Rafi and Manoj Kumar.

Rafi and Manoj Kumar.

During the 50s, 60s and early 70s, Rafi’s songs had created a significant impact in the minds of the viewers and the music-lovers of the country. He had dung majority of songs for all the leading actors of silver screen during that age. Even those actors who were involved with other singers did give lips in many songs sung by Rafi.

Manoj Kumar was mainly associated with Mahendra Kapoor and Mukesh. Mahendra Kapoor’s songs like “mere desh ki dharti”, “rang de basanti chola”, etc., had helped Manoj Kumar to created his patriotic image in Indian films. Mukesh’s songs like “tauba yeh matwali chaal”, “ek pyar ka nagma hai”, had been very very successful and Manoj Kumar also received acclamation from the viewers for his performance in these songs.

Rafi as usual had sung very melodious songs for Manoj Kumar. In the film Shahid, the song “ai watan ai watan”, can be considered as one of the most memorable songs of Rafi which had patriotic flavour. Rafi sang a number of hit songs in Manoj Kumar’s film Patthar Ke Sanam.

The title song “patthar ke sanam” composed by LP became superhit in the late 60s. At the same time Rafi’s song in the film Do Badan titled “bhari duniya me akhir kyun”, composed by Ravi, had made significant impact in the minds of the viewers.

Rafi was brilliant in the films Purab Aur Paschim, Gumnaam, etc. In Gumnaam, Shankar Jaikishan composed hit songs for Rafi that were picturised on Manoj Kumar including “o mere maan”, “ek larki ne”, etc.

The songs and the films should be restored for immense musical value.

Kareena and Karishma Kapoor.

Kareena and Karishma Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor had a different beginning in bollywood films than Karishma Kapoor, her elder sister. Kareena Kapoor started her career in the JP Dutta’s successful film Refugee, and also acted opposite leading actors like Abhishek Bacchan, Jaickie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, etc. Karishma Kapoor on the other hand had started her career with the film Prem Qaidi, which was not a famous film and also not directed under a big banner.

Kareena Kapoor also had acted in successful films like Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Ashoka, which were new ventures and the directors and producers had made great effort in launching the new actors and actresses in these films. Kareena also was blessed with good music in her career, with songs like “mujhe kuch kehna hai”, “rabba meri rabba”, from the film Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, “panchi nadiya”, “mere humsafar mere humsafar” from the film Refuge, all becoming landmark hits.

Karishma Kapoor on the other hand had to struggle in the early part of her career, and proved her callibre after performing well in Dharmesh Darshan’s romantic film Raja Hindustani opposite Amir Khan. She also won the filmfare best actress award for her performance in the film. She did well in the film Bibi No. 1 opposite Salman Khan where he was involved with Sushmita Sen and Karishma had to take the help of Anil Kapoor and Tabu to prove that she was the real housewife and Salman Khan could not have lived peacefully with Sushmita who failed to fulfil any household duties.

The other successful films of Karishma Kapoor include Hum Saath Saath Hai, Fiza, Zubeida, etc. After marriage she stopped performing in bollywood films but had a successful career till now.

Kareena Kapoor had even performed in big bannered films in 2008, including Tashan, and is expected to continue the good work that she had shown in the film Jab We Met, for which she received filmfare award in the last year.

Both of them being granddaughters of Raj Kapoor had a very rich acting background. Karishma Kapor and Kareena Kapoor are expected to continue to act well in the films in future.

Amir Khan songs.

Amir Khan songs

Amir Khan had created a separate identity for himself by acting only in quality films. He always had got good songs in his films and his films became successful due to those reasons too.

The songs in his film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, opposite Juhi Chawla, became extremely popular in the late 80s. The songs were composed by Anand Milind and mostly sung by Udit Narayan. The songs “ai mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai bara naam karega”, stormed bollywood in 1988. It was also a turning point in the career of Udit Narayan.

Amir Khan established himself as a romantic actor and the songs in romantic films had always entertained the audience. The songs in the film Dil, opposite Madhuri Dixit, including “hum pyar karne wale”, became big hit.

Also the songs in the film Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, opposite Juhi Chawla, became superhit. The film was related to the relation of Amir Khan with children who contributed a lot in the film. The song “ghunghat ke aarpe dil barkha” was melodious and became extremely successful.


Also the songs in the film Mann, where Manisha Koirala acted opposite Amir Khan became extremely successful. The song “mera dil kyun tumhe chahe” sung by Udit Narayan was the biggest hit in the year.

Amir Khan also did well in the film Ghulam, opposite Rani Mukherjee. The film also had action sequences, but the music of the film was one of the main attractions. The song “jadu hai, tera hi jadu”, became very popular. The other films of Amir Khan where music played a major role include Sarfarosh, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, Taren Zameen Par, etc.


The viewers expect Amir Khan to continue his good work both as an actor and director and continue to provide good performance in melodious songs picturised on him in the quality films that he is involved with.

By: CR Chatterji.

Neha Dhupia - the decent performer of bollywood.

Neha Dhupia - the decent performer of bollywood.

Neha Dhupia had been successful in her short career in bollywood films till now. She belonged to the family of Indian Navy as her father was Commander in the Indian navy. She participated in Miss Universe competition and kept her mark.

She started her career by performing in the serial Rajdhani. She acted in the film Jab Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya, in the early part of her career. She acted in the film Rakht, opposite Dino Morea, where she was ill-treated by her husband. Amrita Arora was found missing one night and the help of Bipasha Basu was required to find her out. It was a suspense thriller where Neha Dhupia was impressive with her performance.

She did very well in the film Chup Chup Ke, where she played the role of the cousin sister of Kareena Kapoor, who was dumb. Shahid Kapoor pretended to be dumb in the film and worked in the house of Om Puir, along with Rajpal Yadav as Paresh Rawal could not pay the debts of Om Puri and left his servants in exchange.

Ultimately, Kareena married Shahid Kapoor, but Neha Dhupia played a significant role in communicating between both the parties and also persuading Sunil Shetty (the brother of Kareen Kapoor) to be tolerant towards Shahid Kapoor.

The other important films of Neha Dhupia include Shootout at Lokhandwala, Kya Kool Hai Hum, etc. The viewers expect her to continue her good work in the films in future.

Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee.

Anil Kapoor And Rani Mukherjee

Anil Kapoor had successful combination with most of the leading actresses of the 80s and 90s, as he had steady box-office all along his career. Rani Mukherjee had shown her acting capability in the last 10 years and has been considered as one of the most versatile performers of the recent time.

Both of them acted together in the film Nayak. Anil Kapoor was a journalist in the film who got a scope of interviewing the Chief Minister of the state, played by Amrish Puri. He was bold enough to ask questions relating to performance of the ministry and the development of the state.


The CM had no proper answer to provide and he fumbled with the responses. At the end he said he could have passed an ordinance and made the journalist a CM for a day, and he would also have realised the challenges that the ministry faces.

Anil Kapoor accepted the challenge. He dismissed all those officers who did not work and misused their power during their tenure. He took strong measures against the corrupted businessmen and also the underworld people.


What he did in one day, many governments failed to do in months time. During that period he visited the village of Rani Mukherjee and got impressed with her innocence. Her father never wanted to get her married to him as he did not have secured job. The songs in the film “challo chale mitwa”, sung by Udit Narayan and picturised on Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee, became very successful.

Ultimately Anil Kapoor contested elections as the people in that place compelled him to face it. Even Paresh Rawal insisted on the issue. He won the elections as people saw his honesty and integrity during the tenure of CM for a day. The film was very successful.


Both the performers (Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee) still have a lot of acting left in them and the viewers expect them to act together in more films in future.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Abhishek Bacchan hit songs.

Abhishek Bacchan hit songs

Abhishek Bacchan had a huge challenge of creating his own identity in bollywood films as most of his style was similar to the style of Big B, which happened with lot of other actors too. Abhishek Bacchan had created his own dialogue delivery and mannerism during the last 5 years. He had given lips in many notable songs during the period.

His lips in the songs “mere humsafar, mere humsafar”, “panchi, nadiya, pawan ke jhoke”, “aisa lagta hai” sung by Sonu Nigam and composed by Anu Malik, in the film Refugee, stormed bollywood in the mid-90s. Kareena Kapoor also did very well in the film, and the pair was accepted by the viewers. The film was based on the life of villager who stayed in the border districts of India and helped people to cross the Indian border to travel to Pakistan and come from Pakistan to India. He had helped people for the rightful cause.


His lips in the songs “dharak dharak” sung by Udit Narayan in the film Bunty Aur Babli, was very impressive. He performed opposite Rami Mukherjee in the film and both the stars had acted in a challenging role. Both of them practiced fraud and were involved in unlawful activities. But to the astonishment of lot of people, the police failed to arrest them until Big B caught them at the end of the film. The other song in the film “aisi nazar se”, became extremely successful due to strong lips of Aishwarya Rai who made a guest appearance in the film.

Abhishek Bacchan gave adequate lips in the song “kuch na kaho” from the film Kuch Na Kaho, where Aishwariya Rai was the leading actress. Both of them complimented each other in the film.


Abhishek Bacchan also provided adequate performance in the song “kabhi neem neem”, in the film Yuva, where the main song was sung for Rani Mukherjee. It was film based on the student movement in Kolkata. Abhishek Bacchan was well supported by Vivek Oberoi and Ajay Devgan in the film who were the other leading actors in the film. Abhishek was also sublime in the film Dhoom -2 and Guru.The viewers expect Abhishek Bacchan to continue his good work in the years to come.

Songs in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films.

Songs in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s films

Hrishikesh Mukherjee had directed successful films from the 50s to 90s, and in most of his films music played a significant part. In Anari, Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film, where Raj Kapoor and Nutan played the leading roles. Songs like “sub kuch sikha humne”, “kisiki muskarahato pe ho nisar”, “banke panchi”, etc., sung by Mukesh and Lata became landmark hits in the late 50s.

In Anand, Salil Chowdhury’s composition “zindagi kasi hai paheli”, “kahi door jab din dhal jaye”, sung by Manna Dey and Mukesh and picturised on Rajesh Khanna became extremely popular and the film also became hit. In Abhimaan, the songs “tere mere Milan ki”, “meet na mila”, sung by Kishore Kumar and composed by SD Burman, became hits. Big B and Jaya Bachhan did their best in the film.

In Chupke Chupke, the songs “chupke chupke”, “saregama”, sung by KK, Rafi and Lata, and composed by SD Burman, became very successful. Dharmender, Sharmila Tagore, Big B and Jaya Bacchan were successful to show their comedy impulse in the film which was remake of Uttam Kumar’s hit film Chaddobeshi.

In Golmaal, the songs “anewala pal”, sung by Kishore and composed by RD Burman, became extremely popular in the early 80s. It was picturised on Amol Palekar and he balanced the strong personality of Utpal Dutt in the seriocomic film.

Also in the film Milli, the songs “bari suni suni”, and “maine kahan phulo se” became big hits. The songs were composed by SD Burman and picturised on Big B and Jaya Bacchan.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee maintained the same standard of music even in the film Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate, in the 90s, where Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla played the leading roles. The songs sung by Udit Narayan became very successful.


The films and the songs should be restored as the songs were used very well by Hrishikesh Mukherjee according to the requirements of the sequences in his films.


By: CR Chatterji.

Review of Bhootnath.

Review of Bhootnath

Bhootnath is the new film released in 2008, which is related to children. In India very few films are made on subject-matters involving children. Whenever they are made the viewers appreciate them.

In Bhootnath, the director had based the story about a grandfather’s ghost which appears in his grandson. The child is a seven year old innocent character who faces the unnatural happenings in the film.


Amitabh Bacchan played the role of the grandfather of the little child. Juhi Chawla was the mother of the child and Shahrukh Khan was the father. It is directed by Vivek Sharma. The child came to live in his old home with his parents at Nath Villa at Goa.

There he interacts with the ghost whom he called Angel. Both of them became friends in the film. The ghost previously prevented any family from staying in that house. But he ell in love with the child.

Aman Siddiqui, the child artist did very well in the film. Big B, was elegant as usual. Besides he had continued his good work in making his performance suited towards the need of children. Even Juhi Chawla had done well in her own role.


Although the film was based on fantasy, there is prospect of the film in 2008, as the story is new and uncommon.

Madhuri Dixit songs.

Madhuri Dixit songs

Madhuri Dixit became an invaluable asset of bollywood film industry in the 80s and 90s due to her acting capability and powerful dancing capabilities. She had impressive lips in many successful songs during that period.

Her performance in the songs “tu shayar hai”, “dekha hai pehli baar”, in the film Saajan, was very impressive. Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan also provided strong performances in the film. In the same film Kumar Shanu’s song “mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai” became extremely successful.


