Happy birthday to Deepika Padukone.

Happy birthday to Deepika Padukone.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Deepika Padukone on 5th January, 2010. Deepika Padukone, the daughter of renowned badminton player Prakash Padukone, started her career in the fashion world from where the producers and directors got impressed.

She made a dream debut in the film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan was one of the biggest icons of bollywood films till 2007. Akshay Kumar had shaken up the box-office domination of Shahrukh Khan after giving many blockbusters in the last few years. It was a dream which came true for Deepika Padukone to act opposite Shahrukh Khan in the romantic blockbuster. Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan searched a new face for the film. Deepika Padukone answered their query.

The film was related to reincarnation. Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had double roles in the film. Deepika was killed by breaking out of fire in a grand studio. The entire story of her death was recreated to bring the perpetrators of crime before the people at large. The soul of Deepika Padukone did the rest.

The film had similar story line like that of Karz. But the excellent music of the film and decent performance from Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had converted a decent film into a commercially successful mission. The songs of Sonu Nigam and others like “tumko paya hai to jaise”, “om shanty om”, “ankho me teri”, etc., became landmark hits in 2007.

Deepika Padukone bagged the best debutant award in the filmfare and Om Shanti Om bagged filmfare awards under different categories. As Deepika Padukone created a huge expectation from the performance in the first film the viewers started believing in her capability in the following films as well.

She did well again in 2008 in the film Bacchna Aye Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor, Minissha Lamba and Bipasha Basu. The film was related to the story of how Ranbir Kapoor met three girls namely Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba and how their interaction created an impact in the life of Ranbir Kapoor.

Again the fabulous locations and quality music composed by Vishal Shekhar impressed the viewers. The hit songs included “bacchna aye haseeno”, “ki mujhe pyar hai”, etc. Deepika Padukone probably matched Ranbir Kapoor the best if compared with the other performers in the same film.

In 2009, Deepika’s much awaited film Chandni Chowk To China was released in January. She had acted opposite superstar Akshay Kumar who had shown his action skills and comedy skills as well in the film. For the requirement of the film Deepika Padukone had learned martial art as well which was done by Priyanka Chopra in the past. But the film did mediocre business.

The other film of Deepika Padukone that was released in 2009 was Love Aaj Kaal. It was the film of Saif Ali Khan and he acted opposite Deepika Padukone. The film became a big hit and the romantic combination of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone was accepted by the audience. The music of Pritam was well appreciated by the audience including the song “chor bazari”.

After that Deepika Padukone had acted in many films in 2010, including Billo Barbar, Lafange Parindey, Larenge Hum Ji Jaanse, etc., and acted opposite many actors including Farhan Akshtar, Abhishek Bacchan (where he played the role of Masterda Surjo Sen in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s flm), etc.

The viewers expect Deepika Padukone to revive her position and continue her great work in the years to come in bollywood films and other films.

Manisha Koirala appeared in Sourav Ganguly's Dadagiri.

Manisha Koirala appeared in Sourav Ganguly’s Dadagiri.

Sweet bollywood star of the 90s, Manisha Koirala appeared in Sourav Ganguly’s program Dadagiri, shown in Zee TV, on 25th December, 2010. That was the Christmas surprise that Sourav Ganguly had given the audience. Manisha spoke in English and hindi and Ganguly translated the Bengali version to her in English.

The quiz program having different rounds like straight drive round, slog over round, bapi bari jaa round, googly round, etc., had mainly questions related to the film career of Manisha Koirala. She had a great background being the daughter of the Prime Minister of Nepal. Incidentally her family was the royal family. The viewers of Bengal saw her the first time after marriage. She got married this year only.

She disclosed before Sourav Ganguly and the audience that the entry into bollywood films was quite smooth for her, without struggle. She studied in Benaras and stayed in India before joining films. She struggled to maintain the stardom once she attained it after the success of Saudagar, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Khamoshi, etc.

Manisha Koirala shared her experience about working with director Maniratnam who tried to change her image from a soft spoken girl to a terrorist in the film Dil Se. When asked about the superiority of Shahrukh Khan and Amir Khan, she said that Sharukh Khan was crowd puller, but Amir Khan was more versatile, who experimented with his roles.

When asked about the present trend of films, she said there is a tendency among directors to make films on social dramas involving mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, etc., unlike the films that used to be made during her times, that is the 90s. She had been very humble in her conversation and carried the sweet smile that she displayed in majority of her films like Lajja, 1942 A lovestory, etc. Souav Ganguly should be appreciated for handling stars with dignity and politeness. His program continuing for the last few months had been absolute success.

Tees Maar Khan had got the third best opening after Dabaang and The Three Idiots.

Tees Maar Khan had got the third best opening after Dabaang and The Three Idiots.

Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif’s new film Tees Maar Khan had got the third best opening of the year after Dabaang and The Three Idiots. It was a great news for the producers and distributors because the two other films that had been released few weeks back namely Band Baaja Baarat and No Problem had done average business. Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om had done super business few years back. It appears like Tees Maar Khan will equal or beat that record. The film had been released on 24th December, 2010, before Christmas. Farah Khan had directed the film. The film had been produced by Shirish Kunder, Twinkle Khanna and Ronnie Screwwala. Vishal Shekhar and Shrish Kunder had composed music for the film.

The film is related to the story of a great thief played by Akshay Kumar. He had played the lead role in the film. Katrina Kaif had been an actress in the film. She had got a lot of help from Akshay Kumar and in term had helped him. Akshay Khanna is the other major character in the film who knew about Akshay Kumar’s activities.

In the film guest performances were given by Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan. Salman Khan had danced in the song “wallah re wallah” along with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Sanjay Dutt had been the narrator in the film.

The story of the film had not been unique. But the good part of the film had been its music and the dance performances. Sonu Nigam had experimented with the style of singing in the song “tees maar khan” where he had shown his versatility. Sunidhi Chauhan and Vishal Dadhlani had done a brilliant job in the song “Sheila ki jawani”, which had been the most popular song in the film. Katrina Kaif had danced well in the song sequence. May be the sizzling screen presence of Katrina Kaif in the dance sequences had created magic and the crowd had been entertained.

The other song “wallah re wallah” had also been very catchy. Kamal Khan, Raja Hassan, Shreya Ghoshal and others had sung the song very well. Star performances of Salman Khan, and performances of Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar had been very grand. Acting of Akshay Khanna had been brilliant in the film as ever.

The pair of Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif had been accepted by the viewers. But the film does not have the same magic as that of Singh is Kinng or Namaste London. If the film does business of more than 100 crores, it will be blessing for bollywood because The Three Idiots did business worth 200 crores and Dabaang did business worth 150 crores.

Tees Maar Khan will do well.

Tees Maar Khan will do well.

Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif’s new film Tees Maar Khan will do well. The film had been released on 24th December, 2010, before Christmas. Farah Khan had directed the film. The film had been produced by Shirish Kunder, Twinkle Khanna and Ronnie Screwwala. Vishal Shekhar and Shrish Kunder had composed music for the film.

The film is related to the story of a great thief played by Akshay Kumar. He had played the lead role in the film. Katrina Kaif had been an actress in the film. She had got a lot of help from Akshay Kumar and in term had helped him. Akshay Khanna is the other major character in the film who knew about Akshay Kumar’s activities.

In the film guest performances were given by Anil Kapoor and Salman Khan. Salman Khan had danced in the song “wallah re wallah” along with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Sanjay Dutt had been the narrator in the film.

The story of the film had not been unique. But the good part of the film had been its music and the dance performances. Sonu Nigam had experimented with the style of singing in the song “tees maar khan” where he had shown his versatility. Sunidhi Chauhan and Vishal Dadhlani had done a brilliant job in the song “Sheila ki jawani”, which had been the most popular song in the film. Katrina Kaif had danced well in the song sequence.

