Review of Hamara Dil Aapke Pass Hai.

Review of Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai.

Anil Kapoor had acted in different types of films in his illustrious career. In Hamara Dil Aapke Pass Hai, he did majestic work opposite Aishwarya Rai. It was Boney Kapoor’s venture which was given shape and direction by Anil Kapoor.

Anil Kapoor was a wealthy industrialist in the film. He nurtured a daughter and a son who were given birth by Anil Kapoor’s father but the paternity of the children were denied.

Aishwarya Rai saw a murder being committed by Mukesh Rishi in the open street. After the murder Ash went to the police station and lodged an FIR. After that Mukesh Rishi was arrested and kept in custody. His relative Puru Raj Kumar raped Ash after the incident and she was thrown out of her house for those reasons.

Anil Kapoor gave shelter to Ash in his house. He also gave job to her. She fulfilled the vacuum of the mother to the children he considered Ash as her mother. The song “its my family” showed the unity in the house.

But again Anil Kapoor’s father lodged a complaint against Ash in terms of dong illegal business. Anil Kapoor blasted his father that and brought Ash back.

At the end of the film when he came to know that Puru Raj Kumar raped Ash, he assaulted him and took him to the PS once more. There was a social message in the film which said that when a girl is raped in Indian society instead of pointing the finger at the rapist the society points the finger at the victim.

Many victims even fail to express what happened due to the mockery being made by the members of the society. The performance of Anil Kapoor and Ash were excellent. Even the character artists like Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever, Satish Kaushik, etc., complimented the hero and heroin in the film. The songs in the film were decent with Udit Narayan doing a great job.

In totality it was a very decent film made by Boney Kapoor having a social message.

Prospect of Kareena Kapoor in 2009.

Prospect of Kareena Kapoor in 2009.

2009 is definitely going to be a testing year for Kareena Kapoor. As it has been said a number of times that the task of retaining the number one position in bollywood industry is more difficult than reaching the number one position.

Kareena Kapoor has generally four competitors namely Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai and Lara Dutta. She has an edge over the other actresses in terms of her acting potentiality which she had proved a number of times.

But these days whenever any actress crosses 30 years, or gets married the producers and directors discard them. So the period of success of the leading actresses are getting reduced day by day. Madhuri Dixit ruled bollywood films for more than ten years. But after her retirement, every year Indian celluloid saw a new reigning queen.

In 2009, Kareena’s film Kambakht Ishq did fantastic business. Kareena’s combination with Akhay Kumar entertained the viewers to a great extent. In the same year she is appearing opposite Amir Khan in film The Three Idiots and Salman Khan in the film Mr and Mrs. Khanna.

Kareena also has to face the fact that she is a bit older than Katrina Kaif or Priyanka Chopra, so obviously her demand will gradually go down. So she is inclined to sign meaningful films at the moment and try to maintain her steady market.

It is fact that Kareena Kapoor had pulled on the legacy of Raj Kapoor after Rishi Kapoor, as none of the sons of Shammi Kapoor or Shashi Kapoor could be successful in bollywood films. Wherever Kareena Kapoor even did dance numbers, her performance was appreciated. For example her performance in Don in the dance number “yeh mera dil pyar ka diwana” amazed the viewers.
The viewers are looking forward to even better performance from Kareena Kapoor in 2009 itself

Suman Kalyanpur and Rafi's duets did not get publicity.

Suman Kalyanpur and Rafi’s duets did not get publicity.

The media during the last 60s years had been too kind towards some of the celebrities while remained silent about the others. For example during the golden age 50s, 60s and 70s, other than Lata and Rafi there were other combinations who had given everlasting hits.

Lata Mangeshkar always got the focus of attention and as such her duets with Rafi which covers more than 440 in number always stole the attention. Yet Suman Kalyanpur during the same age of competition had sung almost 170 duets with Rafi most of which became super hit, yet could not get the lime light which they deserved.

The song “ajahu na aye balma” from Saanjh Aur Sawera, picturised on Mehmood and Subha Khote and composed by Shankar Jaikishan showed the compatibility of Rafi with Suman Kalyanpur in classical songs. Rafi could adapt his style of singing with any singer. But Suman Kalyanpur also did a great job with the giant. The song “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” from the film Palki, picturised on Rajender Kumar and Wahida Rehman and composed by Naushad had the ghazal andaz embedded in them and Suman Kalyanpur was unblemmish aside Rafi.

SJ used the same Suman Kalyanpur aside Rafi in fast numbers like “aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” from Brahmchari picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz, “dil use do jo jaan de de” picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini in the film Andaz. The biggest tragedy is that the songs did great business and the films became super hit, yet the message relating to Rafi’s combination with Suman Kalyanpur did not reach most of the viewers and the media too did not play a neutral role in that aspect. Half of the people thought the duets were sung by Rafi and Lata as Suman Kalyanpur’s singing style matched with that of Lata.

Khayyam’s composition “thereiye hosh me aaloon to chale jayiega” from the film Mohabbat is ko kehte hai” picturised on Shashi Kapoor and Nanda had another romantic number of Rafi and Suman. Madan Mohan’s tune “baad muddat se yeh ghari aye” sung by Rafi and Suman stunned many listeners of ghazals, as the urdu words were pronounced in style in the film Jahan –ara. Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha were sublime in the film. Rafi as usual was unblemish in respect of ghazals. But Suman too had adapted her style of singing which suited the songs of the Mughal period.

Even the fast numbers composed by LP like “tumse o haseena” sung by Rafi and Suman did not get the hype of media which it deserved inspite of Farz ending up as a run away hit of Jeetender. Roshan’s meritorious composition like “maine aye jaane wafa” from the film Bedaag, “chand takda hai idhar” from the film Doojh Ka Chaand remained unnoticed.

Besides there were other hits like “parbaton ke paron par sham ka basera hai” from the film Shagun composed by Khayyam, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye” from the film Raj Kumar composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “dil ek mandir hai” from the film Dil Ek Mandir composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe dekha tujhe chaha” from the film Choti Si Mulakat composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe pyar karte karte” from the film April Fool composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “mujhe yeh phool na den” from the film Ghazal composed by Madan Mohan.

The factor of Suman Kalyanpur being chosen to sing duets with legendary Rafi Sahab by giant composers like Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Laxmikant Pyarellal, Kalyanji Anandji, proved another fact that she was not any particular composer’s singer. She did a great job with Rafi, but due to passive attitude of the media the songs got recognition with no information relating to the singer. Even in many films when the names of the singers were written Suman Kalyanpur’s name was mentioned at the end without any particular reason for it.

Rafi had proved in his entire life that he was a greater human being than a singer. That was the reason why he could match his singing style with any fellow female artist including Lata, Geeta Dutt, Sumna Kalyanpur, Sharda, Mubarak Begum, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum, and others.

His combination with Suman Kalyanpur should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Manoj Kumar.

