Happy birthday to Rakesh Roshan.

Happy birthday to Rakesh Roshan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rakesh Roshan on 6th September, 2014. He had remained one of the most successful producer and director in the last 10 years. Being born in a prestigious family and the son of legendary composer Roshanlal Nagrath, Rakesh Roshan had to prove a lot when he started his career as an actor in the early 70s. In 2013, he produced and directed the big budget film Krish 3 which did business of more than 200 crores in 2013 and ended up as 2nd biggest blockbuster after Dhoom 3. The music of the film composed by Rajesh Roshan also became hit. Hrithik Roshan was brilliant as usual. His film Paraya Dhan with Hema Malini and Balraj Sahani became very successful in the late 60s. The film was remembered for the melodious music composed by RD Burman. The songs “ayo jhume gayere”, “holi re holi” became super hit in the late 60s and early 70s. After that, Rakesh Roshan acted in many films opposite Rishi Kapoor. The combination of Rakesh Roshan and Rishi Kapoor gave super hit films like Khel Khel Me, Aap Ke Diwane, Yeh Wada Raha, etc. While Khel Khel Me was a suspense thriller, Aap Ke Deewane was a romantic film, where both Rakesh Roshan and Rihi Kapoor proved their worth. The music of Rajesh Roshan in the film Aap Ke Deewane was worth mentioning. The title song “aapke diwane hai”, and “tum ko khush dekhkar mai bahut khush hua” sung by Rafi and Kishore became super hit in the late 70s. All the songs of the film became super hit. Rakesh Roshan even acted in middle-budget films like Kamchor with Jaya Prada. In those films also the music played a role with hit songs like “yogi ha yagi haat me tera likkha hai” sung by Kishore Kumar. From the time Rakesh Roshan launched himself as producer and director, he stormed bollywood. His film Karan Arjun with Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan became super hit in mid-90s. It was an action block-buster where the music composed by Rajesh Roshan, the romance, the comedy everything entertained the viewers. Amrish Puri played the role of corrupt industrialist who killed Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan in their first life, and after they were reborn combated their attack. The major shooting of the film was done in Rajasthan. In the last 10 years whenever Rakesh Roshan had produced and directed film with his son Hrithik Roshan the films had become the greatest blockbusters of the year. Kahona Pyar Hai stormed bollywood in 2000. It was sheer brilliance of Rakesh Roshan to present his son with bravery in the first film. Till now it had been the best film Hrithik Roshan had acted in his long career. The other hit films of Hrithik Roshan directed by Rakesh Roshan included Koi Mil Gaya and Krissh. Rakesh Roshan chose different actresses like Amisha Patel, Preeti Zinta, Priyanka Chopra in his different films and all of them contributed to make the films successful. The viewers awaited the release of Hrithik Roshan’s new film Kites in 2010. With Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori in the film, the critics predicted that it was going to be another blockbuster. But due to most of the film having communication in Spanish, the Indian viewers could not appreciate the film to that extent. Rakesh Roshan had been working with his son Hrithik Roshan in the film Krish 2, which is a sequel of the film Krish. Whenever Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan come up with a project they always make it big. Viewers look forward to more number of Rakesh Roshan Hrithik Roshan combinations in future. Rakesh Roshan should continue his great work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Rishi Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Rishi Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rishi Kapoor on 4th September 2014. He had remained one of the most romantic actors that bollywood had ever produced. He started his career as a child artist in Raj Kapoor’s film Mera Naam Joker in 1971. He stormed bollywood films with his romantic performance in the film Bobby in 1973. The film did great business and Rishi Kapoor received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in Bobby. Raj Kapoor as producer and director started a new innings with a new team of Laxmikant Pyarellal as against Shankar Jaikishan after the death of Jaikishan in 1971. LP had huge contribution in the music of the films of Rishi Kapoor for the next ten years. From that time onwards Rishi Kapoor remained one the most romantic actors in bollywood films. His films Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, Laila Majnu in 1976 and Sargam in 1978 were the greatest musical blockbusters of the 70s. The songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal, Jaidev and Madanmohan in these films became everlasting hits. The notable songs of Rafi and Lata in this film included “koel boli”, “parda hai parda”, “dafliwale”, “barbad muhobbat ki dua”, “is reshmi pazeeb”, to name a few. LP received the filmfare award for the best composer for 3 Rishi Kapoor’s films namely Amar Akbar Anthony, Sargam and Karz from 1978 to 1980. Rishi Kapoor’s extraordinary capability of giving lips in these songs separated him from other actors of that era. His films Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi and Karz created history. He showed his dancing skills in every type of songs of Rafi and Kishore including “hai aga dushman zamana”, “bacchna aye haseeno”, “dard –e- dil”, “om shanty om”, “puchona yaar kya hua”, to name a few. RD Burman and Laxmikant Pyarellal probably gave their best music to Rishi Kapoor in the 70s and 80s. In the 80s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Duniya, Sitamgar, Saagar, Chandni, Cooli, Naseeb, did fantastic business. He got the opportunity of acting opposite stalwarts in the industry namely Dilip Kumar in Duniya, Dharmender in Sitamgar, Kamal Hassan in Saagar, to name a few. In fact due to presence of Rishi Kapoor, producers and directors created romantic stories during an era when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha dominated bollywood with action films. Even in the 90s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Bol Radha Bol, Damini, etc., were appreciated by the audience. He was successful opposite young actresses like Juhi Chawla, Meenakshi Sheshadri, who were one generation younger than him. He had great contribution in the films of eminent directors like Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, Ramesh Sippy, David Dhawan, and others. After the debut of his son Ranbir Kapoor in the film Sawaariya, Rishi Kapoor switched to character roles. In 2009 also Rishi Kapoor did well in films like Dilli 6, Pyar Me Twist, Luck By Chance. He received Star Screen award for the best supporting actor in 2010 for his performance in the film Love Aaj Kal. In 2010 he acted in the films Chintuji and Sadiyaan. 2012 had been an excellent year for Rishi Kapoor. At the beginning of the year he acted in a negative character for the first time in his career in the film Agneepath. The film with hero Hrithik Roshan had done business of more than 125 crores. His other film Housefull 2 with Akshay Kumar had become super hit too. It also had done business of more than 110 crores. He is experimenting with new characters in this part of his career. He received best villain award for his performance in the film Agneepath. In 2013, he had acted in the films Chasme Baddoor and Besharam. The viewers expect him to continue the high standard of acting in the years to come and continue the legacy created by Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Pyarellal.

