Revisiting film Mahabharat on Krishna - Janmashtami.

Revisiting film Mahabharat on Krishna-Janmashtami.

Indians have a separate religious sentiment associated with Lord Krishna, the renowned avatar of God Vishnu. The film Mahabharat made in 1965 is revisited on the eve of Krishna Janmashtami to be celebrated all over India tomorrow on 1st September, 2010.

The film Mahabharat was directed by director Babulal Mistry in 1965. Actor Abhi Bhattacharya played the celebrated role of Lord Krishna in the film. He had the challenging task of chanting the slokas from Bhagwat Geeta, which moulded Arjun in the battle of Kurukshetra and led to victory of the Pandavas. Very significantly Pradeep Kumar played the epic role of Arjun in the film.

Actor Dara Singh played the role of Bhima in the film, while Jeevan played the role of Shakuni. Actress Padmini played the notable role of Draupadi in the film. Composer Chitragupt composed the music of the film, and the songs sung by Rafi in the film were very memorable.

In the late 80s and early 90s, eminent filmmaker BR Chopra made Mahabharata in Doordarshan, and as TV serial had remained extremely successful. Nitish Bharatdwaj played the role of Lord Krishna in the serial. All the episode related to the birth of Lord Krishna flabbergasted the audience. His mama’s role was played by Goga Kapoor. The viewers saw the battle between Lord Krishna and Mama Kanghs was very well depicted by BR Chopra.

Nitish Bharadwaj studied Bhagwat Geeta, very well and his performance in the battlefield of Kurukshetra where he persuaded Arjun to fight the battle had remained matchless. The character of Arjun was played by Feroz Khan. The pandavas were heavily dependent on Lord Krishna in their war against the kauravas. Lord Krishna only asked Bhima to hit Duryodhana on his uru, meaning the thigh, which led to his victory. Lord Krishna asked Arjun to throw his arrow at Karna when his chariot got stuck in mud and he tried to release it. The same Lord Krishna, provided cloth to Draupadi, at a time when Duryodhana asked Dushshashan to take away her clothes.

Lord Krishna is worshipped as God by numerous hindus all across the world, and the effort of filmmakers in reaching the epic related to Lord Krishna had always been considered noble and appreciated. Both the film Mahabharata and the serial Mahabharata should be restored.

Remembering romantic poet Shailendra on his birth anniversary.

Remembering romantic poet Shailendra on his birth anniversary.

The country remembers romantic writer and poet Shailendra on his birth anniversary on 30th August, 2010. He was one of the legendary lyricist of the golden age and glorified the music of RK films and Shankar Jaikishan with his romantic words.

He was also known as Shankardas Kesarilal and born in 1923. He was an employee of Indian Railways. He started his career with Raj Kapoor in the film Barsaat in 1949. The two songs that he wrote which were composed by Shankar Jaikishan included “patli kamar hai” and “barsaat me”. Both became super hit. From that time onwards the great combination of Raj Kapoor, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan blossomed and ruled bollywood film industry for the next 20 years.

Shailendra won the filmfare award for the best lyricist in 1958 for his brilliant lyrics “yeh mera deewanapan hai” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in Dilip Kumar’s film Yahudi. The tragic song was sung by Mukesh. In 1959, he won the filmfare award for the best lyricist for the epic lines in Raj Kapoor’s film Anari, titled “sab kuch seekha humne na sikhi hoshieri”. Each and every song in the film was an asset and the film ended up being super hit. The tune was again composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Shailendra also composed legendary songs with Salil Choudhury for Bimal Roy’s epic film Madhumati. All the songs in the film were super hit including “dil tarap tarap ke keh raha hai aabhi ja”, “suhana safar aur yeh mausam haseen”, “tute hue khwabon ne”, “aaja re pardesi”, to name a few. Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala stormed bollywood in 1958 with the romantic film.

Shailendra was instrumental in the success of Raj Kapoor’s comedy films Shree 420. His songs “ramaiya vastamaiya”, “mur murke na dekh”, “mera joota hai japani”, became trend-setters in the mid-50s. Shailendra received filmfare for the best lyricist again for the lines “mai gayoon tum so jayo” in Shammi Kapoor’s film Brahmchari in 1968.
Basu Bhattacharya’s film Teesri Kasam was produced by Shailendra in 1966. Raj Kapoor and Wahida Rehman acted in the film and it was critically acclaimed. All the songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan became super hit including “duniya bananewale”, “sajan re jhoot mat bolo”, to name a few. Even his songs in Raj Kapoor’s Sangam was unforgettable including “dost dost na raha”.

Under Shankar Jaikishan, Shailendra struck gold in films like Awaara, Jagte Raho, Kanhaiya, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi, Sasural, Junglee, Professor, Dil Ek Mandir, Brahmchari, Deewana, April Fool, Janwar, Mera Naam Joker, Love In Tokyo, Around The World, Suraj, to name a few. Other than Shankar Jaikishan, Shailendra wrote memorable lyrics for Salil Choudhury, in films like Do Beegha Zamin, Parakh, etc., for SD Burman in Guide, Bandini, for C. Ramchandran in Anarkali, to name a few.

The contribution of Shailendra was so huge, that it is difficult to highlight the great work of the legendary poet in a small article. In 1966, unfortunately the great poet died, and his pen stopped pouring fragrance in the life of Indians with his romantic thoughts and expressive words. His films and lyrics should be preserved and restored.

Ghare Baire was a bold project of Satyajit Ray.

Ghare Baire was a bold project of Satyajit Ray.

The film Ghare Baire had been a bold project of the director Satyajit Ray. The literature was classic in nature and the work of Nobel winner Rabindranath Tagore. Ray wanted to make the film in the early 50s, but changed his mind and made it in 1984.

Victor Banerjee played the role of the zamindar Nikhilesh in the film. He married Sathilekha Sengupta, (the wife renowned theatre personality Rudraprasad Sengupta) in the film. Victor Banerjee taught his wife English music and gave all the luxuries of life. She learned music from British singer played by Jennifer Kapoor.

But Soumitra Chatterjee came to their house and disturbed the peace in the family. He was a freedom fighter in the wrong sense. He believed in swadeshi, yet could not live without English cigarettes. He was characterless in the truest sense of the term. His only intention to stay in the house of Victor Banerjee was to come close to his wife during a period when Indian women generally remained indoors.

Victor Banerjee’s villagers were poor muslims, who sold foreign products in the local market called haat, and could not afford to sell Indian products which were costly. Soumitra deliberately bribed few local people to extort the products and burn them. Victor Banerjee on the other hand, made swadeshi factories, where the employees made soap, towel, and other products. He never wanted publicity for his sacrifices.

Manoj Mitra, his teacher and resident in the same village, countered Soumitra for his hypocrisy and failture of his freedom movement. At the end of the film Soumitra was successful to create riot in the village which was previously peaceful. He kissed Sathilekha Sengupta and continued with his extra-marital affair. While Victor Banerjee went on horseback to prevent the riot and got killed in the process, Soumitra escaped from the place and went to Kolkata after taking the money for the journey from Sathilekha Sengupta. Even the career of the scholarly student of the village was also ruined by Soumitra, who joined the movement and left studies.

Rabindranath Tagore was very bold enough to show the lack of commitment of certain section of freedom fighters who made the movement weak. Satyajit Ray was bold enough to show whenever over-independence was given to household women, they abused it. Besides kissing scenes were not very common in Bengali cinema of the early 80s, in that perspective also the depiction of Soumitra’s extra-marital affair was very bold approach of Ray.

