Ujala brought initial success for Shammi Kapoor.

Shammi kapoor had a rough start to his bollywood career. In 1953 his film Jeevan Jyoti flopped. After that more or less 15 films flopped between 1953 to 1957. He made an impact with the film Tumsa Nahi Dekha in 1957. After that Ujala in 1959 was a film which did good business. Naresh Saigal directed the film. F. C. Mehra produced the film. In the film Shammi Kapoor tried to live his life in an honest manner. He was the son of Leela Chitnis. He had a sister of marriageable age and a number of small brothers and sisters. He did manual work at the beginning. But when his small sister died in a road accident, he could not save her due to non-availability of funds required to pay the hospital. Mala Sinha was the friend of Shammi Kapoor in the film. Raj Kumar played the role of a gangster in the film who gave offer to Shammi Kapoor to work in his gang. He did a number of illegal activities like theft, pick-pocketing. Dhumad was also in his gang. Shammi Kapoor could not even pay the moneylender and joined his group. But Raj Kumar killed one of his gang member and warned Shammi Kapoor not to let anyone know about it. Then Shammi Kapoor worked in a shop-keeper’s shop. He collected funds to contribute in his sisters’ marriage. He met a sadhu in an ashram who showed him the right path of life. At the end of the film Shammi Kapoor fought against Raj Kumar. Raj Kumar stabbed him but was caught by the police. Shammi Kapoor recovered after being hospitalized. He learned that the right of life could only bring peace and prosperity. Raj Kumar acted very well in the role of a anti-social element. Mala Sinha did well opposite Shammi Kapoor. Dhumad, Kumkum and Leela Chitnis did well. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music in Shammi Kapoor’s film for the first time in Ujala. Manna Dey’s song “jhoomta mausam mast mahina, yaala yaala dil legai” became hit. Later on Shankar Jaikishan and Shammi Kapoor combination blossomed in the 1960s, and Shankar Jaikishan composed music in 22 films of Shammi Kapoor. Some of the best music of 1960s included the music of Shankar Jaikishan in films of Shammi Kapoor like Junglee, Janwar, Laat Sahab, Brahmchari, Professor, An Evening in Paris, to name a few. Although Ujala did not rule the box-office the way Raj Kapoor’s Anari did in 1959 or Dilip Kumar’s Paigham did. But Ujala was a hit film and paved way for Shammi Kapoor’s hit career in the following years. The film should be restored.

Happy birthday to Urmila Matondkar.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy to Urmila Matondkar, one of the style icons of bollywood industry on 4th February, 2013. She had entertained the viewers over the last 15 years with her variety of performances. She has been one of the main contributors of Ram Gopal Verma’s films. Most of his films had been related to supernatural power and horror subject matters. Urmila Matondkar had given spirited performances in those films and amused the viewers. Her performance in the film Bhoot meaning ghost requires special mention. She was tortured and ill-treated by a person and after the death of the soul, the unsatisfied spirits entered Urmila’s body and disclosed the truth relating to the sad event to the people at large. The horror, fear, anxiety, etc., were expressed by Urmila in style. The role was difficult to perform and Urmila did it in style. Her comedy performance in films like Daud opposite Sanjay Dutt was also appreciated. The film was related to stealing of property and the chase relating to them by Paresh Rawal and his men. Apparently there was hardly any action but serious comedy all along the film where Urmila Matondkar and Sanjay Dutt complimented each other. Urmila Matondkar acted in different types films. Films like Pinjar were made for the interest of serious viewers. While films like Rangeela addressed the common crowd. Urmila Matondkar exhibited her stylish andaz in the film opposite stalwarts like Amir Khan and Jackie Shroff. It was a superhit film and made Urmila Matondkar a leading star of bollywood. Even in films where Urmila Matondkar had acted with ordinary make up, the story and her performance impressed the viewers. Films like Jungle being made with the background of Verappan’s jungle expeditions were admired by different sections of the viewers. Even her performance in the film Tehzeeb along with Shabana Azmi attracted the attention of intellectual audience. She had an abnormal sister and both Shabana Azmi and she herself treated her with care. She received filmfare critics award for best actress in 2004 for her superlative performance in the film Bhoot. She also received starscreen award and Zee-cine awards for her powerful performance in Bhoot in 2004. She was also sublime in commercial films like Jaanam Samjha Karo opposite Salman Khan. She gave impressive lips in the songs “janam samjha karo”, “o chandni”, etc. which became super hit in the late 90s. She also had done impressive item numbers in films like China Gate, Lajja, Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag, etc. In 2008 she played the challenging role in the film Karz, opposite Himesh Reshammiya, the same role which was played by Simi Garewal in Rishi Kapoor’s Karz. Although the film could not rise up to the expectation if compared with Subhash Ghai’s Karz, even then Urmila’s performance was appreciated. The viewers expect her to continue the good work that she started from her childhood in films like Masoom, and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Jeetender and Rajshree were brilliant in Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne.

Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram was an excellent director of the 1950s and 1960s. His film Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne stormed bollywood in 1964. Ramlal composed the music of the film. In the film Jeetender belonged to the family of sculptors. He met Rajshree and from that time the beauty of Rajshree inspired him to make sculptures. When Rajshree’s mother Mai Bhinde wanted to sell her to a rich person, she escaped from her house and asked Jeetender to marry her. Jeetender’s uncle C.H. Atma helped Jeetender and encouraged him to marry Rajshree. Later it was found that Rajshree was the daughter of Surendra Nath who lost his daughter in an early age. Ramlal composed excellent music in the film. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the lyrics of the songs of the film. The title song “geet gaya pattharon ne” sung by Kishori Amonkar, the song “aayiye padhariye” sung by Asha Bhosle and Mahendra Kapoor made the listeners spellbound. C.H. Atma’s songs “ek pal jo mila hai” and “ho saath agar” became popular. The film had to face competition from a number of super hit films in 1964 like Sangam, Dosti, Kashmir Ki Kali, Ziddi. But the film kept its mark. It launched the career of Jeetender as it was his first film. There was excellent acting and dance performance from Rajshree. Actors Surender, Nana Palsikar, Mai Bhinde, all did very well. V. Shantaram’s excellent direction touched everyone. The film should be preserved and reserved.

Happy birthday to Preity Zinta.

The viewers wish happy birthday to Preity Zinta on 31st January, 2013. Her age and the success of upcoming stars like Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra create eyebrows in the faces of most of her fans.In 2013. She had acted in the film Har Pal opposite Shiney Ahuja. The film will be her next release after 3 years. In 2009 she had acted in a challenging role in Deepa Mehta’s film Videsh which was made in the background of the life of Indians in Canada. Although her performance was extraordinary and the film is destined to win a number of awards just like any other film of Deepa Mehta, the film cannot determine the destiny of Preeti Zinta in bollywood films, as such type of films are seen by mainly intellectual audience. She also played an item number in Salman Khan’s film Mr. and Mrs. Khanna titled “amen”. But apart from them she had shown her substantial presence in bollywood films. If her success in bollywood films is examined, it will be seen that the films related to Australia had always stormed bollywood. Her first film Soldier opposite Bobby Deol became superhit. She was sublime in Farhan Akhtar’s super hit film Dil Chahta Hai, where again her romance with Amir Khan in the film was associated with Australia. Her super hit film Salaam Namaste with Saif Ali Khan was based in Australia. Even Rakesh Roshan’s mega project Koi Mil Gaya was also based in Australia and Preeti Zinta’s career was given new turn along with Hrithik Roshan. Besides earlier her acceptance of any role was backed her age and popularity amongst viewers. Her film Kya Kehna was accepted by the viewers, her role in Kabhi Alvida Ne Kehna opposite Shahrukh Khan was also accepted. She was sublime in Salman Khan’s film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, etc. , where Rani Mukherjee also played major part. Even last year her performance in the film The Heroes opposite Salman Khan was appreciated by the viewers. Her record in bollywood films show that she had achieved name, recognition and identity in bollywood films. The test of popularity is under scanner as the new actresses had created fierce competition in the recent years. Besides, the role of smart tall models like the ones played by Priyanka Chopra in Dostana or Katrina Kaif in Race or Lara Dutta in Partner cannot suit Preeti Zinta. From the time she acted in the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom her fortune started going in the other direction. She had been busy playing the role of franchisee in the context IPL Cricket League. Her team Kings Eleven Punjab had faced a lot of hurdles and she got involved in keeping her team alive in IPL League. If it had brought smiles in the faces of cricket lovers, it had raised eyebrows in the minds of audience of bollywood films. Her presence in recent films is decreasing day by day. In 2012 her film Ishq in Paris was re-scheduled and could not be released at the deserved time. In 2013 she is acting in the film Bhaiyyaji Superhit opposite Sunny Deol. Viewers expect her to face the odds and still make valuable contribution in bollywood films as there is no doubt that she is still beautiful, fare, talented and crowdpuller. If the age comes in the way, she can look forward to character roles where her immense maturity can make the difference.