The other song “wallah re wallah” had also been very catchy. Kamal Khan, Raja Hassan, Shreya Ghoshal and others had sung the song very well. Star performances of Salman Khan, and performances of Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar had been very grand. Acting of Akshay Khanna had been brilliant in the film as ever.

But the film had not surprised the viewers. So there is every possibility of the film ending up being a hit but not a blockbuster. The pair of Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif had been accepted by the viewers. But the film does not have the same magic as that of Singh is Kinng or Namaste London. But the film will get a decent start and do well.

Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna.

Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna on 29th December, 2010. She has left films after marrying Akshay Kumar, but her performances in the recent past still haunts the viewers of bollywood films.

She was very successful in the film Barsaat opposite Bobby Deol. Bobby Deol started his career with that film and it was produced by Dharmender. The music was impressive. Twinkle Khanna expressed her romantic feelings very well in the film. The viewers accepted the pair of Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna. With the success of the film in the early 90s, Twinkle Khanna became a readymade choice for any type of film.

She acted with Shahrukh Khan in the film Badshah. Just like other films of Shahrukh Khan the film was based on fantasy and funny acts. Twinkle Khanna played her part very well in the film. The song “humto diwane hue yaar” became superhit. Twinkle Khanna also acted in the comedy film Joru Ka Ghulam with Govinda. As the name suggested, the film was related to the story of how a groom became obsessed with the bride and almost became her servant. Although the term was used in the literal sense, Govinda’s character proved the title of the film. Johnny Lever did well in the film.

Twinkle Khanna got a challenging role in Amir Khan’s film Mela. The story was related a girl being chased by dacoits and how she was saved. Amir Khan’s own brother acted in the film. The film had action sequences as well. Sonu Nigam’s song in the film “mela dilon ka aya hai” became super hit. The other challenge was matching Amir Khan’s acting performance in the film as in most of his films he had strived to reach perfection in the respective roles. The viewers accepted Twinkle Khanna’s performance opposite Amir Khan in the film.

Probably Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai with Salman Khan was the most successful film of her career. The film was shot in UK, Switzerland and other European Countries. All the songs of the film were super hit including “o jana”, “is dil me kya hai”, “pehli pehli baar”, etc. In the film the love of Salman Khan for her reformed Salman Khan’s character, who was a playboy before that. Twinkle Khan looked gorgeous in the film.

Twinkle Khan in a number of films opposite Ajay Devgan also in the late 90s. She had acting in her blood, as her mother Dimple Kapadia is considered one of the greatest actresses of bollywood films with landmark performances in films like Lekin, Prahar, Krantiveer, Sagar, Rudali, to name a few. Besides her father Rajesh Khanna was a superstar of the 70s.

When Twinkle Khanna looked like dethroning Juhi Chawla, Preeti Zinta or Kajol in bollywood films, she married Akshay Kumar and ended her career. She must have been a proud wife as Akshay Kumar had proved himself to be the greatest entertainer of 2007 and 2008, with majority of his films becoming blockbusters.

But a lot of acting was still left in Twinkle Khanna. The viewers of bollywood films expect Twinkle Khanna to make a comeback and contribute in character roles where there are not many matured actresses at the moment.

Happy birthday to Rajesh Khanna.

Happy birthday to Rajesh Khanna
The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajesh Khanna on 29th December, 2010. He had remained one of the most popular actors of 70s, before Amitabh Bacchan entered the film arena and gave birth to action films. The other reason why Rajesh Khanna is remembered even today was for the melodious music that he got from Kalyanji Anandji, RD Burman, Salil Choudhury, Laxmikant Pyarellal and other composers.

Although he started his career with films like Akhri Khat, Raaz, etc., in the late 60s, he got recognition with Shakti Shamanta’s super hit film Aradhana which was released in 1969. In the 70s, Rajesh Khanna had a dream run with films of different directors including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Asit Sen, Shakti Samanta and others.

Most of his films from 1971 to 1973, were super hit. And the music of these films created history. The songs of the film Anand, composed by Salil Choudhury were super hit, including “kahin door jab din dhal jaye”, “maine tere liye hi saat rang” sung by Mukesh and “zindagi kaisi hai peheli” sung by Manna Dey. The songs of the film Aan Milo Sajna composed by LP became super hit including Rafi’s song “aan milo sajna” and Kishore’s song “accha to hum chalte hai”.

The songs of the film Amar Prem composed by RD Burman became super hit including KK’s song “chingari koi bharke”, “kuch to log kahenge”, etc. Amar Prem was the hindi version of Uttam Kumar’s famour Bengali film Nishipadda. Similarly the songs of the film Kati Patang composed by RD Burman became super hit including songs of KK like “ai shaam mastani”, Mukesh’s song “jis gali me”, etc.

Similarly songs of the film Safar composed by Kalyanji Anandji became super hit. Kishore’s song “zindagi ka safar” can be considered as one of the best songs that he sang during his long career. The songs of the film Namak Haram composed by RD Burman, Roti composed by LP, Raaz composed by Kalyanji Anandji, Bawarchi composed by Madanmohan, were all very successful.

Rajesh Khanna created a romantic image and his films opposite various actresses like Sharmila Tagore in films like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Mumtaz in Aap Ki Kasam, Asha Parekh in Kati Patang, Aan Milo Sajna, Tanuja in Mere Jeevan Saathi, Hema Malini in Mehbooba, and others created an era of romantic films. He became a role model for the younger generation.

But from the time Amitabh Bacchan entered the film arena he not only dethroned Rajesh Khanna but more than that changed the dimension of bollywood films. He played anti-establishment characters and persuaded other superstars like Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha, Dharmender, Firoz Khan, Sunil Dutt and others to play similar type of roles.

Action films dominated bollywood industry and films like Sholay, Deewar, Kalicharan, Burning Train, Jugnu, Zakhmee, Dharmatma faded away Rajesh Khanna’s romantic films like Soutan, Prem Nagar and other films.

Rajesh Khanna’s wife Dimple Kapadia established herself into one of the most powerful actresses of bollywood films with success in Saagar, Jaanbaaz, Rudaali, Lekin, Krantiveer, etc.

Even then Rajesh Khanna continued acting for another 20 years and is even seen in a recent film in a role of an old person. Even Rishi Kapoor did cast him in his directorial venture title A ab laut chale. He had received filmfare best actor award a number of times and also received lifetime achievement award.

The viewers expect Rajesh Khanna to contribute in character roles the way Big B, Vinod Khanna and other veteran actors have done over the years.

Happy birthday to Salman Khan.

Happy birthday to Salman Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Salman Khan on 27th December, 2010. He had been the other superstar other than Shahrukh Khan who had ruled bollywood films for the last 20 years. Although he had mixed results in respect of success of his films released in 2009 and 2008, his popularity and box-office had remained intact. In 2010, he had given the greatest hit Dabanng, which had done business of more than Rs 150 crores.

He created an impression before the viewers with his romantic film Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989. After that he had acted in every type of film including comedy films, action films etc. His musical blockbusters include Khamoshi with Manisha Koirala, Andaz Apna Apna with Amir Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Ravina Tandon, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Twinkle Khanna, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega opposite Preeti Zinta, to name a few.

He build a manly body from the early part of his career and from that time became the role model of many youngstars of the country. His action films included Auzaar with Shilpa Shetty, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge with Diya Mirza, Tere Naam, Karan Arjun opposite Mamta Kulkarni, to name a few. His recent action film in 2009 titled Wanted opposite Ayesha Takia did brilliant business. Although he did not shape his career as an action hero like Sunny Deol or Sanjay Dutt, his performance in action films were very impressive.

He acted in landmark comedy films during his career, which included Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya opposite Katrina Kaif and Sushmita Sen, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge opposite Priyanka Chopra, Partner opposite Lara Dutta, God Tussi Great Ho opposite Priyanka Chopra, to name a few. In 2009, he acted in romantic films Mai Aur Mrs Khanna, opposite Kareena Kapoor, and also London Dreams with Ajay Devgan and Asin. Although Mai Aur Mrs. Khanna did average business, London Dreams became super hit.

