Happy birthday to Pooja Bedi.

Happy birthday to Pooja Bedi.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Pooja Bedi, the daughter of legendary actor Kabir Bedi on 11th May, 2011. She was born in a star family with her mother Pratima Bedi being a classical dancerand father being an established actor. Although she came from an acting family as Kabir Bedi had experience of performing in Hollywood films as well, her contribution in bollywood films had not been that substantial.

Her film Vishkanya in the early part of her career was based on the story related to snakes. In Indian films fantasies based on the life of snakes had amazed the viewers in the past. The film Nagin in the mid-70s, with Reena Roy, Jeetender, Mumtaz and others, did fantastic business. So Pooja Bedi was lucky to start her career with such films.

Later on her film with Amir Khan, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, did fantastic business. The film was based on teenage romance. Amir Khan always had a special place in the minds of viewers as his romantic appeal always attracted the female audience right from the release of the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Pooja Bedi probably had given her best. Pooja Bedi’s role of a teenage girl did fit the requirement of the story and the film. All the songs in the film became successful including the song “pehla nasha, pehla khumar” sung by Udit Narayan. Viewers of different tastes appreciated the film.

Her other notable films included Aatank Hi Aatank and Lootere. She was very impressive in Mahesh Bhatt’s film Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Ayee. It was a film related to human relationship and Pooja Bedi’s performance in a supporting role was appreciated by the critics. She was as impressive as Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Roy in the film.

In the late 90s, all of a sudden she faded away from the industry. But she continued to appear in television shows. She was the anchor of the TV shows Not Just Page 3 and Just Pooja in Zoom TV. These programs became very popular in the years when they were telecast. In the following period she even participated as contestant in TV shows like Jhalak Dikhlaja in Sony TV, Heart Beat, Mum Tum or Hum, Jodi Kamaal Ki, Nach Baliye, etc., in Star TV, also Fear Factor – Khatron Ki Khiladi in Colors.

The viewers expect her make a comeback in bollywood films in the years to come.

The nation remembered Satyajit Ray on 2nd May 2011.

The nation remembered Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2011.

The nation remembered Satyajit Ray on his birthday on 2nd May, 2011. Not only he was the recipient of the prestigious Oscar awards, he was the path-breaker in Indian films who taught the next-generation the art of story-telling.

In 2010, Society had celebrated the 89th birth anniversary of the legendary director by showcasing some of his notable works like ‘Agantuk’, (The Stranger), ‘Jalsaghar’, (The Music Room), ‘Charulata’, (The lonely wife). The films were shown in Cinemax, Metro Big Cinemas and NCPA. After the films were shown, the significance of such films was discussed by Bhawna Somayya, ex-editor of Screen, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh and film academicians from all across the country. Besides, discussions were held to highlight the contribution of Ray as a writer, an illustrator, an activist of the film society movement and a filmmaker.

Internationally acclaimed directors like Shyam Bengal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, were greatly influenced by Satyajit Ray’s films like Apu Trilogy, Jalsagar, Nayak, Mahanagar, etc., and they themselves became eminent story-tellers of the following period. The use of nature, the birds, and background, and the use of theme music in translating an unknown event to a group of individuals had enchanted the thoughtful directors all across the world. Even directors of the present period like Goutam Ghosh are influenced by the works of Satyajit Ray. He made Abar Aranye which was a sequel to Satyajit Ray’s film Aranyer Dinratri. A personality like Ray could only make a film like Kanchenjungha, where the greatness of the Himalayas overshadowed the ego of a materialistic industrialist played by Satyajit Ray.

An important part of Satyajit Ray’s creations include his literature on diverse subjects. While his Sandip Ray had taken the challenge of converting the Feluda Series into feelings, his literature relating to horror-based subject matters, his series of 12 stories are yet to be converted into films. Sandip Ray’s films Bombaier Bombete, Kailashe Kelenkari, Baksho Rahasya, based on epic literature of Ray had got good response from the viewers.

But Ray’s brilliant stories in the 12 series like Ebaro Baro, Aro Baro, Ek Dojon Goppo, Aro Ek Dojon, Eker Pite Dui, are yet to see the light of celluloid. Ray’s stories like Khagam, based on the theme of human being converted into a snake, Pterodactyler dim, based on the prehistoric era, Fritze, based on the topic of life in a doll, Asomongobabur Kukur, based on the weird mannerisms of dogs, had bewildered the readers.

If such stories are adapted and made into films, the viewers will enjoy them to the brim. The legacy of Ray whether in the form of neo-realistic films like Pather Panchali, or suspense –thriller stories relating to Feluda Series or Professor Shanku, still continues, even 18 years after his death. The stories should be translated in different languages, and films should be preserved and restored.

Subir Sen had remained an unsung singer.

Subir Sen had remained an unsung singer.

Subir Sen, the noted Bengali Singer who had played a great innings in both Mumbai and Bengal had always remained an unsung singer. He had super hit songs in Bengali from the 50s to 70s.

Some of his hit songs included “akash jekhane golpo bole”, “chand tumi eto alo kotha hote pele”, “chondon ankha chotto kopal”, “dur diganto dheke aache meghe”, etc. His song “eto sur aar eto gaan” and “saradin tomay bhebe” mesmerized the Bengali audience in the late 50s. Composer Sudhin Dasgupta and Abhijit Banerjee composed some memorable songs for Subir Sen.

His other song “ogo shakuntala” composed by Bhupen Hazarika was very well appreciated by the Bengali audience. Some of his other songs included “nogor jibon chobir moton”, “ei ujjal din”, “swarnojhara surjorange”, tomra amar gaan shune”, “tomar hashi lukiye”, “tumi bolechile”, etc. He also sang songs under the composition of Salil Choudhury including “dharaniro pothe pothe”. He also acted in Uttam Kumar’s film Momer Alo, where composer Robin Chatterji had composed songs for him.

He was extremely successful in his bollywood venture. He sang the songs in the film Katputli with elegance. The songs were composed by legendary composer Shankar Jaikishan. His song “dil mera ek aas ka panchi” became super hit in the film Aas Ka Panchi. Jubilee Kumar Rajender Kumar gave lips in the song and Shankar Jaikishan composed the song for Subir Sen.

