Happy birthday to Tabu.

Happy birthday to Tabu on 4th November. All the viewers of bollywood films had wished happy birthday to Tabu on the 4th of November, 2013. Although these days Tabu is not in the news to the extent she used to be few years back, she still enjoys popularity from bollywood audience. When she entered films, within very short period of time she was recognized by the directors of parallel films and realistic films and experimented with her in dynamic roles. Gulzar gave her a challenging role in the film Machis. It was related to the story on terrorism existing in Punjab in the 90s. Tabu represented a member of a family who was affected by such terrorism. Her performance stand out among other notable performances of Om Puri and Chandrachud Singh in the same film. She played a challenging role in the film Tarqeeb. The film was related to suspense of her death. She was killed and Nana Patekar did an impressive investigation to unearth the truth as to her killing. The first part of the film showed Tabu’s struggle in maintaining her family and her fight against poverty. The early part her relevance in respect of finding the motive of killing her in the film. She played the role of a strict police officer in the film Kohram with Nana Patekar. Nana Patekar took the disguise of a journalist to unearth the identity of Big B in the film who was alleged to have been involved with criminal activities. At the end of the film both Big B and Nana Patekar co-operated with each other in their fight against Danny and his men who were really involved with anti-national activities. Tabu was very impressive in her respective role in the film Hu Tu Tu. She also changed her image by performing in serio-comic performance in the film Bibi No.1, where she played the role of the wife of Anil Kapoor who helped Karishma Kapoor to bring peace in her family after her husband Salman Khan got involved in extra-marital affair with Sushmita Sen. Tabu had acted in off-beat films like Chandni Bar and received critics acclamation for her performance in those types of films. She also acted in Mira Nair’s Hollywood film Namesake. Last year she played a notable role in the film Cheeni Kum with Big B where she depicted the character of a middle-aged lady who entered into an affair with an old man. She is probably one of the Hyderabadi actresses, who had done well both in bollywood films as well as South Indian films. Even more than that her performance in the comedy film Hera Pheri, where she acted opposite Sunil Shetty had no similarity with the role of village girl in Virasat where she acted opposite Anil Kapoor. She had showed her range of acting over the last 15 years and other than Dimple Kapadia there are no actresses of contemporary period who has equal potential as that of Tabu. Although she had acted in Telegu films in 2008 like Pandurangadu, she had not played any important role in any bollywood film in 2009. In 2010, she acted in the film Toh Baat Pakki, but that film did mediocre business. In 2012 Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai opposite Salman Khan and Govinda was supposed to be released. But it is supposed to be released in 2014. The other film Life of Pi was released and she got critical acclamation. In 2014, she will be seen in Salman Khan’s film Jai Ho, which was previously name as Mental. Her admirers expect her to make a strong comeback in bollywood films and contribute in both commercial and off-beat films.

Joshojit and other celebrities' children rocked Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

Joshojit and other celebrities’ children rocked Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

On 29th October, 2013, Sourav Ganguly invited the children of renowned celebrities in the program Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program. The contestants included Joshojit, the son of actor Joyjit, Oishi, the daughter of actress Srilekha Mitra, Deb, the son of singer Shamit Mukherjee, Mohul, the daughter of singer Rupankar, Megh and Bristi, the children of actress Manashi Sinha and Pujita, the daughter of another actress. Incidentally Manashi Sinha became the champion of Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program, few weeks back. Sourav Ganguly showed a clipping of song of film The Three Idiots, where Amir Khan and Kareena Kapoor danced together. The question was asked to Oishi. She could recognize Kareena Kapoor but not Amir Khan. Sourav Ganguly gave her full marks, and with wit told that it was not necessary to recognize Amir Khan, as long as the beautiful lady Kareena Kapoor was identified. Sourav Ganguly said he always admired beautiful ladies. Srilekha Mitra, the mother of Oishi, asked Sourav Ganguly, what about them. Sourav Ganguly bypassed the question and got back to the game. Joshojit gave the maximum number of answers in the slog over round and became the champion of the show. He also won the prize for the fastest fifty. His father, actor Joyjit, did not come to the show, but his mother took the prizes on behalf of Joshojit. He also asked a question to Sourav Ganguly. The question was, if he was travelling in a bus, and it was raining outside, how did he get wet? There were no leakages in the roof of the bus. Sourav Ganguly answered it was by sweat. Joshojit said, yes, yes it was right answer. Sourav Ganguly anchored the program with style, asking each of the contestants, what were their extra-curricular activities in addition to academics.

Happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai.

Happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai. All the viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Aishwarya Rai on the 1st November, 2013. 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.

Happy birthday to Shahrukh Khan.

Happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan on 2nd November, 2013. 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 13th 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. 2013 had been even more successful year for Shahrukh Khan. His film Chennai Express released in August, 2013, did business of more than 210 crores. The film broke the record of Amir Khan’s The Three Idiots and stands as the biggest blockbuster ever. 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 that is going to be released in 2014. He is breaking his own records. So there are more surprises in future.