Madhuri Dixit provided strong lips in the songs “kab tak chup baithey”, “dil to paagal hai”, and other songs in the film Dil To Paagal Hai. Uttam Singh was the composer of music in the film and Shahrukh Khan ably supported Madhuri Dixit in the film. Karishma Kapoor was the other leading actress in the film and did well in her part and gave good lips in the song “le gai le gai”.

Madhuri Dixit was sublime in the film Khel, opposite Anil Kapoor. The song in the film “khat likhna hai’ became extrmely successful due to the choreography of Madhuri Dixit. Saroj Khan had been very prominent in most of the dance sequences that were picturised on Madhuri Dixit.

Other hit songs of Madhuri Dixit include “ek do teen”, from the film Tezaab. Also the songs from the film Dil, opposite Amir Khan including “hum pyar karne wale”, was successful in the early 90s. Madhuri gave adequate lips in the song “didi tera dewar diwana” opposite Salman Khan.

Madhuri Dixit also provided successful performance in the film Devdas, opposite Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai in the song ‘dil dola re”, where both Madhuri and Aishwarya performed together.


Madhuri Dixit is still remembered for her performance in films like Beta, Koyla, Lajja, etc. The viewers expect her to continue her good work in more bollywood films in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Anupam Kher Anil Kapoor.

Anupam Kher Anil Kapoor.

Anupam Kher had played different types of roles in bollywood films from the 80s. Anil Kapoor had dominated bollywood films from early 80s till 90s when Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and others also created their own box-office. Whenever Anupam Kher had acted with Anil Kapoor, the viewers enjoyed the performance of both the actors.

Both of them acted together in the film Ram Lakhan. Anupam Kher played the role of a miser and a businessman who only accounted for his profits. Anil Kapoor had an affair with his daughter played by Madhuri Dixit. Anupam Kher never wanted to get his daughter married to Anil Kapoor. Later on he joined the police force where his elder brother Jackie Shroff was as honest officer. Both of them played their roles very well in the film.

In Tezaab, Anupam Kher played the role of a villain who earned his living from the performances of his daughter Madhuri Dixit who was a club dancer. He showed his cruelty towards Madhuri Dixit from the beginning of the film. Anil Kapoor saved her from the bondage of his father. The songs in the film like “ek do teen”, “so gaya”, became big hits.

Both of them featured in the film Jamairaja. Anil Kapoor was the son-in-law of Hema Malini, who was a proud lady having wealth and prosperity. Anil Kapoor taught her a lesson by showing that money cannot buy everything under the sun. Anupam Kher played the role of the brother of Hema Malini and made plans to drive Anil Kapoor out of the house, but all his plans failed. But the villainish performance had comedy instinct as well.

Both of them also featured in the film Khel, where Anil Kapoor , Anupam Kher and Madhuri Dixit created a plan to enter the house of Mala Sinha and get property. Madhuri Dixit pretended to be her lost daughter and used her emotions to win her heart. Both Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher helped her in the play-acting.

Both of them are versatile in their own way which the viewers had seen in films like Laadla, Jhut Bole Cowa Kate, etc. The viewers expect them to act together in more films in future.

Karishma and Sunil Shetty.

Karishma and Sunil Shetty.

Karishma Kapoor had acted in bollywood films opposite many actors during her short career. She had acted with Govinda, Sunny Deol, Hrithik Roshan, Salman Khan and most of her films opposite these actors were successful. Sunil Shetty also acted opposite most of the leading actresses of bollywood.

Both of them acted together in the film Krishna. It was an action pact film, where Sunil Shetty’s sister was killed by Om Puri. Sunil Shetty searched the offender and found that Om Puri was responsible for the tragic incident at the end of the film. He took revenge against him. Karishma Kapoor supported him in his fight against evil. She gave impressive lisp in the song “jhaharia”.

Both of them also acted together in the film Gopi Kishen. Sunil Shetty played a double role. One of the brothers was a police constable. The twin brother was a brave person who disguised himself with the uniform of his brother to fight against the criminals. Karishma Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty were the leading actresses in the film. Sunil Shetty freed hi father played by Suresh Oberoi who was kidnapped by Mohan Joshi and his gang in the film. As there was double role of Sunil Shetty, the relatives and associates of both the brothers got confused with their identity in the film. Karishma gave good lips in the songs “hai huku”, “batti na bujha”, etc.

Both of them also acted together in the film Rakshak. It was also an action-pact film, as Sunil Shetty created his image as an action hero. As such Sunil Shetty used his bravery to address the law-breakers in the film. There were successful songs in the film including “sundara sundara”. Karisham Kapoor ably supported him in the film.

Karishma stopped acting in bollywood films after marriage. Otherwise, she may have featured in more films opposite Sunil Shetty. Sunil Shetty also has played character roles in the recent years.

The viewers expect both the of them to act together in more number of bollywood films in the years to come.

Satyajit Ray’s hindi films.

Satyajit Ray’s hindi films.

By: CR Chatterji.

Satyajit Ray, one of the greatest directors of all times made only two films in hindi, titled Shatranj Ki Khiladi and Sadgati. Both of the films were based on the stories written by Munshi Premchand. In both these films, Ray had shown his mastery of story-telling of direction.

Sadgati was based on the theme of exploitation of the lower strata of the society by the oppressive zaminders in North India. Om Puri played the role of the lower caste villager who used to burn the dead-bodies of villagers for livelihood. Smita Patil played the role of his wife.

Mohan Agase played the role of the oppressive zaminder in the film. It was now shown whether the zaminder had education or culture, but his monetary power had enabled him to dominate the other sections of the society in the village. He engaged Om Puri for the cremation of his dead relative.

At the time when Om Puri, took up the employment he was extremely sick. He brought wood from the forest and laboured hard to cut it for burning the body. In the process he lost his life. Om Puri, Mohan Agase and Smita Patil were sublime in their respective roles in the film.

Shatranj Ki Khiladi was related to the period when India was under colonial rule. Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffery were engaged in playing chess which is called Shatranj in Hindi.

The manner in which the British government annexed Indian territories or princely states was shown in the film. Avadh (Oudh) was still an Indian territory, and Amzad Khan was shown as the ruler of the kingdom. But as he could not pay the taxes, the British Government even seized his territory. Big B was used for commentary in the film as Ray acknowledged his beautiful voice which had aesthetic value. Although these films had intellectual treatment, viewers from different parts of India enjoyed these films. Had Ray survived for a longer time, he could have made more number of bollywood films in future. The films should be preserved.

Rishi Kapoor Poonam Dhilon songs.

Rishi Kapoor Poonam Dhilon songs.

Rishi Kapoor acted opposite most the leading actresses of bollywood during the 70s and 80s. Among them he had a very successful combination with Poonam Dhilon. Poonam Dhilon previously established herself in bollywood by performaing in successful films like Noorie, Samunder, etc.

In the film Yeh Vada Raha, Rishi Kapoor and Poonam Dhilon were successful as romantic performers. Rishi Kapoor loved Poonam Dhilon in the film, but his mother never accepted her as her daughter-in-law due to her poor background. Both of them decided to marry each other without the mother’s consent, but when they were on their way to the temple, due to natural consequences, both gets injured, and Poonam Dhilon gets disfigured after the incident. The film takes a new turn.

The songs in the films were composed by RD Burman and the melodious music contributed to the success of the film. Songs like “aisakabhi hua nahi”, “yeh wada raha”, “jeene ko to jeete hai sabhi”, became landmark hits during the early 80s. Rishi Kapoor was known for his powerful lips and he did justice to the songs sung by Kishore Kumar. Asha Bhosle also sang well in the film for Poonam Dhilon.

Both of them did well in the film Sitamgar. Although it was an action film where Dharmender had the leading character, the romantic portion of Rishi Kapoor and Poonam Dhilon impressed the viewers. Dharmender worked in the house of an industrialist from childhood, who ill-treated him and even injured him. He went to prison and spend a considerable period of life over there.

Rishi Kapoor gave elegant lips in the song “mausam pyar ka”, sung by Kishore Kumar and composed by RD Burman. Poonam Dhilon did well in her respective role. Dharmender took revenge against Shreeram Lagoo for the oppression he faced from him.

Although Rishi Kapoor and Poonam dhilon did not perform together in many films, in whichever films they were together, the viewers enjoyed their performance and the songs of those films were successful. The songs and the films should be restored.

80s bollywood actors.

80s bollywood actors.

By: CR Chatterji.

Indian films underwent a transformation in the 80s when new actors showed their acting skills and established actors performed character roles. Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol were the main actors who had created an impression in the 80s.

Anil Kapoor on one hand he created his innocent image in films like Mr. India, where he proved that there was comedy conception inherent in him and he had the parts of an action hero also. On the other hand he performed he action films like Tezaab, opposite Madhuri Dixit and created a successful combination with her.

Jackie Shroff, was prominent in the early 80s with successful performances in films like Teri Meherbaniya, Karma, etc. He did well in the film Karma, where he played the role of a prisoner who was given a chance to do some good work by Dilip Kumar in his fight against terrorism. Jackie Shroff was successful in films like Kaash opposite Dimple Kapadia and also featured in many films opposite Anil Kapoor including Ram Lakhan where he played the role of his elder brother.

Sunny Deol created his action image with his first film Betaab which was a musical blockbuster. Gradually he became the leading star in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s films like Ghayal and Damini. He raised his voice against the evil practices of society. In Ghayal he escaped from the jail with four other prisoners and killed all the persons who were involved in killing his brother Raj Babbar and destroying the life of many individuals. His other successful films included Tridev and Vishwatma.

Sanjay Dutt also established himself as an action hero. Although he acted in romantic films like Saajan opposite Madhuri Dixit, he became successful in action films like Sadak. Later on he created the image of Munnabhai and entertained the viewers with his comedy performances.

The legendary performers like Big B, Vinod Khanna were there in the industry in 80s and featured in superhit films like Akhree Rasta, Dayawan, etc. Besides Dilip Kumar showed his versatility in films like Shakti, Karma, Mashal, etc. Most of the films in the 80s were successful and shaped the careers of many actors.

Shyam Benegal – the legendary director of bollywood.

Shyam Benegal – the legendary director of bollywood.

By: CR Chatterji.

Shyam Benegal can be considered as one of the leading story-tellers of bollywood films. Being inspired by the works of Ray, he astonished the viewers with the film Ankur in 1974. He used Shabana Azmi in the film for the first time. The film showed how social awakening took place in Indian villages after the feudal lords oppressed the rural people. Anant Nag played the role of oppressive landlord.

In Manthan, he had shown the story of milk-dwellers in the villages in India. He showed their struggle and the story of their success based on sheer hard work. Smita Patil was sublime in the film. His film Junoon was based on Ruskin Bond’s story of Flight of Pegions. He depicted the story of India during the colonial rule. He also showed how British families were given protection by some considerate Indian families. Shashi Kapoor, Nasiruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, all did well in their respective roles. Jennifer Kapoor played the role of a member of British family, who took shelter in the house of Shashi Kapoor.

In the film Netaji, the forgotten hero, he showed the life of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Shyam Benegal experimented with Sachin Kherekar in the lead role. He depicted the dare devil nature of Netaji. The best part of the film involved the escape of Netaji from his own house to Kabul and reaching the European countries from where he got help from leaders across the world to build his own force. Shyam Benegal depicted the lifestyle of Indians during the colonial period.

The other notable films of the legendary director include Suraj Ka Saatwa Ghora, Bhumika, Zubeida, etc. He is known for extraordinary story-telling in all his films. He received Dada Saheb Falke for his brilliant contribution to Indian films.

The intellectual viewers expect the giant director to continue making epic films in the future and educate all sections of the society with his creative style of film making which was done with success by Ray, Ghatak, and other leading directors of India.

Rekha songs.

Rekha songs.

Rekha, the powerful actress of bollywood films had provided landmark performances in many films. She also gave elegant lips in many notable films. In the film Umrao Jaan, all the songs composed by Khayyam and sung by Asha Bhosle, had classical touch. The songs including “in ankhoki masti”, “yeh kya jagah hai doston”, “dil cheez kya hai”, “ justju jiski thi”, etc., written by Shahryar, of displayed the flavour courtroom performance and was related to mujras performed by tawaifs in India for generations.

Rekha gave adequate lips in the songs of the film Ghar, directed by Gulzar. Songs like “aaj kal paon zamee par”, “tere bina jiya jayna”, composed by Rd Burman, became big hits. Vinod Mehra complimented Rekha with his romantic performance in the film and he too gave good lips in Kishore Kumar’s songs “aap ke aankho me kuch”, “phir wohi raat hai”, in the same film.


The songs of the film Silsila, were most sung in the background. The songs composed by Shiv Hari, and sung by Lata, like “yeh kahan agaye hum”, were excellent by every standard. Rekha’s screen presence in the film was appreciated by the viewers.


