Happy birthday to Helen.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Helen on 19th Nov., 2012. She had remained an exceptional dancer and featured in majority of bollywood fllms in the 60s and 70s. She was probably one of the most indispensable figures in bollywood during 60s and 70s. Without her films like Gumnaam, Teesri Manzil, Jewel Thief, Inteqam, Carwan, Night in London, etc. would have been incomplete. She had acted opposite leading stars of the 60s and 70s, for example, in Gumnaam she acted opposite Pran, In Teesri Manzil she acted opposite Shammi Kapoor, in Jewel Thief she acted opposite Dev Anand, in Night in London opposite Johnny Walker to name a few. She in fact filled in the empty space created by prominent dancer Cuckoo in the 50s. One of her most memorable films included Gumnaam, which was released in 1965, where she played the role of one of the few persons who were taken to an isolated island. She was killed along with a number her friends by Tarun Bose in the film who was identified by Manoj Kumar at the end of the film. Her dance number in the songs “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” and “is duniya me jeena ho to” composed by Shankar Jaikishan were brilliant by every judging standards. She was put to test in her dance no. in the song “muqabla hum se na karo” in the film Prince along with Shammi Kapoor and Vaijayantimala. She did the western part while Vaijayantimala did the eastern part. Whenever she got a scope of performing opposite Shammi Kapoor her performance used to get a different dimension as he was the only male star in the 60s to dominate bollywood films with rock and roll dance performances. Both of them did well in the film Teesri Manzil. The song “o haseena zulfonwali” is remembered for the dance of both Helen and Shammi Kapoor. Helen got a villainish role in the film and trapped Shammi Kapoor in a murder case where the actual murderer was Prem Nath. Helen even got few roles of heroines in the 60s including the role in the film Pyar Hi Pyar where she acted opposite Mehmood, where the main roles were played by Dharmender and Vaiyantimala. Her prominent roles continued in the 70s, including her cameo in the song “piya tu ab tu aja” composed by RD Burman in the film Carwan, her role in the film Sholay, where her dance number in the song “mehbooba mehbooba” amazed the viewers. The villainish roles continued like the one in Big B’s film Don, where her song “yeh mera dil” became a runaway hit. Kareena Kapoor danced in the same item number as that of Helen when the film was remade by Farhan Akhtar, with Shahrukh Khan. Her other notable films include Mere Jeevan Saathi, Hindustani, Half Ticket, etc. She even acted in character roles in the 90s in films like Akela and Khamoshi. Her performance in the film Khamoshi had been appreciated by all section of viewers. In one article it is not possible to cover the contribution of Helen, who had dominated bollywood films of 60s and 70s. The admirers of Helen expect her to make more contribution in bollywood films in character roles as she has a lot acting still left in her.

Happy birthday to Shilpa Shirodkar.

Shilpa Shirodkar The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shilpa Shirodkar on 20th November, 2012. She was a prominent actress of bollywood films during the 90s. She had been remembered the most for her performance in the film Gopi Kishen. The film was released in mid -1990s. Sunil Shetty played a double role in the film. Shilpa Shetty played the role of a simple city girl who was married to a funny constable. She delivered her dialogues with broken English and reality created sensation. Karishma Kapoor played the role of the smart girl who was cast opposite the smart Sunil Shetty. Shilpa Shetty in fact balanced the callousness of the character Gopi in the film. The film did excellent business in late 90s. Shilpa Shetty did extremely well in the film Hum opposite Govinda. In that film she played the role of daughter of military major played by Kader Khan. Although she loved Govinda, her father never allowed her to get married to Big B’s family as they were involved with India’s military, air force or naval service. Shilpa Shetty married Govinda against the wishes of her father Kader Khan. As the film had strong star cast with Big B, Rajnikant, Govinda, Kader Khan, Danny, Anupam Kher and others, her performance did not get limelight, but she was very effortless in that role. She did a great job in the film Kishen Kanhaiya. Anil Kapoor played a double role in that film. The film was based on the same story line as that of Dilip Kumar’s film Ram Aur Shyam. The twin brothers played by Anil Kapoor had contrasting characters like Dilip Kumar’s characters in Ram Aur Shyam. Shilpa Shetty acted opposite the docile Anil Kapoor who was beaten up by Amrish Puri. Shilpa Shetty had suffered due to the oppression of Amrish Puri in the film. Her role was very submissive and polite in the film. Shilpa Shirodkar also acted in serious fllms like Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand. She kept her mark opposite Shabana Azmi, Madhuri Dixit and other actresses in the film. Shilpa Shirodkar added weight and stopped acting after 10 years. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future considering her acting capability and previous performances.

Happy Birthday to style –queen Zeenat Aman.