Happy birthday to Raveena Tandon.

Happy birthday to Raveena

Tandon. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Raveena Tandon on 26th October, 2013 . 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.

Happy birthday to Celina Jaitley.

Celina Jaitley in the last few years.

The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to Celina Jaitley on 24th October, 2013. Celina Jaitley had been a common face in bollywood films in the last few years. Although she had not created any threat for the leading actresses like Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra, she had acted in many super hit films. No Entry probably is the most successful film of Celina Jaitley. She had an affair with Fardeen Khan which entered into controversy. Initially she thought Fardeen Khan had gone to commit suicide. She gathered the neighbours of the locality stop Fardeen Khan from committing suicide. But Bipasha Basu was send by Salman Khan to Anil Kapoor’s house, and Lara Dutta returned home saw both of them, Anil Kapoor told Lara Dutta that Bipasha was the wife of Fardeen Khan. From that time onwards to hide one lie Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan went on telling numerous lies. Ultimately it led to filing of divorce by Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley. Salman Khan had to come all the way from abroad to settle their problem. Celina Jaitley even adjusted herself with the romantic locations of Mauritius. She deserves the credit for the success of the film along with Lara Dutta, Bipasha Basu and Esha Deol. She was sublime in the film Golmaal Returns. In the first film Golmaal, all the friends including Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, etc., were associated with only one actress that was Reema Sen. In the second part the friends interacted with a number of actresses including Kareena Kapoor, Celina Jaitley, Amrita Arora and others. The film was serio-comic in nature and Celina Jaitley maintained the comedy element in the film at par with the co-actors like Tushar Kapoor, who was dumb in the film and expressed his feeling with funny sounds and postures. She also gave elegant lips in the song “golmaal golmaal”, etc. Celina Jaitley is still in search of dynamic roles in bollywood films which she did not get in her short career span. Viewers feel that she has acting in herself, the producers and directors had exploited only her screen presence and style statements, if they give her challenging roles she can prove herself in near future.

Whenever Manna Dey and Mohammad Rafi met together they created magic.

Manna Dey and Mohammad Rafi’s duet songs were masterpieces.

Only genius singers have the capability of simplifying difficult ragas and Hindustani classical music simplified into the version which is understandable by the common mass. Both Manna Dey Sahab and Mohammad Rafi Sahab had the capability of making those complicated tunes simple, melodious and romantic. There were huge numbers of difficult songs composed for both of them in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of them had become immortal over the years. The greatness of Manna Dey and Rafisahab lies in simplifying these high voltage qawallis and classical songs in the language of the lay man. Every filmlover who had watched the films and heard the classical andaz in these songs in the beginning wondered about the brilliance of Manna Dey and Rafisahab, and then enjoyed them, clapped at the rhythm created by them and sang all the lines themselves. It was a revolution brought about by the 2 genius singers. It can be very well understood, had these singers not being born, the giant of giants Roshanlal Nagrath, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, Madanmohan Kohli and others would not have composed the songs at all. Roshanlal Nagrath’s qawallies had the quality and the brilliance to overshadow the romantic songs and be the striking song of the film beating all other songs. In Barsaat Ki Raat, the qawalli sung by Manna Deyji and Rafisahab titled “Na to caarvaan ki talaash hai, na to humsafar ki talaash hai Mere shauq-e-khaana kharaab ko, teri rehguzar ki talaash hai”, was the lifeblood of the film. Sudha Malhotra and Asha Bhosle also made notable contribution in the song. The Roshan, Sahir Ludhiyanvi magic continued in the film Taj Mahal. Pradip Kumar played the role of emperor Shahjahan in the film. Rich urdu lyrics and khandani Hindustani classical songs mesmerized the audience in 1963. One of the brilliant qawallies titled “chandni ka badan, sone ka nazar” had classical contest of Rafisahab with Manna Dey. Again there was strong performances of Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle in the song. The Roshanlal Nagrath, Sahir Ludhiyanvi masterpiece continued in Bahu Begum in 1967. Again there were brilliant performances of Pradip Kumar and Meena Kumari. Rafi Sahab and Manna Dey complimented each other in the song “dhoond ke layun kahan se mai”. In that song in addition to the classical tans, both Rafisahab and Manna Dey Sahab, established the sufi andaz of the song as it was picturized in a dargah. The other duet song of Rafi Sahab and Manna Dey Sahab in the film titled “waqib hunk hub ishq ke” really made the musical bandits astonished. Perfection was very close to Manna Dey and Rafisahab’s uncomparable singing. Madanmohan Kohli did another good experiment in the film Haqeekat. In that film in 1964, Rafi Sahab, Manna Deyji, Bhupinderji and Talat Sahab had sung the song “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga”. Everyone’s style was very different. Very significantly the pathos exhibited in the song was also very unique in respect of all the singers. Shankar Jaikishan composed a beautiful song “mehfil me shama chamki” in the film Gunahon Ka Devta in 1967. Here also Manna Dey and Rafisahab showed their own gayaki skills to make the song sound beautiful. Naushad Ali created a beautiful qawalli in Rajender Kumar’s film Palki in 1967 titled “mai idhar jayun yaah udhar jayun”. Rafisahab and Manna Dey reached the message of the lyricist to the audience through their excellent classical singing. In the film Chandi Sona in 1977, Rafisahab and Manna Dey sang the song “ek shokh haseena se”. The singing was notable again. Sonik Omi composed the song “mujhse nazren milaaneki” for Manna Dey and Rafi Sahab in the film Maan Gaye Ustad released in 1981. There were duet songs sung by Rafisahab and Manna Dey in light mood like “yeh do diwane milke” in Johar Mehmood in Hongkong, “dekho dekho madam” in Pyar Muhabbat, “aayo aaten kyun nahin”, but those had comedy andaz in respect of them. The list just goes. More than 100 articles can be devoted to the two giants Manna Dey and Rafisahab. Their songs and films require restoration.