Victor Banerjee was brilliant in his individual role. Sathilekha did a fair job. Soumitra Chatterjee showed the adulterous scenes in style. The film should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty.

Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sunil Shetty on 11th August 2010. Although he started his career as an action star, especially in the film Balwaan, he proved his capability in every type of role very gradually.

His combination with Akshay Kumar had been considered very grand and both the actors had given many colourful hits during their illustrious career. Mohra was a big hit. There Sunil Shetty played the role of the anti-hero who was dictated terms by Naseeruddin Shah, while Akshay Kumar played the role of an honest police-officer. Their film Dhadkan opposite Shilpa Shetty did great business. Sunil Shetty received the filmfare award for the best villain for his brilliant performance in the film. The songs in the film were extremely successful and both the stars gave brilliant lips in those songs.

Sunil Shetty started a new chapter with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in his career in respect of comedy films with the film Hera Pheri. Three of them acted brilliantly in the film Hera Pheri along with Tabu and other actors. The film became so successful that the director Priya Darshan was compelled to make a sequel of the film with the title Phir Hera Pheri. It became super hit too. In this film Bipasha Basu played a very significant role along with the three musketeers. The third sequel of Hera Pheri is under production at the moment.

Sunil Shetty also acted in great patriotic films like Border. JP Dutta’s blockbuster utilized the acting skills of Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Akshay Khanna. The songs in the film composed by Anu Malik created history with Sonu Nigam doing a great job with “sandese ate hai”. His other hit films include Hu Tu Tu opposite Tabu, Krishna opposite Karishma Kapoor, etc. He acted in other successful films like Shashtra, Gaddar, Vishwasghat, Rakshak, Prithvi, Vinashak, Dhaal, Officer, Refugee, Jungle, Awaara Paagal Deewana, to name a few.

In 2009, Sunil Shetty acted opposite Sameera Reddy in Priyadarshan’s comedy film De Dana Dan. The film did not do equally good business like Hera Pheri or Phir Hera Pheri. In 2010, Sunil Shetty had worked in 3 films, which included Tum Milo Toh Sahi, Red Alert: The War Within and No Problem. The viewers wish him the best for the films in future and also for his Production House titled Popcorn Entertainment.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Neha Dhupia on 27th August, 2010. Neha Dhupia, the daughter of Commander Pradip Dhupia of Indian Navy, had attracted public attention after winning the Miss India Universe 2002 crown in that year. After beginning her career in the film Qayamat: City Under Threat, she impressed the viewers with challenging role in the film Julie where her glamour was used to perfection.

But she got a notable role in the film Kya Cool Hai Hum in 2005. She acted opposite Ritesh Deshmukh where Tusshar Kapoor and Isha Koppikar were the other pair. Isha Koppikar, the police officer in the film was sent by Anupam Kher to investigate a case relating to a habitual offender. Tusshar Kapoor was suspected to be a murderer and Isha Koppikar was sent to his house to monitor his activities. Ritesh Deshmukh had an affair with Neha Dhupia and married her at the end of the film. The film was serio-comic in nature and Neha Dhupia performed very well in her respective role.

She also got a purposeful role in the film Shootout At Lokhandwala. The film was related to a real-life story where the Bombay police had trapped the underworld group in a house in Bombay and fired at them. Sanjay Dutt gave a memorable performance in the role of Encounter specialist in the film opposite Vivek Oberoi who played the role of a mafia don. Neha Dhupia did her part very well.

She did even better in the film Chup Chup Ke, in the role of the sister of Kareena Kapoor. Shahid Kapoor pretended to be dumb in the film and stayed in their house. Neha Dhupia acted as a mediator between Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and helped in the marriage between the two. Neha Dhupia knew that Shahid Kapoor could speak but never informed Sunil Shetty or Om Puri or any other member of the house about it. Although the film was related to the serio-comic relationship between Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, Neha Dhupia kept her mark in a reserve role and in some of the sequences even acted better than Kareena Kapoor.

She was even impressive in her supporting role in the film Singh is Kinng, where Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar had the lead roles. Singh is Kinng also did good business in India and abroad.

But if her performance in the earlier films like Sheesha and new films like Mithya are compared it will be found that initially the stylish screen presence and bold performance of Neha Dhupia was publicized by the producers.

These days the acting skills of Neha Dhupia are used. She had been bold enough to act in the role of a prostitude in the film De Dana Dan in 2008. The role required comedy timing and she did extremely well.

In 2009, her performance in the film Raat Gayi Baat Gayi bagged her the nomination for Star Screen Award for the best actress in a supporting role. She is busy in 2010 with two films, Action Replay and With Love to Obama. So it raises the valid question, whether the glamour of Neha Dhupia had decreased over the period of time? Unless she grabs any glamourous role in near future she will not remain in the rat race where the competition between Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor is very keen.

Uttam Kumar's stylish andaz was captured by Ray in Nayak.

Uttam Kumar’ stylish andaz was captured by Ray in Nayak.

Superstar Uttam Kumar’s stylish andaz was captured by Satyajit Ray in the film Nayak. The film was made in 1966 at a time when Uttam Kumar became a cult figure in Bengal.

The charishma of a great director lies in the ability to predict happenings. Satyajit Ray showed in the film that Uttam Kumar, the character Arindam Mukherjee, a superstar in tollygunge film industry was going to New Delhi via Rajdhani Express to collect National Award. Very significantly in 1967, Uttam Kumar received the National Award for the best actor for his epic performance in the films Chiriakhana and Anthony Firingi.

Uttam Kumar related his experiences of acting in stage and also in films before Sharmila Tagore who played the role of a journalist in the film. He related his experience of Shankarda, who was an elderly character who encouraged him to work in stage rather than working in films. He died and that led Uttam Kumar to accept an offer in films. He related the experience of working with a senior actor Mukunda Das, played by eminent actor Bireshwar Sen, who scolded him in his first shot, and subdued his natural acting with his theatrical style of performance. Later on when Uttam Kumar became a superstar and that person jobless, he came to him to get role in films.

Uttam Kumar was shown to drown in quick sand full of money, in his dreams and returned back to the canteen to continue with his interview. He also told the story of Sumita Sanyal, a young woman who came to him to get a role in any of the films. She came at night, and Uttam Kumar asked her to return back with appointment on another day. There were many character artists in the film including Bharati Devi, Jamuna Singha, Subrata Sen Sharma, Satya Banerjee, Kamu Mukherjee and others, who played the roles of co-passengers in the film who had travelled with him and tried to come close to the superstar in the train.

Satyajit Ray captured the huge stylish mannerism of Uttam Kumar in the film. He travelled in the train with style, ate the food in style, drank Whisky in style and communicated with heroic andaz. Ray in his personal interview had also confessed that a style icon like Uttam Kumar could never be re-born in India. He came, he saw and conquered. Ray’s film Nayak received national and international awards. Uttam Kumar acted in only 2 films of Satyajit Ray, but both the films had became landmarks in Indian film history. The film Nayak should be preserved and restored.

Shahid Kapoor listens to loud music to de-stress himself.

Shahid Kapoor listens to loud music to de-stress himself.

