Happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai.

Aishwarya Rai. All the viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai on the 1st November, 2012. She had been a sensation in Indian films for the last 15 years and had created a name in Hollywood films. She is the first actress in Indian films whose wax statue has been built in Madam Tussadd’s museum in London. This Kareena Kapoor’s wax statue was made in Madam Tussadd’s museum. Even after her marriage with Abhishek Bacchan her popularity had increased and acting potential had got wider recognition. The two important films that she had acted in 2008 including Jodha Akbar and Sarkar Raj had been appreciated by the audience. Her glamour had been beyond any shadow of doubt over the last 15 years which had just increased with time. Her illustrious career had been associated with all the leading stars of bollywood films over the past 10 years. Her notable films include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, Taal with Akshay Khanna and Anil Kapoor, Josh with Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachud Singh, Dhoom 2 with Hrithik Roshan, Guru with Abhishek Bacchan, to name a few. At the same time she had worked with leading directors of bollywood including Ram Gopal Verma, Subhash Ghai, Mani Ratnam and others. The music in her films had always being successful. The hit songs in which she had given lips include “ishq bina kya jeena” from the film Taal, “hum dil de chuke sanam” from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, “aisi nazar se na dekha” from the film Bunty Aur Babli, “ajooba hai” from the film Jeans, “dhoom machale” from the film Dhoom 2, etc. She had also given lips in the songs sung by all the leading singers of bollywood films including Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shreya Ghoshal, Alisha Chinoy, Sunidhi Chauhan and others. Her adaptability with the new singers had resulted in maintaining her stardom with change in the music and arrival of new directors, composers, singers, producers, etc. Her performance in Hollywood films like Pride and Prejudice had shown her intonation, diction and acting capability to the international audience. She is a great Indian ambassador. In 2010, her film Action Replay opposite Akshay Kumar and Ravan opposite Abhishek Bacchan did not do adequate business. But her performance opposite Hrithik Roshan in the film Guzaarish had been appreciated by the critics. It received critical acclamation. She stopped acting for 2 years when she gave birth to a daughter. The viewers and admirers expect her to continue her good work that she had started 20 years ago.

Madhumanti and Indrani Dutta stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Madhumanti and Indrani Dutta stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Madhumanti and Indrani Dutta stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar on 27^th October, 2012. Madhumanti had married Ashok Biswanathan, the son of eminent actor N. Biswanathan. She had been successful as a news reader in man Bengali channels.

Indrani Dutta had been successful Bengali actress in many Bengali films. She had acted with even Prasenjit Chatterjee. In the first round, that is katakuti round Prasenjit Chatterjee asked Madhumanti questions relating to Bengali cinema.

A scene of Bengali cinema Chaddabeshi was shown. The scene was related to Bikash Roy’s testing of Uttam Kumar regarding his under knowledge of Bengali language. The question was what was the name with which Bikash Roy called Uttam Kumar. Madhumanti gave wrong answer. The correct answer was Bhajahari. The actual name of Uttam Kumar in the film was Gourhari.

Another scene was shown from the bollywood film Munnabhai MBBS. In that film a scene was shown where Sanjay Dutt was speaking with Boman Irani. Boman Irani asked Sanjay Dutt whether he did meet his daughter. The question was how many times the name of his daughter was uttered. The answer would have been 2 times. Indrani Dutta gave the right answer.

Both Indrani Dutta’s family and Madhumanti’s family did well in the Bong Anubad round and the other rounds. Prasenjit Chatterjee anchored the program very well.

Happy birthday to Shabbir Kumar.

Shabbir Kumar The viewers wish happy birthday to singer Shabbir Kumar on 26th October, 2012. He in his interview had said that when attended the funeral of Legendary Singer Mohammad Rafi on 31st July, 1980, his watch fell into the open grave. He took that message as divine blessing in the form of being Rafi’s successor. Composer Usha Khanna gave him a break in the film Tajurba in 1981. He sang most of the songs in Amitabh Bacchan’s film Coolie in 1983. Director Manmohan Desai searched for a singer having similarity with the voice of Rafi, as he was the major contributor in the films of Manmohan Desai, namely Amar Akbar Anthony, Naseeb, etc. Shabbir Kumar was used by legendary composer Laxmikant Pyarellal and all the songs became super hit. Shabbir after getting acclamation from the listeners for the songs “sari duniya ka bojh”, “accident ho gaya rabba rabba”, “Mubarak ho tum”, never looked back. His relationship with LP and Manmohan Desai just grew and grew. He sang the songs “o maa sherowali” and other songs of the film Mard in style. Mard was released in 1985. In the meantime RD Burman used Shabbir Kumar in all the songs of Sunny Deol’s film Betaab. Songs like “baadal yun garajti hai”, “jab hum jawan honge”, “teri tasvir mil gayee”, became the craze for youngstars in the early 80s. Shabbir Kumar continued the dream run in films like Meri Jung. The song “zindagi har kadam ek nayi jung hai” sung by Shabbir Kumar, composed by LP and picturised on Anil Kapoor became super hit. In Rajeev Kapoor’s film Ek Jaan Hai Hum released in 1983, Anu Malik used Shabbir Kumar for a number of songs including “dil dil hai koi”. Shabbir Kumar sang hit songs one after the other for other heroes like Sanjay Dutt, Rajeev Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Kumar Gaurav, Jackie Shroff and others. His hit songs in other successful films included Mithun Chakravarty’s Pyar jhukta Nahi, Big B’s Aaj Ka Arjun, Sunny Deol’s Ghayal, Kamal Hassan’s Giraftaar. His journey had continued till 2012. In 2010 also he sang hit song in the film House Full composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. He had been a very humble person and had immense respect for legendary singer Mohammad Rafi. The viewers expect the successful singer Shabbir Kumar to continue to entertain the viewers in future with more melodious songs in bollywood films and other films.

