IIFA awards 2008

IIFA awards 2008.

The International Indian film Academy (IIFA) awards, 2008, were presented in a colourful evening in Bankok this year. Awards were given for different categories of Indian films including best composer award, technical awards, best actor, actress awards, etc.

Very significantly the award winners were the same celebrities who won the filmfare awards for their achievements in the year. AR Rehman received the best composer award for his music composition in the film Guru. He had received around 7 filmfare awards by this time and is looking forward of breaking the record of Shankar Jaikishan for receiving 8 filmfare awards.

Shahrukh Khan won the best actor award for his performance in the film Chakde India and Kareena Kapoor won best actress award for her performance in the film Jab We Met. Konkona Sen Sharma won the best supporting actress award for her performance in Life in a Metro. Chak De India got the award for the best film of the year. Govinda won the best comedian award for his performance in Partner.

There is a trend of bollywood awards in the last few years that the same actors and actresses have got these awards one after the other. Shahrukh Khan had been getting the awards one after the other. There is a question mark in the minds of many viewers that why cant god actors, actresses or singers, composers, fail to receive even a single award for their good performance.


For example, Shahid Kapoor received nothing for his performance in Jab We Met. Amir Khan’s film Tare Zameen Par could have received the best film award. It has been the tradition for the last 50 years. On one hand composers like Madanmohan, Ghulam Mohammad did not receive any filmfare award, Dharmender, Jeetender did not receive any best actor award, on the other hand few actors, actresses, composers, directors got the award many times.

IIFA should break the trend and judge the best performance independently and encourage and motivate new talents in the industry.

Esha Deol hit films.

Esha Deol hit films.

Esha Deol had been one of the most successful actresses of the last few years. She had inherent acting skills as she carried the legacy of Dharmender and Hema Malini forward with her performances.

Her performance in the film No Entry had been extraordinary. Unlike Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley she trusted Salman Khan, her husband in the film. At the same time Salman Khan had the habit of telling lies in respect of his extra-marital affairs. Due to his insistence Bipasha Basu spend some time with Anil Kapoor and disturbed the peace of the life of Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan.


Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley had filed divorce suits against their husbands. Esha Deol unfolded the truth before Salman Khan and he did playacting by trying to commit suicide and the problem was solved.

Esha Deol did well in the comedy film One Two Three. She was a fashion designer and wanted to sell a consignment to earn big amount of money. But she got engaged with Tushar Kapoor who was a bhai in the film who was appointed as a serial killer. Ultimately Tushar Kapoor entered into an affair with Esha Deol and changed his plan.

Esha Deol did well in the film Na Tum Jano Na Hum opposite Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan. He entered into an affair with Hrithik Roshan even without meeting him. Both of them developed their friendship by posting letters in the Post office. In the meantime her marriage was fixed with Saif Ali Khan. The film took a different turn. Esha Deol was sublime in her performance.


She did well in the film Dhoom also. She also acted in negative characters like the one she played in the film Ankahee opposite Altaf Shivdasani and Amisha Patel. Her other successful films include the action thriller Dus, the crime thriller Kaal.

With a number of hit films under her belt, she is expected to do even better in the new films in 2008.

Big B and Vinod Khanna

Big B and Vinod Khanna.

In the 70s, with the advent of action films, Vinod Khanna became the greatest competitor of Big B. Both of them acted in many films together and in most of the cases they were rivals of each other. In Amar Akbar Anthony, Big B was a smuggler, and Vinod Khanna a police officer. Both of them also fought against each other in their search for a wanted person Robert

Amar Akbar Anthony was a muli-starrer film where Rishi Kapoor also was prominent and gave memorable lips in the successful songs of Rafi in the film. Vinod Khanna was the elder brother of Big B in the film and got united at the end of the film. In Khoon Paseena, Vinod Khanna acted as the rival of Big B, and their misunderstanding was resolved at the end of the film. Before that Vinod Khanna wanted to kill Big B in the film.

Even in Parvarish, Big B played the role of police officer where as Vinod Khanna played the role of law-breaker. The mystery related to the blood relation of Shammi Kapoor was solved at the end of the film. Both the actors showed their action skills in the film and the film became extremely successful.

They also acted in romantic films like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, where Big B admired Rakhee but she loved Vinod Khanna. Big B got attached with Rekha who played the role of a tawaif in the film but who had feelings for Big B. At the end of the film Big B died in a clash against the villain Amzad Khan and Vinod Khanna revealed the truth about the amount of love he had devoted for Rakhee

The other successful films where Big B and Vinod Khanna acted together include Hera Pheri and Zameer. Both of them were equally brilliant in their performances in the action films excepting Big B excelling with his baritone voice in some cases. Later on Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty had performed together in many action films, but still the combination of Big B and Vinod Khanna is admired by viewers of different ages.

Rafi and Lata in the 50s and 60s.

Rafi and Lata in the 50s and 60s.

Rafi and Lata were the premiere singers of Indian cinema and most of the composers relied on them for the success of the songs. In the film Baiju Bawra, Rafi’s song “tu ganga ki mauj”, composed by Naushad and picturised on Bharat Bhushan became successful. The film had classical songs involving legendary ragas used by Naushad.

Rafi and Lata had sung many duet songs in that age. Prominent among them include “who jab yaad aye” from the film Parasmani, composed by LP; “jo waa kiya” from the film Tajmahal, composed by Roshan; etc. The song of Tajmahal, stormed bollywood films in the 60s, and Pradeep Kumar made the character of Shahjahan look absolute lively.

The other landmark duet songs of Rafi and Lata include “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, composed by Shankar Jaikishan and picturised on Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu; “tere husn ki kya taref karun” and “ek shahehshah ne” from the film Leader, composed by Naushad and picturised on Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala; “mai hoon saki”, composed by Naushad and picturised on Dilip Kumar and Wahida Rehman; etc.