Shahid Kapoor recently gave an interview before Film Street Journal on 17th August, 2010. There he said that he listens to loud music, drinks black coffee, roams in the roads in the early morning at times when he feels stress of life. All are the ways in which he de-stresses himself.

He disclosed before media that due to the fact of his father Pankaj Kapoor being a Hindu and mother Neelima Azim being a muslim, he learned the religion of tolerance and he respects every human being. He also said that he is least bothered when his films flop or become hit. He had realized that hits and flops are part of every star’s career. He neither got too overwhelmed with success of Jab We Met and Kaminey; or got frustrated with Chance Pe Dance.

He had shifted his focus to the working in Pankaj Kapoor’s film Mausam opposite Sonam Kapoor. This had been Pankaj Kapoor’s directorial debut. He had made a love story which is going to be released soon.

Shahid Kapoor disclosed before the media that he had assisted his father during the making of the TV serial Mohandas BALLB. The TV serial became very popular in the late 90s. Every week, Pankaj Kapoor came up with a crime-thriller and the way in which he solved the mystery, it required a lot of innovative talent. Besides the serial was shot at exotic locations near Shimla, Manali and other hill stations.

Shahid Kapoor is also slated to go for foreign tour with Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and others. The young generation are big admirers of Shahid Kapoor. They wish their best for his upcoming film Mausam opposite Sonam Kapoor.

Happy birthday to dancing legend Aruna Irani.

Happy birthday to dancing legend Aruna Irani.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dancing legend Aruna Irani on 18th August, 2010. She had made her debut as a child actress in the film Ganga Jamuna in 1961. She played the role of the smaller version of Azra in the film. She played similar roles in films like Jahanara in 60s.

But her fantastic dancing skills launched her in super hit films like Farz. She danced opposite Jeetender in the film Farz in Rafi’s song “mast baharon ka mai aashiq”, and that cemented her career in bollywood films. After that she got dance-based roles one after the other in bollywood. But due to comedy pairing with Mehmood in films like Humjoli, she got roles in the range of vamps rather than frontline heroines.

She amazed the viewers with the role of a gypsey woman in Jeetender’s film Carwan. Her dance number in the song “dilbar” had shaken up bollywood in the early 70s. Her dancing skills were used to perfection by Showman Raj Kapoor in the film Bobby especially in Shailendra Singh’s song “mai shayar to nahin”.

Her successful films in 70s and 80s includes Khel Khel Me, Buddha Mil Gaya, Laila Majnu, Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari, Qurbani, Sargam, Rocky, Love Story, etc. From late 80s, she switched to character roles and became one of the leading actresses in that field. She received filmfare award for the best supporting actress for her brilliant performance in Madhuri Dixit’s film Beta.

Her brilliant performance in films like Raja Babu, Ghulam-e-Mustafa, Kartavya, had created a separate place in the hearts of millions of filmlovers. Viewers got astonished to realize how an able dancer in her teenage, had transformed into a brilliant character artist who could do any type of role starting from comedy acting to serious roles to roles of negatives characters.

She should have won many more filmfare awards for epic performances in films like Bobby, Qurbani, Haseena Maan Jayegi. She also played notable role in Priyadarshan’s recent film Khatta Meetha. The viewers expect the veteran of more than 300 films to continue the great work that she started 40 years ago.

Happy birthday to gorgeous icon Sri Devi.

Happy birthday to gorgeous icon Sri Devi.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to gorgeous icon and evergreen actress Sri Devi on 13th August, 2010. She was the most dominating figure in bollywood films in the 80s. Her excellent dancing skills gave her an edge over other actresses of that period.

She was brilliant in the film Himmatwala opposite Jeetender. The film was a South Indian production and the dancing skills of both Sri Devi and Jeetender mesmerized the viewers. The music of the film was also very popular. Sri Devi got a landmark role in Feroz Khan’s film Jaanbaaz. She played the role of the wife of Jeetender who was given drugs forcefully by Shakti Kapoor, Raza Murad and their men. She died due to consumption of the drugs. Feroz Khan along with Anil Kapoor took revenge against her brutal killing.

Sri Devi’s combination with Anil Kapoor was appreciated by the viewers of the 80s. Their film Mr. India, directed by Shekhar Kapoor became everlasting hit. Sri Devi displayed her comedy skills as against the innocent performance of Anil Kapoor in the film. Anil Kapoor’s device for becoming invisible amazed the viewers. Amrish Puri was matchless in his performance in the role of Mogambo. Sri Devi’s dance number opposite Anil Kapoor in a blue dress during a rainy day haunted many youngstars of the 80s.

Big B acted in many films opposite Sri Devi including Inquilab, Akhree Rasta and others. Most of those films ended up being blockbusters. In Akhree Raasta she had show her mettle opposite another South Indian beauty Jaya Prada. Her performance was as good as Jaya Prada, and both the actresses justified their selection opposite Megastar Big B. Sri Devi gave many hits opposite Rishi Kapoor including Yash Rash film Chandni. In Chandi, Sri Devi looked gorgeous. Rishi Kapoor was considered to be most romantic actor of the 80s. Sri Devi had the challenge of matching him in a Yash Raj film, where shooting is done in Switzerland and costly dresses are used for the stars. Sri Devi rose up to the occasion and got the viewers flabbergasted with her performance. Even then viewers considered Anil Kapoor the best combination opposite Sri Devi. Their superhit films included Laadla, Lamhe, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, and others.

Sri Devi had a fantastic career in South Indian films as well. Her performance in films opposite Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan became super hit in the 8os. She acted in hit bollywood films opposite Rajnikant like Chaalbaaz where she played a double role.

With the domination of Madhuri Dixit in bollywood films in the 90s, Sri Devi faded away from the film arena. Besides she added weight after marrying Boney Kapoor. Although viewers cannot expect the same glamour and charm of Sri Devi in her late 40s, yet they want her presence in bollywood films, as lot of acting is still left in her. The viewers expect her to make a comeback soon in character roles.

Happy birthday to beauty-queen Saira Banu.

Happy birthday to beauty-queen Saira Banu.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Saira Banu on 23rd August, 2010. She used to be called beauty-queen of the 60s. Acting was there in her blood with her mother Nasim Banu doing well in many films in the 40s.

Saira Banu started her career with the film Junglee opposite Shammi Kapoor in 1961. The brilliant music of Shankar Jaikishan given in the film and exotic locations of Jammu and Kashmir flabbergasted the audience in the early 60s. All the songs in the film were super hit including “suku suku”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “Kashmir ki kali hun mai”, to name a few. From that time onwards Saira Banu started getting stylish roles one after the other in bollywood films.

Saira Banu went on to give hit after hit with Biswajeet and Joy Mukherjee as well. With Biswajeet her film April Fool became super hit. The songs of SJ again created storm including “april fool banaya”, “aa gale lag jaa”, etc. With Joy Mukherjee Saira Banu’s film Shagird stormed box-office in 1967. All the songs of Rafi and Lata were hits including “dil vil pyar vyar”, “woh hai zara khafa khafa”, “o bare miya diwane”, “duniya mehfil hai”, etc. The music was composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal. Saira Banu exhibited the character of village girl who was sought after by her teacher played by IS Johar, but fell in love with Joy Mukherjee in the film.