If his films in 2008 can be analyzed it can be said that his film Heroes with Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Preeti Zinta, had done best business so far. The films God Tussi Great Ho did average business and the film Yuvvraaj could not rise up to the hype that was created by strong promotion of Subhash Ghai. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s performance had been well appreciated by the film-lovers and the film had created aesthetic values with innovative music and good locations. In 2010 his upcoming film Veer has both romantic elements and action elements as well.

His television show Dus Ka Dum in Sony Channel got fantastic response. The leading actors of bollywood films including Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Jeetender, Tusshar Kapoor, Amir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, all appeared in that show and Salman Khan helped all of them for the promotion of their films that were released this year.

Salman Khan had been extremely popular for the viewers of TV Channels for his straight forward communications. He appeared in Saregamapa Music Competition in Zee TV with Katrina Kaif and asked Aditya Narayan, Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam, Shankar Mahadevan and others about the fate of Aneek, Raja and others who had won the competition before. He enquired whether they had got chance in bollywood films or whether they were still struggling. No other bollywood actor would have ever been concerned about the fate of upcoming talents including singers, dancers, actors, etc.

Salman Khan had always been involved with controversies and his good deeds got neutralized due to the killing of deers in Jodhpur, offense relating to rash and negligent driving, etc. But those who had behaved well with Salman Khan know that he is a gem of a human being.

2010 had been a year with mixed fortunes for Salman Khan. While Veer did mediocre business, Dabanng ended up being blockbuster. He had also hosted the show Big Boss with huge success. The viewers expect Salman Khan to give an even better performance in the films Dabanng 2 and Dabanng 3 opposite Sonakshi Sinha which are going to be made in future.

Happy birthday to Mohammad Rafi.

Happy birthday to Mohammad Rafi.

The listeners of music all over the world wish happy birthday to Mohammad Rafi on 24th December, 2010. The noble soul had left his admirers 30 years ago. Yet he is alive in numerous everlasting hit songs which are heard and cherished for generations.

Very significantly he was associated with all the leading actors of bollywood industry in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, which starts with Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar, Raj Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Guru Dutt, and extends upto Big B, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetender, etc. Even comedians like Johnny Walker, Mehmood were indebted to the maestro for his modification of the voice in favour of them which entertained the audience to a big extent.

Filmfare can start creating separate category of musical awards under different types of playback songs in the name of Mohammad Rafi.
There should be a filmfare Mohammad Rafi award for the best ghazal sung in a bollywood film in the respective year. Rafi had sung immortal ghazals in his everlasting career. In fact Rafi won the filmfare award for the best male playback singer in 1960 for the ghazal “chaudavi ka chand ho” composed by Ravi in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. He sang other brilliant ghazals like “tumhari zul ke sayeme sham karlunga” composed by Madanmohan, “mere mehboob tujhe” composed by Naushad, “jane wo kaun hai” composed by Roshan, “unke khayal aye to” composed by Shankar Jaikishan, etc.
There should be a filmfare Mohammad Rafi award for the best qawalli sung in a bollywood film in the respective year. Rafi had made listeners spellbound with his rendition of landmark qawallies like “yeh ishq ishq” in the film Barsaat Ki Raat composed by Roshan Lal Nagrath, “parda hai parda” in the film Amar Akbar Anthony composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal, “hum kisi se kum nahi” in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi composed by RD Burman, to name a few.
There should be a filmfare Mohammad Rafi award for the best western song sung in a bollywood film in the respective year. Rafi was phenomenal in the western songs “dil ke jharoke me” composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “nazneen bara rangeen hai wada tera” composed by OP Nayyar, “dil tarpe tarpaye” composed by Salil Choudhury, to name a few. The list just goes on.
There should be a filmfare Mohammad Rafi award for the best eastern classical song sung in a bollywood film in the respective year. Rafi had sung classical songs with excellence including “madhuban me radhika nachere” composed by Naushad, “aajahu na aye” composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “phir tere shahar me” composed by OP Nayyar,etc.

Rafi had been cherished in the minds of musiclovers all across the world. The singers of the present generation should learn from Rafi and improve their own style of singing.

Happy birthday to gorgious Ankita Lokhunde of Pavitra Rishta.

Happy birthday to gorgeous Ankita Lokhunde of Pavitra Rishta. The viewers express their best wishes on happy birthday of gorgeous actress Ankita Lokhunde of Pavitra Rishta. The actress who is as popular as the leading stars of bollywood in India at this moment is Archana (the character played in TV serial Pavitra Rishta). Her actual name is Ankita Lokhunde. She had recently competed against other celebrities in dance competition in TV Channel, where Madhuri Dixit, Malaika Arora and others were judges. She had poured in scintillating performances one after the other. She also came in Zee TV Saregamapa contest to cheer up the competitors before the judges Sajid Wajid, Vishal Shekhar, Daler Mehendi and others. Ankita Lokhunde had projected the character of Maharashtrian middle –aged girl from a middle-class family who had helped her parents before marriage. Due to differences created by her mother – in- law Usha Nadkarni in the serial her marriage resulted in divorce. Her first husband popularly known as Manav Deshmukh, (Sushant Singh Rajput) worked in a garage. But his nature of helping all his family members and members of in-laws’ family created attention for the viewers. He promised to marry Pooja Pihal who played the character Shravani who got pregnant with his brother’s child and his brother died in an accident. The serial Pavitra Rishta played in Zee TV had completed 400 episodes successfully. It had been produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. All the actors and actresses in the serial had performed consistently over the last 1 year. That had been the success story behind the serial running for a long time. The serial had impressed middle-class Indians who watch Ankita Lokhunde everyday at 9 pm in Zee TV. Both Ankita Lokhunde and Sushant Singh Rajput had won best Jodi (pair) awards and is considered the most popular performers in TV serials. Both Ankita Lokhunde and Sushant Singh Rajput are good dancers too and they performed in dance competitions in the small screen. The viewers are expecting Ankita Lokhunde to make a breakthrough in Indian cinema from small screen. With her poetic eyes, fair complexion, elegant smile, she has screen presence to suit many lead roles in popular films. Viewers provide their best wishes for Ankita Lokhunde to do well in future.

Happy birthday to Anil Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Anil Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor on 24th December, 2010. Critics argue that other than Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bacchan, no other actor in India had the same amount of individual talent as that of Anil Kapoor. He had sustained the heat and storm of bollywood films for more than 25 years and even at an age of 50, still remains an indispensable figure in bollywood industry. Although Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan took the industry by storm from the mid-90s, but Anil Kapoor had given one hit or the other in all those years.

Furthermore those actors who had come with Anil Kapoor like Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol and others shifted to character acting, but Anil Kapoor still remained hero in the recent period. That describes his talent in totality. In 2008, he had played different types of roles.

In Race, the first super hit film of 2008, Anil Kapoor played the role of detective who had solved the mystery relating to the death of Saif Ali Khan. He disclosed the fact that Saif Ali Khan had not died but his death was planted. He also witnessed the death of Akshay Khanna when he competed with Saif Ali Khan in a car race. The film was related to the devolvement of family property between the two brothers. Anil Kapoor balanced the suspense –drama with action stunts of Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna and dance sequences of Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy. The songs composed by Pritam like “pehli nazar”, “allah duhayi hai” became landmark hits in the early part of the year.

He acted in a negative role in the big banner film Tashan with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. He sent Akshay Kumar to collect the debts of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Akshay Kumar discovered his childhood relationship with Kareena Kapoor and took revenge against Anil Kapoor at the end of the film in a power-pact action sequence. Although the film could not do justice to the star-cast and high expectations of the audience of the country, the funny performance of Anil Kapoor could not be ignored.