Zeenat Aman The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to style – queen Zeenat Aman on 19th November, 2012. She had dominated bollywood films in the 70s. She created attention with her successful performance in Dev Anand’s film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Hare Rama Hare Krishna was released in the year 1971. She played the role of a girl who became addicted to drugs. She became a style icon during the period when European Hippies and other communities influenced fashion all over the world. She had acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films in the mid-70s. Her successful films opposite Big B included Don, Dostana, Lawaarish, etc. In Don, she had shown martial art and the ability to adapt herself in action films. She was extremely successful in Raj Kapoor’s film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She played the role of a village girl whose face got burned and disfigured. The film was related to the romantic relationship of Zeenat with Shashi Kapoor, who was an urbanized youth. Lata’s songs in the film including “satyam shivam sundaram” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal require special mention. Zeenat gave able lips in the songs. In the early 80s Feroz Khan gave a stylish image to Zeenat in the film Qurbani. She played the role of a hotel singer and stormed bollywood with her performance. Her lips in the songs “aap jaisa koi mere zindagi me aye”, “laila ho laila”, etc., in the film Qurbani created sensation. Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna also gave memorable performances in the film. The film ended up being blockbuster. In the 80s she acted opposite other stars as well. Her film Abdullah opposite Sanjay Khan did great business. The songs of Abdullah composed by RD Burman like “maine pucha chaand se” sung by Mohammad Rafi also became super hit. Zeenat was also known for contributing in action films like Shalimaar opposite Dharmender, Don opposite Big B, Ram Balram opposite Dharmender. In all those films the roles required action stunts. Zeenat did show her martial art stunts in the film Don. Her roles are idolized and reworked by Priyanka Chopra in Don – the Chase Begins. Zeenat gave good lips in qawallis as well. One example was in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi. It was released in 1977. She gave lips in Asha Bhosle’s song “hai agar dushman zamana” opposite Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor gave lips in Rafi’s portion with his own brilliance. Zeenat Aman left films in the mid -80s when she was at the summit of her career. Her films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Sushmita Sen.

Sushmita Sen The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sushmita Sen on 19th November, 2012. After creating a mark in the fashion world she made notable contribution in films as well. She won the Miss World Crown in the early 90s and at that time remained one of India’s best beauties along with Aishwarya Rai. She had impressed the viewers with the film Mai Hoon Na opposite Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan came to find his own brother in an educational institution after a long time. Shahrukh Khan fell in love with Sushmita Sen in the film. The online chemistry appealed to the masses. Both of them gave able lips in the song “mai hoon na”. Zaid Khan, Amrita Rao and Sunil Shetty also did very well in the film. She faced the glamour of Katrina Kaif in the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, opposite Salman Khan and yet impressed the viewers with her unique performance. She was a nurse in the medical clinic of Salman Khan and she was asked to play the role of his first wife to satisfy Katrina Kaif. Salman Khan went on saying lies one after the other and Sushmita Sen had to help him for the wrongful cause. A time came when Sushmita could not bear any more. At the end of the film Salman Khan married her as she really loved him. Sushmita Sen gave brilliant lips in the song “laga laga laga re”. She even did well in roles of second heroines like the one she played in Salman Khan’s film Bibi No. 1. Salman Khan was married to Karishma Kapoor and he lived with Sushmita after having an affair with her when he went for a foreign visit. When the question came as to upbringing of Salman Khan’s children Sushmita Sen failed miserably. Anil Kapoor and Tabu helped Karishma Kapoor to create ill-feelings of Salman Khan against Sushmita Sen and ultimately the family peace was restored in favour of Karishma Kapoor. The songs picturised on Sushmita Sen and Salman Khan became super hit like “ishq sona hai”, “chunari chunari”, etc. Sushmita Sen also acted in challenging roles in films like Chingari, which were made for response from critics and Sushmita had shown her acting skills in these types of films. Her other successful films include Aaghaaz, opposite Sunil Shetty, where she played the role of police officer, Zor, opposite Sunny Deol, etc. Both Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai joined bollywood films more or less at the same time and there was an express competition between both of them as both had come from the fashion world. Although Sushmita Sen showed her potentiality in many films and the films had done well in box-office, she was not as lucky as Aishwarya Rai in bagging the big banners of Subhash Ghai, Sanjay Leela Banshali, Ram Gopal Verma, etc. Sushmita has also appeared as judges in many dance competitions hosted in different TV Channels in recent years along with other celebrities like Wasim Akram and others. The viewers still believe that Sushmita Sen has a lot of acting left in her and she can do even better in bollywood films in future including her film relating to Benazir Bhutto. She had done a great job in Anil Kapoor’s film No Problem which is going to be released very soon. Aneez Bazmi had directed the film. There are other stars in the film including Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna in the film. The viewers wish the best for Sushmita Sen for the films that are going to be released in future.

Happy birthday to Meenakhi Sheshadri.