Saira Banu’s combination with Rajender Kumar was well accepted by the audience. All the three films opposite Jubilee Kumar including Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Aman and Jhuk Gaya Aasman became super hit. The songs of all those films composed by SJ again struck box-office. Prominent songs included “o priya kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “tum khamseen ho”, “kahan chal diye”, “surahidar garden”, etc. Saira Banu balanced the powerful performance of Rajender Kumar in those films. In Aman, Saira Banu played the role of a Japanese girl. In Ayee Milan Ki Bela she played the role of an urbanized girl having wealthy background. In Jhuk Gaya Aasman, she played the role of a sophisticated girl coming from middle-class family who was involved with Rajender Kumar who was guide in Darjeeling, but after reincarnation led the life of a wealthy industrialist. May be after Sadhna, Saira Banu was accepted by the viewers the most opposite Rajender Kumar.

After marrying Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu acted in a number of films opposite him including Sagina, Gopi and Bairaag, most of which did well in the box-office. Sagina was directed by Dada Saheb Phalke winning director Tapan Sinha, who made the Bengali version and the hindi version of the same film separately. Saira Banu acted opposite Dilip Kumar in both the films. Her films with Raj Kapoor titled Diwana and Dev Anand titled Par Muhabbat did good business mainly due to hit music of Shankar Jaikishan. The songs of those films including “ai sanam jisne tujhe chaand si surat di hai”, “dil ki awaz khuda khair Karen” still remain the landmarks of Indian film music. Even Saira Banu’s comedy films like Parosan opposite Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood did brilliant business.

From the mid-70s Saira Banu faded away from the industry before acting in films opposite Big B like Zameer and Hera Pheri. There were other films of Saira Banu opposite other stars like Manoj Kumar in the film Purab Aur Paschim, Dharmender in Resham Ki Dori. The viewers expect her to contribute in bollywood films in character roles again.

Peepli Live had been a brilliant project.

Peepli Live had been a brilliant project.

The film Peepli Live had been a brilliant project. Amir Khan in the past had showed that he was least bothered about bollywood rat race or commercial viability of projects. He was only interested to work with good films.

Peepli Live, the new film that had been produced by him reinforced his brilliant stand. He actually had walked in the footsteps of tragedy king Dilip Kumar. In the last 5 years he had acted in least number of films. He had produced and directed very few films. But his films always were positively accepted by viewers.

Anusha Rizvi had directed the film with realistic endeavour. The film had been a satire related to the suicide committed by many villagers in Central India for many reasons. The role of the media had been criticized seriously in the film.

The actors and actresses who performed in the film did a brilliant job. Naseeruddin Shah, Raghuvir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Malaika Shenoy were matchless in the film. Many of the performers in the film had been adivasis of Madhya Pradesh. They hardly required to act. Whatever they had done was natural.

The song “mehengai dawan” sung by Raghuvir Yadav was also full of social message. The film had competed in Sundance Film Festival. The only thing that was subjected to criticism was the raw language used in the film.

Even then, to show realistic picture of many social issues in the country, the director thought that the words could not be replaced. Whatever may be the justification, the film had examined a number of social concerns.

In that respect it had been a brilliant effort. Viewers should watch the film.

Is Katrina Kaif involved in slaying men like Ash?

Is Katrina Kaif involved in slaying men like Ash?

The viewers of bollywood films wonder whether Katrina Kaif is in involved in slaying men like Aishwarya Rai did in the past. In the advertisement world Katrina Kaif had been the celebrity who had replaced Aishwarya Rai in maximum number of brands. Even in switching boyfriends, the same had been the story.
Just like Aishwarya Rai, even the pretty-faced Katrina Kaif is pretty skilled in slaying men with her killer looks. Katrina, who is being counted as one of Bolly oaks’ leading ladies, has now severed ties with her Godfather and ex mentor Salman Khan.
Reasons of her slitsvilla with Salman haven’t been officially unleashed but seems like Katrina wasn’t keen to settle down with an ageing guy who is 20 years older than her. Meanwhile, tongues have been wagging hard with her sizzling chemistry with Rajneeti actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir, himself, has been going single after a scandalous break-up with the leggy Deepika Padukone and is ready to mingle. And he does like Katrina.
However, Katrina is currently bonding big time with Hrithik Roshan, her co-star from Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. Both are pretty much into each other and getting along like a house on fire. They do while away their free time chatting and laughing.
But thanks to Hrithik’s loyalty towards wife Suzanne, not much is being made of his thriving friendship with Katrina. After Salman, it would be interesting to see which man enters Katty’s life next!
Aishwarya Rai, did not gain a lot from switching from Salman Khan to Vivek Oberoi to Abhishek Bacchan. In the last three years her stardom was below Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. In fact the most successful period of her career hovered at a period when there were no gossips relating to her personal life.
Katrina Kaif’s real test will be two three years from now, when she has to face the young brigade of actresses who would be five six years younger than her. Bollywood actresses in the recent past did not do well after they reached 30 years of age. Viewers hope that gossips do not stand in the way of fair performance in leading roles of Katrina Kaif in future.

Salman Khan had broken up with Katrina Kaif

Salman Khan had broken up with Katrina Kaif.

The "it couple" of Bollywood, that is Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have parted ways. In an interview to Headlines Today, given on 18th August, 2010, Salman confessed that the two have indeed moved on.

"I have broken up with Katrina. We were friends then for everybody, we are friends now," Salman said.

Reasoning the break up Salman said, "Koi cheez tootati hain toh isliye kyonki ya to different ways chali gayi hain, ya ek shakhs ki growth nahin hui, ya ek ne kuch aur path chun liya hai, ya sensibility samajh mein nahi aati, ya thinking galat ho gayi hain (A relationship breaks if it gets stretched in different directions, or one person does not grow, or the other person takes a different path, or there is some misunderstanding) or they have grown out of love."

"So there are different interferences, the parents perhaps... or the interference of anything," he said, adding, "It's just two people not getting along, something that obviously doesn't end peacefully. But if you can manage to stay friends, there is nothing like it."

Katrina however preferred to leave it to god rather than answering directly whether the two have actually parted ways. "I don't think any of us know the future. We always try and make plans and I have learnt from my experience that you really cannot make plans. God has made his own plans for you," Katrina said.

However, hinting that it could be a publicity stunt, Salman ended the chat saying, "Aapko bahut samay tak confuse rakhenge hum dono (Both of us will keep you confused for a long time)."

It is interesting to see, how the break up can influence the career of Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. Katrina Kaif had already given a blockbuster in the form of Rajneeti this year. But Salman Khan desperately requires a hit. May be Debaang can bring back his stardom.

Viewers still want to see both of them in bollywood films together. May be the magic of Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya can be reproduced in near future again.

Happy birthday to Manisha Koirala.

Happy birthday to Manisha Koirala.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Manisha Koirala on 16th August, 2010. She was the leading actress of the 90s and played important roles opposite all the leading actors of bollywood films.

She attracted the attention of the directors with her first performance in Subhash Ghai’s film Saudagar. She was excellent in the film 1942 – A Love Story opposite Anil Kapoor. The film ended up being musical blockbuster with RD Burman’s composition “pyar hua chupkese”, “ek larki ko dekha”, “kuch na kaho” becoming landmark hits. Manisha’s soft romantic performance balanced the all round performance of Anil Kapoor.

Manisha Koirala continued her romantic performance in other films like Akele Hum Akele Tum opposite Amir Khan, Yalgaar with Sanjay Dutt, Champion opposite Suny Deol. The songs of all these films did great business.