The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to Pyarellal on 3rd September, 2014. Laxmikant Pyarellal had a very successful career in bollywood films. Their success in the film Parasmani and Dosti had proved the fact that they had emerged in the film arena to play a long innings. In the 70s they gave music in most of the successful films and the music was innovative too. After the death of Jaikishan in 1971, Raj Kapoor used LP in the film Bobby in 1973. The songs “mai shayar to nahi” sung by Shailendra Singh, and songs sung by Chanchal had given them an opening for flourishing their musical careers as well. LP gave successful music in the film Aan Milon Sajna, where songs like “aan milon sajna” sung by Rafi and “acha to hum chalte hai” sung by Lata and Kishore became hits. LP gave successful music in the film Amar Akbar Anthony, where Rafi’ssongs “parda hai parda”, “shirdiwali saibaba”, Kishore’s song “my name is Anthony Gonsalves”, etc., had catered to the popular taste of film music. LP gave successful music in Rishi Kapoor’s film Sargam, with hit songs of Rafi and Lata including “dafliwale”, “koel boli”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, etc. Even the songs in Rishi Kapoor’s film Karz, including “darde dil” sung by Rafi and “om shanty om” sung by Kishore gave super hit in the late 70s. Songs like “yeh dil tum bin kahin lagta nahi” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Izzat, and “patta patta boota boota”, sung by Rafi and Lata, in Ek Nazar are quality compositions showing the class of LP. LP also gave quality songs in the film Jeevan Mrityu, with Rafi’s song like “jhilmil sitaronka”, songs like “o sapno ka raja” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Banphool. LP in many cases compromised with the taste of mass audience in composing music in the late 70s if compared with the superlative class of music composed in the 60s. He even gave classical songs in the 60s like “roushan tumhi se duniya” and “woh jab yaad aye” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Parasmani based on classical touch. Even then the compositions of LP in the 70s are notable and should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Neha Dhupia on 27th August, 2014. Neha Dhupia, the daughter of Commander Pradip Dhupia of Indian Navy, had attracted public attention after winning the Miss India Universe 2002 crown in that year. After beginning her career in the film Qayamat: City Under Threat, she impressed the viewers with challenging role in the film Julie where her glamour was used to perfection. But she got a notable role in the film Kya Cool Hai Hum in 2005. She acted opposite Ritesh Deshmukh where Tusshar Kapoor and Isha Koppikar were the other pair. Isha Koppikar, the police officer in the film was sent by Anupam Kher to investigate a case relating to a habitual offender. Tusshar Kapoor was suspected to be a murderer and Isha Koppikar was sent to his house to monitor his activities. Ritesh Deshmukh had an affair with Neha Dhupia and married her at the end of the film. The film was serio-comic in nature and Neha Dhupia performed very well in her respective role. She also got a purposeful role in the film Shootout At Lokhandwala. The film was related to a real-life story where the Bombay police had trapped the underworld group in a house in Bombay and fired at them. Sanjay Dutt gave a memorable performance in the role of Encounter specialist in the film opposite Vivek Oberoi who played the role of a mafia don. Neha Dhupia did her part very well. She did even better in the film Chup Chup Ke, in the role of the sister of Kareena Kapoor. Shahid Kapoor pretended to be dumb in the film and stayed in their house. Neha Dhupia acted as a mediator between Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and helped in the marriage between the two. Neha Dhupia knew that Shahid Kapoor could speak but never informed Sunil Shetty or Om Puri or any other member of the house about it. Although the film was related to the serio-comic relationship between Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, Neha Dhupia kept her mark in a reserve role and in some of the sequences even acted better than Kareena Kapoor. She was even impressive in her supporting role in the film Singh is Kinng, where Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar had the lead roles. Singh is Kinng also did good business in India and abroad. But if her performance in the earlier films like Sheesha and new films like Mithya are compared it will be found that initially the stylish screen presence and bold performance of Neha Dhupia was publicized by the producers. These days the acting skills of Neha Dhupia are used. She had been bold enough to act in the role of a prostitude in the film De Dana Dan in 2008. The role required comedy timing and she did extremely well. In 2009, her performance in the film Raat Gayi Baat Gayi bagged her the nomination for Star Screen Award for the best actress in a supporting role. She had two releases in 2010 where her two films, Action Replay and With Love to Obama had different roles. Although her performances in the films were appreciated the films did not do good business. In 2012 she had acted in the film Rush where Imraan Hashmi, Sagarika Ghadke and Aditya Pancholi had played important characters. In 2013, she acted in the film Ungly with Sanjay Dutt, Imran Hashmi and others. Unless she grabs any glamourous role in near future she will not remain in the rat race where the competition between Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha is very keen.

Happy birthday to Manisha Koirala.

Happy birthday to Manisha Koirala. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Manisha Koirala on 16th August, 2014. She was the leading actress of the 90s and played important roles opposite all the leading actors of bollywood films. She attracted the attention of the directors with her first performance in Subhash Ghai’s film Saudagar. She was excellent in the film 1942 – A Love Story opposite Anil Kapoor. The film ended up being musical blockbuster with RD Burman’s composition “pyar hua chupkese”, “ek larki ko dekha”, “kuch na kaho” becoming landmark hits. Manisha’s soft romantic performance balanced the all round performance of Anil Kapoor. Besides, the film was based on the life of people in the pre-independence period, so Manisha Koirala balanced her style of acting with the style of dialogue delivery of people during that time. Manisha Koirala was brilliant in the film Khamoshi opposite Salman Khan. The film was excellent. She played the role of a deaf and dumb girl. The film stood out for the excellent music. The songs of Kavita Krishnamurthy namely “aaj mai upar aasma niche” stormed bollywood. The online chemistry of Manisha Koirala opposite Salman Khan worked a lot. Manisha Koirala continued her romantic performance in other films like Akele Hum Akele Tum opposite Amir Khan, Yalgaar with Sanjay Dutt, Champion opposite Suny Deol. The songs of all these films did great business. She was comfortable in her roles both in action films and romantic films. Manisha Koirala also played important roles in experimental films like Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Lajja. Her performance was author-backing performance of an observer of ill-treatment of women in different parts of the world. Her soft performance balanced the cruel attitude of Jackie Shroff in the film. She showed her metal in acting opposite a number of other successful actresses in the same film including Madhuri Dixit, Mahima Choudhury, Rekha and others. Manisha Koirala was sublime in her performance opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film Dil Se. Mani Ratnam experimented with terrorist activities in the North East in the film Dil Se. Manisha Koirala played the role of the terrorist in the film and died at the end of the film with a suicide operation which killed Shahrukh Khan too. Critics feel that Manisha Koirala still has lot of acting left in her. She had recently got married, and in respect of bollywood prospects, once actresses get married, their future gets doomed. Her dancing skills and acting skills still qualify her to make a comeback in bollywood films and compete with the leading stars like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and others. She appeared in Dadagiri Program conducted by Sourav Ganguly in Zee Bangla Channel in 2010, and did a great job there too. Viewers came to know that she could speak well too. Viewers and her fans expect her to make a comeback in bollywood films and do even better.

