law. Both Ravina Tandon and Sanjay Kapoor got frustrated before Manoj Vajpayee took up the case.

He provided support to the witnesses and encouraged them to come before the court of law, identify the criminals and provide their testimony about the incident. They did that at the end and the criminals were punished. He made a submission before the court of law mentioning the difficulties with which the police force in India work. Whenever they try to raise voice against any of the ministers either they are transferred or dismissed by involving them in false cases. These are some of the reasons for which the police cannot perform their duties properly.

He also did well in a villanish role in the film Veer Zara where he involve Shahrukh Khan in a false cases relating to anti-national against Pakistan so that he could marry Preeti and Shahrukh suffered imprisonment for the false charges till he was proved innocent by strong submission of Rani Mukherjee, who reopened the case. Manoj Vajpayee had shown his potentiality in films like Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar with Tabu. He is expected to continue his good work in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Biswajeet and Rafi.

Biswajeet and Rafi.

Biswajeet Chatterji was one of the few Bengali actors who started his film career from Tollygunge film industry and kept his mark in bollywood films during the golden era. Although his initial films like Bees Saal Baad and Kohra were indebted to famous Bengali singer Hemant Kumar, his fame in bollywood was largely related to grand playback provided by Mohammad Rafi.


Rafi sang very melodious songs for Biswajeet in the film Do Dil, including songs like “tera husn rahe mera ishq rahe”. The songs in the film Mere Sanam composed by OP Nayyar, can be considered as one of the greatest creations of OP Nayyar in the 60s. All the songs of Rafi in the film picturised on Biswajeet including “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jao”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano”, “tukre hai mere dilki”, etc., became superhits.


Also the due songs of Rafi and Asha, picturised on Biswajeet and Sharmila Tagore titled “phir miloge kabhi is baat ka wada karlo” composed by OP Nayyar became very successful. Again all the songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film April Fool, picturised on Biswajeet and Saira Banu impressed the listeners.

LP provided very romantic compositions for Rafi in the film Night in London, where Biswajeet was accompanied by Mala Sinha. The song “nazar na lag jaye” sung by Rafi had absolute European orchestration and included stylish presentation.


Even in the film Do Kaliyan, Ravi provided melodious songs for Rafi including “tumhari nazar”. Biswajeet’s other landmark songs include “na jhatko zulf se paani” where Rafi had addressed Rajashri in the film. All the songs of the Shehnai became very very successful.

With the advent of action films in the mid-70s, Biswajeet faded away from the film arena, otherwise he may have given elegant lips in more songs of Rafi in that period.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Immortal Ghazals sung by Mohammad Rafi.
• Awards received by Mohammad Rafi in his illustrious career.
• Mohammad Rafi- the greatest voice of the last century.
• Rahul Dev Burman’s immense respect for Mohammad Rafi.
• Laxmikant Pyarellal’s immortal relationship with Mohamand Rafi.
• OP Nayyar’s immortal relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Salil Chowdhury’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Ravi’s memorable combination with Rafi.
• Roshan's everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi.
• SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi.
• Rafi’s pleasant memories with Madanmohan.
• Khayyam and Jaidev’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.
• Naushad’s association with Rafi.
• Rafi and Jeetender
• Rafi and Rajender Kumar
• Rishi Kapoor and Rafi

Review of Tashan.

Review of Tashan.

Tashan is the other multi-starrer film released this year, where the viewers had a lot of expectation. The actors and actresses who had performed in the film include Kareena Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. There were other actors and actresses as well who contributed in the film.


Anil Kapoor played the role of big mafia cum villain who is called bhaiyaji. He used broken English and wrong English thereby creating a humorous impact in the same way in which Javed Jaffery amused the viewers in Salaam Namaste. Anil Kapoor had always been elegant in aggressive roles and comedy roles, so the performance in this film was also satisfactory.

Akshay Kumar worked as the recovery agent under Anil Kapoor, with the name Bacchan Pandey. He had been send by Anil Kapoor to recover the money that had been borrowed by Kareena Kapoor.


Kareena Kapoor travelled from one part of the world to the other and she was not in a position to repay the loan that had been borrowed. She had been accompanied by Saif Ali Khan who had been an NRI, who also got involved in the transaction due to the affection towards Kareena.


The only twist in the story lied in the fact that Akshay who had been send by Anil Kapoor to collect the dues from Kareena entered into an affair with Kareena Kapoor and the other part of the mission got delayed due to that. The film directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya had been entertaining for the crowds.

Saif Alik Khan and Akshay Kumar were sublime in their style-oriented presentation. Kareena Kapoor also complimented them with her stylish performance. The music was satisfactory.


Although Tashan had not created an extraordinary impact in the mind of viewers and neither had novelty to the extent of Race which had been released this year, the film is expected to do well with its lovely locations and strong performance of stars.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Amit Kumar - the consistent singer of bollywood.

Amit Kumar – the consistent singer of bollywood.

Amit Kumar, the son of the legendary playback singer kishore kumar, had a decent career in bollywood films. He was the son of K and famous Bengali actress and singer Ruma Guha Thakurta.

He came to limelight with his song “bade acche lagte hai” from the film Balika Badhu. He also acted as a child artist in the film Door Gagan Ki Chaon Me where KK had played the leading role. He sang very successful songs in the 80s, in films like Love Story. His song “yaad aa rahi hai” picturised on Kumar Gaurav became big hit. He received filmfare award for the best singer for the song “yaad aa rahi hai” in 1981.

He also sang the song “dushman na kare” in the film Akhir Kyon. He was extremely successful with the song “ek do teen” from the film Tezaab, picturised on Anil Kapoor. The film became superhit and Amit Kumar’s singing style was also appreciated.

His song “kehdo ki tum” also became hit. Also his song “oye oye” in the film Tridev became successful. He faced competition from Kumar Shanu, Udit Narayan and Abhijeet in the 90s.


Even then his songs in Ghayal, Jeevan Ek Sunghursh, Narsimha, etc., had attracted the attention of viewers.

Presently he appears in the TV program, titled K for Kishore, where he judges the talents of new singers who sing Kishore Kumar’s songs, along with Bappi Lahiri and Sudesh Bhosle. He educates the listeners about his experience with Kishore Kumar, as he had accompanied his father in a number of music recordings and knows a lot about composers on the 60s, 70s.

He had been consistent over a period of 25 years, and his songs in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, like “bole churiya”, had not become obsolete. The viewers and the listeners expect him to continue his good work in bollywood films and give more hits in the years to come.

Sunidhi Chauhan – the spirited singer of bollywood.

Sunidhi Chauhan – the spirited singer of bollywood.

Sunidhi Chauhan had been one of the most spirited singers of bollywood for the last few years. She started singing at a very early age and flourished in signing once her family shifted to Mumbai. She won the Lata Mangeshkar Trophy in the television program “meri awaaz suno” for best female singer along with Pradip Somasundaran in the male category.

She sang songs for the films Shastra, Gang, etc., and caught the attention of viewers in the film Mast with her titled song “mast”. She stormed bollywood with her unique style of singing with the song “man saat samandar” in the film Chameli. Kareena Kapoor got critical acclamation for her performance and Sunidhi Chauhan received star screen award for best female singer for her performance in the film.


She again amazed the crowds with her performance in the song “dhoom machale” from the film Dhoom, where she received the Zee Cine Award for the best female playback singer in 2005. She never had to look back after that.

Within a short span of 5 years she had become the role model of lot of young female singers at the moment. Neither does her singing style resemble Lata or Geeta Dutt, nor Asha Bhosle, in fact she had shown her spirited performance even in songs identified as item numbers.

Her remote style was again revealed in the song “crazy kiya re” picturised on Aishwarya Rai in the film Dhoom 2. She received the filmfare award for the best singer in the film Omkara, for singing the song “biri jalaile”, picturised on Bipasa Basu.


Her other hit songs include “kaisi paheli zindagani” from Parineeta, picturised on Rekha, “aja nacchle” from the film Aja Nacchle, picturised on Madhuri Dixit, “humto aise hai bhaiiya” from Laga Chunari me Daag.

If Shreya Ghoshal is the main conventional female playback singer of bollywood at the moment, Sunidhi Chauhan is the main unconventional female playback singer of bollywood. The viewers expect her to continue her good performance in future.

Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor.

Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor.

Aishwarya Rai had acted with a number of leading actors of bollywood for the last 10 years including Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bacchan, etc. She very rarely acted with Anil Kapoor, but whenever she had acted with him the viewers admired the performance of both the performers.


Although Anil Kapoor had started his career in the early 80s, and saw the transition face of bollywood films over the years, he maintained his stardom for more than 25 years, and had been successful to get leading roles even in 2008, in films like Race. His acting potentiality is appreciated by every section of the crowd, and that had made him indispensable in bollywood films for the last 25 years.

In Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, both Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor had complimented each other in their performance. Anil Kapoor brought up children who were left alone by their mother as their father did not take up the responsibility of bringing them up. He treated the children as his own children even without marrying anyone.


Aishwarya Rai was ill-treated by Puru Raj Kumar, and her parents refused to accept her at home after the incident. She lived with Anil Kapoor after both of them came to know each other.

Anil Kapoor’s parents refuse to accept her as the wife of Anil Kapoor and created barriers to prevent their marriage. At the end of the film, the truth was unfolded that Anil Kapoor’s father was the actual father of the orphans whom Anil Kapoor brought up as his own children. The successful combination impressed the crowd in that unique film.


Both of them previously performed together in the film Taal. Anil Kapoor was a composer and employed Aishwarya Rai to perform with his music company after her father was ill-treated by Amrish Puri, the father of Akshay Khanna, the boyfriend of Aishwarya Rai. Anil Kapoor sacrificed his love for Akshay and commanded maximum respect from the viewers. The film was very very successful. Both of them are expected to do even better in bollywood films in future.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles
• Aishwarya Rai in 2008
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan had very rarely acted together in bollywood films, specially after they acquired their stardom over the years. But whenever they acted together the films had been extremely successful.

Rakesh Roshan had made an experiment with both of them in the film Karan Arjun. The film had shown that both the brothers and their mother were ill-treated in a village of Rajasthan by Amrish Puri in the previous life.


The two brothers were killed and Rakhee prayed before God for returning her the children. Both of them were born again. Shahrukh worked in a stable and Salman also had insignificant employement.

Both of them returned to the same village and they were reminded about the evil deeds of the past. They were ably supported by Kajol and Mamta Kulkarni and Johnny Lever. They took revenge against Amrish Puri for his misdeeds.


Although the film was based on fantasy, the presence of the two superstars, and the romantic music of Rajesh Roshan entertained the viewers. The film went a long way in the directorial career of Rakesh Roshan who was appreciated by the viewers for his performance in bollywood films in the 70s, 80s, as a powerful actor.


Both of them also made significant contribution in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar. Although Salman appeared for a short period at the end of the film, when his marriage was arranged with Kajol, he kept his mark in the small role. Sharukh Khan came in the marriage with his daughter and reminded her about the past. Salman sacrificed his love.

Both of them had appeared in other films also and the viewers expect both of the them to continue their good work in the years to come.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Salman Khan – the dynamic hero of bollywood
• Shahrukh Khan – the greatest superstar of bollywood films.

