Dhiraj Bhattacharya - the meritorious actor of Bengali films.

Dhiraj Bhattacharya –the meritorious actor of Bengali films.

Dhiraj Bhattacharya was considered as one of the meritorious performers of Bengali silver screen in the 50s. With an impressive screen presence he was initially cast in the film Behula Lakhindar which was based on folk tales. The romantic performance attracted the attention of viewers during an age when films were at their process of advancement. He followed it up with romantic performance in the film Shohor Theke Dure where Johor Ganguly and Molina Debi also had significant roles.

In the early 50s, Dhiraj Bhattacharya amazed the viewers with a remote style of dialogue throwing in the film Hanabari. It was a detective film directed by eminent writer Premendra Mitra. There was a spooky house where tenants could not stay for a long period. The treasure that was hidden beneath the house was the attraction for which the culprit in the film created illusion in the minds of the tenants and driven them away. Dhiraj Bhattacharya played the role of the detective who disguised himself as a beggar and stayed in the vicinity of the spooky house. At the end of the film he solved the mystery to Pronoti Bhattacharya, Mita Chatterji and their relatives who came to stay in that house.

During that time Bengali films were already blessed with romantic heroes like Uttam Kumar, Bosonto Choudhury, Asit Boron, Bikash Roy and others. Dhiraj Bhattacharya used his acting skills in negative roles and created attention amongst the viewers. His performance in the film Konkal requires special mention. He killed his wife Malaya Sarkar in the film and buried her in his house. Her skeleton came back to the house to revenge against Dhiraj Bhattacharya. The film used to considered one of the most innovative horror films of early 50s.

His other successful film include Dakinir Chor. There was also he showed his skills in converting a stick into a revolver to defend himself before the investigating agency during the investigation of the crime which was alleged to have been committed by him. His performance in the film Moroner Pore requires special mention. Uttam Kumar was mental doctor who treated Pronoti Bhattacharya who had a reincarnation. She told the people about the killing of her husband in her previous birth by Dhiraj Bhattacharya. The romantic pair of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen was as impressive as Dhiraj Bhattacharya who had created revolution in villainish performances. Bharati Debi played the role of the person who was reborn in the form of Pronoti Bhattacharya.

Incidentally Dhiraj Bhattacharya was the zamindar of the estate of Panjia, near Jessore, in Bangladesh. Instead of performing in roles involving landlords he used his innovative skills in depicting negative characters. His other impressive roles include the role of the Diwan in the film Neela Chole Mahaprahu based on the life of Lord Chaitanya.

Similarly he spoke the language of Jessore (Bangal) in Uttam Kumar’s film Ora Thake Odhare to perfection. He also did well in Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen’s film Sanjher Pradeep. It is a tragedy that Dhiraj Bhattacharya died at a very early age in the late 50s, when he was considered as one of the most versatile performers like Bikash Roy or Kali Banerjee. The dynamic actor of stage and Bengali films Manoj Mitra was greatly influenced by the dialogue throwing of Dhiraj Bhattacharya.

His performance in character roles marks the beginning of innovative performances in Bengali films and for those reasons his films should be preserved and restored.

Review of Ek: The Power of One.

Review of Ek: The Power of One.

Bollywood films did not have brilliant start in 2009, the way it had opened in 2008 with hit films like Jodha Akbar or Race at the very early time of the year. Due to recession and other reasons this year films like Billu Barber, Dilli -6 and Raaz – the mystery continues created some interest. The viewers don’t know for sure when the other films were released. The new film Ek: The Power of One also does not look as a very promising film.

Director Sangeeth Sivan has experimented with Bobby Deol and Shriya Sharan in the film Ek: The Power of One. Bobby Deol had a role which was similar to the ones he had played in films like Badal and Bichoo. He had been hired by a CM aspirant to shape an assassination and gather sympathy from the voters. But the killing happened in reality and Bobby Deol had to hide and fled to Hoshiarpur.

He entered a Punjabi House and pretended as the lost son. Over there he got involved with local problems. There were greedy farmers who wanted to grab the land of the relative of Bobby Deol by force. So he got a scope of showing his action skills in that part.

The only interesting part of the film involved the investigation carried out by Nana Patekar in respect of the killing of the CM. It has been seen in the past that whenever powerful actors were given smart scripts they changed the mood of the film. The best example can be Om Puri’s performance in Bobby Deol’s film Gupt. He accelerated the pace of the film and countered the aggressive performance of Bobby Deol.

The same thing happened in this film. Nana Patekar had created interest in the minds of the viewers from the time he stepped in. The film also got pace and direction. Shriya Saran did well but the script did not have much for her.

In a nutshell the film does not have the masala to end up being a blockbuster. Bobby Deol desperately requires a super hit film to remain in the elite list where he was at the time of release of films like Gupt or Soldier. These days action films are not doing well, so in that perspective, if the film does moderate business it is fare for the producer and director.

Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar.

Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar.

Joy Mukherjee gave hits after hits during 60s films and became extremely popular in an age when inspite of domination of Showman Raj Kapoor and Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, stars of various capabilities displayed their individual skills which include Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Shammi Kapoor and others. The music of the films of Joy Mukherjee played a very significant role in their success and in that context OP Nayyar’s name comes without hesitation.

Joy Mukherjee’s film Ek Musafir Ek Hasina did brilliant business in the early 60s. Raj Khosla’s musical thriller addressed every section of the society with romantic performance of Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna. All the songs of Rafi and Asha picturized on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna became super hit. It includes songs like “aap yuhin agar humse milte rahe”, “mujhe dekhkar aapka muskurana”, “phir tere shahar me”, “mai pyar ka rahi hoon”, “bahut shukhriya, bari meherbani”, “humko tumhari isqh ne”, to name a few. OP Nayyar was probably at his best in the film and his blend of eastern and western music created the romantic mood for the film.

Joy Mukherjee, Rafi and OP Nayyar’s magical combination continued in the film Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon. Most part of the film was shot at picturesque locations of Jammu & Kashmir and the landscape was as romantic as the songs sung by Rafi and Asha in the film. The prominent songs included “banda parwar, thamlo jigar”, “lakho hai nigahon me”, “nazneen bara rangeen hai wada tera”, “aanchal me sajalena kaliyan”, “zulf ke chayon me chehere ka ujala lekar”, to name a few. Asha Parekh showed her dancing skills to perfection in the film. Rajender Nath played the role of the relief character in the film. In fact OP Nayyar maintained the same standard of music in Shammi Kapoor’s film Kashmir Ki Kali and Biswajeet’s film Mere Sanam which were made after Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon.

Joy Mukherjee’s combination with OP Nayyar continued in the film Humsaya. In that film Sharmila Tagore got the lead role opposite Joy Mukherjee. By that time due to emergence on new actors and actresses in bollywood films, Joy Mukherjee’s popularity declined and the film also did moderate business. In respect of the songs, Rafi’s song “dil ki awaaz bhi sun” became hit. But OP Nayyar gave a number of songs to Mahendra Kapoor was well which did not strike gold in the box –office.