Happy birthday to Manoj Kumar.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Manoj Kumar on 24th July, 2009. He started his career as a romantic hero, then showed his skills in the field of direction and created a separate identity as a patriotic hero. He later on earned the name of Bharat Kumar.

Harikishan Giri Goswami, better known as Manoj Kumar, was a big admirer of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar. He was obsessed with Dilip Kumar’s performance in the film Shabnam, in 1949, and kept the name of the character of the film, which was Manoj Kumar.

Although he started his career in the film Fashion in 1957, he got recognition with a lead role in the film Kaanch Ki Gudiya in 1960. Vijay Bhatt directed Hariyali Aur Raasta in 1962 changed the destiny of Manoj Kumar as a romantic hero. The songs of the film were composed by genius of genius Shankar Jaikishan, and with Mala Sinha’s assistance Manoj Kumar reached the hearts of millions of music lovers in the country. The songs in the film including “ifteda-e-ishq”, “yeh hariyali aur yeh raasta”, sung by Mukesh and Lata astonished the viewers. The film became super hit.

In the mid-60s, Manoj Kumar landmark roles in suspense thrillers like Woh Kaun Thi, 1964, and Gumnaam, 1965, created a separate recognition for the actor. Woh Kaun Thi was a horror film of Raj Khosla where Manoj Kumar played the role of the doctor who got scared with the ghostly appearance of Sadhna, who played a double role in the film. He solved the mystery in the film and got Prem Chopra arrested at the end after realizing that his wife had a twin sister who was used as a ghost. The music of Madan Mohan was brilliant and Lata’s songs “naina barse rimjhim”, “lagja gale”, etc., created sensation.

Gumnaam was a murder thriller which stormed bollywood in the mid-60s. More than seven friends were given offer of going for holidays, but the flight was hijacked and the friends had to land at an island. Each of them were killed one after the other and no one knew who killed them. Manoj Kumar solved the mystery and unearthed the truth that Tarun Bose was the actual murderer. The music composed by SJ was extraordinary with songs like “jane chaman shola badan” sung by Rafi and Sharda, “gumnaam hai koi” sung by Lata, “is duniya me jeena ho to”, “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai”, etc.

Manoj Kumar's second innings with patriotic films like Shaheed, Upkaar, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapra Aur Makaan, Kranti, moved the viewers and earned him respect. He directed most of those films and got filmfare award for best director for excellent work in films like Upkaar and Roti Kapda and Makaan. His film Upkaar also received the national award for best film in 1967, and he gave life to the slogan of PM Lal Bahadur Shastri titled “jai jawan jai kisan” with Upkaar.

His other successful films as hero also include Patthar Ke Sanam, Anita, Aadmi, etc. He acted with childhood idol Dilip Kumar in Aadmi and Kranti. The songs of most of his films were of excellent class.

The viewers expect him to continue the excellent work as a director in the years to come.

Mukesh is remembered on his birthday.

Mukesh is remembered on his birthday.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary singer Mukesh on 22nd July, 2009 and remember his great works. Mukesh was probably the most popular singer of the 50s, 60s an 70s after Mohammad Rafi.

His nazal tune had huge amount of sensitiveness and he gave expression to brilliant composers of the golden age with the romantic voice. His combination with Showman Raj Kapoor was considered one of the golden combinations of the 40s, 50s, 60s.

His notable songs for Raj Kapoor included “awara hoon” from film Awara, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “aaja re” from film Aah, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “ramaiya vasta maiya” from film Shree 420 composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “sab kuch sikha humne” from film Anari, composed by SJ, etc. The list can go on. Shankar Jaikishan stormed bollywood films with their everlasting tunes for more than 25 years, and wherever they were associated with Raj Kapoor, Mukesh sang the songs of his lifetime. The combination gave everlasting hits in films like Barsaat, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, Ek Dil Sau Afsana, Around the World, Diwana, Teesri Kasam, Mera Naam Joker, to name a few.

In non-Raj Kapoor films also Mukesh did a superlative job. His performance in Dilip Kumar’s Madhumati, composed by Salil Choudhury, Manoj Kumar’s Hariyali Aur Raasta composed by Shankar Jaikishan, Rajender Kumar’s Saathi composed by Naushad, Manoj Kumar’s Pathar Ke Sanam composed by LP, require special mention.

He died in 1976, and ended the era relating to soft romantic songs. His journay from the film Nirdosh in 1941 to Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, remained unblemish. In 1974, he received national award for best singer for the song “kai baar yun hi dekha hai” from the film Rajnigandha, composed by Salil Choudhury. Besides he received filmfare awards for his best performance in films like Anari, Pehchan, Beimaan, Kabhi Kabhi.

Articles after articles can be devoted on the successful combination of Mukesh with Shankar Jaikishan, Salil Choudhury, Naushad, Roshan, and others. His films and songs should be preserved.

Music lovers lament Alpona Banerjee's death.

Music lovers lament Alpona Banerjee’s death.

The music lovers all across India lament Alpona Banerjee’s death on 24th July 2009. Children and elders had huge affection towards the romantic singer. She had sung many romantic songs both in Bengali films and also had basic discs during the golden age of Bengali music.

Her notable Bengali modern songs included “mon bolche aaj sondhay kichu bolte tumi ashbe ki” composed by Manobendra Mukherjee, “tumi shundar bole taito bondhu besecho halo amay” composed by Manobendra Mukherjee, “bolechhile tumi gaan shonabe” composed by Abhijit Banerjee, etc. She sang very significant songs in hit films in the 50s. Her song “hridoy amar shundaro tobo pay” in Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen’s film Sagarika became landmark hit. Robin Chatterji, the composer of the song used Alpona’s silky voice for expressing the affection of the actress Jamuna Singha in the film.

Alpona Banerjee sang many significant songs in other films like Bikash Roy’s Chele Kar, Pahari Sanyal’s Bidhyasagar, etc. In the mid-50s Alpona became matchless in her children’s songs which were termed as “charar gaan”.

Children all across the country are obsessed towards the songs of Alpona Banerjee. Her notable songs included “chotto pakhi chondona”, “hattimatim tim”, etc. Those songs did great business in the regional market of West Bengal.

Alpona Banerjee discontinued music after marriage and faded away from the Bengali music arena in the late 60s. The listeners felt sad about it as Alpona Banerjee’s romantic voice had appeal along with Sandhya Mukherjee, Geeta Dutt, Nirmala Mishra, Pratima Banerjee, Bani Ghoshal and many other leading singers og Bengali modern songs.

Alpona Banerjee appeared in TV channels like Doordarshan a number of times in the 80s and 90s and sang her popular songs. Her songs and films should be preserved and restored.

Can Blue bring back the stardom of Lara Dutta?

Can Blue bring back the stardom of Lara Dutta?

Lara Dutta is perhaps one of the most underrated actress of bollywood films in recent years. She possessed same amount of talent like that of Priyanka Chopra, yet could not attain the level that Priyanka attained within the short time.