Shahrukh Khan and Preeti Zinta.

Shahrukh Khan and Preeti Zinta.

Shahrukh Khan in his illustrious career had mainly acted in films opposite Kajol, including blockbusters like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Baazigar, etc. But whenever he had acted with Preeti Zinta, he had created a lasting impression.


In Dil Se, Mani Ratnam, did an experiment with Shahrukh Khan by asking him to address terrorism in the North-eastern states of India. Manisha Koirala played the leading role acting as a terrorist who was ill-treated by the military officials of the north-east. While he met her during her journey and created a relationship with her, his parents arranged a girl for his marriage.


Preeti Zinta was the girl who had been chosen by the family members of Shahrukh Khan in the film. He met her and both had conversation to familiarise each other. At the end of the film Shahrukh Khan sacrificed his life to die in a suicide-bombing operation where she died with Manisha Koirala to prevent her from killing innocent people.

The most successful film involving Shahrukh Khan and Preeti Zinta was Veer Zara under YashRaj Banner. The film involved a lovestory between an Indian and a Pakistani. Shahrukh played the role of an Airforce Official who saved Preeti when she was drowning in water and brought her to his village where his parents Big B and Hema Malini treated her like their children.


In the meantime Monoj Vajpai was supposed to marry Preeti and in revenge he compelled Shahrukh to accept the allegation of being involved in terrorist activites against Pakistan and he languished in jail. Rani Mukherjee later reopened the case, fought it against Anupam Kher, the opposite Counsel, and released Shahrukh. Preeti also devoted her life in a village school where Shahrukh’s parents wanted her to make contribution.


At one time both Shahrukh and Preeti were successful pairs, whoare competitors now, sponsoring cricket teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings Eleven Punjab, in ICL Matches. The viewers expect them to do well in their new role just like they had acted successfully in films together.

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen.

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen are one of the most successful romantic pairs that Indian celluloid had ever produced. Although they had acted in mainly Bengali films, with Uttam Kumar addressing the national audience in films like Amanush, Anand Ashram, Choti Si Mulakat, Dooriyan, Kitaab, etc., and Suchitra Sen contributing in films like Devdas, Musafir, Bombai Ka Babu, Mamta, Aandhi, etc., they had become immortal personalities due to sheer brilliance of performances.

They had acted in films having dynamic stories like Harano Sur, where Uttam Kumar lost his memory in a train accident, then was treated by Suchitra Sen, and due to a second accident forgot his relationship with his wife. Suchitra Sen had to work in the house of Uttam Kumar as a governess of his nephew, and the memory came back at the end of the film. Ajoy Kar, an eminent director and legendary cameraman showed his excellence in presentation of the story.

The same director gave scope to the legendary pair to do their best in the film Saptapadi. In this film the story involved an affair between a Bengali Brahmin with a Christian girl, and the father of Uttam Kumar played by Chabi Biswas did not accept the relationship and asked Suchitra Sen to forget Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar converted into a Christian but never married Suchitra Sen, as she gave work to Chabi Biswas about forgetting his son. At the end of the film, Uttam Kumar treated Suchitra Sen, when she was badly hit by bombs hurled during second world war.

They also acted in films based on classic literature like Rajlakshi Srikanto and Kamallata, written by legendary writer Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Both the films were based on biographies of Sarat Chandra Chatterji and Uttam Kumar represented Sarat Chandra in these films. The misery of Bengali women in the early eighteenth century was depicted by strong performance of Suchitra Sen. Very significantly they complimented each other in glamour and strong performance.

They had acted in 30 films together, including Chawa Pawa (based on the story of Roman Holiday), Alo Amar Alo, Har Mana Har, Nabarag, Grihadaha. It is not possible to highlight their contribution in Indian films in a small article. Had the bollywood directors shown the courage of casting them in bollywood films, they would have shown their level of excellence in bollywood films also.

Johnny Lever – the indispensable comedian of bollywood.

Johnny Lever – the indispensable comedian of bollywood.

From the early 90s, major actresses and actresses had involved themselves in comedy roles, thereby getting rid of the requirement of a comedian in bollywood films. But Johnny Lever was always required for relief characters in film. In Tezaab, he was a member of the gang that was led by Anil Kapoor and Chunkey Pandey.

In Karan Arjun, he accompanied Salman khan and Shahrukh khan to the village in Rajasthan where they lived in the previous life. The film was based on fantasy and Johnny Lever made notable contribution in the film. In Soldier, he played the role of a tram conductor in Australia whose brother was lost in a Kumbhmela. Bobby deol met him at different times in the film, thinking him to be the twin brother but always met the same person.


In Badal, he played the role of a Punjabi person who came to celebrate his honeymoon in Shimla with his wife. He got involved amongst terrorist activities and got beaten up at different times. In Salman Khan’s Auzaar, he played the role of the servant of Paresh Rawal who pretended to be handicapped. Ultimately Salman proved before Sanjay Kapoor that Paresh Rawal was the leader of all illegal activities.

In Tumko Na Bhool Payenge, he played the role of an astrologer. Diya Mirza took Salman Khan to him when he lost his memory and could not identify himself. In fact, Johnny Lever was a fraud character who just cheated the villagers and extracted money with his overt acts. He played the role of the assistant of Sharukh Khan in the film Badshah, where again both of them were involved in fraudulent activities.

He played the role of one of the important witnesses who saw the murder in the film Ajnabee opposite Bobby Deol and Akshay Kumar. In fact it was planted case where Akshay tried to implicate Bobby but failed at the end when the truth was unearthed.


The other leading films of Johnny Lever include Baazigar, Dewaana Mastana, Kahona Pyar Hai, etc. He had been one of the most indispensable comedian of bollywood for the last 20 years and is expected to continue his good work in the years to come.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Has Kareena Kapoor improved her performance over the years?

Has Kareena Kapoor improved her performance over the years?

Kareena Kapoor, the daughter of Randhir Kapoor and the granddaughter of Raj Kapoor, carried the legacy of the royal family of bollywood. She was not launched by RK films, but started her career in JP Dutta’ film Refugee opposite Abhishek Bacchan.

She was impressive in a submissive role, because the film was based on the romantic story between Abhishek and Kareena at the backdrop of tensions at the India-Pakistan border. She gave elegant lips in the songs “mere humsafar, mere humsafar”, “panchi nadiya pawan ke jhoke”, etc. Her other film Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, opposite Tushar Kapoor, was also successful, including the songs like “mujhe kuch kehna”, “is pyar ko mai kya doon”, etc.


After hew years of acting Kareena got opportunity of acting in big banner films including Yaaden, directed by Subhash Ghai, opposite Hrithik Roshan, where the story depicted the intimate relationship of fathers with their daughters. Jackie Shroff in the role of the father impressed the crowd with his performance. Also in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham directed by Karan Johar, Kareena acted opposite Hrithik and interacted with the other family members including Big B and Jaya Bacchan. Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were the other leading performers in the film.

But from the time, Kareena started performing in challenging roles, that the viewers accepted her as a powerful actress. She received critics acclamation for her performance in the role of a tawaif in the film Chameli. She also did well in the film Kyon Ki.


She won the filmfare award for the best female actress in the last year for her performance in the film Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor. She displayed the agony of being left alone by a boyfriend whom she loved a lot.

Viewers do agree that Kareena had developed her standard of acting over the years from just concentrating on glamour to serious performances. With a number of her films to be released in 2008 including Tashan, and she herself commanding around 6 crores per film, she is expected to do even better.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Kareena Kapoor – the successful actress of recent times.

Lata in the 80s and 90s.

Lata in the 80s and 90s.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Although the presence of new female singers in bollywood films in the 80s had increased the competition in the world of playback singing, Lata still sang landmark songs in the 80s and 90s. Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurty, Asha and Anuradha Paudwal were some of the singers who had sung hit songs in the 80s.

Lata’s song “yeh kahan a gaye hum” in the film Silsila picturised on Rekha, became a landmark hit with the romantic location of Kashmir and other places. The songs in the film Ek Tuje ke liye, picturised on Rati Agnihotri, including songs like “ek duje ke liye”, “tere mere beech me”, etc., composed by LP became superhit.

In Saagar, Lata’s song “sagar kinare” picturised on Dimple became a big hit. Similarly in the film Chandni, all the songs sung by Lata, which were picturised on Sri Devi and composed by Shiv Hari became grandhit.

Lata sang notable songs also in the film Lekin, directed by Gulzar. The film was based on folklore of Rajasthan and Hridaynath Mangeshkar, the composer of the music of the film, used the folk effect and classical effect to make the film look realistic. The legendary songs of Lata include “yara sili sili”, “kesaria balma” etc. Dimple Kapadia was sublime in her performance.

Lata also sang notable songs in the film Rudali, picturised on Dimple, where the music was composed by Bhupen Hazarika. There also the song ‘dil hum hum kare” received acclamation of the critics.

In the 90s, Lata sang notable songs in the film Dil To Pagal Hai, where Uttam Singh had composed memorable tunes for Lata. The songs were picturised on Madhuri Dixit, and all were hits.

Lata also made her presence felt in films like Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, with Twinkle Khanna and Salman Khan. The magical voice of Lata is still young for the millions of music lovers across the world and still can make major contribution in modern bollywood films.

Mukesh and Raj Kapoor.

Mukesh and Raj Kapoor.

By: CR Chatterji.

Mukesh was one of the respectable characters of bollywood films in the 50s, 60s and 70s. He created an image for himself and was mostly associated with cultured performances during the golden age. His voice suited Raj Kapoor the most and both of them had provided unforgettable records for future generations.

Songs like “aja re” from the film Aah, picturised on RK and composed by Shankar Jaikishan has not lost their appeal even today. Most of the songs of Anari, composed by SJ like “kisiki muskurahato pe ho nisar”, “ sub kuch sikha humne”, etc., became everlasting hits.

Mukesh’s performance in the film Phir Subha Hogi, composed by Khayyam and picturised on RK including “who subha kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije yeh gustakh”, etc., were appreciated due to their tragic andaz. Also the song “aanso bhari hai” from Parvarish, composed by Dattaram became successful.

“a ab laut chale”, and “mera naam raju” from the film Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, composed by SJ became extremely successful. Also “chaliya mera naam” and “dum dum diga diga” from Chalia, composed by Kalyanji Anandji became hits.

Songs from Teesri Kasam, carried the folk effect, with SJ creating tunes based on the folklore of villages of UP. Songs of Mukesh like “duniya bananewale”, “sajanwa bairi”, “sajan re jhoot mat bolo”, impressed the viewers with strong lyrics written by Shailendra.

SJ’s experiments in the film Diwana, were also successful. Mukesh probably sang all the songs in the film including “ai sanam jisne tujhe”, “pateka baat kahega”, “tumhare bhi jai jai”, “taron se pyare”, etc. Also the songs in the film Around the World like “duniya ki sair kar lo” were equally successful.

Songs of Sangam and Mera Naam Joker sung by Mukesh and composed SJ had become masterpieces over a period of time. The songs and the films should be restored for their musical value.

Preeti Zinta and Australia.

Preeti Zinta and Australia.