In the 70s, with the advent of action films led by Big B, Vinod Khanna and others, Joy Mukherjee faded away from the film arena. Even OP Nayyar’s music in films like Ek Baar Muskurado did not create storms the way it did in the 60s. The films of Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar should be preserved for their immense musical value.

Happy birthday to Jagdeep.

Happy birthday to Jagdeep.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jagdeep on 29th March, 2009. He had been in the industry for the last 50 years and had worked with probably most of the directors and producers of bollywood films. Jagdeep started his career as a child artist and featured in Guru Dutt’s films in the 50s. In the 60s he got scope of showing his comedy skills as an independent actor. In Shammi Kapoor’s film Brahmchari, Jagdeep played the role of the son-in-law of Dhumal in the film. He was not liked by Dhumal at all and tried his tricks to convince him. Jagdeep featured in many films of Jeetender including Ek Naari Ek Brahmchari, Khilouna, Mere Humsafar, etc., and did well in those films.

In the 70s, Jagdeep got the role of his lifetime in the film Sholay. His character Surma Bhopali has not been forgotten by viewers of bollywood films even today. He imitated the style of communication of muslim moneylenders in Bhopal and other parts of Central India very well. He informed the police about Big B and Dharmender and once they were released the prize money was returned to them by Jagdeep. The film became greatest hit of the last millennium and Jagdeep became automatic choice for leading producers of the country.

In the 80s, Jagdeep featured a lot in Feroz Khan’s films and got prominent roles in those films. In Qurbani, he played the role of a hotel owner, he wanted to be a boxer but due to father’s demise had to settle down with hotel business. He got beaten up by Shakti Kapoor’s men and was rescued by Vinod Khanna in the film. Similarly in the film Jaanbaaz, he played the role of a servant in the house of Feroz Khan.

He introduced Dimple Kapadia to the farms owned by Feroz Khan and Anil Kapoor in Jaanbaaz. His comedy performance was appreciated by many viewers. In the 90s, he acted in the landmark film of Raj Kumar Santoshi, titled China Gate. He acted along with all the stalwarts of bollywood films including Om Puri, Nasirruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, to name a few. He joined the team of soldiers led by Om Puri who came to a village in North India to fight against the dacoit who was unmanageable. As a retired military officer he lost his flexibility but cooperated with Danny and other soldiers in their fight against the group of dacoits.

In a span of 50 years Jagdeep had acted in more than 200 films. As a comedian he had earned respect for himself and filled up the vacuum that was created by Johnny Walker and Mehmood who dominated the films of 50s and 60s. Viewers expect him to continue his impressive work in the years to come.

Shammi Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi.

Shammi Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi.

When Shammi Kapoor was informed about Rafi’s death in 1980, he was told by the informer that he had lost his own voice. In other words it was said that Rafi’s voice had reached the soul of Shammi Kapoor, whose success in bollywood films was largely dependent on the golden voice of Rafi. Shankar Jaikishan had contributed in around 22 films of Shammi Kapoor and without the magical duo Rafi’s combination with Shammi Kapoor would not have fulfilled the popular demands of the musical audience.

If SJ’s composition for Raj Kapoor mark the music catered to the masses, the composition for Rajender Kumar mark the sophisticated tunes catered towards the cultured audience, the compositions for Shammi Kapoor mark the westernized andaz addressed for the young generations. Shammi Kapoor brought the rock and roll andaz of Hollywood films in hindi films, and SJ and Rafi combined together to bring the energetic andaz of Shammi Kapoor who was considered to be a rebel star in the 60s. In fact his style was imitated by Joy Mukherjee and Biswajeet who were also blessed with melodious songs sung by Rafi in the 60s.

SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi combined together to give superhit songs in the film Junglee, including “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen”, etc. Saira Banu made her debut opposite Shammi Kapoor and the Subodh Mukherjee film became a trend setter for other directors of producers of the 60s.

SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi created the same magic in the film Janwar. Songs like “tumse achha kaun hai”, “lal chari maidan khari” became superhit along with romantic performance of Rajashree in the film. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi combination in the film Raj Kumar was equally sublime with songs like “hum hai rajkumar”, “tumne pukara aur hum chale ayen”, “tune kisiki jaan ko”, to name a few. Sadhna was sublime along with Shammi Kapoor in the film.

SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi created magic again in the film An Evening in Paris. All the songs of the film became super hit including “aji aisa mauka”, “aasman se aya farishta”, “raat ke humsafar”, “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “mera dil hai tera”, “diwane ka naam to pucho”, to name a few. The foreign locations of Paris were as majestic as the European music of SJ and modernized performance of Sharmila Tagore in the film.

The brilliant combination of SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi again created magic in the film Brahmchari. All the songs in the film including “dil ke jharoke me”, “chakke pe chakka”, “mai gayun tum so jayo”, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche” created storm in bollywood films. Shammi Kapoor won the filmfare for best actor for his performance in Brahmchari, and Shankar Jaikishan won the film fare for best music director for the same film, while Rafi won the filmfare for best singer for singing the song of the same film. Again Rajashree was sublime in the film.

SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi were equally brilliant in the film Prince where Vaijayantimala acted opposite Shammi Kapoor. Rafi’s songs “muqabla hum se na karo” was as hit as “badan pe sitaren lapete hue”. The same combination came up with brilliant songs in the film Laat Sahab. The songs “sawerewali gari se chale jayenge” and “aye chaand zara chup ja” became superhit. Nutan contributed well opposite Shammi Kapoor.

The magic combination of SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi contributed even in GP Sippy film, Andaz. All the songs of Rafi like “dil use do jo jaan deden”, “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mammare” became superhit. Hema Malini performed for the first time opposite Shammi Kapoor. The brilliant combination of SJ, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended with sad demise of Jaikishan in 1971.

Articles after articles can be devoted on the magic combination who even created magic in other films like Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Jawan Muhobbat, etc. Critics argue that OP Nayyar and Ravi also contributed in Shammi Kapoor’s films, but their music was also influenced by Shankar Jaikishan’s tunes. The films and the songs of Shammi Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi should be preserved for the future generations.

Happy birthday to Madhu.

Happy birthday to Madhu.
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Madhu on 26th March, 2009. She had contributed a lot to the bollywood industry especially in the 90s. During the 90s, terrorism became an important issue in India. Many directors addressed the problem by revealing them in films.

Director Mani Ratnam addressed the issue relating to terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir in his Roja. Roja was probably the most successful film of Madhu. It had been shown that Madhu was married to Arvind Swami after he rejected Madhu’s sister for marriage. In fact Madhu’s sister had an affair with another person and told Arvind Swami about it.

Arvind Swami was a renowned computer engineer and his senior officer asked him to take an assignment and go to Kashmir. Arvind Swami took Madhu and went to Kashmir. Over there Arvind Swamy was kidnapped by the terrorists led by Pankaj Kapoor. They demanded the release of their leader who was arrested and kept in custody.

