Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri. The viewers of bollywood films provide their best wishes and wish happy birthday to Amrish Puri on 22nd June 2014.. Amrish Puri died few years back and bollywood industry lost one of its indispensable actors ever. His voice had an universal appeal and initially Amrish Puri was associated with realistic films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others. His performance in the films Bhumika, Aakrosh, Ardh Satya, Vijeta, Suraj Ka Satwa Ghora, Sardari Begum brought him national and international awards. But he became an indispensable figure in the commercial film industry with his manly body and outstanding voice. His role JK in Ramesh Sippy’s successful film Shakti, balanced the soft tune of acting of Dilip Kumar as police officer and loud acting of Amitabh Bacchan as a smuggler. He killed Rakhee at the end of the film and was murdered by Big B when he was about to leave India. His act of kidnapping of Big B at a young age led to creation of a barrier between Dilip Kumar and Big B, where Big B thought Dilip Kumar never liked his son, which was untrue. It took Big B the entire film to know that Dilip Kumar loved him just his any other father. Amrish Puri balanced Dilip Kumar’s personality in Mashal. Dilip Kumar was a journalist in the film and Amrish Puri, an underworld don, evicted Dilip Kumar from his house when he published real news about him. Dilip Kumar’s wife Wahida Rehman died in the streets when they were evicted from their house. Dilip Kumar later became a smuggler and killed Amrish Puri when he tried to murder Anil Kapoor, a young journalist who again reported true events. Amrish Puri was sublime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Ghayal. His character Balwant Rai was memorized by even children of India. He killed Raj Babbar and created false case against Sunny Deol. Sunny along with Sudesh Berry and others escaped from the jail and took revenge against Amrish Puri’s men inspite of Om Puri giving protection in the role of Police Officer Desouza. The entire action revolved around Amrish Puri. Amrish Puri’s character Mogambo in Shekhar Kapoor’s Mr. India gave a new dimension to the character of villains. He dominated the film inspite of Anil Kapoor’s brilliance in using a scientific gazette to remain invisible. Amrish Puri never stuck to one style of acting and never got type-casted like other villains including Jeevan, Prem Chopra or Ajit. He showed his comedy instincts in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate opposite Anil Kapoor and also David Dhawan’s Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan. Amrish Puri’s character role in films like China Gate, Chachi 420, still haunts viewers. He made viewers cry with his performance in the film Ghatak as father of Sunny Deol. He had cancer and died at the end of the film. Amrish Puri acted in almost 400 films within a span of 25 years which include blockbusters like Big B’s Andha Kanoon, Aaj Ka Arjun, Dilip Kumar’s Duniya, Bidhata, Mashal, Sunny Deol’s Damini, Ghatak, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Vishswatma, Sanjay Dutt’s Vijeta, Mahanta, to name a few. Critics argue that no other actor other than Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah had shown the dynamism that Amrish Puri had shown over the years. His films should be restored and preserved for the new generation.

Happy birthday to Karishma Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Karishma Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Karishma Kapoor on 25th June, 2014. She had been probably the only descendant of the Kapoor family who did not arrive in the bollywood industry with pomp and show. Her debut was made in a small manner. She had to struggle hard and got good roles in films like Hero No.1 opposite Govinda. In Hero No. 1 Karishma showed her good dancing skills in songs like “mai to raste se jar aha tha”. Karishma was very impressive in the film Dil To Paagal Hai opposite Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. It was one of the romantic films made under Yash Raj Banner. The film showed triangular love story and strong music of Uttam Singh. Karishma gave good lips in the songs “le gai le gai”. That was one of her successful films under Yash Raj Banner. Karishma Kapoor ventured in parallel films like Shyam Benegal’s Zubeida. Her performance opposite Manoj Vajpayee amazed the viewers. She was equally impressive opposite Hrithik Roshan in the film Fida. She played a non-glamourous role in the film. She was the sister of Hrithik Roshan. She wanted Hrithik to return back to mainstream society. She did not show any mannerisms in the film. At the same time Karishma Kapoor played important roles in commercially hit films. In Krishna, her performance opposite Sunil Shetty was appreciated by all the viewers. Her dance performance in the song “jhanjhariya buddhi khanak gayi” was very impressive. Similarly her performance in the song “batti na bujhao” and “hai hooku hai hukoo” opposite Sunil Shetty created sensation in bollywood. Karishma Kapoor did well in comedy films as well. She was sublime opposite Salman Khan in the film Judwaa where Salman Khan had double role. She did even better in the film Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge opposite Salman Khan. In that film she had to balance the comedy andaz of Paresh Rawal, Anupam Kher and Om Puri and she did that in style. Even her lips in the song “jane kya hua hai dekho jiya bekarar” was very impressive. She was even more successful opposite Salman Khan in the film Biwi No. 1 directed by David Dhawan. She played the role of the wife of Salman Khan who was neglected. Salman Khan married Sushmita Sen. Anil Kapoor advised Karishma Kapoor to send the children to Sushmita’s house. She failed to fulfil the duties of the mother. So Salman Khan understood that Karishma Kapoor was ideal wife for him and he returned back home. The music of Anu Malik in the film was very successful. Karishma gave good lips in the songs “jangal me aadhi raat”, “biwi no. 1”, etc. Karishma Kapoor suited Govinda’s style of acting the most and contributed a lot in comedy films opposite him including Haseena Maan Jayegi. It was a multi-starrer film with other actors like Sanjay Dutt, Kader Khan, Anupam Kher and others. She balanced the strong dancing skills of Govinda with her own aggressive dancing style. She also did well in Shyam Benegal’s film Zubeida. She left films at a time when she learned acting. In 2012 she is made a comeback. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty.