He was even impressive in the songs sung in Shammi Kapoor’s film Boy Friend which were also composed by Shankar Jaikishan. His success somewhat got overshadowed due to the similarity of his voice with Bengali singer Hemant Kumar or Hemanta Mukherjee. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

Remembering Shankar Jaikishan on Death Anniversary of Shankar.

Remembering Shankar Jaikishan on Death anniversary of Shankar.

The viewers of bollywood films mourn the death anniversary of Shankar, the legendary composer on 26th April, 2011, whose combination with Jaikishan had created musical masterpieces during the 40s, 50s and 60s. The combination started working together in Raj Kapoor’s film Barsaat in 1949, and after that they never looked back. They created trends, broke the conventional style of music, experimented in every level of music, gave music in the films of all the leading actors and actresses of 50s and 60s.

As the name of Shankar Jaikishan was always used together due to their dominance in bollywood music in the 50s and 60s, individually their individual capabilities were not discussed in details. Music historians had reiterated after the death of the magical duo that Shankar had contributed the most in the classical songs while Jaikishan was more instrumental in the westernized tunes and orchestrations. Further Shankar’s most of the compositions were associated with lyricist Shailendra and Jaikishan’s creations were mostly associated with Shankar.

Some of the unforgettable classical tunes of SJ include “sur na saje kya gayun mai” sung by Manna Dey in the film Basant Bahar picturised on Bharat Bhushan, “ajahu na aye balma” sung by Rafi in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera picturised on Mehmood, “aji ruth kar ab kahan jayiega” sung by Lata and Rafi in the film Aarzoo picturised on Sadhna and Rajender Kumar, “o mere shahe khuba” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Love In Tokyo, picturised on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna, etc.

Besides a huge number of compositions of SJ included folk songs involving the smell of the soil from where they had originated. Those songs included “ramaiya vasta maiya” in the film Shree 420, sung by Rafi, Lata and Mukesh picturised on Raj Kapoor and Nargis, “chalat musafir” in the film Teesri Kasam, sung by Manna Dey picturised on Raj Kapoor, “aa ab laut chale” sung by Mukesh, Lata and picturised on Raj Kapoor and Padmini, etc.

Music lovers lament the death of Shankar and the disintegration of the SJ team in the 60s, because they had contributed in the films of Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Dharmender, Jeetender, Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar, Manoj Kumar, etc., which includes almost the entire industry. So viewers of different tastes enjoyed the composition of SJ in those films. It is very sad that during the last 15 years, the media had underrated SJ and tried to project RD Burman as the greatest phenomenon of the century. He was a definitely a brilliant composer but his contribution cannot be equated with the dynamic composition of SJ. Shankar’s contributions should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Manna Dey.

Happy birthday to Manna Dey.

The viewers of bollywood films and listeners of playback songs wish happy birthday to legendary classical singer Manna Dey on 1st May, 2011. He gave interview before Anurag Basu in a program held in Zee Bangla on 1st July, 2010. Anurag Basu had hosted the program for more than a month now. Notable celebrities like Pritam, Shaan, Prasenjit Chatterji, Konkona Sen Sharma had been interviewed in the program. Questions were asked to the fans of the celebrities.

Manna Dey when asked between himself, Rafi and Kishore Kumar, where would he rank himself. He said that he would keep Rafi at no. 1 because according to him no one had sung sugam sangeet to the level of perfection of Rafi. He had kept Kishore Kumar at 2 and mentioned that after Rafi he was versatile and modulated the voice brilliantly for decades. He kept himself at no. 3. He said his songs were difficult to sing as they were classically oriented, but listeners enjoyed them. He sang the song “hey bhai zara dekh ke chalo” from Raj Kapoor’s film Mera Naam Joker in the program. He talked about lyricist Pulak Banerjee who had died some time back, but had given majority of songs to Manna Dey.

Manna Dey had a very sweet relationship with Sudhin Dasgupta. He was used by almost all the leading composers of Bengal namely Anil Bagchi, Nochiketa Ghosh, Salil Choudhury and others. But probably his westernized andaz was used to the limit by Sudhin Dasgupta.

Sudhin Dasgupta used Manna Dey in Uttam Kumar’s film Goli Theke Rajpoth with the song “lag lag lag lag bhelkir khela”. Manna Dey’s songs “ami agantuk” and “ke prothom kache esechi” composed by Sudhin Dasgupta in Uttam Kumar’s film Shankhabela created sensation in Bengali celluloid in 1966. Manna Dey’s songs “ami kon pothe je choli” and “bachao ke acho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Choddobeshi became super hit as well.

In the 70s, Manna Dey’s songs “esechi ami esechi”, “lekha porata shikhe phele” and “paye paye joriye rakho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Har Mana Har created sensation as well. Uttam Kumar gave the lips of his lifetime in the film Har Mana Har. While major success of Sudhin Dasgupta came in Uttam Kumar’s films, he made major contribution in Soumitra Chatterji’s films as well. The songs “ei shohor theke aro anek dure”, “hoyto tomari jonyo”, “jibone ki pabona” in the film Teen Bhubaner Pare, composed by Sudhin Dasgupta and sung by Manna Dey showed the westernized orchestration of the giant composer.

Sudhin Dasupta’s songs in Soumitra’s films Prothom Kodom Phul and Bosonto Bilaap were equally successful. Manna Dey’s all round musical skills were used to perfection in these films. Even the song “ogo tomar sesh bichare asay” sung by Manna Dey in bayul andaz in Kali Banerjee’s legendary film Dak Horkora, and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta made the viewers speechless.

Manna Dey sang many numbers of solo songs as basic discs under the compositions of Sudhin Dasgupta. One of the notable songs included “ami taar thikana rakhini”. The songs of Sudhin Dasgupta and Manna Dey combination should be preserved and restored.

Manna Dey received Dada Sahab Falke award and really deserved it. He is probably the last living legend. Viewers and listeners owe their respect to the versatile singer.

Classical songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey together.

Classical songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey together.

Music of bollywood films reached its zenith during the 50s and 60s. Composers, lyricists and singers of diversified cultures and came together and produced masterpieces. During that period the classical rendition of orthodox songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey had made the listeners spellbound and still remain immortal more than 50 years after their creation.