Meenakshi Sheshadri The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Meenakshi Sheshadri on 16th November, 2012. She had been one of the leading actresses of bollywood films of the 80s. She entered the film industry at a time when there was serious competition amongst the actresses in bollywood. Jaya Prada and Sri Devi established themselves as lead actresses and new stars like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla entered bollywood. The same period was famous for action films and stars like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol became famous in action roles. She started her career in Subhash Ghai’s film Hero. Meenakshi acted opposite Jackie Shroff in the film who also started his career with the film Hero. After that Meenakshi acted opposite all the leading actors of bollywood films. She was very successful in the film Meri Jung opposite Anil Kapoor. In that film Anil Kapoor being a lawyer contested against Amrish Puri in a keenly contested case. Meenakshi was successful opposite Big B in the film Shahenshah. Big B played the role of a police officer who did his duty during the day and attached criminals at night with the name of Shahenshah. Meenakshi gave able lips in the song “jane do jane do mujhe jana hai”. Meenakshi acted in successful of Raj Kumar Santoshi one after the other. She was at her best in the film Damini. In that film she had seen a girl being raped. When she went and gave her testimony before the court about the happening she was considered to be an insane person. But she did not care about the allegation and testified before the court about the happening. Sunny Deol and Rishi Kapoor also did extremely well in the film opposite her. Meenakshi could have won a national award for the brilliant performance in the film, had Dimple Kapadia not won it for Rudaali. Sunny Deol and Meenakshi formed a deadly combination especially in the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Their other hit films included Ghayal and Ghatak which did fantastic business. In Ghayal Meenakshi played the role of a dare devil character, the journalist who did not fear to write the truth related to a corrupted businessman played by Amrish Puri. Sunny Deol was falsely implicated in a case and fled from the jail to kill Amrish Puri. Meenakshi also acted opposite other actors like Vinod Khanna. Even in less known films like Joshiley, Meenakshi Sheshadri did extremely well opposite Anil Kapoor. She had very successful opposite all the leading stars of the 80s and 90s including Rishi Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol, Big B and others. Meenakshi also acted in South Indian films and was successful there too. She left films at a time when she was very matured. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Son of Sardar or Jab Tak Hai Jaan which one will be the winner?

The viewers of bollywood films wonder which of the two films Son of Sardar or Jab Tak Hai Jaan will be the ultimate winner. Both the films had been released on the same day 13th November, 2012, the day of Diwali. Both the films already had done business of more than 45 crores by this period of time. The film Son of Sardar had the same story as that of the Telegu film Maryada Ramanna. It had also being made in Bengali under the title “Phande Pore Boga Kande Re”. Son of Sardar had been directed by Ashwni Dhir. It had been produced by Ajay Devgan, NR Pachishia and Pravin Talreja. The music of the film had been composed by Himesh Reshammiya. In this film Ajay Devgan played the role of a Sikh whose father was killed in a family rivalry with a neighbour Sanjay Dutt’s family. Ajay Devgan worked in London with Salman Khan and his uncle Sanjay Mishra. He received a letter about the property in Punjab that he had succeeded to. He came to India for the property. On the way he met Sonakshi Sinha and fell in love. He required to meet the collector, but came to Sanjay Dutt’s house for the information. Sanjay Dutt’s family had the value that whenever anyone came with their house his family members treated him like guest and like God. But the moment they left the house they treated them differently. So Ajay Devgan was safe inside the house. The moment he came he faced violence from Sanjay Dutt and his men. At the end during a fierce tassle between Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan, the rivalry ended. Sanjay Dutt’s mother Tanuja told them to stop the rivalry. Juhi Chawla also told Sanjay Dutt to stop the rivalry. The performance of Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan and Sonakshi Sinha were excellent. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’ song “tu bichran” was brilliant. Mika Singh’s song “rani tu mai raja” was also popular. The film had been built with a budget of more than 70 crores. The had done business of more than 40 crores in the first three days. It is interesting to see whether the film can cross the 100 crores mark in box-office. Shahrukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan did business of more than 35 crores on the first 2 days of release. Very significantly the film had been released on the same day on 13th November, when Ajay Devgan’s Son of Sardar was released. This was Yash Chopra’s last film. He died recently and there is already a big sympathy wave. The film had been directed by Yash Chopra and produced and written by Aditya Chopra. AR Rehman had composed the music of the film. In the film Anushka Sharma was saved by Shahrukh Khan when she was drowning. She read Shahrukh Khan’s diary which fell from his pocket. She came to know that Shahrukh Khan worked in London and fell in love with Katrina Kaif. Shahrukh Khan came to India and joined Army in Kashmir. Shahrukh Khan lost his memory twice in the film and finally recognized Katrina Kaif. Shahrukh Khan did a great job opposite Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. AR Rehman’s music and Gulzar’s lyrics were also very impressive. The songs sung by Shreya Ghoshal had become hit. The film got a good opening and had business of more than 25 crores in the first 2 days of release. It is interesting to see whether the film will cross the 100 crore mark. As far as Ajay Devgan and Shahrukh Khan are concerned they don’t have to prove themselves. But 2012 had seen many blockbusters like Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger which did business of 199 crores, Agneepath which had done business of 125 crores. It is interesting to see whether Son of Sardar or Jab Tak Hai Jaan becomes the ultimate winner.

Shahrukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan did business of more than 35 crores on the first 2 days.

Shahrukh Khan’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan did business of more than 35 crores on the first 2 days of release. Very significantly the film had been released on the same day on 13th November, when Ajay Devgan’s Son of Sardar was released. This was Yash Chopra’s last film. He died recently and there is already a big sympathy wave. The film had been directed by Yash Chopra and produced and written by Aditya Chopra. AR Rehman had composed the music of the film. In the film Anushka Sharma was saved by Shahrukh Khan when she was drowning. She read Shahrukh Khan’s diary which fell from his pocket. She came to know that Shahrukh Khan worked in London and fell in love with Katrina Kaif. Shahrukh Khan came to India and joined Army in Kashmir. Shahrukh Khan lost his memory twice in the film and finally recognized Katrina Kaif. Shahrukh Khan did a great job opposite Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. AR Rehman’s music and Gulzar’s lyrics were also very impressive. The songs sung by Shreya Ghoshal had become hit. The film got a good opening and had business of more than 35 crores in the first 2 days of release. It is interesting to see whether the film will cross the 100 crore mark. Viewers should see the film.

Kavita Krishnamurthy stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Singer Kavita Krishnamurthy stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 13th November, 2012. She was invited as guest judge in the program. On the day of Kalipuja, Alka Yagnik was not present. Joy Sarkar and Kumar Shanu were present in the program. Jishu Sengupta, the anchor of the program asked Kavita Krishnamurthy about her association with Manna Dey. Kavita Krishnamurthy gave an extended description about the relationship of Manna Dey with her. She was introduced to him by Hemanta Mukherjee. And way back in 1970s she interacted with Manna Dey. After that whenever she went for international tours in majority of programs she shared the same stage with that of Manna Dey. Kavita Krishnamurthy had a great classical background and she glorified bollywood music with her versatile singing. She sang the song “aankho ki gustaqiyan” with Kumar Shanu in the show which was composed by Ismail Darbar in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Arpita Pal from Chattisgarh sang Kavita Krishnamurthy’s song from the film Devdas. Kavita Krishnamurthy was moved at her performance. She said how could Arpita manage such a difficult song. Jishu Sengupta asked Arpita Pal about the platform of Saregamapa which made her a star. She said that she had sung many songs of Geetasri Sandhya Mukherjee. So visitors who travelled by bus or train with Arpita Pal said they were big admirers of Sandhya Mukherjee and blessed her for choosing Sandhya Mukherjee songs in the Zee Saregamapa Program. The participants and the judges were amazed at the humbleness of Kavita Krishnamurthy. She had sung legendary songs like “aaj mai upar” in the film Khamoshi, “pyar hua chupke se”, “hawa hawai” in the film Mr. India. She won a number of filmfare awards and national awards. She deserved even more. From the 1980s to 2000, it was the domination of Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik and Anuradha Paudwal in bollywood films. They enriched bollywood music with their everlasting voices.

Happy birthday to sweet star Juhi Chawla.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to sweet star Juhi Chawla on 13th November, 2012. Juhi Chawla stormed bollywood films in the 90s. Her first film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak became super hit in the late 80s. Her pair with Amir Khan was well accepted by the audience. The songs in the film became very successful. The landmark songs included “aye mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai” sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and others. From that time many producers and directors did cast her opposite Amir Khan in many films. The film also started a new trend of romantic films one after other after 15 years of domination of action films under success of Angry young man Amitabh Bacchan. Salman Khan’s film Maine Pyar Kiya followed very soon. Her comedy andaz in the film Ishq opposite Amir Khan was well appreciated. Her romance with Amir Khan started with quarrels as against the affair of Kajol and Ajay Devgan in the same film. The film did great business. Juhi Chawla acted in romantic films opposite all the leading actors of bollywood, including Rishi Kapoor in Bol Radha Bol and Eena Meena Dika, Anil Kapoor in Deewana Mastana, Jhoot Bole Kowa Kate, Amir Khan in Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, to name a few. In the mid-90s she acted in a number of films opposite superstar Shahrukh Khan. Her major films opposite Shahrukh Khan included Duplicate, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, etc. She started her production house Dreams Unlimited along with Shahrukh Khan and produced many films. One of the hit films included Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Both Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla acted in the film. Juhi Chawla also acted in films opposite other actors. Her performance in character roles in the recent times had also impressed the crowds. Some of her recent films included Salaam-E-Ishq opposite Anil Kapoor. She played the role of a middle-aged woman whose husband got attached with another woman. She got dejected at the beginning, but keeping in mind the interest of her children, she compromised with Juhi Chawla. Juhi Chawla acted in action films like Darr as well. She performed opposite Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan acted in a negative role in the film who was killed at the end by Sunny Deol. Juhi Chawla’s dance performance in the film in songs like “tu meri saamne” still haunts the viewers. In 2012 she had acted in a number of films like Main Krishna Hoon, Son of Sardar, Chasme Baddoor. Son of Sardar is going to be released in November, 2012, and there is lot of hope relating to the film where Juhi Chawla had a great role. The viewers expect Juhi Chawla to continue the quality work in future.