Manisha Koirala also played important roles in experimental films like Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Lajja. Her performance was author-backing performance of an observer of ill-treatment of women in different parts of the world. Her soft performance balanced the cruel attitude of Jackie Shroff in the film. She showed her metal in acting opposite a number of other successful actresses in the same film including Madhuri Dixit, Mahima Choudhury, Rekha and others.

Manisha Koirala was sublime in her performance opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film Dil Se. Mani Ratnam experimented with terrorist activities in the North East in the film Dil Se. Manisha Koirala played the role of the terrorist in the film and died at the end of the film with a suicide operation which killed Shahrukh Khan too.

Critics feel that Manisha Koirala still has lot of acting left in her. She had recently got married, and in respect of bollywood prospects, once actresses get married, their future gets doomed. Her dancing skills and acting skills still qualify her to make a comeback in bollywood films and compete with the leading stars like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and others.

Happy birthday to David Dhawan.

Happy birthday to David Dhawan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to David Dhawan on 16th August, 2010. He had been a master entertainer. He had entertained the viewers with comedy films one after the other.

David Dhawan had experimented the most with successful actors Govinda and Salman Khan. Salman Khan featured in his film Biwi No. 1. In that film Salman Khan had a responsible wife Karishma Kapoor and also had an affair with Sushmita Sen. Anil Kapoor and Tabu leaked out the affair before Karishma Kapoor. It had led to unrest in the family. When Salman tried to live with Sushmita she failed to take care of his children and relatives. So the indispensability of Karishma Kapoor was felt. The music of Anu Malik was excellent. The songs “chunari chunari”, “ishq sona hai” became landmark hits in the 90s.

Govinda had featured in a number of films of David Dhawan. His comedy andaz had made the viewers spellbound. Govinda’s film Hero No. 1 was super hit. His combination with Karishma Kapoor was excellent. Govinda’s other film Cooli No. 1 was equally successful.

David Dhawan had success in 2007 with the film Partner where both Salman Khan and Govinda featured. The film was based on the influence of a love-guru on the person had affair with a rich girl but never knew the art of impressing her. Govinda was attached to Katrina Kaif. Govinda was a middle-class person, so had to take lessons from Salman Khan to impress Katrina. Everything happened with comedy andaz. Salman Khan fell in love with Lara Dutta but had to accept her son before marrying her. The music of the film was extremely successful with songs like “do you want a partner”, “you are my love”, etc.

David Dhawan had released the tension of regular life of Indian viewers with his comedy films. David Dhawan is presently busy with the shooting of the film Partner 2. He is slated to work with Salman Khan and Govinda again. The film is slated to be released in early 2011. The viewers expect him to continue the good work in the years to come.

Rafi's soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi’s soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi had sung 341 songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan during his illustrious career with 216 solos. Very significantly 3 of the filmfare awards that Rafi received during 60s had been composed by Shankar Jaikishan. They included “teri pyari pyari surat ko kiski nazar na lage” from the film Sasural, “baharon phool barsao” from the film Suraj and “dilke jharoke me mujhko bithaker” from the film Brahmchari.

But in the list of songs sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, at least half of the total sungs were composed for Shammi Kapoor. Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan worked together for around 22 films, most of which did great business in the 60s.

If Rafi’s songs sung for Shammi Kapoor are remembered for the loud music and melo-dramatic dance numbers, there were lot of songs which were ever romantic and touched the hearts of the viewers. In the film Junglee, Rafi’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” and “meri yaar shabba khair” had very melodious appeal and the sweetness of Rafi haunted the listeners for years.

In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, the songs “awaz deke hume tum bulayo”, “mai chali mai chali”, probably had set the mood of the film. From that time Rafi, Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan created magic in one film after the other. In Raj Kumar, Rafi’s soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor like “yeh rang badalti duniya me”, “tumne kisiki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” made the viewers speechless.

Even the western numbers of Shankar Jaikishan for Rafi stole the hearts in the 60s. In the film Janwar, Rafi’s number “meri muhabbat jawan rahegi” and “humko hai tumse pyar” had been the most romantic songs in the film, where the landscape of Kashmir and Rafi’s melodious voice complimented each other. In the film An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho” and “raat ke humsafar” were the most romantic numbers which were more melodious than the loud numbers which equally became hits.

In Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmachari, probably the best songs included “mai gayun tum so jayo” and “dil ke jharoke mai”. “mai gayun tum so jayo” was sung twice by Rafi in the film, one with a even slower rhythm. Shankar Jaikishan’s background music was as brilliant as Rafi’s singing style for Shammi Kapoor. In the film Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Rafi’s soft number “janam janam ka saath hai” had remained evergreen and melodious for years. In Latt Sahab, Rafi’s romantic number with Asha Bhosle titled “aye chaand zara ruk ja” haunted the listeners for years after years. Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan combined together in other films of Shammi Kapoor like Prince, Buttameez, Laat Sahab, Bluff Master, Ujala, Chote Sarkar, Hong Kong, etc. There were many more romantic numbers of Rafi sung for Shammi Kapoor, which cannot be covered in a small article.

In Shammi Kapoor’s Jawan Muhabbat, the song “jawan muhabbat jahan jahan hai” was very romantic. The last film where Shankar and Jaikishan worked together for Shammi Kapoor included Andaz. The songs “dil use do jo jaan de de” and “re mamma re mamma re” were brilliant both in form and orchestration. It was very unfortunate that Jaikishan died in 1971,and after that Shammi Kapoor also added weight and switched to character roles in films like Zameer, Parvarish, etc. The magical combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended and the era of romantic songs also suffered a set back.

Some section of listeners argue that Rajender Kumar probably received the more romantic numbers sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, but Shammi Kapoor’s combination with Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was phenomenal which swept the youth and took them to a different inspite of Shammi Kapoor being called a rebel star and Shankar Jaikishan providing the most loud bomblastic numbers for Rafi.

The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shammi Kapoor, Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan should be preserved.

Sreeram Chandra won Indian Idol 5.

Sreeram Chandra won Indian Idol 5.

Sreeram Chandra of Hyderabad, had won the Indian Idol 5 competition yesterday after defeating Rakesh Maini and Bhoomi Trivedi in the grand finale. All the three finalists had put of brilliant performances for the last few months.

Composers Anu Malik and Salim Merchant and singer Sunidhi Chauhan were the three judges who adjudicated the show for the last few months and did a splendid job in searching and unearthing singing talents all across the country. The entire task is very difficult. Besides, public voting generally had been bit unpredictable. But the judges had tried to see that the best talents were shortlisted. In fact, Anu Malik, Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chauhan had used their veto power in one of the rounds to bring back Rakesh Maini, who was voted out by the audience, considering his brilliant performance.

As far as Rakesh Maini was concerned, his voice was very sweet and romantic. He had sung many romantic numbers like “janeman janeja” which was Rafi’s song from the film Teesri Manzil, “na ja kahin ab na ja” also sung by Rafi in the film Mere Humdum Mere Dost, to name a few. Bhumi Trivedi had got a new type of voice, which was idol for both western songs and folk songs. The voice had been unique and new. She sung few Gujrati rap songs as well.

Sriram Chandra rightly became the Indian idol 5. He had sung different types of songs right from classical, to folk to western songs. The way he sang the song “breathless” with Shankar Mahadevan on stage, he had made everyone speechless. He had already established himself as playback singer in South Indian film industry. His Indian idol crown may give him recognition in bollywood industry.