She started her career with Priyanka and Akshay Kumar in Andaz and showed a lot of promise. But after doing great job in films like Bardasht opposite Bobby Deol, Zinda opposite Sanjay Dutt, Bombai Se Aya Mera Dost with Abhishek Bacchan, some way or the other lost focus.

She was also not as lucky in respect of bagging important roles like Priyanka Chopra. She showed her standard of smartness and comedy instincts in films like No Entry and Partner.

No Entry is probably one of the greatest hits of Lara Dutta till now. She balanced the comedy instincts of Anil Kapoor and did outcast Bipasha Basu, Celina Jaitley and Esha Deol in the film. Her lips in the main songs in the film were also appreciated.

She was sublime in Partner opposite Salman Khan. Her lips in the songs “maria maria” and others did attract the viewers. Her acting was equally realistic. In 2009, she even showed her daring nature in accepting a role of village girl opposite Irfan Khan in the film Billu Barber. She acted hardly without any make up and brought out the innocence of a village girl in the film.

The big question lies in the minds of people whether Lara Dutta can get her stardom back with her performance in the film Blue. She had learned scuva diving and showed acrobatic stunts which hardly any actress had done in Indian celluloid till now. Besides she had acted with Katrina Kaif, the reigning queen of bollywood in the film. So her performance opposite her can also prove her capability before the viewers.

Let us hope that Lara Dutta retains her popularity with Blue and provide stiff competition to Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif in future.

Blue is going to be the costliest film ever.

Blue is going to be the costliest film ever.

The film Blue which is going to be released later this year is going to be the costliest film made ever in the history of bollywood. It has a budget over 100 crores and the standard of underwater shooting being done in the film can envy Hollywood directors.

Director Anthony DeSouza got inspired by Jaws and The Deep and made a thriller titled Blue which is going to be released in the later part of the year 2009. There was treasure that was hidden underneath the sea, which three friends including Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan had tried to find.

Lara Dutta had worked with Sanjay Dutt in the film. Lara Dutta had been sublime with him previously in the film Zinda. She had proved her metal once again. She even trained herself with Scuva diving before doing the stunts relating to diving in the film.

Lorenze Gonzalves, a big builder of US had trained Sanjay Dutt for his stunts in the film. Hollywood mae up artist Nikoletta Skarlattos did the make up for Lara Dutta who looked a bit different in the film. Katrina Kaif also had gave a cameo performance in the film.

She had shown her beauty in other films in the past. In Blue the viewers will see her fitness and acrobatic ability. Sunil Shetty did a great a job in the film. Akshay Kumar was brilliant as usual.

While doing his stunts, once he even collided with the body of a ship and started bleeding. The entire crew helped him during the injury to recover. Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue will also be seen in the film who had exciting scenes with Akshay Kumar.

AR Rehman’s music in the film had been sensational and he also make Kylie Minogue sing for him in the film.

In a nutshell it is cracker entertainment that is awaiting release within next two months. Ashtavinayak Cinevision again had worked out for entertaining the audience. The big budget project can land up being the greatest hit of the years.

Chabi Biswas is remembered on his birth anniversary.

Chabi Biswas is remembered on his birth anniversary.

The viewers of Indian cinema remembered Chabi Biswas, the towering actor on his birth anniversary on 12th July, 2009. The legend had been considered the greatest actor ever to grace Indian celluloid by Oscar Winning director Satyajit Ray. Had he not met with a fatal accident in 1962 and died, Ray could have experimented much more with the dignified actor.

Firstly Chabi Biswas was the pivot around whom the entire Bengali film industry revolved. Tapan Sinha relied on the majestic actor in playing the role of Kabuliwala in Tagore’s classic Kabuliwala. Ajoy Kar asked Chabi Biswas to present his dignity in the film Saptapadi where he played the role of the father of Uttam Kumar who could not accept his change of religion from being Hindu to Christian. At the end of the film Chabi Biswas acknowledged the greatness of Suchitra Sen who loved Uttam Kumar, yet sacrificed her affair as she gave word to Chabi Biswas about not meeting him in her entire life.

Chabi Biswas was equally majestic in Ajoy Kar’s classic Suno Boro Nari. His character of Udashin had the right combination of dignity, aristocracy and discipline. He was barrister of reputation who did not allow his daughter Supriya Choudhury to marry Uttam Kumar who was assumed to be a poor homeopathy doctor. But he was left speechless when the actual identity of Uttam Kumar was revealed as a renouned Professor of Literature.

Satyajit Ray’s Jalsaghar tested the range of performance of Chabi Biswas and delivered blood and flesh in the character of Biswambar Roy who was a feudal lord of West Bengal. In fact Chabi Biswas was an unparallel figure in the roles of zamindars during colonial regime. His performance in Karthik Chatterji’s Saheb Bibi Ghulam, Rajen Tarafdar’s Antarikha was equally brilliant, where critics argued that Chabi Biswas even did more than the expectation of the directors in portraying the aristocracy of the zamindars.

Chabi Biswas had acted in more than 250 films during a span of 25 years and articles after articles can be devoted on his different andaz that was displayed in celluloid. His performance in Shambhu Mitra’s film Manik could have brought him Oscar, had the film being send by India abroad. He played the role of a paralytic patient with such diction that the viewers and the directors thought the character from Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist had come out the pages of the book and appeared onscreen.

Raj Kapoor was astonished to see Chabi Biswas’s performance in his film Ekdin Ratre. The lips given by Chabi Biswas in Manna Dey’s song “ei duniyay bhai sabi hoi” compelled Raj Kapoor to agree that he was the greatest actor Raj Kapoor had seen in Indian films. He in fact regretted the absence of Chabi Biswas in bollywood films which could raised the standard of those films to another dimension.

Viewers still search Chabi Biswas in his unforgettable performances in films like Shashibabur Sangsar, Dada Thakur, Sabar Opore, Head Master, to name a few and never consider his death as a reality. His films should be preserved for the next generation to mark the level of excellence created by the greatest actor of Indian films ever.

The nation remembers Rafi on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Rafi on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Mohammad Rafi on his death anniversary on 31st july, 2009. It was a very painful experience for most of the music lovers of India and abroad to recollect the experience of 31st July, 1980. 29 years had passed since his death and yet time could not heal the wound inflicted in the hearts of numerous music lovers of the country.

He is still alive in the hearts of millions of Indians with his 26000 songs. He had given expression to almost all the leading stars of bollywood and also the poets and composers of the golden age. He had created such an invaluable treasure of songs most of which can be termed as masterpieces, that the listeners can cherish his work for ever.

Admirers of Naushad can hear Rafi’s “do sitaron ka zameen par hai Milan”, “man tarpat”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, “ek shahenshahne banwake haseen tajmahal” thousand times, admirers of Shankar Jaikishan search Rafi in “o mere shahekhuba”, “chalke teri ankhose”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, etc., admirers of Roshan find peace in Rafi’s “jo wada kiya ho”, “dil jo na keh saka”, “ab kya misaal doon”, “man re”, etc., admirers of Madan Mohan hear “tumhari zulfonki saye me”, “aap ke pehlu me”, “baad muddat key eh ghari aye”, etc., again and again. Besides Rafi had galvanized the fortunes of Laxmikant Pyarellal, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, RD Burman and many other composers of the 50s, 60s, 70s. Articles after articles can be devoted to Rafi’s combination with the musical giants.