Rekha also gave good lips in the song “pardesiya”, sung by Lata in the film Mr. Natwarlal. Although it was an action film with Big B playing the major part, Rekha’s performance in her limited role was satisfactory.

Rekha also gave good lips in the songs in the film Muqaddar Ka Siqandar, where the songs were composed by Kalyanji Anandji. The other films where she gave elegant lips include Suhaag, Do Anjane, etc., where Big B, also played significant role.


Rekha also gave good lips in the song “kaisi pehli hai yeh zindagani” in the film Parineeta, where she played the role of a performer in the bar named Moulin Rouge in Park Street in Kolkata.

The viewers expect her to continue the good work in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Bollywood performers in Rituporno Ghosh’s films.

Bollywood performers in Rituporno Ghosh’s films.

Rituporno Ghosh, the talented director of Bengal had directed a number of films which received critics’ acclamation. He had used many bollywood performers in his films and they had done well in his films.

In the film Choker Bali, based on Tagore’s story, Aishwarya Rai played the role of Binodini, a young girl who became widow, after her husband died out of sickness. She was invited to live with the lady Rajlakshi and her son Mahendra. Mahendra was the character with whom Aishwarya Rai was supposed to marry and both of them developed a relationship in spite of Mahendra having a wife named Ashalata. The other notable characters were played by Prasenjit Chatterji, and Raima Sen, the granddaughter of Suchitra Sen. Everyone did well in their respective roles and the film was successful.

In the film Antarmahal, Jackie Shroff played the role of oppressive zamindar who pleased the British officials during colonial rule to get Rai Bahadur title. Her first wife Rupa Ganguly was not liked as he did not get any child out of the wedlock and he married Soha Ali Khan who became his second wife. Soha Ali Khan had attachment with Abhishek Bacchan who played the role of a young sculpture in the film. All the performers were successful to depict the style of living that was followed in rural Bengal during the British Raj.

In the film Bariwali, Kiron Kher did well in the role of a middle-aged landlady. In the film Titli, Mithun Chakravarty entered into a relationship with both Konkona Sen Sharma and her mother Aparna Sen, when they met each other near Darjeeling, when Konkona and her mother were going to receive her father Dipankar Dey at the Airport. Mithun Chakravarty played the role of a film actor in the film and Konkona Sen Sharma was obsessed towards him. The film also showed mother-daughter relationship.

Even in the film Raincoat, Ajau Devgan meets Aishwarya Rai in Kolkata, when he was looking for a financer for his new business. They were attached to each other 6 years ago and shared their past experience. Aiswarya Rai was also in financial needs and was alarmed by her landlord about paying the rent. Whenever bollywood performers had performed in Rituporno Ghosh’s films they tried to put realistic performance and were all appreciated by the common audience and critics. Viewers expect Rituporno Ghosh to continue to do his good work and provide quality roles to other bollywood performers in future.

Sharmila Tagore’s songs.

Sharmila Tagore’s songs.

Sharmila Tagore created a separate image for herself in bollywood. She acted in films having good stories and powerful direction. She had given lips in thoughtful songs where the lyrics created a separate dimension.


She had given lips in songs like “chari re chari”, “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi”, sung by Lata in the film Mausam, directed by Gulzar. She played a double role and complimented the majestic performance of Sanjeev Kumar in the film. She also gave good lips in the songs in the film Amanush opposite Uttam Kumar. The notable songs include “kal ke sapne” sung by Asha Bhosle and composed by Shyamal Mitra.

Similarly Sharmila was sublime in the film Anand Ashram, opposite Uttam Kumar. The songs in the film including “sara pyar tumhara”, sung by Asha and Kishore Kumar became landmark hit in the late 70s. Some of the songs were based on folk tunes in the film.


Sharmila gave adequate lips in the songs “isharon isharon”, “diwana hua badal”, etc., from the film Kashmir Ki Kali, opposite Shammi Kapoor. The songs were composed by OP Nayyar, sung by Rafi and Asha Bhosle and became big hits in the mid-60s. Also the songs “raat ke humsafar”, in the film An Evening in Paris, opposite Shammi Kapoor, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, became super hits. Sharmila gave lips in those songs sung by Asha and Rafi.


She had given elegant lips even in off-beat films like Dooriyan, opposite Uttam Kumar. The songs in the film “zindagi, zindagi, o mere ghar ana, ana, zindagi”, composed by Jaidev, sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Bhupinder Singh, and written by Gulzar, had intellectual dimensions. The performance of Sharmila Tagore and Uttam Kumar in the film requires special mention.


Sharmila Tagore had a successful career and gave good lips in leading songs in successful films like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Mere Humsafar, etc. The songs and the films should be preserved.

By: CR Chatterji.

Hema Malini songs.

Hema Malini songs.

Hema Malini kept her mark in bollywood films with her strong choreography in the 70s and 80s. She had given lips in hits songs all along her career. All the songs of her film Sapno Ka Saudagar, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, where she acted opposite Raj Kapoor were successful.


The songs in the film Gora Aur Kala, like “dheere dheere bol”, composed by LP were hits. Rajender Kumar complimented Hema Malini with his romantic performance in the film. The songs in the film Seeta Aur Geeta, like “ek ladka mujhe kal raat”, “hawa ke saath saath”, etc., which were sung by Lata and Asha, were big hits. Sanjeev Kumar balanced the colourful performance of Hema Malini in the film.


Hema Malini also gave lips in notable songs in the film Johny Mera Naam, opposite Dev Anand, where the songs were composed by Kalynaji Anandji. The song “o mere raja”, became big hit in the early 70s.

RD Burman used all his musical background to compose quality songs in Gulzar’s film Kinara. Lata’s song “naam gum jayega” written by Gulzar, sung by Lata and Bhupinder Singh, and picturised on Hema Malini and Jeetender was one of the brilliant compositions of late 70s. Hema Malini exhibited her dancing skills in the song “meethe bol bole” sung by Bhupinder Singh in the film.


She also gave elegant lips in the songs in the film Sholay. Her lips in the songs “jab tak hai jaan”, “holi ke din”, created a great impact in the mind of viewers who were entertained by strong performance of Dhamender, Big B, Jaya Bacchan, Amzad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar in the multi-starrer film.


Hema Malini also gave good lips in the song “dil use do jo jaan de de” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Andaz, opposite Shammi Kapoor. The song was also sung by Rafi in the film. She was sublime in most the films of 70s and early 80s. Her films should be restored for their musical value.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Sanjeev Kumar songs.

Sanjeev Kumar songs.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Sanjeev Kumar, the dynamic actor of bollywood films was involved with epic films in his long career and had given lips in legendary songs. He had wide conception of acting and directors used to give him challenging roles in the 70s and 80s. In Khilouna, the song “khilouna jaankar”, sung by Rafi was given adequate expression by Sanjeev Kumar.

In Naya Din Nayi Raat, he played the role of nine different characters opposite Jaya Bacchan. Rafi’s song “phir wohi, wohi baat”, in the film was based on character of a drunkard. Sanjeev Kumar brought life in the character. In Mausam, Madanmohan had composed one of the best ghazals of his life, titled “dil dhoonta hai, phir wohi, fursat ke raat din”, where Bhupinder Singh used his intoxicating appeal to address the viewers. Sanjeev Kumar drove his car in Darjeeling and recollected his past experience in the song picturised by Gulzar.

Sanjeev Kumar gave lips in two classical songs in the film Parichay, directed by Gulzar. The songs were “bite na bitayi rehna” and “mitwa”, both sung by Bhupinder Singh. RD Burman used his classical andaz in these songs. Sanjeev Kumar played the role of the father of Jaya Bacchan, in the film, who died in the film due to sickness.

Again in Aandhi, the songs ‘tere bina zindagi me shikwa to nahi” and “is mor se jate hai”, sung by Lata and Kishore, was based on philosophical thoughts. The songs had the classic lyrics written by Gulzar. Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen complimented each other very high standard of performance.

Whenever Sanjeev Kumar played light characters he did justice to the comedy songs which were composed for those films. He gave good lips in the song “hawa ke saath saath” sung by Kishore and Asha in the film Seeta Aur Geeta. Hema Malini played double roles in the film and balanced the strong performance of Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmender.

Sanjeev Kumar gave elegant lips in commercial films like Manchali, Anamika, etc., and kept his mark in the musical films of bollywood. The films and the songs should be restored.

Chabi Biswas – the towering personality of Bengali cinema.

Chabi Biswas – the towering personality of Bengali cinema.

By: CR Chatterji.

If any actor had transformed acting into creative arts and mesmerised the viewers with the dignity, aristocracy and majestic personality, it was Chabi Biswas. He was the most elegant personality ever to appear in both Bengali and Indian cinema. Directors had experimented with him knowing the fact that he could bring life in the most abstract and challenging roles in the history of Bengali cinema.

In Kabuliwala, his performance of an Afghan businessman who had left his daughter in Kabul and sold his produce in the streets of Kolkata helped Tapan Sinha to direct the classic literature of Tagore. He was attached with a small Bengali girl named Mini, who replicated his own daughter. The fatherly attachment, the involvement and the other emotions were expressed by Chabi Biswas with such a level of excellence that the film received international awards and acclamation from critics across the world. In Manik, the adaptation of Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens, Chabi Biswas was sublime in the role of a handicapped grandfather who knew that his grandson was alive and never delineated the property to any other person.

Chabi Biswas’s performance in Sabar Upare, where he was wrongly sentenced for committing murder, requires special mention. When the case was reopened and he was proved innocent he prayed before the court of law to return the 14 years of his life, when he languished in jail, he lost his youth, his lost his family, everything in life. Viewers were spellbound after his performance. Chabi Biswas had shown his level of excellence in the films of Satyajit Ray, namely Jalsaghar, Debi and Kanchenjungha, and in all these films viewers enjoyed the combination of the two dynamic personalities.

In Raj Kapoor’s Ekdin Ratre, Chabi Biswas played the role of a drunkard who gave lips in the song sung by Manna Dey and composed by Salil Chowdhury, “ei duniyay bhai sabi hai, sob sotyi”, where he told Raj Kapoor, about the unfair truth of life. Raj Kapoor was amazed to see the performance of the dynamic actor who also acknowledged that he had not seen a second actor having the depth of Chabi Biswas. In Jagte Raho, the same role was played by Motilal.

There were lot of films where Chabi Biswas had single handedly flabbergasted the viewers with his personality. He brought life in the historic film Dadathakur. He showed the pains of life after retirement of the karta of hindu undivided family in Shashibabur Shangsar. He was sublime in the film Head Master where the life of a middle-class academician was portrayed. In a tragic accident in 1962, India lost one of its greatest actors of all times, Chabi Biswas. It is difficult to highlight the greatness of the legend of legends in a small article as he provided blood and flesh in more than 250 films in a span of 25 years. The films have become masterpieces due to his dynamic performances and should be preserved for the next gener

Fardeen Khan - the steady performer of bollywood.

Fardeen Khan – the steady performer of bollywood.

Fardeen Khan, the son of Feroz Khan, had maintained a steady box-office for the last 10 years. He started his career, in his father’s film Prem Aggan, but caught the attention in the film Jungle. The film was based on Sandalwood smuggling in the forests of Karnataka. He performed his part well in the film.

After acting in films like Om Jai Jagadish and Khushi, he played a negative role in Ram Gopal Verma’s film Bhoot. The film was based on the murder of a lady who entered the soul of a living person to let the people know about the truth. Fardeen Khan was the murderer and there was no evidence to prove that he had committed the crime. Revenge was taken by Urmila Matondkar, the leading actress in the film which disclosed the mystery relating to the murder.

After acting in a number of serious films Fardeen Khan played a cameo in the film No Entry. No Entry was a comedy film where Salman Khan paid money to Bipasha Basu to destroy the loyalty of Anil Kapoor towards his wife Lara Dutta. Lara Duta had the habit of suspecting Anil Kapoor with the respect to extra-marital affairs. Anil Kapoor involved Fardeen Khan, a reporter in his Newspaper Agency with Bipasha Basu. He told Lara Dutta that she was his wife.

Fardeen Khan got married with Celina Jaitley, but the lies one after the other led to divorce of both Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan with their wives. Salman Khan had to come back from abroad to create a new drama to save his two friends. All the performers including Esha Deol did well in the film and it ended as one of the most successful films released in 2005.

He also acted in the film Shaadi No. 1, where three friends having wives faced trouble, after Sanjay Dutt told their wives about their attachment with other women, thereby destroying the peace in their family. He had also acted in films like Pyare Mohan, Heyy Babyy, etc., and showed his diverse acting skills in these films.The viewers expect him to continue his good work in the years to come.

Kareena Kapoor songs.