Nochiketa Ghosh and music in Uttam Kumar’s films and other Bengali films.

Nochiketa Ghosh Nochiketa Ghosh had contributed widely both in Bengali film music and Bengali modern songs in the 50s, 60s and 70s. In the 50s he showed his metal in Uttam Kumar’s film Nabajanma. Manobendra Mukherjee’s song “ore mon majhi” and Dhananjoy Bhattacharya’s “kalama katiya” gave expression to Nochiketa Ghosh’s folk tunes. Nochiketa Ghosh’s music in Uttam Kumar’s film Trijama was equally sublime. Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “banmoyurir naach dekhte jabo” and “matite chandramallika” were equally brilliant. In the 50s, the other notable films where Nochiketa Ghosh’s music was impressive include Uttam Kumar’s film Indrani and Prithibi Amare Chaye. Geeta Dutt’s song “nishiraat bankha chand”, “ogo shundoro”, “kanak kanak madhur badhon” were some of the greatest hits of Geeta Dutt in her entire career. The lips of Mala Sinha and Suchitra Sen were impressive in these films. Hemanta Mukherjee’s song “surjo dobar pala” became super hit in the late 50s. In the 60s, Nochiketa Ghosh composed music in average films. Prominent among them included Bhanu Pelo Lottery where Shyamal Mitra’s song “putul nebe go” became very popular. For 4 to 5 years, Nochiketa Ghosh went to Mumbai, so he did not contribute in Bengali films for those few years. He again made a huge comeback in Uttam Kumar’s film Nishi Padda in the early 70s. Manna Dey’s songs “ja khushi ora bole boluk”, “na na na aaj rate aar” became super hit in the 70s. Manna Dey’s songs in Uttam Kumar’s film Chiradiner, like “phool pakhi bondhu amar chilo”, “manush khun hole pore”, “lal nil sabujeri mela boseche”, “tumi amar chirodiner” became super hit. In Uttam Kumar’s film Stree, Manna Dey’s songs “hajar takar jhar batita”, “o se jotoi kalo hok”, “jemon shapinike posh manay ojha” became smash hit. Nochiketa Ghosh’s music in the film Sanyasi Raja was considered to be his best creation by critics. Manna Dey’s songs “shashikanto tumi dekchi”, “bhalobashar agun jalao”, were probably the best songs sung for Uttam Kumar in royal andaz. His composition in Uttam Kumar’s films Dhanni Meye and Mouchak require special mention. Manna Dey’s songs in these films like “sab khela sera bangalir tumi football”, “tabole to prem debena”, “paglagarod”, etc., flabbergasted the Bengali audience in the mid-70s. Nochiketa Ghosh made many landmark tunes in Bengali modern songs. Some of them included Manobendra Mukherjee’s romantic songs “seto naam dhore kono din dakeni amay”, “bone noy mone mor”, “o amar chandramallika”, “aha na roy na”, etc. His composition “amar ganer sworolipi lekha robe” for Hemanta Mukherjee stormed Bengal in the early 50s. He died in the late 70s, otherwise he would have given many more notable tunes. His songs and films should be preserved.

Srabanti Chatterjee and Ankush stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Srabanti Chatterjee and Ankush stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar.

Srabanti Chatterjee and Ankush, the heroine and hero of the Bengali upcoming film Idiot stormed Zee Bangla Banglar Sera Poribar on 8^th November, 2012. The film  is going to be released soon.

Srabanti Chatterjee, her husband Rajib Biswas formed one team. The other team was full of Ankush and others. Prasenjit Chatterjee the anchor asked Ankush about his entry into Bengali films. Ankush said that Idiot was his second film. He initially wanted to be a doctor and later loved films and came in this line.

Prasenjit Chatterjee asked Srabanti Chatterjee about the story of the film Idiot. Srabanti Chatterjee said that her husband Rajib Biswas directed the film. The story was unique.

Srabanti Chatterjee acted in many super hit films opposite Jeet like Wanted, Josh, etc. Her online chemistry opposite Jeet had been accepted by the Bengali audience. She also acted opposite other heroes like Deb and Soham.