Happy birthday to Sunny Deol.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to action star Sunny Deol on 19th October, 2012. He had been a sensation in bollywood films. Being the son of successful actor Dharmender, he had the pressure of proving his capability the early part of his career. Although he started with romantic films like Betaab in the early 80s, within short period of time he built a macho body and acted in action films one after the other. He became the lead actor in most of the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Most of those films were anti-establishment films where his anti-establishment- image amazed the viewers. After Amitabh Bacchan and Dharmender, probably Sunny Deol was the only star whose action image was accepted by audience of different tastes. He received the filmfare best actor award for his brilliant performance in the film Ghayal. He took revenge against smuggling don Balwant Rai played by Amrish Puri. He got awarded for his brilliant performance in the film Damini opposite Meenakshi Sheshadri. He played the role of an upright lawyer who helped a lady like Meenakshi who was threatened by her inlaws against giving testimony in a rape case. The film became the greatest hit of the year. Sunny had to very high standard of acting from his rival Amrish Puri in both these films who maintained the standard of acting he displayed in art films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others. Sunny’s film Gadar Ek Premkatha, based on hindu-muslim vengeance during partition broke the record of hit films in India. He went to Pakistan to bring his wife Amisha Patel and small son, and faced the resistance of orthodox muslims under the leadership of Amrish Puri. He fought his way out and brought his family to India. He displayed the passion of being a true Indian in style. His other hit films included Ghatak, Samandar, Darr, Joshilay, Tridev, Vishwaatma, to name a few. He was considered to be one of the best body-builders of the country in the 90s. He also produced few films and did well in them as well. Other than Sanjay Dutt, no other actor was as successful as Sunny Deol in action films. He is presently busy with his sequel film Ghayal returns. 2011 had been a successful year for him. His film Yaamla Pagla Dewaana did excellent business at the beginning of the year. For the first time, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Dharmender were seen in the same film together. He was a great crowd puller in the 90s, viewers want the same magic back. His film Yaamla Pagla Dewaana 2 is going to be released in 2012 itself. The viewers expect him to continue the strong performance and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to Raveena Tandon.

Raveena Tandon. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Raveena Tandon on 26th October, 2012 . She was a versatile actress of the 90s. Initially when she joined films her performance opposite Akshay Kumar and Govinda attracted the attention of many viewers. Her films Mohra opposite Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty, Aatish and Vijeta opposite Sanjay Dutt, Vinashak opposite Sunil Shetty got great box-office success. In Vijeta she played the role of an honest police officer who loved a lawyer Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt took law in his own hands to punish the killers of his senior lawyer played by Aloknath. Raveena realized that her superior police officer Amrish Puri was a criminal himself and sided with Paresh Rawal. The performance of Raveena in a daring role in Vijeta amazed the viewers. She also showed her comedy skills in the film Andaz Apna Apna opposite Ami Khan and Salman Khan. She was the mate of rich girl Karishma Kapoor. But instead she pretended to be the rich girl and Karishma Kapoor pretended to be the maid. The film directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi did brilliant business in the early 1990s. But later on in her career she got challenging roles. She got the national award for the best actress for her brilliant performance in the film Daman. It was related to ill-treatment of women. She was sublime in the film Shool opposite Manoj Vajpayee, where the corruption in politics was at issue. Shool showed the high level of corruption in Bihar to such extent that some of the politicians wanted to ban the film. She gave landmark performance in the film Jago opposite Sanjay Kapoor. Her daughter was raped by miscreants in local train in Mumbai and she prayed for justice in court of law. Manoj Vajpayee, the police officer in the film faced the resistance from different members of the society in proving the case. Her performance in the court scene amazed the viewers and she got critical acclamation for the performance in the film. Raveena Tandon was brilliant in the film Daava opposite Akshay Kumar. She acted in other hit films like Officer opposite Sunil Shetty, Ladlaa opposite Anil Kapoor, Zid opposite Sunny Deol, to name a few.She always had kept her mark in action films where Sunil Shetty or Akshay Kumar or Sanjay Dutt had the major role. It is a pity that when she was at the peak of her career that she left films after getting married and begetting children. In 2011 she had acted in the film Buddha Hoga Tera Baap. She had also acted in the film Aap Ke Liye Hum. The viewers want her to make a complete return to bollywood films in character roles as she still has a lot of acting left in her.

Singer Anwesha and Surajit Chatterjee stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on Austami and Nabami.

Surojit Chatterjee. Singer Anwesha and Surajit Chatterjee stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on Austami and Nabami. Surajit Chatterjee sang his song from his new album of Band Bhoomi that was released in Durgapuja in 2012. Anwesha also sang her song from the puja album of 2012. Jishu Sengupta, the anchor of the program organized everyone and did a Durgapuja in the studio of Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program. All the contestants including Samayan Sarkar, Arpita Pal, Shovan Ganguly and the judges Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik and Joy Sarkar participated in the puja. On the day of Mahaaustami khichuri was served in the sets of Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program. According to the rituals on the day of Mahaaustami, the devotees are expected to have only khichuri bhog which is served to Goddess Durga. While the competitive singing continued in the sets of the Zee Saregamapa Program, the events relating to Durga puja also continued. Both Surajit Chatterjee and Anwesha encouraged the young singers.

Rupanjana, Saptak, Manali Dey and others stormed Zee Bangla Didi No. 1 Program.