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty on 16th June, 2014. He had contributed in bollywood films for more than 30 years and had also contributed in Bengali films as well. He brought revolution in the world of dancing in bollywood films. His film Disco Dancer, was related to the struggle of a young man in establishing him in the world of dancing. The music of the film composed by Bappi Lahiri played a big role in the success of the film. All the songs in the film became super hit including “I am a disco dancer”. Kishore Kumar, (Bappi Lahiri’s own relative), and Bappi Lahiri contributed a lot in the success of Mithun Chakravarty. Mithun Chakravarty acted in successful films in the 80s, including Dance Dance, Pyar Jhukta Nahi, etc. Some of films were dance oriented films, while the other ones were action oriented. Although Mithun’s husky voice was criticized at times, his action sequences had always been appreciated. Mithun Chakravarty won a number of national awards for his excellence in Bengali films, mainly related to films of intellectual directors like Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. His performances in films like Mrigaya and Tahader Katha require special mention. At the same time he acted in many commercially hit films like Anyay Abhichar and Kalankini Kankabati. In the last 5 years, Mithun had kept his mark in character roles. Last year his performance in the role of a solicitor in the film Yuvvraaj was appreciated. He did a fantastic job in Akshay Kumar’s Chandni Chowk to China released in 2010. His emotional performance had made a lot of viewers cry. He tried to convince Akshay Kumar that those who tempted him to go to China and create name and fame were not his friends or well-wishers but were flatterers. Mithun had matured over the years. In 2012 he did a great job in the film Housefull 2. He acted along with Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Rishi Kapoor and proved his worth in the role of dacoit. These days whenever he is given any character role, he uses his long experience for the last 30 years in giving expression to the respective character. He played the role of the ancestor of Salman Khan in the film Veer, for two generations he maintained the bravery and glory of the pindary clan. Mithun had also acted in negative characters and did a great job in those roles as well. His comedy performances in films like Agnipath can inspire many new actors of modern days. Besides Mithun had also been a great human being as he contributed in relief operations during natural calamities and human causes like raising funds for Thalasemia patients or people suffering from cancer, etc. Mithun Chakravarty also appeared in Sourav Ganguly’s program Dadagiri and there also showed his excellence in answering questions. His success story from the beginning of a middle-class Bengali family can be a learning example for many youngstars. He is a hardworker. He is required all over India, in Dance India Dance program, in Dadagiri, bollywood films, Bengali films, everywhere. He had also been a member of the Rajya Sabha and there too he did a good work. The viewers expect him to continue the brilliant work that he started years back.

Soham, Sumit Ganguly and others stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar.

