Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty.

Happy birthday to Sunil Shetty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sunil Shetty on 11th August 2015. 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.

Happy birthday to Kajol.

Happy birthday to Kajol. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Kajol on 5th August, 2015. She had dominated bollywood films during the mid-90s. Besides her combination with Shahrukh Khan had given many everlasting hits like Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Karan Arjun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc. Most of these films were musical blockbusters as well. The songs in these films like “yeh kaali kaali ankhen”, “jaati hun mai”, “kuch kuch hota hai” became landmark hits over the years. Besides, the directors and producers of the late 90s experimented with different types of roles with Kajol. She played the role of a villain in the film Gupt opposite Bobby Deol. She went on killing Raj Babbar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and others to maintain his attachment with Bobby Deol. She also received the filmfare award for the best villain for her performance in the film Gupt. Kajol did well in comedy films like Ishq opposite Ajay Devgan, whom she married later on. She played the role of the friend of Juhi Chawla and got involved into incidents with Ajay Devgan and Juhi Chawla. Kajol did well opposite Sanjay Dutt in the film Dushman. She played a double role in the film. Her performance relating to fear against Ashutosh Rana astonished the viewers. Her sister was killed by Ashutosh Rana, and Kajol took the help of Sanjay Dutt, an Army Officer to learn fighting skills and combat the villain played by Ashutosh Rana. After the fading away of Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla from the bollywood industry, Kajol got the maximum number of chances in big productions. After marriage with Ajay Devgan, she reduced the number of films. She made a comeback but could not maintain the success rate as she did in the past. She has the record of winning the filmfare award for best actress five times in her career. Her aunt Nutan also won filmfare awards five times in her career. In 2011, she received the Padmashree award for her excellence in bollywood films from the Government of India. In 2010, Kajol gave another super hit film My Name is Khan with her successful co-actor Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan’s abnormality in the film was ably balanced by Kajol in the film. She was compassionate towards him and that helped him to recover. The music in the film was also well appreciated by the viewers. She did another social film titled We Are Family with Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor in 2010. The viewers are looking forward to better performances from Kajol in future as many people feel that she still has lot of acting left in her.

Legend of legends Chabi Biswas was remembered on his birth anniversary.

Remembering legendary actor Chabi Biswas on his birth anniversary. The nation remembers legendary actor Chabi Biswas on his birth anniversary

on 12th July, 2015. His superlative class of performance had been acknowledged by brilliant directors like Satyajit Ray, Hrithik Ghatak, Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, but he had remained unsung, unhonoured, unlamented. Ray had a very serious personality and hardly required any improvisation as his innovative scripts had almost everything embedded in them. But Chabi Biswas brought out his own dimensions in the role of Feudal Lord in the film Jalsaghar released in 1958. He combined the aristocracy and the dignity of the feudal lord in the colonial period and at times astonished Ray himself with his dynamic performances. He even sold his wife’s ornaments to organize a musical program in his banquet room to maintain his dominance as a feudal lord. Singers from renowned classical gharana came and performed in the show and the entire village was invited to witness it. With the loss in revenue and poverty during British regime, he committed suicide by dying on horseback. He was sublime in the film Debi released in 1960, where he visualized Goddess Kali in the human form in Sharmila Tagore, his daughter –in –law. The entire concept was related to his belief and his son Soumitra took exception about the thing but was helpless. Sharmila Tagore became sick as it was awkward on her part to see his father-in-law touching her feet as she was believed to be Debi, the human form of Goddess. Chabi Biswas was majestic in his classic role in the film Kanchenjungha released in 1962. Ray experimented with a remote subject where the greatness of the Himalayas freed the mental blockade of middle-class bengalies. Arun Mukherjee, one of the unemployed youth even did not accept the job offered by big industrialist played by Chabi Biswas. At the end of the film Chabi Biswas realized the greatness of the great mountain range and surrendered before it. The film could not be understood by mass audience as it dealt with the concept of realization although the colourful photography of Ray in Darjeeling was well appreciated. But critics had acclaimed Chabi Biswas and said that he was the last name for the depiction of aristocracy in any form. His dignified performance in the films of legendary directors like Ajoy Kar, Tapan Sinha, Prabhat Mukherjee, Agragami, Agradoot had not been forgotten by the mass. He had remained sublime in Prabhat Mukherjee’s Bicharak (1958) in the role of a charishmatic advocate, Tapan Sinha’s Kabuliwala (1957) in the role of an Afghan father, Ajoy Kar’s Suno Baranari (1960) in the role of a wealthy Barrister, Agragami’s Headmaster (1959) in the role of an old headmaster, Bijoli Baran Sen’s film Manik, where he played the role of a handicapped grandfather, Sudhir Mukherjee’s Dadathakur (1962) where he played the role of Sharat Pandit, Premendro Mitra’s film Chupi Chupi Ase (1960) where he played the role of a detective in a crime thriller film, to name a few. He died in a tragic accident in 1962 and Indian celluloid lost one of its greatest actors ever. His films should be preserved for projection of dynamism, class, dignity, aristocracy and majestic demeanour.