Rupanjana Mitra On the day of Bijoya Dashami, Rachana Banerjee invited couples part of the Bengali entertainment industry in Zee Bangla Didi No. 1 Program. Actress Rupanjana Mitra came with her husband. Actress Manali Dey came with her husband Saptak. Actress Swaralipi Banerjee came with her husband. In the first round, Rachana Banerjee asked the wives to dress their husbands with new dhoti being given. The participants who could dress their husbands in the shortest time won maximum points. Wearing a dhoti is part of tradition on the day of Bijoya Dashami. In the second round singer Indranil Sen came in the show. He sang a song from his new durga puja album that had been released this year. He sang the song “akash dake aaj amay”. Then he asked the contestant to sing a song on the same theme. Indranil sang the song “tumi rabe na rabe”. Then he asked the contestant to sing another rabindrasangeet with the same theme. The contestant sang the song “sakhi kamona jahare bole”. He asked Saptak to sing the other paragraph of Geeta Dutt’s song “ei shundar shornali sondhay eki bondhone jorale go bondhu”. Saptak did a great job. Indraneel Sen wished everyone happy bijoya dashami. Rachana Banerjee was successful in bringing smiles in the faces of all contestants as most people cry on the day of dashami because Goddess Durga gets immersed in Ganges and Durgapuja ends.

The music of Yash Chopra’s films were excellent.

Yash Chopra Dilip Kumar Recently on 21st October, 2012, the great filmmaker Yash Chopra died. He had come saw and conquered. One of the reasons of his immense success of films lied in the beautiful music given in majority of films. His film Dhool Ka Phool in 1959 created sensation. Apart from the successful performances of Rajender Kumar, Manmohan Krishan and Mala Sinha, the beautiful songs composed by N Dutta contributed in the success of the film. Rafi’s song “tu hindu banega na mussalman banega” became a cult song. Waqt in 1965 stormed box-office. This time Yash Chopra used Ravi Shankar Sharma as composer. All the songs of Rafi, Mahender Kapoor and Asha Bhosle became super hit. Manna Dey’s song “o meri zohr-jabi” amused the viewers. The songs of Aadmi Aur Insaan in 1969 also became hit. Dharmender, Saira Banu and Feroz Khan were the lead performers in the film. In 1976, Kabhi Kabhi became a musical hit. Khayyam’s composition; Mukesh and Lata’s song “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” created magic. The lyrics of Sahir Ludhianvi were excellent. In 1981, Yash Chopra used Shiv Hari in the film Silsila. Yash Chopra used other composers in the following films. The excellent locations both in India and abroad, the brilliant music, beautiful stories and powerful performances in Yash Chopra still haunts filmlovers in India.

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor and remembering his combination with Mohammad Rafi.

Happy birthday to Shammi Kapoor and remembering his combination with Mohammad Rafi.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to rock and roll star Shammi Kapoor on 21st October, 2012. He died in 2011 making huge number of audience sad. He had remained a dancing sensation in the 60s.

Shammi Kapoor is also admired a lot by a big section of music lovers because most of the hit songs of the 50s and 60s belonged to him and the legendary singer Mohammad Rafi had sung immense number of brilliant songs for the stylish actor.

Although in the early part of his career he had mediocre films like Laila Majnu, he bounced back in style with the film Tumsa Nahi Dekha in 1957 and Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. His stylish andaz and dancing mannerisms like Elvis Priestley created a separate image before the viewers. He in fact modernized Indian films.

His combination with Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi was very grand. SJ composed music in almost 22 films of Shammi Kapoor and the songs of those films are still considered musical gems. Hit songs include “yahoo chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “ay ay ya karoon me kya sukoo sukoo” sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Junglee, “tumse accha kaun hai”, “lal chari”, “humko hai tumse pyar”, “meri muhobbat jawan raha hai”, sung by Rafi, composed by SJ in Janwar, “aye gulbadan”, “awaz deke”,  composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Professor, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye”, “yeh rang badalti duniya me”, “hoshiyaar”, “tumne kisi ki jaanko jate hue dekha hai”, composed by SJ, sung by Rafi in the film Raj Kumar, “aasmaan se aya farishta”, “raat ke humsafar”, “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “dewaane ka naam to pucho”, “tera dil hai mera” composed by SJ and sung by Rafi in the film An Evening in Paris, “mai gayun tum so jayo”, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche”, “dil ke jharoke me”, “chakke pe chakka”composed by SJ sung by Rafi in the film Brahmchari, to name a few.

Shankar Jaikishan composed music in other less known films of Shankr Jaikishan like Boy Friend, Andaz, Singapore, Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Jawan Muhobbat. Mohammad Rafi’s hit songs in those films include “dil use do jo jaan de den”, “re mamma re mamma re”, “hai na bolo bolo”, “tumse accha kaun hai”, “janam janam ka saath hai”, etc. The list can go on.

Shammi Kapoor received filmfare award for best actor only once, for the performance in the film Brahmchari in 1968. But that cannot show his dominance in bollywood films in the 60s. If Rajender Kumar portrayed the sophisticated style of romance in the 60s, Shammi Kapoor portrayed the westernized dimension. Actors like Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet followed the Shammi Kapoor style and got success in contemporary films like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Mere Sanam, etc.

Shammi Kapoor acted opposite all the leading actresses of bollywood films in the 60s, including Sharmila Tagore in Kashmir Ki Kali, Sadhna in Raj Kumar, Asha Parekh in Teesri Manzil, Saira Banu in Junglee, Rajashree in Janwar, Hema Malini in Andaz, Mala Sinha in Dil Tera Diwana, Nutan in Laatsahab, etc. After the 70s, he switched to character roles and there also showed his skills.

Shammi Kapoor and Mohammad Rafi combination was phenomenal even in other films where music was composed other than Shankar Jaikishan. For example OP Nayyar was unparallel in Kashmir Ki Kali, Tumsa Nahi Dekha, RD Burman was excellent in Teesri Kasam, Ravi was brilliant in China Town.

Some of his memorable films in old age include Betaab, Bidhata, Prem Rog, Parvarish, etc. His films and songs should be restored to remember the golden age of Indian films with colourful music.

Happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri.

Happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri.

Happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri on 18^th October, 2012. Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah used to be considered and is still considered the most versatile actor of all times. Born on 18^th October, 1950, Om Puri learned acting from Film and Television Institute of India. He was an alumnus of 1973 batch of Delhi School of Drama along with Naseeruddin Shah.

He was the automatic choice of the greatest directors of Indian films like Satyajit Ray who did cast him in Sadgati, Govind Nihalini who had cast him in Aakrosh, Ardha Satya, etc., Ketan Mehta who had cast him in Mirch Masala, Gulzar, who had cast him in Maachis, to name a few.

But when question came in relation to awards, critics feel that Om Puri, did not receive the recognition he deserved. He received national awards for best actor for his performance in the films Arohan and Ardhya Satya. But there is no justification as to the fact why did not receive a national award for his lifetime performance in the film Aakrosh. He did not have a single dialogue, and in a mute role, he expressed his agony, which was at par with some of the best Hollywood actors of all times.

His performance in Satyajit Ray’s film Sadgati requires special mention. He died at the end of the film while cutting wood for cremation purposes for Mohan Agase in the film. He made the classic literature of Munshi Premchand immortal with his performance. He was sublime in Mirch Masala. He was outstanding in Tamas.

Although he won a number of international awards, that does not justify his immense acting skills. He won the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for his performance in the film Ardhya Satya in 1984. He won Brussels International Best Film Actor award in 1998 for his performance in the film My Son the fanatic.

Even his performance in commercial films like Ghayal or Gupt or China Gate requires special mention. In the last 10 years he had featured in every alternate films including Gulzar’s Maachis, Priya Darshaan’s Malamaal Weekly, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Pukar, Sohail Khan’s Dabaang. His performance in small roles in landmark films like Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi had amazed everyone.  In the last few years his performance in Saif Ali Khan’s film Qurbaan, Ashay Kumar’s film Action Replay had been very impressive.

Even in commercial films like Salman Khan’s Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, Om Puri played the role of a wrestler very well. He balanced the performances of Paresh Rawal and Anupam Kher. In 2011, viewers are waiting to see his performance opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film Don 2 – the chase continues.

The viewers and critics feel that Om Puri should continue his brilliant work irrespective of adequate justice being done through the awards, because his actual admirer are the immense number of viewers who had always considered him a genius of genius. In 2012, he played an important role in the film Kamaal Dhamaal Malamaal with Nana Patekar and others. The viewers expect him to continue the dream run in respect of powerful performances.

Monali Thakur stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Monali Thakur Singer Monali Thakur stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 16th November, 2012. She was invited in the show by Jishu Sengupta as guest judge. When she came at the beginning she was asked to sing the song “zara zara kiss me kiss me kiss me” which was originally sung by Monali Thakur herself in bollywood film Race. The Jishu Sengupta said he was interested to do a durgapuja in the sets of Zee Bangla Saregamapa. He wanted to make Kumar Shanu the President of the Puja Committee and asked him to pay chanda for the puja. Kumar Shanu in a joking way said he will not be the President if Jishu Sengupta became the cashier. Then Monali Thakur was made the cashier. One of the contestants sang Lata’s song “nishi din nishi din” in her own way. Monali Thakur said the dynamics of singing was missing in the song. Another contestant came and sang Manna Dey’s song “Lolita, oke aaj chole jete bolna”. Although Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik appreciated the singing, Monali Thakur said that variation was required in the antara. Another contestant sang Kishore Kumar’s song “dekha na hayre socha na” which he sang in the film Bombay to Goa. The contestant gave a spirited performance but Kumar Shanu said in one line he could sing softly then in the other line he could sing forcefully. Then only the viewers would have been impressed. Jishu Sengupta anchored the program with a lot of wit.

Happy birthday to dream-girl Hema Malini.H

Hema Malini Raj Kapoor The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dream girl Hema Malini on 16th October, 2012. She was the uncrowned queen of bollywood films of the 70s. Her strong dancing skills gave her a separate place in bollywood films. Her performance in the film Sapno Ka Saudagar opposite Raj Kapoor was extremely successful in the late 60s. From there she never looked back. Her film Abhinetri opposite Shashi Kapoor became super hit. Her successful films opposite other stars included Gora Aur Kala opposite Rajender Kumar, Burning Train opposite Dharmender, Johnny Mera Naam opposite Dev Anand, to name a few. Gora Aur Kala became super hit with the successful songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal like “tu meri sapno ka rani banegi”, “dheere dheere bol”, etc. Within short time she formed a brilliant combination with Dharmender and their films started rocking bollywood in the 70s. The pair started off with films like Naya Zamana, Raja Jani and went on to give all time hits like Seeta Aur Geeta, Jugnu, Charas, Sholay, etc. If Sholay is remembered for superlative camerawork of Ramesh Sippy, villainish andaz of Amzad Khan, angry image of Big B, then it is also remembered for tremendous dance performance of Hema Malini. She danced on top of glasses in the song “jab tak hai jaan”. Besides she showed her bravery also in the film by riding on the horse-cart against the gang of dacoits of Gabbar Singh. Hema Malini did extremely well in off-beat films as well. One of her landmark films included Kinara opposite Jeetender and Dharmender. Gulzar’s films was based on dancing and Hema Malini’s classical dance balanced the story line where Jeetender’s car struck Dharmender and killed him on the spot. Dharmender was the husband of Hema Malini in the film and she lived with his memory in the film. Hema Malini’s films opposite Big B also did great business. Some of their hit films included Desh Premi, Satte Pe Satta, etc. In the last few years Hema Malini had been seen contributing in character roles in bollywood films like Baghban. She must be proud about the success of her daughter Esha Deol, but is respect of glamour and beauty and dancing skills still Hema Malini is remembered for her dominance during the 70s. In the recent years Hema Malini acted in many matured roles. She had acted very well in the film Aarakshan in 2011, opposite Amitabh Bacchan. She was the trustee of an organization catered to give higher education in India and reinstated Amitabh Bacchan as the Principal of that institution. Hema Malini also came in the Indian Idol 6 Show with Dharmender as guest judge. She shared her experiences of acting dancing and the history relating to playback singing involving her. The viewers still believe that a lot of dancing skills are still left in Hema Malini and she should still act in bollywood films in future.