Sonu Nigaam sang many quality songs in 2012.

There was a time between 2000 to 2009 when Sonu Nigaam dominated bollywood music. The successful composers of bollywood namely AR Rehman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Sajid Wajid gave successful songs to Sonu Nigaam. Then in the years 2010 and 2011, Sonu Nigaam sang less number of songs. Previously he won filmfare awards in the films Kal Ho Naa Ho and Saathiya. But he deserved the best male playback singer award many more numbers of times. He received Zee Cine Award for best male playback singer 4 times. He received Colour Screen Award for best male playback singer three times. Sonu Nigaam sang a number of good songs in 2012. In Dabaang 2, his song “saanson ne” composed by Sajid Wajid was a good song. His song “apna mujhe tu laga” in the film 1920: Evil Returns was impressive. His other successful songs in 2012 included “jaane bhi de” in film Ishq in Paris, “Oh My Love” in Raaz 3, “yeh joker” in Joker, “jabse mera dil ko uff” in film Teri Meri Kahaani, “maara re” in Ferrari Ki Sawari. Sonu Nigaam has got good classical background. Other than Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, there are not many trained singers of the callibre of Sonu Nigaam. He deserves more songs in bollywood films and composers like Sajid Wajid, Ajay Atul, Pritam, Salim Sulaiman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy should give more songs and melodious songs which are sung by Sonu Nigaam very well.

Happy birthday to Bobby Deol.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Bobby Deol, on 27th January, 2013. He had acted in many successful films in his long career, and the new generation expects even better performance from the stylish actor. In 2012 his first film Players did not do great business. He played the role of a magician in the thriller film of Abbas Mastan. But Abhishek Bacchan played the lead role in the film. As Bobby Deol’s role was small in the film, he had hardly big role to play in the success or failure of the film. Being the son of Dharmender and brother of Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol required some special skills to create his identity and look different to the viewers. He showed his stylish accent in the film Gupt which was a murder mystery. Bobby Deol was alleged to have killed his father Raj Babbar and was sent to jail. He escaped from the jail with the help of Manisha Koirala and proved himself innocent. He matched the villainish performance of Kajol in the film and balanced the performances of a series of villains in the film including Prem Chopra, Raza Murad, etc. Om Puri was sublime in the role of a police inspector and Bobby Deol showed his personality when both of them met each other. He even gave good lips in the songs composed by Viju Shah like “bechaniya”, “gupt, gupt”, etc. Producers started casting Bobby Deol in stylish roles especially in action pact films like Soldier. He did very well opposite Preeti Zinta. Most of the film was shot in Australia and Bobby Deol proved himself both as a romantic actor and also action. All the songs of the film were hit including “soldier, soldier”, “mehfil me ekbaar”, etc. His action stunts opposite Suresh Oberoi was ably appreciated by the viewers. After few years Bobby Deol changed his hair style but continued to act in action films like Badal and Bicchu. In both these films his heroine was Rani Mukherjee who added attraction in the films. Bobby Deol brought out the vengeance in the character of terrorists especially in the film Badal. But someway or the other due to strong domination of Shahrukh Khan mainly in romantic films, Bobby Deol’s films did mediocre business and he did not get the recognition he deserved. Even in suspense thrillers like Ajnabee, Bobby Deol balanced the villanish performance of Akshay Kumar and individual performances of Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu. The film had many twists and turns and Bobby Deol ultimately took revenge against Akshay Kumar for planting a false case against him. Bobby Deol even did well in the film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya opposite Aishwarya Rai. His films Jhoom Barabar Jhoom did not do that well in 2007, but his film Heroes in 2008 did good business. In 2009, his film Ek, The Power of One did moderate business. He had shown excellence in action films, but for the last few years action films did not do great business. With strong competition from Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Amir Khan and the new heroes Bobby Deol has to do something exceptional to maintain his stardom. In 2011, all the three Deols namely, Bobby Deol, Sunny Deol and Dharmender appeared in the film Yaamla Paagla Deewana. The film had been released in January, 2011 and did great business Bobby Deol played the role of a thief who was reformed by his brother Sunny Deol. He showed his comedy instincts in the film. The film was named with Mohammad Rafi’s super hit song “jat yaamla pagla deewana” picturised on actor Dharmender in the mid 70s in the film Pratigya. In 2013 he is busy with the film Yaamla Pagla Deewana 2. The viewers expect him to do even better in bollywood films in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Riya Sen.

Riya Sen, the granddaughter of famous actress Suchitra Sen, remained a very mediocre actress even after being in the bollywood industry for more than 10 years. She was born as the daughter of Moon Moon Sen in 1981. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Riya Sen on 24th January, 2013. She got a role in Anjan Dutta’s film Bong Connection with her sister Raima Sen but later lost it to Piya Roy Chudhury. But she acted well in National Award winning Rituporno Ghosh’s film Abohoman. Her film career started in 1991 as a child artist in the film Vishkanya. In 2001 she acted in the film Style. Her experience as model helped her in getting offers in bollywood films. After acting in films like Jhankar Beats, she got a prominent role in David Dhawan’s comedy film Shaadi No. 1 in 2005. Shaadi No. 1 was a comedy film in which Riya Sen along with two other girls lured Fardeen Khan, Zaid Khan and his friend and had an affair with them. The wives of all these women complained about the activities of their husbands to Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt compelled Riya Sen and the other girlfriends to leave Fardeen Khan and company as their marital life was getting disturbed. David Dhawan’s comedy treatment entertained the viewers. She also got a small role in the film Heroes with Sohail Khan. Sohail Khan and his friend made a video film on real life stories of heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the nation. After seeing the lives of Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Mithun Chakravarthy the two students including Sohail Khan got transformed. The music of the film was equally impressive. But if her career is compared with Suchitra Sen, then she had remained only a mediocre actress. Suchitra Sen was called by Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Asit Sen, Gulzar to act in landmark films. Most of her films remained landmarks in bollywood films history including Devdas, Musafir, Bombai Ka Babu, Mamta, Aandhi, to name a few. She even portrayed the character of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the film Aandhi. Her successful films include Noukadubi and Kashmakash opposite Prasenjit Chatterjee. Presently she is busy with the film Krissh 3. Riya Sen should act in prominent roles of popular directors to get recognition and also improve her acting.