Anil Kapoor was sublime in Subhash Ghai’s musical venture Yuvvraaj that was released in the last part of the year. It was the first time that Subhash Ghai, AR Rehman and Gulzar had united together to compose the music of the film, and the music had already become hit. The hit songs of the film included “tu muskura”, “shanno shanno”, “to mera dost hai”, etc. Although Subhash Ghai concentrated more on the romantic presentation of the relationship between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the film, the performance of Anil Kapoor as the elder brother and an innocent character appealed to the viewers the most. The audience has so much weakness for Anil Kapoor that the scene where Zaid Khan had slapped Anil Kapoor had created negative impact on the crowds and there were requests of editing of the scene. Although the film did not get box-office Anil Kapoor’s splendid performance was appreciated.

In 2009, the film directed by Anil Kapoor titled Short Cut, got critical acclamation. He had cast Akshay Khanna in the lead role who played the role of a devoted director. He was cheated by the actor Arshad Warsi who got success in films by short cut. Akshay Khanna used him in his own film and took revenge against the cheating committed by Arshad Warsi. Sonu Nigam’s song “kal nau baje” appealed to the viewers. The film he had produced in 2009, titled Slumdog Millionaire, won numerous number of Oscar awards, including the best composer award won by AR Rehman. Anil Kapoor is continuing with his directoral projects ahead.

In his long career, Anil Kapoor had acted with giants like Dilip Kumar and Big B in Sholay; Dilip Kumar, Nasiruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff in Karma, Nutan in Meri Jung, etc. He had performed in every type of film including romantic films, comedy films, action dramas, serious films, etc. He had acted different actresses ranging from Padmini Kolhapuri, Sri Devi, Madhuri Dixit to Tabu, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, to name a few.

Articles after articles can be devoted to the versatile actor. His notable films include Mr. India, Meri Jung, Tezaab, Pukar, Nayak, Virasat, No Entry, to name a few. He received filmfare awards, national awards for best actor and other awards dedicated for the excellence in bollywood cinema. Critics say that he never received the recognition that he deserved in life.

In 2010, the film No Problem, produced by him, is doing great business. He had acted well in the film along with Sushmita Sen, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna. A section of the crowd thinks that Anil Kapoor can contribute in mainly character roles, as his age is in the 50s.

Even then the viewers expect him to continue the good work and entertain the viewers in the same way both as actor and also producer, director, as he did in the last 25 years.

Chinmoy Roy's interview on Jahar Roy.

Chinmoy Roy’s interview on Jahar Roy. Veteran comedian Chinmoy Roy gave an interview on his experience with legendary comedian Jahar Roy, in The Statesman, reported on 19th December, 2010. Priyanka Dasgupta had covered that interview. Chinmoy Roy said that he first met Jahar Roy while he worked in the famous Bengali play Ulka. Jahar Roy played the role of a Chinese steward in the play and did the role with perfection. Ulka stormed Bengal in the mid-50s. Based on the story the bollywood film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen was made. Jahar Roy was famous for his brilliant performance in award winning films like Satyajit Ray’s Gupi Gyne Bagha Byne, Haridas Bhattacharya’s Abhaya Srikanto, Rajlakshi Srikanto, Nirmal Dey’s Sare Chuattor, etc. Chinmoy Roy said that Jahar Roy was very kind hearted person. He said that while doing a film for director Mangal Chakravarty Chinmoy Roy was not paid. Jahar Roy paid him 100 rupees understanding his situation. Due to his charitable work, people remember his mess in College Street in Kolkata where he stayed for a long time. He worked in Patna for some time, that was the reason why Jahar Roy’s hindi intonation was also very good. Chinmoy Roy had highlighted another incident, when Jahar Roy was acting in stage his small son saw him crying and shouted that why father you were crying. When the audience got irritated and shouted at the child, Jahar Roy said that the child was a pigling and asked them to forgive him. Chinmoy Roy was astonished at the level of professionalism of Jahar Roy who was prepared to call himself a pig for the sake of the audience. Due to acute diabetes, Jahar Roy did not survive for long time. When Chinmoy Roy met Jahar Roy for the last time in Rajgir, he said “e Jahar se Jahar noy”, the words which mentioned the title of one of his hit films. The films and works of Jahar Roy should be preserved.

Chabi Biswas was sublime in Maya Mrigo.

Chabi Biswas was sublime in Maya Mrigo.

Legendary actor Chabi Biswas was unparallel and sublime in the film Maya Mrigo. The film was directed by renowned director Chitta Basu in 1960. The film was based on the classic literature of Niharranjan Gupta. The writer always had glorified the character of mother in his literature. He had been prominent for his epic literature “Ulka” which was successful as play in Kolkata and also used in the bollywood film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen.

Maya Mrigo was the debut of the actor Biswajeet Chatterji and actress Sandhya Roy who were launched together as romantic pair in Bengali film in 1960. Chabi Biswas played the role of eminent barrister in the film, the husband of Sunanda Basu and the father of Biswajeet Chatterji. Sunanda Basu and Sandhya Rani were sisters. Sandhya Rani was married to Bikash Roy, who had a number of children. But Sunanda Basu was child-less. She took one son of Sandhya Rani and brought him up as her own son.

During second world war, Bikash Roy lost his limbs and Sandhya Rani lost all their children. Being helpless she came to Kolkata in the house of Chabi Biswas who had given shelter to a number of tenants including Uttam Kumar, Tarun Kumar, Tulsi Chakaravarty, Jahar Roy and others.

Sunanda Debi never greeted Sandhya Rani well, as she feared that if Biswajeet Chatterji came to know that he was the son of Bikash Roy and Sandha Rani, it would have been fatal for her. Bikash Roy died in the film. At the end of the film the truth was unfolded, but Chabi Biswas explained to everyone that both Sunanda Debi and Sandhya Rani, were accepted as the mother of Biswajeet, as one gave birth while the other brought up the child.

Manobendra Mukherjee composed excellent music in the film with hit songs like “bidhi re” and “metidiamericar kabyo” sung by him, “ore shon shon gerobaj” sung by Hemanta Mukherjee, and “bok bok bok bokum bokum paira” sung by Sandhya Mukherjee. But Chabi Biswas’s brilliant personality had overshadowed all the other performances in the film. He showed a contrast of expressions, including the kindness shown to Sandhya Rani and also the strictness shown to his tenants. The film should be restored for the brilliant performance of Chabi Biswas and also classic literature of Niharranjan Gupta.

Uttam Kumar was sublime in Rajlakkhi Srikanto.

Uttam Kumar was sublime in Rajlakkhi Srikanto.

Superstar Uttam Kumar was sublime in the film Rajlakkhi Srikanto. The film had been directed by Haridas Bhattacharya. He had done brilliant job with the classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Sarat Chandra Chatterji had written his biography in the stories relating to Srikanto. Rajlakkhi Srikanto was released in 1958.

Very significantly Uttam Kumar understood the poetic character of Sarat Chandra Chatterji and depicted the character in style. He went for a hunting expedition after being called by Anil Chatterji. There he met his neighbour Rajlakkhi played by Suchitra Sen. He loved her during infancy. He was shocked to see her become a baijee named Pyari Bai who had her own house in Patna, Bihar.

She unfolded her story and said that her father died. Then her mother went to stay in her brother’s house. Her mami got her married to an old man. He wanted to sell her. Suchitra Sen ran from her house and given shelter by a baijee. She taught her music. She earned her living by being baijee. Composer Gyan Prakash Ghosh composed great classical tunes and singer Krishna Ganguly sang very well.

Uttam Kumar also tried to live like a sadhu and joined the group of sadhus led by Jahar Ray. But the disease of chicken pox spread in the village, and to help a family of patients Uttam Kumar stayed in the village. But the family left him when he got infected with small pox.

At the end of the film Uttam Kumar left for Burma to get a job. But he remained unmarried throughout his life due to the fact that he could not marry Suchitra Sen who played the role of Rajlakkhi. The film did excellent business and the supporting performers in the film did an excellent job including Sishir Batabyal, Haridhan, and others.

Happy birthday to Govinda.