Haimanti Shukla stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Haimanti Shukla stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Bengali singer Haimanti Shukla stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 15th August, 2012, on the day of Mahalaya. Jishu Sengupta, the anchor told the audience that he used to call Haimanti Shukla Haimanti Pishi. Jishu Sengupta asked Haimanti Shukla to sing a song. She sang it. Then she was asked about the experience of Mahishashur Mordini played in All India Radio on the day of Mahalaya every year. She said that it became a cult for the entire group of bengalies. Most of the bengalies always listened to Mohishashur Mordini at 4 am early in the morning every year. Haimanti Shukla gave good tips to the young singers. Samayan Sarkar was told to concentrate on the song when he was dancing and performing. He sang the song “dekha jo tujhe yaar dil me baji guitar” where he showed his performance skills. Jishu Sengupta sang the song himself too. One of the contestant sang Hemanta Mukherjee's song "o akash sona sona". Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik and Joy Sarkar also gave their best inputs on the day of Mahalaya. All the singers did a great job.

On Mahalaya, Dwijen Mukherjee, Manashi Mukherjee and others spoke about Mohishashur Mordini.

On the day of Mahalaya, on 15th October, 2012, Dwijen Mukherjee, Manashi Mukherjee, Saikat Mitra, Sumitra Sen, Banasree Sengupta, Ashima Mukherjee, Jagannath Basu and others gave their interview before ABP Bangla Channel. Most of the singers participated in the program Mohishashur Mordini created by Birendra Kishore Bhadra, Bani Kumar and Pankaj Mallick which is still being broadcast on the day of Mahalaya by All India Radio. Manobendra Mukherjee’s daughter Manashi Mukherjee her father’s song “taba achinto” which was part of Mohishashur Mordini. She said her father used to be in tears when Pankaj Mallick finally sang the song “rupang dehi, jayang dehi”. In the initial years the singers of Mohishashur Mordini were picked up from their houses at 1.30 at night and they had a bath, were white clothes and sang the songs. Ashima Mukherjee shared her experience of asking superstar Uttam Kumar to do the strotyopath which was originally done by Birendra Bhadra. In 1976 the incident happened. Jagannath Basu said, being an employee of All India Radio he read the abusive letters of people, who wanted Birendra Bhadra’s Mohishashur Mordini to be telecast and from the next years the requests of the people were fulfilled. Banasree Sengupta shared her experience of singing song with Manobendra Mukherjee in the second Mohishahur Mordini created in 1976. The interview of Supriti Ghosh was shown which was recorded as she died during the time of the interview. Dwijen Mukherjee sang the song “jago tumi jago”. Saikat Mitra sang the song of Mohishashur Mordini which was sung by Shyamal Mitra with Ashima Mukherjee. Sumitra Sen sang her song in Mohishashur Mordini. It was a great effort of ABP Bangla Channel to bring all the singers who contributed in Mohishashur Mordini.

On Mahalaya Bengalies all over the world listen to Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

On Mahalaya Bengalies all over the world listen to  Mohishashur Mordini in All India Radio.

Mahalaya held every year, marks the beginning of Durga Puja all over the world. For bengalies in Mahalaya pritripakha ends, debipakha begins. On the same day, people go to the holy ganges to do tarpan, that is pay respect to the departed souls of father and ancestors. Different types of tarpans are done on the day including pitri tarpan, matri tarpan, deb tarpan, etc.

Durga Puja is the puja of Asurdalani Maa Durga, who had defeated the evil forces (mahashahura) and brought peace and solidarity in the earth. All India Radio had a played a very important role in depicting the story of Mahalaya every year in the early morning.

Mahishashur Mordini had been eternal creation of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Bani Kumar and Pankaj Mullick. The way Birendra Krishna Bhadra had uttered the slokas “ya devi sarbabhuteshu shaktirupenu samhastita, namasthaswai namasthaswai namasthaswai namoh namohah”, he created an enchanting atmosphere, and devotees started feeling that they were in heaven.

The other great part of Mahishashur Mordini was the great songs sung by legendary Bengali singers of the golden age, namely “taba achinto “ sung by Manobendra Mukherjee, “jago tumi jago” sung by Dwijen Mukherjee, and many songs sung by Sandhya Mukherjee, Suprava Sarkar, Supriti Ghosh, Shyamal Mitra and other legends.

These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree are going to play the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play  related to Mahishashur Mordini. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

In the new durga puja in 2012, it is expected that everyone in every part of the world should enjoy Durgapuja in their own way.

Revisitng Pradeep Kumar – Meena Kumari – the most royal pair of the millennium.