Also the song from the film Shagird, titled “woh hai zara khafa khafa”, composed by LP and picturised on Joy Mukherjee and Saira Banu, became landmark hit. Also Ravi’s composition in the film Do Kaliyan titled “tumhari nazar”, picturised on Biswajeet and Mala Sinha became big hit. Also RD Burman’s composition in the film Pyar Ka Mausam, titled “ni sultana re” picturised on Shashi Kapoor and Asha Parekh became very successful.

There were huge number of solo songs of Rafi and Lata in the 50s and 60s which had become musical masterpieces. The songs and the films should be restored for their musical value. The playback singers of the modern age consider Lata and Rafi as their role models and still learn from their works.

Sushmita Sen’s successful films.

Sushmita Sen’s successful films.

Sushmita Sen played very important roles in bollywood films in the last 10 years. In the film Bibi No. 1, she played the role of a westernized girl who had an affair with Salman Khan which led to disharmony in his family life.

Salman Khan left his wife Karishma Kapoor and embraced Sushmita Sen. But within a short time, she failed to look after his children and mother and proved that it was easy to have an affair but difficult to fulfill the responsibilities of a housewife. The songs in the films were also successful like “ishq sona hai”, “ chunari chunari”, etc.

Sushmita Sen’s film Aghaaz opposite Sunil Shetty was successful. Sunil Shetty played the role of innocent villager who came to Bombay to get his sister admitted in a college. But his sister faced ill-treatment in the hands of miscreants and Sunil Shetty took revenge by first bringing in the awareness in the minds of the people at large about raising their voice against evil in the society. Sushmita Sen ably supported Sunil Shetty in the film.


Sushmita Sen did very well in the film Mainen Pyar Kyun Kiya, opposite Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. She played the role of a nurse in the hospital of Salman Khan. She pretended as the wife of Salman Khan as he wanted to impress Katrina about the fact he was giving divorce to his wife and marrying her with mutual consent. After some time, Sushmita Sen fell in love with Salman Khan and the playacting resulted in reality. Sushmita was married to Salman Khan at the end of the film.

The other successful films of Sushmita Sen include Main Hoon Na, opposite Shahrukh Khan. That film was related to building of harmonious relationship among students of academic institution. Sushmita Sen acted in an experimental role in the film Chingari, where she played the role of a tawaif.


She also acted in other successful films like Zor opposite Sunny Deol. The viewers expect Sushmita Sen to carry on her good work in the films to come in 2008 and near future.

Shankar Jaikishan’s westernised compositions.

Shankar Jaikishan’s western compositions.

Shankar Jaikishan were one of the greatest assets of bollywood music in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Other than their classical and folk compositions they were sublime in their westernized compositions. In the film Dil Apna Au Peet Parayi, their composition for Lata titled “ajeeb dastan hai yeh”, picturised on Meena Kumari had Hawaiian flavor.

In the film Jhuk Gaya Aasman, the songs “sacha hai ghar” and “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” had very melodious beat where Rafi’s brilliance balanced the screen presence of Rajender Kumar. The song “ai sanam jisne tujhe chand sa surat di hai”, sung by Mukesh in Raj Kapoor’s Diwana had a brilliant use of sexaphone.

Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening Parishad hit songs and SJ weer brilliant in almost all the songs including “akele akele”, “raat ke humsafar”, “mera dil hai tera”, etc. Rafi replicated the rock and roll andaz of Shammi Kapoor. Similarly Lata’s song in Love In Tokyo, titled “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, had a very balanced use of the organs bv SJ.

Gumnaam was a crime thriller, but SJ’s tunes including “jaan pehchaan ho” sung by Rafi and “is duniya me jena ho to” had very unique orchestration. Also in the film Andaz, the song “dil use do jo jaan de de” sung by Rafi and picturised on Shami Kapoor was brilliant by every musical standard.

SJ was sublime in all the songs of the film Brahmchari, including “dil ke jharoke me”, “mai gayun tum so jayo”, “chakke pe chakka”. Rafi was as brilliant as Shammi Kapoor. Besides SJ’s chorus effect was evident in the song “aa ab laut chale”, sung by Mukesh and Lata in the film Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai. It is not possible to highlight the westernized compositions of SJ in a small article as they ad unique compositions even in the films of Biswajeet, Dev Anand, Manoj Kumar, Sunil Dutt.

The songs are masterpieces and should be restored along with the films.

Kishore Kumar in the 80s.

Kishore Kumar in the 80s.

Kishore Kumar had made huge contribution to bollywood music by singing successful songs for a lot of actors during the 60s, 70s and 80s. But in the 80s, he became unparallel because he matured as a singer and used all his acting skills to bring the different emotions of the heroes.

His songs in the film Sharabi, sung for Big B, became everlasting hit. The songs were composed by Bappi Lahiri. Notable songs include “ki pag ghungru”, “thodi si jo peeli hai”. KK brought the intoxicating appeal of Big B in the songs.

KK was sublime in the film Sagar, where Rishi Kapoor, Kamal Hasan and Dimple Kapadia all played important roles. The songs “sagar kinare”, “chehera hai”, composed by RD Burman became landmark hit. Also KK’s song for Rishi Kapoor in the film Sitamgar, titled “mausam pyar ka” became very successful.

KK also sang the successful song “jane kaise kab kahan”, composed by RD Burman, in the film Shakti, for Big B. Dilip Kumar and Rakhee played very important roles in the film and KK’s song had complimented the action sequences in the film.