Preeti Zinta has a strange relationship with Australia. Whenever she had appeared in films either shot in Australia or having storyline in Australia, they have ended up being superduper hits.

Her first film Soldier, had a story line based in Australia. Bobby went to Australia and searched his father’s killers during the film. He met Preeti a number of times and their hatred transformed into affair. The songs in the film “soldier, soldier”, “naiyo naiyo”, etc. became landmark hits. Preeti made her first appearance and created an impression with the performance.


In the film Koi Mil Gaya, again picturised in Australia, Preeti played a compassionate role opposite Hrithik, who was handicapped and later regain strength and power from aliens. Preeti was sympathetic towards Hrithik. She gave good lips in the song Koi Mil Gaya.

Preeti again received the appreciation of viewers in her performance in the film Dil Chahta Hai, opposite Amir Khan, again picturised in Australia. She changed the mind of Amir who never believed in love. She gave able lips in the song “jane kyon log pyar karte hai” with Amir Khan.

Probably her most successful film in the background of Australia is Salaam Namaste, opposite Saif Ali Khan. She experimented with live together theory, and gave birth to a child at then end of the film. The good part and the bad part of live together concept was shown in the film. The title song was very successful.


With Australia bringing champions luck, she had sponsored the team King’s Eleven in the Indian Cricket League with Yuvraj Singh as captain. In the same team, she had brought in Brett Lee, world’s best fast bowler from Australia, who change the fortune of any game of cricket. The viewers expect Preeti’s luck with Australia and expect her team to do well, similar to her successful career.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Preeti Zinta – the stylist actress of bollywood.

Is Shahrukh Khan the real Don of bollywood?

Is Shahrukh Khan the real Don of bollywood?

With the beginning of Indian Cricket League, and the victory of Kolkata Knight Riders (the team Shahrukh Khan had sponsored) in two matches, including the match held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, held on Sunday, there is big debate whether Shahrukh Khan is the real Don of bollywood.

His success in bollywood films for the last 15 years, is beyond any dispute. His films in the early part of his career, like Baazigaar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, had brought a new dimension to bollywood films in the early 90s.

From that time till today, he had performed in every type of films, in all types of roles, ranging from Darr, where he played the role of a villain who had mental disorders, opposite Sunny and Juhi, to double role in Duplicate, where he performed both as a law-abiding citizen and also a smuggler.


He has performed in folk tales like Paheli, directed by Amol Palekar, where his soft performance in a rural background balanced the strong performance of Rani Mukherjee in the film. He was elegant in his performance in the historical role in Ashoka, opposite Kareena, and displayed the royal nature. At the same time, he took up the challenge in performing in Don, a role where Big B provided an memorable performance 30 years back. No other bollywood actor excepting Big B, had enjoyed the amount of popularity, Shahrukh had enjoyed over the years.

Even in 2007, both the films of Shahrukh titled Chak De India, and Om Shanti Om , were super hits. In Om Shanti Om, he managed to bring in all the bollywood actors of present generation and past generation in the song “om shanty om”.


He is present in nearly all the entertainment media, including KBC shows in TV Channel, as live supporter in ICL matches, sponsoring Kolkata Knight Riders led by Saurav Ganguly, and also anchoring the filmfare awards ceremony.

Passage of time had not created any impact on the popularity of Shahrukh Khan, which is just increasing and increasing. The viewers expect his team to also be as successful as his films, and expect him to continue his magic in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

• Shahrukh Khan – the greatest superstar of bollywood films.

Kishore and Dharmender.

Kishore and Dharmender.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Kishore Kumar had sung huge number of romantic songs for Dharmender who made significant contribution in bollywood films in the 60s, 70s and 80s. If Rafi had sung nearly all the songs picturised on Dharmender in the 60s, KK had sung the majority of them in the mid-70s and 80s.

KK’s songs in the film Jugnu, composed by SD Burman, and picturised on Dharmender, titled “pyar ke is mor pe” became landmark hit. The song “pal pal dil ke pass” is one of the most romantic songs KK had sung for Dharmender.

KK’s songs in the film Sholay, titled “koi haseena jab”, “yeh dosti hum nahi torenge” picturised in Dharmender, composed by RD Burman also became superhit.

Similarly the song composed by Rd Burman in the film Shalimaar, titled “hum bewafa hargis na the” also became successful. The songs in the film Dream Girl, opposite Hema Malini, including the song “dream girl”, became a landmark hit in the late 70s.

Very significantly, KK contributed in those films of Dharmender where the main story was related to violence. There were good songs in Charas, Jugnu, etc.

Also in the film Rajajani, KK had sung melodious songs for Dharmender, including the song “jani, ho jani”.

These days when participants compete against each other in the K for Kishore program in TV Channel, there are instances when they sing songs sung by KK and picturised on Dharmender.

The songs and the films should be preserved and restored for the new generation.

Zeenat Aman – the westernized performer of bollywood.

Zeenat Aman – the westernized performer of bollywood.

Zeenat Aman impressed the viewers with her first appearance in the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, where she played the role of the sister of Dev Anand. She became involved with a group of hippies who tried to forget their sorrows by getting addicted with drugs. Dev Anand treid to bring her back to society but his mission failed as she never wanted to return back to her family.

Zeenat did very well in the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram directed by Raj Kapoor, where she played the role of a village whose face was disfigured who had an affair with Shashi Kapoor. Zeenat portrayed the eastern character with submissiveness and softness. All the songs of Lata picturised on her including “satyam shivam sundaram” became big hits.

She created her stylish image in the film Qurbani opposite Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna where she portrayed the role of a club dancer. The film had many other aspects including big robberies, but her performance in songs like “aap jaisa koi” stomed bollywood in the early 80s.


She also acted in daring roles opposite Big B, like the role in the film Don. In Don, in 1978, she played the role of one of the victims of Don, who joined his gang to take revenge as Don had killed her brother. After sometime she realized that person she met was not actual Don, but was an imposter who was helping the police to gather information about the entire gang. Priyanka Chopra had played the same role of Zeenat in modern version of Don, where Sharukh Khan played the role of Big B.


Zeenat also did well opposite Rishi Kapoor in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, where she also gave adequate lips in the qawalli “hai agar dushman zamana gum nahi gum nahi” composed by RD Burman. Her other successful films include Dostana, opposite Big B, Warrant opposite Dev Anand, Ram Balram and Shalimaar opposite Dharmender, etc.

She faded out from the industry in the mid-80s. Her films should be restored to show her trend-breaking performances in the short span of career.

Esha Deol – the dynamic star of bollywood.

Esha Deol – the dynamic star of bollywood.

Esha Deol, the daughter of eminent performers of bollywood namely Dharmender and Hema Malini, had made her presence felt with dynamic performances in bollywood films. She started her career with the film Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche, opposite Aftab Shivdasani and Sanjay Kapoor.

She was very successful in the film Dhoom, where the title song was a big hit. She got a big break in the film No Entry, where she played the role of the wife of Salman khan, who was docile and loyal towards his husband. Salman used to live a carefree life and told lies one after the other to her. Bu ultimately she came to know about Salman’s affairs, when he tried to solve the problems of Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan. Salman did some playacting by trying to commit suicide or trying to reconcile Esha. The film was full of comedy sequences and the title song picturised on Bipasha Basu was very big hit.


She also played a daring role in the film Dus. She also acted in an unconventional role in the film Ankahee. The character was filled with psycho, obsessive, possessive attributes and she was elegant in portraying the feelings of the character. She also acted in the suspense-thriller Kaal, where the truth relating to unusual happenings were unfolded at the end of the film.

She also acted well opposite Hrithik and Saif Ali Khan in the film Na Tum Jano Na Hum. It was related to an affair, where the relationship grew up by posting mails in the post office, without knowing each other’s identity. Esha had the hesitation of choosing between Hrithik and Saif Ali. But the post office affair did conclude in a positive note.


With a number of films under production in 2008, Esha is expected to do even better and match the expectation which viewers have on her for being the daughter of star couple.

Rishi Kapoor and Rafi.

Rishi Kapoor and Rafi.

Rishi Kapoor had created a great combination with Rafi in the mid-70s, when most of the other actors for whom Rafi had given playback had shifted to character acting. In Laila Majnu, all the songs of Rafi like “likhe tera naam”, “tere dar pe aya hoon”, “barbad mohabbat”, composed by Madanmohan and Jaidev, became hits. Rishi always had given excellent lips in the songs that were picturised on him.


In Amar Akbar Anthony, all the songs of Rafi were hits, including “parda hai parda”, “shirdiwali saibaba”, “humto tumse ho gaya hai pyar”, etc. All the compositions of Laxmikant Pyarelal in the film were big hits. Besides Rishi’s character in the film was that of a qawalli singer. He was at his best and did justice to Rafi’s songs.

Rafi’s songs in the film Sargam, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, were also equally successful. The leading songs include “koel boli”, “dafliwale dafli baja”, “ramjiki nikli sawari” were big hits, where most of them were duet songs with Lata. Rishi played the dafli in style and complimented Jaya Prada’s outstanding choreography in the film.


Even in Karz, Rafi’s song was extremely successful with Rishi giving splendid lips in the song “dard-e-dil”, which was composed by LP. Rishi again played the role of a popular singer in the film which was directed by Subhash Ghai in style.

Rafi also did sing successful songs for Rishi, in films where RD Burman had given landmark tunes. For example, in Zamane ko Dikhana, Hai, Rafi’s song “sochenge pyar kya hua” with Asha was extremely melodious.


Also in Hum kisi Se Kam Nahi, the title song sung by Rafi, “hya agar dushman zamana” was one of the leading qawallies of that time. Due to Rishi’s extraordinary capability to give lips and Rafi’s sweet voice the directors could afford to give qawallies in the films of late 70s.

Had Rafi survived for more number of years, the combination could have given even more hits. The songs should be restored for their epic value.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Immortal Ghazals sung by Mohammad Rafi.
• Awards received by Mohammad Rafi in his illustrious career.
• Mohammad Rafi- the greatest voice of the last century.
• Rahul Dev Burman’s immense respect for Mohammad Rafi.
• Laxmikant Pyarellal’s immortal relationship with Mohamand Rafi.
• OP Nayyar’s immortal relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Salil Chowdhury’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Ravi’s memorable combination with Rafi.
• Roshan's everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi.
• SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi.
• Rafi’s pleasant memories with Madanmohan.
• Khayyam and Jaidev’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.
• Naushad’s association with Rafi.
• Rafi and Jeetender
• Rafi and Rajender Kumar

Reema Sen – the new prospect of bollywood.

Reema Sen – the new prospect of bollywood.

Reema Sen is one the new actresses of bollywood who had shown her acting capabilities in the recent films. According to the viewers she has a good prospect and had entertained them in the few films where she got significant roles.

She was born in Kolkata in 1981, after some time her family moved to Mumbai. She joined modeling and then films. She performed in Tamil film Minnale, and Telegu film Udai Kiran. She started her career in bollywood film Hum Ho Gaye Aapke.

But she became prominent with her cheerful performance in the film Malamaal Weekly opposite Ritesh Deshmukh. She played the role of the daughter of Om Puri, who had an affair with Ritesh. But Om Puri was not interested to marry his daughter with Ritesh, as he neither had property, nor stability. His father Asrani also failed to pay debts to Om Puri.