Pradip Kumar Meena Kumari Whenever the elegant pair of actors and actresses of bollywood films are thought about the combination of Raj Kapoor and Nargis, and Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala gets the privilege. Their combination gave the greatest hits of bollywood history and Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor being stars, their stardom reached Europe and Middle-East, so their hit films were the most famous films in the 50s and 60s like Awaara or Madhumati. But whenever reference comes about the most royal pair of bollywood films, Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari’s name comes at the beginning. Pradeep Kumar acted in around 6 films with Madhubala, including Rajhath (1956), Yahudi Ki Ladki (1957), Gateway of India (1957), Police (1958), Mahlon Ki Khwab, (1960) and Passport (1961). But other than Rajhath and Gateway of India the other films did not do impressive business. In the early 50s, he acted opposite Meena Kumari in the film Bandhan. They also acted in the film Adil – e – Jahangir. But the pair actually got accolades for refined viewers with the film Aarti in 1962 under Rajashree Productions. In the film, their characters were noble, they came together to serve the poor. Ashok Kumar played the role of materialistic doctor who came in the way for his affection towards Meena Kumari. From that time the combination of Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar, composer Roshan and singer Mohammad Rafi resulted in magic. All the songs of Aarti composed by Roshan and sung by Rafi were majestic in nature catering to the tastes of cultured audience including “ab kya misaal doon mai tumhare shabab ki”, “baar baar mohe”, “aap ne yaad dilayatha to mujhe yaad aya”, etc. Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari acted together in Kidar Sharma’s Chitralekha in 1964. Pradeep Kumar played the role of royal Samanta Beejgupta during the famous Gupta age. Roshan and Rafi combination again created magic with the legendary bhajan “man re to kahe na dheer dhare”. Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar came out with another triangular love story in the film Bheegi Raat in 1965. It was Kalidas’s film. The film had powerpact performances of all the three. The Roshan Rafi combination again created gold with the songs “jane yeh kaun hai”, “dil jo na keh saka”, etc., which became super hit. In 1967, Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari acted in two films of M. Sadiq’s films Bahu Begum and Noorjahan. Again Roshan Rafi combination was at their best. In Bahu Begum, along with Rafi’s “hum intezar karenge”, Manna Dey showed his brilliance in the qawallis picturised in dargas, and Lata was brilliant in the song “duniya kare sawal”. Ashok Kumar was sublime in performance in a sacrificing role opposite Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari. In the 70s, with the death of Meena Kumari, and the retirement of Pradeep Kumar from lead roles, the royal style of romantic stories faded away which were prevalent during the golden era. All the films of Pradeep Kumar and Meena Kumari combination require preservation and restoration for the romantic appeal, royal style of performance, elegance and superlative class of music.

Usha Utthup and Chandrabindu stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Usha Utthup Popular singer Usha Utthup and Chandrabindu stormed Zee Banglar Sera Poribar on 10th October, 2012. Usha Utthup had remained an international figure in the world of music. Usha Utthup brought her family members and also the instrumentalists who assisted her in the performances in different places. Anindya Chatterjee and the members of Chandrabindu did a great job. In the katakuti round Chandrabindu Band won huge amount of money by giving right answers. Prasenjit Chatterjee asked Chandrabindu Band why did it take 4 years to create the new music album. Anindya Chatterjee and the other members of the band said that they had 8 albums previously. By that time they had created a brand image. So it took time to compose the songs which were similar to their brand that was created over the years. In the other round Usha Utthup and her team gave excellent answers. Usha Utthup sang the song “darling, ankhonse ankhe char” from the film Saat Khoon Maaf. Usha Utthup also won a number of film awards or the performance in the film Saat Khoon Maa. Everyone appreciated her performance. Prasenjit Chatterjee anchored the program very well.

Manobendra Mukherjee was in great demand during Durga Puja.

Manobendra Mukherjee was in great demand during Durga Puja.

During 1950s and 1960s, Bengali modern songs dominated the world of music in Bengal. Durga Puja was the greatest festival of the bengalies.

Whenever Durga puja used to come the great artists were invited to sing in jalsas and programs in different parts of the country. The basic discs of the popular singers like Manobendra Mukherjee, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shyamal Mitra, Satinath Mukherjee used to come up during the Durga Puja.

Some of the great songs of Manobendra Mukherjee which stormed Bengali music included “ami eto je tomay bhalobesechi”, “ei ganga sei padda”, “sei bhalo ei bosonto noi”, to name a few. Manobendra Mukherjee was in strong demand due to his classical rendition of songs. Some of his classical songs which became extremely popular included “bare bare ke jeno dake”, “na jeona modhujamini”, “rimjhim baje monjiro kar”, etc.

Manobendra Mukherjee had great combination with lyricist Shyamal Gupta. Many of his songs were written by Shyamal Mitra. Some of the other popular songs of Manobendra Mukherjee included “moyurkonthi ratero nile” composed by Sudhin Dasgupta, “bone noy mone more” composed by Dr. Nochiketa Ghosh, “amar pother prante moner” composed by Satinath Mukherjee, “ei nil nil jol sagore” composed by Prabir Majumdar, etc.

Manobendra Mukherjee’s successful Shyamasangeet records and nazrulgeeti records also used to come up during Durgapuja. Listeners also used to like his classical rendition with popular tabla-player Radhakanto Nandi in songs which were taal-based.

Manobendra Mukherjee had sung more than 1000 songs of different categories. So it is very difficult to mention them in a small article. His songs should be restored.

Happy birthday to dashing star Rekha.

Rekha The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dashing star Rekha on 10th October, 2012. She had dominated bollywood films of the 80s. Being the daughter of Legendary South Indian actor Gemini Ganeshan on 10th October, 1954, Rekha created a separate place for herself in bollywood film industry. She was better known as Bhanurekha Ganeshan. In 1969 she acted opposite Biswajeet Chatterjee in the film Do Shikari. She got the her lead role as heroine opposite Navin Nischal in the film Sawan Bhado. In the early 70s, Rekha had to fight for her place in the bollywood industry, at a time when Hema Malini, Asha Parekh, Sharmila Tagore were dominating the industry. But she acted in many landmark films during that period including Gora Aur Kala opposite Rajender Kumar, Rampur Ka Laxman opposite Randhir Kapoor, etc. From the late 70s her films opposite megastar Big B changed her career. Most of the films ended up being super hit including Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Silsila, etc. Rekha gradually developed her acting and became one of the most versatile actresses of the 80s. Rekha had acted opposite all the leading actors of the 80s namely Jeetender, Dharmender, Big B, Vinod Mehra, etc. She received national award for her memorable performance in the role of a mujrewali in the film Umrao Jaan. She received filmfare award for best actress in her dashing role in the film Khoon Bhari Maang in 1988. She acted in more than 180 films. Along with the commercial films like Silsila, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, she had been remembered for the performances in off-beat films. She played landmark roles in off-beat films like Gulzar’s Ghar and Ijaazat, Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug, Govind Nihalini’s Vijeta, etc. Even her films in the 90s like Kamasutra and in 2000 onwards in films like Lajja and Koi Mil Gaya, she showed her metal as a very talented actress. She received lifetime achievement award for the immense contribution to bollywood films. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work in character roles in future.