Sidhu, Babul Supriyo, Usha Utthup and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

Sourav Ganguly brought celebrities on 23rd October, 2013. Singer Sidhu of Cactus Band, Babul Supriyo, singer Usha Utthup, singer Subhamita and others graced the occasion. All the singers were very famous in their own esteem. Sourav Ganguly asked Babul Supriyo about his recent Bengali album based on folk songs. Babul Supriyo said that the folk songs are known to everyone. They have the smell and fragrance of the soil. He recorded the popular songs like “shundari kamala naache”, “amae dubai li re”, and other songs which Bengali are called prachalito pallisangeet. He is very confident that the songs will be loved by the audience. Subhamita was shown a clipping from the film Pyaasa. Geeta Dutt’s song “jane kya maine kaha” was picturised on Wahida Rehman. Sourav Ganguly asked Subhamita to sing the Bengali version of the same song. Subhamita sang SD Burman’s song “mono dilo na bodhu”. In the slog over round, Sidhu gave the maximum number of answers and became the champion of the show. Usha Utthup was asked by Sourav Ganguly to sing a song. She sang the song “senorita” from the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Sourav Ganguly danced in the song. He said, he had run Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program for 3 seasons now. None of the celebrities had been successful to make him dance. Usha Utthup was the first person. Usha Utthup said that she had travelled to Dubai in a flight few years back. Incidentally Sourav Ganguly was also travelling in the same flight. The air hostess behaved very well with Usha Utthup. After that the air hostess said please introduce herself to Sourav Ganguly. Sourav Ganguly anchored the program very well.

Legend of legends Manna Dey passed away.