But as Paresh Rawal asked Om Puri, to give up his hostility towards Ritesh, and take him in their team who were supposed to share the prize money of lottery ticket, On Puri agreed to marry his daughter with Ritesh. Reema Sen played her role very well, in a serio-comic film. She also delivered her dialogues with a semi-rural intonation as the film was based on the story picturised on rural part of India.

She also performed in a Bengali film titled Iti Srikanto. She gave a guest appearance in a song in the film Aan: Men At Work. She is presently working in the film Chal Chala Chal.


Although she had not made as astonishing start, with her steady box office, she is expected to do even better in the years to come.

Bappi Lahiri – the successful composer of bollywood.

Bappi Lahiri – the successful composer of bollywood.

By: CR Chatterji.

Bappi Lahiri, the son of famous Bengali singer and composer Aparesh Lahiri, created an identity of his own with his compositions in the 80s and 90s. His father was a legendary singer in Bengal, and also had given memorable tunes including “akbar biday dema” sung by Lata in the Bengali film on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

Bappi could play a number of instruments including the tabla and showed his variation in composition in Uttam Kumar’s Bengali film Ogo Bodhu Sundari. When he joined bollywood films he made his mark in the film Zakhmee, where Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh.

His songs in the film Kisi Se Na Kehna also became successful, where Farooq Sheikh and Deepti Naval played the main roles. Bappi was extremely successful with his tunes in the film Namakhalal, where Kishore’s song “ki pag ghungroo” became superhit. He also gave hit songs in Disco Dancer, where Mithun Chakravarty played a leading role.

Bappi was very successful in the film Sharabi, where songs picturised on Big B, like “imteha ho gayi” sung by Kishore Kumar became landmark hit. His other hit films during that period include Big B’s Greftaar, Akhree Rasta, etc.

He was highly successful in the film Himmatwala, where Jeetender and Sri Devi played the main part.

Bappi is also presently participating in the TV Program, K for Kishore as a judge with Amit Kumar and Sudesh Bhosle. New talents are given a scope to exhibit their skills in the program devoted to KK.

The viewers and audience expect Bappi to continue his good work in the years to come.

Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar.

Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

The admirers of Big B, argue that the appearance of Big B in bollywood films had brought a huge change in the musical career of Kishore Kumar. There is no doubt that he had sung maximum number of songs for Big B, and as the popularity of Big B, was unparallel, much of the success of KK is related with Big B.

But Rajesh Khanna had provided a platform for KK from where he never had to look back. The successful songs of the combination include “meri sapno ki rani”, and “roop tera mastana” from the film Aradhana, composed by SD Burman. The other films where KK contributed for Rajesh Khanna include Safar, where the song “zindagi ka safar” composed by Kalyanji Anandji became a landmark hit.

RD Burman contributed the most in the films of Rajesh Khanna and KK. The successful songs of the combination include “kuch to log kahenge”, “chingari koi bharke”, etc., from the film Amar Prem, “chala jata hoon” from the film Mere Jeevan Saathi, “diye jalte hai” from Namakharam, “karwate badalte rahe”, “jai jai shiv shankar”, “zindagi ke safar me”, etc., from the film Aap Ki Kasam, “tere naina sawan bhado” from the film Mehbooba, “ai shaam mastani” from the film Kati Patang, etc. The list can go on.

A number of successful songs of KK and Rajesh Khanna are also composed by LP. The prominent ones among them include “accha to hum chalte hai” from the film Aan Milo Sajna, “chal chal chal mere hathi” from the film Hathi Mere Saathi, “gore rang pena itna guma na kar” from Roti, etc.

With the domination of action films in the mid-70s, with Sholay, Dewaar, Don, Shaan, breaking previous records, Rajesh Khanna faded away from the film arena. But in the late 70s and also early 80s, KK’s songs for him in films like Anuraag, Sautan, etc., reached the audience.

The songs and the films should be restored as rich assets.

Diya Mirza – the sweet performer of bollywood.

Diya Mirza – the sweet performer of bollywood.

Diya Mirza is one of the sweet actresses of recent times who had made decent contribution in bollywood films for the last few years. She was model and was second runner up in the Miss India beauty contest in 2000.

She started her career in the film Rehna Hai Tere Dil Me in the role of Reena Malhotra. She impressed the viewers with her innocent performance in the film Tumko Na Bhool Payenge. In that film Salman Khan was shot and he lost his memory after the incident. Somehow he survived and the members of the family who rescued him treated him like his son.


Diya Mirza ably supported Salman during the period when he lost his memory. The family with whom he lived lost their son in military operation and identified their own son with Salman. Salman went to Bombay to unearth the truth about his past. He remembered that he and his freidn were appointed by the Home Minister for shooting an important person and his friend shot him and married Sushmita Sen who was supposed to marry Salman.

Salman took revenge against his friend but in the process lost Sushmita who died in the encounter. Salman returned back to the family who helped him in the past and met Diya Mirza again. The song in the film “are are yeh kya hua re”, sung by Sonu Nigam became very big hit.


Diya Mirza also featured in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film Parineeta in a small role, as the central characters were played by Vidya Balan, Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan. She also acted in successful films like Dus and Fight Club.

She got an important role in Lage Raho Munna Bhai, where she played the role of the daughter of Boman Irani, who arranged marriage for her on the basis of false horoscope as the astrologer of the husband’s family considered her unlucky for their son. But ultimately she was married to the same person due to effort of Sanjay Dutt who showed Gandhigiri in the film. With Krazzy 4 and other films to be released in 2008, Diya Mirza is expected to do even better in her following films.

Lata and Meena Kumari.

Lata and Meena Kumari.

By: CR Chatterji.

Lata Mangeshkar had a huge contribution in the success of Meena Kumari during the golden age of bollywood films. Lata kept in mind the aristocrat personality of Meena Kumari while providing playback to her.

Her songs in the film Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi and Dil Ek Mandir brought a different dimension to the films. Shankar Jaikishan composed songs for both the films. Lata’s major songs picturised on Meena Kumari in these films include “ajeeb dastan hai yeh”, “hum tere pyar me sara alam”, “ruk jaa raat, thahar ja re chanda”, etc. Lata portrayed the pathos in the character of Meena Kumari in these films.

In Bheegi Raat and Bahu Begum, lata’s songs composed by Roshan, became hits, including songs like “dil jo na keh saka”, “duniya kare sawal to humkya jawab de”, etc. The duet songs of Rafi and Lata picturised on Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari in the film Aarti, composed by Roshan, titled “aapne yaad dilaya”, became very very successful. The song “baharon ki manzil rahi” was also successful.

Lata was sublime in her performance in the film Pakiza, where the songs were composed by Ghulam Mohammad. Songs like “chalte chalte”, “thare rahiyo”, “mausam hai ashikana” and “chalo dildar chalo” (duet song of Lata and Rafi) had become musical masterpiece over a period of time. Meena Kumari portrayed the life of a tawaif in the film and the music depicted the cultural trend in the part of the country where it was picturised. Raj Kumar balanced the aristocrat performance of Meena Kumari in the film.

Lata’s duet song with Rafi titled “do sitaron ka zamee par hai Milan aaj ki raat” in the film Kohinoor, composed by Naushad, was also extremely successful. Meena Kumari and Dilip Kumar gave elegant lips in the film.

Besides, Meena Kumari gave elegant lips in Lata’s songs in the film Ghazal, where Madanmohan composed outstanding songs for both Lata and Rafi. All these films and the songs should be restored for their class.

Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan.

Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan.

Aishwariya Rai had acted in few films opposite Shahrukh Khan but whenever they have acted together they had created a lasting impression in the minds of viewers. In the film Josh, they were seen together.

Although Josh was an action thriller, where Shahrukh Khan played the role of a mafia who was involved in unlawful activities, Aishwarya played her romantic part opposite Chandrachud Singh. She was the sister of Shahrukh and had an affair with Chandrachudh Singh. The songs in the film including “mere khayalon ki malika” became very successful.


In Mohabbatein, Shahrukh Khan played the role of an academician who joined an institution and brought a different dimension in the life of students in that institution. Aishwarya Rai made a significant contribution with her romantic performance in the film. Important role were played by the students of the institution and their affairs blossomed into successful endings.


Aishwarya had the biggest challenge in the role of parvati, in the film Devdas, where Shahrukh Khan played the role of Devdas. It was a challenge taken up by Sanjay Leela Banshali, because the story of Devdas written by Sarat Chandra Chatterji, had been picturised a number of times both in bollywood films and Bengali films. Besides Dilip Kumar was brilliant in his role of Devdas directed by Bimal Roy, in 1955, along with Motilal, who provided a memorable performance in his role of Chunilal.


But Snajay Leela Banshali, modified the story keeping in mind the modern style of living in Indian villages. Aishwarya was brilliant in her performance in a role which Suchitra Sen had played at one time. She displayed the submissiveness of a Bengali girl in the early 19th century. Her lips in the song “dil dola re”, with Madhuri Dixit who played the role of Chandramukhi, became a big hit. Shreya Ghoshal sang most of the songs in the film and became a star after Devdas.

The viewers expect even better performance from Aishwarya and Shahrukh in the films in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor
• Songs in the films of Aishwarya Rai

Rafi and Rajender Kumar.

Rafi and Rajender Kumar.

Rafi had probably sung the maximum number of sophisticated songs for Rajender Kumar. Rajender Kumar better known as Jubilee Kumar created a soft, humble romantic image during the 60s and was equally respected like Dilip Kumar, by the audience.


The leading composers of bollywood including Shanker Jaikishan, Naushad, Ravi, etc., kept the image of Rajender Kumar in mind while composing songs for Rafi The songs “dil –e- betaab ko sine se lagana hoga” from the film Palki, and songs of Mere Mehboob, titled “mere mehoob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “ae husn zara jag”, “tumse ishaar-e haal” composed by Naushad maintained that image. Sadhna acted opposite Rajender Kumar in Mere Mehboob and Wahida Rehman acted opposite him in Palki. Rafi was a genius and showed his verstality in the ghazals composed in these films.

The leading songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan for Rajender Kumar and sung by Rafi include “mujhko apne gale lagalo” and “yeh ansoo meri dilki zuban hai” from Humrahi, “pehle mile the sapno me” in Zindagi, opposite Vaijayantimala, “yeh mera premepatra parkar” in Sangam, “tum khamseen ho”, “to bura maan gaye”, “o sanam”, etc. from Ayee Milan Ki Bela, “o priya”, “kahan chal diye” from Jhuk Gaya Aasman, opposite Saira Banu, “aye phoolon ki raani”, “chlake teri ankho se” from Aarzoo, opposite Sadhna, etc. Shankar Jaikishan had included ghazals, light classical, western waltz, other western notes for Rafi when he composed them for Rajender Kumar. Most of these songs were superduper hits.


Even Ravi composed songs like “husnwale tera jawab nahi” and “jabse tumhe dekha hai” in the film Gharana for Rafi which were picturised on Rajender Kumar and created alasting impression. SD Burman’s composition for Rajender Kumar in the film Talash also included romantic song of Rafi titled “palkon ke peeche se”.