KK’s songs in the film Shaan, composed by RD Burman also became very successful. The songs were picturised on Big B, including “janu meri jaan”, which was also sung by Rafi for Shashi Kapoor.

KK emerged as the single dominating playback singer as the new singers in the 80s like Shabbir Kumar, Mohammad Aziz and others had just started their careers and producers relied a lot on KK for the success of the music and the films.

KK’s songs even became hits in the late 80s, like “andheri raaton me” sung for Big B in the film Shahenshah. He single-handedly dominated bollywood music in that era when Rafi, Mukesh died, Talat Mehmood, Manna Dey did not make significant contribution in bollywood music and the new singers just shaped their careers in the 80s.

The songs and the films should be restored.

Katrina Kaif's songs

Katrina Kaif’s songs

In the last few years the better actresses of bollywood had got good songs. Katrina Kaif had been one of the successful actresses of last few years. Although most of her dialogues are dubbed, her expressions show that she has understanding of the character that she plays.

The songs of the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya opposite Salman Khan and Sushmita Sen became successful due to the serio-comic script and entertaining music. The songs picturised on Katrina Kaif and others like “just chill chill” became very successful. Susmita Sen also complimented Salman Khan and Katrina with her own performance. Her choreography in the song “laga laga re” requires special mention.

Katrina’s songs in the film Race had also been successful. The song “allah duhai hai” in the film caught the attention of cinematic viewers. The other actors and actresses in the film including Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna, Sameera Reddy and Bipasha Basu also did well in the film.

Katrina’s songs in the film Partner opposite Govinda and Salman Khan also became extremely successful. The song “do you want a partner”, “dupatta tera naurang da”, “maria maria”, “soni de nakhre” became big hits. Lara Dutta and Salman Khan were the other pair in addition to Katrina Kaif and Govinda. All the performers did well in the film.

The songs of Katrina Kaif in the film Welcome opposite Akshay Kumar became very successful. The title song “welcome” was successful. The other songs “inshah alla”, “uncha lamba”, “hoth rasile” were entertaining. Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor and Mallika Sherawat had the other leading roles.

Also the songs of Katrina in the film Namaste London opposite Akshay Kumar became successful. Rishi Kapoor played a leading role in the film.

The viewers expect Katrina to say her own dialogue in the films in future and give adequate lips in the songs in future.

Sunil Dutt songs.

Sunil Dutt songs.

Sunil Dutt had acted in dignified roles all along his career. One of the reasons for the success of his films include the quality music that existed in his films. In Bimal Roy’s Sujata, the song “jalte hai jiske liye” sung by Talat Mehmood and picturised on Sunil Dutt became a landmark hit.

The songs in his film Mera Saya opposite Sadhna, became superhits. Madanmohan composed the songs for the film. Lata’s song “tu jaha jaha chalega” and Rafi’s song “aapke pehlu me akar”, require special mention. The songs in Sunil Dutt’s film Ghazal were outstanding by every musical standard. Madanmohan’s composition “rang aur noor ki baraat”, picturised on Sunil Dutt became everlasting hit.

The film Chirag, is known for its strong storyline and melodious music. The performance of Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh were complimented by powerful singing by Rafi and Lata. The song “teri aankho ke siva duniya me rakha kya hai” had not lost its appeal even today.

Even the songs sung by Mukesh and picturised on Sunil Dutt became superhits. Songs like “sawan ka mahina” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal and sung by Sunil Dutt had a flavour of its own and its swayed the audience with the musical wave. Nutan performed equally well opposite Sunil Dutt and gave adequate lips in Lata’s version of the same song.

The other films of Sunil Dutt which were rich in music include Mother India, where Naushad composed the legendary songs, Zakhmee, etc. Rafi’s song “chand jane kaha kho gaya” picturised on Sunil Dutt was equally successful in the early 60s.

In the late 70s, Sunil Dutt acted in mainly action films which were not that dependant on music. The films and the songs of Sunil Dutt should be preserved for the everlasting treasure of rich music.

Akshay Kumar has improved his acting over the years.

Akshay Kumar has improved his acting over the years.

Akshay Kumar has improved his acting skills over the years. When he started his career, he was known for his martial art and action skills. All his initial films like Mohra, Khiladi, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, were action-oriented films.

But over the years he developed his acting capability and acted in every type of films. For example in Dhadkan, he played a romantic character opposite Shilpa Shetty where Sunil Shetty played a negative character.

In the film Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, he played the role of the friend of Salman Khan, who created his impression before Priyanka Chopra and his presence created annoyance for Salman Khan. He even gave good lips in the songs “mujhse shaadi karoge”.


In the film Welcome, he played the role of a harmless character who never wanted to marry any girl related to the underworld. But unfortunately he fell in love with Katrina Kaif and got related to Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar who belonged to the underworld. He was in a dilemma of accepting Katrina and rejecting her brothers. His comedy performance was well appreciated by viewers.

Similarly his comedy performance in the film Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri, was sublime. Paresh Rawal and Sunil Shetty also played significant roles in the films. But Akshay Kumar was shown as the most cunning character of the lot. His deeds or misdeeds had led the others into trouble.

Again Akshay Kumar’s performance in the film Bhoolbhoolaiya was well appreciated as he was the expert who could study evil spirits and discovered that the spirit existed in the body of Vidya Balan. He used his guru’s help to drive out the spirit. The acting effort was appreciated once again.

By this period of time Akshay Kumar had acted in almost all types of roles and is expected to do even better in the years to come.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Celina Jaitley – the enthusiastic performer of bollywood.

Celina Jaitley – the enthusiastic performer of bollywood

Celina Jaitley had shown her acting capability in the various films she had acted in her short career. She created her first impression in the fashion world and was crowned Miss India 2001.