Happy birthday to Kabir Bedi.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Kabir Bedi on 16th January, 2013. He had played a notable role in the bollywood industry and also contributed well in Hollywood films. In the late 60s, he played a significant role in the film Hulchul with OP Ralhan. The film was a suspense thriller having comedy element as well. The communication relating to a murder was heard by OP Ralhan and he communicated it to all the known personalities in the film thereby creating a panic situation. Kabir Bedi’s baritone voice in the film impressed the viewers. In the 80s and 90s, Kabir Bedi was used by most of the directors of bollywood films in negative roles. In Firoz Khan’s Yalgaar, he kept the balance in the film opposite Mukesh Khanna. His men killed the Commissioner of Police played by Mukesh Khanna, and thereafter was chased by Feroz Khan, the son of Mukesh Khanna. His own son played by Sanjay Dutt, took the challenge on his own shoulders, but could not save Kabir Bedi. He died himself after being fired by Feroz Khan in the film. Feroz Khan always believed in style. Kabir Bedi exhibited the Hollywood andaz in the film. The film was very successful in the early 90s. Kabir Bedi was sublime in his role in the film Rudrakh. He played the role of the father of Sanjay Dutt in the film. Through his meditation he could visualize the person in whose possession the famous stone rudraksh was lying with. Rudraksh was a very powerful device, and the person who used it could acquire supernatural power. The reason Kabir Bedi identified the person Sunil Shetty, who was having the rudraksh, was because the stone could be used by the respective person for committing evil deeds as well. Kabir Bedi died in the process. But Sanjay Dutt with the help of Bipasha Basu reached the place where Sunil Shetty kept the rudraksh. Ultimately it was obtained from him. Although the film was based on fantasy, Kabir Bedi’s performance was worth mentioning. Kabir Bedi was also sublime in the film Kohram. Big B and Nana Patekar fought against the antisocial activities of Danny in the film. Kabir Bedi played the role of Military major and he did very well in the film. He showed the level of discipline that is there in the character of military officers. He was famous for playing the role of Gobinda in the James Bond movie titled Octopussy. He had acted in many successful films of renowned directors like Raj Khosla’s Kacche Dhage, Rakesh Roshan’s Khoon Bhari Maang, Farah Khan’s Mai Hoon Na. He also acted in the films Tajmahal, an eternal love story, Kites, Chakravyuh, etc. Kabir Bedi had acted in more than 200 bollywood films and had shown his indispensability in different types of roles. The viewers expect him to continue the good work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to dashing star Namrata Shirodkar.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dashing star Namrata Shirodkar, one of the successful actresses of 90s, on 22nd January, 2013. She was the sister of successful star Shilpa Shirodkar and also a colourful personality. She showed her skills in the fashion world as well. She did extremely well in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Pukar, opposite Anil Kapoor. She played the role of the daughter of a military major and interacted with Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor wanted to marry her, but her mother played by Rohini Hattangiri, was not interested as she got sick with the life military personnel. Madhuri Dixit was a friend of Anil Kapoor, and due to jealousy with Namrata Shirodkar, she hatched a plan of disgracing Anil Kapoor. A false case was filed against him and he was thrown out from the armed forces. Namrata also left for accomplishing her career as a model and Anil Kapoor had to struggle to prove himself to be innocent. The film took a turn in the second half as Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit worked together to prevent a terrorist attack from Danny and his men. Anil Kapoor received national award for his impressive performance in Pukar. Namrata’s performance was well appreciated. The film created patriotic feeling amongst the viewers. Namrata Shirodkar was sublime in her role in the film Aghaaz. Sunil Shetty came to the city of Mumbai for education of her sister. But as Sunil Shetty did not fulfill the demands of the underworld group in the film, his sister was raped. Sunil Shetty filed a suit against all the members of the housing complex to make them aware of their responsibilities. All of them had scene the incident yet due to fear none of them raised any hue or cry. Namrata Shirodkar helped Sunil Shetty a lot in understanding the nature of people in Mumbai who were professionals and not as simple as rural people. Her friendship with Sunil Shetty was depicted well in the film. She even played a significant role in getting his sister admitted in a college in the neighbouring area. Sunil Shetty united the local people in their fight against the demands of the underworld and killed the suspected culprits. Namrata did her best in the film Vastav, opposite Sanjay Dutt. It was film totally based on the underworld people in Mumbai. Sanjay Dutt, who was a law-abiding citizen, killed one of the underworld person and from that time went on killing the other mafias and became an underworld don. But he also faced the agonies of living a life full of fear against the police. Namrata Shirodkar played the role of the wife of Sanjay Dutt in the film. She adjusted herself with the life led by Sanjay Dutt. Sanjay Dutt received filmfare award for his performance in the film. Namrata Shirodkar left films at a time when she was being given good offers and challenging roles by many bollywood directors and producers. The viewers of bollywood films expect her to make a comeback as it there is requirement of experienced actresses in characters roles in modern films.

Happy birthday to Bipasha Basu.

The viewers of bollywood films wish very happy birthday to Bipasha Basu, India’s Angelina Jolie on 7th January, 2013. She has been one of the most sought after models who had become indispensable in bollywood films in the last few years. When she initially joined bollywood films in Ajnabee with Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor, her smartness and aggressive performance was discussed amongst producers and directors. With passage of time new producers found similarity of Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie and Sofia Lorrain and started giving her roles which were both bold and beautiful. She was considered an art-film actress after her restrained performance in Madhur Bhandarkar’s off-beat project Corporate. Her hit films include Ajnabee, Bacchna Aye Haseeno, Race, etc. She had bagged the award for the most stylish icon last year in 2008, during a year when other bollywood stars like Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra had stormed bollywood films with their stylish performances and westernized dress-ups. Although the complexion of Bipasha Basu was darkish, her looks were unique and that was the reason she was used by directors of different dimensions. In films like Dhoom 2, where Aishwarya Rai showed challenging stunts opposite Hrithik Roshan, Bipasha Basu complimented Abhishek Bacchan in the film with her smart performance. Till date she had performed in more stylish roles than tradional characters. It did not matter to her that she had not been identified as romantic stars like Preeti Zinta, or Rani Mukherjee or Kareena Kapoor, who had ruled bollywood films for the last 5 years, as long as her performance in contemporary films were appreciated and her films did brilliant business in India and abroad. Even with increase of age, viewers had to accept her presence in films in 2008, like Bacchna Aye Haseeno, where she had performed opposite younger stars like Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba. In an interview before a private channel Ranbir Kapoor mentioned that Bipasha Basu was the most matured actress who had acted opposite her in his short career. Beyond style and dance performances she had very strong acting conception which had still kept her in the rat race. In 2012 her film Raaz 3 did very good business. Her other two films like Players and Jodi Breakers did ordinary business. But 2013 is going to be special. Her film Race 2 with a lot of pomp and hype is going to be released in January, 2013. The viewers expect her to continue her brilliant work in bollywood films and show more dynamism in future.

Ranbir Kapoor and Vidya Balan won Colour Screen awards.

Ranbir Kapoor won the best actor critics choice in Colour Screen awards and Vidya Balan won the best actress award. Ranbir Kapoor won the award for the performance in the film Barfi. Vidya Balan won the award for the performance in the film Kahaani. Both of them won these awards in Zee Cine Awards as well. Irfan Khan also won the best actor critics choice award for his performance in the film Pan Singh Tomar. Salman Khan won the Colourscreen award (popular choice) for his brilliant performance in the film Ek Tha Tiger and Dabaang 2. Katrina Kaif won the Colourscreen award (popular choice) for her excellent performance in the film Ek Tha Tiger and Jab Tak Hai Jaan. Pritam won the award for the best music director for his performance in the film Cocktail. Nawazuddin Siddique won the award for the best supporting actor for his brilliant performance in the film Talaash. Dolly Ahluwalia won the best supporting actress for her performance in the film Vicky Donor. Paan Singh Tomar as adjudged as the best film. The awards night is going to be shown soon in Colours Channel.

Happy birthday to Minissha Lamba.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Minisha Lamba on 18th January, 2013. She had been a new icon of bollywood films who had become popular during the last year and is about to act in big banner films. She started her career in bollywood films with the film Yahaan in 2005. It was directed by Sujit Sircar and he was looking for a newcomer at that time. Minisha Lamba created an impression and bagged an important role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s successful film Corporate. Corporate was based on the complexities faced by the workers and the employers of the corporate world which is crude reality in the metros. Most of the employees in the corporate world become mentally sick with the monotonous work culture and demand of fulfilling targets. Bipasha Basu gave a lifetime performance in the film and Minisha Lamba also was appreciated for her strong performance. She acted in small budget films like Anthony Kaun Hai, Dus Kahaniya, Honeymoon Travels Kaun Hai and became a regular actress in contemporary films. Then she got a lifetime role in the film Bacchan Aye Haseeno, opposite Ranbir Kapoor. Newcomers in bollywood dream about getting roles under the Yashraj Banner. Minissha Lamba got the role in the very early part of her career. Bacchna Aye Haseeno was the story of Ranbir Kapoor who had met three different girls in his life and each of the girls had a great influence on his character. He had different experiences with Minisha Lamba, Bipasha Basu and Deepika Padukone and all the experiences eventually shaped his character. Minnisha Lamba gave able lips in the song “ki mujhe pyar hai” composed by Vishal Shekhar in the film. The music of the film was very impressive with hit songs like “bacchna aye haseeno”, and other songs. In 2008, Minisha Lamba also acted in an important character in the action film Kidnap. She played the role of the daughter of Sanjay Dutt was lived separately from her mother due to differences between each other. Imran Khan, the relative of Amir Khan, kidnapped her and asked for heavy ransom from her father Sanjay Dutt. Although Sanjay Dutt did not fulfill any of the father’s responsibilities till the call of kidnapper was made, his influence in the society was used for releasing his daughter. He took the call of Imran Khan as a challenge and the rest of the film involved the struggle of Sanjay Dutt in bringing Khan to task. She also acted in Shyam Bengal’s film Well Done Abba playing the role of the daughter of Boman Irani. She changed her image of commercial films and tried to display natural performance. Minissha Lamba was sublime in the film and showed signs of a matured actress. In 2012 she acted in the films Joker and Bheja Fry 2. Presently she is busy with a movie series titled “Kismat Ki Kompony”. With a number of new actresses like Sonakshi Sinha, Sonam Kapoor, Asin, Anushka Sharma, increasing the competition amongst heroines, Minisha Lamba has a challenging task of maintaining her stardom and do even better in the new films in future.