Apurbo Roy came in the middle of the show to do some comedy. He said that he looked better aside Srabanti Chatterjee than Prasenjit Chatterjee. Ankush’s family won more points and money in the Katakuti Round. Srabanti Chatterjee’s family also did well in the Bong Connection and other rounds.

Prasenjit Chatterjee wished best of luck for the film Idiot and the stars and team of the film.

Happy birthday to Kamal Hassan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to versatile actor Kamal Hassan on 7th November, 2012. He had been a versatile figure both in bollywood films and South Indian cinema. In the early 80s, his film Ek Duje Ke Liye stormed bollywood. It was a teenage love story where Kamal Hassan and Rati Agnihotri reached their performance to huge number of Indians. Kamal Hassan also showed his exceptional dancing skills in songs like “hum bane tum bane ek duje ke liye”. The music was composed by LP and the music astonished the viewers. He followed it up with his brilliant performance in the film Saagar. In Saagar, Ramesh Sippy experimented with a triangular love story with Kamal Hassan, Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The songs of the film composed by RD Burman became super hit. Some of them included “o maria”, “chehera ho”, “saagar kinare”, “jane do na”, etc. Kamal Hassan brought tears in the eyes of his audience through his sacrificing performance as died at the end of the film to save Rishi Kapoor. Besides he also exhibited his acrobatic skills in the film. The film did brilliant business due to power pact performance of Kamal Hassan, Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor. From that time onwards he acted in different types of films, both having commercial significance and also art value. He acted in the film Geraftaar opposite Big B and Rajnikant. The viewers remember his comedy film Chachi 420. He received a number of national awards for best actor in the last 30 years. He had remained an all-time superstar in South Indian film industry. Kamal Hassan used all the legendary actors of bollywood in the film Chachi 420 as a director and emerged victorious. Om Puri, Paresh Rawal, Amrish Puri, Tabu were balanced by the brilliant performance of Kamal Hassan himself who played the role of lady Chachi. He took a brilliant make up and created a hilarious script and Om Puri, Amrish Puri, did their best to make the film super hit. He had proved his worth in every department of film making, whether acting or direction. In 2009 also Kamal Hassan came up with ten roles in the film Dasaavatharam. He had acted opposite Asin, Mallika Sherawat and others. He played ten different characters and all the roles were played with different dimensions. Besides he had played many daunting characters in Tamil films and bollywood films like the one in the film Hindustani. Kamal Hassan, received Padmashree, but that had not been a right recognition of his success. The viewers expect him to show the dynamism in future too as they still know that Kamal Hassan still has a lot of acting left in him.

Revisiting the film Shankhabela where Bosonto Choudhury superseded Uttam Kumar .

Uttam Kumar Shankhabela Bosonto Choudhury superseded Uttam Kumar in Agragami’s epic film Shankhobela. The film was released in the year 1966 and ended up being a blockbuster. There was lot of history behind the film. Sudhin Dasgupta, the composer of music in the film for the first time used Manna Dey to sing for Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar. All the songs in the film sung by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar became super hit. Some of them included “ke pratham kache esechi”, picturised in the romantic scenario of Maithon amidst river Damodar, “ami agantuk ami barta dilaam”, “aaj mon cheyeche ami hariye jabo”, to name a few. As far as Bosonto Choudhury was concerned, he was one of the competitors of Uttam Kumar other than Bikash Roy and Astiboron, who had started their careers with Uttam Kumar. Bosonto Choudhury acted in lesser number of films, as he only signed those films which suited his culture, aristocracy and education. Therefore from his first film Mahaprashthaner Pothe, his performance in noted films used to depict aristocracy legacy of Bengal that was left behind by Chabi Biswas. In Shonkhobela, he played the role of the doctor, who treated Uttam Kumar’s son, after Uttam Kumar left his Madhabi. Madhabi could not compromise with Uttam Kumar’s fast life, full of parties and hard drinks, which was necessary for the success of his marketing career. She left the house of Uttam Kumar and worked in a school to upbring her child. Bosonto Choudhury showed compassion to Madhabi, and understood her social standing while treating the child. The story of her life was told to him by his assistant played by Mrinal. The child had to be treated and operation had to be carried out which the signing of bond by the guardian. Bosonto Choudhury compelled the father of the child Uttam Kumar to come and sign the bond. He scolded Uttam Kumar for remaining carefree about his son who was terribly sick. Bosonto Choudhury’s astounding personality in the film brought back the marital peace of Uttam Kumar and Madhabi Muherjee who stayed separately after the differences were made. The viewers appreciated Uttam Kumar’s brilliant performance in the role of a romantic husband which he depicted with highest amount of maturity. Uttam Kumar’s romantic style of performance had always created a benchmark in the world of romantic acting and that was the reason why Oscar Winning director Satyajit Ray had considered Uttam Kumar as the greatest matinee idol, fulfilling the aspirations of numerous middle-class Indians. But some way down the line, Bosonto Chouhdury superseded Uttam Kumar with his aristocrat performance and at the end of the film received higher accolades from the critics and educated section of the society. Both Uttam Kumar and Bosonto Choudhury had immense contribution in Bengali classic films, and their space had remained empty after 50 years of the completion of the films. For those reasons Shonkhobela should be preserved and restored.