Happy birthday to Govinda.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Govinda on 21st December, 2010,. For the last 20 years he had entertained bollywood viewers with his remote style of comedy performance and dancing.

Govinda came to limelight with his impressive performance in the film Ankhen along with Chunkey Pandey. Both Govinda and Chunkey were thrown out of their homes by their father Kader Khan, due to their mischievous acts. They witnessed the kidnapping of the CM played by Raj Babbar. In his place another person was brought who had similarity in looks. Govinda and Chunkey saved the CM and killed the imposter.

Govinda had a brilliant relationship with director David Dhawan. David Dhawan had used Govinda in most of his comedy films, and the dance performance and comedy performance of Govinda charmed the audience. His film Hero No. 1 with Karishma Kapoor became super hit. All the songs of the film including “sona kitna sona hai”, “mai to raste se jaa raha tha”, became very popular. The other films of Govinda like Aunty No.1, Cooli No. 1, also showed his charishma in comedy acting.

Govinda also acted in serious films like Andolan with Sanjay Dutt. He played the role of an engineer who had to compromise with the corrupt builders while building bridges. His revolt against the system was the subject matter of the film. He acted in a number of films with Sanjay Dutt and most of the films did good business. Some of those films included Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, Haseena Maan Jayegi, etc.

Govinda’s film Bare Miya Chote Miya with Big B and Raveena Tandon, and Deewane Mastane with Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, did fantastic business as well. In the recent past Govinda’s performance in David Dhawan’s film Partner with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif stormed bollywood. He required the guidance of a love guru played by Salman Khan to impress Katrina Kaif. The songs of the film like “do you want a partner”, “you are my love” became super hit, and Govinda’s dance performances in those songs were excellent. Salman Khan asked the director David Dhawan to increase the role of Govinda in the film, and he justified it by playing his character in style.

Govinda played his role in the film Salaam-e-Ishq in style. The film had all the leading actors of bollywood industry including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sohail Khan, John Abraham and Akshay Khanna. In that league of actors Govinda proved his worth by romancing with a foreigner girl who was given shelter by a taxi-driver.

In 2009, Govinda’s films Life Partner, and Do Not Disturb with Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta, did mediocre business. He acted well in his small role in the film Raavan in 2010, and the viewers expect another cameo in the sequel of Partner. Viewers expect that with his busy work as a politician, as he was an MP elected with a Congress Ticket, he can still devote time for films and continue the work of entertainment in the years to come.

Anil Kapoor glorified Zee TV Saregamapa program.

Anil Kapoor glorified Zee TV Saregamapa program.

Anil Kapoor appeared in the Zee TV Saregamapa program a week back. In that program he had shared a number of information which the viewers never knew. He said that Vidhu Vinod Chopra never wanted to work with commercial actors and composers when he made the film Parinda. It was Anil Kapoor who insisted him to take Jackie Shroff in the film. He did so. He also recommended the name of RD Burman as composer.

He also told the story relating to the recording of the song “ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga” in the film 1942 a love story. Firstly Anil Kapoor never wanted to play the romantic role. Instead he asked Amir Khan to do it. When he did not agree Anil Kapoor accepted the challenge. He reduced his weight and appeared before Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and the entire unit was shocked to see Anil Kapoor. The day when the recording of the song took place, Kumar Shanu came with a beard. Anil Kapoor asked him to go and shave and return back and then the song was recorded. The rest was history.

He also talked about the secret relating to his health. The composers Sajid Wajid and others said that heroes who had started their career with Anil Kapoor had half got bald, the rest had left films. Anil Kapoor had still remained hero and looked forward to his new release No Problem. He said he dreamt large. He also said that he had taken everything positively in life. That was the key to his success.

He also remembered brilliant dancer and his best pair Madhuri Dixit. The composers asked him that always he feared his wife in films like No Entry and No Problem. He said that his love towards comedy films had allowed him to do the roles with ease. Everyone had wished the best for his newly produced film No Problem.

Amazing Uttam Kumar in Jibon Mrityu.

Amazing Uttam Kumar in Jibon Mrityu.

Uttam Kumar was amazing in the film Jibon Mrityu. The film had been released in 1967. It was directed by Hiren Nag, who learned direction from renowned director Ajoy Kar.

In Jibon Mrityu, Uttam Kumar played the role of Ashok Mukherjee, who was branch manager Citizen’s Bank. He established himself after his father died, and was brought up by mother Aparna Debi. He loved Supriya Debi, who was the daughter of Prashad Mukherjee. Her father’s business was in doldrums and he appointed N. Biswanathan as legal advisor to address his debts. But the debts grew, and he died out of frustration.

Uttam Kumar was all-rounder during his college days. Besides being brilliant, he was great singer, and he gave able lips in Manna Dey’s song “kono katha na bole” composed by Gopen Mullick. His friend Tarun Kumar relied on him to pass the examination. He loved Subrata Chatterji who never married him.

Uttam Kumar rose to fame. His office-mates conspired against him, namely Dipak Mukherjee, Prashanto Kumar and Bankim Ghosh. Dipak Mukherjee, made a duplicate key of the Bank’s locker, he stole all the money and shared it with Bankim Ghosh and Prashanto Kumar. Uttam Kumar was charged for stealing the money from the bank and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. N. Biswanathan was provided money to prevent him from taking the brief of Uttam Kumar.

His mother died after Uttam Kumar went to jail. After coming out of prison, he went to forest of Ratangarh to find Tarun Kumar. But he was transferred. He stayed in the house of Kamal Mitra. He prevented the nephews of Kamal Mitra from stealing his will, so Kamal Mitra provided him money to take revenge against the conspirators.

Uttam Kumar came back to Kolkata in the new name of Santaprasad Singh, wearing a Punjabi Turban. He advised Bankim Ghosh to open liquor business in addition to rice business. He gave money after mortgaging the rice mill. Bankim Ghosh was caught by the police and imprisoned.

He asked Prashanto Kumar to burn his factory to stop trade union demands and get insurance money. The trade union leader was advised by Uttam Kumar to surrender before the police to prove innocence. Prashanto Kumar was also arrested. He ruined Dipak Mukherjee and N. Biswanathan by instigating to buy shares in bogus company, which failed and they suffered huge financial services.

Uttam Kumar proved once again in Jibon Mrityu that he was one-man industry. The film was remade in hindi with the title Jiban Mrityu where Dharmender played the role of Uttam Kumar.

Happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoor on 6th December, 2010. He was one of the thoughtful directors of bollywood films and still his films are cherished by a big section of the viewers today.

He directed a meaningful film Masoom in the early 80s. He used the most dynamic actors and actresses of the contemporary period that was Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddun Shah. Naseeruddin had a previous wife who died leaving his small child played by Jugal Hansraj. He married Shabana Azmi who already had her own daughters including Urmila Matondkar. It was difficult for Shabana Azmi to accept the step son when her own daughters’ interests were related. Naseeruddin Shah decided to send the young child to boarding, but Shabana Azmi’s conscious spoke and she brought him back at the end of the film. RD Burman’s composition titled “huzur is kadar bhi” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar, and “tushse naraz nahi zindagi” sung by Lata appealed to the masses.

Shekhar Kapoor astonished the viewers with a masala film Mr. India in the mid-80s. Anil Kapoor found a device which could make people invisible. He used the device to encounter a big smuggler played by Amrish Puri with the title Mogambo. Anil Kapoor ran an orphanage full of children and after becoming Mr. India used the children in his fight against Mogambo. Anil Kapoor’s compassionate performance, Amrish Puri’s fiery acting, Sri Devi’s dance numbers, everything appealed to the masses and the film ended up being the greatest hit of the year. Laxmikant Pyarellal’s music in the film became super hit including songs like “hawa hawai”, “karte hai hum pyar Mr. India se”, etc.