The biggest bollywood blockbusters of 1949.

The biggest Bollywood blockbusters of 1949. 1949 was a year in Bollywood films where a lot of transitions took place. Till that time majority of shooting of films used to take place in the studios. Directors started shooting the films outdoor. Barsaat was the biggest blockbuster in 1949. It was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. This was the second film directed by Showman Raj Kapoor after Aag in 1947. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prem Nath and Nimmi played the lead roles. The pairs that were launched included Premnath and Nimmi together and Nargis and Raj Kapoor together. KN Singh played the role of a negative character in the film. It was the first time the composer duo Shankar Jaikishan was used by Raj Kapoor. Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri also contributed in the film. Raj Kapoor and Nargis fell in love with each other but due to resistance of Nargis’s father the marriage got obstructed. Nargis drowned in water and KN Singh, a fisherman found her. At the end of the film Nargis and Raj Kapoor were united. The music of the film rocked Bollywood. All the songs like “chod gaye balam” by Mukesh, “hawa mai udta jaye” and “jiya beqarar hai” by Lata stormed Bollywood. Andaz was the second biggest blockbuster of 1949. It was directed by Mehboob Khan. The music of the film was composed by Naushad Ali. Dilip Kumar loved Nargis in the film without knowing that he was already having affair with Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor came from abroad and married Nargis. When Dilip Kumar disclosed his love towards Nargis, she was shocked because she always considered Dilip Kumar as her friend and not a husband. Murad played the role of the father of Nargis. Cuckoo also played an important roles. The songs of the film were bumper hits like “tu kahe agar”, “toote na dil toote na” by Mukesh and “yun to aapas me bigadte hai” by Rafi and Lata. There were signs that Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were going to rule Indian films for the next 30 years. Mahal was the third biggest blockbuster of 1949. Ashok Kumar played the lead role opposite Madhubala. It was directed by Kamal Amrohi. It was produced by Bombay Talkies. Khemchand Prakash composed the music of the film. The film was based on the story of reincarnation. Madhubala’s atma or soul was visualised by Ashok Kumar in the second birth. Lata’s song “ayega anewala” become a theme song for horror movies. The direction was excellent. Ashok Kumar came to a mahal or palace and the illusions made him horror –striken. It was one of the films which gave Lata her primary recognition with “ayega anewala”. Even Raj Kumari’s songs “ek teer chala dil ko laga” and “mai wo hansi hoon lab pe jo ane se reh gayi” became super hit. There were other successful films in 1949 like Dulari, Shabnam and other films. Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Khemchand Prakash, Roshanlal Nagrath were the most dominating composers of that age. The world of singing was dominated by Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood, Lata, Raj Kumari, Zohrabai Ambewali, Shamshad Begum, Noorjahan, Geeta Dutt and others. The most prominent directors included Raj Kapoor, Kamal Amrohi, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, V Shantaram and others. While stars like Ashok Kumar continued their dream run, new stars like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor showed promise. Actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Suraiya became most prominent in the black and white age. The films require restoration.

Happy birthday to Gulzar.

Happy birthday to Gulzar. Gulzar received Dadasahab Phalke award in 2014. It is great that Gulzar had been chose to be the recipient. He really deserved it. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary director and lyricist Gulzar on 18th August, 2013. He had been one of the greatest living legends at this moment. Bollywood is indebted to thoughtful director who had converted filmmaking into work of art. His film Mausam released in 1975, was based on reflections of mind. Sanjeev Kumar was attached with Sharmila Tagore living in Darjeeling when he came over there as a student. After he went abroad to pursue his post-graduate studies, Sharmila was exploited and her daughter how looked identical like her mother was compelled to join prostitution. Sanjeev Kumar returned as a foreign-return doctor and took his daughter away from the surroundings and gave her a new life. Bhupinder Singh’s ghazal “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi” composed by Madan Mohan and written by Gulzar remains as the greatest ghazal created in the 70s. The story-telling in the film was appreciated by critics. Gulzar created a different dimension by experimented with classic literature during the 70s and 80s. His films Aandhi released in 1975, with Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar and Kinara released in 1978, with Jeetender and Hema Malini can very well be classified as master pieces. He gave very meaningful sequences where songs were recorded. He created a separate fanclub for himself who could understand human relations at the same period when larger than life images were created in main stream cinema of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha and other angry young men in films like Sholay, Kalicharan, Burning Train, etc. Gulzar’s films created for children like Parichay, released in 1972 and Kitaab, released in 1978 are still considered masterpieces. He was impressed by the thoughts of Hollywood film Sound of Music and Uttam Kumar’s Joyjoyanti to make a film related to five children who required a good teacher. Jeetender treated them with compassion and brought change in the children. In Kitaab, Uttam Kumar cared for his brother-in-law Master Raju who was a small child and had been send by her mother (Dina Pathak) to get educated in urbanized background. Vidya Sinha was the sister of Master Raju. Uttam Kumar played a huge part in transforming the character of Master Raju in the film. Gulzar experimented with so many diverse subjects that articles after articles can be devoted to his different themes, including the film Koshish, released in 1972, based on life of deaf and dumb, Lekin, based on folklore of Rajasthan. Koshish had a very strong social message. It showed that deaf and dumb persons could go to dead and dumb schools and learn sign language. Their life can have a new aspiration and direction. All his artists like Suchitra Sen, Jaya Bacchan, Sharmila Tagore, Uttam Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetender portrayed the life of middle-class men who were found in everyday life. He even worked with subjects like terrorism in films like Machis. His composers, Jaidev, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, RD Burman all had given their best music for the thoughtful director. These days Gulzar concentrates more on writing lyrics. In that field too he had been master of masters. In the recent past Gulzar said that he wanted to devote time to write books. For those reasons he had reduced directing films in the last 10 years. It is a huge loss for thoughtful viewers. He continued to write lyrics of songs in bollywood films in regular intervals and his popular lyrics like “aisi nazar se” in the film Bunty Aur Babli had both class and also rhythm. He received the filmfare award for the best lyricist a number of times.

Happy birthday to Rakhee.