She acted in the film Khel in 2003, but created an impression with her performance in the film No Entry opposite Fardeen Khan. The big celebrities of bollywood played important roles in the film including Anil Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Salman Khan, Esha Deol, etc.


Celina Jaitley played the role of a girl who had an affair with Fardeen Khan, but whenever the relationship was strengthened by the intervention of Anil Kapoor, the presence of Bipasha Bahu, a club dancer spoilt everything. Anil Kapoor had to tell lies to Lara Dutta, that she was Fardeen Khan’s wife. Celina Jaitley was told that she was Anil Kapoor’s wife.

When they went abroad to enjoy their honeymoon, the truth was unfolded and Lara Dutta, Esha Deol, Celina Jaitley filed divorce suits against their husbands. Salman Khan came back from foreign country and solved the problem. Celina Jaitley kept her mark among all the leading stars.

In Apna Sapna Money Money, she was sent by Jaickie Shroff and his gang to get the treasure that was hidden in a sandle which was used by Ritesh Deshmukh at one point of time. That film also was a serio-comic venture and in the search of the treasure difernt entities got involved including Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, etc.

The other films where she had played notable roles include Zinda; where Lara Dutta also did well, Tom, Dick and Harry; and Heyy Babyy. Til now, the roles of Celina Jaitley, had featured young stylish characters.


With numerous numbers of actresses facing strong competition in bollywood films, Celina Jaitley should show her variation in acting if she has to cement her position in bollywood films. The viewers expect her to do well in future.

Priyanka Chopra songs:

Priyanka Chopra songs

Priyanka Chopra had played notable roles in her short career till now. One of the major reasons for the success of her films include the songs that were picturised on her or her co-stars.

The songs in the film Krish, where Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra played the leading roles were very successful. The songs were composed by Rakesh Roshan and were melodious. The hit songs include “dil de diya”. The excellent dancing skills of Hrithik Roshan in the film require special mention.

The songs in the film Salaam –e –ishq were very successful. There were four different pair of performers who played important roles, including Anil Kapoor, Jhi Chawla, John Abraham, etc., but the lead roles were played by Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Two songs in the film caught the attention of the audience including “salaam –e –ishq”, “tenu re”, etc.


The songs of the film Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, became extremely successful. Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar played the lead roles in the film opposite Priyanka Chopra. The song “jeene ke hai char din”, became extremely popular. Also the song “mujhse shaadi karoge”, became extremely popular.

Also the songs of Priyanka Chopra’s film Don, became very successful. Shahrukh Khan played the double role in the film, the same character that was once played by Big B in 1978. Priyanka Chopra played the role of Zeenat Aman which she played in Big B’s Don in 1978. The songs “khaike paan banaraswala”, “aaj ki raat”, became superduper hit. Even the song that was picturised on Kareena Kapoor, titled “yeh mera dil pyar ka dewaana” became successful.

With Priyanka Chopra playing important roles in the films of 2008, including Love Story 2050, the viewers expect that she will do well in the films in future and give good lips in the songs that will be picturised on her.

Wahida Rehman and Raj Kapoor

Wahida Rehman And Raj Kapoor

Wahida Rehman acted in the films of almost all the established directors of the 50s, 60s and 70s. She acted in only few films opposite Raj Kapoor but the films were successful. In Ek dil Sau Afsana, she played the role of the wife of Raj Kapoor who had to convince her mother-in-law played by Lalita Power who tested her capability of handling household affairs and responsibilities of mother. The songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film including “tum hi tum ho”, became successful.


The most notable film of Raj Kapoor and Wahida Rehman included Teesri Kasam. It was an experiment of notable director of Basu Bhattacharya and the film was produced by legendary lyricist Shailendra.

The film had a very abstract subject. Wahida Rehman was a tawaif who had participated in the major fairs in the villages which were called nautankis. These village fairs were organized to fulfill the tastes of rural masses. Wahida Rehman played the major role in these nautankis as she was the leading dancer.

Raj Kapoor was a bullock -cart driver and earned his livelihood out of the profession. He interacted with Wahida Rehman and realized that she was a respectable lady. The film revolved around the relationship between the innocent cart-driver and the successful dancer.

All the songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Lata and Asha became landmark hits. Songs like “aa aa bhi jaa”, “pan khai saia”, “mare gaye”, not only had good orchestration but also had rural effect. The songs of Mukesh and Manna Dey like “duniya bananewale”, “sajanre jhut maat bolo”, “chalet musafir”, became super duper hits.


Although the film did not get commercial success to the extent of the other films of Raj Kapoor, the critics appreciated the natural performance of Raj Kapoor and Wahida Rehman.These films should be restored for their filmic value.

Review of Mere Baap Pehle Aap.

Review of Mere Baap Pehle Aap

Priyadarshan had directed a number of successful comedy films in the recent past. That is why the film Mere Baap Pehle Aap had a lot of expectations. The story involves Paresh Rawal, the father meeting his teenage partner Shobhna. His son Akshay Khanna is also involved in romance. His friend Om Puri is also an old person, who is a divorcee and is in search for a girl for marriage.

Paresh Rawal brought up his two sons, Akshay Khanna and Manoj Joshi, after their mother died. But Akshay Khanna acted as the guardian of Paresh Rawal. Akshay Khanna got involved with Sheekha Kapoor who was his old college friend. Very siginificantly Sheekha Kapoor’s guardian was Shobhna, who was the college friend of Paresh Rawal.

Both Sheekha and Akshay tried to arrange for marriage of Paresh Rawal with Shobhna after knowing their past relationship. The entire climax was build on serio-comic angles.

The problem of the films lies with the lack of substance which can make people laugh automatically. Priyadarshan had provided quality films like Malamaal Weekly, where the comedy instincts originated from the innocence of villagers who were involved with lottery tickets. Even in the stories of Hera Pheri, the events related to the innocence of Paresh Rawal made the film interesting.