Soham, Sumit Ganguly and others stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar. On 13th May, 2014, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee invited star celebrities and their wives in the program Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar. The celebrities who were invited included actor Soham Chakravarty and his wife Tanaya Pal, actor Sumit Ganguly and his wife, singer Parama Banerjee and her husband, Debdoot and his wife. Soham had impressed the viewers with his acting as child artist. In the second round, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee showed Soham clippings of three Bengali films where he acted as child artist. One was Satyajit Ray’s Sakha Prashakha, the other was Mangal Deep and the third was Anjan Dutta’s Choto Bou where he played the role of the son of Sandhya Roy. His wife chose the film Choto Bou where he looked cute and impressed the audience. Prasenjit Chatterjee also asked him to dance in the song number “na re na”. Sumit Ganguly had always acted in the role of villains in bengali films. When he was asked who was the actress who he did not get any role of kidnapping among the three Subhashree, Srabanti and Payel; he answered Srabanti Chatterjee. He also said that in the industry he did not fear anyone except Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee. In majority of films when he played the role of the villain, Prasenjit Chatterjee played the role of hero, so at the end of the film he used to get beating from Prasenjit Chatterjee. Parama Banerjee’s husband was a businessman posted in Mumbai. When she was asked whenever her husband is posted in Mumbai, if she had to sing a song between the three songs of Lata Mangeshkar, “na mono lagena”, “tumi chara” and “ki likhi tomay”; she said she would have sung “ki likhi tomay”. In the break actress Gargi Roy Choudhury and her husband (the director of the film Ramchonu” came to promote their upcoming film Ramdhonu. Incidentally Rachana Banerjee had also acted in the film. The film is related to the question of admission of children in Kolkata in good English medium schools. Gargi and her husband played the role of the parents of the child who required admission. Rachana Banerjee played the role of the lady teacher who was groomer of the parents who were required to give interview in different schools for admission of their children. Rachana Banerjee and Prasenjit Chatterjee anchored the program very well.

Rathijit, Trijoy, Suman and others stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar.

Rathijit, Trijoy, Suman and others stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar. On 12th May, 2014, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee invited singing couples to Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar Program. The celebrities included Rathijit Bhattacharya and his wife Shreya, Trijoy and his wife, Suman and his wife and others. In the second round, Satish told Prasenjit Chatterjee that he had sung the song “dhin tak tak chika chika’ from Prasenjit Chatterjee’s film Bikramsingha in Zee Bangla Saregamapa Program. So he sang the song and asked Prasenjit Chatterjee to dance in the song. He also brought his small daughter in the program. In the second round, Rathijit Bhattacharya was asked among 3 songs that were played which one he and his wife would have like if they went for a holiday tour. He liked the song “hum dono do premi duniya chor chale”. His wife also selected the same song. Rathijit’s wife was a good cook. He was asked which dish of his wife he liked the most. He said it was chicken stew. Satish was asked which was the food that he prepared in breakfast? He said it was Maggie. His wife also said the same thing. Satish was shown three types of soft toys and asked which one would his wife like if he would have given them as a gift. He picked up a pink soft toy. In the golokdhanda round, all the four couples had to go in the bhoolbhulaiya and face the interaction with Palash Adhikari, Fatik Purokayet, Shubhashis Mukherjee and others. In the program Ankush and Shubhoshree came to promote their new Bengali film Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay. Both of them danced in the title song of the same film. Prasenjit Chatterjee admitted that Ankush is one of the best dancers of the Bengali industry at the moment. Both of them told the story of the film Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay.

Happy birthday to Sunil Dutt.

Happy birthday to Sunil Dutt. The viewers wish happy birthday to Sunil Dutt on 6th June, 2014. He died few years back, but yet his impressive work is still alive in the minds of the viewers. Sunil Dutt rose to stardom after his brilliant performance in Mehboob Khan’s classic film Mother India in 1957. He played the role of the son of Nargis Dutt who struggled to rear up her two sons after her husband Raj Kumar’s death. Nargis Dutt married Sunil Dutt in real life after the film. The film had been remade in colour sometime back. In the 60s Sunil Dutt acted in musical blockbusters like Hindustani. All the songs in the film became hit including Mukesh’s song “hum Hindustani”. He acted in Bimal Roy’s film Sujata opposite Nutan and gave good lips in Talat Mehmood’s song “jalte hai jiske liye”. His film Mera Saya directed by Raj Khosla bewildered the viewers in the mid-60s. His wife Sadhna died and her sister was used by Prem Chopra to frighten Sunil Dutt. Sunil Dutt gave good lips in Rafi’s song “aapke pehlu me aakar” composed by Madanmohan. In the film Chirag, Rafi’s song “teri aankhon ke siva duniya me rakha kya hai” composed by Madanmohan had flabbergasted the audience in the late 60s and added popularity for Sunil Dutt. Madanmohan’s music in Sunil Dutt’s film Ghazal was equally impressive. Rafi’s song “rang aur nor ki barat” was one of the most landmark ghazals of the 60s. Sunil Dutt did a great in BR Chopra’s films like Gumraah, Humraaz and Waqt. In all these films the music was composed by Ravi and Mahendra Kapoor sung landmark songs for Sunil Dutt including “chalo ekbar phir se”. From the early 70s, Sunil Dutt switched on to action films like Zakhmee, Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye, Nagin, etc., most of which were successful. In the 80s, Sunil Dutt acted in the role of the elder brother of Shashi Kapoor and Big B in Ramesh Sippy’s film Shaan. He was an honest police officer, who was killed by Kulbhushan Kharbanda in the film. His other successful films during that time included Dard Ka Rishta which was related to cancer, the disease with which Nargis Dutt died in early 80s. Sunil Dutt became MP a number of times and done a lot of social work for India. He also made huge contribution in eradication of cancer in India. He was shocked when his son Sanjay Dutt got arrested in TADA case and ill-treated in prison. He produced films for his son like Rockey. He acted in the successful film of his son Lage Raho Munnabhai in a guest role. The viewers remember Sunil Dutt and expect restoration of his great works that spread over 50s years.