Happy birthday to Rakhee. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rakhee on 15th August, 2014. She had contributed in bollywood films for more than 30 years. She had contributed both as a leading actress and also as a character actress. Rakhee came to limelight with her successful film Sharmilee opposite Shashi Kapoor in the early 70s. The songs of the film composed by SD Burman became very successful, including the songs “khilte hai dil yahan”, “megha chaye aadhi raat”, etc. Rakhee played a double role, one being calm and quite named Kanchan and the other who was outspoken named Kamini and created attention. In the mid-70s Rakhee acted in landmark roles including the one in the film Kabhi Kabhi opposite Big B and Shashi Kapoor. She loved a poet played by Big B, but had to marry Shashi Kapoor. The poetry of Big B created a great impact in the life of Rakhee. The songs of Mukesh and Lata composed by Khayyam in the film including “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon” and “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” made the viewers spellbound. Rakhee acted in many landmark films opposite Big B including Shakti Shamanta’s Bengali film Anusandhan, hindi film Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Kala Patthar, Kasme Wade, etc. In the early 80s Rakhee played the role of her lifetime opposite Dilip Kumar in the film Shakti. She played the role of the mother of Big B, who faced the hostility between Dilip Kumar and Big B, one being the protector of law, while the other being the lawbreaker. The scenes where she praised her law-abiding husband her performance had outcast Big B, and viewers said that Rakhee’s performance was as brilliant as Dilip Kumar in Shakti. The film became super hit. She was brilliant in the film Shaan. She played the role of the wife of Sunil Dutt. After the death Sunil Dutt, her small interaction with Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bacchan, who were the brothers of Sunil Dutt in the film, had shown the class of acting of Rakhee. Rakhee by that period of time created her own class in character roles. She was outstanding opposite Suresh Oberoi in the film Shraddhanjali. In the 90s, Rakhee played many character roles in films like Anil Kapoor’s Ram Lakhan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan’s Karan Arjun, Bobby Deol’s Soldier, to name a few. She had acted in more than 100 films and continues to act in many contemporary films. Rakhee had also acted in many character roles and challenging roles. Her performance in Aparna Sen’s film Parama requires special mention. She had affair with a middle-aged neighbour. When the truth relating to her extra-marital affair was known to her husband, she lost her value in the family. She showed the helplessness in the respective story. She had performed in both commercial films and parallel cinema and in both forms of films she had kept a mark. She was sublime in the other Bengali film Shubha Maharat. The viewers expect her to continue the good work in the years to come.

The viewers are reminded of Mahabharat on Krishna Janmashtami

The viewers are reminded of Mahabharat on Krishna-Janmashtami. Indians have a separate religious sentiment associated with Lord Krishna, the renowned avatar of God Vishnu. The film Mahabharat made in 1965 is revisited on the eve of Krishna Janmashtami to be celebrated all over India tomorrow on 17th August, 2014. The film Mahabharat was directed by director Babulal Mistry in 1965. Actor Abhi Bhattacharya played the celebrated role of Lord Krishna in the film. He had the challenging task of chanting the slokas from Bhagwat Geeta, which moulded Arjun in the battle of Kurukshetra and led to victory of the Pandavas. Very significantly Pradeep Kumar played the epic role of Arjun in the film. When Arjuna saw his own relatives in the other side of the battle, he got perplexed and thought whether to fight the battle or not. Lord Krishna explained to him that he must do his Karma and that too of a Kshatriya. In the entire Mahabharata what Lord Krishna had delivered later became learning texts for Hindus all over the world. Actor Dara Singh played the role of Bhima in the film, while Jeevan played the role of Shakuni. Actress Padmini played the notable role of Draupadi in the film. Composer Chitragupt composed the music of the film, and the songs sung by Rafi in the film were very memorable. In the late 80s and early 90s, eminent filmmaker BR Chopra made Mahabharata in Doordarshan, and as TV serial had remained extremely successful. Nitish Bharatdwaj played the role of Lord Krishna in the serial. All the episode related to the birth of Lord Krishna flabbergasted the audience. His mama’s role was played by Goga Kapoor. The viewers saw the battle between Lord Krishna and Mama Kanghs was very well depicted by BR Chopra. Nitish Bharadwaj studied Bhagwat Geeta, very well and his performance in the battlefield of Kurukshetra where he persuaded Arjun to fight the battle had remained matchless. The character of Arjun was played by Feroz Khan. The pandavas were heavily dependent on Lord Krishna in their war against the kauravas. Lord Krishna only asked Bhima to hit Duryodhana on his uru, meaning the thigh, which led to his victory. Lord Krishna asked Arjun to throw his arrow at Karna when his chariot got stuck in mud and he tried to release it. The same Lord Krishna, provided cloth to Draupadi, at a time when Duryodhana asked Dushshashan to take away her clothes. Lord Krishna is worshipped as God by numerous hindus all across the world, and the effort of filmmakers in reaching the epic related to Lord Krishna had always been considered noble and appreciated. Both the film Mahabharata and the serial Mahabharata should be restored.

Rebel star Shammi Kapoor is remembered on his death anniversary.