Kareena Kapoor songs

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Kareena Kapoor was blessed with successful songs right from the beginning of her career. In the film Refugee, all the songs composed by Anu Malik were landmark hits like “mere humsafar”, “panchi nadiya, pawan ke jhoke”, etc. The songs also had the flavour of folk songs in different parts of India.

The songs in her film Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, were all successful including “is pyar ko kya naam doon”, “maine koi jadu nahi kiya”, “mujhe kuch kehna hai”, etc. Tushar Kapoor, the son of Jeetender also complimented Kareena Kapoor in the film with his performance.

Her songs in the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, directed by Karan Johar became very successful. The songs like “kehdo na”, “kabhi khushi kabhi gham”, became superhits. Besides the presence of Sharukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan in the film also added variety of performances.

All the songs of the film Jab We Met, including “yeh ishq kya hai”, “dil mouja hai mouja”, all became successful and contributed in the success of the film. The performance of Shahid Kapoor opposite her is worth mentioning.

The songs in her off-beat film Chameli, titled “man saat samandar”, also got critics acclamation in the year when the film was released. She also gave lips in good songs in the film Ajnabee, where Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu and Akshay Kumar were the leading performers, besides her.

Only time will tell, whether the songs of her film Tashan, released in 2008; are going to create a lasting impact in the minds of viewers and music-lovers, or otherwise. The viewers expect her to continue her good work and do justice to the songs picturised on her in the films in future.

Soha Ali Khan – the new prospect of bollywood.

Soha Ali Khan – the new prospect of bollywood.

Soha Ali Khan, the daughter of Sharmila Tagore and sister of Saif Ali Khan had created an image for herself, within a short period of time. She started her career with the film Dil Maange More in 2004.

Dil Maange More was a serio-comic film where Shahid Kapoor wanted to get engaged with a genuine lover and ended up having affair with three women. Shahid Kapoor loved Soha Ali Khan who came to Mumbabi to be flight attendant. Shahid Kapoor followed her up and had an affair with Ayesha Takia.

Then he joins a music store named Planet M, and gets engaged with Tulip Joshi who also had weakness towards Shahid Kapoor. The story ended in a different note, but all the actresses proved their part in the film. Soha Ali Khan also got a chance of acting in the Bengali film Antarmahal where she played the role of oppressive zamindar played by Jackie Shroff during the British Raj. She was involved with a young person played by Abhishek Bachhan in the film.

Her other successful films include Rang De Basanti with Amir Khan, Shaadi No. 1 and Pyar Me Twist. In Shaadi No. 1, three friends led by Farden Khan were married to their wives, but Sanjay Dutt came in their life and exposed their weakness towards other women to their wives. Soha Ali Khan did well in the film.

Her other films include Ahista Ahista and Khoya Khoya Chand. She is busy in a number of films which are going to be released in 2008. The viewers expect her to continue her good work in future and carry forward the legacy created by her mother.

Wahida Rehman and SD Burman.

Wahida Rehman and SD Burman.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

As Wahida Rehman performed in a number of films made by Navketan Banner and SD Burman was also associated with the same banner, SD Burman had composed many songs that were picturised on Wahida Rehman. The songs “jane kya” from the film Pyaasa, picturised on Wahida Rahman carried the theme of SD Burman’s own song “mono dilon badhu”. Geeta Dutt sang the song in the film. The same film had quality songs sung by Rafi including “yeh mahalon, yeh tajhon ki duniya”.

The song “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam”, composed by SD Burman in the film Kagaz Ka Phool, became landmark hit. The song was again sung by Geeta Dutt. The film had a serious subject matter, and the song suited the theme of the film. There were other notable songs also there in the film including “beechre sabhi bari bari”.

In Guide, all the songs composed by SD Burman and sung by Lata, became super hits. The songs “katon se khichke who aanchal”, “piya tose naina lage re”, became trendsetters in the mid-60s. Wahida Rehman also displayed her dancing skills in the film. Guide, was successful due to the diverse types of songs in the film. Other songs like “gata rahe mera dil” sunb by Kishore Kumar and “din dhal jaye”, “kya se kya ho gaya”, etc., sung by Rafi became mega hits. The song “tere mere sapne” also was very successful.

SD Burman’s composition in the film Prem Pujari, picturised on Wahida Rehman, titled “rangila re”, became super hit. It was sung by Lata and created a great impact in the minds of the viewers. The other notable song in the film was “phulon ke rang se”, sung by Kishore Kumar, which was based on SD Burman’s own song “barne gandhe chande madhute”.

In the mid-70s, Sd Burman became sick and he died in 1975. Had he survived for a longer period who could have composed more songs for Wahida Rehman. The songs and the films of Wahida Rehman are rich assets of bollywood industry and should be preserved for future generations.

Satyajit Ray and Chabi Biswas.

Satyajit Ray and Chabi Biswas

By: CR Chatterji.

Chabi Biswas was considered to be the greatest actor ever to grace Bengali cinema and according to Satyajit Ray, there was no other actor in Indian screen having the same standard of dynamic personality which Chabi Biswas had. Ray gave Chabi Biswas the role of the feudal lord in the film Jashaghar.

Jalsaghar portrayed the decline of the zamindari system in Bengal. On one hand zamindars like Chabi Biswas lost their property and new businessman with lot of wealth emerged in that period. Chabi Biswas at the end of the film, sold the jewellery of his wife who died before, to launch a singer from northern India to perform in his house and he killed himself while riding on horseback before seeing the end of his zamindari and the dominance in the area.

Satyajit Ray utilised the aristocracy of Chabi Biswas in the film Kanchenjungha. The film had an abstract subject which involved the realisation of the greatness of nature including the Himalayas. All the characters in the film who had come to see Kanchenjungha, disclosed whatever was there in their mind due to the charming environment. Chabi Biswas, a big industrialist, was lost in his dominant nature, his aristocracy, and he was amazed when a needy young gentlemen played by Arun Mukherjee even told him that he never required a job, when Chabi Biswas could offer him the job. He realised the greatness of nature at the end of the film.

Satyajit Ray experimented with Chabi Biswas in the film Debi, where he got dream which showed that his daughter-in-law was the human form of Goddess Kali. Sharmila Tagore was the daughter-in-law and after seeing the dream he started worshipping her like Goddess. It led to mental depression and anxiety of Sharmila and the entire family was involved in resolving the problem which was based on belief.

Chabi Biswas got international acclamation for his epic performance in films like Kabuliwala, Headmaster, Dadathakur, Shashibabur Sangsar, etc., and it was tragedy that he lost his life in a fatal accident in 1962, which brought an end to his dynamic career. Otherwise viewers could have seen more experiments of Satyajit Ray with the greatest actor on silver screen named Chabi Biswas.

Rafi in the 70s.

Rafi in the 70s

In the 70s, although a number of new singers had sung in bollywood films including Yesudas, Chanchal, Shailendra Singh and huge numbers of songs were sung by Kishore Kumar; Rafi had glorified bollywood films with his golden voice. His songs in Andaz, composed by Shankar Jaikishan including “dil use do jo jaan de de”, “re mama”, “haina bolo bolo” were hits.

His songs in Raj Kumar’s Maryada, composed by KA, were successful. Also the songs in Dilip Kumar’s Gopi, including “sukh ke sab sathi”, became hit. Rafi had sung successful songs in Abhimaan and Chupke Chupke, composed by SD Burman , including “teri bindiya re”.

The songs in Laila Majnu, like “barbad muhobbat”, “tere dar pe aya hoon”, “likh kar tera naam” composed by Madanmohan and Jaidev became hit. Also the songs in Hum Kishi Se Kum Nahi, including “hai agar dushman zamana”, “kya hua tera wada” became landmark hits.

All the songs in Amar Akbar Anthony, composed by LP, including “humko tumse”, “parda hai parda”, “shirdiwali saibaba”, created a separate impact for the viewers. Similarly all the songs of Sargam like “dafliwale”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, “koel boli”, were all successful.

The other notable films where Rafi contributed in the late 70s, include Bairaag, with songs like “saari shahar me”, Qurbani, with songs like “kya dekhte ho”, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, with songs like “sochenge pyar kya hua”, etc.

Rafi even sang hit songs in less known films. His song “aadmi musafir hai” became very successful. Also the songs “ashaoke sawan me” from the film Asha, “pal do pal ka” from the film Burning Train, “jaanu meri jaan” from Shaan were all big hits.

Had Rafi survived for a longer period, he would have sang songs from new composers, too. All his songs and the films are rich assets and should be restored.

Uttam Kumar’s songs.

Uttam Kumar’s songs

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar had given adequate lips in many hit songs in bollywood films and Bengali cinema. His songs in the film Choti Si Mulakat, composed by Shankar Jaikishan became extremely successful. The title song sung by Rafi, opposite Vaijayantimala became super hit. The other songs in the film were also successful.

The songs in the film Amanush, including ‘dil aisa kisi ne mera tora” composed by Shyamal Mitra and sung by Kishore Kumar became very successful. Also the song “kal ki sapne” picturised on Sharmila Tagore was hit. Also the songs in the film Anand Ashram, including “sara pyar tumhara’, sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle became extremely successful.

The songs in the film Kitaab, composed by RD Burman were also innovative. Master Raju played the role of the brother-in-law of Uttam Kumar and the song “aa ye ye, masterjiki”, which was song composed for children impressed the audience. Also the songs in the film Dooriyan, composed by Jaidev, and sung by Bhupinder Singh including “zindagi, zindagi, o mere ghar ana zindagi”, and “zindagi me jab tumhare gham nahi the”, became hit. Anuradha Paudwal sang the female version for Sharmila Tagore in the film.

While Uttam Kumar’s songs in bollywood films were extremely successful, his songs in Bengali films were equally popular. Hemant Kumar’s songs “sure akashe”, “jhar utheche”, in Sapmochon, and “surjo dobar pala” and “nir choto” in Indrani, became landmark hit.

Manna Dey’s songs “ami je jalsaghare”, “ami jamini”, from Antony Firingi, “ami agantuk”, “dekechi ke age” from Shonkhobela, became superhit. Shyamal Mitra’s song “udas bayul”, “dekhuk para porshite”, from Bonpalashir Podaboli, became super hit.

Due to sheer brilliance of Uttam Kumar, the singers who had sung for him had received acclamation from all sections of the crowd and the songs became immortal over a period of time. The songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

Juhi Chawla and Anil Kapoor

Juhi Chawla and Anil Kapoor

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Juhi Chawla had a successful career in bollywood films in the late 80s and 90s and did well opposite most of the actors of bollywood. She had a good combination with Anil Kapoor, too.

In Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, she played the role of the daughter of Amrish Puri. Anil Kapoor came to work in the house of Amrish Puri, so that he could contact his daughter. He told lies one after the other before Amrish Puri. He also asked his brother and his wife to tell lies before Amrish Puri.

Although the truth was unfolded and Anil Kapoor was rebuked by Amrish Puri, but he forgave him due to request of his wife. The songs that were picturised on Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, became hits. Most of them were sung by Udit Narayan and composed by Anand Milind.

The film was the third version of Golmaal and Naram Garam where Utpal Dutt and amol Palekar played the leading roles. Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Amrish Puri and the other actors in the film tried to maintain the comedy impulse alive in the film in their own way and the film was successful.

Both of them did well in the film Deewana Mastana, where Govinda and came to Juhi Chawla for treatment. Anil Kapoor with the help of Johnny Lever tried out different ways to injure Govinda and all of their plans failed. The film was serio-comic in nature with funny instances at every point. The songs in the film were also successful.

Both of them also acted together in the film Salaam –e-ishq. It was a multi-starrer film with Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Akshay Khanna, John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, all doing well in their respective roles. The six couples were brought at the same place by fate and film was based on their relationship and the way in which each of them got connected with each other in course of time. The viewers expect both of them to act together in more films in future.

Uttam Kumar and Shyamal Mitra.

Uttam Kumar and Shyamal Mitra

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar became a phenomenon in the life of Bengalies, during 50s, 60s and 70s. Whenever he had given lips in the songs of noted singers, the singers gained popularity, prestige and honour. Shymal Mitra composed all the songs for Uttam Kumar’s film Deya Neya in 1963.

All the songs in the film including “ami cheye cheye dekhi saradin”, “dole dodul dole jhulona”, “jiban khatar proti patay”, “ganer bhubon bhoriye debo” became landmark hits. Incidentally the same film was remade in hindi with the title Anurodh, where Rajesh Khanna played the role of Uttam Kumar.

Shaymal Mitra composed music for hit films of Uttam Kumar like Bhrantibilas, (whose hindi version was Angoor), and also Bonpalasir Padabali. In Kamallata, a film based on the life of writer Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Shaymal Mitra’s song “omon kokhon shuru kokhon je shesh ke jane” touched the hearts of every Bengali in the country.