Qawallies were composed in style during that period. In the film Barsaat Ki Raat in 1960, composer Roshan’s qawalli “na to karwan ki talash hai” started by Manna Dey and continued by Rafi with the lyrics “yeh ishq ishq hai ishq ishq”, was the major attraction in the film. Both Rafi and Manna Dey sang the qawalli in their own style and with their own harkats. Barsaat Ki Raat had other brilliant songs including the title song, but the qawalli stood as one of the superlative creations.

In the film Taj Mahal in 1963, the qawalli “chandi ka badan, sone ka nazar” composed by Roshan was another masterpiece. Rafi’s style of performance was as unique as Manna Dey’s one. The same was equally brilliant as the other songs like “jo wada kiya hai” sung by Rafi and Lata and “paon chu lene do” sung by Rafi.

In the film Bahu Begum in 1967, Rafi and Manna Dey probably competed against each other to prove their supremacy in the qawallies composed by Roshan. The song “dhoond ke layun kahan se mai” almost created an environment lying in a dargah. The individual classical touch given by Manna Dey was as brilliant as Rafi. The other song “waqib hoon khub ishq ke” sung by Rafi and Manna Dey made the audience speechless. Probably these songs were more difficult to sing than the solo songs like “hum intezar karenge” by Rafi or “duniya kare sawal” by Lata.

There were light songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey together also. In Kalpana, their song “tu hai mera prem devta” composed by OP Nayyar was one example. In Parvarish, Dattaram composed the song “mama ho mama” for Rafi and Manna Dey. In the film Rustom Sohrab, Sajjad Hussain composed for Rafi and Manna Dey the song “phir tumhari yaad ayi”.

In the film Sachai, Shankar Jaikishan composed the song “ai dost mere” for Rafi and Manna Dey. Whenever Rafi sung duet with other playback singers the classical andaz could not be balanced by anyone. Whenever Manna Dey sang any duet with Rafi, whether a qawalli or any other semi-classical song, both the singers took their singing to a higher dimension, and the audience enjoyed the brilliant performances in the long run.

Just because Rafi’s classical andaz could be matched by Manna Dey, Rafi had sung around 60 duet songs with him, that was the highest with any male singer.

The songs and the films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Moushumi Chatterji - the charming star from Bengal.

Happy birthday to Moushumi Chatterji – the charming star from Bengal.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Moushumi Chatterji on 26th April, 2011. Moushumi Chatterji, the Bengali actress acted both in Bengali and hindi films and showed her skills in both of them. She acted in the Bengali film Balika Badhu, where the film was based on child marriage and impressed the directors and producers with her performance.

From that time she ventured in Bombay and tried her luck in bollywood industry. Her film Anurag opposite Vinod Mehra became super hit. She played the role of a blind girl and got appreciation of the crowd. The songs in the film became very successful including songs like “woh kya hai” sung by Rafi.

She acted in action films like Goutam Govinda. The film was related to the story of Shashi Kapoor, a police officer who came to the village and trained all the rustic villagers the manner of self-defense. Shatrughun Sinha was his own brother, which was disclosed at the end of the film. Moushumi Chatterji showed her humour in the respective role. Moushumi also acted in suspense-thrillers like Benaam, opposite Big B, where there the anxiety relating to the kidnapping of her son was at issue. She expressed her feelings very well in the film.

She was brilliant in the film Manzil Manzil, opposite Big B. It was the remake of Mrinal Sen’s Bengali film Akash Kushum. Akash Kusum was based on the story relating to Soumitra Chatterji presenting a false story about himself before Aparna Sen with the help of his friend Shubendu Chatterji. In the hindi version also the story line was not changed. Moushumi Chatterji’s smile had a beauty of its own which she expressed in majority of films in style.

While acting in a number of bollywood films, she stormed Bengali films with her performance in the super hit film Ogo Bodhu Sundari, opposite Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar. The story was based on how Uttam Kumar, an academician brought a girl from the streets and taught her literature. Moushumi expressed the difficulty of forgetting her rustic language which she adopted from the environment she came from and learning the new language. The music given in the film by Bappi Lahiri became super hit. Songs like “ami ekjon shantoshisto”, “shudhu tumi nou obolakanto”, etc., sung by Kishore Kumar became super hit.

Her comedy conception was used by Gulzar and other directors very successfully. Her film Angoor opposite Sanjeev Kumar showed her comedy skills. The film was based on Uttam Kumar’s film Bhranti Bilas and had similarity with Shakespeare’s play Comedy of Errors. Sanjeev Kumar played the double role in Angoor that was played by Uttam Kumar in the Bengali film Bhranti Bilas, while Moushumi Chatterji played the role of his wife which was played by Sabitri Chatterji in the Bengali film. The two brothers were identical twins and Moushumi Chatterji got confused with her own husband and his brother. Deven Verma played a double role along with Sanjeev Kumar as his servant.

Her other successful films included Pati Patni Aur Woh, opposite Sanjeev Kumar, Ghayal, as the sister-in-all of Sunny Deol and many other films. Even she had acted in landmark Bengali films like Kori Diye Kinlam based on the epic novel of Bimal Mitra. The viewers expect Moushumi to contribute in character roles in bollywood films in future.

Chitta Basu and bengali films.

Chitta Basu and bengali films.

Chitta Basu was one of the notable directors who graced Bengali films during the 50s and 60s. Born on 27th November, 1907 in Khulna, Bangladesh, he contributed a lot to Bengali commercial films.

He worked under his maternal uncle Naresh Chandra Mitra from whom he learned work. He started his career with the Bengali film Bondhur Path in 1946. But he rose to stardom with the tremendous success of the film Chele Kaar in 1954. He did cast Bikash Roy and Arundhuti Debi in the main role. The story was relating to a small child played by Master Babua who caught Bikash Roy in the road and called him his father. At the end of the film his grandfather Chabi Biswas and grandmother Suprava Mukherjee accepted him as the son of Bikash Roy. Chabi Biswas played a cameo performance in the film and flabbergasted the viewers with his elegance even in the field of serio-comic films. Kalipada Sen composed the music of the film.