Madhu went to all the officers present over there for the release of the terrorist leader for the sake of her husband. At the end of the film Arvind Swamy freed himself and came and met Madhu after being tortured by the terrorists. The film became super hit, with powerful direction, brilliant music of AR Rehman and powerful acting of mainly Arvind Swami, Madhu and Pankaj Kapoor. The songs “roja janeman”, “rukmini rukmini”, “dil hai chota sa” stormed bollywood films in mid-90s.

Madhu did well even in action films like Phool Aur Kaante, opposite Ajay Devgan. The film was related to the romantic story between Ajay Devgan and Madhu and the barriers created by anti-socials in their way. The music given in that film was also successful. The songs “premi pagal”, ‘tumse milne ko dil karta hai”, etc., became very successful.

Madhu, also known as Madhu Raghunath, was also sublime in other films like Hum Hai Bemisaal, Diljaale, Return of the Jewel Thief, etc. She had acted with Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar and other leading stars of bollywood films.

She acted in a number of Tamil films as well. In the late 90s, all of a sudden she faded out of the bollywood industry. The viewers expect her to make a comeback very soon.

Sonam Kapoor has a bright future in bollywood films.

Sonam Kapur has a bright future in bollywood films.

Sonam Kapoor, the daughter of superstar Anil Kapoor, has very strong future in bollywood films. It has been seen in the past that the moment any of the actors or actresses launch their sons or daughters in bollywood films, the face strong criticism and due to comparison with their successful parents struggle in the beginning of the career.

In case of Sonam Kapoor, there was huge expectation especially from that section of the audience who had remained admirers of Anil Kapoor for more than 25 years. She did well also in the film Sawaariya opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Although Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor’s performance in the film and the songs in Sawaariya were appreciated, Sanjay Leela Banshali’s project did not get box-office success.

Even Sonam Kapoor’s debue lost the pomp and grandieur due to Deepika Padukone’s historical debue in the film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film became super hit and Deepika Padukone attracted the attention of the most of the upcoming producers and directors of bollywood films. Someway or the other, Sonam Kapoor’s beginning in bollywood films got sidelined.

But she came back with style in the film Dilli 6. She showed the audience that she has both style and can adapt herself in complex roles. In Dilli 6, she played the role of the daughter of Om Puri, who was blessed with modern education and did not believe in arranged marriage with a person other than her choice.

Abhishek Bacchan brought her grandmother Wahida Rehman from US to India (A part of Old Delhi) for spending the last part of her life and treating her as well. As Sonam Kapoor lived nearby, she developed a relationship with Abhishek Bacchan. At the end of the film, Abhishek Bacchan got beaten up by the crowd when he took the disguise of a dark monkey which was disturbing the peace and solidarity of the place.

While the film depicted the fact that inspite of globalization the backward areas of our country are still filled with superstitions, religious fanatism, difference of opinions. There was a scene in the film where Sonam Kapoor expressed herself and said she knew what she never wanted, but could not make up her mind about what she wanted. She showed the sign of a matured actress in most part of Dilli 6.

Critics have a lot of faith on Sonam Kapoor and if she gets good scripts, she can contribute well in bollywood films along with Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Kareena Kapoor and other actresses.

Bengali film industry misses classical singers like Manobendra Mukherjee

Bengali film industry misses classical singers like Manobendra Mukherjee.

Bengali cinema for the last 10 years, have relied on music composed by music directors of Bombay and singers of bollywood films. Mostly composers like Bappi Lahiri, Shantonu Moitra, and singers like Kumar Shanu, Babul Supriyo, Abhijeet are brought from Bombay and contribute for the Bengali cinema.

There was an age (the 50s and 60s) when Bengali film industry was self-sufficient and did not have to borrow singers from bollywood industry. Manobendra Mukherjee belonged to such an elite class who could sing any type of song ranging from pure classical numbers to folk songs, to nazrulgeeti, to westernized songs.

In 1954, Manobendra Mukherjee started his innings as music director in Bengali films with Uttam Kumar’s film Chapadangar Bou. He sang Mahadev’s gajon (a type of devotional song) titled “shibo he shibo he” which was picturised on Uttam Kumar and became very successful. Manobendra’s kirtan in Uttam Kumar’s film Shanjher Prodeep also became extremely popular.

Manobendra was brilliant by every musical standard in the film Nilachole Mahaprobhu which was based on the life of Lord Chaitanya. Composer Raichand Boral made Manobendra sing a number of kirtans including “jagannath jagatbandhu” which became superhit. During that time composer Ghyan Prakash Ghosh used Manobendra Mukherjee for pure classical numbers like “andhare”. Bosonto Choudhury played the main role in the film. Noted composer Anil Bagchi experimented with classical numbers in Chabi Biswas’s epic film Shashibabur Sangsar. The song “rojoni pohale sojoni kothaye” was very successful and Bosonto Choudhury gave able lips on Manobendra’s song in the film.

In the mid-50s, composer Nochiketa Ghosh experimented with folk songs in the film Nabajanma. Uttam Kumar gave brilliant lips in Manobendra’s song titled “ore monmajhi” which was based on Bengali folk song titled bhatiayali. Manobendra was sublime in Bosonto Choudhury’s film Kostipathor. The song “kal se phakir aaj se raja” showed Manobendra’s skills in singing light songs.
In the 60s Manobendra stormed Bengali films as a versatile composer. All the songs composed in Biswajeet’s film Mayamrigo became superhit, including Manobendra’s own song “metidiamerikar kabyo”, “bidhire”, Hemanta Mukherjee’s song “ore son son geroraj”, Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “bok bok bok bokum bokum payera”.

Similarly all the songs composed by Manobendra Mukherjee in Chabi Biswas’s legendary film Badhu, were well appreciated by the learned audience including Manobendra’s own kirtan “gunimon kalorupe”, Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “sonali megher din”, etc. Manobendra’s composition in the film Godhuli Belai was equally brilliant with the title song “godhuli belai” picturised on Biswajeet.

Probably Joy Joyanti, marked the best creation of Manobendra Mukherjee which fetched him Indira Gandhi award for remarkable music composition. The film was based on Hollywood film Sound of Music. Sandhya Mukherjee’s songs in the film “amader chuti chuti”, “kiholo karo je mukhe kotha phote na”, etc., were landmarks in Bengali film music.

Besides, many composers had given their most dynamic compositions to Manobendra. The best example can be the film Lalu Bhulu. Lyricist Sailen Roy and composer Robin Chatterji gave probably the best songs ever in the film. All the songs sung by Manobendra mukherjee like “ei pranjhorona jaglo”, “akash mor alloy decho bhore”, “jar hiya akasher neel nilimai”, “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “dukher pothe naamli Jodi”, etc., had class, variety and depicted the helplessness of two blind and handicapped boys who sang songs to earn their livelihood. In fact Lalu Bhulu’s songs were inspiration for lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, composer Laxmikant Pyarellal and singer Mohammad Rafi, who created songs of their lifetime in the film Dosti which was the hindi adaptation of Bengali film Lalubhulu.