Shyamal Mitra made the biggest contribution in Uttam Kumar’s film Amanush, directed by Shakti Samanta both in Bengali and hindi and Anand Ashram. In Amanush, Kishore Kumar’s song “dil aisa kisi n mera tora” picturised on Uttam Kumar and composed by Shyamal Mitra brought him filmfare award for the best singer in that year.

The other notable songs in Amanush include “ki asay bandhi khelaghar”. In Anand Ashram, Shyamal Mitra’s composition for Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore tiled “sara pyar tumhara” became extremely successful. The song was sung by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. In Bengali film Ananda Ashram, Shyamal Mitra’s own song “kotha kichu kichu”, became a big hit.

The legendary combination of Uttam Kumar and Shyamal Mitra ended with the death of Uttam Kumar in 1980. But whenever viewers see films like Rajodrohi, Suno Boro Nari, the pleasant memories of Uttam Kumar and Shyamal Mitra appears in their mind. The films and the songs should be preserved.

Priyanka Chopra Salman Khan.

Priyanka Chopra Salman Khan.

Priyanka Chopra had created an image for herself in bollywood films in a very short span of time. She started her career with the film Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutt and after that acted opposite all the leading actors of bollywood.

She had acted opposite Salman Khan in a number of films and wherever both of them had acted together the films had been extremely successful. They had acted together in the film Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, where Akshay Kumar was the other actor.

In Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Salman Khan played the role of hot tempered person, whose girl friend Amrita Arora left him due to the bad temper. He met Priyanka Chopra and entered into an affair with her. But the bad temper again in his way as he slapped Amrish Puri on his face, who was the father of Priyanka Chopra.

Akshay Kumar entered their place at this point of time and initially showed that he was also involved with Priyanka Chopra. But later on it was revealed that he was his childhood friend who came to help him to impress Priyanka Chopra. The songs in the film were successful including songs like “jeene ke hai chaar din”, “mujhse shaadi karogi”, etc.

Both of them also acted in the film Salaam- e-ishq, where six couples from different parts of the world came to meet each other due to fate. Priyanka Chopra plays the role of a film actress who was interested to get big roles but ended up getting item numbers. Just for creating a gossip she told the press that she was having an affair with an unknown person named Rahul. Salman Khan came in his life at that point of time.

Salman Khan came to know about her past and claimed huge amount of money to remain silent. While she was in love, she got offer for a big film from big director. But she was confused whether marry Salman or not as the condition was she had to leave films. The story was new, and the viewers enjoyed the performance of all the actors and actresses in the film including Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, John Abraham, Akshay Khanna, Ayesha Takia, etc.

The viewers expect Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan to perform in more films together together in future.

Rafi and Shashi Kapoor.

Rafi and Shashi Kapoor

By: CR Chatterji.

Shashi Kapoor had to face huge competition in bollywood films in mid-60s, as stalwarts like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were still dominating the filmworld, and other stars like Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Raj Kumar, etc., had created their strong image in bollywood films. The combination of Rafi with Shashi Kapoor went a long way in cementing the place of Shashi Kapoor in bollywood films.

In Jab Jab Phool Khile, all the songs sung by Rafi and picturised on Shashi Kapoor became superhits including “pardesiyon se na ankhiyan milana”, “mai yahan ek ajnabee hoon”, “nana karke pyar” etc. The film was as successful as the songs composed by Kalyanji Anandji. Nanda also acted well opposite Shashi Kapoor in the film.

The film Pyar kiya Jaa, was based on comedy story. But the songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi for Shashi Kapoor including “gore hathon par na jhulm karo”, became very successful. The songs composed by RD Burman in Pyar Ka Mausam, for Rafi and Shashi Kapoor became big hits, including “ni sultana re pyar ka mausam aya” and “tum bin jayun kahan”. The performance of Shashi Kapoor and Asha Parekh were well appreciated by the audience.

All the songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Kanyadan for Rafi and Shashi Kapoor became extremely popular. Even the songs sung by Lata in the film picturised on Asha Parekh became successful.

In the 70s, Shashi Kapoor acted in mainly action films. Even during that time Rafi had sung hits songs like “ek dal par tota bole”, in the film Chor Machaye Shor, where the songs were composed by Ravindra Jain. Even in Shaan, in 1980, Rafi’s song “jaun meri jaan”, picturised on Shashi Kapoor, became hit, along with Kishore Kumar singing the same song for Big B.

Just like the other leading actors of the 60s and 70s, Shashi Kapoor is also indebted to Rafi for his success in acting career. The songs and the films should be preserved.

Hemant Kumar’s contribution in bollywood films.

Hemant Kumar’s contribution in bollywood films.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Hemant Kumar, the legendary singer of Bengal, had made a notable contribution in the film songs in bollywood during 50s, 60s and 70s. He composed music for the film Nagin, in 1955, where Pradeep Kumar and Vaijayantimala played the leading roles. The instrument used to tame snakes was used very well in the film. Hemant Kumar also received the filmfare award for the best composer in that year.

He composed music for Dilip Kumar’s film Paigam. In Bees Saal Baad, he started his career as a producer. The film was based on the story The Hound of Baskervilles written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Biswajeet and Wahida Rehman were the leading performers in the film and the songs composed by Hemant Kumar including “kahin dep jale kahin dil”, sung by Lata became a big hit.

Hemant Kumar composed music for Biswajeet’s film Kohra where the song “yeh nayan dhali dhali”, became extremely popular. He composed music for Guru Dutt’s film Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam, which was based on the story of royal families in Kolkata who lost their zamindari during the colonial rule. Most of the songs in the film including “bhaora bara nadan hai”, “na jao saiwa”, sung by Geeta Dutt, became successful. Meena Kumari and Wahida Rehman provided brilliant performance in the film.

Hemant Kumar also composed songs for Biswajeet’s film Do Dil, where Rafi’s song “tera husn rahe mera isq rahe”, became very successful. Hemant Kumar also composed songs for the film Khamoshi, where Dharmendar and Rajesh Khanna were the leading actors opposite Wahida Rehman.

The songs in the film Khamoshi were all melodious including “woh shaam kuch ajeeb thi”, sung by Kishore Kumar. Hemant Kumar was very busy in Bengali films where he sung majority of his songs for Uttam Kumar, the greatest superstar of Bengali silver screen. Although bollywood music during the 50s, 60s and 70s, was filled with immortal songs of Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Mahendra Kapoor, Hemant Kumar made his presence felt in the national arena. The songs and the films should be restored.

Sanjay Dutt Vidya Balan

Sanjay Dutt Vidya Balan

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Sanjay Dutt almost started his second innings with the film Munnabhai MBBS. After the success of that film, viewers started knowing him with the identity of Munnabhai. The second part of the film Lage Raho Munnabhai became very successful.

The film was based on the story that Mahatma Gandhi appeared in the sub-conscience mind of Sanjay Dutt and asked him to follow his path which involved ahimsa, tolerance, etc. He had an attachment with Viday Balan who was a radio-jockey and for her cause became a false Professor.

Vidya Balan used to run a house for old people, who were neglected by their family members. Boman Irani, a big businessman used his muscle-power to evict the old people from the old age home. Sanjay Dutt used Gandhigiri to convince Boman Irani that whatever he was doing was wrong.

Ultimately he was convinced when Sanjay had solved the problem relating to his daughter’s marriage. Vidya Balan got irritated with Sanjay Dutt after knowing that he was not a Professor, but when he confessed the truth, ultimately she forgave him. The song “pal pal”, sung by Sonu Nigam carried the theme music for the film.

Both Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan were impressive in the film Parineeta, which was based on the classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Vidya Balan played the role of Parineeta.

The story was based on the life of people of Kolkata during the British Rule. Sanjay Dutt was a rich person and came to the house of Parineeta. Vidya Balan was actually attached with Saif Ali Khan, but due to family dispute between the neighbours the relationship faced hurdles at every step.

Ultimately the misunderstanding between the two families ended. In both these films, the pair of Vidya Balan and Sanjay Dutt was accepted by the viewers. The viewers expect them to act together in more films in future.

Guru Dutt And Rafi.

Guru Dutt and Rafi

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Guru Dutt created a thoughtful image for himself during the golden age by playing the role of sensitive characters. Whenever Rafi had sung songs for him the thoughtfulness was exhibited in every film.

In Aarpaar and Mr. and Mrs 55, songs like “muhobbat karlo”, “sun sun sun sun zalima”, “dil pe hua aisa jadoo”, had the fast numbers of OP Nayyar. All these songs became landmark hits in the mid-50s.

Gradually the songs picturised on Guru Dutt, started to have serious dimension like the song “yeh mahalon, yeh takhton, yeh tajhon ki duniya”, in Pyaasa, composed by SD Burman. Guru Dutt was a poet in the film and Rafi expressed his feelings with his tragic andaz. The film also had a dream sequence song titled “hum aapke aankho me”, where Guru Dutt was supported by Mala Sinha.

In Kagaz ke phool, the song “bichre sabhi bari bari” also was composed with a sad theme. Rafi was as elegant as Guru Dutt and SD Burman who composed the song in the film.

Ravi composed ghazals in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand, where the title song “chaudavi ka chaand ho, yah aaftaab ho” became superduper hit. The song stands out as one of the best ghazals sung by Rafi in his career.

Rafi had also sung successful songs for Guru Dutt in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera. The title song itself was very successful.

Guru Dutt could not complete the film Baharen Phir Bhi Ayegi, where Dharmender played the main role. The songs in that film composed by OP Nayyar including “aap ke haseen rukh” was very very melodious.

Had Guru Dutt survived for a longer time, the combination of Rafi and Guru Dutt could have given more number of quality songs. The songs and the films should be preserved.

Preeti Zinta and Saif Ali Khan.

Preeti Zinta And Saif Ali Khan

Preeti Zinta had created her carefree image from her first film Soldier opposite Bobby Deol. From that time, she had performed opposite most of the leading stars of bollywood. She had performed in successful films opposite Saif Ali Khan.

In Salaam Namaste, Preeti played the role of a radio jockey in Australia, who had come over there for completing a medical course and or supporting herself did the part-time work just like most other Indian students abroad. Saif Ali Khan was a specialised cook in a prominent hotel in the same city.

Preeti Zinta had called Saif Ali Khan for interview on one of the days, and just because he was late she made defamatory remarks at him. Saif Ali Khan asked for legal advice from his friend played by Arshad Warsi. Initially both Saif Ali Khan and Preeti Zinta hated each other but after meeting in a marriage party their relationship changed.

But they never wanted to marry each other but lived together in a rented house. When Preeti Zinta started carrying the new relationship was shaken up. It made Saif Ali Khan responsible who previously wanted to avoid all the liabilities. At the end Preeti Zinta gave birth to a child successfully. The songs in the film like “salaam namaste” became big hit.

In Kya Kehna, Preeti Zinta played a challenging role where she entered into an affair with Saif Ali Khan and started carrying. Saif Ali Khan did not have the courage to accept the child. Preeti Zinta’s parents also got annoyed with her due to remarks of the neighbours.

At that time Preeti Zinta took a decision of giving birth to the child and marry Chandrachud Singh who was ready to accept the child in spite of not being the father. The title song of the film “kya kehna” became very successful.

The flamboyant image of Saif Ali Khan matched with the carefree attitude of Preeti Zinta in the films wherever they have acted together. Although Preeti Zinta is busy with her team Kings Eleven in IPL cricket matches, the viewers expect both of them to continue to perform together in more films in future.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterji.

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar had acted in around 205 films including Bengali films and bollywood films and formed successful combination opposite Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Sharmila Tagore and many other successful actresses of 50s, 60s, and 70s. Amongst them Sabitri Chatterji was known for her dynamic performances in the films opposite Uttam Kumar.

She was sublime in the role of a deaf and dumb girl in the play Shyamali, which was remade as film by Ajoy Kar. In Uttarayan Sabitri Chatterji played the role of the wife of Uttam Kumar who was military major who died at the warfront. Uttam Kumar had a double role in the film. The other military officer was asked to conceal the news of the death of the military major as his mother was old and could not digest the news. In Kal Tumi Aleya, Sabitri played the role of the neighbour of Uttam Kumar, whose husband was reckless and she committed suicide at the end of the film due to poverty.

While Sabitri Chatterji was elegant in the tragic role, she complimented Uttam Kumar in the serio-comic films with her comedy performance. In Bhrantibilas, the Bengali version of bollywood film Angur, Sabitri was the wife of Uttam Kumar, and got mixed up with the appearance of his twin brother. The performance of both Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterji was excellent and created a challenge for Sanjeev Kumar and Moushumi Chatterji in Angur.