Chitta Basu continued with his dream in the film Ekti Raat with Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen Kamal Mitra and others. The film was released in 1956 and music composed by legendary composer Anupam Ghatak. The serio-comic film did great business and Chitta Basu used the acting talent of Malina Debi to fullest extent in the film. Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “pradipero sikha keno kaape” became super hit. Chitta Basu’s other film Putra Badhu with Uttam Kumar and Mala Sinha did mediocre business.

Chitta Basu bounced back with the success of the film Bandhu in 1958. Uttam Kumar Asit Boron and Mala Sinha complimented each other in the film. Uttam Kumar gave landmark lips in Hemant Kumar’s song “mou bone aaj mou jameche” composed by Nochiketa Ghosh.

Chitta Basu was successful with the films Bindur Chele, Mantrashakti and Jaya. His other blockbuster was Mayamrigo in 1960. Chabi Biswas was perhaps at his height of dignity and elegance in the film. The story was written by Niharranjan Gupta and Uttam Kumar played a cameo to back up the new pair of Biswajeet Chatterjee and Sandhya Roy. The film had been remembered for dynamic performances from Sandhya Rani, Bikash Roy and Sunanda Debi. Manobendra Mukherjee was at his best as composer. All the songs in the film namely “bok bok bokum paira”, “metiri americar kabyo”, “bidhi re” became super hit. Chitta Basu continued the dream run with Biswajeet’s film Godhuli Belai. Again Manobendra Mukherjee’s romantic andaz in the song “godhuli belai” bewildered the viewers. Chitta Basu also made other films like Rastar Chele and Sesh Parba.

He died in 1993. One article is too small to describe the immense contribution of Chitta Basu to Bengali celluloid during the classic age. May be his performance opposite other giants like Ajoy Kar, Agragrami, Debaki Kumar Basu had left him unwept and unsung. His films should be preserved and restored.

Can Ready repeat the magic of Dabaang?

Can Ready repeat the magic of Dabaang?

Can Salman Khan’s film Ready repeat the magic of Dabaang. In 2011 this is Salman Khan’s first film to be released. The expectation of the viewers had increased after Salman Khan had provided 150 crores business to bollywood with the film Dabaang last year.

Ready has been directed by director Aneez Bazmee. Asin had been cast opposite Salman Khan in the film. The film had been a remake of Tamil film Ready directed by Sreenu Vaitla in which Ram and Genelia Desouza played notable roles.

The supporting roles had been performed by Arya Babbar, Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar and others. Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Kangana Ranaut, Zarine Khan played guest roles in the film. The music had been composed by composer Pritam. The film had been shot in Sri Lanka.

The big challenge the film has to recoup the Rs 55 crores that had been invested. Dabaang had a very unique storyline. The casting also was new. Sonakshi Sinha acted opposite Salman Khan for the first time. Pritam has huge challenge to meet the success of Sajid Wajid in Dabaang. Last year Aneez Baazmee’s film No Problem could not get revenue inspite of star performers like Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt providing successful performances.

The film will be released in June, 2011. The bollywood industry is desperately waiting for a blockbuster this year. Nothing can be better if Salman Khan comes up with one more with Ready.

Probir Mojundar and Bengali modern songs.

Prabir Mojumdar and Bengali modern songs.

Probir Mojumdar was one of innovative composers of the golden age who had contributed for Bengali modern songs both with innovative lyrics and brilliant tunes during 50s, 60s and 70s. He was associated with Salil Choudhury for some time and learnt the art of music composition from him too. Salil Choudhury was a genious of words and tunes. Probir Mojumdar who developed his skills on the same lines did adequate justice to the words that he had written by giving fruitful music in them.

Born in 1928, Probir Mojumdar created attention in the Bengali arena with his landmark composition for Dhananjoy Bhattacharya titled “matite janmo nilam, mati tai rakte misheche” in the late 50s. The lyrics of the songs were also written by Probir Mojumdar himself. The song was related to the struggle for freedom during the 40s.

Probir Mojumdar, was remembered for one of the most romantic songs sung by classical singer Manobendra Mukherjee, titled “ei nil nil jal sagore, elomelo sure gan gaowa”. The song had very balanced use of the piano and the soft orchestration was as poetic as the romantic presentation of Manobendra Mukherjee.

Other song for Manobendra Mukherjee tilted “ekhono ei raat” was a blank verse having an odd beat. The song became superhit with the charismatic intonation of Manobendra Mukherjee. The other brilliant composition of Prabir Mojumdar included “kanak chapa dhan” sung by Tarun Banerjee.

He created the brilliant song “raat koto ke jane” for Manna Dey which became superhit. His composition for Nirmala Mishra titled “o tota pakhire” became an everlasting hit having folk flavor.

Probir Mojumdar made notable contribution in Bengali film music as well. He composed music for the film Sri Sri Ramkrishna in the mid-50s. He composed music for Rajen Tarafdar’s off-beat film Jibon Kahini in the early 60s.

The other films for which he composed music, included Teen Pari Choy Premik, Surjosakhhi, Karoti, etc., which were released in the 80s. His name is used with the same dignity as the name of other followers of Salil Choudhury like Kanu Ghosh, Abhijit Banerjee, Anal Chatterji. His music and the films should be restored.

Happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni.

Happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni on 20th April, 2011. She played very significant roles in the films of 90s. She was given prominent roles in successful bollywood films during that period. Rakesh Roshan gave a significant role to Mamta Kulkarni in the film Karan Arjun. She was the wife of Salman Khan in the film. Both Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan were shown to have two lives. In their first lives they were tortured and killed by Amrish Puri. In their second life they were born at other places but came to Rajasthan to stop the illegal activities of Amrish Puri and his men. Mamta Kulkarni and Kajol contributed with their respective roles along with Rakhee, who had the prominent part in the film. Although the film was related to superstitious beliefs, Rakesh Roshan succeeded in entertaining the audience and the film ended up being big hit.