On 24th October, 2013, legend of legends Manna Dey passed away. He was 94 years old. Manna Dey was a unique singer in bollywood history whose brilliant classical andaz commended respect from the giant composers of the golden age that Is 40s, 50s and 60s. Lifetime Achievement award, Padmabhushan are few feathers in his cap which show the esteem with which the country greets him. He had very understanding with giant composers Shankar Jaikishan. Manna Dey rose to fame in 1955 with Raj Kapoor’s film Shree 420, where his songs “mur murkena dekh”, “pyar hua ikraar hua”, “dil ka haal sune dilwala” were all super hit. Shankar Jaikishan’s composition, Raj Kapoor’s lips and Manna Dey’s expression synchronized in the musical blockbuster. In Basant Bahar, SJ gave classical tunes to Manna Dey. The song “sur na saje kya gayun mai” stands out. In Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori, based on Hollywood film Roman Holiday, Manna Dey’s song “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, “yeh to batayo kit um mere kaun ho”, “aaja sanam” mesmerized the audience. The SJ Manna Dey combination was at their best in those songs. Raj Kapoor and Nargis played the same role which Gregory Pegg and Audrey Hepburn played in Hollywood and Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen played in the Bengali film Chawa Pawa. SJ’s tune “tu pyar ka saagar hai” sung by Manna Dey in Balraj Sahani’s film Seema was a masterpiece. The other landmark songs sung by Manna Dey composed by SJ included “cham cham bajere payelia”, also the song “mai tere pyar ka beemar hoon kya arz karoon” picturised on Mehmood in the film Love In Tokyo, “ai bhai zara dekhke chalo” picturised on Raj Kapoor in the film Mera Naam Joker, to name a few. In Shammi Kapoor’s film Pagla Kahin Ka, Manna Dey’s song “meri bhais ko danda kyun mara” became big hit. Besides Manna Dey’s folk andaz in Raj Kapoor’s film Teesri Kasam in the song “chalet musafir moh liyo re” was well appreciated by the critics. Also Manna Dey’s song “suraj aa pass” and “muskura ladle muskura” became extremely popular in the early 60s. It is not possible to highlight the magical combination of Shankar Jaikishan and Manna Dey in a small article. Shankar Jaikishan were probably the composers who used Manna Dey’s talent to the best possible level considering the effort of Roshanlal Nagrath, Madanmohan and others. The films and the songs of SJ and Manna Dey combination should be preserved and restored. Shankar Jaikishan exploited the brilliance of Manna Dey. During 1950s and 1960s, Mohammad Rafi ruled bollywood music and used to be considered the uncrowned monarch of playback singing. Some of the most legendary songs of the decade were sung by Rafi including “man tarpat hari darshan” in film Baiju Bawra composed by Naushad Ali, “ajahu na aye balma sawan bita jay” in film Beti Bete composed by Shankar Jaikishan. During that decade Manna Dey, the classical singer having huge range and brilliant control was used to sing difficult songs. Shankar Jaikishan exploited the excellent talent of Manna Dey in the best way. In Raj Kapoor’s film Shree 420, Manna Dey’s songs like “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “pyar hua ikraar hua hai” and “mur mur ken a dekh” had romantic andaz. Same were the songs in Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori where Manna Dey sang “yeh raat bhigi bhigi”, “jahan bhi jati hu”, “aaja sanam madhur chandni me ham”. Manna Dey was famous for his classical andaz. Shankar Jaikishan used the talent in Bharat Bhushan’s film Basant Bahar in the songs “ketki” and “sur na saje kya gayun mai”. SJ and Manna Dey combination stormed bollywood in Balraj Sahani’s Seema with the song “tu pyar ka saagar hai”. Manna Dey’s classical andaz was used in Shammi Kapoor’s Janwar in the song “ankho ankho se” and Raj Kumar’s film Mere Huzoor in the song “jhanak jhanak”. Manna Dey SJ created magic in Rajender Kumar’s film Zindagi titled “muskura ladle muskura”. His folk andaz was used by SJ in Raj Kapoor’s film Teesri Kasam in the song “chalet musafir”. SJ and Manna Dey were sublime in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker as well in the song “ai bhai zara dekhke chalo”. Shankar Jaikishan after giving due respect to Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood and others did absolute justice to Manna Dey’s classical talent. It was sad that Jaikishan expired in 1971, otherwise the magic combination of SJ with Manna Dey would have continued. The songs and the films require publicity.

Sanjeev Kumar and Farooq Sheikh acted well in Basu Chatterjee's film Lakhon Ki Baat.

Sanjeev Kumar and Farooq Sheikh acted well in Basu Chatterjee’s Lakhon Ki Baat.

Basu Chatterjee directed the film Lakhon Ki Baat in 1984. Basu Chatterjee had been famous for his off-beat films in the 1970s and 1970s. All his films like Chitchor, Choti Si Baat, Baaton Baaton Mein and others created a social message and were related to the lives of the middle-class persons. There were no larger than life image created in his films. Music of the film was composed by Manas Mukherjee. Sanjeev Kumar and Farooq Sheikh had been famous for playing the next door neighbour roles. All these characters are very difficult to play. They maintained the natural shade of the character which they played. In Lakhon Ki Baat, Farooq Sheikh played the role of a journalist who went to the photography relating to a hockey match. Anjali Sen the captain of the hockey player hooked a ball which struck Farooq Sheikh and he got hospitalised. At that time, Sanjeev Kumar, the brother in law of Farooq Sheikh, and a clever lawyer hatched up a plan. He told Farooq Sheikh to act in the bed and pretend that he got serious injury in his spinal cord, so that a compensation worth rupees 20 lakhs can be claimed from the newspaper company. Anita Raj was his wife who had left the house after giving divorce to Farooq Sheikh. When she came to know that Farooq Sheikh was hospitalised she came to see him. Farooq Sheikh had weakness and thought his relationship can be regained. Pinchoo Kapoor, the owner of the newspaper company did not intend to pay any money. So he wanted to come to a compromise with Sanjeev Kumar. He also employed a spy played by Utpal Dutt who used a camera man and recorded the affairs taking place in Farooq Sheikh’s house. Anjali Sen felt guilty about the injury to Farooq Sheikh and bought a wheel chair for him. Later on she was insulted by Anita Raj and then lost temper and for bad conduct in a game got arrested and send to police custody. Farooq Sheikh felt very bad about everything. He understood that Sanjeev Kumar, Anita Raj and others were very greedy and dishonest. He disclosed the truth relating to his non-injury to Utpal Dutt. In the last scene he met Anjali Sen, because she was the girl who truly loved him. The film was comedy oriented. But through the comedy, the huge amount of deceit and treachery practiced in the society was depicted by Basu Chatterjee. The songs composed by Manas Mukherjee were impressive and Anuradha Paudwal, Alka Yagnik sang well. The film should be restored.