Rebel Star Shammi Kapoor is remembered on 14th August, 2014, his death anniversary, for his immense contribution to Bollywood films. On 14th August, 2011, veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, passed away. He was 79 years old. The country had become sad due to his demise. He brought a new wave in Indian films with powerful performances in films like Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Janwar and other films. He used to be called Rebel Star and the Indian Elvis Priestley. One thing for which viewers used to be mad to see his films during 60s used to be the everlasting music in the films and brilliance of Mohammad Rafi in those songs. Rafi had sung 341 songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan during his illustrious career with 216 solos. Very significantly 3 of the filmfare awards that Rafi received during 60s had been composed by Shankar Jaikishan. They included “teri pyari pyari surat ko kiski nazar na lage” from the film Sasural, “baharon phool barsao” from the film Suraj and “dilke jharoke me mujhko bithaker” from the film Brahmchari. But in the list of songs sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, at least half of the total sungs were composed for Shammi Kapoor. Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan worked together for around 22 films, most of which did great business in the 60s. If Rafi’s songs sung for Shammi Kapoor are remembered for the loud music and melo-dramatic dance numbers, there were lot of songs which were ever romantic and touched the hearts of the viewers. In the film Junglee, Rafi’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” and “meri yaar shabba khair” had very melodious appeal and the sweetness of Rafi haunted the listeners for years. In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, the songs “awaz deke hume tum bulayo”, “mai chali mai chali”, probably had set the mood of the film. From that time Rafi, Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan created magic in one film after the other. In Raj Kumar, Rafi’s soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor like “yeh rang badalti duniya me”, “tumne kisiki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” made the viewers speechless. Even the western numbers of Shankar Jaikishan for Rafi stole the hearts in the 60s. In the film Janwar, Rafi’s number “meri muhabbat jawan rahegi” and “humko hai tumse pyar” had been the most romantic songs in the film, where the landscape of Kashmir and Rafi’s melodious voice complimented each other. In the film An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho” and “raat ke humsafar” were the most romantic numbers which were more melodious than the loud numbers which equally became hits. In Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmachari, probably the best songs included “mai gayun tum so jayo” and “dil ke jharoke mai”. “mai gayun tum so jayo” was sung twice by Rafi in the film, one with a even slower rhythm. Shankar Jaikishan’s background music was as brilliant as Rafi’s singing style for Shammi Kapoor. In the film Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Rafi’s soft number “janam janam ka saath hai” had remained evergreen and melodious for years. In Latt Sahab, Rafi’s romantic number with Asha Bhosle titled “aye chaand zara ruk ja” haunted the listeners for years after years. Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan combined together in other films of Shammi Kapoor like Prince, Buttameez, Laat Sahab, Ujala, Chote Sarkar, Hong Kong, etc. There were many more romantic numbers of Rafi sung for Shammi Kapoor, which cannot be covered in a small article. In Shammi Kapoor’s Jawan Muhabbat, the song “jawan muhabbat jahan jahan hai” was very romantic. The last film where Shankar and Jaikishan worked together for Shammi Kapoor included Andaz. The songs “dil use do jo jaan de de” and “re mamma re mamma re” were brilliant both in form and orchestration. It was very unfortunate that Jaikishan died in 1971,and after that Shammi Kapoor also added weight and switched to character roles in films like Zameer, Parvarish, etc. The magical combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended and the era of romantic songs also suffered a set back. Some section of listeners argue that Rajender Kumar probably received the more romantic numbers sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, but Shammi Kapoor’s combination with Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was phenomenal which swept the youth and took them to a different inspite of Shammi Kapoor being called a rebel star and Shankar Jaikishan providing the most loud bomblastic numbers for Rafi. The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shammi Kapoor, Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Vaijayantimala.

Happy birthday to Vaijayantimala. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dancing queen Vaijayantimala on 13th August, 2014. She had ruled bollywood films during the 50s and 60s, during an age when muslim actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari rocked silver screen. She was the first South Indian actress to create a sensation in bollywood films and paved the way for other South Indian actresses to follow like Hema Malini, Sri Devi, Jaya Prada, Meenakshi Sheshadri, and others. There was no successful actor of the 1950s and 1960s, who did not act opposite Vaijayantimala. The list is very long ranging from Dilip Kumar to Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar to Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand to Pradip Kumar, Joy Mukherjee to Uttam Kumar. In 2013, she received the lifetime achievement award too for her immense contribution in Bollywood films. Her online chemistry with Tragedy King Dilip Kumar created history in bollywood. Most of their films including Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigham, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Sunghursh ended up being blockbusters. Besides dancing, she was sublime in the role of a tawaif in Bimal Roy’s film Devdas, in the role of village girl in Bimal Roy’s Madhumati. Vaijayantimala used to do a lot of homework also in respect of her role. When she was awarded best supporting actress award in filmfare for her performance in the film Devdas, she did not receive the award. She said after reading the literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, she found that Chandramukhi, the character she played, was equally a heroine as Parvati. Probably Madhumati, released in 1958, marks the best performance of Vaijayantimala in her entire career. Her innocence reflected in her acting and she made the audience spellbound with the lips given in songs composed by Salil Choudhury including “aa ja re pardesi”, “ghari ghari mera dil dharke”, “daiya re daiya re”, etc. She received the filmfare award for the best actress for the brilliant performance in the film. On one hand she was brilliant opposite Dilip Kumar, on the other hand she created sensation with Raj Kapoor as well. Their film Nazrana did mediocre business. But Sangam, released in 1964, was probably one of the biggest hits of Raj Kapoor in his entire life. Vaijayantimala’s stylish performance opposite both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar created a benchmark which could hardly be reached. Sangam still remains one of the most landmark films based on triangular love story shot at exotic locations in London, Paris, and other European countries. Shankar Jaikishan was matchless in Sangam. The acting performance of Vaijayantimala was excellent and she received the filmfare award for the best actress once again. The last scene where Vaijayatimala questioned both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar about deciding about her life, had become a trend-setter. She justified the fact that she had affair with Rajender Kumar, but from the time she married Raj Kapoor, she fulfilled all the responsibilities of a hindu wife. She had been followed by numerous actresses of the following period in similar roles. In the 60s, Vaijayantimala was matchless. Her name was enough to make any film hit. The list of her hit films include Nagin opposite Pradeep Kumar, Suraj opposite Rajender Kumar, Amrapali opposite Sunil Dutt, Prince opposite Shammi Kapoor, Choti Si Mulakat opposite Uttam Kumar, Jewel Thief opposite Dev Anand, Pyar Hi Pyar opposite Dharmender, to name a few. In fact her combination with Rajender Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan created sensation in the 60s. All their films ended up being silver jubilees including Aas Ka Panchi, Suraj, Sangam, Zindagi, etc. Her lips in landmark songs like “kaise samjhayun bai na samajh ho”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe meri raazdaar”, “o mere sanam”, “titli uri” had become immortal over a period of time. Besides her standard of classical dancing in films like Katputli or Amrapali had created interest among viewers to appreciate aesthetic dance numbers which became an art in due period of time. Her films should be restored and preserved.

Happy birthday to genius singer Suresh Wadkar.