The music in the films of Rajender Kumar and tremendous performance of Rafi had been the major reason for his immense success during the 60s and early 70s, in addition to soft performance of Rajender Kumar and all his co-artists. The films and the songs should be preserved for their immense musical value.

Related Reading

• Immortal Ghazals sung by Mohammad Rafi.
• Awards received by Mohammad Rafi in his illustrious career.
• Mohammad Rafi- the greatest voice of the last century.
• Rahul Dev Burman’s immense respect for Mohammad Rafi.
• Laxmikant Pyarellal’s immortal relationship with Mohamand Rafi.
• OP Nayyar’s immortal relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Salil Chowdhury’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Ravi’s memorable combination with Rafi.
• Roshan's everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi.
• SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi.
• Rafi’s pleasant memories with Madanmohan.
• Khayyam and Jaidev’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.
• Naushad’s association with Rafi.
• Rafi and Jeetender
  

Deepika Padukone – the promising actress of bollywood.

Deepika Padukone – the promising actress of bollywood.

Deepika Padukone is one of the most promising newcomers of bollywood films. She stormed bollywood films with her impressive performance in the film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shahrukh Khan.

She is the daughter of the famous sports personality Prakash Padukone. Her father had represented India in international competitions on badminton and won numerous championships. Deepika had started her career in modeling and then switched to bollywood films. She had acted in Kannada film.


In Om Shanti Om, she played the role of Shantipriya, an actress of the 70s, and a superstar by every means. Shahrukh Khan, an amateur actor entered the film world and got an opportunity to perform opposite her. There were dream sequences and other aspects of the film.

All the songs in the film including “om shanti om” were very successful. The title song had feature nearly all the leading actors of the present generation as well as old legends like Rekha, Shabana Azmi, Dharmender, Jeetender, etc. She also received the filmfare award for the best female debute.


She is presently working on the film Baachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Chandnii Chowk to China opposite Akshay Kumar.

The viewers expect her to continue her good work that she had shown in Om Shanti Om in the films to follow.

Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor.

Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor.

Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor had been one of the most successful pairs of present bollywood films. Their performance over the last 5 years had been appreciated by the audience and the films had also brought revenue.

In 36 China Town, both of them performed in a crime thriller film where a murder took place at 36 China Town and Akshay Khanna, the detective in the film investigated the case. Even Shahid and Kareena were also investigated as it was not known who had committed the murder. The truth was unearthed at the end of the film and it was found that servants in the house were the murderers.


In Chup Chup Ke, Shahid pretended to be a deaf and dumb person. He worked in the house of Kareena Kapoor who was deaf and dumb, along with Rajpal Yadav as their employer Paresh Rawal had debts to be paid to Om Puri, and the employees were kept in the house till the debt was paid. It was a serio-comic film and both Shahid and Kareena had portrayed the deaf and dunb part very well.


They had probably provide their best performance in the film Jab We Met. Kareena had an affair with a person who could not take her home and tell his relatives about it and marry her. She met him last at time Shimla and then met Shahid Kapoor. During the journey Kareena shared her story with Shahid and he conveyed her feelings to the person who had engagement with Kareena. Shahid told the person how much Kareena loved him and made him realise what a mistake he had made by rejecting her. At the end of the film Kareena married Shahid who was a better human being. The film was one of the most successful films of 2007, with hit songs like ‘dil mouja hai mouja”, “yeh isqh kya hai”, etc.


The viewers expect the same pair to act in more films in the years to come and continue their good work which they had shown in the last 5 years.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Lata and Wahida Rehman

Lata and Wahida Rehman

Lata Mangeshkar had galvanized the careers of majority of bollywood actresses from 50s to 80s. Among them she had an excellent combination with Wahida Rehman and most of the songs have become immortal over the years.


Wahida Rehman had also given lisp in songs sung by Geeta Dutt including songs like “waqt ne kiya kya hasee sitam”, but whenever Lata had sung any song for Wahida Rehman the song had created a different dimension. Lata’s song for Wahida Rehman titled “aaj phir jeen ki tamanna hai” and “piya tose naina lage re” from the film Guide in 1965, composed by SD Burman had become extremely successful.


Lata’s songs “aa aa bhi ja” from Teesri Kasam composed by Shankar Jaikishan and picturised on Wahida Rehman was also successful. Raj Kapoor played his role extremely well opposite Wahida Rehman in this film. Lata’s song “sawan aye ya na aye” in Dil Diya Dard Liya and “phir teri kahani yaad ayi” composed by Naushad, picturised on Wahida Rehman and Dilip Kumar became very popular in the 60s.

Lata’s song “kahi deep jale kahin dil” picturised on Wahida Rehman from the film Bees Saal Baad, composed by Hemant Kumar had a spooky flavour. Biswajeet gave an everlasting performance opposite Wahida Rehman in the film. Lata’s songs from the film Neel Kamal, picturised on Wahida Rehman opposite Raj Kumar and Manoj Kumar and composed by Ravi were also successful.


Lata had also sung elegant songs in the film Dharti, picturised on Wahida Rehman opposite Rajender Kumar, composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The films where Lata and Wahida Rehman’s combination stand out include Reshma aur Shera (composer – Jaidev), Mujhe Jeene Do (composer –Jaidev), Ram Aur Shyam (composer – Naushad) , Prem Pujari (composer – SD Burman), Talash (composer – SD Burman) , etc.

The viewers expect the combination of Wahida Rehman and Lata to perform again in their old ages as their contribution is unforgettable for different generations.

Related Reading

• Lata Mangeshkar – the uncrowned queen of Indian playback singing
• Wahida Rehman - powerful actress of bollywood

Aiswarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan

Aiswarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan

Aiswarya Rai had acted probably opposite all the leading actors of bollywood in her career. She had done exceedingly well whenever she had performed opposite Abhishek Bacchan. They had very well in the film Dhai Aksar Prem ke, where the title song of the film became very successful.

The same pair again did very well in the film Kuch Na Kaho. It was a story where Raj wanted to live a life of his own. Namrata tried to find a suitable wife for Raj. But Raj fall in love with the match maker herself. The story was baed on a romantic plot and both Abhishek and Aishwarya complimented each other in the film.


In the film Bunty Aur Babli, although Aishwarya did not act in the leading role, her item number in the film titled “kajra re” became a landmark hit. Abhishek had done extremely well with Rani Mukherjee in the film. The film was related to youngstars who were involved in big robberies but the police had failed to understand their plans and catch them. Ultimately Big B caught them when they were involved in another unlawful act.


Their best performance was probably reserved for Guru. In Guru, Abhishek played the role of person from Gujarat who came to Turkey and then to Mumbai to start his career. He brought his wife Aiswarya also with him. He faced a lot of resistance while starting his own company called Shakti Trading but overcame those barriers to become successful in business. Mithun Chakravarty exposed Guru’s unjust ways. There are other aspects in the film of Mani Ratnam, but the performance of the pair of Abhishek and Aiswarya and music of AR Rehman was well appreciated.


After marriage, the viewers expect both of them to even better in other films when they will act together in the years to come.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery


Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles
• Aishwarya Rai in 2008
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Review of You, Me and Hum.

Review of You, Me and Hum.

Kajol and Ajay Devgan had acted together once more on the film You, Me and Hum. They had performed well in romantic films in the 90s including Ishq, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, etc. But Kajol took a break for some period of time and the pair is seen by the viewers once again in You, Me and Hum.

In this film, Ajay Devgan got impressed with Kajol at first sight when she had offered him drinks. Then the affection transpires into romance. Although Ajay Devgan had portrayed the role of a psychiatrist, in his own affair his specialization did not work. Ajay had been shown traveling in a cruise with his friends. Some of his friends were married while other were not.

But as Ajay’s introduction before Kajol was totally based on falsehood the relationship broke after some time. But Kahol accepted him inspite of knowing his past. After marriage again they faced hurdles and overcame them at the end of the film.

The performance of Ajay Devgan and Kajol had been satisfactory and both of them had proved their potentiality before. With songs like “Saiwaa” sang by Sunidhi Chauhan and “Jee le” sung by Adnan Sami and Shreya Ghoshal, the film appears to be full of entertainment. But the story is not new.

It was the home production of Ajay Devgan and his effortless performance had highlighted it. If the performance of Kajol and Ajay Devgan impresses the viewers the film will do well.

Aishwarya Rai’s Hollywood films.

Aishwarya Rai’s Hollywood films.

Aishwarya Rai had acted in a number of Hollywood films in addition to her brilliant performance in bollywood films. The film that has been most successful is Bride and Prejudice.

The story involved an Indian mother who was searching for suitable husbands for her four daughters. Her eldest daughter played by Namrata Shirodkar was married to a rich industrialist of London. The role of the second daughter was played by Aiswarya Rai.

Aishwarya rejected an American millionaire Will Darcy. Will Darcy criticised Indian women, yet was attached to Aiswarya. Aiswarya was also involved with him in the film. Her mother invited Mr. Koholi, an Indian business from Los Angeles who came to choose one of the daughters (Aiswarya and her sisters) of the family.


Johny Wickham came to India and Aiswarya got involved with her and out of frustration Will Darcy returned back to Los Angeles.

The films had very strong performance from Aishwarya, Namrata, Martin Henderson and other performers. Her other Hollywood films include Mistress of Spices and Last Legion. She is expected to feature in other Hollywood films like Chaos opposite Meryl Streep, in Windfall, etc.


One of the reasons of her success in Hollywood films include her strong pronunciation of English and international recognition. Her wax statue is made in Madam Tussadd’s museum in London. So whenever viewers watch her performance in films like Provoked, they acknowledge her outstanding potentiality and there is no shadow of doubt that she is going to be a rich asset for Hollywood films in addition to bollywood films in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery


Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles
• Aishwarya Rai in 2008
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Aiswariya and Hrithik.

Aiswariya and Hrithik.

Aiswariya Rai and Hrithik Roshan are probably the most stylist pair that had performed in bollywood films during the last 20 years. Both the performers possess the skills that are required for performance even in Hollywood films. In fact Aiswariya Rai had already performed in such type of films before.


In Dhoom -2, but Aiswariya and Hrithik had the challenge of popularising a negative role to the viewers. Indian viewers are not used to embracing heroes or heroins in negative roles. But the smart romantic performance of Aiswariya had left the viewers speechless. She played the role of an international thief who learnt the skills of escaping from grave dangers after the theft had been committed. Hrithik took her as a partner to get involved in the great robbery. He even changed his make up a number of times and displayed brave acts in the film. The songs in the film like “dhoom machade” and “crazy kiya re” had addressed Indian audience with western choreography. Hrithik as usual excelled in the dance sequences. At the end of the film both Hrithik and Aiswariya gave all the stolen items to the investigator played by Abhishek and he allowed them to stay abroad as they had settled there after Hrithik appeared to have fallen from a cliff and gave the impression that he had died.


Both of them again accepted the challenge in the historical film Jodha Akbar, where Ashutosh Gowarikar had given them the challenge of depicting life during the period of the mughals in the film. Akbar had affection towards Jodha and married her inspite of her being a hindu. Aiswariya showed the submissiveness of Rajput women in the film. Again where there was a sequence of sword fighting she fought with the sword at length with Hrithik.