On the other hand Rafi had raised the standard of playback singing in the golden age which had become a benchmark which is difficult reach but can be followed by singers of the present day. Rafi had given different types of expressions for Dilip Kumar (madhuban me radhika, aaj purani rahon par), Shammi Kapoor (akele akele, diwana hua badal), Rajender Kumar (mere mehboob tujhe, o priya), Johnny Walker (ay dil mushkil, jangal me mor nacha), Pradeep Kumar (dil jo na keh saka, hum intezar karenge), Guru Dutt (chaudavi ka chand, yeh mahalon), Biswajeet (pukarta chala hoon mai, a gale lag ja) Bharat Bhushan (zindagi bhar nahi, kisiki yaad me), Joy Mukherjee (bahut shukriya, japan love in tokyo, Dharmender (naja kabhi ab na ja, gair tum bhula na doge), Jeetender (dhal gaya din, baar baar din yeh aye) and others. Rafi’s combination with these evergreen stars had been glorified and is still being revisited.

In respect of Rafi lovers all across the world, there is one big challenge to unearth many unheard songs including Rafi’s private albums. A number of songs sung in the regional languages had been preserved, including Bengali songs like songs of Nazrul Islam. Songs like “alga korogo khopar badhon”, “pakhitar buke”, “ekhono biday bolona”, “tomar nil dopati chok”, “e jibone mor”, amused the Bengali audience as well.

The playback singers of the present age like Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan and others pay immense respect to Mohammad Rafi and still consider him as the legend of legends in the field of music. Sonu Nigam in the program Mohammad Rafi resurrected tried to sing Rafi’s classics in Europe. The listeners realized that the singing of versatile singer Sonu Nigam even could not match Rafi’s level of excellence and as such most of his songs can challenge the leading singers of India and Pakistan even today. With change in demands of music at this present moment with pop, rap, western collections becoming prevalent, Rafi is probably the only legend of the 50s, 60s, and 70s whose songs had still remained young.

The listeners should revisit the songs of Rafi and restore the creations to pay homage to the noble soul who departed the music -lovers 29 years ago.

The nation remembers Uttam Kumar on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Uttam Kumar on his death anniversary.

The nation remembers Uttam Kumar, one of the greatest superstars of Indian celluloid on his death anniversary on 24th July, 2009. He has died almost 29 years ago, yet the viewers had not forgotten his films and still his presence is felt in the life bengalies in different parts of the world.

Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray acknowledged the dynamic presence of the legendary superstar in Bengali films and made a film Nayak based on the story of Uttam Kumar. His original name was Arun Kumar Chatterji, who was a clerk in Port Commission before joining Bengali films.

When he joined films with Drishtidaan in 1948, he had to struggle to create his image as against he established heroes like Asit Boron, Bikash Roy and others. In 1952, his film Basu Paribar struck at the box-office and he overtook Bosonto Choudhury, Asit Boron and became the leading superstar of Bengali films. All the qualities of a romantic hero was possessed by him, including a standard height, good complexion, manly voice, romantic hairstyle and unique dialogue delivery. Any dress suited the legendary superstar including Punjabi, dhoti, coat, Bengali dresses, etc.

He had acted in the films of all the legendary directors of the golden age including Satyajit Ray’s Nayak, Chiriakhana, Tapan Sinha’s Jhinder Bandi, Upahaar and Jotugriha, Ajoy Kar’s Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Suno Bara Nari, etc., Agradoot’s Bipasha, Surjo Toron, etc., Agragami’s Sagarika, Shonkhobela, to name a few. Uttam Kumar acted opposite all the leading actresses of Bengali celluloid including Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey, Sabitri Chatterji, Supriya Choudhury, Mala Sinha, and others. His combination with Suchitra Sen had given everlasting classics and both of them still remains the most romantic pair in Indian silver screen.

Uttam Kumar’s films were based on rich literature including Tagore’s Khokababur Protyaborton, Subodh Ghosh’s Suno Bara Nari, Samaresh Bose’s Kuhak, Sorodindu Bondhopadyay’s Chiriakhana, Shankar’s Chourangi. The films were related to different types of stories including comedy stories, tragic stories, soft romantic stories, etc.

Uttam Kumar had acted in around 205 films (including bollywood films like Amanush, Anand Ashram, Choti Si Mulakat, Dooriyan, Kitaab etc., ) in a span of 35 years, and all his films had remained everlasting treasures.

Even the singers who had sung for him including Manna Dey, Shyamal Mitra, Hemanta Mukherjee, etc., agreed that they did not find any actor who was parallel to Uttam Kumar in giving lips in songs. He made the viewers feel that he only sang the songs.

Articles after articles can be devoted to Uttam Kumar who was one –man –industry in Bengali films. His films should be revisited to create motivation for making better quality films in future.

Happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah.

Happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah on 20th July, 2009. Along with Om Puri, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, Nasir was the leading actor who had shaped parallel cinema in India. He became the leading actor of art films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini, Sudhir Mishra, Mrinal Sen and others. He was sublime in films like Aakrosh, Sparsh, Khandahaar, etc.

Viewers cannot forget his realistic acting in Goutam Ghosh’s film Paar. He was unparallel in the scene where he along with Shabana Azmi, took the herd of animals across river Ganges for their livelihood. Their standard of acting was extraordinary. He was equally brilliant in a sensitive role in Shekhar Kapoor’ s film Masoom. His son Jugal Hansraj was not accepted by Shabana Azmi, as he was her step son, but at the end of the film Nasir convinced Shabana about accepting the child. The songs in the film like “huzoor is kadar bhi na itra ke chaliye” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar and composed by RD Burman became extremely popular in the early 80s.

In the late 80s, Nasir got influenced by veteran actor Amrish Puri and joined mainstream cinema. There also he became a grand winner. He gave fabulous performance in the film Tridev along with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, and also Vishwaatma wit Sunny Deol and Chunkey Pandey. His action skills, comedy skills all were utilized by the commercial directors and became an indispensable figure in the early 90s.

Even as villain he astonished the viewers in films like Mohra. He did outcast the heroes in the film like Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar and ended up being the main actor in the feeling. Nasir could play any type of role and in the long run no other actor other than Om Puri could match Nasiruddin Shah’s versatility. In China Gate, both of them faced each other and the viewers enjoyed the dynamic performances of the two legends. Even in films like Monsoon Wedding, Nasir showed that his skill in realistic acting just had got enhanced day after day.

In 2008, he performed perhaps the best film of the year, A Wednesday. He killed the terrorists as an ordinary citizen, to end the threat they had created over a period of time. The viewers expect the legendary actor to continue his dynamic performance as he is still irreplaceable in bollywood films.