Similarly Sabitri did well in the film Dhanni Meye, where she was the wife of Uttam Kumar and failed to convince him to accept Jaya Bacchan as his brother’s wife. Ultimately, Uttam Kumar’s team won football match in the village of Jaya Bacchan and sacrificed the shield to bring her back to Kolkata as the wife of his brother. Similarly their performance in the film Mouchak was very entertaining.

Most of the films of Uttam Kumar and Sabitri Chatterji became legendary classics with passage of time, like Nishipoddo, which was remade in hindi as Amar Prem, where Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore played their roles. The films should be preserved for their aesthetic value.

Shahrukh Khan & Sushmita Sen.

Shahrukh Khan & Sushmita Sen.

Shahrukh Khan had provided everlasting hits opposite almost all the leading actresses of bollywood films for the last 15 years. Sushmita Sen also had successful combination opposite Salman Khan, Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol and other leading actors of bollywood. Whenever she had acted opposite Shahrukh Khan, the viewers had appreciated their performance.

Her most successful with Shahrukh Khan was Mai Hoon Na. Shahrukh Khan, military major got admitted in a college to join the hearts of people living in India and Pakistan, where Sunil Shetty was also an academician. It was shown that Naseeruddin Shah, the father of Shahrukh Khan had expired at the time when he joined the college.

He entered into an affair with the chemistry teacher played by Sushmita Sen in the same college. They were supported by Zayed Khan and Amrita Arora who played the role of other students in the college. Although they did not accept Shahrukh Khan at the beginning, later they came close to each other.

Later the plan of Shahrukh Khan of winning the hearts of the students of the college and maintaining the solidarity of the place got foiled due to efforts of Sunil Shetty and others. The songs in the film became very successful.
Although Sushmita Sen created an image for herself and had been successful opposite other actors too, critics feel that she could had done very well with Shahrukh Khan had the directors gave her scope to act in other films too.

Now that Shahrukh Khan being busy cheering up his team Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL cricket matches and his team maintaining the fourth position in the table, his effort in the cricket field has predominance over films, but viewers expect Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen to perform in more films together in the years to come.

Suchitra Sen and Sandhya Mukherjee.

Suchitra Sen and Sandhya Mukherjee.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Suchitra Sen had glorified the Bengali silver screen with her dynamic performance in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Geetasri Sandhya Mukherjee had sung melodious songs for the legendary actress which had become immortal over a passage of time. In the film Agni Parikha, the Bengali version of bollywood film Choti Si Mulakat, (where Vaijayantimala played the role of Suchitra Sen), Sandhya Mukherjee’s songs “ke tumi amare dako” and “gane mor indradhanu”, stormed the Bengali audience who considered Suchitra Sen as the greatest romantic actress ever to grace the silver screen.

The same combination provided everlasting songs in the film Sabar Upare (the Bengali version of the hindi film Kala Pani where Madhubala played the role of Suchitra Sen), including songs like ‘ghum ghum chand jhikimiki tara’ composed by Robin Chatterji. The film was based on a suspense story, where Uttam Kumar’s father Chabi Biswas was wrongly sentenced for life-imprisonment where the public prosecutor had been the actual murderer.

In Sagarika and Pathe Holo Deri, songs composed by legendary Bengali composer Robin Chatterji like “ e shudhu ganer din”, “jaina phurabe kabe ei potho chawa”, “kichukhan aro nahoy rahite kache”, became superduper hits. Sandhya Mukherjee’s romantic singing style complimented the sweet performance of Suchitra Sen in all these films. In Sriti Tuku Thak, where Suchitra Sen played a double role, the song “moner madhuri mishaye” became very successful.

In Uttar Falguni, the Bengali version of the bollywood film Mamta, Sandhya Mukherjee displayed the singing style of tawaifs who used to be hired from Lucknow, or Benaras in the early nineteenth century. Suchitra Sen played a double role both in the Bengali version and the hindi version, and it was one of her best performances in life. Due to elegance of the lips given by Suchitra Sen in films like Kamallata, Bipasha, etc., it never appeared that Sandhya Mukherjee had sung the songs, the audience thought it was Suchitra Sen singing herself. After Suchitra Sen stopped acting in 1978, the immortal combination of Suchitra Sen and Sandhya Mukherjee ended. The audience still recollect the romantic performance of the two legends by seeing them in television channels and buying videos of the classic films.

Utpal Dutt comedy films.

Utpal Dutt comedy films.

By: CR Chatterji.

Utpal Dutt, one of the legendary scholar, dramatist, actor, director, had entertained the bollywood audience with his intellectual humour. In Guddi, he played the role of the uncle of Jay Bacchan who was obsessed with the performance of bollywood actors. Utpal Dutt asked Dharmender to show Jaya Bacchan that whatever is shown in films are unreal and the actors become successful only due to the background work done by the technicians. Jaya Bacchan was convinced and the entire message was delivered by Utpal Dutt in a serio-comic manner.

In Golmaal, Utpal Dutt believed in old values. Amol Palekar, the employee in his firm, had to tell a no. of lies including the fact he had a twin brother to win the confidence of Utpal Dutt in the firm. Amol Palekar had to play the role of Ram Prasad, the elder brother, who worked in Utapl Dutt’s office and Laxman Prasad, who taught music tohis daughter played by Vindya Goswami. Utilmately the truth was unfolded and Utpal Dutt had no other way but to get his daughter married to Amol Palekar.

In Kisi Se Na Kehna, Utpal Dutt wanted his son Farooq Sheikh to marry a village girl who would now traditional values and would be soft, docile in nature. Deepti Naval, a doctor in the film, who was attached with Farooq Sheikh had to tell a number of lies before Utpal Dutt including the fact that she never knew English. Saeed Jaffery, the friend of Utpal Dutt, helped Deepti Naval a lot to impress Utpal Dutt and maintain the wedlock.

Utpal Dutt was elegant in the film Naram Garam, where the astrologer played by Om Prakash, told him that by marrying at an old age he was destined to earn a lot of property. So he agreed to marry Swaroop Sampad, who was engaged with Amol Palekar. As her father had a lot of debt with Utpal Dutt, her father agree to get her married to the old man. At the end of the film, Utpal Dutt’s relatives Dina Pathak and the daughters arrived and he changed his mind and asked Amol Palekar to marry her.
Utpal Dutt was a big asset for films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and other passionate directors of 70s and 80s, who dealt with intellectual comedy where Utpal Dutt became an institution by himself. His films should be restored and preserved.

Satyajit Ray and Rabindranath Tagore.

Satyajit Ray and Rabindranath Tagore.

Intellectuals all over the world consider that Satyajit Ray was the greatest talent of the country after Rabindranath Tagore considering the level of excellence in filmmaking, literature, art, music and other fields. Whenever Ray had experimented with Tagore’s literature the films had created a different dimension.

Three films Teen Kanya, Charulata and Ghare Baire, were based on Tagore’s literature and Ray had improvised with the story according to his belief and understanding. In the story Post Master, Ray had shown the attachment of a little village girl towards Anil Chatterji, who repented when the Post Master was transferred. In Manihara, Tagore’s presentation of a suspense-thriller was given adequate expression by Ray. Kali Banerjee’s wife died and the ghost haunted him after her death. In fact the story-teller in the film was also a ghost in the film. The third film Samapti dealt with relationship of a small village girl with man from the city and the transformation of the girl after she was married to this man.

Charulata was based on the relationship of a housewife with his brother-in-law as he could hardly interact with her husband who was older in age and had a different wavelength. Soumitra Chatterji played the role of the brother-in-law and Madhabi Mukherjee played the role of Charulata. Ray also showed the lifestyle of people of Kolkata during the days of Tagore and portrayed the complexity of the mind with his dialogues and storytelling.

In Gharebaire, Ray had experimented with human relationships existing during the time of British Rule. Tagore’s story was based on the involvement of the zamindar played by Victor Banerjee during riots and unrest existing in India due to the efforts of British Government in India. Soumitra Chatterji, the freedom fighter created a lasting impact in the mind of the wife of Victor Banerjee. The complex relationship was shown by Tagore and Ray had depicted the eventuality with Victor Bannerjee getting killed at the end of the film.

Critics argue that no other filmmaker had treated Tagore’s stories with the same level of perfection as Ray had done and viewers had enjoyed the depiction of Tagore’s stories by Ray in his films. The films should be preserved for their immense filmic value.

Hema Malini Sanjeev Kumar.

Hema Malini Sanjeev Kumar.

Hema Malini acted opposite all the leading stars in her career in bollywood films. She even did well opposite Sanjeev Kumar, one of the most versatile actors of all times.

In Seeta Aur Geeta, Hema Malini played a double role, where one sister, Seeta was docile where as the other sister Geeta was smart and aggressive. Seeta was ill-treated by her step mother and relatives in spite of the fact that she was the source of income for the family, as the property was given in her name. She went to commit suicide and was saved by local people and brought near the house of Dharmender who was associated with Geeta.

Geeta used to perform in games and road-shows for livelihood. She came to the house of Seeta, by coincidence and faced the oppression of her relatives. She gave fitting reply against the torture committed by the family members. Sanjeev Kumar gave lift to Geeta and fell in love with her. There was drama at every point and the audience enjoyed the performance of all the actors and actresses in the film. The song picturised on Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini, titled “hawa ke saath saath” composed by RD Burman became very big hit.

Both of them were also seen in the film Sholay, although in different characters. Hema Malini acted opposite Dharmender in the film, and played the role of a tangawali, who used her vehicle for livelihood. Sanjeev Kumar was the zamindar of the village which was disturbed due to oppression of the dacoits in that region.

Sanjeev Kumar’s hands were cut and he created an army of two men played by Big B and Dharmender who faced Gabbar Singh (played by Amzad Khan) in the film. There were lot of incidents where Hema Malini interacted with Hema Malini in the film. Both their performance were well appreciated by the audience.

Sanjeev Kumar started character acting from mid-70s because directors were encouraged to do experiment with the legendary actor as he had the talent to play any type of role. He performed in other films also where Hema Malini had important roles. Gulzar’s films like Khushbu, Kinara were probably some of the best films of Hema Malini. Sanjeev Kumar and Hema Malini’s films should be preserved for future generations.

Rishi Kapoor films songs.

Rishi Kapoor films songs.

By: CR Chatterji.

Rishi Kapoor, the son of showman Raj Kapoor and one of the successful romantic actors of the 70s and 80s had provided elegant lips in huge of number successful films during that period. He had a strong combination with Rafi, Shailendra Singh, Kishore Kumar and other singers of that period.

The songs in his first films as a hero, that is Bobby, is worth mentioning. The songs were composed by LP and most sung by Shailendra Singh. The notable songs include “mai shayar to nahi”, “hum tum ek kamre me bandh ho”, etc.

The songs in his film Laila Majnu, composed by Madan Mohan and Jaidev and sung by Rafi including “tere dar pe aya hoon”, “barbad muhabbat ki dua saath liye ja”, were all hits. The songs had the appeal of middle-east folk tunes. Similarly the songs in the film Khel Khel Me, composed by RD Burman became very successful. The songs including “humen tumko dekha”, “ek mai aur ek tu” became big hit in the early 70s.

The songs in the film Kabhi Kabhi, composed by Khayyam were also successful. Although Big B and Rakhee, performed the main roles, Rishi Kapoor’s songs performance opposite Nitu Singh was well appreciated. Their songs were also successful.

The songs in the film Amar Akbar Anthony, composed by LP, and sung by Rafi, were also successful. The qawalli “parda hai parda”, and the bhajan “shirdiwali saibaba” became landmark hit during 1977.

Also Rishi Kapoor’s Sargam had very successful music composed by LP. The songs like “dafliwale dafli baja”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, “koel boli” sung by Rafi and Lata became landmark hit. Rishi Kapoor balanced the successful choreography of Jaya Prada with his strong lips in the film.

All the songs should be restored and preserved for their immense musical value.

Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta.

Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta.

Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta had acted in very few films together, but their combination had been appreciated for their thoughtful acting. Both of them had acted in a number of films by this period of time.

Bobby Deol had successful films like Gupt, Soldier, Badal, Bicchu, etc., and Lara Dutta had shown her acting capability in films like No Entry, Partner, etc. The film where both the performers had complimented each other includes the film Jurm. The film was a suspense thriller.


Lara Dutta used to receive a number of phone-calls from an unknown person and bobby Deol used to suspect her for such calls. One day she left the place while a party was going on and gave a call to the police saying that her life was in danger. Bobby Deol went to the scene of occurrence and took the revolver with which a bullet was fired with his own hand.

The case was based on circumstantial evidence and Bobby was convicted with life imprisonment for killing Lara Dutta. His friend defended his case but failed to save him. Later on when he asked his friend to make a plan to get him out of prison, he did it, and shot him after taking him to a secluded place.