The royal nature of the badshahs (emperors) existing at that time was depicted by Hrithik. Both Aiswariya and Hrithik did were gorgeous constumes. Both the performers had given elegant lips in the song picturised in the film. Aiswariya also displayed her religious feelings in the film. The viewers expect both of them to perform together with the same spirit in films in future.

By: CR Chatterji.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery


Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles
• Aishwarya Rai in 2008
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Awards of Aishwariya Rai:

Awards of Aishwariya Rai:

Aishwaria Rai is probably the first actress of bollywood films who started her career after winning beauty contests and proving her acting capability after performing in big banner films. All the rest of the actresses including Susmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and others had followed her path and became successful in bollywood films.

The fact that Aiswariya knew the art of acting and developed it all along her career is evident from the awards she had received and the nominations she had received for performing in different films. She won the filmfare best actress award for her brilliant performance in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam directed by Sanjay Leela Banshali. She showed her attachment with Salman Khan who came to her house to learn Indian classical music from her father. She could not marry her and married Ajay Devgan according to the hindu convention of arranged marriage. He never forgot Salman and the frustration displayed by her impressed the viewers and she received the best actress award for the film.


She again won the filmfare award for the best actress for her performance in the film Devdas, opposite Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. She played the role of Parvati which was the legendary role once played by famous actress Suchitra Sen in Bimla Roy’s Devdas in 1955. Sanjay Leela Banshali reoriented Sarat Chandra Chatterji’s story to suit the taste of the present generation and Aiswariya exhibited her frustration after being married to another person inspite of loving Devdas and seeing Devdas getting addicted to alcohol and killing himself. Even Chandramukhi’s (Madhuri Dixit’s) effort could not save Devdas.


If we look at the nominations she had received for filmfare award for best actress we will find that she had provided decent performance in many films. She was nominated for best actress for the film Taal, in 1999, (opposite Anil Kapoor and Akshay Khanna), Hamara Dil Aapke Pass Hai in 2000, (opposite Anil Kapoor), Mohabbatein in 2001, (opposite Shahrukh Khan), Raincoat in 2004, Dhoom -2 in 2006 (opposite Hrithik Roshan), Guru in 2007 (opposite Abhishek Bacchan). This year may be her performance in Jodha Akbar can lead to nomination for the same award once more. The statistics show that it is not only glamour, but also strong performance that had created a distance between Aishariya Rai and most other actresses. Viewers expect her to continue the good work in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery


Related Reading

• Aishwarya Rai – the dynamic actress of bollywood.
• Awards of Aishwariya Rai
• Aiswariya and Hrithik
• Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Films
• Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bacchan
• Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles
• Aishwarya Rai in 2008
• Aishwarya Rai and Anil Kapoor

Abhishek Bacchan and Rani Mukherjee.

Abhishek Bacchan and Rani Mukherjee.

Abhishek and Rani had formed a successful combination and complimented each other in the bollywood films that they had acted together. Rani Mukherjee had been one of the most talented actresses of recent times and showed her potentiality in acting in role of a blind girl in the film Black.

Both Abhishek and Rani had very well in the film Bunty Aur Babli. The film relates to a story of two persons who are not interested to live a secured life by sticking to one job and continuing with it. They had led a unstable life and went on getting involved in cases relating to cheating, criminal misappropriation, etc.


But due to application of their wisdom, they never got caught and the police always reached the scene of occurrence after their act was over. The songs in the film were extremely successful like “chote chote shaharon me”, “mera chain wain sab ujra”, etc. Aishwaria Rai gave an amazing performance in the item number “karja re” in the film.

Eventually Big B arrested both of them when Abhishek for the first time bought a train ticket and was thinking in terms of living a life with honesty. But as Rani Mukherjee already gave birth to a child, Big B fell sympathetic and allowed both of them to escape from the goods train where he caught them.


Both of them were appreciated for their performances in the film Yuva. Yuva was based on the story of young students at the backdrop of unrest existing in Kolkata. The students got involved in the unrest either by themselves or they were dragged into the incidents. Notable roles were played by Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi in addition to Rani and Abhishek.


The song in the film “kabhi neem neem” picturised on Rani and Abhishek became a big hit. The other successful film of the leading pair, include Bus Itna Sa Khwab Hai. Last year Rani Mukherjee showed her skills even in Laga Chunari Me Daag which was bsed on life of women in Benaras. The viewers expect both Rani and Abhishek to act together again in bollywood films in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Abhishek Bacchan – the promising actor of recent bollywood films.
• Rani Mukherjee – the versatile actress of bollywood.

Govinda – the cheerful actor of bollywood.

Govinda – the cheerful actor of bollywood.

Govinda had entertained the viewers of bollywood films for the last 20 years with his cheerful performance. In Ankhen, he performed in a serio-comic film with Chunky Pandey, where they saw the murder of the Chief Minister played by Raj Babbar and the the imposter who sat in his chair after changing his face with plastic surgery. The comedy performance of Kader Khan and Sadashiv Amrapurkar impressed the viewers in the film. Govinda was elegant in the action sequences at the end of the film.

In Andolan, he played the role of the younger brother of Sanjay Dutt, who had studied abroad after his father had provide all the savings of his life for his higher education. He returned as an engineer and saw the corruption in the society. Sanjay also got involved in unlawful acts to take revenge against the people who were liable for the murder of his father. Although both the brothers had different ideologies they raised their voice against the influential persons who had been involved in corruption.


Last year Govinda acted opposite Salman Khan in the comedy film Partner. He played the role of a casual character who never knew the art of approaching a woman and got training for it from Salman. He had an affair with Katrina Kaif and Salman was associated with Lara Dutta. Govinda was involved in stupid acts but was able to convince Katrina with his funny acts. The songs in the film “Do you want a partner”, “maria maria”, etc., were all successful.

Govinda previously had acted in a number of comedy films like Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, with Sanjay, Deewana Mastana,with Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, Haseena Maan Jayegi with Sanjay Dutt,etc.


His performance with Big B and Madhuri Dixit in the film Bare Miya chote Miya was well appreciated by the audience. The songs in that film “kihi disko me jay”, “bare miya”, etc., became successful.

With successful films like Hero No. 1, Jis Desh Me Ganga Rehti Hai, Ghanwali Baharwali, Raja Babu, etc., Govinda established himself as a master entertainer. The viewers expect him to continue his good work in the years to come.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Shaan – the effortless singer of bollywood.

Shaan – the effortless singer of bollywood.

Shantanu Mukherjee, better known as Shaan, born in 1972, was born in a musical family with his father Manas Mukherjee being a successful music composer in West Bengal and his sister Sagarika also being a singer. In Parinda, in 1989, he got a scope of singing only a line of the song “kitni hai pyari pyari dosti hamari”, as a child singer.

He created an impression in the minds of music lovers with his performance in music albums like “Q Funk” and “Tanha Dil.” But he stormed into bollywood films with his spirited performance of the song “koi kahe kehta rahe” in the film Dil Chahta Hai.

From there he never looked back. His song “dus bahane” from the film Dus was a very big hit. He won the filmfare award for the best male playback singer for singing the song “chaand sifarish” from the film Fanna, picturised on Amir Khan. The film was successful with strong performance from both Amir Khan and Kajol.


Shaan was also the host of the popular Musical show in TV Channel titled “Sa re ga ma pa” where the talented singers faced each other in musical competition and the judges provided their valuable comments on their singing. Shaan was very supportive towards the participants and became exceeding popular before the audience of TV shows.

Shaan once again showed the magic of his voice with the song “jab se tere naina’ in the film Sawaria, where Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor had made notable contribution in their first film and Shaan also won the filmfare award for the best male playback singer once again in 2008.


Shaan is presently the most promising male playback singer after Sonu Nigam and after facing strong competition from other playback singers for sometime had emerged as one of the leading singers of the present generation. The producers and directors have a lot of faith in Shaan.

With hit songs under his credit in films like Laksh, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Don, etc., Shaan is expected to do even better in the years to come.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Amitabh and Parveen Babi.

Amitabh and Parveen Babi.

Amitabh Bacchan in his successful career provided superhit films in combination with a number of leading actresses of 70s and 80s including Jaya Bacchan, Rekha, Zeenat Aman, Hema Malini, etc. Parveen Babi also formed a very successful pair opposite Big B and most of their films celebrated golden jubilees.


They acted together for the first time in the film Majboor, in 1974, where Big B had a disease in his brain and got involved in a false case to help his needy family with monetary compensation on his death. When his doctor gave him the assurance that he will live, he unearthed the truth and identified the actual wrongdoer. Parveen Babi ably supported Big B in the film. Pran also acted very well in the film.

Both of them were successful in Dewaar. Although Big B had the major role, Parveen Babi accompanied him even knowing that he was involved in unlawful acts and was wanted by the police. Both of them died in the film, with Parveen Babi being killed by Madan Puri’s men and Big B being shot by Shashi Kapoor, his brother playing the role of the police officer in the film, during an encounter.


Both of them were sublime in the film Amar Akbar Anthony, where Big B played a seriocomic role. Parveen Babi played the role of the daughter of Jeevan who was kidnapped by Pran and brought up like a daughter. The songs picturised on Big B in the film including “my name is Anthony Gonzalves”, “humko tumse ho gaya hai pyar kya kare”, sung by Kishore and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal became everlasting hits. Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna also did very well in the film.


Both Big B and Parveen Babi were very successful in the film Shaan. Although it was an action film with Shatrughun Sinha and Shashi Kapoor also complimenting Big B in their fight against Kulbhushan who played the role of Shakaal, Parveen Babi matched Big B in the romantic portion of the film. The songs picturised on them including “pyar karnewale”, “janu meri jaan” composed by RD Burman became very successful.

Both of them appeared in other hit films like Khuddar, Do Aur Do Paanch, Kalia, etc. These films should be preserved as the viewers still enjoy the performance of the legendary combination even today.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• The megastar of the Millenium - Amitabh Bacchan
• Parveen Babi – the stylish actress of bollywood.

Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla.

Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla.

Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla performed together in a number of films and were accepted by the Indian audience as a romantic pair. They started their journey with film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988.

The film involved a romantic relationship between teenagers who had to face a number of social obstacles. The songs composed by Anand Milind in the film played a big role in the success of the film including songs like “akele hai”, “papa kehte hai bara naam karega” sung by Udit Narayan and others.


The same pair again featured in the film Ishq, where Kajol and Ajay Devgan were the other performers. The film was based on the story of a rich father played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar who hated poor people. But Ajay Devgan, his son entered into an affair with Kajol, who came from a middle-class family. In case of Amir and Juhi initially they were involved in a number of quarrels as they visited Ooty and the differences transpired into love at the end of the film. The songs in the film “ishq hua, kaise hua”, etc., became very very successful. Also the action sequence in the film caught the attraction of the crowd.


Amir and Juhi were also successful in the film Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke. It involved the romantic relationship between them and the story of rearing up of a number of children who stayed with them. The songs in the film like “ghunghar ke aar pe dil barkha” became very very successful.