Katrina Kaif versus Kareena Kapoor.

Katrina Kaif versus Kareena Kapoor.

After the success of the films New York and Kambakht Ishq, viewers are wondering about the ruler of bollywood film industry, whether it is Katrina Kaif or Kareena Kapoor. Both of them had been in the industry for some time.

Kareena Kapoor started her career with a bang with films like Refugee and Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai. Her beauty stole many hearts and always she was blessed with good stories and powerful direction. Her career got disturbed for two three years after start, but she came back with unconventional role in the film Chameli. From that time critics acknowledged Kareena’s acting capabilities. She got the filmfare award for her best performance in the film Jab We Met. She had a bad year in 2008, as her film Tashan failed miserably.

But 2009, she returned back in style with the film Kamakht Ishq with Akshay Kumar. She had acted with all the leading stars in bollywood including Salman Khan in Kyun Ki, Hrithik Roshan in Yaadein, Shahrukh Khan in Ashoka, Ajay Devgan in Omkara, to name a few. But her age is in the way, if she has to prove herself against Katrina Kaif who is much younger than her.

Katrina Kaif gave hit films one after the other with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. Her films Humko Dewaane Kar Gaye, Namaste London, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, became super hit. Even her comedy films like Partner and Welcome struck box-office. Even the films where she had played villanish roles, had been successful, like Race. She has the most attractive screen presence at the moment. Her success in the film New York had proved her acting capability also. It does not matter to her that she had not received filmfare awards and other awards at the moment.

The viewers agree if Kareena Kapoor has acting background, Katrina Kaif has her age in her favour, so in the long run, Katrina Kaif has the potentiality to be the winner. The war of the two beauty queens will continue as Kareena has Mr. and Mrs. Khanna opposite Salman Khan to be released this year, while Katrina Kaif has Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani opposite Ranbir Kapoor to be released this year. The other characteristic which is common between Katrina and Kareena is their affair with Salman Khan and Saif Ali Khan. Both of them are involved for the last few years, yet none of them had declared their date of marriage.

The viewers wish that both Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor should give out their best in their struggle for number one spot.

Remembering Rajender Kumar on his birthday.

Remembering Rajender Kumar on his birthday.

The viewers remember Jubilee Kumar Rajender Kumar on his birthday on 20th July, 2009. He had died few years back and his viewers all over India and outside India had mourned the death of the legendary romantic actor.

From 1963 to 1966, all his films celebrated silver jubilees. From that time he became Jubilee Kumar. His films were designed in the same lines as that of Dilip Kumar, and he was successful in getting appreciation of the refined viewers of the country. Right from Goonj Uthi Shehnai, he acted in roles which were sacrificing nature and most of the roles touched the hearts of the viewers. He was sublime in Mere Mehboob and Aarzoo opposite Sadhna, Dil Ek Mandir, Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan, opposite Meena Kumari. He acted in many films opposite Vaijayantimala and most of them ended up becoming superhit films, including Zindagi, Sangam, Aas Ka Panchi, Ganwar, Suraj, Saathi, to name a few.

Rajender Kumar acted in superhit films opposite Saira Banu as well including Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Jhuk Gaya Aasman, Aman, etc. Rajender Kumar’s films were also remembered by the audience for their everlasting music composed by Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad. SJ’s music in the film Ayee Milan Ki Bela, with Rafi’s songs like “mai pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, “tum khamseen ho” became invaluable hits. SJ’s music in the film Suraj was equally impressive with Rafi’s songs like “chehere pe giri zulfein”, “kaise samjhayun”, “baharon phool barsao”, storming bollywood in the mid-60s.

Naushad gave his career’s best music in the film Mere Mehboob. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata including “mere mehboob tujhe”, “ai husn zara jag tujhe”, “tumse izhaar – e – haal”, etc., astonishing listeners in India and abroad. Also the songs of Palki, like “dil –e –betaab ko seene se lagana hoga”, showed the high quality of ghazals which were given adequate expression by Rafi.

Rajender Kumar never received any filmfare award for his performance, but the viewers in India and abroad acknowledged his creditable performance in most of the films. His films should be revisited.

Review of Uttam Kumar's Ekti Raat.

Review of Uttam Kumar’s film Ekti Raat.

Uttam Kumar, the greatest superstar of Bengali films, created sensation in the 50s, with the legendary actress Suchitra Sen. Whenever both the romantic performers performed together, middle-class bengalies associated themselves with the characters and became part of the same film. Till today, they are still considered to be the most romantic pair, who had graced Indian silver screen.

In Ekti Raat, while Uttam Kumar’s wife Sabita Chatterji, lost her train, due to contingent reasons, Uttam Kumar travelled with Suchitra Sen was also married to his destination in car. As that car also faced mechanical problems, they had to stay in Tulsi Chakravarty’s hotel for one night. Tulsi Chakravarty, only allowed married couples in his hotel, and for staying over there for a night, Uttam Kumar had to tell a lie that he was the husband of Suchitra Sen.

Suchitra Sen came with her dog, which ran away from the garden of that hotel and ran into the fields at night. Malina Debi, the mother of Sabita Chatterji, went to the house where her daughter was supposed to go to trace her son-in-law. All the events continued one after the other with comedy sequences. When Kamal Mitra, the husband of Suchitra Sen, came to know about the incident, he decided that he had to do play acting with Uttam Kumar to convince his wife, that nothing untoward happened during the night when Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen stayed together in the same room.

The last part of the film was related to the manner in which the Sabita Chatterji was reconciled with the assistance of relatives like Pahari Sanyal, Chandabati Debi and others. Bhanu Banerjee played the role of a drunkard in the film.

The music of the film was brilliant with experiments done by Anupam Ghatak. Sandhya Mukherjee was elegant as usual especially in the song “kakon bole srimoti kande”. Her voice suited Suchitra Sen the most and she was indebted to Sandhya Mukherjee for her huge success in bengali films. The film released in 1956, had not lost its appeal even after 50 years of creation and should be restored.

Short cut had shown crude realities of bollywood industry.

Short cut had shown crude realities of bollywood film industry.

Anil Kapoor’s project Short cut had shown the crude realties of bollywood film industry. Those actors who hardly can even play a proper character had become superstars over the years. Arshad Warsi’s character was used to show the success of less-callibered performers in bollywood. Once they had been made stars, whatever they had done had become myths.

Akshay Khanna’s character had also shown that directors who had been innovative over the years and did original work could not get breaks. Stories were stolen, ideas were robbed, scripts were copied. This has been the story of bollywood industry for the last 25 years.

There was a time, during the 50s and 60s, when genuine creative work was appreciated. Audience were educated, learned, cultured and able to appreciate rich creations. Directors like Bimal Roy could make risky films like Devdas, Do Beegha Zamin, Madhumati, Kabuliwala, etc., which were appreciated and got box-office success as well. Actors like Dilip Kumar who were tragedians ruled the industry. Even Raj Kapoor could experiment with serious subjects in films like Boot Polish, Jaagte Raho, etc.