Happy birthday to style icon Hrithik Roshan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Hrithik Roshan on 10th January, 2013. He has been considered as one of the greatest style icons of India and probably the most dynamic actor ever to grace Indian silver screen. In 2010, he won the award for the style icon in Lux Sabse Favourite Kaun award. 2012 had been important year for him. His film Agneepath released in January did business of more than 125 crores. He acted in the same role which Big B had played 20 years back. He had acted opposite Sanjay Dutt and Rishi Kapoor, so viewers were curious to see his performance in the film. He is also working on the film Krrish 2 which is going to be released in the year 2013. When he appeared in his father Rakesh Roshan’s project Kaho Na Pyar Hai in 2000, he broke all types of records that were set up in Indian cinema in respect of revenues derived from successful films. He played a double role with the title Rohit as an Indian and Raj as a Kiwi citizen. The smartness and elegance that he showed in the Kiwi character was unparallel considering the capability of all the leading superstars of the country. He acted opposite Amisha Patel who was also sublime in the film. Last but not the least his dancing capability was appreciated by every section of the crowd, especially in songs like “pyar ki kashti me”, “kaho na pyar hai”, “haseeno ki mehfil”, etc. But after the success in Kaho Na Pyar Hai, his off-beat films like Fiza and Mission Kashmir did not get proper response from the crowd. He gave spirited performance opposite Karishma Kapoor in Fiza and Preeti Zinta in Mission Kashmir. In fact he dared to even act in a negative character in the film Mission Kashmir opposite Sanjay Dutt in the early part of his career, which other actors of his age would not have dared to do. He gave adequate lips in the song “bhumaro bhumaro” in Mission Kashmir. After a series of medium budget films like Mai Pyar Ki Diwani Hoon, he again stormed box-office with the success of his film Koi Mil Gaya. He received the filmfare award for the best actor again with dynamic performance in the role of a mentally retarded person. The film was shot in Australia by director Rakesh Roshan and Preeti Zinta and Rekha did very well in their respective roles. The relationship with Aliens was well expressed by Hrithik Roshan. He again received filmfare award for best actor in the film Dhoom 2. Again he acted in a negative character in the form of international thief. He became notorious for his planned stealing operations in partnership with Aishwarya Rai. His deeds or misdeeds were detected by the intelligent investigator played by Abhishek Bacchan. He left him without charges after Hrithik transferred the stolen property to Abhishek Bacchan. Hrithik Roshan showed some acrobatic stunts which only Hollywood actors could have taken in the film. The dance performance in the song “dhoom machale” was brilliant by international standards. Hrithik Roshan made the viewers speechless with his dynamic performance in the film Krishh. He acted opposite Priyanka Chopra and exhibited the supernatural powers that he inherited from his father who received them from aliens. The scenic beauty of South East Asian countries amazed the viewers along with the performance of Hrithik Roshan. In 2008, Hrithik Roshan’s brilliant performance in the role of Mughal Emperor Akbar astonished the viewers. He complimented the dynamic performance of Aishwarya Rai in the film Jodha Akbar which was first blockbuster of 2008. He won the filmfare award for the best actor in 2009 for best performance in Jodha Akbar. His other hit films included Laksh, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc. Indian viewers are not that much fond of westernized performances, otherwise with the multitalented approach to films, Hrithik Roshan would have dethroned Shahrukh Khan from the Number One position long time back. Viewers waited for the 2 grand releases of Hrithik Roshan, namely Kites and Guzarish in 2010. Both the films did not do well in the box-office. If Spanish version being inadmissible and ununderstandable to rural mass of India was the root cause for average business of Kites, lack of interest towards serious films on the part of the audience may have effected Guzarish. But Hrithik Roshan acted well in both the films. But he bounced back with Agneepath. There is lot of expectation from the viewers from his films as he is considered a superstar, so he is required to give a bigger hit in 2013.

Vinod Rathore stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program.

Singer Vinod Rathore stormed Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program on 8th January, 2013. He was invited in the show along with Sadhna Sargam as guest judges. He belonged to a musical family being the son of Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod. Sadhna Sargam also was from a musical family in Maharashtra. Vinod Rathore sang many successful songs in bollywood films. Some of his successful songs included “parbat se kaali ghata takrai” for Rishi Kapoor in the film Chandni, “romeo naam mera” for Anil Kapoor in the film Roop Ki Raani Choron Ka Raaja, “aaisi deewanigi” for Shahrukh Khan in the film Deewana, “nayak nahin khalnayak hoon mai” for Sanjay Dutt in the film Khalnayak, etc. Sadhna Sargam sang many impressive songs in bollywood films. Some of the successful songs included “ahista ahista” from Swades, “chupke se lagja gale” from Saathiya, “tere dar pe sanam” from Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Ayee, etc. Sadhna Sargam also won national award for the song “pattu soli” from the film Azhagi. Vinod Rathore and Sadhna Sargam appreciated the performances of all the participants. The singers in the show sang the songs of Vinod Rathore and Sadhna Sargam. Under the request of Jishu Sengupta, the anchor and the participants Vinod Rathore and Kumar Shanu sang the song “jab koi baat bigar jaaye”. Everyone appreciated it including the other judge Joy Sarkar.

Happy birthday to Reena Roy.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Reena Roy on 7th January, 2013. She faced the strong competition of the performers of the 70s and yet could survive for more than 15 years in bollywood films. She came at a time when Hema Malini, Rekha, Parveen Babi, Zeenat Aman and other actresses were at their peak. But she impressed the viewers with her natural performance in Subhash Ghai’s film Kalicharan, opposite Shatrughun Sinha. The film was based on the story of a prisoner who was reformed and given training to work in the police force and thereafter help the investigation agency in tracking down the culprits. Reena Roy’s dance performance in the song “jareja” sung by Lata, was well appreciated. She was also successful opposite Shatrughun Sinha in the film Vishwanath. She did extremely well opposite Rishi Kapoor and Jeetender in the film Badalte Rishte which was released in late 70s. Her film Aasha opposite Jeetender was a box-office success without brilliant songs sung by Rafi and Lata including “ashawon ki sawan me” composed by LP. In the late 70s Reena Roy kept her mark with her performance in the film Nagin. It was a multistarrer film where Firoz Khan, Mumtaz, Jeetender, Sunil Dutt, all were sublime in their respective roles. The story was based on fantasy where the snakes changed their form and took revenge against human beings who had killed their fellow snakes at different periods of time. Although the story had no practical base, but the entertaining performance of most of the stars including Reena Roy, converted a normal film into a hit venture. Reena Roy acted in multistarrer films of other directors like Manmohan Desai. In Naseeb, she played the role of a worker in a restaurant where Big B himself worked. She had to do play acting with Big B to convince Hema Malini that Big B was a bad person and marry Shatrughun Sinha. The film became extremely successful with powerful performance of Shatrughun Sinha, Rishi Kapoor and Hema Malini. The music of the film was extremely successful. Pran and Amzad Khan played key roles in negative characters. She was extremely successful in the multi-starrer film Jaani Dushman. Again she was cast opposite Shatrughun Sinha. She loved Sunil Dutt but Shatrughun Sinha had weakness towards her in the film. The film was related to horror story with star performances from Jeetender, Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha and Amrish Puri. In the 80s, with the advent of action films new action stars adorned bollywood films. Actors like Rajnikant tried their luck in bollywood after playing successful innings in South Indian films. Even during that period Reena Roy was successful in her performance opposite Rajnikant in the film Andha Kanoon. She played the role of the wife of Rajnikant in the film which was released in 1983 and became super hit. Andha Kanoon was related to the revenge that was taken by Rajnikant against Pran, Prem Chopra and Danny after they killed his family members. Reena Roy played the romantic character opposite Rajnikant and kept her mark opposite many stars in the film. Later on she married Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan and left films. But even these days whenever she is seen in character roles like the one in Abhishek Bacchan’s film Refugee which was released in 2000, the viewers enjoy her presence to a big extent. The viewers expect her to continue her good work in character roles in the years to come.