Bobby Deol’s girlfriend saved her and took out the bullet. Then he came to know that his friend hatched up the plan to implicate him with murder charge to get his property after he died. He took the help of his girlfriend and went to the place where his friend led a new life with Lara Dutta who had not died.


He took revenge against both of them including Shakti Kapoor who previously had given wrong evidence before the court of law to implicate Bobby Deol for the murder. The performance of both Bobby and Lara Dutta was extraordinary. Both of them also performed well in the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom where the other roles were played by Preeti Zinta and Abhishek Bacchan.

Both of them are expected to continue their good work and act together in bollywood films in the future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Bobby Deol: The dashing hero of 90s
• Lara Dutta – the promising actress of bollywood

Boman Irani – the unique character artist.

Boman Irani – the unique character artist.

Boman Irani has created a unique image of himself after performing in various roles in bollywood films. He attracted the attention of the viewers by playing the role of a strict head of medical institution in the film Munna Bhai –MBBS.

The film was related to a story where Sanjay Dutt, who played the role of Munna Bhai tried to be a doctor. He studied in the medical college and continued his course with false documents. His assistant played by Arshad Warsi, used his muscle power to take the help of professors of medicine.


But it was shown that Sanjay Dutt used his force for the cause of the common man and treated patients in an unconventional manner. Boman Irani’s daughter also loved Sanjay Dutt. But Boman Irani ordered Sanjay Dutt to leave the medical college as he had destroyed the discipline of the institution.

Boman Irani acted even better in the film Lage Raho Munnabhai. In this case he used his money to forcefully evict people from their premises. As Sanjay Dutt and his men were employed for this purpose, he had relationship with Boman Irani. He evicted the old men from their old age home, with whom Viday Balan was associated.

Sanjay Dutt showed his gandhigiri to convince Boman Irani that whatever he was doing was wrong. He used the weapon of non-violence. Ultimately when Sanjay Dutt helped Boman Irani to get his daughter married he understood the strength of truth and admired Sanjay Dutt.


Boman Irani also did a commendable job in the film Don, where he chased the original Don, and kept an eye on Shahrukh Khan who just pretended to be Don, to get the list of other gangmembers. This role was challenging because viewers remember the performance of all the character artists in Big B’s Don which was very successful.

Boman Irani has taken varieties of roles including comic roles and villanish roles and used his own style without copying any veteran actor. He is expected to continue his good work in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Rani Mukherjee Shahrukh Khan.

Rani Mukherjee Shahrukh Khan.

Rani Mukherjee had performed in successful bollywood films for the last 10 years with all the leading actors. Whenever she had acted with Shahrukh Khan the films were admired by the viewers even more as both the performers complimented each other in their respective roles.

In Veer Zara, although Shahrukh Khan had an affair with Preeti Zinta, and sacrificed his life to see her happy, Rani Mukherjee saved his life at the end of the film. Shahrukh Khan was wrongly prosecuted for anti-national activities and languished in jail for many years. Rani Mukherjee reopened the case and freed him. The film produced by Yash-Raj Banner showed that love has no boundary, no religion and no nationality. In fact Rani Mukherjee defeated her senior played by Anupam Kher in the court proceeding.


Both of them were elegant in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were college friends in the film. They fought against each other and also admired each other. Rani Mukherjee joined the institution later. She was more composed than Kajol. There were hit songs in the film like “larki bara anjana hai”, “kuch kuch hota hai”, “koi mil gaya”, etc. Rani Mukherjee died in the film and her memory haunted Shahrukh Khan and he carried it with him even at the time when marriage of Kajol was fixed with Salman Khan. The film was very successful.


Both of them also performed in the film Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, where Abhishek Bacchan and Preeti Zinta also played leading roles. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, also had significance, including songs like “mitwa”, “kabhi alvida na kehna”.


Both of them also performed in Amol Palekar’s film Paheli. The film was based on folk tales. Both Sharukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee adjusted themselves with the rural style of dialogue delivery and the semi-rural mannerisms which are expected in these types of films. With Shahrukh Khan sponsoring the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Cricket League, he has devoted lesser time for films. His admirers expect his team to do well and both Sharukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee act together in more films in future.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

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Uttam Kumar and Manna Dey.

Uttam Kumar and Manna Dey.

By CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar the superstar on Bengali silver screen had brought a new dimension to the musical career of Manna Dey. Manna Dey, one of the most versatile singers of bollywood films was mainly associated with Raj Kapoor in films like Shree 420, Chori Chori, etc., during a period when Rafi dominated the world of playback singing in bollywood films.

But in spite of being a Bengali, he did not get a scope to show his skills in Bengali film songs before Uttam Kumar gave lips in the songs “ami agantuk” and “ke prothom kache asechi” in the film Shonkhobela, in 1966. The music of the film was composed by Sudhin Dasgupta. Uttam Kumar always had shown his excellence in giving lips in film songs and it did not matter whether the song was sung by Hemant Kumar or Shyamal Mitra or Rafi or Kishore Kumar.

After Shonkhobela, Manna Dey flabbergasted the audience of Bengal with his classical performance in Uttam Kumar’s Antony Firingi. The songs in the film “ami je jalsaghare, ami jamini tumi sashi he”, “champa chameli” were masterpieces where Sandhay mukherjee sung the female version for Tanuja.

The songs in the film Stri, also became superhit, including “hajartakar jharbatita”, “jemon shapinike posh manay ojha”, “ose jotoi kalo hok”, etc. The film depicted the Bengali zamindari and Uttam Kumar did a marvellous job in bringing in the aristocracy of the character.

Also the songs of Manna Dey in the film Sanyasi Raja, like “bhalobashar agun jalao”, “sashikanto tumi dekhchi”, became everlasting hit. Uttam Kumar played the role of the Bhowal Zamindar who faced a landmark trial in a case relating to identity of the sage. The other landmark films where Manna Dey contributed a lot include Choddobeshi, Nishipoddo, Chowrongi, etc.

All the skills of Manna Dey related to ghazals, Hindustani classical songs, western songs, folk songs were used in Bengali film songs and he became the uncrowned monarch in the 60s and 70s. The films and the songs should be restored.

Raj Kapoor Dilip Kumar.

Raj Kapoor Dilip Kumar.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

In India, the star system in bollywood films evolved in the late 40s, from the time Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar joined bollywood films. Raj Kapoor started his own production titled RK productions and his films right from the time of Aag, had created a social awakening.

Dilip Kumar with his soft style of dialogue delivery created a distinct identity for himself and films like Babul, Deedar, Aan, became very successful in the early 50s. Even in Andaz, Dilip Kumar impressed the crowds more than Raj Kapoor with his image of a sacrificer, as both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar loved Nargis in the film.

From the 50s, the clownish performance of Raj Kapoor in Shree 420, had been totally opposite to Dilip Kumar’s tragic andaz in Devdas. No director had ever tried to compare each of them, and both of them were the most popular icons of the 50s. Even the songs of Raj Kapoor like “awara hoon”, “mera joota hai japani”, “kisiki muskurahato pe ho nisar”, were as popular as Dilip Kumar’s songs like “woh dur ke musafir”, “yeh mera diwanapan”, “mitwa”, etc.

Even in the 60s, the star image was intact, and while Raj Kapoor gave superhits like “jis desh me ganga behti hai”, “sangam” etc., Dilip kumar stormed bollywood with his hit films like Ganga Jumna, Leader, Ram Aur Shyam, etc.

Both of them also acted with most of the leading actresses of that era including Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Wahida Rehman, Vaijayantimala, etc.. From the mid-70s, Raj Kapoor concentrated only in direction while Dilip Kumar continued to perform in character roles.

In fact Dilip Kumar’s performance in films like Shakti, Mashal, Karma, are masterpieces which had influenced the actors of the following generation like Big B, Anil Kapoor, etc.

If Raj Kapoor’s showmanship in terms of direction and production of commercial films is acknowledged all over the world, Dilip Kumar’s acting skills are appreciated by directors of all ages. The films of both the stars of bollywood should be preserved for the future generation.

Jackie Shroff Anil Kapoor

Jackie Shroff Anil Kapoor.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Jackie Shroff had been one of the strongest competitors of Anil Kapoor during the ealy 80s. Both of them started their career together and featured in big bannered films within a short period of time.

The seriousness in the character of Jackie Shroff in the film Karma was balanced by the serio-comic performance of Anil Kapoor. Both were prisoners who were used by Dilip Kumar to face the terrorists led by Anupam Kher in the film. Nasiruddin Shah was also sublime in his character as the third prisoner in the film.

Both of them acted together in the film Ram Lakhan, where Jackie Shroff played the role of the elder brother and a responsible police officer. Where as Anil Kapoor, later joined the police force, but used the methods of fraud and unlawful activities to address the evil intentions of lawbreakers. Their performance opposite Dimple Kapadia and Madhuri Dixit also requires special mention. Both of them faced Amrish Puri at the end of the film and took revenge against the ill-treatment against their family members.

Both of them were sublime in their performance in the film 1942 – A Love Story. Anil Kapoor was the son of a rich Indian who was loyal to the British officials during the period when India was a colony under British rule. Anil Kapoor had an affair with Manisha Koirala, the daughter of Anupam Kher who died as a freedom fighter. Jackie Shroff was the other freedom fighter who killed the British General, who was very cruel towards Indians. Anil Kapoor was supposed to be hanged but was freed at the end of the film. But Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff were well admired by the viewers for the excellent performance in the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film.

Their other successful films include Parinda, where again Jackie Shroff played the role of the brother of Anil Kapoor, who had sacrificed his life to give proper education to his young brother. Ultimately to his utter disliking, Anil Kapoor joined the same underworld gang led by Nana Patekar where Jackie Shroff worked. Both of them established their careers separately but whenever they acted together the enjoyed their diverse styles a lot. The viewers want to see both of them perform together in the same way in more films in the years to come.

Satyajit Ray and Anil Chatterji.

Satyajit Ray and Anil Chatterji.

By: CR Chatterji.

Satyajit Ray, one of the greatest directors of all times, had used the potentiality of majority of actors and actresses to their fullest extent. As most of his character actors were chosen according to his illustration in the script, the casting became of one of the key factors which enhanced the level of excellence in his films.

Anil Chatterji, the legendary actor after Uttam Kumar, in Bengali films, was previously categorised as actor of Hrithik Ghatak’s films like Meghe Dhaka Tara, Komol Gandhar, etc. When he performed in Ray’s films he brought a new dimension to the respective films.

In Post Master, one of the three stories of Tagore which formed Teen Kanya, he showed the attachment with a little village girl, who cooked the food and helped him as post master in the village where he was posted. The little girl was taught some elementary Bengali grammer by the post master. She also treated Anil Chatterji when he became sick. After few months the post master was transferred leaving a tragic end to the story, where the little girl even refused to accept the monetary consideration provided by Anil Chatterji.

In a totally different background Anil Chatterji performed his role as a middle class Bengali in the film Mahanagar. He lived in a conservative family and his wife Madhabi Mukherjee had to start working as it was not possible to run a family with income of one breadowner. It was the transition of Bengali women starting to work outside and play the role of the domestic wife and the officer worker together. Anil Chatterji balanced the role of a husband and also convinced his father who retired as a school teacher that his wife was helping him in running the family in the mid-60s.

Anil Chatterji was depicted as a carefree character in the film Kanchenjungha by Ray. He was not moved by the greatness of the Himalayan range but had admired nature in his own way. The film was related to the realisation of the greatness by Chabi Biswas, a rich industrialist in the film. Just like the other legendary actors of Bengali cinema Anil Chatterji contributed a lot to the artistic presentation of Ray’s films which are considered as masterpieces by critics all over the world. The films should be restored and preserved.

Wahida Rahman songs

Wahida Rahman songs.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Wahida Rahman, the dynamic actress of the golden age of bollywood films had given elegant lips on legendary songs during the 50s, 60s and 70s. She had given lips in mostly the songs sung by Geeta Dutt and Lata Mangeshkar as they contributed the most in her films.

The songs in the film Pyaasa, titled “jane kya maine kaha” composed by SD Burman and sung by Geeta Dutt is worth mentioning. Similarly Geeta Dutt’s legendary song “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” in the film Kagaz Ka Phool, composed by SD Burman became a landmark hit. The lyric of the song was also very meaningful. The song and the film conveyed the eternal message that performers in films are remembered as long as their films become hits, but after a period of time their contribution is forgotten and specially creators and technicians behind the screen never get the acknowledgement of their work.

In the early 60s, Lata had sung romantic songs for Wahida Rahman in different films. In Bees Saal Baad, the song “kahin deep jale kahin dil” composed by Hemant Kumar became superhit. It also carried the spooky feeling in the film which was crime-thriller where both Biswajeet and Wahida Rehman did very well.