Some of Manobendra’s songs like “dole dodul dole jhulona” in Uttam Kumar’s film Deya Neya are still popular even today. Manobendra’s composition in films like Joto Mot Tato Poth, Sudur Niharika, Sadhok Bamakhepa, caught both the classical base and devotional flavor of Bengali music. It is a pity that Manobendra Mukherjee, with all his classical talent and depth, did not go to bollywood like Manna Dey, otherwise Bengal could have been represented on a larger scale by the meritorious singer and composer whose style and elegance in modern songs was compared with stylish andaz of Australian batsman Neil Harvey. Bengali films these days lack the brilliance of classical singers and composers like Manobendra Mukherjee who are born once in a decade. The songs and the films should be restored for their aesthetic value.

Review of Raaz-the mystery continues.

Review of Raaz – the mystery continues.

Mohit Suri had experimented with a crime-oriented thriller in the film Raaz – the mystery continues. These days directors hardly take risks in making films relating to spirits, suspense-thrillers, etc., as the viewers had accepted only comedy films in the last three years. Mohit Suri and Mahesh Bhatt came up with a unique subject in the film Raaz –the mystery continues.

Kangana Ranaut has been shown as an aspiring model who instigated Adhayanan Suman to earn money in any manner whatsoever to fulfill their desires. Adhayanan Suman accepted her proposal and got involved in unfair means to earn money. All of a sudden the soul of any other person got inside Kangana Ranaut and she started behaving abnormally.

Imraan Hashmi, a painter in the film could visualize the future and see what was going to happen to Kangana Ranaut. From his dreams he realized that the source of events were present in the place Kalindi in Himachal Pradesh. He helped Kangana Ranaut and took her to Kalindi.

In Kalindi, a chemical factory used to dump the toxic wastes in the sacred waters of a nearby temple. Jackie Shroff came to know about the fact and informed the respective authorities about it. But the priests and personnel of the factory conspired together to conceal the matter. Jackie Shroff informed about the incident to Adhayanan Suman, who was a media person. He heard it and promised Jackie Shroff that he would publish it soon. Instead of publishing it he disclosed the secret before the temple authorities and factory’s administrators and took huge amount of money as he was instigated by Kangana Ranaut about earning money in any manner whatsoever.

The conspirators killed Jackie Shroff by beating him brutally. His spirit got inside the body of Kangana Ranaut to inform the people about the incident. Jackie Shroff ruined her life to show that she was the root cause of all the incidents. Adhayanan Suman was shown that the path he had used to earn money was totally wrong.
A preaching of social reformer was displaced in the body of Kangana Ranaut which showed that her body was filled with dirt. Although the film started off with the ghostly events but ended with a social concern. The film had done moderate business in the 2 months after its release and will end being hit film.

Producers and directors can make similar type of films in future.

Happy birthday to Kangana Ranaut.

Happy birthday to Kangana Ranaut.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to successful bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on 20th March, 2009. Kangana Ranaut had created a strong box-office for herself during her short career till now.

Last year when she acted in the film Fashion, she amazed the audience with her powerful performance in a Madhur Bhandarkar film, which had more elements involving reality than larger than life image. The film showed the new entrants in the fashion industry. Priyanka Chopra played the main role in the film who had come from her native town to Mumbai to create her identity in the fashion industry.

Priyanka interacted with Kangana Ranaut in the fashion industry and came to know about her struggle as well. Success in that industry is obtained at the cost of peace, security, happiness. Both Kangana and Priyanka played their part to perfection and created a mark in the minds of intellectual audience. Both Kangana Ranaut and Priyanka Chopra received filmfare awards for their best performance in Fashion as best supporting actress and best actress respectively.

Kangana Ranaut played her role to perfection even in the film Gangster and Life in a Metro. Her performance in Gangster brought her the best debutant award in 2007. In Life in a Metro, she played the role of a girl who could not decide about what to do in a Metro city. She was confused about the boyfriends and could not find out who really wanted her.

She was probably at her best in the film Raaz, the mystery continues opposite Adhyayan Suman and Imraan Hashmi. It has been released in January, 2009 and already done good business in India and abroad. The unsatisfied soul of Jackie Shroff had entered her body, and Imraan Hashmi could see the future events while he did paint Kangana’s face.

At the end of the film, Kangana and Imraan Hashmi went to the place Kalindi, where they unearthed the past events where a chemical plant used to dump its toxic wastes in a sacred lake near a temple. When Jackie Shroff complained about it, he was killed by the gundas sent by the priest. So the unsatisfied soul of Jackie Shroff entered the body of Kangana Ranaut to tell the story to everyone. Kangana again can get nomination for best actress for her horrified performance in the film Raaz –the mysery continues.

The viewers expect her to continue her good work in films like Kite opposite Hrithik Roshan and other films to follow in 2009.

Concepts of China Town have been used in later bollywood films.

Concepts of China Town have been used in later bollywood films.

Shakti Shamanta’s film China Town in the early 60s, had created a trend for following bollywood directors to make films on similar story lines. Shakti Shamanta banked his resources on the underworld activities in China Town in Kolkata at that time.

Shammi Kapoor had a double role in the film. He played the role of a smuggler in China Town who was arrested by the police after he met with an accident. But while he was kept in custody, another Shammi Kapoor was used by the police for extraction of information from China Town.

The law-abiding citizen played by Shammi Kapoor, was asked to pretend as the don of China Town and gather information about the other associates working in that area including the activity of Madan Puri in the film. This person was the twin brother of the don played by the other Shammi Kapoor.

Due to similarity in get up, most of the group members could not recognize the law-abiding citizen. Shammi Kapoor became successful in giving details of the associates of Smuggling Don of China Town to the police. Ravi gave very attractive music in the film with Rafi’s song “bar bar dekho” becoming a landmark hit. Shakila the heroine of the film did well opposite Shammi Kapoor. Helen also complimented the group members with her villainish performance.

In the 70s, bollywood films were made with similar storyline like that of China Town. The film Don made in the late 70s, also had double role of Big B. One of them was a smuggling don whereas the other person was an ordinary middle-class person. There also Iftekar, the police officer used the middle-class person to pretend as don and give information about the rest of the members of the underworld group. The film also became superhit.

Again the concept was used with modifications in Farhan Akhtar’s film Don made in the recent years. In this case Shahrukh Khan played the double role, with one of them playing the role of don, while the other pretending to be don. The story ended differently for keeping an option open for making a sequel of the film Don –The Chase Begins.

Shakti Shamanta’s trend had inspired the modern directors to make bollywood films with similar ideas. For those reason the black and white crime thriller should be restored.

Review of Maan Gaye Mughal-I-Azam

Review of the film Maan Gaye Mughal –i-Azam.