Viewers and listeners want the Indian idol winners or finalists to shine in playback world in bollywood films. The winners in the past like Abhijit Sawant or Sandeep Acharya had not created any impact in the career of leading singers for the last 5 years. The playback world still is dependent on veteran singers like Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan, and other new stars like Javed Ali, Atif Aslam, etc.

If the new generation singers from Indian idol platform are given opportunities by notable composers like AR Rehman, Anu Malik, Salim Sulaiman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Vishal Shekhar, etc., may be the world of playback singing can have more variety. Time will tell whether the Indian idol winners will really make an impact in the bollywood industry.

Happy birthday to Gulzar.

Happy birthday to Gulzar.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary director and lyricist Gulzar on 18th August, 2010. He had been one of the greatest living legends at this moment. Bollywood is indebted to thoughtful director who had converted filmmaking into work of art.

His film Mausam was based on reflections of mind. Sanjeev Kumar was attached with Sharmila Tagore living in Darjeeling when he came over there as a student. After he went abroad to pursue his post-graduate studies, Sharmila was exploited and her daughter how looked identical like her mother was compelled to join prostitution.

Sanjeev Kumar returned as a foreign-return doctor and took his daughter away from the surroundings and gave her a new life. Bhupinder Singh’s ghazal “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi” composed by Madan Mohan and written by Gulzar remains as the greatest ghazal created in the 70s. The story-telling in the film was appreciated by critics.

Gulzar created a different dimension by experimented with classic literature during the 70s and 80s. His films Aandhi with Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar and Kinara with Jeetender and Hema Malini can very well be classified as master pieces. He gave very meaningful sequences where songs were recorded. He created a separate fanclub for himself who could understand human relations at the same period when larger than life images were created in main stream cinema of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha and other angry young men in films like Sholay, Kalicharan, Burning Train, etc.

Gulzar’s films created for children like Parichay and Kitaab are still considered masterpieces. He was impressed by the thoughts of Hollywood film Sound of Music and Uttam Kumar’s Joyjoyanti to make a film related to five children who required a good teacher. Jeetender treated them with compassion and brought change in the children. In Kitaab, Uttam Kumar cared for his brother-in-law Master Raju who was a small child and had been send by her mother to get educated in urbanized background.
Gulzar experimented with so many diverse subjects that articles after articles can be devoted to his different themes, including the film Koshish, based on life of deaf and dumb, Lekin, based on folklore of Rajasthan. Koshish had a very strong social message. It showed that deaf and dumb persons could go to dead and dumb schools and learn sign language. Their life can have a new aspiration and direction. All his artists like Suchitra Sen, Jaya Bacchan, Sharmila Tagore, Uttam Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetender portrayed the life of middle-class men who were found in everyday life.

His composers, Jaidev, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, RD Burman all had given their best music for the thoughtful director. These days Gulzar concentrates more on writing lyrics. In that field too he had been master of masters. In the recent past Gulzar said that he wanted to devote time to write books. For those reasons he had reduced directing films in the last 10 years. It is a huge loss for thoughtful viewers. He continued to write lyrics of songs in bollywood films in regular intervals.

His admirers expect him to continue to make rich films which make the audience think, feel and reflect on the happiness and sniffles of life.

Happy birthday to Rakhee.

Happy birthday to Rakhee.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rakhee on 15th August, 2010. She had contributed in bollywood films for more than 30 years. She had contributed both as a leading actress and also as a character actress.

Rakhee came to limelight with her successful film Sharmilee opposite Shashi Kapoor in the early 70s. The songs of the film composed by SD Burman became very successful, including the songs “khilte hai dil yahan”, “megha chaye aadhi raat”, etc. Rakhee played a double role and created attention.

In the mid-70s Rakhee acted in landmark roles including the one in the film Kabhi Kabhi opposite Big B and Shashi Kapoor. She loved a poet played by Big B, but had to marry Shashi Kapoor. The poetry of Big B created a great impact in the life of Rakhee. The songs of Mukesh and Lata composed by Khayyam in the film including “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon” and “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” made the viewers spellbound.

Rakhee acted in many landmark films opposite Big B including Shakti Shamanta’s Bengali film Anusandhan, hindi film Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Kala Patthar, Kasme Wade, etc. In the early 80s Rakhee played the role of her lifetime opposite Dilip Kumar in the film Shakti. She played the role of the mother of Big B, who faced the hostility between Dilip Kumar and Big B, one being the protector of law, while the other being the lawbreaker. The scenes where she praised her law-abiding husband her performance had outcast Big B, and viewers said that Rakhee’s performance was as brilliant as Dilip Kuma in Shakti. The film became super hit.

In the 90s, Rakhee played many character roles in films like Anil Kapoor’s Ram Lakhan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan’s Karan Arjun, Bobby Deol’s Soldier, to name a few. She had acted in more than 100 films and continues to act in many contemporary films.

Rakhee had also acted in many character roles and challenging roles. Her performance in Aparna Sen’s film Parama requires special mention. She had affair with a middle-aged neighbour. When the truth relating to her extra-marital affair was known to her husband, she lost her value in the family. She showed the helplessness in the respective story. She had performed in both commercial films and parallel cinema and in both forms of films she had kept a mark.

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

Happy birthday to Vaijayantimala.

Happy birthday to Vaijayantimala.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dancing queen Vaijayantimala on 13th August, 2010. She had ruled bollywood films during the 50s and 60s, during an age when muslim actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari rocked silver screen. She was the first South Indian actress to create a sensation in bollywood films and paved the way for other South Indian actresses to follow like Hema Malini, Sri Devi, Jaya Prada, Meenakshi Sheshadri, and others.

Her online chemistry with Tragedy King Dilip Kumar created history in bollywood. Most of their films including Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigham, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Sunghursh ended up being blockbusters. Besides dancing, she was sublime in the role of a tawaif in Bimal Roy’s film Devdas, in the role of village girl in Bimal Roy’s Madhumati. Probably Madhumati marks the best performance of Vaijayantimala in her entire career. Her innocence reflected in her acting and she made the audience spellbound with the lips given in songs composed by Salil Choudhury including “aa ja re pardesi”, “ghari ghari mera dil dharke”, “daiya re daiya re”, etc. She received the filmfare award for the best actress for the brilliant performance in the film.

On one hand she was brilliant opposite Dilip Kumar, on the other hand she created sensation with Raj Kapoor as well. Their film Nazrana did mediocre business. But Sangam was probably one of the biggest hits of Raj Kapoor in his entire life. Vaijayantimala’s stylish performance opposite both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar created a benchmark which could hardly be reached. Sangam still remains one of the most landmark films based on triangular love story shot at exotic locations in London, Paris, and other European countries. Shankar Jaikishan was matchless in Sangam. The acting performance was excellent and she received the filmfare award for the best actress once again. The last scene where Vaijayatimala questioned both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar about deciding about her life, had become a trend-setter. She justified the fact that she had affair with Rajender Kumar, but from the time she married Raj Kapoor, she fulfilled all the responsibilities of a hindu wife. She had been followed by numerous actresses of the following period in similar roles.