Udit Narayan sang “ai ajnabi” in Zee Saregamapa Program.

Udit Narayan. Singer Udit Narayan sung his super hit songs in Zee Saregamapa Program on 8th October, 2012. He came as guest judge and the other judges Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik greeted him very well. The participants at the beginning of the show sang the songs of Udit Narayan. One of the participants sang Rafi’s song “yamma yamma” from the film Shaan. Alka Yagnik commented that the word “raat” required special stress in the song. Udit Narayan said the words of Anand Bakshi were very philosophical. He said “kal hum kahan tum kahan” was very meaningful and beautiful. The anchor Jishu Sengupta called Udit Narayan on the stage to sing his hit songs. He came and sang the song “ai ajnabi”. He sang it in style. One of the contestants sang Udit Narayan’s hit song “papa keheten hai bara naam karega” from the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. It was composed by Anand Milind. The song brought Udit Narayan into limelight. The contestant sang very well. Alka Yagnik told him that it was her prediction that he was going to be famous in future. Udit Narayan is known for his simplicity. Both Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik greeted him with prestige. Alka Yagnik also sang duet song with Udit Narayan on the stage. Jishu Sengputa anchored the program very well.

Happy birthday to Amitabh Bacchan.

Big B, Shatrughun Sinha. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to the megastar of bollywood films Amitabh Bacchan on 11th October, 2012. Born in 1942, he had been the most popular actor of the entire millennium. In the 70s his films like Zanjeer, Sholay, Deewar created a new age of action films. His angry young man image created a revolution during an age when corruption became rampant in India. If Zanjeer was related to the obstacles faced by an honest police officer to safely perform his duties, Deewar was based on the contradiction of two brothers of whom one was a police officer, while the other was compelled to be a smuggler due to social compulsions. Sholay was based on the story of domination of the Chambal region of India by dacoits. The Thakur (played by Sanjeev Kumar) of the village employed two brave criminals namely Big B and Dharmender to face the dacoits. Big B was a very powerful actor and became the choice of all the leading directors of the 70s and 80s. His films included Abhimaan directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sholay directed by Ramesh Sippy, Zanjeer directed by Prakash Mehra, Deewar directed by Yash Chopra, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat directed by Shakti Samanta, Amar Akbar Anthony directed by Manmohan Desai, to name a few. The other factor which singled out Big B with the other actors in terms of his versatility was his baritone voice which he modulated to perfection. His comedy films like Namakhalal, Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, created new dimensions in Indian film history. His notable films during the 80s included Shakti, Akhree Rasta, Inquilab, etc. Even in the 90s his films like Akela and Indrajeet carried his strong personality forward. Big B had played a huge innings as a character actor and his films like Black, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc., showed the viewers, that after Dilip Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, Big B was an actor with whom the directors could do any experiment. His performance in his son Abhishek Bacchan’s films like Bunty Aur Babli had also been notable. In 2010, he received the national award for the best actor for the third time for his excellent performance in the film Paa. In 2011, he was absolutely brilliant in the role of an academician in Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan. Day by day his acting skills are just getting better and better and he is experimenting in different types of roles. Even in Kaun Banega Crorepati he is the anchor and his profound educational background and pure hindi accent amazes the viewers. Sony TV cannot think about any other anchor other than Amitabh Bacchan. In 2012, his film Shoebite is in the pipeline for being released. The viewers expect him to continue the great work that he started 40 years back.

Lily Chakravarty and Anamika Saha stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Lily Chakravarty and Anamika Saha stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Actresses Lily Chakravarty and Anamika Saha stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar on 5^th October, 2012. Prasenjit Chatterjee invited them in the show and they played with their entire families.

Prasenjit Chatterjee asked many questions to Lily Chakravarty, a veteran actress of many Bengali films in the Katakuti Round. She said that she started acting in the stage in the play Shreyasi. In that play all the stalwarts of Bengali film industry played important roles. The list was very long. She faced Chabi Biswas, Kamal Mitra, Bosonto Choudhury, Sabitri Chatterjee, Bhanu Banerjee and others in the play Shreyashi. Although she was a newcomer in those days, the veteran actors and actresses they made her feel that. They helped her in every way.

Prasenjit Chatterjee showed many clippings of successful Bengali films and asked questions from them. A scene from the film Sare Chuttor was shown. In that scene Tulsi Chakravarty was shown communicating with his daughter and asking her to call her mother Malina Debi. The question was what was the name of the daughter of Tulsi Chakravarty in the film? The answer was Charu.

A number of questions were also asked to Anamika Saha about her acting career. A scene was shown from the Bengali film Bosonto Bilap. In that scene Aparna Sen was talking with Sibani Ghosh. Chinmoy Roy entered into the ladies hostel in that scene. The question asked was how many names of characters were asked in that scene? The celebrities gave right answers to most of the questions. Prasenjit Chatterjee gave a lot of respect to the senior actresses and said that the Bengali film industry was like a family.

Udit Narayan sang his hit songs in Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Udit Narayan sang his hit songs in Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Successful playback singer Udit Narayan sang his hit songs in Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 4^th October, 2012. He was invited as guest judge by Jishu Sengupta in the program.

Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik were the other judges. At the beginning of the program the contestants gave tribute to the singers Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan. They sang the songs of them. Samayan Sarkar sang the song “ladki bari anjani hai” from the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. He did a great job.