The performance of Paresh Rawal, Om Puri and others in Mere Baap Pehle Aap, were not that great, and the script was not too supportive also. The only hope is the general demand of the viewers for comedy films over the last few years. The audience expect Priyadarshan to direct better films in the future.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji.

There was a popular debate in the 60s about who was a superior actor of Bengali films Uttam Kumar and Soumitra Chatterji. The debate did arise because Soumitra acted in the films of one of the greatest directors of world cinema Satyajit Ray. His performance in the films Apur Sangsar, Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath, Abhijaan, were highly appreciated by the intellectual audience.

Where as Uttam Kumar was the greatest charishmatic hero who could perform in any type of role including zamindar in the film Stri, Sanyasi Raja. He played the role of king in the film Zinder Bandi. Who played the double role in Bhranti Bilas and in the serio-comic subject matter showed his comedy skills. No Indian actor had given better lips in songs like Uttam Kumar. He received even national award for best performance in the film Antony Firingi where all the songs sung by Manna Dey were master-pieces.

In fact the entire Bengali film industry revolved around Uttam Kumar, as Hemant Kumar, Shaymal Mitra, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar got success in Bengali films by giving playback for Uttam Kumar. The best directors of Bengal like Ajoy Kar, Tapan Sinha, Pinaki Mukherjee, Agradut, Agragami could experiment in Bengali films only due to Uttam Kumar. The careers of best actresses of Bengali films like Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Sabitri Chatterji, were related to Uttam Kumar as they complimented his powerful performances. Lastly the tremendous performance of Chabi Biswas, Bikash Roy, Kali Banerjee were associated with epic films where Uttam Kumar played the central character.

Soumitra Chatterjee was a very cultured, educated, soft personality and is still respected for his selective performances by every section of the society. But Uttam Kumar was the uncrowned monarch and the debate was resolved by Satyajit Ray himself by casting Uttam Kumar in the epic film Nayak, where he showed he was unparallel matinee idol. Instead of proving the greater worth of both actors, the viewers should appreciate their performances and their films should be restored and preserved.

Riya Sen –the young performer of bollywood.

Riya Sen –the young performer of bollywood

Riya Sen, the daughter of Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen, had started her career in the early 1990s, with the film Vishkanya, where she played the role of young Puja Bedi. She had a lot to prove as her grandmother had dominated Bengali films and acted in dignified roles in bollywood films under the direction of legendary directors like Bimal Roy, Gulzar, etc.

Riya Sen acted in the film Jhankaar Beats which was related to compositions of RD Burman, with other performers like Shayan Munshi, Rahul Bose, Juhi Chawla, Sanajy Puri, and others. She got partial success in the film Shaadi No. 1, where she herself, Aarti Chhabria and Sophie Chowdhury influenced Fardeen Khan, Zayed Khan and Sharman Joshi and that led to problems in their marital life. Their wives Esha Deol, Ayesha Takia and Soha Ali Khan were informed by Sanjay Dutt, about the activities of their husbands. Sanjay Dutt helped all these husbands to maintain their wedlock and be loyal to their wives. Although Riya Sen’s role was small, she kept her mark in her performance

She acted in small roles in the films Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, Qayamat, Plan, etc., in small roles, and got a prominent role in the film Apna Sapna Money Money. In that film she acted along with other performers like Ritesh Deshmukh, Celina Jaitley, Anupam Kher, etc. The film was serio-comic in nature and Ritesh Dehsmukh disguised himself as a music teacher who came to Anupam Kher’s wife to teach music and marry his daughter.

She also performed in musical videos, and also acted in Malayalam film titled Ananthbhadram which was critically acclaimed. Inspite of all these performances she is still in search of landmark roles in bollywood films, which can establish her in the competitive film industry. Even her sister Raima Sen got scope of acting in good films like Godmother with Shabana Azmi

The viewers expect Riya Sen to do well in good roles in future and continue the legacy that was built of monumental performances of her grandmother Suchitra Sen.

Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala.

Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala

Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala were probably the most popular stars of the golden age of bollywood films including the 50s and 60s. The dancing skills of Vaijayantimala balanced the tragic andaz of Dilip Kumar and most of the films were legendary hits. In Devdas, Vaijayantimala played the role of Chandramukhi who tried to reform Devdas but failed as he died for his unsuccessful affair with Parbati, which was played by Suchitra Sen. Madhuri dixit played the same role of Vaijayantimala in Shahrukh Khan’s Devdas.

In Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, Vaijayantimala was a village girl who was loved by Dilip Kumar who was officer who took the charge of the hills. Their romance ended unsuccessfully as Pran killed Vaijayantimala. Dilip Kumar met another girl having resemblance with the girl whom he loved. The songs composed by Salil Chowdhury in the film like “aaja re”, “daiare daiare”, “suhana safar”, “dil tarap tarap”, etc., were masterpieces and the film stormed bollywood in 1958.

With the advent of colour Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala amazed the audience with their powerful performance in the film Ganga Jumna. Dilip Kumar was a dacoit in the film and took Vaijayantimala with him after he was wanted by the police. He used his weapons for the good the people at large. The Bhojpuri songs composed by Naushad including “nain lad jaihe”, “dhundo dhundo”, etc. sung by Rafi and Lata became big hits.

Both of them were sublime in the film Leader. All the songs in the film composed by Naushad including “tere husn ki”, “apni azaadi ko”, “ek shahenshah ne”, etc., were masterpieces and Rafi and Lata were at their top form, and their songs were given adequate expression by strong performance of the legendary pair.