From the mid-90s, Amir reduced his performance in the major number of films and he performed in only selective roles. Juhi reduced her performance and sometimes featured in character roles. The viewers still expect the pair to perform together in more films in the years to come.

By: Rumi Chatteri.

Related Reading

• Amir Khan – the decent actor of bollywood.
• Juhi Chawla – the natural actress of bollywood.

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.

Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh were accepted as a successful romantic pair in the bollywood films of the 70s. They performed very well in the film Khel Khel Me, where by having a sport the college students including Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, Rakesh Roshan entered into trouble where a group of lawbreakers headed by Dev Kumar involved them. Rishi and Neetu gave adequate lips in the songs of the film “ek mai aur ke too”, “humne tumko dekha” etc., composed by RD Burman.


Both of them did very well in the film Kabhi Kabhi in 1975. Although Amitabh and Rakhee played the role of the first generation, Rishi and Neetu displayed teenage romance also in the film. Amitabh played the role of a poet who had amazed Rakhee during her student life but could not marry her. Rakhee married and Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor played the role of his son. The songs composed by Khayyam became landmark hits including “kabhi kabhi mere dil me”, sung by Mukesh and Lata, “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon”, sung by Mukesh, etc.


Probably the pair was most successful in the film Amar Akbar Anthony, released in 1977. It was a multi-starrer film directed by Manmohan Desai, where the three brothers played by big B, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor were separated and came to know each other at the end of the film. Rishi Kapoor played the role of a qawalli singer and gave excellent lips in the songs of the film including “parda hai parda”, “shirdiwali saibaba” sung by Rafi and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Neetu Singh was the daughter of Mukri who never wanted her to get married to Rishi Kapoor. The romantic performance of Rishi Kapoor balanced the personality of Vinod Khanna and comedy performance of Big B.


Both of them also acted in the film Rafoo Chakkar. It was a comedy film where Rishi Kapoor even pretended to be a girl and Paintal made a significant contribution in the film.

Neetu Singh left films after marrying Rishi Kapoor, otherwise the pair could have featured in other films as well. The viewers expect them to perform together in character roles in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Rishi Kapoor- The romantic personality of Bollywood


• Neetu Singh – the spontaneous actress of bollywood.

Rafi and Dilip Kumar.

Rafi and Dilip Kumar.

Tragedy King Dilip Kumar had been the only actor of the 40s and 50s who had created admirers in every decade and even the present generation has tremendous respect for the living legend for his capability of choosing respectable roles all through his career. Rafi had been instrumental in nurturing the respectability that Dilip Kumar had developed the years.


In Uran Khatola, in 1955, Naushad’s composition for Rafi titled “who door ke musafir” had amazed the audience. Dilip Kumar’s tragic andaz was unparallel in the film. Similarly the classical andaz of Naushad and Rafi in the song “madhuban me radhika nachere” from the film Kohinoor was bolstered by strong lips of Dilip Kumar. He even made the harkats taken by Rafi look lively. Dilip Kumar was even brilliant in the ghazal sung by Rafi in the same film titled “do sitaron ka zamee par hai milan aaj ki raat”, where Lata and Meena Kumari were equally elegant.


In Dil Diya Dard Liya, all the songs sung by Rafi and picturised on Dilip Kumar like “sawan aye ya na aye”, “dilruba maine tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi” were masterpieces. Probably Naushad, Rafi and Dilip Kumar were at their best in that film.

The same standard of excellence was displayed in the film Ram Aur Shyam, where the songs “aaj ki raat mere”, “ayi hai bahare”, etc. were melodious and Dilip Kumar entertained the crowd with his romantic andaz.


The songs of Leader, sung by Rafi, including “ek shahenshah ne”, “teri husn ka kya tareef karun”, “aapni azaadi ko hum hargeez mita sakte nahi” were milestones in the history of bollywood music. Dilip Kumar was successful instilling patriotism in the minds of numerous Indians.

For over 30 years Rafi and Dilip Kumar had created history, and it is not possible to highlight their great work in a small article. The songs and the films should be preserved and restored for immense musical value.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Immortal Ghazals sung by Mohammad Rafi.
• Awards received by Mohammad Rafi in his illustrious career.
• Mohammad Rafi- the greatest voice of the last century.
• Rahul Dev Burman’s immense respect for Mohammad Rafi.
• Laxmikant Pyarellal’s immortal relationship with Mohamand Rafi.
• OP Nayyar’s immortal relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Salil Chowdhury’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Ravi’s memorable combination with Rafi.
• Roshan's everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi.
• SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi.
• Rafi’s pleasant memories with Madanmohan.
• Khayyam and Jaidev’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.
• Naushad’s association with Rafi.
• Rafi and Jeetender
• Rajender Kumar and Mohammed Rafi
• Dev Anand and Rafi.
  

Poonam Dhillon - the sweet performer of bollywood.

Poonam Dhillon - the sweet performer of bollywood.

Poonam Dhillon featured in a number of films in the late 70s and 80s, but made her presence felt with her sweet performance during her short career. She attracted the attention of the viewers with her performance in the film Noorie opposite Farooq Sheikh.

Noorie was a romantic story of Farroq Sheikh and Poonam Dhillon which was picturised on the foothills of the himalayas. The music of the film was the added attraction for the viewers. Poonam got a notable role in the film Sitamgar opposite Rishi Kapoor where Dharmender played a prominent role. The song in the film "mausam pyar ka" picturised on Rishi Kapoor and Poonam Dhillon was a big hit.


Her film oppposiet Sunny Deol titled Samundar was also was successful. It was a crime thriller where Amrish Puri played an important role as a villain. Sunny's rellatives weer killed by him and came to know about it at the end of the film. the scenic beauty exhibited in the film by pictursing scenes around beaches were well appreciated by film lovers. Poonam dhillon was sublime in her romantic performance in the film.


She also did well in Teri Meherbaniya, opposite Jackie Shroff. The film involved the story of Jackie Shroff being killed by Amrish Puri and his men and his pet dog taking revenge against them after his death. The film had a unique story and caught the attention of viewers.

Her other successful films include Yeh Wada Raha. She faded away from the film industry in the 90s. The viewers expect her to make notable contribution in character roles in future.

Lata and Hema Malini.

Lata and Hema Malini.

Lata Mangeshkar had dominated bollywood music for more than 50 years. Nearly all the leading actresses of bollywood films from Madhubala to Madhuri Dixit had been indebted to the legendary singer. Hema Malini had also given lips in numerous landmark hits of Lata.

In Naya Zamana, the title song of the film composed by SD Burman and picturised on Hema Malini was a big hit. Dharmender played the central character in the film. In the film Gora Aur Kala, the song “dheere dheere bol koi sun na le” sung by Lata and Mukesh, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and picturised on Hema Malini and Rajender Kumar was also successful.


In Seeta Aur Geeta, Hema Malini gave lips on successful songs of Lata composed by RD Burman, including “ek ladka mujhe kal raat sapno me mili”. Hema Malini was sublime in Sholay and all the songs sung by Lata and composed by Rd Burman were successful. The song “jab tak hai jaan” was not only melodious but also showed the choreographic skills of the legendary dancer.


Lata also sang semi-classical songs for Hema Malini in films of Gulzar, including Kinara, where the song of Lata and Bhupinder Singh titled “naam gum jayega, chehera yeh badal jayega”, is considered one of the most quality songs of that period, where the powerful lyrics of Gulzar had matched the class of composition of RD Burman. Jeetender and Hema Malini got the role of their life in Kinara, where Dharmender played the role of the husband of Hema Malini who got killed in a road accident against the car of Jeetender.


Even in the film Abhinetri, Lata’s song “sa re ga ma pa”, picturised on Hema Malini was a big hit. Shashi Kapoor acted opposite Hema Malini in the film. The combination of Lata and Hema was successful also in the film Johny Mera Naam, Raja Jani, Jugnu, etc., where the songs have become immortal over the years.

The songs and the films should be restored for the future generations.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Lata Mangeshkar – the uncrowned queen of Indian playback singing
• Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Shahid Kapoor - the soft performer of bollywood.

Shahid Kapoor - the soft performer of bollywood.

Shahid Kapoor had performed well in the recent films in bolywood over the last few years. He had shown his soft style of performance which created his separate identity. Besides he is aso a good dancer.

He started his career with the film Ishq Vishq opposite actress Amrita Rao. He showed his acting potentiality in the film Fida oppoiste Kareena apoor and Fardeen Khan. In 36 China Town he played the role of a friend of Kareena Kapoor who were involved in a murder mystery. A murder took place at 36 China Town and Akshay Khanna, who played the role of the detective in the film investigated the murder.


There were lot of other persons who entered 36 China Town for different reasons, including Paresh Rawal. It took time for Akshay Khanna to investigate the murder as he could not find the motive initially. Shahid Kapoor and Kareena were also examined and questions were framed against them to unearth the truth. Ultimately it was found that the servants in teh house had murdered the owner.

Shahid Kapoor did very well i teh film Chup Chup Ke. It was a comedy film, where Shahid Kapoor pretended to be dumb. Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and Rajpal adav did very well in their respective roles. Shahid Kapoor and Rajpal Yadav weer left in the house of Om Puri and Sunil Shetty as Paresh Rawal could not pay the dues to Om Puri. areena was also dumb and stayed in that house. At the endof the film it was found that Shahid Kapoor could speak as well.


The other hjit films of Shahid Kapoor incldude Vivah and Jab We Met. Kareena Kapoor received the filmfare award for the best actress for her performance in Jab We Met. Shahid Kapoor did well in the romatic role and showed his dancing skills in the song "dil mocha hi mocha". The other song in the film "yeh ishq kya hai" was also successful.

The viewers expect Shahid Kapoor to continue his good work in bollywood films in the years to come.

OP Nayyar and Asha Bhosle.

OP Nayyar and Asha Bhosle.

OP Nayyar had been known over the years for his unconventional composition of music during the golden age of bollywood films, that is, 50s and 60s. If Rafi was his first choice during that period, he had also shown his liking towards Samshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhosle. In the 60s it was Asha Bhosle all the way.


Asha’s songs in Phir Wahi Dil Laya Hoon, picturised on Asha Parekh, like “zulf ki chayonme chehre ka ujala lekar”, “aankho se jo utri”, “nazni bara rangeen hai wada tera” with Rafi became evergreen hit. Rafi sang the songs in the most stylish manner for Joy Mukherjee. Similarly Asha’s songs in Kashmir Ki Kali, in 1964, picturised on Sharmila Tagore like “isharo isharo me”, “diwana hua badal”, etc., created the romantic mood of the film which was supplemented by fantastic location of Kashmir. Rafi had always created magic for Shammi Kapoor, and as such his songs in the film like “yeh chaand sa roshan chehra”, “kisi na kisi se”, “yeh duniya usi ki” became landmark hits. OP Nayyar was probably at his best in the mid -60s, and all these films had appealed to the masses during that period.


Asha Bhosle was sublime even in Ek Musafir Ek Haseena, where the songs were picturised on Sadhna. The notable songs include “aap yuhi agar humse milte rahe”, “bahut shukriya bari meherbani”, “msi pyar ka rahi hoon” where sung duet songs with Rafi. The songs were very successful and went a big way in establishing the career of Asha Bhosle at a time when Lata was dominating the film industry and there were other singers like Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur, Sudha Malhotra, etc., who made significant contribution to bollywood music.