Last year the film Maan-Gaye Mughal-I-Azam was released. It was a comedy film directed by Sanjay Chhel where Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat and other actors played important role. The music was composed by Anu Malik. The film had reflections of the comedy film Jane Bhi Do Yaaron if seen from a critical angle.

Paresh Rawal and his wife Mallika Sherawat was shown to perform in professional theatre. Initially it was shown that a play was enacted on story of the underworld in Mumbai. Then due to resistence from the local police and few mafias the play was stopped.

Instead of that play a historical play on Mughal-I-Azam was launched. In that play Paresh Rawal played the role of Akbar-the-great. Mallika Sherawat played the role of Anarkali. Everyday when Paresh Rawal used to start his introductory speech, Rahul Bose, a member of the audience used to enter the greenroom and speak with Mallika Sherawat. The communication resulted in an affair.

Later it was shown that Rahul Bose was an intelligence officer and he used the entire drama group to help him to reveal the existence of ISI agents in India. Rahul Bose asked Mallika Sherawat to meet the ISI agent and develop intimacy. After that the entire drama group was taken to the place where the ISI agents operated to get the RDX that was planned to have been used.

The RDX was recovered and the casualty that could have happened was prevented. Everything happened in a comedy manner. Through the comedy sequences the message relating to the unrest that was existing in India in the early 90s was depicted.

The film did not get box-office success inspite of the fact that comedy films got best reviews in 2008. One of the reasons may have been the intellectual part of the film which was not understood by the general mass.

Even if the commercial result of the film was unsatisfactory, films like Maan-Gaye-Mughal-I-Azam should be made in future for its intellectual value.

Happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor

Happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor on 18th March, 2009. Shashi Kapoor, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, and younger brother of Raj Kapoor, had acting in his blood. He performed in Prithvi Theatres at an early age.

He even acted in Raj Kapoor’s films Awara and Aag, as a child artist. He in fact played the younger stage of Raj Kapoor in those films as he was 15 years younger than Raj Kapoor. In the early 60s he acted in a number of black and white films including Prem Patra with Sadhna.

He established himself in bollywood films with his performance in the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen with Nanda in the mid-60s. From that time a successful team was created and both Shashi Kapoor and Nanda acted in films like Needh Hamari Khwab Tumhari, Mohabbat Isi Ko Kehte Hai, etc. Shashi Kapoor was blessed with successful songs of Mohammad Rafi in those films including “pardesiwon se na akhiyan milana”, “yahan mai ajnabee hoon”, “theriye hosh me aloon”, etc.

Shashi Kapoor acted in multistarrer films like Waqt in the mid-60s with Raj Kumar and Sunil Dutt and kept his mark in the respective role. In the 70s, after the emergence of Amitabh Bacchan, bollywood films took a turn. Directors and producers instead of making romantic films, started concentrating on anti-establishment films.

In that era, Shashi Kapoor acted with Amitabh Bacchan in many films. The combination was sublime in the film Deewar, where Big B was smuggler and Shashi Kapoor was a police officer. Shashi Kapoor’s dialogue “mere pass ma hai” still is remembered by numerous film lovers even today. Where Big B concentrated on action sequences, Shashi Kapoor played the role of soft, romantic actor in those films.

Shashi Kapoor’s other successful films with Amitabh Bacchan include Shaan, Kabhi Kabhi, Trishul, Iman Dharam, Suhaag, to name a few. Most of these films ended up being blockbusters.

Although Shashi Kapoor was not a trend-setter like Raj Kapoor who was considered showman in the 50s, or Shammi Kapoor, who brought the rock-and-roll trend in the 60s, his presence was felt in the 60s and 70s. Shashi Kapoor’s film Pyar Kiye Ja, Sharmilee, Chor Machaye Shor, did moderate business at the box-office.

Besides Shashi Kapoor had produced films for Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalini, and those films were appreciated by the intellectual audience. The films included Junoon and Vijeta, where Shashi Kapoor also himself acted.

In the mid-80s, Shashi Kapoor did put on a lot of weight and faded away from the film industry. But whenever viewers watch him in Ismail Merchant’s films and other films, his appearance reminds everyone about his association with the Kapoor family, the royal family which had contributed actors, producers and directors, for four generations.

Rafi's greatest success with Rajender Kumar, Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad

Rafi’s greatest success with Rajender Kumar, Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad.

Rafi had a dream run in the 60s, mainly in the films of Jubilee Kumar, Rajender Kumar for more than a number of reasons. Firstly Rajender Kumar acted in the production and direction of biggest banners of bollywood in the 60s. Secondly from 1963 to 1966, all his films ended up in silver jubilee showing his immense popularity and strong presence in the box-office. Shankar Jaikishan was equated with God in the early 60s and the main reason of the box-office success of Jubillee Kumar’s films was the superlative music given to him by both SJ and Naushad.

In the film Ayee Milan Ki Bela, all the songs of SJ, picturised on Rajender Kumar and sung by Rafi became super hit The immortal songs include “mai pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, “tum khamseen ho”, “to bura maan gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”. Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu’s online chemistry in the film helped in the success of the film.

SJ’s composition in the film Aarzoo, Humrahi and Sasural for Rajender Kumar and Rafi were equally rich. The brilliant songs include “chalke teri aankhose”, “ae nargisi mastana”, “aji ruth kar ab”, “yeh aansoo meri dil ki zubaan hai”, “teri pyari pyari surat ko”, "mujhko apne gale lagalo", to mention a few. Sadhna complimented the powerful performance of Rajender Kumar in Aarzoo.

The brilliant combination of Rafi, SJ and Rajender Kumar, continued in the film Dil Ek Mandir and Jhuk Gaya Aasman. Prominent songs include “yaad na jaye”, “jahan koi nahi”, “dil ek mandir hai”, “o priya kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “kahan chal diye”, to mention a few. SJ Rafi and Rajender Kumar continued in the film Aman, where songs like “surahidar garden koel si hi awaz” still mesmerizes the listeners.

Rafi, Rajender Kumar and SJ created history even in the film Suraj. The songs “kaise samjhayun”, “chehere pe giri zulfein”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe”, “baharon phool barsao” had become immortal over the years. Rajender Kumar and Vaijayantimala’s screen presence were as majestic as the voice of Rafi and the quality of music of Shankar Jaikishan. The other films where the magic combination of Rafi, Rajender Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan made people speechless include Zindagi and Sangam, with the prominent songs being “pehle milethe sapno me” and “meherban likhoon”.

A big section of music lovers agree that had Jaikishan not died in 1971, Rafi’s dominance in bollywood music not suffered at all. In fact SJ’s tunes were brilliant and were specifically catered towards the likings of common mass. They were not that technical which could not reach the audience. Besides SJ gave tunes in around 10 films per years all along the 50s and 60s, the era when Rafi was unbeatable. RD Burman’s domination in the 70s would have got very strong resistence had Jaikishan survived few years more. The immortal lyrics of Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri also ended with the sad expiry of Jaikishan in 1971.
In the case of Naushad, his gharana was so classically oriented, that his composition for an actor had changed the destiny of the actor. Although Naushad and Rafi’s combination was associated mainly with respect to Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, he preserved a huge treasure of music for Rajender Kumar as well.