They were probably the most popular pair of bollywood films in the 60s and their successful films one after the other including Paigham, Naya Daur, Sunghursh, had established the fact that the audience had associated themselves with their realistic performance. These epic films should be preserved for the next generation.

Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles.

Aishwarya Rai’s negative roles.

Aishwarya Rai had played different roles in her successful career in bollywood films. She was sublime even in her negative roles that she had played over the years. In the film Khakee, she joined Big B’s team of police officers who were involved in a mission of escorting supposed terrorist Iqbal Ansari from Chandergarh to Mumbai.


The team included Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar and Tushar Kapoor who had experience and were brave enough to fulfill the mission. Before the team reached Mumbai they faced a number of encounters and in a serious encounter in a cottage near Mumbai the team was outnumbered. Akshay Kumar was also killed by Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan. The viewers were surprised to see Aishwarya Rai in such a negative role.

In Dhoom -2, she acted again in a negative role opposite Hrithik Roshan, where both of them were international criminals involved in theft and other notorious activities. Abhishek Bacchan chased them and thought he had killed Hrithik Roshan. But it was play acting, as he later found both of them in a different country involved in a different occupation.


He left both of them after they disclosed the place where they did hide all the stolen property and assured him that they were living the life of law-abiding citizens. The viewers liked the role of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai and they impressed the crowds even with their negative characters.

These days many actresses take up the challenge of performing in negative roles including Kajol, Bipasha Basu, Kareena Kapoor. Aishwarya Rai also did well and the viewers expect her to continue her good work in all types of films in future.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery


Related Reading

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

Jatin Lalit – the melodious composers of bollywood.

Jatin Lalit – the melodious composers of bollywood.

Jatin Lalit, the sons of Chitragupt Pandit, brought a melodious flavor in bollywood music in the late 90s, when track-oriented music dominated Indian films. In the film Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, picturised on Amir Khan, their composition “pehla nasha”, sung by Udit Narayan caught the attention of the music-lovers of India.

In the film Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, the songs picturised on Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla became very successful. Songs like “I’m the best”, “tum aye to”, became everlasting hits at the time when the film was released.

Their songs in the film Khamoshi, were very meaningful and melodious. In the film Manisha Koirala was the only member of a deaf and dumb family who could speak. Salman Khan had an affair with Manisha and supported her in her struggle to become a recognized singer. Songs like “aaj me upar, aasma niche”, sung by Kavita Krishnamurty became a landmark hit.

Their composition in Karan Johar’s film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, required special mention. The song “kuch kuch hota hai”, “ladki bara anjana hai”, “koi mila gaya”, picturised on Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee, all became immortal hits. The film had a strong storyline and the music had also entertained the audience.


Similarly their composition in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, became successful. Salman Khan and Twinkle Khanna played the leading roles in the film. The songs sung by Udit Narayan, Lata and Kumar Shanu, became hits, including songs like “pehli pehli baar”, “o jana”, etc.
The list of successful films of Jatin Lalit includes Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Chalte Chalte, Hum Tum, Fanna, etc. Although they did not receive as many numbers of awards as received by AR Rehman, Anu Malik, etc., the viewers had appreciated their compositions. They are expected to continue their good work.

Uttam Kumar and Tapan Sinha.

Uttam Kumar and Tapan Sinha.

Uttam Kumar was the dominating legend of Bengali silver screen and probably worked with all the leading directors of Bengali films including Satyajit Ray. Tapan Sinha used Uttam Kumar in three films Upahaar, Jhinder Bandi and Jotu Griha and in all these films his standard of excellence was exhibited.

In Jhinder Bandi, Uttam Kumar played a double role, where Shankar Narayan Singh, the king of the state of Jhind was kidnapped by his brother Tarun Kumar and his twin brother had to come all the way from Kolkata to come and rescue him. The story was the adaptation of the Hollywood film Prisoner of Zenda.

Shankar Narayan Singh was shown as harmless king who had tremendous affection for his brother. Tarun Kumar used the expertise of Soumitra Chatterji in the film to kidnap his brother and keep in him in an underground prison.

Uttam Kumar, the brother from Kolkata used the resemblance of Shankar Narayan Singh and used all his soldiers to release the actual ruler. In the process he had to pretend as king before Arundhuti Debi was scheduled to marry the ruler. At the end of the film after saving Shankar Narayn Singh, his brother returned back to Kolkata. The film was a master piece.

In 1964, Tapan Sinha, experimented with a complex marital relationship in the film Jotu Griha. Both Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi did not have child and got separated due to that reason. The doctor told Arundhuti Debi that she could never bear any child in life. After being separated they met each other in a railway station. There both of them confessed that their life became miserable without the other spouse. Both of them had tremendous respect for each other.

Uttam Kumar broke the myth that was present in the minds of intellectual viewers that as he was mannerism oriented matinee-idol, he could not excel in realistic films. His performance in the films of Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar, Satyajit Ray, Gulzar, had shown that he was as good an actor as a romantic hero. The films should be restored and preserved.

Aishwarya Rai in 2008.

Aishwarya Rai in 2008.

Aishwarya Rai had started her journey in bollywood films in 2008 with her success in the last few years. Her films Dhoom -2, opposite Hrithik Roshan was extremely successful and although the film Umrao Jaan did not do that well in box office, her performance in the film was well appreciated by the cinematic audience.

In 2008, her first film Jodha Akbar, opposite Hrithik Roshan was very successful. She depicted the royal style of living of Rajasthani women in the historical film. She exhibited both her beauty and her pardanashin image. There was controversy relating to the story that was depicted in the Jodha Akbar and also the relationship of Jodha with Akbar. Hrithik Roshan was sublime in his performance and Aishwarya Rai complemented him with her majestic performance.