Mamta Kulkarni got the role of her lifetime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film China Gate. She was the relative of Om Puri who called him up to rescue the villagers from the rule of dacoits in the region. Om Puri was a retired major, who left the armed forces after one of their missions failed. Om Puri called all his friends who worked in the last mission, including Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Danny, Tinu Anand, Jagdeep , etc., and formed a team to combat the dacoits. Mamta Kulkarni kept the retired military officers in her house and provided them food and amenities during their stay. The police office in that jurisdiction Paresh Rawal conspired with the dacoits and betrayed the military officers. But ultimately the military officers under the leadership of Om Puri succeeded in killing the dacoits and bringing peace within the village. The film was off-beat in nature and Mamta Kulkarni showed her acting skills in the film.

Her other successful films also included Krantiveer, where she acted opposite Atul Agnihotri. Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia had the main roles in the action film, but Mamta Kulkarni showed her frustration after she came to know about her father being involved in the gang of lawbreakers who were responsible for riots and other destructive activities. The film was related to corruption existing in society which included the police officers, judges, the executive and politicians. After the late-90s all of sudden Mamta Kulkarni left bollywood films. Viewers remember her both in glamourous and non-glamourous roles. Now that she had attained age, she can contribute in character roles. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in recent bollywood films and entertain the viewers once again just like the way she entertained the viewers in the films of the 90s.

Happy birthday to Charming Star Lara Dutta.

Happy birthday to Charming Star Lara Dutta.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to charming star Lara Dutta on 16th April, 2011. She had married famous tennis player Mahesh Bhupati this year. The best of a person is extracted when his or her rival is brought before him and her and both are allowed to face a contest. Vivian Richards had shown his chivalry against ace fast bowler Denis Lillee, Rafi had shown his jugglery of voice in classical contests opposite Manna Dey, Om Puri geared up for his acting charishma whenever he had faced Naseeruddin Shah.

For those reasons, Lara Dutta had geared up to face one of her old rivals Priyanka Chopra in the film Dhoom 2. Both the actresses had come from the fashion world and they kept their mark in beauty contests. Both of them had started their career also in the same film, that was Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar. From that time, Priyanka Chopra had gone past Lara Dutta in the last few years. But director Farhan Akhtar had given scope of Lara Dutta to match Priyanka Chopra in Dhoom 2.

Lara Dutta had started commencing her fitness program the way she did before release of Blue under instructor Zarine Watson. Lara Dutta had been on vegetarian diet for some time, eating every two hours. She has given up sweets and oily food. Only liquids, soups, juices and water form major part of her diet. Her only lunch includes salads. As she is pitted opposite Priyanka Chopra, who is considered to be the most fit actress of bollywood at the moment, it is a test for Lara Dutta to match her in Don 2.

Besides both have to prove themselves opposite superstar Shahrukh Khan, who is hungry for a super hit film, after his contemporaries like Amir Khan and Salman Khan had given super hit films this years. All in all, Don 2 is looking very interesting from the star cast and from the record of Don 1, which was an ambitious project of Farhan Akhtar.

Suchitra Sen had been remembered on 6th April, 2011.

Suchitra Sen had been remembered on 6th April, 2011.

Legendary actress Suchitra Sen had been remembered on her 80th birthday on 6th April, 2011. She started her career with the film Saat Number Qaidi in 1953 and ended up with the film Pranay Pasha in 1978. After that she retired from film acting.

Within the span of 25 years she acted in 3 films opposite Uttam Kumar making the romantic pair immortal over the last 60 years. She also acted in bollywood films including Devdas opposite Dilip Kumar, Bombai Ka Babu opposite Dev Anand, Mamta opposite Dharmender and Ashok Kumar, Aandhi opposite Sanjeev Kumar, to name a few.

Suchitra Sen had a tremendous combination with singer Geeta Dutt and their understanding both in Bengali films and bollywood films had created history during the golden age, that is the 50s and 60s. In the film Indrani, all the songs sung by Geeta Dutt for Suchitra Sen including “jhanak jhanak madhur badan”, “nir choto khoti nei”, “ogo sundoro”, etc., all became super hit. Suchitra Sen provided hit films one after the other with Uttam Kumar, during that age and Indrani also falls in that category.

Even in films where Geeta Dutt had sung only one song for Suchitra Sen, even in those films, the songs had a great impact in the success of the films. The song in the Ajoy Kar’s epic film Harano Sur, in 1957, titled “tumi je amar” had a unique appeal for the audience. Uttam Kumar lost his memory due to meeting with an accident and Suchitra Sen sang the song a number of times in the film. It haunted the viewers and touched the souls of numerous admirers of Bengali films. Geeta Dutt’s song for Suchitra Sen also in the film Hospital also became extremely successful. Ashok Kumar acted opposite Suchitra Sen in the film and the song was “ei shundar sharnali sondhae”.

In bollywood films, SD Burman used Geeta Dutt for Suchitra Sen in the film Bombai Ka Babu. Dev Anand acted opposite Suchitra Sen in the film and all the songs were super hits. The main songs included “dekhne me bhola hai”, “pa ma ga”, etc., out of which some of them were duet songs with Mohammad Rafi and their romantic by every musical standard. As Suchitra Sen made memorable contribution in bollywood films for more than 30 years, a lot of legendary singers contributed for her during that period. There were hit songs sung by Sandhya Mukherjee in landmark films like Sagarika, Pathe Holo Deri, Sriti Tuku Thak, Uttar Falguni, Bipasha, etc. At the same time in bollywood films Lata had sung landmark songs for Suchitra Sen including “rahe na rahe hum” composed by Roshan in the film Mamta, “is mor se jate hai”, “tere bina zindagi me shikwa” composed by RD Burman in the film Aandhi. Even then Geeta Dutt was probably the only singer who sang songs for Suchitra Sen both in the Bengali films as well as the bollywood films.

As Suchitra Sen’s hindi films were restricted to only Devdas, Champakali, Musafir, Bombai Ka Babu, Mamta, Aandhi, etc, Geeta Dutt got a limited scope of contributing in Suchitra Sen’s hindi films. Even then, the songs are still remembered by many generations and for those reasons the films should also be preserved. The films of Suchitra Sen should be preserved and restored.

Gulshan Bawra is remembered on his birthday.

Gulshan Bawra is remembered on his birthday.