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

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to rock and roll star Shammi Kapoor on 21st October, 2013. 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 Sunny Deol

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to action star Sunny Deol on 19th October, 2013. 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 was released in 2012. It did not do that amount of business. The viewers expect him to continue the strong performance and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to 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 18th October, 2013. Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah used to be considered and is still considered the most versatile actor of all times. Born on 18th 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.

Superstar Deb and Koel stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

Superstar Deb and Koel stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program on 16th October, 2013. Deb and Koel Mallick came to promote their new film Rangbaaz. The film had been directed by Raja Chanda. He participated in the program Dadagiri. The cinematographer Sailesh Awasthi who had been the cinematographer of the film also came in the show. The anchor Sourav Ganguly asked Deb about the speciality of the film. He said firstly the major part of the film had been shot in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. Then he said that the action stunts in the film stands out. There were scenes where Koel was being thrown from 34th floor of a high rise building. There were risks but the actors and actresses like Deb, Koel and others gave their original stunts. The music of the film was very decent. Sourav Ganguly said that these days Bengali films are shot in foreign locations. The standard of photography and camerawork is also excellent. Whenever Bengali films are compared with the Bollywood films there are not much difference. The director Raja Chanda said yes. It was the great development of Bengali films and growth in the technological aspect of filmmaking. There were shots taken in the seas near Thailand. Some part of the shooting was also done in Italy. Sourav Ganguly asked Deb about his background. He said he was an engineer. For some period of time who acted as an assistant to the director Abbas Mastan. He was born in a village in Midnapore. Whenever he used to come from Mumbai via Geetanjali Express, he used to get down at Kharagpur and get back to his village. He had worked hard to achieve name and fame in Bengali films. In the slog over round, Deb answered the maximum number of questions and became champion in the Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program. He also scored the fastest 50 and won the prize for scoring the fastest 50. Sourav Ganguly wished him best of luck for the upcoming film Rangbaaz.

Manashi Sinha, Kanchan Mullick and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program

Manashi Sinha, Kanchan Mullick, Reshmi Sen and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

On 15th October, 2013, the day of Bijoya Dashami and also Dussehra, Sourav Ganguly invited celebrities to the Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program. The celebrities included Manashi Sinha, Kanchan Mullick, Rehsmi Sen, Papiya Sen, Surojit Chatterjee and actress Shubhadra. Sourav Ganguly asked Kanchan Mullick, what was the secret of his slim body? He said that it was nature’s gift. He has been known to eat every form of food, but he never had attained fat. Manashi Sinha said that when Sourav Ganguly asked any question, the way he stared no one could understand what was in his mind. Kanchan Mullick asked Sourav Ganguly the experience of playing in Lord’s stadium. Ganguly said that he feared the first few overs. The new balls in seaming conditions in England did a lot. If the batsmen could play out those initial overs then they could score a lot of runs. In the Googly round, Shubhadra, Surojit Chatterjee and Reshmi Sen gave right answers. Sourav Ganguly asked Surojit Chatterjee to sing a song. He was a member of the band Bhoomi. He sang a song very well. In the slog over round, Manashi Sinha gave the maximum number of answers and ultimately became the champion. Kanchan Mullick talked a lot about his struggle in films. He said that had he not taken risks in terms of stepping out and hit over boundaries, today he would not have been a film actor but a barber. Sourav Ganguly anchored the program with a lot of wit.

Happy birthday to dream-girl Hema Malini.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dream girl Hema Malini on 16th October, 2013. 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 in 2012. 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.

Rachana Banerjee, Jishu Sengupta stormed Zee Bangla Paribarer Puja

Rachana Banerjee, Jishu Sengupta stormed Zee Bangla Paribarer Pujo.

On the eve of Durgapuja, Zee Bangla Channel showed a 3 hour program from 7 pm on 6th October, 2013. Rachana Banerjee and Jishu Sengupta anchored the program. Presently Rachana Banerjee is the anchor of Didi No. 1 Program. While Jishu Sengupta is the anchor of Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program. On 6th October, the couples of different tele-serials shown in Zee Bangla Channel and other shows were brought in the program. Firstly the persons were asked about their plans in Durga Puja. Zee Bangla Mirakkel Champion Subhashis Mukherjee came and sang a parody song relating to Mahalaya. His changed the words of Dwijen Mukherjee song “jago tumi jago” to “bhago tumi bhago, chanda niyona”. He made everyone laugh at his performance. There was a dhunuchi dance. Srilekha Mitra, Dolon Roy, Sonali Choudhury, all danced in the event with the male participants like Shankar Chakravarty. At the end of the round, June Malia and her partner became the champion. There was arrangement for food, and the participants were given luchi, khichuri, payesh, and other food, which are offered during the days of Durga Puja. There was another round, where stones were laid down on the floor and the celebrities had to cross them to reach the summit. Rachana Banerjee did it herself with Jishu Sengupta. Sudipa Mukherjee also played in the round. Sonali Choudhury did it at the fastest time and became the champion. All the actors and actresses wore the traditional dress, including Bengali sarees and dhuti, Punjabi during the different events. All the actors and actresses of leading serials like Agniparikkha, Sati, Keya Patar Nouka, Boyei Gelo, and many other serials participated in the show. Rachana Banerjee and Jishu Sengupta did set the tempo of the program. They anchored the program very well.