Her acting potentiality was again tested in the action film Sarkar Raj. Previously the film Sarkar was well appreciated by the Indian audience and in Sarkar Raj, Big B carried forward the powerful performance that he showed in Sarkar.

Aishwarya Rai played a distinct role in reaching the project of building power plants in the remote districts of Maharashtra and in the process had shown her capability of facing obstacles. She in fact helped both Abhishek Bacchan and Amitabh Bacchan in carrying forward their projects in the film. There was a twist to the story in the film as the enemies and rivals of Big B created harm and he took revenge. But Aisharya Rai showed her sheer brilliance in the film.


Aishwarya Rai showed the audience that she was comfortable opposite Big B and Abhishek Bacchan when she played an item number titled “kajra re”, in the film Bunty Aur Babli at a time when she did not marry Abhishek Bacchan.

With her powerful beginning in bollywood films in 2008, the viewers expect that Aishwarya Rai will complement her beauty with matured performance in different roles in future.

Aishwarya Rai Photo Gallery

Related Reading

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

Rafi and Raj Kumar.

Rafi and Raj Kumar.

Raj Kumar created a separate identity for himself in his long career in bollywood films. He was a stylish actor and had a dynamic personality. Rafi was a gem of gems who galvanized the firmament of playback singing in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

As Raj Kumar had performed in quality films having complex relationships, there was scope of less number of songs which were picturised in those films. In the film Kajal, the two ghazals sung by Rafi for Raj Kumar including “yeh zulf agar khulke” and “chulene do nazuk hoton ko”, were brilliant by every standards. Rafi captured the intoxicating appeal of the songs in the film.

The song in the film Pakeeza composed by Ghulam Mohammad titled “chalo dildar chalo chand ke paar chalo” made the viewers speechless with its immortal appeal. Rafi and Lata complimented each other in the same way as Raj Kumar and Meena Kumari were sublime in the film.

In the film Lal Patthar, the song composed by Shankar Jaikishan titled “unke khayal ayae to ate chale gaye” had a distinct classical andaz. Raj Kumar played the table in the film and the song was picturised keeping in mind the badshahi andaz of the nawab.

Rafi’s song in the film Neelkamal titled “tujhko pukare mera pyar” composed by Ravi was another brilliant piece of work which haunted the viewers of the film. Raj Kumar used to appear in the dreams of Wahida Rehman and the performance of the both the legends were appreciated by the viewers.

The songs of Rafi and Rajkumar should be preserved for their aesthetic value.

Review of Sarkar Raj.

Review of Sarkar Raj.

Sarkar Raj, is the sequel of Big B’s successful film Sarkar. It is directed by Ram Gopal Verma and Abhishek Bacchan and Aishwarya Rai had also acted along with Big B in the film.

A CEO of an international firm brings a proposal for making a power plant in the villages of Maharashtra. Abhishek Bacchan and Aishwarya Rai convinced Big B (Sarkar) about the benefits of the project and then went to different villages to convince the rural people about the project.

Abhishek Bacchan’s (his character is called Shankar in the film) wife was killed in an accident. Then he was also shot down. Then Big B (Sarkar) also took revenge by killing a businessman from Gujarat, who was responsible for all the events.


In the last scene of the film Big B asked his wife to ask Chikoo (his grandson) to comeback from Nagpur with his mother (both of them were not shown in the film). The film ended with Aishwarya asking for a cup of tea.

The film had a story of Enron embedded in it and there was very powerful performance from all the actors. Big B is still as versatile as ever. Aishwarya Rai had shown that she had concentrated more on acting than glamour in the recent times. Abhishek Bachan did well in the film.


The film has all the ingredients of successful action movie. Only the worry is that the viewers these days are not that fond of seeing too much violence, unless the subject-matter is absolutely new. Let us hope that the film storms box-office and becomes one of the biggest blockbusters of 2008.

Isha Koppikar – the new prospect of bollywood.

Isha Koppikar – the new prospect of bollywood.

Isha Koppikar had started her career by participating in beauty contests and then entered bollywood films. In 1995, she participated in the Miss India Contest and won the Miss Talent Crown. In 1998, she appeared in a Tamil film titled Kaadhal Kavithai opposite Prashanth.

She appeared in the bollywood film Fiza, where Hrithik Roshan and Karishma Kapoor played the leading roles. She also impressed the viewers with her performance in the film. She acted in the film Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat opposite Sunil Shetty and Arjun Rampal. She got her place cemented in bollywood films from that time.


In Dil Ka Rishta, she acted opposite Aishwarya Rai and Arjun Rampal. She also acted in Ram Gopal Verma’s film Darna Mana Hai, which was based on stories relating to ghosts. She played a very impressive role in the film Krishna Cottage opposite Sohail Khan which was a crime thriller.

In Krishna Cottage, she loved Sohail Khan and after her death also could not forget him. Sohail Khan was amazed to see uncanny events occurring with his friends. At the end he realized that Isha Kopikkar wanted him even after her death. Although these stories are based on unrealistic subject matter which some people believe in, others don’t, yet the presentation of the story and Isha Kopikkar’s performance requires special mention.


She also acted in a challenging role in the film Inteqam, opposite Manoj Vajpai, where the story line had similarity with Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct. Her biggest success was in the role of Anita in Sharukh Khan’s Don. She was jealous about Prinyanka Chopra and loyal to Don. She also played an impressive role in the film Salaam –e-ishq, opposite Sohail Khan, where Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra played the leading roles.

The viewers expect Isha Koppikar to continue her good work in the years to come.

Review of One Two Three.

Review of One Two Three.

One Two Three was a comedy film released in the early part of this year where Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Tushar Kapoor played prominent roles. Director Ahswini Dheer based his film on the concept of mistaken identities.