On death anniversary Mehmood' combination with Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi is remembered.

Death Anniversary of Mehmood and remembering him with Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi. The viewers of Bollywood films remember Mehmood on his death anniversary on 23rd July, 2015. The viewers of bollywood films wished happy birthday to legendary comedian Mehmood on 29th September, 2013. He was an indispensable actor during the 60s and 70s. He had acted in different types of roles ranging from serious ones in Choti Behen to villainish roles in Pyaasa and obviously serio-comic roles in Gumnaam. He was the other comedian other than Johnny Walker, who had given lips in majority of songs in landmark films. His combination with Subha Khote and Dhumaal, was as brilliant as the legendary pairs of Dharmender Hema Malini or Shashi Kapoor Nanda. Shankar Jaikishan had always been known to set trends and not follow any existing system created by the other compositions. SJ used Lata to her limit in Barsaat in the late 40s, during a time when the other female singers like Noorjahan, Suraiya, Samshad Begum, Rajkumari were also prominent in singing playback songs in bollywood films. SJ never stuck one single team and that was one of their secrets of success in bollywood films. In respect of Mehmood, it was a tradition for most of the composers to use Manna Dey to sing for Mehmood, most of which were very very successful. SD Burman used Manna Dey to sing “duniya bananewale” in the film Ziddi for Mehmood, where he used Rafi to sing the songs for Joy Mukherjee like “bolo bolo, aye dildaar”, etc. RD Burman used Manna Dey to sing the songs “sawaariya” and “ek chaturnaar” in the film Padosan for Mehmood. LP used Manna Dey to sing “o mere maina” in the film Pyar Kiye Ja, for Mehmood. There are numerous other examples where Manna Dey was used by the composers to suit Mehmood. Shankar Jaikishan had something else in mind. He used Manna Dey in very serious classical songs like “sur na saje” in Basant Bahar, emotional songs like “tu pyar ka sagar hai” in Seema, or folk songs like “chalet musafir” in Teesri Kasam. When it came to Mehmood, SJ experimented with Rafi, and those songs probably are considered the most successful songs of Mehmood in his entire career. The song “ajahu na aye balma sawan bita jai” in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera, picturized on Mehmood, stands out as one of the most classically oriented compositions of SJ for Rafi. The song had both appeal for the mass and also the class. The song “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” in Gumnaam, became a trademark song of Mehmood. Rafi almost reproduced the style of dialogue throwing of Mehmood in the song and it appeared to the masses that the song was sung by Mehmood himself. SJ used Rafi to sing the song “mai rickshawala” in the black and white era in the film Choti Bahen, during a time when Mehmood’s image was not created. Mehmood almost made people cry in the film and the credit goes to Rafi’s emotions in the song. In the film Zindagi, Rafi’s song for Mehmood titled “ghungharwah mora cham cham baje”, became big hit. The other hit songs of Rafi for Mehmood composed by SJ include “o gori chalona hans ki chaal”, “zindagi mujhko dikhade raasta”, “mai hoon jaani tera”etc. Rafi’s presence was felt in the films Beti Bete, Bhai Bhai, etc. where Mehmood had prominent roles and SJ composed the music of those films. Even the song “bakhma bakhma” in the film Shatranj became successful. Even in the duets that were sung for Mehmood, SJ created a new trend in allowing Suman Kalyanpur to sing some of the songs with Rafi or Sharda to sing some of them, in addition to Lata who had sung around 440 duets with Rafi during the golden age. The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi and Mehmood should be restored for their filmic appeal and versatile creations.