Mere Mehboob, stands out as probably one of the greatest creations of Naushad ever in the history of bollywood music. All the songs of Rafi for Rajender Kumar, including “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “tumse izhaar-e-haal kar baithe”, “ai husn zara jag tujhe ishq jagaye” had revealed the royal elite culture of Aligarh and Lucknow in the form of shayri and ghazals. Rajender Kumar and Sadhna were at their best in the film.

Naushad and Rafi were sublime in Rajender Kumar’s film Palki. The song “dil-e-betaab ko sine se lagana hoga” shows the class of Naushad. Although Naushad utilized Rafi to perfection in Rajender Kumar’s Ganwar, he used Mukesh in major songs of the film Saathi due to pressure of the producer and director.

Rafi and Rajender Kumar were blessed with the immortal creations of Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad in the 60s and the films and the songs should be preserved as rich assets of the nation which can be cherished for generations after generations.

Kamal Dasgupta's contribution in Bengali modern songs.

Kamal Dasgupta’s contribution in Bengali modern songs.

Kamal Dasgupta, the legendary composer of 40s and 50s had brought more variation in contemporary film music and also contributed in the world of modern Bengali songs. Bengali films were at a rudimentary stage when Kamal Dasgupta composed songs for Bengali films. The other composers who also composed music in Bengali films during that period include Himangshu Dutta, Pankaj Mullick, Raichand Boral and others.

Kamal Dasgupta’s composition “kotodin dekhini tomai” became famous in the 40s. It was later sung by even legendary singer Manna Dey. The notable songs of Kamal Dasgupta which were sung by established singers of the 40s and 50s included “prithibi amare chay” sung by Satya Choudhury, “duti pakhi duti teere” sung by Talat Mehmood, to name a few. Singers like Jagonmoy Mitra, Talat Mehmood and Robin Majumdar were greatly influenced by the singing style of Kamal Dasgupta.

Jhuthika Roy, an eminent female singer of the 40s and 50s was also influenced by the style of singing of Kamal Dasgupta. At that time Robin Majumdar was a popular matinee idol in Bengali films. His films like Bhangagora, Kobi, Joideb with Asitboron, addressed the common mass who were not that interested in historical films which were the other type of films that were made at that time. Jhuthika Roy had famous basic discs for devotional songs in the early 40s and 50s.

In the early 50s, Robin Majumdar’s film Jogajog was a very big hit. The songs like “ei kigo sesh dan”, “baluka belai miche” composed by Kamal Dasgupta reached every Bengali during the 50s. At a time when Kamal Dasgupta became indispensable in Bengali films and contemporary modern songs he left for Dhaka (Bangladesh). Kamal Dasgupta’s brother Subol Dasgupta also gave notable tunes legendary singers of the 50s including Jaganmoy Mitra and Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya.

In Dhaka, Kamal Dasgupta worked on songs of Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Under his patronage, Feroza Begum became one of the leading singers of Nazrul Geeti of all times. But Kolkata lost one of the creative genius Kamal Dasgupta as he settled in Dhaka (Bangladesh).

In the 50s and 60s many legendary composers like Robin Chatterji, Sudhin Dasgupta, Salil Choudhury, Anupam Ghatak, Anil Bagchi, etc., made notable contribution in Bengali music and they are considered the biggest giants of modern songs. But historians agree that Kamal Dasgupta’s music was very relevant during the 40s, when film was at its infancy and Bengali modern songs at its immature stage. Kamal Dasgupta’s works should be restored and preserved.

Happy birthday to Amir Khan

Happy birthday to Amir Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mr. Perfectionist Amir Khan on 14th of March, 2009. He has proved himself as one of the most committed actors of modern bollywood films. He also carried on the legacy of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar of acting in less number of films and meaningful films. He started his career with the hit film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988 opposite Juhi Chawla.

His film had brought back the era of romantic films, after bollywood was loaded with action films for more than 20 years. The music of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak composed by Anand Milind and majority of songs sung by Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik created history. The popular songs included “aye mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai”, etc. The film did excellent business and Amir Khan became a star at the early part of his career.

From that time onwards Amir Khan acted in many romantic films like Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, opposite Juhi Chawla, Ishq opposite Juhi Chawla, Dil opposite Madhuri Dixit, Mann opposite Manisha Koirala. Being a relative of Nasir Hussain, Amir Khan showed his acting skills from the beginning of his career. He gave able lips in most of the songs of Udit Narayan and with passage of time showed his versatility in different types of films.

He did extremely well in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s film Lagaan. Lagaan was based on the story of Indian farmers entering into a challenge with the British Govt. during the colonial rule. A cricket match was held between the British team and the Indian peasants. The condition was that if the Indians won it, the farmers would be excused of the share of produce that they supposed to give the landlords and the British Govt. of such. Amir Khan gave training to the rural Indians and ultimately won the match amidst odds.

Amir Khan was sublime in his performance in patriotic film based on the life Mangal Pandey and he did an excellent job in the film Sarfarosh. Even as a director he showed innovative vision by making a film on the subject related to children. The film Taren Zameen Par showed that every child in the world are special. They have their innovative qualities. The job of the teachers and the academicians should be to unearth their skills The songs in the film composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy were also sensational.

Even in 2008, Amir Khan’s film Ghajini was remarkable in nature. He played the role of a person who lost his memory every 20 minutes. He took revenge against the murder of his girlfriend, but he did it with his limitation in respect of the lost memory. He had played probably the role of his career. He is a very cultured actor and the viewers have lot of hope on the thoughtful personality for innovative ventures in the years to come.

Films like Madhumati are creative works of art.

Films like Madhumati are creative works of art.
Films like Madhumati are creative works which had not become obsolete even with passage of time. Bimal Roy had experimented with the subject of re-incarnation which most sections of the people don’t believe in. But the strong performance of Dilip Kumar, Vaijayantimala, powerful direction of Bimal Roy, brilliant music of Salil Choudhury had made the views spellbound in 1958 and the film still remains as one of the classic creations of all times.

Dilip Kumar in his second birth had come to the same palace where he met Pran, the prince of the palace in his last birth. He told the story of his last birth to Tarun Bose. He was a forest officer, and worked within the estate of Pran, the ruler of the place. He entered into an affair with Vaijayantimala and convinced his father Jayant about the marriage. But when he went out of the city for official work, Pran brought Vaijayantimala in his palace, and she jumped from the roof and committed suicide.

Very significantly Dilip Kumar met another girl in the same place having similarity with Vaijayantimala. He asked her to cooperate with him and the police and create the same situation relating to murder before Pran so that he would confess about his guilt. The plan was made but the soul of Vaijayantimala told the story and Pran confessed his guilt even before the girl having similarity with Vaijayantimala could arrive in the palace. The soul of Vaijayantimala took Dilip Kumar to the roof and he slipped from the rooftop and died. Johnny Walker, the servant of Dilip Kumar and a local villager helped him all along the previous life.