Actress Ananya Chatterjee stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Ananya Chatterjee Actress Ananya Chatterjee stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 5th November, 2012. At the beginning all the participants sang songs for Ananya Chatterjee. Then the participants performed in the program. One of the participants sang the song “sinorita” from the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The parents of the participant also came. Ananya Chatterjee along with Jishu Sengupta, Joy Sarkar and others danced in the program. One of the other participants sang the song “saat samundar”. Kumar Shanu commented about the performance. Alka Yagnik said there were pitching problems. The performers required to give better performances in future. Ananya Chatterjee had acted in many brilliant Bengali films of the contemporary period including the film Teen Kanya with Rituparna Sengupta and other artists. Her tele-serial Subarnalata in the Private Channel did excellent business. She also received national award for her excellent performance in the film Abohoman. Jishu Sengupta said that all the participants were so fond of Ananya Chatterjee. But he also acted in a supporting role in the film Abohoman. Noone appreciated his performance in the film. All the participants and the judges showed respect and love towards Ananya Chatterjee. Ananya Chatterjee in return appreciated the talents of the participants.

Happy birthday to Jaikishan and remembering his bond with Mohammad Rafi.

Indira Gandhi Shankar Jaikishan The listeners of music all over the world wish happy birthday to legendary composer Jaikishan better known as Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal on 4th November, 2012. He was part of the legendary duo Shankar Jaikishan who dominated bollwood music during the 1950s and 1960s. Rafi had a very sweet relationship with Shankar Jaikishan but unfortunately their relationship had not been glorified in bollywood history. Whenever contribution of composers relating to classic creations involving Rafi are highlighted the name of Naushad, Roshan, Madanmohan, OP Nayyar are glorified and the contribution of Shankar Jaikishan is ignored. If Rafi’s stylish andaz relating to westernized compositions are adequately it is Shankar Jaikishan who had used it to perfection. They had used Rafi for singing romantic songs with Japanese orchestration in Love in Tokyo including songs like “aja re aa zara aa”, “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, “ o mere shahekhuba”, etc. In Biswajeet’s April Fool SJ’s composition for Rafi including “aa gale lag ja” had westernized background. SJ’s composition for Rafi in Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris like “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “raat ke humsafar”, had loud French music with echo effect and Rafi’s intonation was also westernized. Shankar Jaikishan gave a completely different style of music to Rafi in Rajender Kumar’s Aarzoo with songs like “aji ruth kar ab”, “chalke teri aankho se”, “ai nargisi mastana”, etc. SJ had given songs addressing children to Rafi including “nanne munne bache teri mutthi me kya hai” in Boot Polish, “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mamma re” in Shammi Kapoor’s Andaz and “chakke p chakka” in Brahmchari. Rafi pronounced the words with childish accent and SJ used the orchestration to attract children. There were ghazals also given by SJ for Rafi including “rukh se zara nakab” in Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, “unke khayal aye to” in Raj Kumar’s Lal Patthar, “saaze dil ched de” in Pradeep Kumar’s Rajhaath, etc. Besides SJ’s creation involving Rafi in somber mood had created great impact including songs like “teri zulfon ki judai to nahi maangi thi” in Dev Anand’s Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” in Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee, “yaad na aye” in Rajender Kumar’s Dil Ek Mandir. Shankar Jaikishan had used Rafi’s classical andaz in the songs “radheke tune bansoori churai”, “ajahu na aye”, etc., and combined the ragas with devotional andaz. SJ ha given music in almost 200 films within the span from 1949 to 1971, and at least each year they composed music for approximately 10 films. As Rafi was given predominance over other male singers SJ had use him in regular intervals even without doing injustice to Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood and others. Songs like “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” from Jhuk Gaya Aasman, “to bura maan gaye” from Ayee Milan Ki Bela, “yeh ankhen” from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “tujhe jeevan ki dor se” from Aasli Nakli, “dheere dheere chal” from Love Marriage, “badan pe sitaren lapete hue” from Prince, “mai kahin kavi na banjayun” from Pyar Hi Pyar, “mai gayun tum so jao” from Brahmchari, had not lost their flavour even 40 years after their creation due to sheer brilliance of Shankar Jaikishan. It is really tragic neither Shankar Jaikishan had received the accolades that they deserved nor Rafi’s association with them had been glorified but history says that the combination of Rafi with Shankar Jaikishan had produced invaluable creations which had become immortal over the period of time.

Happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan.

Happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan on 2^nd November, 2012. He was the ruler of bollywood industry in the 90s. Right from Baazigar, Shahrukh Khan gave blockbusters one after the other. After Amitabh Bacchan, he is the next superstar, whose screen presence had carried through many big budget films.

2011 had been a great year for Shahrukh Khan. He had produced the costliest film in Indian history Ra One. The film in the first week had already done business of more than 50 crores. Although the film had not broken the record of Salman Khan’s film Bodyguard this year which had done business of 150 crores, the film had created a new trend, and Shahrukh Khan’s excellent acting, stunts and enthusiasm had been praised a lot by the viewers.

In 2012, Shahrukh Khan’s romantic film Jab Tak Hai Jaan is going to get released. It will be released on Diwali, on 13^th November. It was the last film of Yash Chopra. He died recently. This is the first time Shahrukh Khan had acted opposite Katrina Kaif. AR Rehman composed the music of the film. The viewers expect a lot from the film.

Shahrukh Khan had a grand combination with Director Karan Johar, and most of the films directed by him ended up being super hit. The notable films include Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, etc. Shahrukh Khan also gave able lips in hit songs of these films including “kuch kuch hota hai”, “suraj hua madhyam”, etc. In 2010, their grand combination gave another hit titled My Name is Khan. Shahrukh Khan played the lead role in the film and did a great job opposite Kajol.

Shahrukh Khan also succeeded in negative roles. The greatest example includes Darr. There he played a negative character opposite Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. On one hand he gave good lips in the songs “tu mere samne”, on the other hand his attack on Juhi Chawla made the viewers understand that he could act in any type of films. He received filmfare award for the negative category as well. He was played a challenging role in Mani Ratnam’s film Dil Se. The film was related to terrorism in North East India and Shahrukh Khan died with Manisha Koirala in the film.

Shahrukh Khan has the record of bagging 7 filmfare awards for best actor, which is the second best record after Dilip Kumar who had won it 8 times. Shahrukh Khan, better known as King Khan, had acted in the films of almost all the leading directors of the country, including Amol Palekar’s Paheli with Rani Mukherjee. Besides he had acted opposite different actresses like Kajol in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Preeti Zinta in the film Veer Zara, Anushka Sharma in the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jori, to name a few.

Shahrukh Khan opened own production house titled Dreams Unlimited with Juhi Chawla, and the films produced by such combination like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani also did good business. Shahrukh Khan had ruled the industry for more than 15 years. Shahrukh Khan is also known for high level of energy. He had sponsored the Kolkata Knight Riders IPl team which had been captained by Sourav Ganguly. Although the team had performed is a disastrous manner, Shahrukh Khan had always encouraged his players. Shahrukh Khan’s team under the captainship of Gautam Gambhir had also won the IPL Trophy this year.

The viewers are waiting for his next film Jab Tak Hai Jaan  which is going to be released very soon and expect him to continue the great work and entertain everyone. As Don 2 amazed the viewers, everyone is expecting even a better show in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.  Already the trailors had been shown in the multiplexes during the interval of a number of films.

Sadhna and Manoj Kumar were excellent in the film Anita.

Sadhna, Manoj Kumar Anita Director Raj Khosla created three films on crime-thrillers in India. The first was Wo Kaun Thi in 1964, the next one was Mera Saya in 1966, and the last one was Anita in 1967. In all the films Sadhna played the major character. The film Anita was produced and directed by Raj Khosla. The music of the film was composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal. In the film Sajjan showed the horoscope of his daughter Sadhna to an astrologer who told that she was going to face horrid times. Manoj Kumar loved Sadhna. But Sajjan wanted to get her married to Kishen Mehta. Kishen Mehta killed his ex-girl friend and then used the dress of Sadhna to cover her and threw the body in a pond. Sajjan identified it and everyone came to know that Sadhna committed suicide. But when Manoj Kumar got transferred to New Delhi, he got a letter from Sadhna asking for help. He met Kishen Mehta who showed a photo of Sadhna and said that she had split personality. Manoj Kumar was sent to a painter IS Johar. He also said the same thing. Manoj Kumar went in a vacation and saw Sadhna as jogan. He also met her in a train and by the time the train entered a tunnel, Sadhna disappeared. At the end of the film, Manoj Kumar came to know that Kishen Mehta kidnapped Sadhna and Sajjan and used them in his own way. IS Johar also told lies under instruction from Kishen Mehta. Manoj Kumar freed Sadhna at the end of the film. The music of Laxmikant Pyarellel was impressive. Mukesh’s song “tum bin jeevan kaise beeten” became hit. But the fear element that existed in the film Wo Kaun Thi was missing in Anita. Manoj Kumar, Sadhna and Sajjan acted well. But the thrilling storyline in Wo Kaun Thi was missing in Anita and the film did mediocre business. The film should be restored to show Raj Khosla’s hard work in crime-thriller films.

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.