Shekhar Kapoor was criticized the most for his film Bandit Queen based on the life of dacoit Phoolan Devi. Shekhar Kapoor tried to show the torture faced by Phoolan Debi who was a malwa, by the Thakurs of the area, which compelled her to become dacoit. But the film gathered controversy due to the details shown by Shekhar Kapoor in respect of humiliation faced by Phoolan Debi. The Censure Board came in the way. Shekhar Kapoor got criticized all the way. His other film Elizabeth was also a noble venture. Shekhar Kapoor is also known for his acting in TV serials like Khandan.

His future projects include Paani, Long Walk To Freedom and The Last Full Measure. The viewers expect Shekhar Kapoor to continue his innovative film making in the years to come.

Producer RD Bansal passed away.

Producer RD Bansal passed away.

Eminent Producer RD Bansal passed away on 11th December, 2010 at the age of 88 years. During the golden age of Bengali films, that is the 50s and 60s, he produced classic film made by the all the giant directors of Bengal, including Oscar Winning director Satyajit Ray, Dada Saheb Phalke Winner Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar, Mrinal Sen, and others. As producer he received the President’s gold medal and silver medal a number of times, the awards for the best feature film made in the respective years.

He produced Ray’s film Charulata and Kapurush Mahapurush. While Charulata dealt with classic literature of Rabindranath Tagore, Kapurush Mahapurush dealt with two different stories. Mahapurush dealt with comedy oriented story of Rajshekhar Basu having pen-name Parashuram, who had social message in the film. Both the films of Ray were classical masterpieces and won several awards both national and international. He also produced Ray’s film Jay Baba Felunath, which was based on the detective stories written by Tagore on the cases solved by Feluda or Prodosh Mitra. He also produced the film Mahanagar.

He also produced Ajoy Kar’ film Saat Pake Bandha. For the brilliant performance in the role of a struggling woman, Suchitra Sen received special jury award from Moscow, Russia.

He produced the film Shashibabur Sangsar, where Chabi Biswas played the brilliant role of the karta of hindu undivided family in the name of Sashibabu. He also produced the film Shesh Porjonto, where Biswajeet Chatterji and Sulata Choudhury played pivotal roles. In the later years he produced the film Nishijapon directed Sandip Ray.

Producers of the present age should learn from RD Bansal, the art of producing meaning realistic films. Although the films were created with intellectual acumen, the common mass had enjoyed them. RD Bansal’s films should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Shatrughun Sinha.

Happy birthday to Shatrughun Sinha.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to successful actor Shatrughun Sinha on 9th December, 2010. He was considered to be one of the leading angry young man of the 70s after Big B.

Although he started his career as anti-hero in films like Khilouna, where the central characters were played by Jeetender and Sanjeev Kumar, within short time, he showed his metal as an action star and ruled bollywood films for another 20 years. He also did well in the film Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari. He was successful in films like Gaye Aur Gauri opposite Jaya Bacchan, Bombay To Goa, etc., in the early 70s.

Shatrughun Sinha learned acting Pune Film and Television Institute and his lessons went a long way in his illustrious career. Viewers remember his combination with Reena Roy as both played romantic pair in numerous films. Kalicharan was one of the most popular films amongst them.

Whenever Shatrughun Sinha faced Amitabh Bacchan both the actors tried to supersede the other. The viewers enjoyed the rift between the two actors in contemporary films. Both did a fantastic job in Ramesh Sippy’s film Shaan. Shatrughun Sinha’s charishma in the role of a shooter was as elegant as Big B’s angry young image in killing Goga Kapoor’s men in the film.

The other films where Big and Shotgun (Shatrughun Sinha was called by this name) met included Kala Patthar, Dostana, Naseeb, to mention a few. In all those films both the actors complimented each other. Even in comedy films like Naram Garam, Shotgun showed his comedy elements and was appreciated.

Shatrughun Sinha was given an off-beat role by Goutam Ghosh in Bengali film Antarjali Jatra where he played the role of a cremator. He played a marathon innings in films which include commercial success like Goutam Govinda, Dillagi, etc. Even in political career he achieved a lot by working for the people under the BJP banner. He was member of Rajya Sabha and won elections also under BJP ticket. He is called the stylish Bihari Babu by his admirers. He must be a proud father after his daughter Sonakshi Sinha had stormed bollywood with her superhit debut opposite Salman Khan in the film Dabanng released this year.

Both Shatrughun Sinha and Vinod Khanna are considered the greatest competitors with Big B and had succeeded in portraying the role of action heroes in India. Their height, voice and stature helped a lot in portraying those characters. The viewers expect Shotgun to continue the great work in films in future.

No Problem should get a good opening.

No Problem should get a good opening.

Anil Kapoor’s new film No Problem which is slated to release on 10th December, 2010, should get a good opening. The film had been directed by Aneez Bazmee. He had directed other super hit films in the past including No Entry. Anil Kapoor deserved a whole-hearted response from the audience because he had been an institution by himself in respect of comedy films. Most of those films did excellent business including Mr. India, Ram Lakhan, Jamai Raja, No Entry. The list can go on. In many terms he had remained a very underrated actor inspite of showing his versatility in every type of role including action based characters, romantic roles and comedy roles. Besides, after Dilip Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, he had been one of the actors who concentrated more on the depiction of the character rather than the beauty and glamour as done by the majority actors. None of his characters played till now have any similarity. His performance in Tezaab, had no similarity with that of Ishwaar, or that of 1942 – A Love Story.

In No Problem, Akshay Khanna and Sanjay Dutt were bank robbers. While they robbed a bank in a village, the bank officer, namely Paresh Rawal got involved too. Anil Kapoor played the role of investigating officer who had handled many crooks in his life. He got married to Sushmita Sen. She had been the daughter of the Commissioner of Police played by Shakti Kapoor. Sushmita Sen had played the role of a split personality.

On one moment she had been a caring mother and wife. On the other moment she inclined to kill her husband. Anil Kapoor was inclined to chase Sunil Shetty who was alleged to have stolen diamonds. On the other hand, Paresh Rawal searced for Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna to prove his innocence.

Akshay Khanna fell in love with Kangana Ranaut, who was the younger sister of Sushmita Sen. Akshay Khanna and Sanjay Dutt committed a last robbery in a minister’s house. But Sunil Shetty reached the house after both Akshay Khanna and Sanjay Dutt left. He could not find the diamonds and tortured the minister. The rest of the film hovered around the concept of how the investigators caught the crooks.

The performance of Anil Kapoor, SanjayDutt, Paresh Rawal and Akshay Khanna had been excellent. Sushmita Sen was brilliant in the films Maine Pya Kyun Kiya and Do Not Disturb. She did even better in this film. The music had been composed by Sajid Wajid, Pritam Chakravarty and Anand Raj Anand. The songs “no problem” sung by Wajid. Kamaal Khan, and others and “shakira” sung by Hard Kaur and Kalpana had been popular.

The film should do well.

Chabi Biswas was unparallel in the film Dadathakur.

Chabi Biswas was unparallel in the film Dadathakur.

Legendary actor Chabi Biswas was unparallel in the film Dadathakur. The film was directed by director Sudhir Mukherjee. It was based on the real life of stalwart personality Sharat Pandit.

Chabi Biswas who played the role of Sharat Pandit, who was popularly known as Dadathakur, created his own press during the colonial period. He was known for his wisdom and thought provoking literature. In every piece of literature he tried to make the readers laugh.

Tarun Kumar, a known swadeshi during British Raj took shelter in the house of Chabi Biswas. His wife played by Chaya Debi did not prevent it. Chabi Biswas helped the neighbours. He tried to get Sulata Choudhury married to a neighbouring zamindar played by Biswajeet Chatterji. During a procession when the swadeshis tried to put the Indian flag in place, the British police fired at the Indians and Biswajeet got killed.

Chabi Biswas believed in his own capability and never accepted any gift from the Britishers. When he went to buy the tools relating to his Press machine, he was offered the machine without any monetary consideration but Chabi Biswas bought it by paying money. Once he took contract to print question papers of a nearby high school. He went to give the question papers by travelling in train for the next 8 miles. But during monsoon, the railway track got submerged in water, and Chabi Biswas walked down the railway track to reach the question paper to the high school.