Happy birthday to Suresh Watkar The viewers of bollywood films and listeners of bollywood music wish happy birthday to Suresh Watkar on 7th August, 2014. Singer and music trainer Suresh Watkar is a musical genius and a living legend. In 2011 he received national award for the song in the film Mee sindhutai sapkal in Marathi. In 2012 he sang song in the film Yeh Khulla Aasman. Born in 1954, he took musical training from Acharya Jialal Vasant from the age of eight years. Acharya Jialal Vasant gave him the task of teaching vocal classical to a pupil when Suresh Watkar was at the age of 13 years. From that time onwards Suresh Watkar had remained one of India’s great learning institutions. Acharya Jialal Vasant in interviews had confessed that he got a torch bearer in the form of Suresh Watkar who could travel a distance. Suresh Watkar got his Prabhakar degree and joined Arya Vidya Mandir in Mumbai as music teacher. He got music schools both in Mumbai, Suresh Watkar Ajivasan Music Academy, and also music school in New Jersey, New York. He won the Sur Singar Competition in 1976, where Jaidev was one of the judges. Jaidev gave break to Suresh Watkar in the film Gaman in 1977 with the song “seene me jalan”. Suresh Watkar stormed bollywood with his majestic singing in Raj Kapoor’s film Prem Rog in 1982. The music was composed by Laxmikant Pyarellel. He received filmfare nomination for the best singer for splendid performance in the songs “mai hoon prem rogi” and “meri kismet tu”. The film did excellent business and the music became super hit. From that time Suresh Watkar never looked back. In Sekhar Kapoor’s film Masoom released in 1983, Suresh Watkar was brilliant in the song “huzur is kadar na itrake chaliye” along with ghazal singer Bhupinder Singh. It was composed by RD Burman and was a masterpiece. In the film Sadma in 1983, composer Illayaraja composed two brilliant songs for Suresh Watkar, “ay zindagi gale laga le” and “yeh hawa yeh fiza”. Suresh Watkar continued his dream run in the film Utsav. Laxmikant Pyarellal composed brilliant songs for Suresh Watkar namely “mere man baja mridang” and “sanjh dhale gagan tale”. Composer Ravindra Jain used Suresh Watkar in Raj Kapoor’s film Ram Teri Ganga Maili, where all the songs of Suresh Watkar were smash hits. RD Burman used Suresh Watkar very well in the Parinda for landmark songs like “tumse milke” and “pyar ke mod pe”. Suresh Watkar stormed bollywood again with RK film Henna in 1991, where all his songs composed by Ravindra Jain were masterpieces. He showed his classical excellence in Gulzar’s landmark film Lekin, in the song “surmai sham”. It was composed by Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Suresh Watkar went on singing masterpieces in films like Premgranth, Maachis, Satya, Hu Tu Tu, Omkara, Saat Khoon Maaf. His dream run is still one. One article is too small to highlight the greatness of the versatile genius Suresh Watkar who had contributed in the musical arena of India for more than 40 years. His admirers all over the world want him to continue the high class of classical singing and his music teaching in the years to come.

Happy birthday to gorgeous icon Sri Devi.

Happy birthday to gorgeous icon Sri Devi. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to gorgeous icon and evergreen actress Sri Devi on 13th August, 2014. She was the most dominating figure in bollywood films in the 80s. Her excellent dancing skills gave her an edge over other actresses of that period. In 2013 her film English Vinglish received awards in IIFA awards in Macao. Her director received best debutant director award. She was brilliant in the film Himmatwala opposite Jeetender. The film was a South Indian production which was released in the early 1980s and the dancing skills of both Sri Devi and Jeetender mesmerized the viewers. The music of the film was also very popular. Sri Devi got a landmark role in Feroz Khan’s film Jaanbaaz. She played the role of the wife of Jeetender who was given drugs forcefully by Shakti Kapoor, Raza Murad and their men. She died due to consumption of the drugs. Feroz Khan along with Anil Kapoor took revenge against her brutal killing. Sri Devi’s combination with Anil Kapoor was appreciated by the viewers of the 80s. Their film Mr. India, directed by Shekhar Kapoor became everlasting hit. Sri Devi displayed her comedy skills as against the innocent performance of Anil Kapoor in the film. Anil Kapoor’s device for becoming invisible amazed the viewers. Amrish Puri was matchless in his performance in the role of Mogambo. Sri Devi’s dance number opposite Anil Kapoor in a blue dress during a rainy day haunted many youngstars of the 80s. Big B acted in many films opposite Sri Devi including Inquilab, Akhree Rasta and others. Most of those films ended up being blockbusters. In Akhree Raasta she had show her mettle opposite another South Indian beauty Jaya Prada. Her performance was as good as Jaya Prada, and both the actresses justified their selection opposite Megastar Big B. Sri Devi gave many hits opposite Rishi Kapoor including Yash Rash film Chandni. In Chandi, Sri Devi looked gorgeous. Rishi Kapoor was considered to be most romantic actor of the 80s. Sri Devi had the challenge of matching him in a Yash Raj film, where shooting is done in Switzerland and costly dresses are used for the stars. Sri Devi rose up to the occasion and got the viewers flabbergasted with her performance. Even then viewers considered Anil Kapoor the best combination opposite Sri Devi. Their superhit films included Laadla, Lamhe, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, and others. Sri Devi had a fantastic career in South Indian films as well. Her performance in films opposite Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan became super hit in the 8os. She acted in hit bollywood films opposite Rajnikant like Chaalbaaz where she played a double role. She was excellent in the film Sadma opposite Kamal Hassan. Her abnormal acting which was required in the role and later on a different behavior really made the viewers spellbound. The music composed by Illaiyaraja was exceptional, with the song “surmaiy ankhyonme” becoming smash hit. With the domination of Madhuri Dixit in bollywood films in the 90s, Sri Devi faded away from the film arena. Besides she added weight after marrying Boney Kapoor and giving birth to her daughter. Although viewers cannot expect the same glamour and charm of Sri Devi in her late 30s, yet they want her presence in bollywood films, as lot of acting is still left in her. The viewers expect her to continue the flawless character acting like English Vinglish in the other films as well.

Happy birthday to Saira Banu.

Happy birthday to Saira Banu. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Saira Banu on 23rd August, 2014. She used to be called beauty-queen of the 60s. Acting was there in her blood with her mother Nasim Banu doing well in many films in the 40s. Saira Banu started her career with the film Junglee opposite Shammi Kapoor in 1961. The brilliant music of Shankar Jaikishan given in the film and exotic locations of Jammu and Kashmir flabbergasted the audience in the early 60s. All the songs in the film were super hit including “suku suku”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “Kashmir ki kali hun mai”, to name a few. From that time onwards Saira Banu started getting stylish roles one after the other in bollywood films. Saira Banu went on to give hit after hit with Biswajeet and Joy Mukherjee as well. With Biswajeet her film April Fool released in 1964 became super hit. The songs of SJ again created storm including “april fool banaya”, “aa gale lag jaa”, etc. With Joy Mukherjee Saira Banu’s film Shagird stormed box-office in 1967. All the songs of Rafi and Lata were hits including “dil vil pyar vyar”, “woh hai zara khafa khafa”, “o bare miya diwane”, “duniya mehfil hai”, etc. The music was composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal. Saira Banu exhibited the character of village girl who was sought after by her teacher played by IS Johar, but fell in love with Joy Mukherjee in the film. There were other hit films of Saira Banu like Saaz Aur Awaaz opposite Joy Mukherjee, Aadmi Aur Insaan opposite Dharmender, to name a few. Saira Banu’s combination with Rajender Kumar was well accepted by the audience. All the three films opposite Jubilee Kumar including Ayee Milan Ki Bela in 1964, Aman in 1967 and Jhuk Gaya Aasman in 1968 became super hit. The songs of all those films composed by SJ again struck box-office. Prominent songs included “o priya kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “tum khamseen ho”, “kahan chal diye”, “surahidar garden”, etc. Saira Banu balanced the powerful performance of Rajender Kumar in those films. In Aman, Saira Banu played the role of a Japanese girl. In Ayee Milan Ki Bela she played the role of an urbanized girl having wealthy background. In Jhuk Gaya Aasman, she played the role of a sophisticated girl coming from middle-class family who was involved with Rajender Kumar who was guide in Darjeeling, but after reincarnation led the life of a wealthy industrialist. May be after Sadhna, Saira Banu was accepted by the viewers the most opposite Rajender Kumar. After marrying Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu acted in a number of films opposite him including Sagina, Gopi and Bairaag, most of which did well in the box-office. Sagina was directed by Dada Saheb Phalke winning director Tapan Sinha, who made the Bengali version and the hindi version of the same film separately. Saira Banu acted opposite Dilip Kumar in both the films. Her films with Raj Kapoor titled Diwana and Dev Anand titled Par Muhabbat did good business mainly due to hit music of Shankar Jaikishan. The songs of those films including “ai sanam jisne tujhe chaand si surat di hai”, “dil ki awaz khuda khair Karen” still remain the landmarks of Indian film music. Even Saira Banu’s comedy films like Parosan opposite Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood did brilliant business. From the mid-70s Saira Banu faded away from the industry before acting in films opposite Big B like Zameer and Hera Pheri. There were other films of Saira Banu opposite other stars like Manoj Kumar in the film Purab Aur Paschim, Dharmender in Resham Ki Dori. The viewers expect her to contribute in bollywood films in character roles again.