In the 60s, Vaijayantimala was matchless. Her name was enough to make any film hit. The list of her films include Nagin opposite Pradeep Kumar, Suraj opposite Rajender Kumar, Amrapali opposite Sunil Dutt, Prince opposite Shammi Kapoor, Choti Si Mulakat opposite Uttam Kumar, Jewel Thief opposite Dev Anand, Pyar Hi Pyar opposite Dharmender, to name a few. In fact her combination with Rajender Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan created sensation in the 60s. All their films ended up being silver jubilees including Aas Ka Panchi, Suraj, Sangam, Zindagi, etc. Her lips in landmark songs like “kaise samjhayun bai na samajh ho”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe meri raazdaar”, “o mere sanam”, “titli uri” had become immortal over a period of time. Besides her standard of classical dancing in films like Katputli or Amrapali had created interest among viewers to appreciate aesthetic dance numbers which became an art in due period of time.

Her films should be restored and preserved.

Lafangey Parindey will do well.

Lafangey Parindey will do well.

The film Lafangey Parindey directed by Pradeep Sarkar and slated for release in middle of August, 2010 will do well. The film had been produced by Aditya Chopra.

For a long time the Yash Raj Banner had not given hit films. The film was related to the story of bike gangs in the area. Neil Nitin Mukesh played the role of Nandu, who fought it out against other bikers in the area.

Deepika Padukone played the role of a dancer Pinky Palker, who had danced with roller skates in her feet. She exhibited the ambitious attribute of the respective character. Both Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone contributed in each other’s life.

The music of the film had been composed by R. Anand. In the film Deepika Padukone and Neil Nitin Mukesh exhibited romantic performance and convinced the viewers about their acting performance. The film had a lot of significance in the career of both the actor and actresse.

Although Deepika Padukone had a lot of success in her career till now right from Om Shanti Om to Bachhna Aye Haseeno and House Full, Neil Nitin Mukesh still requires hit films to cement his position in bollywood. His performance in the film New York had been appreciated by the viewers. Besides he has a number of releases in the pipeline in 2010. The song “man lafangey” sung by Mohit Chauhan and “nain parindey” by Shilpa Rao had been impressive.

The film has a good story and will entertain the viewers.

The music of Gumraah stormed bollywood in 1963.

The music of Gumraah stormed bollywood in 1963.

Many films in the 60s were known for their everlasting music. The tunes had remained immortal in the minds of the viewers and for those reason the film also did brilliant business. Gumrah was one of those films released in 1963 whose music had remaining evergreen.

It was a film of BR Chopra who had given thoughtful films like Kanoon and Dhool Ka Phool before. His films used to have very strong social messages. In this film Sunil Dutt, Mala Sinha and Ashok Kumar played the lead roles.

Although Sunil Dutt loved Mala Sinha and both met each other in hill station, their relationship did not end up in marriage. Mala Sinha married a famous lawyer played by Ashok Kumar in the film. Sunil Dutt was a painter in the film.

Shashikala approached Mala sinha and said that she was the wife of Sunil Dutt. She wanted to inform Ashok Kumar about the intimacy of Sunil Dutt and Mala Sinha. On that issue she blackmailed Mala Sinha. At the end of the film Mala Sinha came to know that Shashi Kala was Ashok Kumar’s secretary and Ashok Kumar did the act to convince Mala Sinha to restore matrimonial home. He did not like her intimacy with Sunil Dutt.

The music composed by Ravi in the film was of very high class. His soft romantic tunes were given adequate expression by Mahendra Kapoor. The landmark songs included “chalo ekbaar phir se ajnabee ban jaye humdono”, “in hawawo me in fizayon me tujhko mera pyar pukare”, “ yeh hawa yeh hawa ye hawa”, etc.

Probably Mahendra Kapoor sang the best songs of his life in the films of BR Chopra including Gumrah, Humraaz and Waqt. Almost all those songs were composed by Ravi who received a number of filmfare awards for his excellent music during the 60s. The film did excellent business too. The film and the songs should be restored.

Review of Help.

Review of Help.

Bobby Deol was last seen performing in a hit film in 2008, that was Dostana. Although his role was not as prominent as Abhishek Bacchan and John Abraham, yet his reserve performance amused everyone and the film ended up being hit. The films of Bobby Deol that were released after that did not do impressive business to that extent. In 2010, Bobby Deol acted in a horror film titled Help which had been slated to be released on 13th August, 2010. The film had been directed by Rajeev Virani. It had been produced by Vinay Chowksey and Sanjay Ahluwalia.

Mugdha Godse rose to stardom with her challenging performance in the film Fashion. She took the risk of performing in a challenging role in the film which was related to the story of the Fashion Industry.

In the film Bobby Deol played the role of a successful horror film director of bollywood who married Mugdha Godse. They had marital problems. Both of them rushed to Mauritius to see the sick father of Mugdha Godse.

The house in Mauritius where Mugdha Godse grew up had a lot of mystery embedded in them. Neither Bobby Deol knew anything about it nor did Mugdha Godse know about it. There was a spirit in the house which wanted to expose itself and strike Bobby Deol and Mugdha Godse. The film was about the challenge faced by the couple and the way they could combat it.

Other performers like Sophia Handa and Shreyas Talpade did well in the film. Bobby Deol and Mugdha Godse were brilliant in their respective roles. The music had been composed by Ashutosh Pathak. Although music did not play an important role in the film, the music was fair.

The scenic beauty of Mauritius is another bonus for the viewers. The film had a moderate budget and can expect moderate response from the viewers. It is an interesting film to watch.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai will do mediocre business.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbai will do mediocre business.

The film Once Upon A Time In Mumbai will do mediocre business. The film had been produced by Ekta Kapoor and the film had been directed by Milan Luthria.

The film opened up with suicidal attempt of Randeep Hooda on the pretext of Mumbai Blasts in 1993. He was annoyed with himself for leaving Imran Hashmi, one of the persons involved in the blasts when he was an ACP.

The story of Ajay Devgan was also unfolded. He was also an outsider to Mumbai at one time. Then his smuggling activities with gold and other things made him a don. But his illegal activities did not stand in the way for his help given to the poor in the area.

Imran Hashmi tried his best to become a notorious figure and also a bigger don than Ajay Devgan. Ajay Devgan had an affair with Kangana Ranaut, a bollywood actress. Ajay Devgan invested money in the films of Kangana Ranaut. Randip Hooda was trapped by Ajay Devgan for taking bribe and his image was tarnished.

Imran Hashmi had an affair with Prachi Desai. Prachi Desai worked in a jewellery shop. At the end of the film it had been shown that Imran Hashmi had settled abroad and became smuggling don. The police cannot reach him.

The music of the film had been composed by Pritam. There was not much scope of composing romantic songs. The performance of Ajay Devgan, Imran Hashmi, Prachi Desai, Kangana Ranaut had been excellent. But the prospect of the film doing extremely well is very meager, because viewers these days don’t like stories related to underworld. Already it had been shown in the past and films like Deewar and Vaastav had been successful. The film will do moderate business.

Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday.

Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday.

Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday on 4th August, 2010. Kishore Kumar, the master entertainer had been one of the most colourful personalities of bollywood who just became more and more and more popular over the years, now it is almost 21 years after his demise. In respect of his acting performances hardly any actor even dared to imitate him as his improvisations were spontaneous. The part that is followed by numerous singers all over the country is his singing style.