After the singing of a number of songs, Udit Narayan was requested to sing his hit songs. He sang his super hit song “o mitwa o mitwa” from the film Lagaan. He also sang the song “pehela nasha pehela khumar” which was being requested by Kumar Shanu.

Samayan Sarkar imitated how all the judges used to speak. He imitated Kumar Shanu for his patent comment “fatafati”. He imitated Alka Yagnik for her patent comment “wallah wallah subhan allah”. He also imitated the other judge Joy Sarkar who was absent on that day. He also imitated singer Abhijit. Lastly he imitated Udit Narayan, his mannerism related to singing.

Udit Narayan really graced the occasion in his down to earth style with Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik sharing their old experience in singing duets together. Jishu Sengupta anchored the program very well with wit and energy.

Happy birthday to Vinod Khanna.

Happy birthday to Vinod Khanna.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Vinod Khanna on 6^th October 2012.  He had remained a versatile actor and contributed in bollywood films from the 70s.

He started his career as an anti-hero. He played the role of a villain in the film Aan Milo Sajna, where Rajesh Khanna was the lead actor. He also acted in negative role in Shammi Kapoor’s film Jaane Anjane opposite Leena Chandravarkar. With the advent of action films in the mid-70s, Vinod Khanna became  a dominating figure in bollywood films. Big B’s appearance in the film Zanjeer created a fair competition between Vinod Khanna and Big B.

Both of them featured together in the film Zameer. Both of them showed their action skills against the other actor. In Amar Akbar Anthony, Vinod Khanna played the role of a police officer while Big B played the role of a smuggler. In that film the action skills of Vinod Khanna and Amitabh Bacchan was balanced by the romantic style of performance of Rishi Kapoor. Vinod Khanna’s smartness in the role of police officer amazed the viewers. All three of them played the role of the three brothers who were separated earlier but met together at the end of the film. Pran played the role of the father of the three actors.

In Muqaddar Ka Sikander, Vinod Khanna played the role of the friend of Amitabh. Big B sacrificed his life at the end of the film after preventing Amzad Khan from creating any harm to Rakhee. The songs of the film became superhit. Vinod Khanna acted along with Big B in other films like Hera Pheri, Khoon Paseena, Pavarish, etc.

The other notable films of Vinod Khanna included Qurbani with Feroz Khan. Vinod Khanna played the role of his friend who sacrificed his life to save Feroz Khan. Vinod Khanna played a very significant role in the film Burning Train, where Dharmender played the role of his friend. He was the engineer who built the super fast train, but Danny conspired to put a bomb in the train which exploded and burned the train. At the end Dharmender, Jeetender and Vinod Khanna rescued the passengers.

His films Jurm and Satya Mev Jayate also received very positive criticisms. Just like Amitabh Bacchan he established himself as action star, and delivered in action films even in the late 90s, 20 years after his earlier action movies.

After launching his son Akshay Khanna in the film Himalay Putra, Vinod Khanna switched to character roles and got busy with politics. He also joined the Rajnish Ashram in the early 80s. In 2009, he was very impressive in Salman Khan’s super hit film Wanted where he played the role of his father. In 2010, again he played the role of the father of Salman Khan in the blockbuster film Dabaang. Although he died at the end of the film, his soft performance was appreciated by the audience. His sharpness in respect of acting had not withered away and he just like Amitabh Bacchan had matured into a more composed actor. In 2012 he acted in the film Players with Abhishek Bacchan, Bobby Deol and others. The viewers expect him to continue the brilliant work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Asha Parekh on 2nd October, 2012. She had been a dancing legend of the 60s. Bollywood industry is indebted to her for her brilliant performance in various films. She started her career opposite Shammi Kapoor in the film Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. The film did great business with hit songs composed by Usha Khanna including “dil deke dekho” sung by Rafi. After that she acted in musical blockbusters most of which were directed by Nasir Hussain. She was sublime in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Dev Anand. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “sau saal pehle”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “teri zulfon ki”, “jiya ho” became rich assets of history. Asha Parekh had a fantastic combination with Joy Mukherjee. Her films Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Love in Tokyo became superhit. Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, released in 1963 was shot in Kashmir, while Love in Tokyo, released in 1966 was shot in Japan. The romantic scenery entertained the viewers. The songs in most of these films composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan stormed box-office. The most famous songs included “banda parwar”, “lakhon hai nigahon me”, “raton ka sila”, “nazneen bara rangin hai wada tera”, “japan, love in Tokyo”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, “o mere shahekhuba”, etc. Similarly Asha Parekh’s combination with Biswajeet and Shammi Kapoor was very grand. Her film Mere Sanam with Biswajeet, released in 1965 was another musical blockbuster. All the songs of the film like “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jayo”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano” sung by Rafi stormed box-office in the mid-60s. Asha Parekh played many serious roles in films like Chirag opposite Sunil Dutt, Kati Patang opposite Rajesh Khanna, Upkaar opposite Manoj Kumar, etc. She got critical acclamation for performance in the film Chirag. Asha Parekh dancing skills gave her a separate recognition during an age when actresses like Vaijayantimala, Rajashree, Mumtaz, Padmini were already created sensation in bollywood. Asha Parekh’s performance in the film Carwan opposite Jeetender requires special mention. She proved her dancing skills opposite other renowned dancers in the film like Helen and Aruna Irani. She also acted in character roles in films like Bulandi, Kaalia, etc., in the 80s. Asha Parekh had headed the Indian Censor Board for some time. As a member of the Board she did a great job in ensuring decency in the entertainment industry specifically films. Recently she was invited as guest judge in the Sony TV Indian Idol Program in 2012, where Sunidhi Chauhan, Anu Malik, Salim Merchant and Asha Bhosle were the other judges. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in the years to come.