In Guide, the songs “aaj phir jine ki tamanna hai”, “piya tose naina lage re”, etc., composed by SD Burman under the Navketan Banner became very successful. The songs in Raj Kapoor’s Teesri Kasam titled “o aa aa bhi jaa”, “pan kahi saiwa”, “mare gaye gulpham”, etc. sung by Lata and Asha became super hits. The songs were composed by Shankar Jaikishan and carried the flavour of fairs or nautankis held in the villages in India. Wahida Rahman also showed her excellent dancing skills in the film.

The other notable songs of Wahida Rahman include “phir teri kahani yaad ayi”, “kal ke sapne”, “sawan aye ya na aye” composed by Naushad. All these songs were picturised in films where she had acted with Dilip Kumar in films like Dil Diya Dard Liya and Aadmi.

It is not possible to mention the exhaustive list of songs of Wahida Rahman in a small article, but one thing is clear, due to the everlasting appeal of Wahida Rahman all these songs have become immortal over the years. The songs should be restored for their immense musical value.

Songs picturised on Shami Kapoor

Songs picturised on Shami Kapoor.

Shami Kapoor (also known as Shamsher Raj), was the second son of Prithviraj Kapoor and initially faced a huge challenge to match the popularity of his father and elder brother Raj Kapoor who was the showman of the millennium. Initially his films did not create a lasting impression in the minds of the viewers.

But from Tumsa Nahi Dekha, in 1957, he created a new image for himself which had the resemblance of Elvis Priestley of Hollywood films. The songs in the film composed by OP Nayyar and sung by the legend of legends Mohammad Rafi stormed bollywood with the westernized style. The hit songs include “yuh to humne lakh haseen dekhe hai”, “jawaaniyah yeh mast mast”, etc.

Shankar Jaikishan bolstered the rock and roll image of Shammi Kapoor with songs like “ai ai ya, karun mai kya suku suku”, “meri yaar shabba khair” in Junglee, where Saira Banu accompanied Shami Kapoor. Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan were responsible for numerous number of hit songs for Shami Kapoor including “tumse accha kaun hai”, opposite Rajashri in Janwar, “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “aasman se aya farishta”, “raat ke humsafar” opposite Sharmila Tagore in An Evening in Paris, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye”, “tumne kisi ki jaan ko”, opposite Sadhna in Raj Kumar, “badan pe sitaren lapate hue” in Prince, “dil tera diwana” in Dil Tera Diwana, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche” from Brahmchari, “aye gulbadan” in Professor, to name a few. Rafi had almost replicated the voice modulations of Shami Kapoor and everyone understood it was the song of Shami Kapoor.

The other hit songs of Shami Kapoor, include “tareef karun kya uski”, “diwana hua badal”, “kisi na kisi se kabhi na kabhi”, “yeh duniya usiki” composed by OP Nayyar in the film Kashmir Ki Kali. All the songs composed by RD Burman in Teesri Manzil for Shami Kapoor including “aja aja”, “o haseena zulfowali”, “jaenman janejan”, “diwana tujhsa nahi”, became superduper hits.

In fact Shami Kapoor was probably the first bollywood hero whose first specialization included westernized choreography and he had created a legacy for modern dancers like Hrithik Roshan and others. All his songs and the films should be restored for their musical value including rich, westernized orchestration.

Songs in Sunny Deol’s films

Songs in Sunny Deol’s films

By: CR Chatterji.

Sunny Deol is better known for his action films. But he had given decent lips in successful songs in bollywood films over a period of 20 years. The songs in his first film Betaab had impressed the viewers in the early 80s. All the songs in that film became hits.

The song in the film Ghayal, titled “sochna kya jobhi hoga dekha jayega” became the them song for the film. It also carried the message of the Director Raj Kumar Santoshi in the film. The song was played a number of times in the film and reminded the audience about the oppression that was faced by Sunny Deol in the film.

The songs in his film Darr, opposite Juhi Chawla and Shahrukh Khan is also mentioning. The songs like “jadu teri nazar” sung by Udit Narayan and “tu mere samne” sung by Lata Mangeshkar became a landmark hit in the year when the film was released. The second song was picturised on Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. The performance of Sunny Deol was as elegant as the songs in the film.

The song in the Sunny’s film titled “yara ho yara” was also successful. All the songs of Tridev were hit include “oye oye”. Sunny Deol was well supported in the film by Nasiruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff. Although the film was a action –thriller, the music played the big role in the success of the film.

All the songs in the film Vishwatma, were also successful. In this film Sunny was well supported by Chunkey Pandey and Nasiruddin Shah. Also the songs in Sunny’s films in late 90s, became successful like Zor and Hero. Sunny addressed the concerns relating to terrorism in the films very well.

Also his song in the film Kshatriya, titled “hello” which was picturised on a train in a foreign country became successful in the early 90s. Ravina Tandon acted opposite him in the film.

The viewers expect him to provide adequate lips in more bollywood films in the years to come.

Sunil Shetty v. Akshay Kumar.

Sunil Shetty v. Akshay Kumar.

Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar appeared in bollywood films in the early 90s with the strong command of martial art which helped them to create their identity in action films. They had amazed the audience with their performance in the film Mohra. It was a story where the sister of Sunil Shetty was harassed by anti-socials.

Sunil Shetty killed them and went to prison. Ravina Tandon reopened the case and tried to reduce the punishment of Sunil Shetty as the murder took place due to grave and sudden provocation. Nasiruddin Shah released Sunil Shetty just to use him for killing all his rivals in the market. Akshay Kumar, the police officer in the film suspected Sunil Shetty at every point and ultimately got trapped in the plan that was executed by Nasiruddin Shah to kill both of them and the film became successful due to the new subject.
Both of them created a strong image for themselves and the films where both of them acted together had created a different impact. For example the film Dhadkan, was a romantic film where Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar loved the same girl Shilpa Shetty. Sunil Shetty played a negative role in the film and also received filmfare award in a negative role. The song in the film “tum dil ki dhadkan me” became superhit.

The other successful films of Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty included Awara Pagal Deewana, Aan – Men at Work, etc. They started a second innings with their comedy performance in the film Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri. In Hera Pheri, both Akshay and Sunil Shetty lived as tenant in the place of Paresh Rawal. Three of them involved in funny incidents in the film. Sunil Shetty hads to sacrifice his job for Tabu after seeing her family condition. But they became rich at the end of the film through hera pheri.

In Phir Hera Pheri, they were cheated by Bipasa Bashu after promising them that their money was going to be doubled within short time. They gave all their money to Bipasha and she ran away with the money. The rest of the film was based on what Akshay, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal did after they were cheated.

Their other films like Jaani Dushman were also appreciated by the viewers. Both of them have a successful combination and the viewers expect them to continue to perform together in the films in future.

Mahendra Kapoor – the talented singer of bollywood.

Mahendra Kapoor – the talented singer of bollywood.

Mahendra Kapoor had created a place for himself in bollywood singing during the age when there was tough competition. Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood, Kishore Kumar were all established during the golden age when Mahendra Kapoor had to show his capability.

He did well in the film Dhool Ka Phool, where most of his songs were picturised on Rajender Kumar. Songs like “tere pyar ka” composed by Ravi and sung by Mahendra Kapoor became landmark hit in 1959.

He had mainly contributed in BR Chopra’s films, where his singing talent was utilised very well. His songs in the film Humraaz, titled “neele gagan ki tale” picturised on Raj Kumar and composed by Ravi became a big hit. Similarly his songs in the film Waqt, picturised on Shashi Kapoor became successful.


In the mid-60s, Mahendra Kapoor contributed a lot in Manoj Kumar’s films. His song “mere desh ki sharti” in the film Upkaar, composed by Kalyanji Anandji almost became a national song over the years. He sang notable songs in the other films of Manoj Kumar including Purab aur Paschim. He had the capability of stretching his voice in devotional songs. He also sang songs composed by OP Nayyar in films like Baharen Phir Bhi Ayegi, picturised on Dharmender and Kismat picturised on Biswajeet.


At the same time he sang melodious songs in the film Gumraah, for Sunil Dutt, replicating the style of his guru Mohammad Rafi. With the advent of new types of films and coming up of new singers in the 80s, Mahendra Kapoor faded out of the industry. Even then his songs in Nikah, released in the early 80s, caught the attention of music lovers. He is one of the most humble singers who had acknowledged the contribution of his composers. His songs should be restored and preserved with the films.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Songs in Salman Khan’s films.

Songs in Salman Khan’s films.

Songs had played a vital part in the success of Salman Khan in bollywood films over the last 20 years. He had been successful to keep his box-office intact amidst strong competition from Shahrukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, and the new actors.

Salman had provide elegant lips in the songs of the film Sajan, including songs like “dekha hai pehli baar”. Initially most of his songs were sung by Bal Subhramanium. Most of these songs were well appreciated by the viewers.


His songs in the film Khamoshi, along with Manisha Koirala, were also successful. Songs like “bahon ki garmiya” became extremely successful at one time. His songs in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, with Aishwarya Rai also became superhit, including songs like “aankho ki gustakhiyan”, “dhol baje”, “hum dil de chuke sanam”. Even the Italian music he had presented in the film became hit.

His songs in the film Auzaar, with Shilpa Shetty became extremely successful. The music was composed by Anu Malik. Songs like “are baba” were based on westernised orchestration. Also his songs in the film Karan Arjun, with Shahrukh Khan became hit.

His songs in the film Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, with Rani Mukherjee and Preeti Zinta, were also appreciated. Songs like “har dil jo pyar karega”, and “ek garam chai ki pyali ho” stormed the crowds when the film was released. Songs that were picturised on Rani Mukherjee and Preeti Zinta were also successful in the film.


Salman also got good songs in Tumko Na Bhool Payenge. The song “are re yeh kya hua re” sung by Sonu Nigam became super hit. He was well supported in the film by Sushmita Sen and Diya Mirza.

Salman Khan is expected to continue his brilliant performances in bollywood films in the years to come.

By: CR Chatterji.

Songs in the films of Rani Mukherjee.

Songs in the films of Rani Mukherjee.

Rani Mukherjee has been blessed with melodious songs in her career in bollywood films. Most of her songs had created huge impact in the minds of filmlovers in India. Her songs in the film Ghulam, opposite Amir Khan, titled “jadu hai” became very successful.

Also her songs in the film Bunty Aur Babli, opposite Abhishek Bacchan became hits like “buntya aur babli”, “dharak dharak dhua uraye re”. The film was as successful as the songs. Also her song in the film Yuva opposite Abhishek Bacchan titled “kabhi neem neem” became a big hit.


Her songs in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai were all hits. Songs like “kuch kuch hota hai”, “koi mil gaya”, etc., which were picturised on her, Kajol and Shahrukh Khan were all successful. The picturisation of the songs were also good due to the charishma of Karan Johar. The film did well in India and abroad.


Her songs in the film Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, opposite Salman Khan was also successful. Songs like “piya piya” which was picturised on her and Preeti Zinta caught the attention of the public.

Even her songs in the film Bicchu and Badal, opposite Bobby Deol were also successful. She is expected to provide excellent lips in the songs that are going to be picturised on her in the films that she is going perform in the coming years.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Ayesha Takia- the promising actress of future.

Ayesha Takia- the promising actress of future.

Ayesha Takia was born in Bombay in 1986. She performed in the complan advertisement with Shahid Kapoor and created her recognition in Falguni Pathak’s music album “Meri chunar urr urr jaye”.

She impressed the viewers with her performance in her first film Tarzan – the wonder car. She also received the filmfare best debut award in the year 2004.

She proved her acting potentiality in the film Dor. Dor was based on a story of a young widow of Rajasthan who lived in traditional family. The role required softness, respectability and all the values that are present in traditional families. She played the role with authority. She received the Zee Cine Critics award for Dor.

She also played the role of Gia Bakshi in the film Salaam –e-ishq. The songs of the film were very successful and the performance of Ayesha was also appreciated by the viewers.


She also acted in the film Fool and Final. Her films in 2007 had done moderate business, but she was elegant in her guest appearance in the film Cash.

Her other successful films include Socha Na Tha and the multi-starrer film Shaadi No. 1 where she was sublime along with the professional actors in the film. In Shaadi No. 1, Fardeen Khan was her husband and whenever Fardeen and his friends Zayeed Khan and Sharman Joshi tried to maintain their relationship with their wives, including Esha Deol and Soha Ali Khan, Sanjay Dutt told them about real and unreal events and destroyed their relationship. It was a serio-comic film which had done well in box-office.


With strong competition in bollywood films with Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kapoor dominating the film arena and also charging more than 5 crores per films, Ayesha Takia has a very challenging task to keep her stardom intact and do well in her future films.