Happy birthday to actor and producer Arbaaz Khan.

Happy birthday to actor and producer Arbaaz Khan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to actor and producer Arbaaz Khan on 4th August, 2015. The viewers wish him the best of success for maintaining the success of the films Dabaang and Dabaang 2. Dabaang 2 was released in December,2012. He had worked with the same team of Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha. Dabaang 2 did business of 155 crores. In 2010 he produced the film Dabaang, which had done business worth 150 crores and remains one of the greatest blockbusters of all times. His film Dabaang had won every type of awards over the last year including Filmfare award, Zee Cine Award, Star Screen Award, IIFA Award, to name a few. Arbaaz Khan also played the role of the brother of Salman Khan in the film. As a producer he had mesmerized the audience with his brilliant film Dabbang. Everything in the film was par excellence, like the casting, the music, the direction, the script, the performance. Arbaaz Khan gave a great break to actress Sonakshi Sinha, and also gave negative role to Sonu Sood who had justified the role. Sajid Wajid, who had done excellent work with Salman Khan over the years, had got recognition for the first time for their work in Dabaang. Salman Khan was brilliant as usual. Actor Arbaaz Khan did well in the film Daraar. It was the film where he created attention for the first time. He acted in a negative role opposite Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla and created an impact in the film. His rough style of acting gave him an image of his own. His brother Sohail Khan till now had generally done positive characters, but as there had been huge similarity with Salman Khan, he still now had not created his own identity. The film Daraar, directed by Abbas Mastan was released in 1996. The film was inspired by the Hollywood film Sleeping With The Enemy where actress Julia Roberts played a notable role. Arbaaz Khan received the filmfare award for the best villain for his performance in the film Daraar. Arbaaz Khan married Juhi Chawla, but whenever he saw any person praising his wife, he got angry. He became over-possessive and did beat Juhi Chawla. He asked her whether she could swim. She said no. Then Juhi Chawla sailed in a boat and later on escaped to Shimla. Arbaaz Khan thought that she had drowned. Rishi Kapoor met her and wanted to marry her. When Juhi Chawla gave a letter to him mentioning that she was married, Johnny Lever lost the letter and send a wrong letter. Rishi Kapoor declined to marry Juhi Chawla. But when the original letter was found, Rishi Kapoor agreed to marry Juhi Chawla. Arbaaz Khan read in newspaper that Juhi Chawla was alive. He went to Shimla and wrongly send Rishi Kapoor to prison. He killed Juhi Chawla’s friend. Later on when she tried to kill Juhi Chawla, she was saved by Rishi Kapoor. The songs sung in the film by Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet, Sadhna Sargam and others became successful. Music was composed by Sandip Chowta and Anu Malik. Songs were written by Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri and others. The film did good business. Many of the following roles played by Arbaaz Khan in the future in films like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya or Hulchul were inspired by the performance in the film Daraar. In all the serious roles he kept his mark. Even in comedy roles in films like Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, Malamaal Weekly he was very impressive. The viewers provide their best wishes for career of Arbaaz Khan both as an actor and a producer.

Remembering Mukeshji on his birth anniversary.

Remembering Mukesh on his birth anniversary. Great singer Mukesh is remembered both on his birthday on 22nd July, 2015