Asha was used by OP Nayyar for even singing songs based on intoxication. The song “yeh reshmi” in Mere Sanam, picturised on Mumtaz, “ayo huzur tumko” picturised on Babita became big hits. Besides Asha’s performance in Mere Sanam in songs like “jayie aap”, “humne to dilko aapke kadmo pe rakh diya” with Rafi picturised on Asha Parekh and Biswajeet, had become immortal over the years. OP Nayyar’s stylish westernised andaz was bolstered by strong performance of both Rafi and Asha, and if 10 best songs of Asha are chosen in her career, at least 5 songs will be the compositions of OP Nayyar, the legendary composer. The songs and the films should be restored for their musical value.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Asha Bhosle – the dynamic singer of bollywood.

Pooja Batra – the aggressive actress of bollywood.

Pooja Batra – the aggressive actress of bollywood.

Pooja Batra was a model who turned into actress by capitalizing on her chances in bollywood films. She caught the attention of producers by wining beauty contests and in the late 90s created a mark for herself with aggressive performance in the respective films.

She showed her skills in the film Virasat opposite Anil Kapoor. She played the role of a foreigner who had attachment with Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor brought her from foreign country and was interested to marry her. But unfortunately his father died and he had the responsibility to run the family and look after the village property. He ultimately married Tabu, a village girl, who was simple and docile. Pooja Batra displayed her amazement on seeing the unique things that happen in Indian villages.


Pooja Batra got a challenging role in Sunil Shetty’s Bhai. She was married to Sunil Shetty and disliked his activities relating to unlawful things. She even kept her child onb the doorstep to prevent Sunil Shetty to engage in those activities and create more ememies in the society. Sunil Shetty refused to hear her. Her role was in contrast to the role of Sonali Bendre in the same film who supported Sunil Shetty in his war against the perpetrators of crime.

In Haseena Maan Jayegi, she performed opposite Sanjay Dutt and Govinda in a comedy film. Both Sanjay and Govinda told lies one after the other and that led to their success in getting hostage and also acquiring property.


Pooja Batra performed the role of a journalist in the film Nayak, opposite Anil Kapoor, where the role of the central actress of was played by Rani Mukherjee. Pooja Batra took serious interview of Anil Kapoor who performed the duties of a Chief Minister for one day after Amrish Puri gave him a challenge saying that criticizing a CM is easy but performing his duties is difficult.

Pooja Batra also performed in films like Kahin Pyar Ho Na Jaye, Farz, Khatti Meethi, etc. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in bollywood films in future.

Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab.

Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab.

In the early 70s, some of the directors of bollywood films made films which were related to the life of the middle-class persons in India. Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab generally performed in those types of films which had realistic treatment.

Both Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab did well in the film Chitchor, directed by Basu Chatterji. The film was shot at colourful locations in forests, where Zarina Wahab, a girl from a lower middle-class family fell in love with Amol Palekar. Master Raju also did very well in the film. Besides the music composed in the film by Ravindra Jain tied the theme of the film together. Yesudas and Hemlata sang the songs in the film very well including the song like “tu jo mere sur me”, etc., became very successful.


Both Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab did extremely well in the film Gharonda. They had an affair after Amol Palekar tried to establish himself in Bombay. The acute job crisis was depicted in the film and for those persons who had come from other areas with the dream that there were lot of avenues in the western part of India realised the practical situation. Gulzar had written lyrics in the songs picturised in the film and he expressed the reality with his classic words “in umra se lambi sarkon ko, manzil pe pahucte dekha nahi”. The song was titled “ek akela is shahar me” sung by Bhupinder Singh and composed by the legendary composer Jaidev.


During the first part of the film when the reality was not known, Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab expressed their feelings with the songs “tumhe hona ho, mujhko to” sung by Runa Laila and “do diwane shahr me, raatme aur do pahar me” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Runa Laila. The excellent words were written by Gulzar. Jaidev probably gave his best in the film. Shreeram Lagoo provided very memorable performance in the film.


Very significantly these films reached out to the mass and became hits in the mid 70s. the films were cherished by the middle-class people who had identified themselves with the characters of Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab. These films should be restored and preserved.

By: CR Chatterji.

Dev Anand and Rafi.

Dev Anand and Rafi.

Whenever Rafi’s name is used in relation to bollywood films, mainly he is associated with either Dilip Kumar or Guru Dutt, or Shammi Kapoor, who were generally associated with classical composers like Naushad or westernised composers like Shankar Jaikishan.

The combination of Rafi with Dev Anand is overlooked as Dev Anand also gave lips in songs sung by Talat Mehmood, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar.


The immortal songs of Rafi that were picturised on Dev Anand include “abhi na jao chor kar”, “kabhi khud pe kabhi halat pe rona aya’, “mai zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya”, composed by Jaidev in the film Hum Dono. Shankar Jaikishan gave all the songs of Asli Nakli, picturised on Dev Anand to Rafi including “ tujhe jeevan ki dor me”, “ek but banaunga”, etc. It was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and music played an important role in the success of the film.


The other successful songs of Rafi picturised on Dev Anand include “jiya ho jiya ho hiya kuch bol do”, “yeh anakhe”, “teri zulfo ki”, “sau saal pehle hume tumse pyar tha” from the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, composed by Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs were superhits, just like any other composition of Shankar Jaikishan. Even SJ’s composition for Dev Anand and Rafi in the film Pyar Muhabbat, with songs like “pyar muhabbat”, “sun sun sun re balam”, etc., were evergreen and successful.


OP Nayyar always admired Rafi and in CID, the song picturised on Dev Anand titled “ankho hi ankho me ishara ho gaya” became everlasting hit. Lastly SD Burman also known for his folk tunes, had provided immortal tunes to Rafi in Dev Anand’s films. The notable songs include “tere mere sapne”, “din dhal jaye”, “kya se kya ho gaya” from the film Guide; “dekho rutha na karo”, “dil ka bhanwar kare pukar”, “tere ghar ke saamne”, from the film Tere Ghar Ke Saamne; “hum bekhudhi me tumko pukare” from Kala Pani; “khoya khoya chaand” from Kala Bazar.

Although Dev Anand did give lips in less number of songs sung by Rafi in comparison to Rajender Kumar or Joy Mukherjee, but nearly all the songs sung by Rafi for Dev Anand had entertained the audience and became immortal over the years. The songs should be restored for the new generation.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Immortal Ghazals sung by Mohammad Rafi.
• Awards received by Mohammad Rafi in his illustrious career.
• Mohammad Rafi- the greatest voice of the last century.
• Rahul Dev Burman’s immense respect for Mohammad Rafi.
• Laxmikant Pyarellal’s immortal relationship with Mohamand Rafi.
• OP Nayyar’s immortal relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Salil Chowdhury’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Ravi’s memorable combination with Rafi.
• Roshan's everlasting bond with Mohammad Rafi.
• SD Burman and Mohammad Rafi.
• Rafi’s pleasant memories with Madanmohan.
• Khayyam and Jaidev’s relationship with Mohammad Rafi.
• Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.
• Naushad’s association with Rafi.
• Rafi and Jeetender
• Rajender Kumar and Mohammed Rafi
  

Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore.

Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore.

Sanjeev Kumar became a an indispensable actor in the mid-70s and made notable contribution in commercial films like Sholay, parallel cinema like Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj ki Khiladi, and refined commercial films of Gulzar like Aandhi. But he was also accepted as a romantic actor by the viewers of 70s and 80s.

With Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar amazed the audience with his brilliant performance in Gulzar’s Mausam in 1975. He was a doctor who came to Darjeeling during his student life. Sharmila’s father played by Om Shiv Puri treated him, and from that time he was associated with Sharmila. But he went to do further studies abroad when Sharmila gave birth to a daughter. As Sanjeev Kumar did not return back Sharmila lost her mental balance and her daughter which was also played by Sharmila ended up earning her livelihood in a Kotha. The mother died eventually.


Sanjeev Kumar returned back to Darjeeling at an old age, and recollected his memory with the song “dil dhoonta hai” sung by Bhupinder Singh and composed by Madanmohan. He took Sharmila (the daughter) with him at the end of the film. The film had a memorable appeal in the minds of the viewers and still remains as one of the most refined films Gulzar had ever made.


Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila again performed together in Gulzar’s film Namkeen. Sanjeev Kumar was a truck driver and during his journey came to Sharmila’s house. Sharmila was the eldest of the three sisters who were brought by a widow played by Wahida Rehman. Sharmila’s sister played by Shabana Azmi was even dumb.


The family faced extreme poverty and Sanjeev Kumar was sympathetic towards them. He was even impressed with the maturity of Sharmila Tagore who was running the family in someway or the other. The film was totally based on realistic touch and the performance of all the actors was natural.

The same pair also performed in Basu Bhattacharya’s Grihaprabesh, in a film related to complex relationship between husband and wife. The films of Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore should be preserved as cine-classics as they provide a lot of filmic value for the new generation.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Sanjeev Kumar - the dynamic actor bollywood
• Sharmila Tagore- Soft romantic actress of bollywood

Raj Kapoor and Nargis.

Raj Kapoor and Nargis.

Raj Kapoor and Nargis are probably the first established pair in bollywood films who had created a significant impact in romantic films in bollywood. Their journey started with Barsaat, in 1949, although Raj Kapoor made an experiment in the film Aag, in 1947.

In Awara, Raj Kapoor played the role of the song of famous Advocate played by Prithviraj Kapoor, who was brought up in slums as his father refused to accept his mother after she was taken away by KN Singh, a famous lawbreaker in the film. Raj Kapoor was compelled to indulge in unlawful activities and he became a thief. Ultimately Nargis pleaded his case in Court of law. Raj Kapoor gave a strong message to the viewers that human beings are the product of the environment in which they are brought up and bad environment can even spoil a person from a good family background. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan, like “awara hoon” sung by Mukesh, “ghar aya mera pardesi”, sung by Lata became everlasting hits.


Both of them did very well in the film Shri 420, where Raj Kapoor showed the social degeneration in the early 50s, through his comedy instincts. He had an affair with Nargis, but when he was given good job by Nargis, he entered the business world where the profits were extracted by unlawful means. The songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan, like “mur mur ken a dekh” sung by Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle,” “ramaiya vasta mayia” sung by Rafi, Mukesh, Lata, became very very successful.


Raj Kapoor and Nargis also acted in romantic films like Chori Chori, where the story line is similar to Hollywood film Roman Holiday. Nargis left her house to avoid being married to a person who was chosen by her father. Raj Kapoor, helped her on the way and ultimately reached her safely to her father. Again the music composition of Shankar Jaikishan and songs of Lata and Manna Dey, like “aja sanam”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, played a big role in the success of the film.


Raj Kapoor and Nargis acted in other successful films like Jagte Raho, Aah, etc., and whenever the audience had found both of them in romantic roles, they associated themselves with the characters of the film. Most of their films have classical touch and should be restored and preserved for the new generation.

By: CR Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Raj Kapoor - The greatest showman of Bollywood
• Nargis – the legendary actress of bollywood.