The character Laxminarayan was used in the film and Tushar Kapoor, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal were all involved with the name and were wrongly identified by the other parties. Tushar Kapoor played the role of an underworld don who got a contract for killing a person and landed up interacting with Esha Deol who created designs for garments.


Sunil Shetty was chased by other law breakers who thought he came to kill them. Instead his boss had send him to complete a deal and return back. He got involved with the lady police officer a number of times in the film.

Paresh Rawal who sold garments got involved with Samira Reddy who was interested to finalize a car deal. None of them could identify each other and the son of Paresh Rawal discovered his father in a hotel room with Sameera Reddy for finalizing the deal.

Sunil Shetty was underused in the film. Paresh Rawal had shown his capability in comedy films in the past and so was comfortable in his role. Tushar Kapoor was a confused character in the film. Esha Deol and Sameera Reddy were impressive in their roles.


The audience this days are used to seeing a number of comedy films in the same year and as such unless the story has novelty that hardly react to these films. Films like Bombay to Goa, Buddha Mar Gaya and other films that were released in the recent past did not attract the attention of the viewers to that extent.

One Two Three had decent casting for there is doubt in respect of the success of the film as the story was not totally new and the script that innovative. The performance of the leading actors and actresses is the strength of the film and it may do well.

Uttam Kumar and Hemant Kumar.

Uttam Kumar and Hemant Kumar.

By: CR Chatterji.

Uttam Kumar was the uncrowned monarch of Bengali silver screen and his brilliant lips in the legendary songs sung by the leading playback singers had become immortal over the period of years. Hemant Kumar sang many songs for Uttam Kumar and most of them were superhits.

In the film Sapmochon, in 1955, the song “shurer akashe tumi je go shuktara”, “jhor utheche”, became landmark hit. Also the songs in the film Bondhu, meaning friend were very popular. The notable songs include “mou bone aaj mou jomeche”, “maloti bhromore”, etc.

Hemant Kumar’s songs in the film Morutirtha Hinglaj, directed by Bikash Raoy, became very very successful. The film was based on pilgrimage. Although Uttam Kumar was the leading star in the film the songs were picturised on Anil Chatterji including “pather klanti bhule”, “tomar bhubone mago eto paap”, etc., which became successful.

Hemant Kumar sang the title song of the film Kal Tumi Aleya, where Uttam Kumar composed the songs for the film. The song “jai chole jai”, which was composed with a tragic andaz impressed the viewers.

Also the songs in the film Indrani, where Suchitra Sen acted opposite Uttam kumar, became big hits. The notable songs include “surjo dobar pala ase jodi”, “neer choto khoti nei”, etc.

Uttam Kumar also gave lips in hit songs composed by Hemant Kumar in the films Harano Sur and Saptapadi. All the songs were very successful. In the mid-60s Manna Dey and Shyamal Mitra sang leading songs for Uttam Kumar and they were successful also.

The songs and the films have lot of musical value and should be restored.

Amrita Rao – the successful performer of bollywood.

Amrita Rao – the successful performer of bollywood

Amrita Rao is the new actress of bollywood who had created a moderate impression in the minds of the viewers for the last few years. She started her career with modeling and then acted for the first time in the film Ab Ke Baras.

She impressed the viewers with her performance in the film Ishq Vishk. It was romantic film where Amrita Rao had an affair with Shahid Kapoor. Their relationship got affected after Shahid Kapoor misbehaved with her during a picnic when he got intoxicated after drink was offered to him. There are other twists and turns in the story as both of them got engaged with others but at the end of the film their romance comes to a positive end.

She made the viewers amazed with her performance in the film Main Hoon Naa. She acted opposite Zayed Khan in the film. In that film the main roles were played by Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen. But Amrita Rao had exhibited glimpses of teenage romance which was very impressive.

She also acted in the film Vivah, opposite Shahid Kapoor. She received star screen best actress award for her performance in the film Vivah.She had also acted in telegu films with her impressive performance in the film Atidhi opposite Mahesh Babu.

With her performance in the film My Name is Anthony Gonzalves in 2008, the viewers are eager to see her performance in other films this year. She is expected to continue her good work in future.

Amrita Arora – the impressive actress of bollywood.

Amrita Arora – the impressive actress of bollywood

Amrita Arora had created a good impression with her performance in bollywood films in the last few years. She had a background in bollywood films as her sister Malaika Arora had also played notable roles in many films and had also conducted a number of television shows successfully.

She started her career opposite Fardeen Khan in the film Kitne Door Kitne Paas. Then she acted in the film Awara Pagal Diwana.

In Awara Pagal Diwana, Om Puri, died out of heart attack at the beginning of the film. After that his property consisting of diamonds was supposed to be distributed between his son, his daughter and son in law. Amrita Arora, the wife of the dentist played by Altaf Shivdasani, got involved in the battle between Akshay Kumar, Rahul Dev, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, etc., when she lived next door to Akshay Kumar and others. Although the film involved action sequences, Amrita Arora impressed the viewers with her own performance in the film.

She also acted in the film Girlfriend where Isha Koppikar also played a significant role. The film was related to the relationship between both the girls.

She also acted in the film Fight Club – Members Only, where leading characters were played by Dino Morea, Ritesh Deshmukh, Zayed Khan and other actors. All these characters were involved in affairs, and Amrita Arora and Diya Mirza created an impact in their life. It was an action film, but again Amrita Arora had played her part very well.

There are number of films of Amrita Arora which are going to be released in 2008. She also provided a great dance performance in the closing ceremony of DLF Indian Cricket League before the finals, held at Mumbai, where Rajasthan Royals emerged as the victorious team.The viewers expect her to continue her good work in the years to come.