Salman Khan's Kick had done 210 crores business in 12 days.

Salman Khan’s film Kick had done business of 210 crores in 12 days and smashed the records of Ek Tha Tiger and The Three Idiots. Salman Khan is back with a bang. His new film Kick had been released on 25th July, 2014. The film had been directed by Sajid Nadiawala. It had been produced by Sajid Nadiawala. The music of the film had been composed by Himesh Reshammiya. According to the story of Vakkantham Vamsi, Salman Khan played the role of the son of Mithun Chakravarty and Archana Puran Singh. In his life, if there was no charm or kick he did not do the activity. He used to lose jobs after jobs. After being close to Jackeline Fernandez, he got separated because he could not stick to one job. But one day he found the dead bodies of parents of a girl child who was suffering from deadly disease. They could not gather the funds and committed suicide. Salman Khan went to a charitable institution run by Nawauddin Siddque who gave just Rs 100. He came to know that these groups were fraud groups engaging in stealing activities. Salman Khan himself became international crook with the name Devil. Randeep Hooda was the investigating officer who was send to Poland to catch Devil. He came to know Salman Khan was Devil. Jackeline Fernandez came to know from Mithun that Salman Khan stole the properties from corrupt persons to create funds for children suffering from incurable diseases. Randeep Hooda ultimately did not kill Salman Khan. Salman Khan killed Nawazuddin and his men at the end of the film. Salman Khan was splendid again. His jump from 40th floor of Poland’s Building of Culture and Science situated in Warsaw really made the audience flabbergasted. His riding in bus and being chased by Randeep Hooda mesmerized the audience. Jackeline did a good job. Randeep Hooda and Nawazuddin were amazing. They did match Salman Khan’s heroism with their realistic acting. The music was amazing. The songs “jumme ki raat hai”, “mainu pyar na mile”, “hangover” already had become super hit. Salman Khan himself sang the song “hangover”. On the first day of release Kick had done business worth 35 crores. It has crushed the records of Chennai Express, Ek Tha Tiger and Krish 3. Kick has all the prospect of landing as one of the two biggest blockbusters ever in India. Trade analysts feel that Kick can destroy all the records on box office including the record of Dhoom 3 of 240 crores business.

Zee Bangla Mirakkel Program Season 8 is back.

Zee Bangla Mirakkel Program is back. Zee Bangla Mirakkel Akkel Challenger Program is back with a bang. This time it is Zee Bangla Mirakkel Akkel Challenger Season 8. Mir Afsar Ali called it Ahlade Atkhana. The same group of judges are there in season 8 as well. Paran Banerjee, Rajatavo Dutta and Sri Lekha Mitra were there in the previous season. There had not been any change in this season. The program is produced by Subhankar Chatterjee. The same group of mentors are there in season 8 as well. They include Dr. Krishnendu, Ankit Tiwary, Arnab and this time there is addition of Sawan to keep a representative of Bangladesh. Participants from Bangladesh are also invited in the show. In Mirakkel Akkel Challenger Season 7, the winner was Subhashis Mukherjee. Mithun Roy was the runners. Pinaky Mukherjee was the most inspiring performer. In Season 6, Abu Henna Ronnie and Vicky Partho were the joint winners. In respect of the platform for Mirakkel Akkel Challenger, it has been seen that those performers who got recognition later got chances in Bengali films, serials and other shows. For example Apurbo Roy became a big star after his immense success in the Zee Mirakkel Program got offers from different producers and directors. Everyone expects good performances in the new edition of Zee Bangla Mirakkel Akkel Challenger 8 Program.

Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty.

Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sunil Shetty on 11th August 2014. Although he started his career as an action star, especially in the film Balwaan, he proved his capability in every type of role very gradually. His combination with Akshay Kumar had been considered very grand and both the actors had given many colourful hits during their illustrious career. Mohra was a big hit. There Sunil Shetty played the role of the anti-hero who was dictated terms by Naseeruddin Shah, while Akshay Kumar played the role of an honest police-officer. Sunil Shetty fell into the trap of Naseeruddin Shah and went on committing crimes one after the other. He came to know about the actual character of Naseeruddin Shah at the end of the film. Their film Dhadkan opposite Shilpa Shetty did great business. Sunil Shetty received the filmfare award for the best villain for his brilliant performance in the film. The songs in the film including “tum dil ki dhadkan me” were extremely successful and both the stars gave brilliant lips in those songs. Sunil Shetty started a new chapter with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal in his career in respect of comedy films with the film Hera Pheri. Three of them acted brilliantly in the film Hera Pheri along with Tabu and other actors. The film became so successful that the director Priya Darshan was compelled to make a sequel of the film with the title Phir Hera Pheri. It became super hit too. In this film Bipasha Basu played a very significant role along with the three musketeers. The third sequel of Hera Pheri is under production at the moment. Sunil Shetty was excellent in anti-establishment roles in films like Main Hoon Na. He was equally impressive opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film. He was brilliant aside Ajay Devgan in the film Diljale. Sunil Shetty also acted in great patriotic films like Border. JP Dutta’s blockbuster utilized the acting skills of Sunil Shetty, Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff and Akshay Khanna. The songs in the film composed by Anu Malik created history with Sonu Nigam doing a great job with “sandese ate hai”. His other hit films include Hu Tu Tu opposite Tabu, Krishna opposite Karishma Kapoor, etc. Sunil Shetty praised Gulzar for his direction when he worked with him in the film Hu Tu Tu. He acted in other successful films like Shashtra, Gaddar, Vishwasghat, Rakshak, Prithvi, Vinashak, Dhaal, Officer, Refugee, Jungle, Awaara Paagal Deewana, to name a few. In 2009, Sunil Shetty acted opposite Sameera Reddy in Priyadarshan’s comedy film De Dana Dan. The film did not do equally good business like Hera Pheri or Phir Hera Pheri. In 2010, Sunil Shetty had worked in 3 films, which included Tum Milo Toh Sahi, Red Alert: The War Within and No Problem. Sunil Shetty had a number of new releases in 2011 namely Thank You, Chai Garam, Loot and Hera Pheri 3. In 2012 he acted in the films Enemmy and Afra Tafri. In 2014 he made a guest appearance in Salman Khan’s Jai Ho. Jai Ho did business of 115 crores. He also acted in the film Koylaanchal. The viewers wish him the best for the films in future and also for his Production House titled Popcorn Entertainment.

Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday.

Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday. Kishore Kumar had been remembered on his birthday on 4th August, 2014. Kishore Kumar, the master entertainer had been one of the most colourful personalities of bollywood who just became more and more and more popular over the years, now it is almost 26 years after his demise. In respect of his acting performances hardly any actor even dared to imitate him as his improvisations were spontaneous. The part that is followed by numerous singers all over the country is his singing style. When KK acted as hero in bollywood films he showed his acting capability even in playback singing like the song “c a t cat, cat mane billi” in the film Dilli Ka Thag. He brought out all the sounds of the animals that were named in the song. In the film Chalti Ka Naam Gari, in the song “paanch rupaiya bara ana” he imitated SD Burman and in every paragraph he had created a new style which justified the lyrics. In Half Ticket he showed the childishness in the song “chil chil chillake” composed by Salil Choudhury, which became very popular among children. He even sang the ladies version of the song “o sawariya” in the film Half Ticket, when he was teasing Pran during a song sequence. He had acted opposite many versatile actresses like Nutan in Dilli Ka Thug, Madhubala in Jhumru, Vaijayantimala in Aasha, to name a few. All his innovations created history when he concentrated in playback singing only in the 70s. He made the audience realize that he was singing for Dev Anand, or Rajesh Khanna or Big B, to name a few. His songs “gata rahe mera dil” from Guide, “roop tera mastana” from Aradhana, “kuch to log kahenge” from Amar Prem, “tere mere Milan ki” from Abhimaan have created history over the years. With Big B he had a tremendous combination and had sung in almost all the films of Big B till 1987, including Don, Shaan, Mr. Natwarlal, Do Aur Do Paanch, Amar Akbar Anthony, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Kaalia, Silsila, etc. The list can go on. In the 80s, it was KK all the way, when he had no competitors. All his songs in Big B’s film Namakhalal, Sharaabi, became record hits. Even in Rishi Kapoor’s Saagar, his song “saagar kinare” had romantic appeal. Composers like RD Burman, Bappi Lahiri, Rajesh Roshan could not think about any composition without KK. He provided playback for almost all the leading actors of bollywood in the 80s, namely Amitabh Bacchan, Rishi Kapoor, Vinod Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Mithun Chakravarty, Kamal Hassan, and others. He became the legend of legends and all the actors of the 70s and 80s are indebted for his colourful playback. After his death Kumar Shanu, Abhijeet, Vinod Rathod, Babul Supriyo and other singers had established themselves by following his style of singing. It has not happened with any other playback singer of bollywood. His styles were very entertaining, romantic and filmic. Articles after articles can be devoted to the master entertainer and it can be said that he had remained alive all over the years in his numerous films and thousands of songs. His films and songs should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Mumtaz.

Happy birthday to Mumtaz. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to brilliant dancer and actress Mumtaz on 31st July, 2014. Mumtaz stormed the silver screen with her dancing capabilities in the bollywood films of 60s. Mumtaz initially acted in small budget films like Boxer, Tarzan, Kingkong, etc. She acted in many of the films opposite he-man Dara Singh. She impressed the viewers with her item number in the film Brahmchari, opposite Shammi Kapoor, titled “aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche”, where SJs rock and roll composition was given adequate expression by Mumtaz. She acted very well opposite Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam. She acted as a village girl who did not recognise the difference when Ram came to the village, who had identical get up as Shyam the person she loved. Her role of vamp in Biswajeet’s film Mere Sanam impressed everyone. She gave able lips in Asha Bhoshle’s song “yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera”. She did well opposite Manoj Kumar in the film Patthar Ke Sanam. Mumtaz matched Jeetender in the film Jeegri Dost. She was very polite and submissive in the film and gave good lips in the songs “raat suhani jag rahi hai” sung by Lata and Rafi and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. All her films opposite Jeetender became super hit including Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari, Khilouna, Katputli, Roop Tera Mastana, etc. She had been very successful in the films opposite Rajesh Khanna most of which everlasting hits like Do Raaste, Aap Ki Kasam, Roti, etc. Her excellent lips in successful songs opposite Rajesh Khanna namely “gore rang pehna itna gumah kar”, “jai jai shivshankar” attracted the attention of the viewers. In Aap Ki Kasam, she was thrown out of the house by Rajesh Khanna due to misunderstanding, who repented for the cruel act throughout his life. He returned back when Mumtaz had solemnized the marriage of her child at the end of the film. She also did well in Pyar Kiye Jaa, opposite Mehmood. It was a comedy film where Mehmood wanted to be a director but never got a producer who invested money in his film. He was duped by Shashi Kapoor and Kishore Kumar who posed to be rich men, and when he could not direct any film he ultimately married Mumtaz. Mumtaz showed her rock and roll dancing style in the song “o mere maina”, sung by Asha and Manna Dey and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Mumtaz also acted in a number of films opposite Firoz Khan, including films like Apradh, Jadu Tona, etc. She received filmfare award for the best actress for her performance in the film Khilouna. She left films in the late 70s and did not appear even in character roles after that. Viewers still feel that she had acting talent in her and if she wanted she could have acted in modern films. She received filmfare lifetime achievement award too. Still she is remembered by the viewers and whenever her films like Loafer, opposite Dharmender, or Patthar ke sanam, opposite Manoj Kumar is shown in TV Channels, viewers refresh their old memories about her sweet performances in these films.