In the second birth, again Vaijayantimala was married to Dilip Kumar. He heard about a railway accident and being worried went to search for his wife. He found his wife and child still arrive where the film ended. Although the story could not be believed by big section of the viewers, it entertained everyone. The songs “aja re pardesi”, “ghari ghari mera dil dharke”, “daiya re daiya re”, sung by Lata, “jangal me mor nacha”, “tute hue khwabon ne”, sung by Rafi, “suhana safar”, “dil tarap tarap ke” sung by Mukesh, stormed bollywood films for more than a decade. Salil Choudhury received the filmfare award for the best composer for his immortal composition in the film Madhumati.

One of the amazing factors of Bimal Roy’s classic lied in the romantic presentation of the film in the midst of glamourous locations. Although it was a black and white film, the shooting was mainly done outside the studio and vey romantic landscape with hills and waterfalls were shown in the film. The music was ably picturised and the popularity of Dilip Kumar and Vaijayntimala helped the director in getting the box-office support.

New directors can learn a lot from the classic creation of Bimal Roy which still can haunt the viewers with romantic appeal.

Holi in the RK Studio.

Holi in the RK Studio.

During the lifetime of Showman Raj Kapoor, holi was celebrated in RK Studio. It used to be a very prestigious affair. Other than members of the Kapoor family including Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor and others, celebrities from the film industry used to play holi in the studio.

The event marked the strengthening of relationship of members of the bollywood film industry. The celebration included directors like Manmohan Desai, actors like Dilip Kumar, singers like Mukesh, composers like Shankar Jaikishan, to name a few. The enthusiasm was there even during the 80s, when most of the celebrities who were contemporaries of Raj Kapoor became old.

Raj Kapoor himself stopped it in the late 80s as he started having physical discomfort while playing holi. He had asthma and the contact of colours basically aggravated the disease. The prestigious celebration of holi stopped after 1988, after the death of Raj Kapoor.

After that time, a number of other celebrities started the tradition of inviting the film industry to play holi. But the pomp and grandiuer that was there in RK Studio could not be replicated.

Holi forms an important festival for Indians and bollywood films had devoted a lot of space for holi. It was shown in films like Paraya Dhan, Sholay, Silsila, to name a few. The songs related to holi like “holi re holi” sung by Manna Dey, “holi ke rang” sung by Kishore Kumar, or “rang barse” sung by Big B had not lost their appeal even after 30 years of the release of the films.

Modern producers and directors can also portray the festival of colours in modern films in their innovative style as holi is one of the most popular festivals of the country.

Review of the film Dhoonte Reh Jaoge

Review of the film Dhoonte Reh Jaoge.

The bollywood viewers again have been confronted with another comedy film Dhoonte Reh Jaoge. The film is directed by Umesh Shukla and the major actors and actresses include Paresh Rawal, Sonu Sood, Kunal Khemu, Soha Ali Khan. From the experience of the directors of bollywood films of the last 5 years, new directors feel that viewers accept comedy films more than romantic films and action films.

Paresh Rawal played the role of an unsuccessful film producer who was desperate to make a film and strike and comeback. He got a scope of making a film when Kunal Khemu, a chartered accountant, approached him. Kunal Khemu had a record of his honesty but as his girlfriend wanted to settle down he sacrificed his honesty to get quick success both monetarily and socially.

Soha Ali Khan was a big admirer of Ex-film celebrity Biswajeet. She wanted to be an actress herself.So the association of Paresh Rawal and Kunal Khemu became a blessing in disguise. Soha Ali Khan did not understand the motive of Kunal Khemu. He wanted to earn more than 100 crores by launching the film.

But knowing about the capability of Paresh Rawal and Soha Ali Khan he was rest assured that the film would end up being a flop. He wanted to get rid of the ghost of films from the head of Soha Ali Khan after the film ended up as a disaster. He also got Sonu Sood to sound the clapper board for the film.

But instead of being a great flop the film ended up being successful. The effort of the upcoming actors and actresses were appreciated. So the motive of Kunal Khemu was not fulfilled at all. Although the plot of the film was fine, neither the script was strong, nor the comedy sequences that impressive.

Paresh Rawal and Sonu Sood did well in their respective roles. But the film does not have the potential to be a blockbuster. These days low budget films never dream to bring back profits. But in the case of Dhoonte Reh Jaoge, the viewers would not be able to consider it better than a moderate venture.

Although in the recent past films like Partner, Om Shanti Om, Welcome did well at the box-office, they had impressive stars, quality direction, good picturisation and melodious music. Dhoonte Reh Jaoge has none of them so it will be a big surprise if it brings profit to the bollywood industry.

Happy birthday to Fardeen Khan

Happy birthday to Fardeen Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Fardeen Khan on 8th March, 2009. He had created an identity for himself inspite of being the son of popular bollywood star Feroz Khan. Most of the sons and daughters of the celebrities of bollywood films had always struggled due to comparison of them with their parents.

In case of Fardeen Khan, he never tried to imitate Feroz Khan. Feroz Khan was famous for his stylish performance in action films including Apradh, Dharmatma, Khote Sikke, Qurbani, Jaanbaaz, Yalgaar, etc. In most of these films he introduced Hollywood style of acting in Indian films. Fardeen Khan instead of imitating his father created a simple style of acting which suited different types of films.

His performance in the film No Entry, requires special mention. He played the character of a journalist in the film in the company of Anil Kapoor. He had an affair with Celina Jaitley, but just because he had to save Anil Kapoor, he told a lie to Lara Dutta that Bipasha Basu was his wife.

From that time onwards he just went on telling one lie after the other.He went to Mauritious for honeymoon. Even there he found Anil Kapoor and Lara Dutta and his relationship with Bipasha Basu was revealed. Both Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley filed divorce suits against Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan respectively due to their relationship with Bipasha Basu.

Salman Khan had to come all the way from abroad to save the situation. His playacting with Esha Deol had helped both Fardeen Khan and Anil Kapoor to ease out their relationship with their wives. The film had excellent songs and the comedy sequences appealed to the viewers. The film ended up being a blockbuster.

The other notable films of Fardeen Khan included Bhoot with Urmila Matondkar, Jungle with Urmila Matondkar, etc. The film Jungle was based on the story of Veerappan in the forests of Karnataka where he became a smuggling don. Fardeen Khan’s performance in the film Dev was also worth mentioning.

It is difficult for Fardeen Khan to match the popularity of Salmaan Khan or Shahrukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in the present time. But even with his limited popularity he has created an identity with which he can be categorized. The viewers expect to explore himself further in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to Anupam Kher.

Happy birthday to Anupam Kher.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Anupam Kher on 7th March, 2007. He had been indispensable during the 80s and 90s and contributed both in commercial films and parallel cinema. He initially attracted the attention of critics by performing well in the film Surhansh. He played the role of an old person who had served the nation but was neglected after retirement.