The music lovers all across India remember legendary lyricist Gulshan Bawra on his birthday on 13th April, 2011. His birthday cannot be celebrated with pomp and grandieur as he died on 7th August, 2009, at the age of 72 years. He had died due to heart failure.

Although his involvement in lyrics of bollywood films is related to less number of songs if compared with the dynamism of Shakeel Badayani, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi and others, his words were very meaningful and his work was appreciated by elite section of the society. Born in 1937, he came to Bombay as a railway clerk in the 50s and showed his talent as a lyricist in due time. His song “tumhe yaad hoga kabhi hum milethe” sung by Hemant Kumar and Lata in Balraj Sahani’s film Satta Bazar gave him recognition.

He received filmfare award for the best lyricist for his brilliant composition “mere desh ki dharti”, sung by Mahendra Kapoor and composed by Kalyanji Anandji in the film Upkaar in 1967. Manoj Kumar’s epic film won most of the awards that year and Gulshan Kumar gave his best for the epic film. He had a great combination with Kalyanji Anandji and for them he wrote different types of songs including patriotic songs, romantic numbers, tragic numbers, etc. He again got filmfare award for the best lyrics written for the song “yaari hai imaan mera yaar meri zindagi” for the film Zanjeer. It was sung by legendary singer Manna Dey and composed by Kalyanji Anandji.

Gulshan Bawra also acted in the film and gave lips in a song sung by Rafi. His other hit songs included “kasme wade nibhayenge hum” and “aati rahegi baharen” in the film Kasme Wade, composed by RD Burman, “wada karle saajna” from the film Haath Ki Safai, and many other songs. He faded away from the industry after the emergence of new lyricists in the 1990s. But his works were very meaningful and unique. His songs should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia.

Happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia. Actress Ayesha Takia has a very bright future in bollywood films. There are two categories of actresses who perform in bollywood films. The first category includes the daughters of celebrities who make their debut in films made by their parents. Examples include Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, whose first films had lot of curiousness created in respect of the performance. The second category includes the other actresses who prove their capability by performing in films over a period of time. Ayesha Takia fall in that category. She was born on 10th April, 1986. Her father Nisith or mother Faridah were not celebrities to the stature of Jeetender, or Feroz Khan or Hema Malini whose children joined bollywood films. Ayesha did advertisement relating to complain girl and acted in music video of Falguni Pathak titled “meri chunari ur ur jaye”. She received the filmfare award for best debutant for the performance in the film Tarzan, The Wonder Car. After that few average films like Socha Na Tha, Dil Mange Mor followed. She created attention in the film Shaadi No. 1, where Esha Deol and Soha Ali Khan acted with her. All three of them had husbands like Fardeen Khan, Sharman Joshi, etc., who were addicted towards other ladies. Sanjay Dutt came over there and disclosed the truth relating to the affairs of their husbands with other girls like Riya Sen. At the end of the film Ayesha’s husband and the husbands of Esha Deol and Soha Ali Khan understood their mistake and followed the right path. Ayesha Takia was sublime in the film Salaam-e-Ishq opposite Akshay Khanna. Initially Akshay Khanna did not wanted to marry her for not taking up responsibilities of husband. But later he got convinced and married her. Ayesha gave able lips in the songs “salaam –e-ishq”, “dekho to dekho aisa hota to”, etc. Although the film did mediocre business the songs of the film became super hit. In 2008 and early part of 2009 her films De Taali, Sunday and 8*10 Tasveer did mediocre business. In 2009, Ayesha Takia acted in super hit film Wanted opposite Salman Khan. Her romantic performance opposite Salman Khan was appreciated by all sections of the crowd. Her softness and submissiveness is like by different sections of audience. The song “love me love me” became hit in the film. The film did business of more than 75 crore and established Ayesha Takia as a leading actress along with Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. The viewers also appreciated the good work of Ayesha Takia in films like Paathshala and Aap Ke Liye Hum in 2010. Viewers expect Ayesha Takia to continue her good work in 2011 as well.

Hasrat Jaipuri, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi.

Hasrat Jaipuri, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi.

Renowned poet and lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri was born on 15th April, 1922 as Iqbal Hussain. In 1940, Hasrat Jaipuri came from Jaipur to Mumbai. Prithiviraj Kapoor heard him in a mushaira and recommended him to Raj Kapoor when he was making the film Barsaat.

The epic combination of Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan started from Barsaat. The first 2 songs written by him became super hit namely “jiya beqarar hai” and “chor gaye balam”. The pen of Hasrat Jaipuri glorified RK Films and other bollywood films for the next 30 years.

Rafi, SJ and Hasrat Jaipuri was an equally brilliant combination like Shailendra, SJ and Rafi. Hasrat’s song sung by Rafi titled “teri teri pyari pyari surat ko” in Rajender Kumar’s film Sasural became super hit. In Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee almost all the songs sung by Rafi became immortal hits. In that list, Hasrat’s song “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” touched the souls of music lovers all across India. The song was sung by Rafi and Lata and both the versions were very melodious.

Hasrat’s lyrics for Rafi “tum mujhe yu bhula na paoge” became super hit in the late 60s. It was composed by SJ for Shammi Kapoor in the film Pagla Kahin Ka. Hasrat’s song “ajahu na aye balma” in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera was a sensational song. Rafi exhibited his classical andaz and tune of Shankar Jaikishan was excellent by every musical yardstick. Hasrat Jaipuri received the filmfare award for the best lyricist for Rafi’s song “baharon phool barsao” in Rajender Kumar’s film Suraj.

Rafi’s other songs written by Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by SJ included “unke khayal aye to” in Raj Kumar’s Lal Pathar, “badan pe sitare lapete hue” in Shammi Kapoor’s Prince, “awaaz deke hume tum bulayo” in Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, “aji ruuth kar ab” in Rajender Kumar’s Aarzoo, “dekha hai teri aankho me pyar hi pyar beshumar” in Dharmender’s Pyar Hi Pyar, “dhire dhire chal chand gagan me” in Dev Anand’s Love Marriage, “rukh se zara naqab uthalo” in Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, “teri zulfon ne judai to nahi maangi thi” in Dev Anand’s Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” in Rajender Kumar’s Jhuk Gaya Aasman, etc.