Music in bollywood films reached their level of excellence with composers like Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan, Salil Choudhury,etc., lyricists like Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra, Kaifi Azmi, singers like Rafi, Lata, Manna Dey, and others sang even pure classical numbers which were digested and liked by the audience. The concept of commercial films and art films did not develop at that stage.

In the recent past it had been seen, that the industry had been run by influential people, who had contacts, good distribution capability and were engaged in politics who did shine. Akshay Khanna and Arshad Warsi were characters who tried to depict the reality of modern bollywood industry. Purely talented characters in all the fields of the film industry, had struggled to get producers to finance their work in recent past, and sometimes their work had been copied or stolen and reproduced by others. Anil Kapoor had been daring enough to deal with a subject which could have brought lot of controversy. Viewers should see the film.

Rafi, Sharda and Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi, Sharda and Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi had sung many duets with all the leading female singers in the country during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. He had sung around 440 duets with Lata Mangeshkar, who dominated bollywood music during the 50s, 60s and 70s. He sang duet songs with Shamshad Begum, Mubarak Begum, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur and others. During that period he sang many duets with Sharda as well, mainly in films composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Sharda won a number of filmfare awards for best singer for her performance in mainly the films of Shankar Jaikishan. Sharda is still alive and also has received the Rafi Memorial Award in 2007, from the Rafi Lovers Circle, Calcutta.

Most of those songs sung by Rafi and Sharda during the 60s and 70s did good business along with the success of the films. In Seema the song “jab yeh dil udaas hota hai” became super hit. The duet song of Rafi and Sharda was appreciated by the viewers. In the film Gumnaam, the song “jaane chaman shola badan, pehelu me ajao”, became superhit. Rafi’s seductive andaz for Manoj Kumar thrilled the audience along with Sharda’s voice for Nanda. Sharda had a different type of voice in comparison to other singers, so her combination with Rafi was very unique.

Shankar Jaikishan gave the song “sun sun sun re balam, dil tujhko pukare” in the film Pyar Muhobbat. The main song was sung was by Sharda, while Rafi finished it with the last line. The song was picturised on Dev Anand and Saira Banu, with one singing the song for the other over telephone. It created a very romantic andaz which was enjoyed by the viewers. There was a song in the film Shatranj, titled “bakamma bakamma” sung by Rafi and Sharda, having comedy andaz. Although the film did average business, the song did well.

Some of the other duets of Rafi and Sharda included “aap ki ray mere bare me”, “aya kaisa zamana o baba”, “pyar ka kar uran khatola”, etc. Besides Sharda sang many hit duets with Mukesh as well including “chale jana zarah thehero” in the film Around The World, picturised on Raj Kapoor and Rajashree, “duniya ki sair kar lo”, etc., as Mukesh sang many songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Probably Rafi’s capability to adjust himself with any female singer including Lata, Geeta Dutt, Sharda, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum, etc., showed the level of adaptability and effortlessness of the giant singer. Shankar Jaikishan always banked their resources on Rafi and for those reasons even the duets composed for Rafi and Sharda were melodious and evergreen. The songs should be preserved.

Review of Anil Kapoor's Shortcut.

Review of Anil Kapoor’s Shortcut.

Anil Kapoor had come up with another production venture titled Shortcut. The full name of the film is Shortcut –the con is on. Akshay Khanna had been a struggling assistant director in the film. He met a struggling actor Arshad Warsi and both dreamt about getting good start to their career. Although Akshay Khanna had merit and deserved a good project, Arshad Warsi was nothing better than a joker. He himself thought that he had a lot of potentials and deserved good role.

Arshad Warsi stole Akshay Khanna’s script and used it for his own purpose. Akshay Khanna got dejected. Even her wife Amrita Rao left her after she came to know about the entire incident. The rest of the film was related to the manner in which Akshay Khanna tried to reconcile with Arshad Warsi and manage with him for his own cause.

The film had been shot in the romantic locations of Thailand. Along with the comedy elements in the films there were romantic sequences as well. Anil Kapoor was ably supported by director Neeraj Bhora. Neeraj Bhora previously had experience in making comedy films like Hera Pheri, where his work was appreciated.

Shankar Ehsaan Loy composed music in the film. They had done a great job once again. Most of the songs were innovative, especially “kal nau baje” had a great romantic appeal. The song already had become hit even before the release of the film. The performance of Akshay Khanna and Arshad Warsi were brilliant. Akshay Khanna is probably the only actor in bollywood who had lost his hair, yet had maintained his steady stardom. Amrita Rao did well in the film.

Anil Kapoor as producer, can expect a good response. The viewers will also enjoy the guest appearance of Sanjay Dutt in a song sequence in the film. The film has all the elements of success and is going to be hit.

Will Anil Kapoor be successful as producer?

Will Anil Kapoor be successful as producer?

Anil Kapoor, the legendary superstar of bollywood films is inclined to concentrate on his career as producer along with acting. The viewers had seen his capability as actor over the last 25 years. He had acted in every type of role including romantic hero in films like 1942 – a love story opposite Manisha Koirala, angry young man in films like Tezaab and Ram Lakhan opposite Madhuri Dixit, patriotic roles in films like Nayak opposite Rani Mukherjee, comedy roles in films like No Entry opposite Lara Dutta, Mr. India opposite Sri Devi, to name a few. He got filmfare awards for best actor and national awards and proved his versatility in every type of film.

But in respect of production, bollywood history had shown that not many actor turned producer were successful. Probably Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt were the most successful producers and directors who were equally famous as producers in comparison with their acting stardom. Guru Dutt created such a team, that whenever even other directors directed his films, there was a stamp of Guru Dutt embedded in them. For example Raj Khoshla directed CID under Guru Dutt production. But the film had the team of Johnny Walker, OP Nayyar, Rafi, Wahida Rehman who were some of the best contributors in Guru Dutt. Some section of the viewers felt that Guru Dutt could have acted in the film instead of Dev Anand.

Raj Kapoor had the expertise in every field of a film including costume designing, music direction, picturisation of song sequences, casting, editing, etc. He produced the film Anari directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, also produced the film Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, directed by Radhu Karmakar. In Anari, Raj Kapoor’s team including Shankar Jaikishan, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Mukesh, Lata, Manna Dey contributed the most. It hardly appeared before the viewers that it was a Hrishikesh Mukherjee film. In fact, Raj Kapoor won the film fare award for the best actor in both the above mentioned films. The big factor was that Raj Kapoor could create a separate benchmark for himself as a producer and whenever saw his name, they had a separate expectation from the film.

In the past Sohail Khan and Boney Kapoor created their identity as producers. Anil Kapoor had done few experiments with Akshay Khanna in the recent past. He has to produce few quality films to also keep his mark in the world of production. The viewers wish him the best of luck.