Happy birthday to AR Rehman.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to AR Rehman, on 6th January, 2013. AR Rehman had remained a master composer in Indians films for more than 15 years. He received Oscar Award for his epic composition “jai ho” in the film Slumdog Millionaire. He is considered probably the best composer of the country at this time. His variety and versatility had been exhibited with the landmark tunes given in films like Roza, Saathiya, Taal, Bombay, etc. Successful songs under his composition include “sathiya, sathiya” sung by Sonu Nigam in the film Saathiya, “dil hai chotasa choti si asha”, “roza janeman” in the film Roza, “tuhi re” sung by Hari Haran in the film Bombay, “maiya maiya” in the Guru. He had received 7 filmfare awards for the best composer only next to the genius musical duo Shankar Jaikishan who had won it 9 times. The other composers like Shankar – Ehsan – Loy, Vishal Shekhar, Anu Malik, Pritam have special regard for the versatile composer AR Rehman. He created a separate image for himself inspite of strong competition fro the above mentioned composers. In 2008, AR Rehman gave landmark tunes in most of the films. He was sublime in the film Jane Tu Yaa Jane Na. All the songs “pappu cant dance sala”, “kabhi kabhi aditi”, impressed the teenagers with the catchy numbers. He was totally different in Subhash Ghai’s venture Yuvvraaj. Gulzar wrote the lyrics of the film and the combination of Subhash Ghai, Gulzar and AR Rehman created magic. The songs “tu muskura”, “shano shano”, “mastam mastam” sung by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and other popular singers had created a lasting impact inspite of the mediocre business of the film. In fact AR Rehman compelled Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and others to work harder for giving lips in the songs created for the respective film. AR Rehman was even brilliant in Amir Khan’s film Ghajini. Although the film was related to the revenge that was taken by Amir Khan after his girlfriend was killed by his enemies. Sonu Nigam’s song “hai guzarish” stormed the bollywood audience even before the release of the film. AR Rehman had been so versatile that his music in one film never matched with the music of the other film. His composition in the film Dil Se, titled “chal chaiya chaiya” sung by Sukhwinder Singh and picturised on Shahrukh Khan was totally different from the composition in the film Taal, titled “ishq bina kya jeena”, picturised on Aishwarya Rai. Again his composition for the film Roza titled “dil hai chota sa” sung by Chitra and picturised on Madhu was totally different from the song “saathiya, saathiya” in the film Saathiya sung by Sonu Nigam and picturised on Vivek Oberoi. He had blended western tune with Indian classical music. He also composed successful music in South Indian films. He had done experiments in the film Dilli 6, with songs like “massakali”, Jane Tu Ya Jane Na with songs like “nazren churana”, etc. AR Rehman received filmfare award in 2012 for his brilliant music in the film Rockstar. All the songs were brilliant. His music in the film Jab Tak Hai Jaan in 2012 had also been very popular. The viewers expect him to make more experiments in Indian films in the years to come.

Ajay and Atul stormed Zee TV Saregamapa Program. Ajay and Atul, the successful composers of music stormed Zee TV Saregamapa Program on 5th January, 2012. Both the composers had composed successful music in both Marathi films as well as Hindi films over the last few years, including the film Agneepath in 2012. The participants sang the brilliant songs of Ajay Atul in the show. Biswajeet Borwankar sang the song “jai ganesha” composed by Atul Ajay in the film Agneepath. Jashim Sharma sang the ghazal “ahista ahista” originally sang by Jagjit Singh. Ajay Atul appreciated him and said Jagjit Singh would have been proud of his performance if he had been alive. Renu Nagar was eliminated out of the show. Ajay Atul said when they did riyaz they never had harmonium. They asked their father for higher studies students required 5 lakh rupees they required only 1 lakh rupees. Their father bought them the keyboard worth 1 lakh rupees. They made tunes sung them and got national award also. The other judges Shankar Mahadevan, Rahul Ram and Sajid Wajid, and anchor Javed Ali

appreciated Ajay Atul. The participants Shahnaz Akhtar, Jasraj Joshi and Mohammad Aman also appreciated Ajay Atul. They sang their best and Ajay and Atul blessed them from their hearts.

Happy birthday to Deepika Padukone.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Deepika Padukone on 5th January, 2013. Deepika Padukone, the daughter of renowned badminton player Prakash Padukone, started her career in the fashion world from where the producers and directors got impressed. She made a dream debut in the film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan was one of the biggest icons of bollywood films till 2007. Akshay Kumar had shaken up the box-office domination of Shahrukh Khan after giving many blockbusters in the last few years. It was a dream which came true for Deepika Padukone to act opposite Shahrukh Khan in the romantic blockbuster. Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan searched a new face for the film. Deepika Padukone answered their query. The film was related to reincarnation. Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had double roles in the film. Deepika was killed by breaking out of fire in a grand studio. The entire story of her death was recreated to bring the perpetrators of crime before the people at large. The soul of Deepika Padukone did the rest. The film had similar story line like that of Karz. But the excellent music of the film and decent performance from Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had converted a decent film into a commercially successful mission. The songs of Sonu Nigam and others like “tumko paya hai to jaise”, “om shanty om”, “ankho me teri”, etc., became landmark hits in 2007. Deepika Padukone bagged the best debutant award in the filmfare and Om Shanti Om bagged filmfare awards under different categories. As Deepika Padukone created a huge expectation from the performance in the first film the viewers started believing in her capability in the following films as well. She did well again in 2008 in the film Bacchna Aye Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor, Minissha Lamba and Bipasha Basu. The film was related to the story of how Ranbir Kapoor met three girls namely Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba and how their interaction created an impact in the life of Ranbir Kapoor. Again the fabulous locations and quality music composed by Vishal Shekhar impressed the viewers. The hit songs included “bacchna aye haseeno”, “ki mujhe pyar hai”, etc. Deepika Padukone probably matched Ranbir Kapoor the best if compared with the other performers in the same film. In 2009, Deepika’s much awaited film Chandni Chowk To China was released in January. She had acted opposite superstar Akshay Kumar who had shown his action skills and comedy skills as well in the film. For the requirement of the film Deepika Padukone had learned martial art as well which was done by Priyanka Chopra in the past. But the film did mediocre business. The other film of Deepika Padukone that was released in 2009 was Love Aaj Kaal. It was the film of Saif Ali Khan and he acted opposite Deepika Padukone. The film became a big hit and the romantic combination of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone was accepted by the audience. The music of Pritam was well appreciated by the audience including the song “chor bazari”. After that Deepika Padukone had acted in many films in 2010, including Billo Barbar, Lafange Parindey, Larenge Hum Ji Jaanse, etc., and acted opposite many actors including Farhan Akshtar, Abhishek Bacchan (where he played the role of Masterda Surjo Sen in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s flm), etc. 2011 had been a successful year for Deepika Padukone. Her performance opposite Saif Ali Khan and Big B in the film Aarakshan had been appreciated by the viewers. The film did excellent business too. In 2012 her film Cocktail opposite Saif Ali Khan did good business. The viewers expect Deepika Padukone to revive her position in 2013 with the film Race 2 and continue her great work in the years to come in bollywood films and other films.