Happy birthday to Shilpa Shetty.

Happy birthday to Shilpa Shetty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shilpa Shetty on 8th June, 2014. She had maintained her romantic image and brilliant figure for over 15 years. She had remained indispensable for the last 15 years. Starting her journey with Shahrukh Khan in the film Baazigaar, in the early 90s, she had acted in different types of films. She acted in romantic films like Dhadkan opposite Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty. The film had successful songs like “tum dil ki dhadkan me”. She also acted in action thrillers like Prithvi, opposite Sunil Shetty. She was also sublime in off-beat films like Tarqueib. Nana Patekar played the role of the crime-investigator in the film. She was the friend of Tabu, the girl killed in the film. She also had speaking terms with Ashutosh Rana who was initially suspected to have murdered Tabu. Nana Patekar at the end of the film found out the murderer. But Shilpa Shetty showed her acting skills while relying to interrogation of Nana Patekar in the film. Her performance in the film Auzaar opposite Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor, also require special mention. Salman Khan was a CBI investigator in the film and was given the task of investigation the unlawful business affairs of Sanjay Kapoor. In fact the underworld involvement of Paresh Rawal, the father of Sanjay Kapoor was at issue. Shilpa Shetty bridged the gap between Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor, after Salman convinced her that he concealed his identity for the benefit of Sanjay Kapoor, his friend. Shilpa gave brilliant lips and danced well in the songs “oye oye oye oyeoye”, and other songs composed by Anu Malik. Shilpa Shetty had shown her comedy instincts in a number of films like Chor Machaye Shor. She played the role of the daughter of Paresh Rawal, and got attached with Bobby Deol, who was a subordinate of Paresh Rawal. He pretended to be twin brother, one having a moustache, the other without a moustache. In that comedy drama, Shilpa Shetty should her innocence and comedy instinct along with Bipasha Basu, who also played a significant role in the film. Even at her middle age she had shown dance numbers which could have made young actresses envious about her. For example, in Dostana, released in 2008, she performed in a dance number opposite John Abraham, which amazed the viewers. After marrying Raj Kundra she had reduced signing in as many number of films as she used to do earlier. She also had bought major share of Rajasthan Royals team which played IPL cricket in 2010. In 2011 her team Rajasthan Royals did not fare well in IPL, so she should concentrate in films. In 2013, she had been accused of being part of match-fixing scandal. Both her husband Mr. Kundra and herself faced charges of match fixing. She should act in more films. She should be followed by the new generation of actresses who want to stay fit and contribute in bollywood films for more than 20 years.

Happy birthday to Dimple Kapadia.