He even sold his own written work in the streets of Kolkata like a hawker. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saw him doing it, and being the mayor of Kolkata Corporation, he gave a hawking license to Chabi Biswas. It was a very difficult role to play as Dadathakur had been considered as one of the great intellectuals that graced Bengali soil during the freedom movement. But Chabi Biswas with his asthma, did a brilliant job and tried to depict the character of the maestro in his own way and got awarded also. The film should be preserved for its historical value.

Raj Kapoor versus Dilip Kumar.

Raj Kapoor versus Dilip Kumar.

Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar had remained the greatest legends of hindi cinema for the last 100 years. Ranbir Raj Kapoor, also known as Raj Kapoor, was the son of legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Muhammad Yusuf Khan, also known as Dilip Kumar was the son of Fruit tycoon Lala Ghulam Sarwar. Raj Kapoor was born on 14th December, 1924, while Dilip Kumar was born on 11th December, 1922. They acted together only in one film titled Andaz in 1949, which was directed by Mehboob Khan.

There were a lot of striking points of the two superstars who ruled bollywood films during the 40s, 50s and 60s. Raj Kapoor was awarded Padmabhushan in 1971, while Dilip Kumar was awarded Padmabhushan in 1991. Raj Kapoor was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke in 1987 and Dilip Kumar was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1994.

In 1947, Raj Kapoor acted opposite Madhubala and Begum Para in the film Neel Kamal. In 1947, Dilip Kumar acted in the successful film Jugnu, although he started his career with the film Jwar Bhatta in 1944. While Raj Kapoor got the title of showman, with his projection of larger than life romantic stories in films like Barsaat, 1949, Awaara, 1951, Shree 420, 1955, Sangam, 1964, etc; Dilip Kumar got the title of Tragedy King with his projection of the sad personality in films like Devdaas, 1955, Musafir, 1957, Madhumati, 1958, Mughal –i-Azam, 1960, etc. Both the actors acted opposite leading actresses of the golden age including Nimmi, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Wahida Rehman, Vaijayantimala, to name a few, although Raj Kapoor acted in 17 films opposite Nargis, while Dilip Kumar acted in 7 films opposite Vaijayantimala.

While Raj Kapoor at an age of 22 years married Krishna Kapoor at an age of 16 years who was his maternal cousin in 1944; Dilip Kumar at an age of 44 years married Saira Banu at an age of 22 years in 1966. Both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar supported the Congress, but although Raj Kapoor did not join active politics, Dilip Kumar became Member of Rajya Sabha and also Sheriff of Mumbai.

While Raj Kapoor had marathon combination with composer Shankar Jaikishan, lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri and singers Mukesh, Lata and Manna Dey, who worked with him in more than 15 films; Dilip Kumar had immortal bond with composed Naushad, lyricist Shakeel Badayani and singer Mohammad Rafi who had contributed in more than 15 films of the legend.

While Raj Kapoor won filmfare awards in different categories including best actor, best director, best producer, etc; Dilip Kumar won the filmfare award for best actor for record 8 times. Raj Kapoor had died in 1988 and Dilip Kumar had retired from films after acting in the film Qila, many years ago. Their works should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Showman Raj Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Showman Raj Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor is remembered by the nation on his birthday on 14th December, 2010. He was probably the most popular actor of bollywood films of the 40s, 50s and 60s other than Dilip Kumar.

Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor still remain the most popular actors of bollywood cinema in the last 70 years. One of the reasons of their immense success includes the superlative class of music being given to the giant actors by Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan.

Naushad gave classic tunes to Dilip Kumar in the films Uran Khatola, Kohinoor, Mughal-I-Azam, Leader, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, to name a few. Rafi and Shakeel Badayani were the other players in the deadly combination. Rafi’s songs for Dilip Kumar like “madhuban me radhika nachere”, “woh dur ke musafir”, “tere husn ki kya taarif karun”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, “dilruba maine tere pyar me kya kya na kiya”, “aaj purani rahon se koi mujhe awaaz na den”, “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “do sitaron ka zameen par hai Milan aaj ki raat”, etc., remain one of the greatest creations of all times. If Naushad was unparallel as a composer, Shakeel Badayani was unparallel as a lyricist, Rafi was matchless as singer and Dilip Kumar matchless as an actor.

Producer director Raj Kapoor was the closest competitor of Dilip Kumar during the 40s, 50s and 60s. In fact both the giants had acted together in the film Andaz in 1949. Raj Kapoor’s deadly combination with Shankar Jaikishan had produced super hit films like Barsaat, Aah, Awara, Shree 40, Chori Chori, Anari, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, to name a few. The music of those films were equally popular and successful. Songs of Mukesh and Manna Dey like “ramaiya vasta maiya”, “mur murk e na dekh”, “sab kuch seekha humne”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, “o mehbooba”, “dost dost na raha” “aa aab laut chalen”, had not lost their flavor even after 50 years of their creation. As Raj Kapoor had other qualities besides acting including production, direction, editing, etc., he is considered the greatest showman of all times even today.

As far as the compositions of Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan are considered, both the composers had very strong classical orientation. Naushad gave folk tunes to Dilip Kumar in Ganga Jumna sung by Rafi including “nain lad jaiy he” and Lata in “dhoondo dhoondo resaajna”, etc. Shankar Jaikishan gave folk tunes to Raj Kapoor in Teesri Kasam in songs like “chalet musafir” sung by Manna Dey, to name a few.

If Naushad displayed the muslim culture of Lucknow, Aligarh with his classical tunes in films like Leader, Kohinoor, Mughal-i-azam, Shankar Jaikishan displayed the European tunes in Raj Kapoor’s films Sangam, Around the World, etc., where the westernized orchestrations complimented the colourful scenary of the foreign countries. In fact, SJ’s tunes “chale jana zara theheron” showed the brilliance of Lake Erie and Niagra Falls stretching from Canada to USA, and mesmerizing the audience. Even in Sangam, the creation of SJ picturised in the snow-clad Switzerland titled “ishq the ishq, I love you” showed SJ’s capability of adapting to European tunes. The musical fountain in Around the World, showed the brilliance of SJ in the film Around the World.

The lyrics written by Shakeel Badayani in Dilip Kumar’s films where music was composed by Naushad were as innovative as the lyrics written by Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’ films composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The lyrics contained urdu shairy, bhopuri language, ultramodern lyrics, rural language, etc. and appealed to the masses.

Naushad had composed music in more than 15 films of Dilip Kumar and the same is the case of Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’s films. The music of each of those films can be analysed and revisited.

It is impossible to say whether Dilip Kumar’s combination with Naushad was greater than Raj Kapoor’s combination with Shankar Jaikishan, but it is true that the two giants had left assets for generations to cherish which had ended up being masterpieces. New actors, composers, singers, directors learn from the success of the Showman and Tragedy King and the works should be revisited.

Raj Kapoor’s legacy is carried forward by his son Rishi Kapoor, grandson Ranbir Kapoor and granddaughter Kareena Kapoor. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor had established themselves in bollywood films and will go a long way. Raj Kapoor’s creations should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to tragedy king Dilip Kumar.

Happy birthday to Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, the legend of legends.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Dilip Kumar, better known as Tragedy King on 11th December, 2010. An institution by himself, Dilip Kumar had been a torch bearer in the world of romantic acting for the last 70 years. Born in 1922, Yusuf Khan, one of the greatest actors of bollywood films of all times had created new dimensions at every decade with his unique style of acting.

Although his performance in tragic roles like Bimal Roy’s Devdas and Madhumati, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Musafir, and other landmark films had made him an icon of tragedy, he had proved his variation in comedy films, social films, action-oriented blockbusters. Directors like Bimal Roy, K. Asif, Tapan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, consider Dilip Kumar as the greatest actor of all times. He had made the characters immortal which he had played in his illustrious career.