Happy birthday to Vidya Balan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Vidya Balan on 1st January, 2013. Vidya Balan had shown her potentiality in sophisticated roles in the past. 2011 had been her year. Her performance in the role of Silk Smita in the film Dirty Picture had been appreciated by the audience. In fact her performance had been the best performance of the year by any female actress. She also won national award for the performance in Dirty Picture. 2012 had also been her year. She was unparallel in the film Kahaani. The performance has been the best performance of the year. She also got married in 2012. Vidya Balan attracted the attention of cultured audience through her soft performance in Pradeep Sarkar’s film Parineeta. It was an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s successful novel Parineeta. Vidya Balan reached the depth of the character that was related to life of Kolkata during the 18th century. Vidya Balan acted opposite Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan and balanced their performance with her own performance. She also gave able lips in the song “piyu bole, piya bole” sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal which became super hit. Vidya Balan was also impressive in the film Lage Raho Munnabhai opposite Sanjay Dutt. The film was based on the story of the transformation of Munna Bhai, who was notorious for his unlawful activities through the dictates of Mahatma Gandhi. He told lies to Vidya Balan about being a Professor, but gathered some courage to tell the truth that he was not a Professor. The songs “pal pal pal” created a theme for the film and he performance of both Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan was very impressive. Although Vidya Balan’s films like Kismat Conection with Shahid Kapoor or Hey Baby opposite Akshay Kumar did mediocre business in the last few years, the viewers had seen her strong performance in the film Bhoolbhulaiya. She had done a good job opposite Abhishek Bacchan and Big B in the film Paa in 2009. She loved Abhishek Bacchan. Their child Big B suffered from a strange disease. Before death Big B united Abhishek Bacchan and Vidya Balan. Her reserve performance once again amazed the viewers. She received the filmfare award for the best actress in 2010 for her brilliant performance in the film Paa. In 2010, her other performance in the film Ishqiya opposite Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi was well appreciated by the viewers. Her role of a widow was really experimental in nature. The character as depicted by Vidya Balan had amazed many viewers. She received the star entertainment award for the best actress for the phenomenal performance in the film Ishqiya. It is interesting to see whether she gets Filmfare award for best actress for her performance in the film Kahaani in 2013. She had carried the entire film on her own shoulders. She should continue to act in reserve roles which suit her characteristics in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Sonali Bendre.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sonali Bendre on 1st January, 2013. Sonali Bendre showed a lot of promise in the 90s when she joined bollywood films. She had spontaneity in her performance and did not imitate any star. She was sublime in Aamir Khan’s film Sarfarosh. Sarfarosh was the film based on the story of an honest police officer who addressed the corruption existing in the police department itself and the other wings of the Govt. Sonali Bendre ably assisted Aamir Khan in his noble mission. Jagjit Singh’s song “husnwale” became very successful. Her performance in Sunil Shetty’s film Bhai requires special mention. Although she loved Sunil Shetty like Pooja Batra but when she knew that Pooja Batra was also attached to him, she sacrificed her love. She died at the end of the film while fighting for the cause of Sunil Shetty. In fact she helped Sunil Shetty to learn urbanized style of living as he came from the hills and was uneducated. She acted in completely different role opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film Duplicate. Shahrukh Khan played a double role in the film, one having an affair with Juhi Chawla while the other having an affair with Sonali Bendre. She acted opposite Shahrukh Khan who played the role of the smuggler. From the time the two characters interchanged Sonali Bendre expressed the astonishment in style. Her lips in the song “mere mehboob mere sanam” require special mention. Although the film had mainly comedy element in it, the powerful performance of Sonali Bendre and Juhi Chawla helped the film to be successful. Her other hit films include Hum Saath Saath Hai, opposite Salman Khan, Zakhm with Ajay Devgan, to name a few. She received the star-screen best supporting actress award for her brilliant performance in the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. Her performance in the film was as outstanding as Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. After success in films like Jis Desh Me Ganga Rehta Hai with Govinda, Major Sahab, etc., she left films in 2002. She appeared in many TV programs in a number of private channels, in some of them being the judges of those programs. But she was not found in prominent roles in the films released in the last few years. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Happy birthday to Nana Patekar

Happy birthday to Nana Patekar. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to actor Nana Patekar on 1st January, 2013. He created a different style of acting which had no similarity with the commercial actors like Shahrukh Khan or art film actors like Naseeruddin Shah. After Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri, he was probably the other actor who allowed the directors to do any experiment with him. He drew the attention of viewers all across the country with his strong performance in the film Prahar in the late 80s. He not only acted in the film but also directed the film. The film was related to the story of a young boy whose mother was dragged into unlawful activities. He learned took military training and provided guidance to new students who joined the armed forces in India. The training schedule was very hectic and the strictness of Nana Patekar appealed to the masses. After the training was over, one of his students who lost his legs while facing terrorists was killed by the underworld group. Nana Patekar came to Bombay, and took revenge against all of them. He was given shelter by Dimple Kapadia, who was the sister of Madhuri Dixit, the wife of Nana’s student. The civilians in the area did not like the intervention of military personnel in the area. After Nana killed all the underworld members, he was tried in a court. The court ordered him to be sent to a mental asylum as he started taking the responsibilities of all the other civilians. The film had a strong social message and was admired by the intellectual viewers. Nana Patekar stormed bollywood films with strong performance in the film Krantiveer. The film showed the use of common people by political leaders for creating riots and clashes between different communities. Nana Patekar killed most of them and supported the effort of Dimple Kapadia who played the role of a daring journalist. If his reserve personality in the film Prahar was appreciated, his aggressive acting in the film Krantiveer amused the viewers. He also acted in comedy roles in films like Raju Ban Gaye Gentleman with Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. He was also sublime in the film Yashwant with Madhu. His uprightness caused trouble for his wife and friends. He was also sublime in a muslim role in the film Ghulam-i-mustafa. He played the role of an underworld person who worked for the cause of a political leader played by Paresh Rawal. His wife Ravina Tandon was killed in the process. He then helped a South Indian family led by Aruna Irani, and stayed in her house to prevent the rival groups from creating any trouble against the family. The film had a strong message of national integration. Nana Patekar also did a fantastic job in the film Hum Dono with Rishi Kapoor. He balanced the romantic acting of Rishi Kapoor opposite Pooja Bhatt with his witty performance and strong action. He did well opposite Big B and Tabu in the film Kohram. Whenever people saw films like Ab Taak Chappan or Vadh, they had appreciated his strong personality which has always raised voice against the evil practices in the country. In Vadh he went on killing persons one after the other till it was discovered that he was the real killer. His negative acting in films like Parinda opposite Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff was also appreciated. Nana Patekar was brilliant with Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor in the film Welcome. His role of mafia don amazed the viewers whose sister Katrina Kaif, who wanted to marry Akshay Kumar. But Akshay Kumar’s uncle Paresh Rawal never wanted Akshay to marry Katrina, due to Nana Patekar’s involvement in underworld activities. The film ended up being one of the super hit films of 2009. He also showed his skills in the film Dus Kahaniya. The film consisted of 10 different stories compiled together. In one of the stories he played the role of a Christian who lost his wife. He travelled in a bus with balloons and disclosed to a fellow traveler that he was taking it to give the gifts in the birthday of his wife. The fellow traveler landed in a graveyard and understood that he was giving it in the grave of his wife. It was one of the films where Nana Patekar’s performances touched the minds of the viewers. He continued his different type of acting in other types of films like Ek: The Power of One. Bobby Deol was the leading actor in the film. Nana Patekar was the investigating officer who discovered that Bobby Deol was the criminal. The viewers expect him to continue the good work in 2013 and show more dynamism in commercial and art films in future.

Happy birthday to Mohammad Rafi.

The listeners of music all over the world wish happy birthday to Mohammad Rafi on 24th December, 2012. The noble soul had left his admirers 31 years ago. Yet he is alive in numerous everlasting hit songs which are heard and cherished for generations. A Mohammad Rafi Musical Academy should be opened in Mumbai. The aim and objective of the Academy should be to train singers in the art of playback singing. The way Pune Film and Development Institute had created acting talents like Om Puri, Shabana Azmi and others, in the same way Mohammad Rafi Academy and appoint singers of repute from different parts of the world to train young singers in the art of playback singing. Mohammad Rafi had been the greatest playback singer ever to have been graced the Indian soil. No other singer can even imagine about visualizing the emotions of Dilip Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, Pradip Kumar, Johnny Walker, all together in the same voice. After bringing about the acting quotients of the legendary actors Mohammad Rafi went one step further to fulfill the requirements of the best composers of the country like Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Ghulam Mohammad, Roshan Lal Nagrath, Madanmohan Kohli, OP Nayyar, to name a few, and the greatest lyricists like Shakeel Badayani, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Sahir Ludhiyanvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, and others. Rafi’s 26000 songs are invaluable musical treasure by listening to which any singer can improve his style of singing. It is a huge question as to how can the singing parameters of Mohammad Rafi can be instilled in the new singers, because playback singing cannot be grammatically taught. But at least the new singers can be trained in classical singing, ghazals, qawallies and may be western style of singing also. The biggest thing is they can be made to listen to Rafi’s singing different types of songs. Few of the Indian classical singers like Suresh Wadkar, Yesu Das, Hariharan, can be few names who can regularly give training to new singers. One big requirement for the present generation is to actually listen to the wide range of songs Mohammad Rafi had sung including the non-filmi albums. With the media shifting focus towards the new generation music of modern day giants like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mohit Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, there is every possible chance of Rafi’s works not gaining media attention as majority of the works were during 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. The young generations hardly know the grand compositions of Naushad Ali, or Shankar Jaikishan; nor the urdu-based poetry of Raja Mehendi Ali Khan or Sahir Ludhiyanvi. So the great works of Mohammad Rafi’s generation require very strong publicity and restoration. By better knowing Mohammad Rafi’s works, Indian music can be improved, because no other playback singer in India had given adequate expression to folk songs, pure classical songs, bhajans, rock and roll songs, soft music, ghazals and other forms of Indian music the way Mohammad Rafi had done over a span of 35 years.

Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna on 29th December, 2012. She has left films after marrying Akshay Kumar, but her performances in the recent past still haunts the viewers of bollywood films. She was very successful in the film Barsaat opposite Bobby Deol. Bobby Deol started his career with that film and it was produced by Dharmender. The music was impressive. Twinkle Khanna expressed her romantic feelings very well in the film. The viewers accepted the pair of Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna. With the success of the film in the early 90s, Twinkle Khanna became a readymade choice for any type of film. She acted with Shahrukh Khan in the film Badshah. Just like other films of Shahrukh Khan the film was based on fantasy and funny acts. Twinkle Khanna played her part very well in the film. The song “humto diwane hue yaar” became superhit. Twinkle Khanna also acted in the comedy film Joru Ka Ghulam with Govinda. As the name suggested, the film was related to the story of how a groom became obsessed with the bride and almost became her servant. Although the term was used in the literal sense, Govinda’s character proved the title of the film. Johnny Lever did well in the film. Twinkle Khanna gave able lips in the song “mai joru ka ghulam banke rahunga” with Govinda. Twinkle Khanna got a challenging role in Amir Khan’s film Mela. The story was related a girl being chased by dacoits and how she was saved. Amir Khan’s own brother acted in the film. The film had action sequences as well. Sonu Nigam’s song in the film “mela dilon ka aya hai” became super hit. The other challenge was matching Amir Khan’s acting performance in the film as in most of his films he had strived to reach perfection in the respective roles. The viewers accepted Twinkle Khanna’s performance opposite Amir Khan in the film. Probably Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai with Salman Khan was the most successful film of her career. The film was shot in UK, Switzerland and other European Countries. All the songs of the film were super hit including “o jana”, “is dil me kya hai”, “pehli pehli baar”, etc. In the film the love of Salman Khan for her reformed Salman Khan’s character, who was a playboy before that. Twinkle Khan looked gorgeous in the film. Twinkle Khan in a number of films opposite Ajay Devgan also in the late 90s. She had acting in her blood, as her mother Dimple Kapadia is considered one of the greatest actresses of bollywood films with landmark performances in films like Lekin, Prahar, Krantiveer, Sagar, Rudali, to name a few. Besides her father Rajesh Khanna was a superstar of the 70s. When Twinkle Khanna looked like dethroning Juhi Chawla, Preeti Zinta or Kajol in bollywood films, she married Akshay Kumar and ended her career. She must have been a proud wife as Akshay Kumar had proved himself to be the greatest entertainer of 2007 and 2008, with majority of his films becoming blockbusters. But a lot of acting was still left in Twinkle Khanna. The viewers of bollywood films expect Twinkle Khanna to make a comeback and contribute in character roles where there are not many matured actresses at the moment.

Happy birthday to Rajesh Khanna

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajesh Khanna on 29th December, 2012. He died in 2012 and the death was mourned by numerous numbers of Indians. He had remained one of the most popular actors of 70s, before Amitabh Bacchan entered the film arena and gave birth to action films. The other reason why Rajesh Khanna is remembered even today was for the melodious music that he got from Kalyanji Anandji, RD Burman, Salil Choudhury, Laxmikant Pyarellal and other composers. Although he started his career with films like Akhri Khat, Raaz, etc., in the late 60s, he got recognition with Shakti Shamanta’s super hit film Aradhana which was released in 1969. In the 70s, Rajesh Khanna had a dream run with films of different directors including Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Asit Sen, Shakti Samanta and others. Most of his films from 1971 to 1973, were super hit. And the music of these films created history. The songs of the film Anand, composed by Salil Choudhury were super hit, including “kahin door jab din dhal jaye”, “maine tere liye hi saat rang” sung by Mukesh and “zindagi kaisi hai peheli” sung by Manna Dey. The songs of the film Aan Milo Sajna composed by LP became super hit including Rafi’s song “aan milo sajna” and Kishore’s song “accha to hum chalte hai”. The songs of the film Amar Prem composed by RD Burman became super hit including KK’s song “chingari koi bharke”, “kuch to log kahenge”, etc. Amar Prem was the hindi version of Uttam Kumar’s famour Bengali film Nishipadda. Similarly the songs of the film Kati Patang composed by RD Burman became super hit including songs of KK like “ai shaam mastani”, Mukesh’s song “jis gali me”, etc. Similarly songs of the film Safar composed by Kalyanji Anandji became super hit. Kishore’s song “zindagi ka safar” can be considered as one of the best songs that he sang during his long career. The songs of the film Namak Haram composed by RD Burman, Roti composed by LP, Raaz composed by Kalyanji Anandji, Bawarchi composed by Madanmohan, were all very successful. Rajesh Khanna created a romantic image and his films opposite various actresses like Sharmila Tagore in films like Aradhana, Amar Prem, Mumtaz in Aap Ki Kasam, Asha Parekh in Kati Patang, Aan Milo Sajna, Tanuja in Mere Jeevan Saathi, Hema Malini in Mehbooba, and others created an era of romantic films. He became a role model for the younger generation. Rajesh Khanna was remembered as the next door neighbour’s character. Other than the commercial films he acted in Asit Sen’s Safar, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand, Shakti Shamanta’s Amar Prem, where the central character was a human being having human feelings. But from the time Amitabh Bacchan entered the film arena he not only dethroned Rajesh Khanna but more than that changed the dimension of bollywood films. He played anti-establishment characters and persuaded other superstars like Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha, Dharmender, Firoz Khan, Sunil Dutt and others to play similar type of roles. Action films dominated bollywood industry and films like Sholay, Deewar, Kalicharan, Burning Train, Jugnu, Zakhmee, Dharmatma faded away Rajesh Khanna’s romantic films like Soutan, Prem Nagar and other films. Rajesh Khanna’s wife Dimple Kapadia established herself into one of the most powerful actresses of bollywood films with success in Saagar, Jaanbaaz, Rudaali, Lekin, Krantiveer, etc. Even then Rajesh Khanna continued acting for another 20 years and was even seen in recent films in roles of old person. Even Rishi Kapoor did cast him in his directorial venture title A ab laut chale. He had received filmfare best actor award a number of times and also received lifetime achievement award. His films should be restored. The viewers expect Rajesh Khanna to contribute in character roles the way Big B, Vinod Khanna and other veteran actors have done over the years.