Happy birthday to Dimple Kapadia. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Dimple Kapadia on 8th June, 2014. She had been considered as one of the most dynamic actresses of bollywood films after Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. She started her career with a bold, sizzling demeanor in Raj Kapoor’s Bobby in 1973 opposite Rishi Kapoor. Raj Kapoor introduced the concept of teenage romance in the 70s and his effort got justice due to brilliant performance of both Dimple and Rishi Kapoor. Dimple’s smart, dashing lips in the songs “hum tum ek kamre me bandh ho”, “jhoot bole kowa kate”, “mujhe kuch kehna hai” sung by Lata and composed by LP just flabbergasted the audience of the 70s. Viewers thought both Dimple and Rishi Kapoor were made for each other. But after Rajesh Khanna married Dimple Kapadia, he stopped her acting, and bollywood films lost one of the most promising actresses for 13 years. Again she made a classic comeback in Ramesh Sippy’s Saagar. The film showed a triangular love story with Kamal Hassan and Rishi Kapoor. The brilliant locations, powerful music composed by RD Burman, all contributed for the success of the super hit film. Rishi Kapoor was always considered to be the most romantic actors produced by Indian films. He proved it again in Saagar. Dimple balanced the sacrificing performance of Kamal Hassan who died at the end of the film to save Rishi Kapoor and allow Dimple marry her. All the three performers were brilliant in the lips given in the songs “o maria”, “saagar kinare”, “yeh to bata tera naam kya”, etc., sung by Lata, Bal Subhramanium, Kishore Kumar, etc. In the mid -80s, Dimple acted in most of the successful commercial films opposite leading stars like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol, etc. She was brilliant in Feroz Khan’s Jaanbaaz. In fact her smart performance balanced the cowboy image of Anil Kapoor in the film. She was sublime opposite Jackie Shroff in the film Kaash. In the late 80s, producers and directors experimented with her in challenging roles. She was exceptional in Gulzar’s film Lekin. Lata’s songs “yara silli silli”, Suresh Watkar’s “surmai sham” composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar were landmarks of classical music in Indian films. Dimple Kapadia portrayed the character of rajasthani folk community who were used for crying in funerals in the film Rudaali. She played the role of her lifetime and got national and international awards. Her lips in Lata’s song “dil hum hum kare” composed by Bhupen Hazarika, still haunts the listeners 20 years after its creation. Her other successful films include Ram Lakhan, opposite Jackie Shroff, Krantiveer and Prahar opposite Nana Patekar. Her performance in the off-beat films gave her a special place just like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Even in her middle-age she amazed viewers with brilliant performance in the film Dil Chahta Hai opposite Akshay Khanna who was at least 15 years younger than her. She again amazed the viewers in character roles opposite Rishi Kapoor in the films Pyar Me Twist and Farhan Akhtar’s Luck By Chance. Whenever she acted opposite Rishi Kapoor she always did a great job. In 2010, her film Tum Milo Toh Sahi had addressed the concerns for the middle-aged couples and bachelors in Mumbai. Her performance was as brilliant as that of Nana Patekar in the film. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work in 2014 and go on astonishing the viewers with dynamic performances like before.

Happy birthday to Rajesh Roshan.

Happy birthday to Rajesh Roshan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajesh Roshan on 24th May, 2014. Being the son of Roshan Lal Nagrath, Rajesh Roshan had a great task of matching the great performance of his father as a composer. He was born in 1955. Although his compositions did not have the classical touch, he composed catchy tunes which attracted the attention for the viewers. He received the filmfare award for the best composer for his brilliant composition in the film Julie in the mid-70s. He composed excellent music in Rishi Kapoor’s film Aap Ke Diwane. Rishi Kapoor, Rakesh Roshan and Tina Munnim were the lead performers in the film. All the songs sung by Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar were super hit including the songs “tumko kush dekhkar”, “aap ke diwane hai”, etc. He gave good music in Big B’s film Yaarana. Kishore Kumar’s song “chukar meri manko” became big hit. From the 1990s, he concentrated more on composing music in his brother’s films, that is Rakesh Roshan’s film. All the songs of the film Karan Arjun became super hit including “suraj ki peheli kiran se”, “bhangra bole”, etc. The film also became super hit. The music that he composed in Hrithik Roshan’s films became landmark hits. All the songs of Kahona Pyar Hai, were super hit including “pyar ki kashti me”, “haseeno ki mehfil”, etc. All the songs of the film Koi Mil Gaya became super hit including the title song “koi mil gaya”. All the songs of the film Krissh became super hit including “dil na liya”, “chori chori chupke chupke”, etc. He also won the filmfare award for the best music director for the composition of music in the film Kahona Pyar Hai in 2000. In 2010, the viewers expected good performance from Rajesh Roshan as well for the film Kites. It had been produced by Rakesh Roshan with Hrithik Roshan playing the lead role. Always when the dream combination had worked together they had created magic. Although the music was appreciated the film could not do good business due to use of Spanish which was not understandable to the common masses. In 2013, the viewers were anxiously waiting for the combination of Rajesh Roshan, Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan to fire in the film Krissh 3. The first part was super hit. Considering the second part that was Koi Mil Gaya, the third part had huge expectations. The film did business of more than 200 crores. Rajesh Roshan’s music also did magic with the hit song “raghupati raghava raja ram”.

Kanchan Mullick, Madhumanti Maitra, Haranath Chakravarty stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar.