Happy birthday to Amitabh Bacchan.

Happy birthday to Amitabh Bacchan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to the megastar of bollywood films Amitabh Bacchan on 11th October, 2013. Born in 1942, he had been the most popular actor of the entire millennium. In the 70s his films like Zanjeer, Sholay, Deewar created a new age of action films. His angry young man image created a revolution during an age when corruption became rampant in India. If Zanjeer was related to the obstacles faced by an honest police officer to safely perform his duties, Deewar was based on the contradiction of two brothers of whom one was a police officer, while the other was compelled to be a smuggler due to social compulsions. Sholay was based on the story of domination of the Chambal region of India by dacoits. The Thakur (played by Sanjeev Kumar) of the village employed two brave criminals namely Big B and Dharmender to face the dacoits. Big B was a very powerful actor and became the choice of all the leading directors of the 70s and 80s. His films included Abhimaan directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sholay directed by Ramesh Sippy, Zanjeer directed by Prakash Mehra, Deewar directed by Yash Chopra, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat directed by Shakti Samanta, Amar Akbar Anthony directed by Manmohan Desai, to name a few. The other factor which singled out Big B with the other actors in terms of his versatility was his baritone voice which he modulated to perfection. His comedy films like Namakhalal, Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, created new dimensions in Indian film history. His notable films during the 80s included Shakti, Akhree Rasta, Inquilab, etc. Even in the 90s his films like Akela and Indrajeet carried his strong personality forward. Big B had played a huge innings as a character actor and his films like Black, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc., showed the viewers, that after Dilip Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, Big B was an actor with whom the directors could do any experiment. His performance in his son Abhishek Bacchan’s films like Bunty Aur Babli had also been notable. In 2010, he received the national award for the best actor for the third time for his excellent performance in the film Paa. In 2011, he was absolutely brilliant in the role of an academician in Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan. In 2013, his performance in Prakash Jha’s film Satyagraha was brilliant. Day by day his acting skills are just getting better and better and he is experimenting in different types of roles. Even in Kaun Banega Crorepati he is the anchor and his profound educational background and pure hindi accent amazes the viewers. Sony TV cannot think about any other anchor other than Amitabh Bacchan.

Happy birthday to dashing star Rekha.

Happy birthday to dashing star Rekha. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dashing sta

r Rekha on 10th October, 2013. She had dominated bollywood films of the 80s. Being the daughter of Legendary South Indian actor Gemini Ganeshan on 10th October, 1954, Rekha created a separate place for herself in bollywood film industry. She was better known as Bhanurekha Ganeshan. In 1969 she acted opposite Biswajeet Chatterjee in the film Do Shikari. She got the her lead role as heroine opposite Navin Nischal in the film Sawan Bhado. In the early 70s, Rekha had to fight for her place in the bollywood industry, at a time when Hema Malini, Asha Parekh, Sharmila Tagore were dominating the industry. But she acted in many landmark films during that period including Gora Aur Kala opposite Rajender Kumar, Rampur Ka Laxman opposite Randhir Kapoor, etc. From the late 70s her films opposite megastar Big B changed her career. Most of the films ended up being super hit including Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Silsila, etc. Rekha gradually developed her acting and became one of the most versatile actresses of the 80s. Rekha had acted opposite all the leading actors of the 80s namely Jeetender, Dharmender, Big B, Vinod Mehra, etc. She received national award for her memorable performance in the role of a mujrewali in the film Umrao Jaan. She received filmfare award for best actress in her dashing role in the film Khoon Bhari Maang in 1988. She acted in more than 180 films. Along with the commercial films like Silsila, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, she had been remembered for the performances in off-beat films. She played landmark roles in off-beat films like Gulzar’s Ghar and Ijaazat, Shyam Benegal’s Kalyug, Govind Nihalini’s Vijeta, etc. Even her films in the 90s like Kamasutra and in 2000 onwards in films like Lajja and Koi Mil Gaya, she showed her metal as a very talented actress. She received lifetime achievement award for the immense contribution to bollywood films. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work in character roles in future.