Happy birthday to Rajnikant.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajnikant on 12th December, 2012. For the last 30 years he had remained as one of the most popular superstars of South Indian films and carried his stardom in bollywood films as well. He was very ill last year, struggling with kidney disorder. After treatment he had recovered. His film Robot was a sensation in South India and did well in North India as well. His admirers expect him to continue his stylish performances in new films in future, the same way as he did in the past. From the beginning of his career he had created an identity in action films. He had his own mannerisms which were liked by South Indian audience and was also new for bollywood viewers. In the film Andha Kanoon, he acted along with Big B. The film was released in 1983. His parents were tortured and killed in the film by Pran, Prem Chopra and Danny. The entire film was related to the revenge that he had taken against all those actors. His sister’s role was played by Hema Malini who was a police-officer in the film. There were romantic sequences in the film as well where Reena Roy contributed opposite Rajnikant, but as the action sequences became predominating there was not much scope for the romantic performance. The film became superhit in the early 80s. Rajnikant also showed his comfort in hindi films after playing a handsome innings in South Indian films. Rajnikant showed his skills in action films along with Kamal Hassan and Big B in the film Geraftar. There he played the role of a friend of Big B, who was killed during an encounter with the villains in the film. The action sequences in the film became famous during mid-80s. Also the music of Bappi Lahiri became popular. During the mid-80s Rajnikant acted in the superhit film Chaalbaaz which was made in the same line as Ram Aur Shyam and Seeta Aur Geeta. In the earlier films the double roles played by Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini amused the viewers. In Chaalbaaz the double role was played by Sri Devi. Rajnikant and Sunny Deol were the two heroes in the film. As the film was based on comedy of errors Rajnikant used his comedy skills to perfection opposite Sri Devi. Also Anupam kher did an experiment in the negative role in the film. Rajnikant had been one of the most popular icons of Tamil films for generations and had carried forward the legacy that was created by Shivaji Ganeshan, Jemini Ganeshan and others. The list of his hit films are too long and cannot be highlighted in a small article. Even his latest film that was released in 2008 titled Shivaji had become super hit. He also played a very active role in South Indian politics. He campaigned for the political party Dravida Munetra Khazagham (DMK) under the leadership of M. Karunanidhi. Filmstars in South India are hailed across all the four states Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as the languages Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malayalam are very close to each other. Rajnikant had remained popular for more than 25 years and the people at large could identify themselves in the diversified characters that Rajnikant had played during his long career. Whenever the list of South Indian filmstars who had glorified bollywood films comes into question the name of Rajnikant comes at the top along with Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Arvind Swami and others. The All India audience expect Rajnikant to continue his excellent work both in South Indian films as well as bollywood films in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Salman Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Salman Khan on 27th December, 2012. He had been the other superstar other than Shahrukh Khan who had ruled bollywood films for the last 22 years. Although he had mixed results in respect of success of his films released in 2009 and 2008, his popularity and box-office had remained intact. In 2010, he had given the greatest hit Dabanng, which had done business of more than Rs 150 crores. From that time he had proved himself as the greatest cash generator of bollywood films. His film Ready released in summer 2011 did business worth 125 crores and his film Bodyguard had broken the record of Dabanng and did business worth 160 crores. In 2012 his film Ek Tha Tiger had been the greatest grosser with business of 200 crores. His other film Dabaang 2 had already done business of more than 140 crores and is still going strong. He created an impression before the viewers with his romantic film Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989. After that he had acted in every type of film including comedy films, action films etc. His musical blockbusters include Khamoshi with Manisha Koirala, Andaz Apna Apna with Amir Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Ravina Tandon, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Twinkle Khanna, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega opposite Preeti Zinta, to name a few. He build a manly body from the early part of his career and from that time became the role model of many youngstars of the country. His action films included Auzaar with Shilpa Shetty, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge with Diya Mirza, Tere Naam, Karan Arjun opposite Mamta Kulkarni, to name a few. His recent action film in 2009 titled Wanted opposite Ayesha Takia did brilliant business. Although he did not shape his career as an action hero like Sunny Deol or Sanjay Dutt, his performance in action films were very impressive. He acted in landmark comedy films during his career, which included Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya opposite Katrina Kaif and Sushmita Sen, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge opposite Priyanka Chopra, Partner opposite Lara Dutta, God Tussi Great Ho opposite Priyanka Chopra, to name a few. In 2009, he acted in romantic films Mai Aur Mrs Khanna, opposite Kareena Kapoor, and also London Dreams with Ajay Devgan and Asin. Although Mai Aur Mrs. Khanna did average business, London Dreams became hit. If his films in 2008 can be analyzed it can be said that his film Heroes with Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Preeti Zinta, had done best business so far. The films God Tussi Great Ho did average business and the film Yuvvraaj could not rise up to the hype that was created by strong promotion of Subhash Ghai. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s performance had been well appreciated by the film-lovers and the film had created aesthetic values with innovative music and good locations. In 2010 his film Veer has both romantic elements and action elements as well but the huge cost that was put up was not recovered at all. His television show Dus Ka Dum in Sony Channel got fantastic response in 2009. The leading actors of bollywood films including Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Jeetender, Tusshar Kapoor, Amir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, all appeared in that show and Salman Khan helped all of them for the promotion of their films that were released this year. In 2011 his show Big Boss got excellent viewership with Sanjay Dutt also sharing the role of anchoring. Salman Khan had been extremely popular for the viewers of TV Channels for his straight forward communications. He appeared in Saregamapa Music Competition in Zee TV with Katrina Kaif and asked Aditya Narayan, Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam, Shankar Mahadevan and others about the fate of Aneek, Raja and others who had won the competition before. He enquired whether they had got chance in bollywood films or whether they were still struggling. No other bollywood actor would have ever been concerned about the fate of upcoming talents including singers, dancers, actors, etc. In 2011 he came during Zee Saregamapa Little Champs program and encouraged child participants like Azmat Hussain, Niladri Chatterjee, Salman Ali, Nitin Kumar, and others. In 2012 he did a great job in the TV Program Big Boss. The viewers expect him to break records after records as it is proved in the recent 3 years that he is the greatest crowdpuller in the country. Salman Khan had always been involved with controversies and his good deeds got neutralized due to the killing of deers in Jodhpur, offense relating to rash and negligent driving, etc. But those who had behaved well with Salman Khan know that he is a gem of a human being. 2010 had been a year with mixed fortunes for Salman Khan. While Veer did mediocre business, Dabanng ended up being blockbuster. He had also hosted the show Big Boss with huge success. 2011 had been excellent for Salman Khan with 2 of his films Ready and Bodyguard giving business of more than 125 crores each. The viewers expect Salman Khan to give an even better performance in the film Dabaang 3 opposite Sonakshi Sinha which are going to be made in future.

Happy birthday to Raj Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor is remembered by the nation on his birthday on 14th December, 2012. He was probably the most popular actor of bollywood films of the 40s, 50s and 60s other than Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor still remain the most popular actors of bollywood cinema in the last 70 years. One of the reasons of their immense success includes the superlative class of music being given to the giant actors by Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan. Naushad gave classic tunes to Dilip Kumar in the films Uran Khatola, Kohinoor, Mughal-I-Azam, Leader, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, to name a few. Rafi and Shakeel Badayani were the other players in the deadly combination. Rafi’s songs for Dilip Kumar like “madhuban me radhika nachere”, “woh dur ke musafir”, “tere husn ki kya taarif karun”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, “dilruba maine tere pyar me kya kya na kiya”, “aaj purani rahon se koi mujhe awaaz na den”, “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “do sitaron ka zameen par hai Milan aaj ki raat”, etc., remain one of the greatest creations of all times. If Naushad was unparallel as a composer, Shakeel Badayani was unparallel as a lyricist, Rafi was matchless as singer and Dilip Kumar matchless as an actor. Producer director Raj Kapoor was the closest competitor of Dilip Kumar during the 40s, 50s and 60s. In fact both the giants had acted together in the film Andaz in 1949. Raj Kapoor’s deadly combination with Shankar Jaikishan had produced super hit films like Barsaat, Aah, Awara, Shree 40, Chori Chori, Anari, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, to name a few. The music of those films were equally popular and successful. Songs of Mukesh and Manna Dey like “ramaiya vasta maiya”, “mur murk e na dekh”, “sab kuch seekha humne”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, “o mehbooba”, “dost dost na raha” “aa aab laut chalen”, had not lost their flavor even after 50 years of their creation. As Raj Kapoor had other qualities besides acting including production, direction, editing, etc., he is considered the greatest showman of all times even today. As far as the compositions of Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan are considered, both the composers had very strong classical orientation. Naushad gave folk tunes to Dilip Kumar in Ganga Jumna sung by Rafi including “nain lad jaiy he” and Lata in “dhoondo dhoondo resaajna”, etc. Shankar Jaikishan gave folk tunes to Raj Kapoor in Teesri Kasam in songs like “chalet musafir” sung by Manna Dey, to name a few. If Naushad displayed the muslim culture of Lucknow, Aligarh with his classical tunes in films like Leader, Kohinoor, Mughal-i-azam, Shankar Jaikishan displayed the European tunes in Raj Kapoor’s films Sangam, Around the World, etc., where the westernized orchestrations complimented the colourful scenary of the foreign countries. In fact, SJ’s tunes “chale jana zara theheron” showed the brilliance of Lake Erie and Niagra Falls stretching from Canada to USA, and mesmerizing the audience. Even in Sangam, the creation of SJ picturised in the snow-clad Switzerland titled “ishq the ishq, I love you” showed SJ’s capability of adapting to European tunes. The musical fountain in Around the World, showed the brilliance of SJ in the film Around the World. The lyrics written by Shakeel Badayani in Dilip Kumar’s films where music was composed by Naushad were as innovative as the lyrics written by Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’ films composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The lyrics contained urdu shairy, bhopuri language, ultramodern lyrics, rural language, etc. and appealed to the masses. Naushad had composed music in more than 15 films of Dilip Kumar and the same is the case of Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’s films. The music of each of those films can be analysed and revisited. It is impossible to say whether Dilip Kumar’s combination with Naushad was greater than Raj Kapoor’s combination with Shankar Jaikishan, but it is true that the two giants had left assets for generations to cherish which had ended up being masterpieces. New actors, composers, singers, directors learn from the success of the Showman and Tragedy King and the works should be revisited. Raj Kapoor’s legacy is carried forward by his son Rishi Kapoor, grandson Ranbir Kapoor and granddaughter Kareena Kapoor. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor had established themselves in bollywood films and will go a long way. Different private channels showed films of Raj Kapoor on his birthday in 2012. Raj Kapoor’s creations should be preserved and restored.