Hasrat Jaipuri contributed in Raj Kapoor’s blockbusters like Awaara, Shree 420, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, etc, Rajender Kumar’s blockbusters like Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Dil Ek Mandir, Humrahi, Sasural, Zindagi, etc, Shammi Kapoor’s hit films Janwar, Brahmchari, Raj Kumar, Andaz, etc., Joy Mukherjee’s Love In Tokyo, Biswajeet’s April Fool, Uttam Kumar’s Choti Si Mulakat, to name a few.

Raj Kapoor’s greatest hit film in his illustrious career remained Sangam. In the film Hasrat Jaipuri’s words “yeh mera prempatra par kar” sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar had remained immortal. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote it for a girl named Radha. Raj Kapoor kept the name of Vaijayatimala Radha in the film Sangam. Rafi’s voice at the end of the film brought tears in the minds of the audience with the words “kitum nazaar na hona” when Raj Kapoor and Vaijayantimala immersed the ashes of Rajender Kumar in Prayag Sangam at the end of the film.

Hasrat Jaipuri died in 1999. One article is too small to highlight the works of the legends Hasrat Jaipuri, SJ and Rafi. In fact Hasrat Jaipuri worked with other composers of the golden age as well. But the songs written by Hasrat Jaipuri for Rafi which were composed by Shankar Jaikishan still stand out as the most romantic masterpieces in the history of bollywood cinema.

Happy birthday to Jaya Bacchan.

Happy birthday to Jaya Bacchan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jaya Bacchan on 9th April, 2011. She was considered to be one of the most powerful actresses of films during the 70s and 80s. Her effortless performance in different types of roles had inspired other actresses to follow her later on. Jaya Bacchan started her career with an impressive role in Satyajit Ray’s film Mahanagar in 1965. She played the role of younger sister of Anil Chatterji and adapted herself in the role of realistic actress who show least amount of mannerisms in that film. In the bollywood film Guddi, she played the role of a common girl who was inspired by bollywood films. Utpal Dutta, her uncle took her to film studios to show that actors like Dharmender and others were made stars by the sheer effort of the cameraman, make-up man, director, producer and others and larger than life image is created by the technicians. Jaya Bacchan showed the innocence required from the role of a common teenager in the film. In the 70s, Jaya Bacchan acted in refined commercial films opposite Sanjeev Kumar and got appreciation from the mass and the critics. She was sublime in Gulzar’s film Koshish, where she herself along with Sanjeev Kumar played the role of a deaf and dumb couple who educated their child and learned communication by attending classes in deaf and dumb schools. She acted in the film Naya din nayi raat, opposite Sanjeev Kumar, where Sanjeev Kumar played 9 roles of 9 different persons. She left her house and met all the nine separate persons and met her husband which was also played by Sanjeev Kumar. She had very peculiar experiences of meeting drunkards, persons suffering from leprosy, smugglers, etc. and expressed her emotions very well. She was sublime in Gulzar’s film Parichay in 1972, where she played the role of the eldest sister of Sanjeev Kumar. She and her brothers and sisters became orphans after the death of their parents and were brought by Pran, their grandfather to their ancestral house. Jeetender was invited to teach the children and she got involved with Jeetender at the end of the film. She expressed her love for her father and hatred towards grandfather for not accepting her mother in the house like any intellectual actress. Her lips in the song “biti na bitai rehna” sung by Lata and Bhupinder Singh require special mention. Jaya Bachhan was equally sublime in commercial films like Sholay, Zanjeer, etc., opposite Big B. If her performance opposite Sanjeev Kumar in films like Anamika, Nauker, showed her class of acting, her performance opposite Big B in films like Bangsi Aur Birju or Abhimaan or Milli showed her spontaneous presence before the commercial crowd. In Abhimaan, all the songs of Lata like “teri bindiya re”, “tere mere Milan ki yeh raina”, etc., almost appeared like songs of Jaya Bacchan. Critics feel that she even did better than Big B in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s classic film. She became a myth in the 70s, after performing in any time of film including Manoj Kumar’s Shor to Yash Chopra’s Silsila. Even the medium-budget films like Piya Ka Ghar did business due to sheer brilliance of performance of Jaya Bacchan. In the late 90s, she again made a comeback in character roles in films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Fiza, etc., and showed the audience that she had not lost her touch in acting. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in bollywood films, as there is no doubt that she had equal potentiality like Shabana Azmi or Smita Patil and could have been chosen for any art film made by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others during the 80s, had she not left films for bringing up Abhishek Bacchan and her daughter.

Manobendra Mukherjee compositions in Bengali films and modern songs.

Manobendra Mukherjee compositions in Bengali films and modern songs.

Manobendra Mukherjee had glorified the world of Bengali classical music for more than 35 years. The entire 50s, 60s and 70s was designated as the golden age of Bengali modern songs and Manobendra Mukherjee’s individual performance as vocal classical singer require no special introduction.

But his contribution as composer requires to be highlighted. Manobendra’s composition for himself in the 50s was unique. The romantic songs composed by him included “emni kore porbe mone baki jibon dhore”, “ami eto je tomay bhalobesechi”, “koto asha niye tumi esechile”, etc. Most of these songs stand out as the most romantic songs in the entire history of Bengali modern songs. The lyrics of Shyamal Gupta took the listeners to a different world of plutonic love.

In the 60s, Manobendra Mukherjee continued with his majestic tunes most of which did great business in Bengal. Some of them had classical appeal including “na jeona modhu jamini”, “ei moshumi mon”, “sangi bihongi tumi je amar”, etc. His composition in films like Chapadangar Bou in 1954, Sanjher Pradeep in 1955, Mayamrigo in 1960, Bodhu in 1962, Godhuli Belai in 1966, Joy Jayanti in 1970, created by that period of time.

But Manobendra Mukherjee’s composition for other leading singers of Bengal, both male and female, created sensation in the 50s, 60s and 70s. His landmark composition for Supriti Ghosh titled “gane gane ami je khuji tomay”, composition for Bani Ghoshal titled “kuasha ghera nil pahare” created sensation in the 50s.