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

For Bengalies the greatest festival of the year include Durga Puja. The flavor of the festival is set up by Mahalaya which occurs seven days before the occasion. Mohishahshur Mordini had not lost its appeal even after 60 years of its creation. It is played in All India Radio on the morning of every Mahalaya each year. In 2013 it was also played and it enchanted numerous bengalies all across the world. The mantra in the entire play was uttered by Birendra Krishna Bhadra who became a living legend in the early 50s. He conducted all the important programs in All India Radio from Kolkata at a time when Television did not appear in India and Radio was the only medium of entertainment. From Mahalaya the Petripaksha ends and Devipaksha begins. Hindus all over the world worship Goddess Durga and the occasion lies for four days including Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. On Dashami Goddess Durga is immersed in holy Ganges. Mahalay is the day when Hindus do tarpan in the Ganges to remember the ancestors who had died but were still attached with the next generation. When Birendra Bhadra directed Mohishashur Mordini, the tale relating to Goddess Durga defeating the devil powers under the name of Mohishahur, Singer Pankaj Mallick and Bani Kumar also made notable contribution to bring in all the legendary singers of Bengal and made them sing significant songs. For example Manobendra Mukherjee sang “tabo achinto”, Dijen Mukherjee sang “jago tumi jago”. The other singers included Supriti Ghosh, Suprava Sarkar, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shaymal Mitra, Utpala Sen and others. Supriti Ghosh sang the song “bajlo tomar alor benu”, Shipra Bose sang the song “ogo amar agomoni alo”, Tarun Banerjee sang the song “he chinmoyi”, Sandhya Mukherjee sang the song “bimane bimane”, Krishna Dasgupta sang the song “akhilo bimane taba jayogatha”, Pratima Banerjee sang the song “amala kirane tribhubane”, Shyamal Mitra, Arati Mukherjee and Ashima Bhattacharya sang the chorus song “shubhra shankha rabe”, Utpala Sen sang the song “shanti dile bhari”, Pankaj Mullick sang the song “rupang dehi jayang dehi”. Birendra Bhadra was unparallel in the manner in which he pronounced the Sanskrit sloks, which could not be replicated and when Uttam Kumar that greatest superstar of Bengal tried to do it, he was criticized and All India Radio again displayed the Mohishashur Mordini directed by Birendra Bhadra. Even Hindus across India celebrate Navratri and Dussehra based on the success of God in defeating evil powers. Even today Bengalies feel that it creates a Godly atmosphere and gives the feeling that Goddess Durga had really arrived on earth. These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree played the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play related to Mahishashur Mordini. In 2013 Zee Bangla came up with another musical program on Maa Durga where Arindam Mukherjee did the narration. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

Mithun, Palash, Subashis and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program

Mithun, Palash, Subhashis and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program.

On 2nd October, 2013, Sourav Ganguly invited many celebrities in Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program. The teams were made from members of the Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program and Zee Bangla Mirakkel Program. Vicky and Subhashis Mukherjee were in the same team. Mithun and Palash Adhikari were in the same team. Doel and Shobhan Ganguly were in the same team, Fatik Purokayet and Mrinmoy were in one team. The other singers Arpita, Kushal and others were also invited by Sourav Ganguly. Sourav Ganguly during the program asked Subhashis Mukherjee and Vicky to sing a parody song. They sang it. Then Fatik Purokayet was asked to recite a poetry on Dadagiri Program. He did that too. In Zee Bangla Mirakkel Program he used to be called Maduli by the participants and the anchor Mir Afsar Ali. So the participants also called him Madulida. He was a teacher of Bengali language by profession. Shovan Ganguly was asked by Sourav Ganguly to sing a song. He sang the song “Maula maula maula mere maula”. He sang the song with a guitar. He played the guitar himself. Mithun was asked by Sourav Ganguly to say a big statement on cricket match. He said a spin bowler was hit for two over-boundaries by Ganguly. Then if the state of the mind of the bowler would have been described by Sarat Chandra Chatterjee he would have made the statement with a difficult language. He spoke that language. As 2nd October was Gandhiji’s birthday, most of the quiz questions were centered around Gandhiji. Sourav Ganguly asked the question, who gave Gandhiji the title of Mahatma. He answered that Ranbindranath Tagore gave him the title of Mahatma to Gandhiji. At the end of the show all the contestants sang the song “suno gaur se duniyawalon sabse aage honge Hindustani.” Sourav Ganguly anchored the program very well.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Asha Parekh on 2nd October, 2013. She had been a dancing legend of the 60s. Bollywood industry is indebted to her for her brilliant performance in various films. She started her career opposite Shammi Kapoor in the film Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. The film did great business with hit songs composed by Usha Khanna including “dil deke dekho” sung by Rafi. After that she acted in musical blockbusters most of which were directed by Nasir Hussain. She was sublime in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Dev Anand. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “sau saal pehle”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “teri zulfon ki”, “jiya ho” became rich assets of history. Asha Parekh had a fantastic combination with Joy Mukherjee. Her films Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Love in Tokyo became superhit. Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, released in 1963 was shot in Kashmir, while Love in Tokyo, released in 1966 was shot in Japan. The romantic scenery entertained the viewers. The songs in most of these films composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan stormed box-office. The most famous songs included “banda parwar”, “lakhon hai nigahon me”, “raton ka sila”, “nazneen bara rangin hai wada tera”, “japan, love in Tokyo”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, “o mere shahekhuba”, etc. Similarly Asha Parekh’s combination with Biswajeet and Shammi Kapoor was very grand. Her film Mere Sanam with Biswajeet, released in 1965 was another musical blockbuster. All the songs of the film like “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jayo”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano” sung by Rafi stormed box-office in the mid-60s. Asha Parekh played many serious roles in films like Chirag opposite Sunil Dutt, Kati Patang opposite Rajesh Khanna, Upkaar opposite Manoj Kumar, etc. She got critical acclamation for performance in the film Chirag. Asha Parekh dancing skills gave her a separate recognition during an age when actresses like Vaijayantimala, Rajashree, Mumtaz, Padmini were already created sensation in bollywood. Asha Parekh’s performance in the film Carwan opposite Jeetender requires special mention. She proved her dancing skills opposite other renowned dancers in the film like Helen and Aruna Irani. She also acted in character roles in films like Bulandi, Kaalia, etc., in the 80s. Asha Parekh had headed the Indian Censor Board for some time. As a member of the Board she did a great job in ensuring decency in the entertainment industry specifically films. Recently she was invited as guest judge in the Sony TV Indian Idol Program in 2012, where Sunidhi Chauhan, Anu Malik, Salim Merchant and Asha Bhosle were the other judges. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in the years to come.