Did Kambaqht Ishq fulfill the requirements of comedy film?

Did Kambaqht Ishq fulfill the requirements of comedy film?

Kambaqht Ishq had been released a week ago. As the film had both Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor as the lead performers lot of anxiousness was there in the minds of the viewers of the film. Besides, the films that had done best business in the last few years had all been related to comedy subject matter. So as this film was also related to comedy whether the subject was acceptable to the viewers was the main question.

Firstly the story was full of fiction. There was hardly any reality embedded in them. The film had shown that Kareena Kapoor, a super-model cum surgeon operated injured stuntman Akshay Kumar and left her heart-shaped watch, with an hourly alarm that blared ‘mangalam –mangalam,’ in his intestines. The reason of Kareena Kapoor’s hatred towards Akshay Kumar was even more hilarious. It was just because he was man. In fact Kareena Kapoor hated all men and her motive of doing the ridiculous act was to take revenge against Akshay Kumar.

Kareena wanted to get pendant back. So she lured Akshay Kumar, jabbed an injection and hurriedly cut his body to get it back. The sequences with Denise Richards and Sylvestor Stallone were not that impressive. Jafed Jaffery and Boman Irani did not have much to do. In fact instead of the comedy element having predominance Kareena hatred towards all men and treating them like dogs got importance.

The film still has hope considering the committed fan-base of both Kareena and Akshay Kumar. In respect of Kareena even if the film does not click, she has other films to follow this year like Mr and Mrs Khanna. Akshay Kumar badly requires a hit film after the disaster of Chandni Chowk to China and 8*10 Tasveer. If the film ends up being hit, the director and producer will be happy enough. Let us hope for the best.

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar on 9th July, 2009.

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar on 9th July, 2009.

The viewers of bollywood films would remember Sanjeev Kumar on his birthday on 9th July, 2009. He was one of most gifted actors that bollywood films had produced and still remains immortal in his memorable works. He was sublime in the role of a deaf and dumb character in Gulzar’s film Koshish. He received national award for his brilliant performance and also inspired Jaya Bacchan to reach the same level of excellence in the film.

In Sholay he played the epic role of Thakur of north Indian village. His personality in the film amazed the Indian viewers and many aspects he superseded Dharmender and Big in the same film where they were sublime. His personality matched the cruel instincts of Amzad Khan in the role of Gabbar Singh in the same film. Again his role in the film Aandhi opposite Suchitra Sen in 1975, showed his softer side. He could feel the emotions of his wife who was a popular political leader but was corned by many members of the opposition. He received filmfare award for best actor in 1975 for his epic performance in Aandhi.

Gulzar probably had made the best use of the versatile actor. His role in the film Mausam was full of reflections. He recollected his past experience with Sharmila Tagore when his car ascended the roads to his destination in Darjeeling. Bhupinder Singh’s song “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din” written by Gulzar and composed by Madan Mohan matched him ideally. Probably Bhupinder Singh’s deep voice suited Sanjeev Kumar better than no other actor in bollywood . He gave elegant lips in the film Parichay in the song “bite na bitai rehna”.

Besides, Sanjeev Kumar kept his mark in comedy films like Seeta Aur Geeta opposite Hema Malini, also Angoor opposite Moushumi Chatterji. He was sublime also in films like Satyakam and Shikar. Critics argue that he was the most versatile actor after Dilip Kumar and Balraj Sahani and he showed his variation in films like Naya Din Nayi Raat. All the nine roles were different and Sanjeev Kumar treated each of the them with separate andaz. His role in Khilouna showed the characteristics of a mad person and was worth mentioning. He gave elegant lips in Rafi’s song “khilouna jaan kar mujhko”.

The works of Sanjeev Kumar should be preserved and actors of the new generation learn from his versatile performances.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday.

The nation remembers Guru Dutt on his birthday on 9th July, 2009. He had died more than 40 years ago, yet his reference comes whenever history relating to thoughtful films is revisited. Guru Dutt was innovative as a director and from the time he created Baazi with Dev Anand in 1951, he showed his spark. As an actor his films Aarpar with Shyama gave a new team in bollywood films with OP Nayyar, Rafi, Geeta Dutt, Johny Walker and others. The song in the “kabhi aar kabhi paar” became super hit.

From that time onwards Guru Dutt created his identity in picturising song sequences and was regarded by the film community after Raj Kapoor. In CID, all the songs of the film like “ay dil mushkil jeena yahan”, “ankhon hi ankho me ishara ho gaya”, “leke pehla pehla pyar” became super hit. Johnny Walker became a leading comedian in the 50s, due to his brilliant relationship with Guru Dutt and Mohammad Rafi and their combination gave numerous hits for the next ten years.

Mr and Mrs 55 was Guru Dutt’s super hit project opposite Madhubala. All the songs in the film became successful including “thandi hawa kali ghata”, “jaane kahan mera jigar gaya ji”, etc. Rafi’s songs for Johnny Walker and Guru Dutt like “sun sun sun sun zalima”, “muhobbat karlo aji karlo”, “dil pe kiya aisa jadu” remained everlasting hits and still is considered as some of the most innovative creations of OP Nayyar. The songs of the film 12 O Clock were also hit including “mai kho gaya” sung by Rafi.

From 1957, the viewers saw thoughtful Guru Dutt in films like Pyaasa and Kagaz Ka Phool. Both the films were based on eternal truth. Pyasa was related to recognition of a poet in a materialistic world. Kagaz Ka Phool was related to story of directors and performers in celluloid, their rise and their fall due to ungratefulness of opportunists in society. The music composed by SD Burman in both these films were of high standard. Also the lyrics of Sahir Ludhiyanvi were very meaningful. The notable songs included “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh tajon ki duniya”, “sar jo tera”, “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi, “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt, to name a few.

Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman’s onscreen chemistry was accepted by viewers in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. The title song “chaudavi ka chand ho, ya aaftab ho” sung by Rafi and composed by Ravi can be considered as one of the ten best ghazals composed in the history of bollywood music. Guru Dutt bought colour in the song sequence. The film did great business. Guru Dutt as an actor did great job in films like Bharosa, Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam, Saanz Aur Sawera, etc. His early demise in the mid-60s led to huge loss in the film industry as his works were filled with deep thoughts. The viewers pay respect to the departed soul on his birthday and want the restoration of his works to acknowledge his creativity as a director, producer and actor.

Elizabeth Taylor - one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood.

Elizabeth Taylor – one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood.

Elizabeth Taylor was considered one of the greatest actresses of bollywood films of all times. If the golden era, that is the 50s and 60s is associated with everlasting performances of towering actresses like Sofia Lorrain, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Marylyn Monroe, etc, then Liz Taylor (Elizabeth Taylor) can be considered the superstar who ruled the industry inspite of performance of the other beautiful actresses.