At that time he got the offer of playing the role old persons one after the other at a young age. His performance in the films Daddy, Janam, etc. , were well appreciated by the thoughtful viewers. But the film that had made him a star was Karma.

Anupam Kher acted opposite Dilip Kumar in Subhash Ghai’s multi-starrer venture Karma. He played the role of a terrorist leader named Dr. Dang. He was arrested by Dilip Kumar, but his men blew up the prison and released him. He then took revenge by killing the family members of Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar created an army full of prisoners who were suffering life sentences including Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff. He fought against the men of Anupam Kher and addressed terrorism with style.

From that time onwards, commercial directors started casting Anupam Kher either in villainous roles or comedy roles. He successfully acted in comedy roles in the film Ram Lakhan, as the father of Madhuri Dixit, Jamai Raja as the brother of Hema Malini, Khel, as the partner of Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. He received the maximum number of filmfare awards for comedy performance in the history of bollywood cinema.

Apart from relief characters, Anupam Kher acted in serious films and his performance was very natural over there. His performance in the film Kahona Pyar Hai, in the role of the father of Amisha Patel was very impressive. He sent killers to murder Hrithik Roshan, yet he concealed his own involvement in the plan to his daughter in style. He did very well in the film A Wednesday opposite Naseeruddin Shah.

His performance in the film China Gate, Khosla Ka Ghoshla, Akhree Rasta, requires special mention. He had acted in more than 300 films in a span of 25 years. In that respect no other actor other than Amrish Puri, Kader Khan and Paresh Rawal, had such an huge contribution in bollywood films like Anupam Kher.

The viewers expect him to continue the good work in the years to come.

Filmfare awards provided scattered reviews of films.

Filmfare awards provided scattered reviews of films.

Filmfare awards, 2009, had given scattered review of films. It was not one film which had bagged awards in different categories. Neither the awards could depicts the popular tastes of the viewers.

While Jodha Akbar bagged the award for the best film, best director being Ashutosh Gowarikar and best actor being Hrithik Roshan, no awards were won under the other category. Aishwarya Rai did not get filmfare for best actress for her performance in Jodha Akbar. AR Rehman gave brilliant music in the film and did not get filmfare for Jodha Akbar. Instead he got the award for the film Jane Tu Ya Jane Na. Javed Akhtar got filmfare for best lyricist for Jodha Akbar. But Sonu Nigam did not get filmfare award for best singer for the song he sung in Jodha Akbar.

Fashion bagged few awards for the category of best actress won by Priyanka Chopra and best supporting actress won by Kangana Ranaut. But it did not get filmfare for best music or best direction, etc. There were nominations for the film but it did not end up in awards.

Shreya Ghoshal won the filmfare award for the best female singer for the film Singh is Kinng. The song “teri ore teri ore”. But Pritam, the composer of the same film did not win filmfare award for the music he had composed. On the other hand the combination of AR Rehman with Subhash Ghai and Gulzar in the film Yuvvraaj did not end up fruitfully. Alka Ayagnik got the nomination for the best singer for the song “tu muskura” but the award was eventually won by Shreya Ghoshal.

Amir Khan’s effort in Ghajini went in vain. The film was very successful. Amir Khan’s performance was perhaps one of the best performances of his film career. But Asin won the best female debutant award yet Amir Khan did not get the best actor award. Also Sonu Nigam’s song “hai guzarish” did not win the filmfare for the best singer .

As most of the awards were chosen by the people, the popular tastes could be ascertained from the awards. But in 2009, people had given a scattered verdict.

They have accepted period film like Jodha Akbar, realistic film like Fashion, but could not appreciate refined action film Ghajini. Thriller films like Race also had not been appreciated to any extent. Romantic films like Yuvvraaj had disastrous result. The viewers should be more sensible in their choices in future.

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra won filmfare awards for best actor, actress in 2009

Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra won filmfare award for best actor, actress in 2009.

Hrithik Roshan had won the filmfare award for best actor in 2009 for his brilliant performance in the film Jodha Akbar. He won it for the fourth time. He won filmfare award for best actor previously for films like Kahona Pyar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya, Dhoom 2, etc. He had done a brilliant work and deserved the award. But some of the critics raised eyebrows in respect of Amir Khan not getting filmfare award even after brilliant performance in the film Ghajini.

Priyanka Chopra rightly got the best actress award for her brilliant performance in the film Fashion. In fact the team of Fashion won a number of awards. Kangana Ranaut got the filmfare award for best actress for her performance in the film Fashion. Arjun Rampal won the best supporting award for the film Rock On.

AR Rehman again won the award for best composer for the film Jane Tu Ya Jane Na. It was a bit strange. He had given even better music for the film Jodha Akbar, Yuvvraaj and Ghajini. Pritam, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal-Shekhar had very bad luck as their music in the films Race, Rock On and Dostana were very popular and entertaining. AR Rehman got it for the 8th time. He is on the way to break Shankar- Jaikishan’s record for winning the filmfare award for 9 times.

Javed Akhtar won the best lyricist award for the lyrics of the song “jashn-e-bahara” from the film Jodha Akbar. Sukhwinder Singh won the best male playback singer unnecessarily for the song “haule haule” from the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Sonu Nigam sang a much better song “in lamhon ke” in the film Jodha Akbar. Similarly Shreya Ghoshal won the best female playback singer award for the song “teri ore” from Singh is Kinng, ahead of Alka Yagnik for the song “tu muskura” in the film Yuvvraaj.

Ashutosh Gowarikar won the best director award for the film Jodha Akbar. Jodha Akbar was even adjudged the best film of the year. Bhanu Attaiya and Om Puri won the lifetime achievement award. Om Puri deserved it 10 years back. Other than Nasirruddin Shah no other had shown the level of verstality that Om Puri had shown in both commercial films and parallel cinema.

Farhan Akhtar won the best male debutant award for the film Rock On. Imran Khan won the same award for the film Jane Tu Ya Jane Na. Asin won the best female debutant award for her performance in the film Ghajini.

Sahana Goswami won the jury award for best actress for the film Rock On. Manjit Singh won the jury award for best actor for the film Oye Lucky Lucky Oye.

It has been seen in the past that Filmfare award has done injustice to many actors actresses composers singers in the past as well. Bhupinder Singh never received any filmfare award for best singer. Madanmohan never received filmfare award for best composer. Dharmender, Jeetender, Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar never received best actor award. Whereas, Shahrukh Khan won the award for 7 times. So it is not surprising that Amir Khan’s brilliant work in Ghajini, Sonu Nigam’ brilliant singing in Jodha Akbar, Alka Yagnik’s brilliant singing in Yuvvraaj, Pritam’s music in Singh is Kinng and Race, went unrewarded. For the winners the awards can give motivation for better work. For others they should concentrate on better work, because filmfare awards are given through public choice and it is not award which is chosen by experts.