Ujjaini, Locket Chatterjee, Ritwik and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program

Ujjaini, Locket Chatterjee, Ritwik and others stormed Zee Bangla Dadagiri Prog

ram. Sourav Ganguly, the anchor of the program Zee Bangla Dadagiri Program invited celebrities in the program on 1st October, 2013. All the celebrities were actors, actresses and singers of the Bengali small screen and also Bengali cinema. The artists along with playing the contest, all came to promote their upcoming film Nayika Sangbad which is going to be released very soon. Arunima Ghosh and Locket Chatterjee acted in lead roles in the film. Ujjaini had sung songs in the film. Sourav Ganguly asked Locket Chatterjee and Arunima Ghosh whether there was similarity of the new version of Nayika Sangbad with the old film Nayika Sangbad released in mid-60s. The old film was a hit film with superstar Uttam Kumar and Anjana Bhowmick playing lead roles in the film. Sourav Ganguly played a song of that film sung by Sandhya Mukherjee titled “keno e logon chanchal holo gejeno dake bare bar” and asked the name of the film and the name of the singer. Bhaswar Chatterjee the noted actor in films and tele-serials was also asked questions about his new films and serials. Sourav Ganguly was asked which was the most tensed moment in his life? Sonali Choudhury asked the question. He said it was the first test he played in 1996. He did not find anything tense about proposing before Dona Ganguly, his wife. Sonali Choudhury also asked whether he reached Dona Ganguly to her house when she used to go for tuition. Sourav Ganguly denied. Sourav Ganguly asked Ujjaini to sing a song. She sang it from the film Nayika Sangbad. In the slog over round Ritwik answered the maximum number of answers and scored fastest fifty. He became the winner at the end of the show. Sourav Ganguly anchored the show very well.

Happy birthday to SD Burman.

The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary composer and singer SD Burman on 1st November, 2013. He had composed music in more than 80 bollywood films. In Bengal SD Burman sang many notable songs most of which had folk element and also classical composure. Some of his everlasting songs included “paddar dheu re”, “barne gandhe chande geetite”, “jhilmil jhilmil jhiler jole dheu kheliya jay re”, to name a few. In hindi films SD Burman worked with many legendary directors like Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and others. In the film Pyaasa, SD Burman’s composition for Mohammad Rafi “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh tajhon ki duniya” still haunts the viewers. In the film Kagaz Ka Phool also Rafi’s song “bichre sabhi baari baari” really touched the souls of numerous film lovers. SD Burman’s composition for Talat Mehmood in Dilip Kumar’s Devdas titled “mitwa” was a very good song in somber mood. SD Burman composed the song “jalte hai jiske liye” in the film Sujata in style. Talat Mehmood’s song for Sunil Dutt became a big hit and was related to telephonic conversation. In Ashok Kumar’s film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen SD Burman was unblemish in the song “pucho na kaise maine rain bitayi”. Manna Dey sang the song in raag ahir bhairav. Rafi’s song in the same film “tere bin sune nain hamaare” had magical charm. SD Burman composed very creative music in the films Bandini, Aradhana, Abhimaan, Milli and many other notable films. The soft music of the rural parts of the country did find place in the numerous compositions of SD Burman. Articles after articles can be devoted to the great legend. His films and works should be shown in the different channels.