and death anniversary on 27th August, 2013. The viewers of bollywood films remember legendary singer Mukesh on his death anniversary on 27th August, 2014. He was born on 22nd July, 1923 and died on 27th August, 1976 and people all over the world remember his great works. Mukesh was probably the most popular singer of the 50s, 60s and 70s after Mohammad Rafi. His nazal tune had huge amount of sensitiveness and he gave expression to brilliant composers of the golden age with the romantic voice. His combination with Showman Raj Kapoor was considered one of the golden combinations of the 40s, 50s, 60s. His notable songs for Raj Kapoor included “awara hoon” from film Awara, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “aaja re” from film Aah, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “ramaiya vasta maiya” and “mera joota hai japani” from film Shree 420 composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “sab kuch sikha humne”, “dil ki nazar se” and “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar” from film Anari, “ai sanama jish ne tujhe chand sa surat di hai” from film Diwana, “sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamar”, from film Teesri Kasam, composed by SJ, etc. The list can go on. Shankar Jaikishan stormed bollywood films with their everlasting tunes for more than 25 years, and wherever they were associated with Raj Kapoor, Mukesh sang the songs of his lifetime. The combination gave everlasting hits in films like Barsaat, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, Ek Dil Sau Afsana, Around the World, Diwana, Teesri Kasam, Mera Naam Joker, to name a few. In non-Raj Kapoor films also Mukesh did a superlative job. His performance in Dilip Kumar’s Madhumati, composed by Salil Choudhury, Manoj Kumar’s Hariyali Aur Raasta composed by Shankar Jaikishan, Rajender Kumar’s Saathi composed by Naushad Ali, Manoj Kumar’s Pathar Ke Sanam composed by LP, require special mention. Some of the notable songs of Mukesh which had remained immortal in those films included “dil tarap tarap ke kehrahahe aabhi ja” in Madhumati, “ifteda-e-ishq me” in Hariyali Aur Raasta, “mera pyar bhi tuhe” in Saathi, “tauba yeh matwali chal” in Patthar Ke Sanam, etc. He died in 1976, and ended the era relating to soft romantic songs. His journay from the film Nirdosh in 1941 to Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, remained unblemish. In 1974, he received national award for best singer for the song “kai baar yun hi dekha hai” from the film Rajnigandha, composed by Salil Choudhury. He deserved many more national awards, as he had sung from his soul bringing tears in the listener’s eyes. Besides he received filmfare awards for his best performance in films like Anari, Pehchan, Beimaan, Kabhi Kabhi. Even in the 70s, when slow music gradually lost its predominance, Mukesh’s songs in somber mood like “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon” and “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” in the film Kabhi Kabhi composed by Khayyam and written by Sahir Ludhiyanvi created a permanent place in the hearts of millions of musiclovers. Articles after articles can be devoted on the successful combination of Mukesh with Shankar Jaikishan, Salil Choudhury, Naushad, Roshan, and others. His films and songs should be preserved.

Shamshad Begum, the owner of voice like bell of temple.

Shamshad Begum the owner of voice like bell of temple. Shamshad Begum was a legendary singer and the gain of the voice still haunts music lovers. She was born on 14th April, 1919 and died on 23rd April, 2013. She was born in Lahore. From there she came to Mumbai with Mehboob Khan. Her talent was recognized by music director Ghulam Haider in the early 1930s. After Naushad Ali became successful he recorded songs with new singers as well in the early 1950s, but kept working with Shamshad in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Naushad Ali chose his favourite singer Begum once again to sing four out of the twelve songs in Mother India. Begum is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday" by Ramchandra. She kept getting more offers to sing songs and was the highest paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post Mother India in 1957 to 1964. In 1949, music directors S. Rajeshwara Rao, M. D. Parthasarathy and Balakrishna Kalla asked her to sing "Jaiyo Jaiyo Shipayon Bazar" for P. Bhanumati in the film Nishan, produced by Gemini Films of Madras, which became highly popular. In 1954, when OP Nayyar got a break as a composer, he approached Begum to record songs for Mangu. Nayyar described her voice as resembling a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. He worked with her until the late 1960s and gave her many hit songs, including "Ab To Jee Hone Laga" from Mr. & Mrs. '55, "Main Jaan Gayi Tujhe" from Howrah Bridge, "Zara Pyar Karle" from Mangu (1954), "Saiyan Teri Ankhon Mein" from 12' O Clock (1957), "Thodasa Dil Lagana" from Musafirkhana, and many others. Incidentally Shamshad Begum sang around 160 duet songs with Rafisahab. Majority of them rocked Bollywood music in the 1950s. Some of the most famous ones included “leke pehela pehela pyar” in film CID composed by OP Nayyar, “thandi hawaye kaalighatayen”, “husnwalen wafa nahin karte” in Love in Simla, composed by Iqbal Qureshi, “mai jaan gayi tujhe saiyan” in Howrah Bridge composed by OP Nayyar, “gao tarane manke” in Aan composed by Naushad Ali, “dhoom dharaka dhoom dharaka” in film Amber, “door koi gaye dhun yeh sunaye” in Baiju Bawra composed by Naushad Ali, “ho bachpan ke din bhula na dena” in Deedar composed by Naushad Ali, “nadi kinare saath hamare” in film Babul composed by Naushad Ali, to name a few. Shamshad Begum had other solo hits like “ek do teen aaja mausam hai rangeen” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in film Awaara in 1951. From the 1970s Shamshad Begum faded away from the industry, but her brilliant bass still haunts the listeners.