When KK acted as hero in bollywood films he showed his acting capability even in playback singing like the song “c a t cat, cat mane billi” in the film Dilli Ka Thag. He brought out all the sounds of the animals that were named in the song. In the film Chalti Ka Naam Gari, in the song “paanch rupaiya bara ana” he imitated SD Burman and in every paragraph he had created a new style which justified the lyrics. In Half Ticket he showed the childishness in the song “chil chil chillake” composed by Salil Choudhury, which became very popular among children. He even sang the ladies version of the song “o sawariya” in the film Half Ticket, when he was teasing Pran during a song sequence.

All his innovations created history when he concentrated in playback singing only in the 70s. He made the audience realize that he was singing for Dev Anand, or Rajesh Khanna or Big B, to name a few. His songs “gata rahe mera dil” from Guide, “roop tera mastana” from Aradhana, “kuch to log kahenge” from Amar Prem, “tere mere Milan ki” from Abhimaan have created history over the years.

In the 80s, it was KK all the way, when he had no competitors. All his songs in Big B’s film Namakhalal, Sharaabi, became record hits. Even in Rishi Kapoor’s Sagar, his song “sagar kinare” had romantic appeal. Composers like RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan could not think about any composition without KK. He became the legend of legends and all the actors of the 70s and 80s are indebted for his colourful playback.

After his death Kumar Shanu, Abhijeet, Vinod Rathod, Babul Supriyo and other singers had established themselves by following his style of singing. It has not happened with any other playback singer of bollywood. His styles were very entertaining, romantic and filmic.

Articles after articles can be devoted to the master entertainer and it can be said that he had remained alive all over the years in his numerous films and thousands of songs. His films and songs should be preserved.

Rafi Madanmohan Night in Kolkata.

Rafi Madanmohan Night in Kolkata.

To mark music icon Rafi Sahab's, 30th death anniversary, the Rafi Lovers Circle conferred their 6th Mohammed Rafi Award 2010, posthumously, to honour music composer Madan Mohanji, an an event in Kolkata on Sunday, 1st Aug 2010, at The Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, in Kolkata.

Rafi Sahab, the undisputed music icon and Madanji the legendary composer, created many memorable melodies together....many of them will be remembered forever. Titled Remembering Madan Mohan with Sanjeev Kohli, the concert opened with a video clip of 31st July, 1980, and then panned to some stunnings footage showing Rafi Sahab live, including him singing a few uncommon songs in his inimitable style. Seasoned RLC singers also chipped in with some vintage melodies like Aap ke pehlu mein aa kar ro diye, Ek haseen shaam ko dil mera kho gaya, Yun rootho na haseena meri jaan pe ban aaege, Zameen se hamein aasman tak, Ye maana meri jaan mohabbat saza hai, Rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karoon, Main Nigahen tere chehre se hatau kaise, and Tere paas aake mera waqt guzar jata hai.

Preceding the Award presentation, was the screening of a 20 minute exclusive Film Meri Awaaz Suno conceived and produced by by Madanji's illustrious eldest son Mr Sanjeev Kohli, the erstwhile GM of HMV ( EMI India ) and the creator of the popular HMV / Sa Re Ga Ma music Cd's and Cassettes. in the Legends, Golden Collections, Revivals and Anmol Ratan . Connoisseurs of Hindi film sangeet will recognise this as a veritable treasury of timeless music and evergreen songs.

The Rafi Lovers Circle headed by Founder President, Ruhi Khan, instated this award from 2005, and awards it to a music personality who has worked closely with Rafi Saab. Earlier receipients have included composers Ravi and Omi ( of Sonik- Omi ), Singers Sharda, Mubarak Begum and a postumous honour for Mahendra Kapoor, recived by his son Ruhan Kapoor. Considering the fact that Rafi Saab worked closely with Madanji from his 1st film Ankhen to his last unfinished work, Laila Majnu, it was indeed an ardous task of honouring these stalwarts with dignity and honour. The committee rose as one and very soon the 6th Mohammed Rafi Memorial Award
was being recived by Mr Sanjeev Kohli.

Post award, Sanjeev ji spoke from the heart about the recognition denied to Madanji both by the industry - Not a single Filmfare Award -inspite of a string of chart busters, and also from the Govt of India, who did not honour Madanji even with a Padma Shri, perhaps because he was an upright honest man who refused to pamper the egos of the decision makers. He pleaded to music lovers to always give good music composer, or singer his due during his lifetime. He said he was very happty to be in Kolkata with his son, Akshay Kohli and was delighted to receive the award on his behalf of his father, who passed away at the young age of 51. He thanked the circle President for inviting him to Kolkata and requested all music lovers in the audience to support organisations like Rafi Lovers Circle, who are constantly making an endeavour to revive / recreate that golden songs of yesteryears.

The evening ended with a soft ballad wafting in the background, an ode to the titans.
The title number, from the unreleased collection of Madanji songs all in 1 cd / casste, tiltled Tere Baghair.
..........Kaise Kategi Zindagi, Tere Baghair, Tere Baghair.
The awaaz, unmistakeably Mohammed Rafi Saheb.
The music, Madan Mohan Sb all the way,

Hashim Khan
Convenor

Happy birthday to Sonu Nigam.

Happy birthday to Sonu Nigam.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to popular Singer Sonu Nigam on 30th July, 2010. In 2010, he had his romantic voice felt in the film Milenge Milenge, where his song picturized on Shahid Kapoor was well accepted by the viewers.

Sonu Nigam had brilliant combination a number of leading composers of bollywood over the last 10 years. Sonu Nigam was associated with Anu Malik as some of his best romantic numbers were composed by him including “hume jab se mohabbat ho gayi hai”, in the film Border, or “sau dard hai” in the film Jaaneman. He was also associated with Sajid Wajid, as most of his romantic numbers like “tumko bhula na payega” from the film Tumko Bhula Na Payenge, or “mujhse shaadi karogi” in the film Mujshe Shaadi Karoge. In 2010, both of them featured together in the film Veer. Although the film did moderate business, the songs became hits.

But Sonu Nigam sang very landmark songs under the composition of Shantanu Moitra in critically acclaimed films. The films included Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai, The Three Idiots, etc. Parineeta was directed by Pradeep Sarkar and was probably the first launching pad of actress Vidya Balan. Sonu Nigam’s duet song with Shreya Ghoshal namely “piyu bole piya bole” composed by Shantanu Moitra maintained the flavor of Rabindrasangeet with a background of Kolkata during the time of writer Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Also the song “yeh hawaye gungunaye” was equally impressive.

In the film Lage Raho Munnabhai, Shantanu Moitra, maintained both the bhai-like mastani flavor as well as the soft romantic mood. Sonu Nigam’s song “pal pal pal pal pal pal har pal” was probably the most romantic song of the film. The other songs like “lage raho munnabhai” did bear a different andaz. If the acting of Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani and Vidya Balan was impressive, the music was equally instrumental in the success of the film.

The Three Idiots had shown the loopholes of India’s higher education system. The songs composed by Shantanu Moitra had the message of the director Raj Kumar Hirani. Sonu Nigam and others in the film sung the theme song “all is well” a number of times in the film. The other song “zubi zubi” sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal was also very fast and melodious. Shantanu Moitra had used other upcoming singers like Suraj in the film who had also done a great job in the film. If the acting of Amir Khan, R. Mahadevan and Sharman Joshi had impressed the viewers, the music had made them spellbound.

The audience expect the combination of Sonu Nigam and Shantanu Moitra to provide more number of romantic numbers in future, even in films made under any other banner in addition to the banner of Vidhu Vinod Chopra or direction of Raj Kumar Hirani.