He had given extraordinary lips in landmark songs of the 50s and 60s sung by Mohammad Rafi like “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan aaj ki raat” in the film Kohinoor, “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “tere husn ka kya tareef karun”, “apni azadi ko hum hargese mita sakte nahi”, in the film Leader, “dilruba maine tere pyar me kya kya na kiya”, “koi sagar dilko behlata nahi” in the film Dil Diya Dard Liya, “aaj ki raat mere”, “aye hai bahare dekho” in the film Ram Aur Shyam, to name a few. Giant composer Naushad made the greatest contribution in the films of Dilip Kumar, although Shankar Jaikishan gave quality music in the films Yahudi and Daag, Salil Choudhury contributed in the film Madhumati and Musafir.

Dilip Kumar had acted opposite all the leading actresses of 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, including Madhubala in Tarana, Mughal-i-Azam, Nargis in Babul, Andaz, Meena Kumari in Kohinoor, Azad, Footpath, Vaijayantimala in Madhumati, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Wahida Rehman in Dil Diya Dard Liya, Aadmi, Ram Aur Shyam, Saira Banu in Sagina, Gopi, to name a few.

Even during the 80s, his character roles created new dimension in bollywood films. His performance in the film Mashal, Masdoor, Shakti, Karma, Vidhata had inspired the new generation of actors like Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and others. He has the record of getting the filmfare award for the best actor for the maximum number of times ( 8 times ) which had not been broken by even Shahrukh Khan till now.

Dilip Kumar had not learned acting from any acting school yet the way he had made Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s character Devdas immortal, the actors of the next generation consider him an institution by himself. He had played roles of even trade union leaders in the film Sagina, he was the first actor in bollywood films to perform in a double role in the film Ram Aur Shyam. He created a trend and films with double roles were created in the same lines as that of Ram Aur Shyam in Seeta Aur Geeta, Chaalbaaz, Kishen Kanhaiya.

He received the highest civilian award given by Pakistan, Nishan –e- imtiaz which was previously received by only one Indian, that is the former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He had also received Dadasaheb Phalke award for his contribution in bollywood films. It is not possible to highlight the contribution of the legend of legends in a small article, as he had created an image which made him indispensable over 70 years in bollywood films.

Yet his journey is not over. Even in the present age directors like Subhash Ghai engage him with his new projects these days. The viewers want Dilip Kumar to continue acting in bollywood films if his health permits. Viewers had got addicted to his soft tune of dialogue throwing and want him to reproduce the magic again.

Happy birthday to sweet star Diya Mirza.

Happy birthday to sweet star Diya Mirza.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to sweet star Diya Mirza on 9th December, 2010. Diya Mirza, the decent actress of bollywood films has to go a long way to maintain her stardom and feature in the films of leading producers and directors of bollywood industry. Dia Mirza, better known as Dia Mirza Handrich, was born on December 9th, 1981. She was runner up in Miss India 2000 Beauty contest.

She was the daughter of German interior designer named Frank Handrich and Bengali mother named Deepa Handrich. Her father died and her mother remarried Ahmed Mirza, and she retained the surname of her second father. When she entered films her initial ventures like Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, Deewanapan did not impress the viewers to that extent.

But her film Tumko Na Bhool Payenge, opposite Salman Khan, became very successful. Salman Khan and his friend were brilliant shooters. They were used by the home minister to kill his rivals. At that time Salman Khan was fired by his friend, he drowned in water and lost his memory. He was associated with Sushmita Sen in the first part of the film.

In the second part Salman Khan was saved by some strangers who lost their child in war. So they accepted Salman Khan as their son. Dia Mirza used to visit the family and in that way got emotionally attached with Salman Khan. The music in the film became extremely successful with Sonu Nigam’s title song “tumko na bhool payenge” becoming super hit. Dia Mirza’s performance was appreciated along with the performance of Sushmita Sen.

She got a memorable role in the film Parineeta. Although the role was not as prominent as that of Vidya Balan or Raima Sen, as it was based on novel of Sarat Chandra Chatterji and directed by Pradeep Sarkar, each and every character role was remembered by cinematic audience.

But her performances in films like Dus or Dum did not create a lasting impression with which she could have grabbed leading roles in future. She again impressed the viewers with her decent performance in the film Lage Raho Munnabhai.

She played the role of the daughter of Boman Irani, who showed a forged horoscope to Kulbhushan Kharbanda to get Dia Mirza married to his son. In reality she was a manglik, and people had reservations in marrying such girls. Sanjay Dutt after understanding the path of Mahatma Gandhi told Dia Mirza to disclose the reality. She said it and although Kulbhushan Kharbanda declined to get his son married to Dia Mirza, Abhishek Bacchan, his son married Dia Mirza as the truth shook his conscience.

She was impressive in her role in Shootout at Lokhandwala. But her appearance in films like Fight Club – Members only, or Cash did not impress the viewers to that extent. Her looks reflect the decency of urbanized young girls of good families. Whenever she had tried to play ultra-modern roles it did not pay her to that extent. Roles which suit Esha Deol or Shamita Shetty does not necessarily suit Dia Mirza.

She is presently working for the film Kabhi Bhi Kahin Bhi. The viewers feel that she has to be more choosy in selecting roles in future to stay in the race where Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai had crossed some distance. Dia Mirza has lot of skills and has the capability of reaching the summit in bollywood films.

Happy birthday to Rajniknant.

Happy birthday to Rajnikant.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajnikant on 12th December, 2010. For the last 20 years he had remained as one of the most popular superstars of South Indian films and carried his stardom in bollywood films as well.

From the beginning of his career he had created an identity in action films. He had his own mannerisms which were liked by South Indian audience and was also new for bollywood viewers. In the film Andha Kanoon, he acted along with Big B. His parents were tortured and killed in the film by Pran, Prem Chopra and Danny. The entire film was related to the revenge that he had taken against all those actors. His sister’s role was played by Hema Malini who was a police-officer in the film. There were romantic sequences in the film as well where Rina Roy contributed opposite Rajnikant, but as the action sequences became predominating there was not much scope for the romantic performance. The film became superhit in the early 80s.

Rajnikant showed his skills in action films along with Kamal Hassan and Big B in the film Geraftar. There he played the role of a friend of Big B, who was killed during an encounter with the villains in the film. The action sequences in the film became famous during mid-80s. Also the music of Bappi Lahiri became popular.

During the mid-80s Rajnikant acted in the superhit film Chaalbaaz which was made in the same line as Ram Aur Shyam and Seeta Aur Geeta. In the earlier films the double roles played by Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini amused the viewers. In Chaalbaaz the double role was played by Sri Devi. Rajnikant and Sunny Deol were the two heroes in the film. As the film was based on comedy of errors Rajnikant used his comedy skills to perfection opposite Sri Devi. Also Anupam kher did an experiment in the negative role in the film.

Rajnikant had been one of the most popular icons of tamil films for generations and had carried forward the legacy that was created by Shivaji Ganeshan, Jemini Ganeshan and others. The list of his hit films are too long and cannot be highlighted in a small article. Even his latest that was released last year titled Shivaji had become super hit. He also played a very active role in South Indian politics. He campaigned for the political party Dravida Munetra Khazagham (DMK) under the leadership of M. Karunanidhi.

Filmstars in South India are hailed across all the four states Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as the languages Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malayalam are very close to each other. Rajnikant had remained popular for more than 25 years and the people at large could identify themselves in the diversified characters that Rajnikant had played during his long career. If anyone travels to tourist spots of Tamil Nadu, namely Ooty or Kodaikanal, they will see the huge hoardings and cut outs of Rajnikant, all across the roads. For the tamil people he is like God.

Whenever the list of South Indian filmstars who had glorified bollywood films comes into question the name of Rajnikant comes at the top along with Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Arvind Swami and others. The All India audience expect Rajnikant to continue his excellent work both in South Indian films as well as bollywood films in the years to come.