Kanchan Mullick, Madhumanti Maitra, Haranath Chakravarty stormed Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar. On 7th May, 2014, Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee brought celebrities in the show Zee Bangla Tumi Je Amar. The celebrities included Kanchan Mallick and his wife Pinki, Haranath Chakravarty and his wife Rajashri, Ashok Viswanathan and his wife Madhumanti Maitra and Shamik Sinha and his wife. Shamik Sinha came with his guitar. He was asked by Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee to sing his song “ami je bibahito”. In the song he had mentioned about the bad effects of marriage. Then he was asked whether he composed the song after knowing the ill-effects after marrying his wife. He then said it was a satire. Kanchan Mallick called his wife Anarkali. He was a thin and lanky person. Prasenjit Chatterjee brought a weight machine and measured his weight. It came to 53 kilograms. His wife Pinky was asked about his weight. She said it was between 51 to 55 kgs. It was a right answered. She in fact lifted her husband in her lap. Madhumanti Maitra said a beautiful poetry in the show. Both she and her husband were part of the cultural events in Bengal. Madhumanti was a news reader in Bengali channels for a long time. Ashok Viswanathan was the son of noted actor N Viswanathan and also directed intellectual Bengali films like Shunyo theke Shuru. Haranath Chakravarty directed many films of Prasenjit Chatterjee. He also acknowledged the co-operation and assistance of Prasenjit Chatterjee who acted in his films like Shahurbari Zindabad. Prasenjit Chatterjee also said that during shooting, food came from the house of Haranath Chakravarty and their relationship was almost like brothers. At the end of the show Kanchan Mullick and his wife Pinki who gave maximum right answers and also brought ornament from his wife from the golokdhanda facing Palash Adhikari, Subhashis Mukherjee, Fatik Adhikari and others in the shortest time became the champion. Prasenjit Chatterjee and Rachana Banerjee anchored the program in style.

Ritwik Chakravarty and Konkona Sen Sharma won Vivel filmfare Awards 2013

Ritwik Chakravarty and Konkona Sen Sharma won Vivel Filmfare Awards 2013. The Vivel Filmfare Awards 2013 had been given in 2014. It is better known as Vivel filmfare Awards East. It is related to Bengali films primarily. Ritwik Chakravarty won the best actor award for his performance in the Bengali film Shobdo. Konkona Sen Sharma won the best actress award for her performance in the Bengali film Gainar Baksho. Both of them deserved the awards. Indranil Sengupta won the best supporting award for his performance in the film Chander Pahar. Moushami Chatterjee won the best supporting award for her performance in the film Gainar Baksho. She should have won the best actress award. The film Gainar Baksho revolved around her. There was no point in giving her best supporting actress award. Arijit Singh won the best male singer award for his brilliant song “mon majhi re” in the film Boss. Annesha Datta Gupta won the best female singer award for her song in the film Rupkatha Noy. Jeet Ganguly won the best music director award for the composition of music in the film Boss. Bappi Lahiri handed the award to Jeet Ganguly. Lifetime achievement award was given to Late Suchitra Sen and Madhabi Mukherjee. Jaya Bacchan handed the award to Madhabi Mukherjee. Chander Pahar had been adjudged the best film of the year 2013. It is a pity that Filmfare Award East was not introduced during the 1950s and 1960s. The Bengali Swarnajug started in the 1950s and continued till early 1970s. There were Bengal Film and Journalists Association Awards but no filmfare awards East. It would have been very interesting to see the competition during that era in respect of best acting, whether it was superstar Uttam Kumar or Basanta Choudhury, or Asit Boron, or Bikash Roy. In the female category also there was huge competition with Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey, Sabitri Chatterjee, Sumitra Debi, Deepti Roy and others. There was huge competition among parallel film directors like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak with commercial directors like Ajoy Kar, Tapan Sinha, Agradoot, Agragami, and others. Music directors like Robin Chatterjee, Anupam Ghatak, Sudhin Dasgupta, Dr. Nochiketa Ghosh produced gems after gems.

Great composer Naushad Ali was remembered on his death anniversary.

Great Naushad Ali was remembered on his death anniversary on 5th May, 2014. The audience of film music in India remembered dignified composer Naushad Ali on his birthday on 23rd December, 2013. He was a genius composer and shaped Indian film music with his classical gharana in the 40s from where it just grew with variety and innovation. Naushad Ali is remembered for his brilliant tunes over a period of 50 years down the memory lane. In the 40s, he composed music in many films including Anmol Ghari, but he stormed bollywood with romantic songs in Dulari, including “suhani raat dhal chuki” sung by Rafi, all the songs of Andaz, where he composed Rafi’s songs for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh’s songs for Dilip Kumar. In the 50s, Naushad’s composition in Baiju Bawra made the listeners speechless. He won filmfare award for the best composer for his brilliant classical presentation in songs like “wo duniya ke rakhwale”, “man tarapata”, “tu gangi ki mauj”, etc., sung by Rafi and Lata. Rafi’s range was used to perfection and from that time the Rafi Naushad combination provided gems after gems. The different ragas and their timings were explained by Naushad in the film. Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari gave able lips in the songs composed by Naushad. Songs of Uran Khatula, like “wo dur ke musafir” sung by Rafi for Dilip Kumar also shook bollywood in the mid-50s.