Manobendra Mukherjee’s composition for Alpona Banerjee titled “mon bolche sandhay kichu bolte tumi aasbe ki” and “tumi sundor bole tai to bondhu”, created sensation in the 60s. Manobendra gave melodious tune to Shefali Chakravarty titled “kemone janabo bolo e pranero bedona” having both classical and romantic tune.

Manobendra Mukherjee gave folk tune to Tarun Banerjee in the song “champakoli go koto name dekechi tomay”. The list can go on.

Manobendra Mukherjee was a sensation in the world of Bengali film music. He started his career with Uttam Kumar’s film Chapadangar Bau. In that film his own song “shibo he shibo he” surprised the viewers with Mahadev’s Gajan. In Mayamrigo he composed the songs “metidiamericar kabyo”, “bidhi re” with elegance. The songs were sung by himself. Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “bak bak bakum bakum paira”.

Manobendra Mukherjee was sublime in Chabi Biswas’s film Badhu. The kirtan “gunamanir kalo rupe” sung by Manobendra Mukherjee flabbergasted the Bengali audience. Manobendra Mukherjee received BFJA and other words for his composition in Uttam Kumar’s film Jay Jayanti. Sandhya Mukherjee’s songs “amader chuti chute”, “aamra kono kichu korle”, etc.

Manobendra Mukherjee was sublime in other films like Bosonto Choudhury’s film Kosti Pathar, Biswajeet Chatterjee’s film Godhuli Belay, other films like Sadhok Bamakhepa, Joto Maat Toto Path, Nidhiram Sardar, Sudhur Niharika, Sanjher Pradeep, etc.

Manobendra’s creation requires to be unearthed. There are many melodious compositions of Manobendra made in the 50s, which had not been reprinted by HMV. If displayed, they can attract the new generation and entertain them.

Happy birthday to Golden Hero Jeetender.

Happy birthday to Golden Hero Jeetender.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jeetender, the golden hero of the 60s on 7th April, 2011. He has been considered as one of the most consistent actors who had steady box-office in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

In the early 60s, he started his career with the success in the film Geet Gaya Pattharone, opposite Rajashree. Bollywood industry was flooded with actors at that time including Showman Raj Kapoor, Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and the other matinee idols like Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan and others. He had to face very strong competition to stay in the competition at that time.

Within a short period of time his dancing skills were cultivated by the directors and his films started making profits. His film Farz in 1967, opposite Babita, became super hit. The songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi created storms, including “mast baharon ka mai ashiq”, “baar baar din yeh aye”, etc. Besides, Jeetender’s dance performance in most of the songs entertained the viewers to a big extent. From that time onwards, Jeetender had a great combination with LP, Rafi and Anand Bakshi. All the songs of the film Humjoli, Jeegri Dost and Banphool became superhit. Prominent songs included “mere desh me”, “dhal gaya din”, etc. Initially critics called Jeetender jumping jack, but his dancing skills followed by his acting skills made him a ruler in the 70s and 80s. He was blessed with romantic songs of Rafi and the composition of many brilliant composers of 60s and 70s. The songs of his film Mere Huzoor were equally romantic. Jeetender with his dancing skills was sublime in the film Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari where Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs in the films were super hit including “tu nari mai brahmchari”sung by Rafi and Manna Dey. He was equally brilliant in the film Waarish. Rafi’s songs in the film were brilliant including “ek bechara pyar ka maara”. He was successful in the film Kathputli as well.

In 70s, he was probably the only romantic actor other than Rishi Kapoor, he survived the period relating to action films, when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughu Sinha and others gave hit action films one after the other. The hit films of Jeetender in the 70s include Karwan, Nagin, which continued in the 80s with the success of films like Asha opposite Reena Roy. Jeetender also played a crucial in off-beat films of Gulzar like Parichay, Khushbu and Kinara where the intellectual audience had appreciated him. He gave very elegant lips in brilliant songs of Bhupinder Singh like “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc.

He transformed himself from an excited, energetic, youth to a reserve personality in Parichay, Khusbu and Kinara. Jeetender’s in the 80s had compelled producers to launch him opposite young actresses like Sri Devi and Jaya Prada who were much younger than him in films like Himmatwala or Dharm Adhikari. After the launching of his son Tushar Kapoor in modern films, he had reduced acting in contemporary films. But the viewers expect him to still continue in modern films in character roles just like before.

Happy birthday to Jaya Prada.

Happy birthday to Jaya Prada.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jaya Prada on 3rd April, 2011. Jaya Prada was considered as one of the most gifted actresses of bollywood films of the 80s. She shook the Indian audience with her dancing skills in the film Shankaravaranam.

In the late 70s her film Sargam opposite Rishi Kapoor became superhit with a brilliant story and excellent songs. She played the role of a deaf and dumb girl who had immense dancing callibre which was unearthed by Rishi Kapoor in the film. The music composed by LP was brilliant by every musical standard and Lata and Rafi were sublime in the songs “dafliwale dafli baja”, “koel boli”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, etc. In an age of action pact films of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Sargam being a romantic film with Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Prada did excellent business.

From that time Jaya Prada became the no. 1 bollywood actress and acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood. Her other superhit films include Sharabi, opposite Big B, Akhree Rasta opposite Big B, Kamchor opposite Rakesh Roshan, to name a few. She acted in a number of films opposite Jeetender as well and all of those films were successful.

At that time she got stiff competition from Sri Devi, another South Indian actress who had both acting talent and dancing talent. The films where both of them acted together, the viewers were confused to choose between the two. In Akhree Rasta Jaya Prada did equally well like Sri Devi. In the 90s, also Jay Prada’s films especially opposite Big B did good business, like Indrajeet or Aaj Ka Arjun. In those films while Big B concentrated on action sequences, Jaya Prada played the romantic part to perfection.

With the emergence of new actresses in bollywood films in the 90s like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, Jaya Prada faded away from the bollywood industry. She joined politics and had been the parliamentarian for more than a decade. Besides she had played important roles in tamil films and other South Indian films over the years.

A number of cinema halls in Mysore and Bangalore were named after her. In 2010, she had been expelled from the Samajwadi Party by Mulayam Singh Yadav along with other primary members. That can give her some time to devote in bollywood films as well. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in bollywood films in character roles as many of them feel that she still has a lot of acting left in her.