Liz Taylor, the other name of Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, was born on 27th February, 1932, in Hampstead, UK. Her parents Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Viola Warmbrodt were Americans who settled in UK. After the second world war II, Liz Taylor settled in Los Angeles, California, US. Hedda Hopper, a famous columnist entered Liz Taylor’s father’s art gallery and recommended her to known directors of Hollywood films. After being introduced to Andrea Berens, John Considine, Liz Taylor got a scope of performing in the film There’s Born Every Minute, at an age of nine years. In 1941, she signed a six month’s contract with Universal Pictures.

Her notable films during young age included National Velvet, Life with Father (1947), A Date with Judy (1948). With short time she got adult roles and stormed Hollywood with her matured performances. Her journey in the 50s started with romantic comedy Father of the Bride. In 1954 she acted in the film Rhapsody, opposite Vittoria Gasman. Her following films included blockbusters like Giant (1956) opposite Rock Hudson, Raintree County (1957) opposite Montgomery Clift, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) opposite Paul Newman. In 1963, she acted in the epic film Cleopatra opposite her husband Richard Burton who played the role of Mark Anthony. She became the highest paid Hollywood actress of all times. Taylor won the academy award for best actress for her performance in the film Butterfield 8, in 1960, where her husband Eddie Fisher acted opposite her. She married a number of times, but the marriage with Richard Burton created the greatest gossip of all times.

She acted opposite Burton in other films like The VIPs (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), The Comedians, etc. She also acted opposite superstar Marlon Brando in the film Reflections in a Golden Eye. After The Only Game In Town, in 1970, she reduced her performances in Hollywood films. With eight husbands, some having died, while the other divorced, Liz Taylor was in the media even after she left acting in films. Critics argue that apart from her beauty, Liz Taylor can be considered one of the best five actresses that Hollywood had ever produced. Her films should be preserved.

Salil Choudhury and Bengali modern songs.

Salil Choudhury and Bengali modern songs.

Salil Choudhury was one of the most gifted creators of Bengali modern songs during the golden age. As he was a versatile scholar, his scholarly attributes were reflected in his creations. He was both the lyricist and the composer and numerous songs sung by legendary singers over 50 years.

His creation “ami parini bujhite parini” and “tumi jaante” for Manobendra Mukherjee were created with two different andaz, one having classical orientation while the other having westernized treatment. His creation “jhanana jhanana baje” and “antabihin oi andharater shesh” for Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya showed his class in handling classical singers.

On the other hand his base in folk songs were evident in his song “sunayoni sunayoni” sung by Nirmalendu Choudhury and Sabita Choudhury. Nirmalendu became famous all across the world with his folk numbers. Salil Chouhdury huge experiment with Shymal Mitra in songs like “jadi kichu amare shudhao”, “aha oi ankabanka poth jai shudure”, “dur nai beshi dur oi”, “ja jare ja ja pakhi”, to name a few. In “jadi kichu amare shudhao”, Salil Choudhury’s orchestration was unique, half of the song was blank verse while the other half had musical treatment.

Salil Choudhury created a gem with the song “nil nil pakhi” for Sandhya Mukherjee. Besides, bengal’s literary community were astonished with Salil Choudhury conversion of famous poetry “ujjal ek jhak paira” sung by Sandhya Mukherjee into song. The poet’s feelings were translated into musical tune by sheer brilliance of Salil Choudhury. Other examples of converting legendary poems into songs include “runner” written by Shukanto Bhattacharya and “palki chole” written by Satyendranath Dutta which were sung by Hemanta Mukherjee which both became history. In “runner” the march of the postman on foot from remote corners of village was given adequate expression by Salil Choudhury.

Salil Choudhury’s national fame allowed him to do numerous experiments with bollywood singers like Mukesh and Lata. Articles after articles can be devoted to Lata Salil Choudhury creations in Bengali. Mukesh also sung hit song “jhum jhum pakshi nachona” composed by Salil Choudhury.

Salil Choudury created his masterpieces in Bengali films as well like Shyamal Mitra’s song “onek ghuriya sheshe” in Hrithik Ghatak’s film Bari Theke Paliye, Nirmalendu Choudhury’s song “sojoni o sojoni” and Manna Dey’s “uthali pathali amar buuk” in Rajen Tarafdar’s film Ganga. Besides his song “he bhai re bhai” and “baje go beena” sung by Manna Dey in the film Marjina Abdulla made the listeners speechless. Even Lata’s song “bujhbe na keu bujhbena” was equally popular.

Bengal and India was as a whole was indebted to a maestro like Salil Choudhury and several researches can be undertaken for finding out the history behind his creations. The creations should be preserved and restored.

Salil Choudhury extracted the best out of Lata in Bengali modern songs.

Salil Choudhury extracted the best out of Lata in Bengali modern songs.

Salil Choudhury extracted the best music out of Lata Mangeshkar and their combination had created evergreen gems which are cherished over the years. In 1959, Salil Choudhury’s composition for Lata “jare jare ure jare pakhi” created sensation in Bengal.

Lata’s melodious voice enchanted the viewers and the east –west blend of Salil Choudhury as usual created new dimension in Bengali modern songs. The other 1959 creation included “na jeona. In 1960, Salil Choudhury composed “o banshi hai” and “ogo aar kichu to nai”. Those songs captured the romantic andaz of Lata.

In 1961, Salil Choudhury came out with Sri Lankan folk song in his creation for Lata titled “saat bhai chompa jagore”. The other song in that year “ki je kori, dure jete hai” was another creation in a somber mood. In 1963, Salil Choudhury’s creations “keno kichu kotha bolona”, “o tui nayano pakhi” were everlasting hits and had not lost their appeal even today.

In 1967, Salil Choudhury created “ke jabi aye” and “nishidin nishidin baje” in a unique style. Till this period Salil Choudhury’s orchestration used to include light orchestration. The song “Jodi baron koro” had such a brilliant interlude where Salil Choudhury showed his excellence in the part “birohini udashi” where Lata was matchless. “o jhar jhar jharna” was a fast number composed in the same year.

In 1969 only, Salil Choudhury created two gems “na mono lagena” and “ore o mon moyna”. The early 70s brought out Salil Choudhury’s experiments with the notations of piano, like “pa ma garesa’ sung by Lata. Lata also sang “o projapoti projapoti pakhna melo”. Another Salil Choudhury’s masterpiece included “antabiheen katena ar jeno” and “kichu to chahini aami” in 1972.

Salil Choudhury’ s “o mor moyna go” in 1975 for Lata, showed his jugglery with the guitar. The other song “jhilik jhilik jhinuk khuje pelam” was innovative too.

Some of the other masterpieces included “aaj noi gungun gunjon preme” and “aaj tobe eituku thak”. Salil Choudhury was solely responsible for Lata’s dominance in Bengali modern songs, although media had brought other names whose contributions are negligible in comparison to Salil Choudhury. In fact the Indian audience was not matured enough to appreciate Salil Choudhury’s experiments including calypso, Hungarian folk, etc. Otherwise he would have been ranked as one of legend of legends like Shankar Jaikishan. The songs of Lata and Salil Choudhury should be restored.