In the 60s Naushad was unstoppable. His composition in Kohinoor for Rafi titled “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen” picturised on Dilip Kumar displayed the brilliance of Hindustani ragas. Naushad’s composition in Rajender Kumar’s Mere Mehboob, Naushad displayed the ghazal culture of Lucknow and Aligarh. The songs “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “ai husn zara jag”, etc. sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar was per se excellent. Naushad composed light songs in Mughal-i-azam for Lata including “pyar kiya to darna kya”, “mohe panghat ke nandlal”, and again composed thumri sung by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan in the same film. Naushad also composed Bhojpuri music for Dilip Kumar in the film Ganga Jumna. The songs “nain lar jaihe” sung by Rafi was one of the examples of Naushad’s control of Bihari folk tune. Naushad was at his best in Dilip Kumar’s Leader. All the songs in the film sung by Rafi and Lata flabbergasted the listeners, including “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “teri husn ki kya tareef karun”, “mujhe duniya walon”, etc. Naushad was excellent in Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata in the film including “aye hai baharen dekho”, “yeh raat dulhan bangayi”, “mai hoon saki”, etc. Critics consider Dil Diya Dard Liya as one of the best creations of Naushad. All the songs in the film became superhit including Rafi’s “dilruba maine tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”. Naushad Rafi and Dilip Kumar continued with their level of excellence in the film Aadmi, with Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc. Besides, Naushad composed excellent music in Rajender Kumar’s Palki, Saathi, Ganwar, etc. Rafi’s hit songs in those films included “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” sung with Suman Kalyanpur. Naushad faded away from film music in the 70s, causing huge loss to the film industry. The classical gharana related to thumris, kajris, ghazals, etc., faded away with Naushad. Music became popular, but lost its class. Naushad received Dadasahab Phalke for his excellent contribution to bollywood music. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

Remembering Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2014.

Remembering Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2014. Viewers of international films all across the world remember Oscar Winning Director Satyajit Ray on his birth anniversary on 2nd May and death anniversary 23rd April, 2014. Ray was born on 2nd May, 1921, and critics feel it was the birth of legend of legends and probably one of the greatest talents the world has ever produced after Rabindranath Tagore. Ray showed his excellence in every different of film making including script writing, costumes, music direction, costume designing, etc. My father, Chitta Ranjan Chatterji, Ex-Chief Public Prosecutor, Bankshall Court, North, Calcutta, represented Sandip Ray, the son of Satyajit Ray, in a case relating to recovery of manuscripts from Uday Acharya, the brother of Nirmal Acharya, a renowned critic. When the manuscripts of Ray’s films were seized from Udai Acharya’s house and opened from sealed trunk it was seen that they were pictographic in nature. Script of the film Pather Panchali, Gonoshotru had illustrations at every part which showed the secret of Ray’s brilliant characterization in films. Probably some of the actors and actresses in Ray’s films rose to stardom through the images portrayed by Ray. Chabi Biswas mesmerized the film lovers with his dignified performance in the role of Bishambhar Roy in the film Jalsaghar. Charu Prakash Ghosh was unparallel in the role of Birinchibaba in the film Kapurush Mahapurush. Anil Chatterji was unparallel in the role of Post Master in the film Teen Kanya. Utpal Dutt gave his performance for his life in the character Maganlal Meghraj in the film Joy Baba Felunath. Similarly Om Puri and Smita Patil were sublime in their roles in the film Sadgati. Sanjeev Kumar entered the skin of the character played in the film Shatranj Ki Khiladi. Uttam Kumar could not have been replaced by any other actor in the film Nayak. Karuna Banerjee had made the role of mother of Apu immortal in the film Pather Panchali. Sharmila Tagore was outstanding in the film Debi. Tapen Chatterji and Robi Ghosh are still remembered by filmlovers through their character Goopi Bagha. All the Indian directors like Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan ,had agreed that they learnt the art of story-telling from Ray’ films. Even the theme music of the legendary director had moved the directors all across the world. Audrey Hepburn, the Oscar winning actress while awarding the Oscar award for lifetime contribution of Ray, said in her speech that Ray’s direction had the soul of Apu in the Apu Trilogy march out from the village of West Bengal and explored India and expressed the struggle for existence of every middle-class individual of the country. Whenever classic literature of novelists and writers were used in films, Ray created his own dimension in those films, including the standard of excellence in the films Charulata and Ghare Baire which were based on the epic literature of Tagore. Films made by Ray from his own literature like Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath, Agantuk, etc., were equally brilliant. The films of Ray should be preserved to disseminate the art of script writing, costume designing, theme music, camera work, neat direction, etc.

Happy birthday to Manna Dey.

Happy birthday to Manna Dey. The listeners of bollywood music and also Bengali music wish happy birthday to Legendary singer Manna Dey on 1st May, 2014. He is the only legendary singer who had survived for more than 90 years. He had sung more than 5000 songs in different languages hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, etc. He died last year making everyone sad. Manna Dey had a very sweet relationship with Sudhin Dasgupta. He was used by almost all the leading composers of Bengal namely Anil Bagchi, Nochiketa Ghosh, Salil Choudhury and others. But probably his westernized andaz was used to the limit by Sudhin Dasgupta. Sudhin Dasgupta used Manna Dey in Uttam Kumar’s film Goli Theke Rajpoth with the song “lag lag lag lag bhelkir khela”. Manna Dey’s songs “ami agantuk” and “ke prothom kache esechi” composed by Sudhin Dasgupta in Uttam Kumar’s film Shankhabela created sensation in Bengali celluloid in 1966. Manna Dey’s songs “ami kon pothe je choli” and “bachao ke acho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Choddobeshi became super hit as well. In the 70s, Manna Dey’s songs “esechi ami esechi”, “lekha porata shikhe phele” and “paye paye joriye rakho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Har Mana Har created sensation as well. Uttam Kumar gave the lips of his lifetime in the film Har Mana Har. While major success of Sudhin Dasgupta came in Uttam Kumar’s films, he made major contribution in Soumitra Chatterji’s films as well. The songs “ei shohor theke aro anek dure”, “hoyto tomari jonyo”, “jibone ki pabona” in the film Teen Bhubaner Pare, composed by Sudhin Dasgupta and sung by Manna Dey showed the westernized orchestration of the giant composer. Sudhin Dasupta’s songs in Soumitra’s films Prothom Kodom Phul and Bosonto Bilaap were equally successful. Manna Dey’s all round musical skills were used to perfection in these films. Even the song “ogo tomar sesh bichare asay” sung by Manna Dey in bayul andaz in Kali Banerjee’s legendary film Dak Horkora, and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta made the viewers speechless. Manna Dey sang many numbers of solo numbers as basic discs under the compositions of Sudhin Dasgupta. One of the notable songs included “ami taar thikana rakhini”. The songs of Sudhin Dasgupta and Manna Dey combination should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Pooja Bedi.

Happy birthday to Pooja Bedi. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Pooja Bedi, the daughter of legendary actor Kabir Bedi on 11th May, 2014. She was born in a star family with her mother Pratima Bedi being a classical dancerand father being an established actor. Although she came from an acting family as Kabir Bedi had experience of performing in Hollywood films as well, her contribution in bollywood films had not been that substantial. Her film Vishkanya in the early part of her career was based on the story related to snakes. In Indian films fantasies based on the life of snakes had amazed the viewers in the past. The film Nagin in the mid-70s, with Reena Roy, Jeetender, Mumtaz and others, did fantastic business. So Pooja Bedi was lucky to start her career with such films. The film was well appreciated by the audience. Later on her film with Amir Khan, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, did fantastic business. The film was based on teenage romance. Amir Khan always had a special place in the minds of viewers as his romantic appeal always attracted the female audience right from the release of the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. Pooja Bedi probably had given her best. Pooja Bedi’s role of a teenage girl did fit the requirement of the story and the film. All the songs in the film became successful including the song “pehla nasha, pehla khumar” sung by Udit Narayan. Viewers of different tastes appreciated the film. Her other notable films included Aatank Hi Aatank and Lootere. She was very impressive in Mahesh Bhatt’s film Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Ayee. It was a film related to human relationship and Pooja Bedi’s performance in a supporting role was appreciated by the critics. She was as impressive as Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Roy in the film. In the late 90s, all of a sudden she faded away from the industry. But she continued to appear in television shows. She was the anchor of the TV shows Not Just Page 3 and Just Pooja in Zoom TV. These programs became very popular in the years when they were telecast. In the following period she even participated as contestant in TV shows like Jhalak Dikhlaja in Sony TV, Heart Beat, Mum Tum or Hum, Jodi Kamaal Ki, Nach Baliye, etc., in Star TV, also Fear Factor – Khatron Ki Khiladi in Colors. The viewers expect her make a comeback in bollywood films in the years to come.