Happy birthday to Sonu Nigam

Happy birthday to Sonu Nigam. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to popular Singer Sonu Nigam on 30th July, 2015. In 2013, Sonu Nigam won the best singer award in Zee Cine Awards 2013. The award was given for his famous song “abhi mujh me kahin” sung in the film Agneepath. He won the Mirchi award and Toifa award also for the same song. His mother came in the Indian idol show on 30th July, 2011, and Sonu Nigam showed his respect for the mother on his birthday. He dedicated a song to his idol Mohammad Rafi who had died on 31st July, 1980. Sonu Nigam in a recent interview given in Anandabazar Patrika and published on 23rd July, 2011, had said that the Indian composers these days hardly call him to sing songs. If there is truth in the statement it is very sad. He said that although he had sung songs in the international platform along with Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine Jackson, he had very few songs in the year 2011. He said that many composers are singing the songs in bollywood films themselves. He did not point his finger at Shankar Mahadevan, as he agreed himself that Shankar, the composer of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy combination, had learned Karnatic classical and always had sung well. But those composers who did not have that amount of trained voice, for singing in shows are rarely using the veteran singers. He said that it is a blessing that there are very few female composers in the industry, otherwise the domination of Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chouhan and others would have got shaken up. In 2010, he had his romantic voice felt in the film Milenge Milenge, where his song picturized on Shahid Kapoor was well accepted by the viewers. He was also brilliant in the song “tu ne to pal bhar me chori kiya re jiya” along with Shreya Ghoshal in the film Dabaang, composed by Sajid Wajid. Sonu Nigam had brilliant combination a number of leading composers of bollywood over the last 10 years. Sonu Nigam was associated with Anu Malik as some of his best romantic numbers were composed by him including “hume jab se mohabbat ho gayi hai”, in the film Border, or “sau dard hai” in the film Jaaneman. He was also associated with Sajid Wajid, as most of his romantic numbers like “tumko bhula na payega” from the film Tumko Bhula Na Payenge, or “mujhse shaadi karogi” in the film Mujshe Shaadi Karoge. In 2010, both of them featured together in the film Veer. Although the film did moderate business, the songs became hits. But Sonu Nigam sang very landmark songs under the composition of Shantanu Moitra in critically acclaimed films. The films included Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai, The Three Idiots, etc. Parineeta was directed by Pradeep Sarkar and was probably the first launching pad of actress Vidya Balan. Sonu Nigam’s duet song with Shreya Ghoshal namely “piyu bole piya bole” composed by Shantanu Moitra maintained the flavor of Rabindrasangeet with a background of Kolkata during the time of writer Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Also the song “yeh hawaye gungunaye” was equally impressive. In the film Lage Raho Munnabhai, Shantanu Moitra, maintained both the bhai-like mastani flavor as well as the soft romantic mood. Sonu Nigam’s song “pal pal pal pal pal pal har pal” was probably the most romantic song of the film. The other songs like “lage raho munnabhai” did bear a different andaz. If the acting of Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani and Vidya Balan was impressive, the music was equally instrumental in the success of the film. The Three Idiots had shown the loopholes of India’s higher education system. The songs composed by Shantanu Moitra had the message of the director Raj Kumar Hirani. Sonu Nigam and others in the film sung the theme song “all is well” a number of times in the film. The other song “zubi zubi” sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal was also very fast and melodious. If the acting of Amir Khan, R. Mahadevan and Sharman Joshi had impressed the viewers, the music had made them spellbound. The audience expect Sonu Nigam to provide more number of romantic numbers in future, even in films made under any other banner in addition to the banner of Vidhu Vinod Chopra or direction of Raj Kumar Hirani.

Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan did business of 100 crores in 3 days.

Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan did business of 100 crores in 3 days. Salman Khan’s new film Bajrangi Bhaijaan released on 17th July, 2015, did business of more than 32 crores on the first day. The film has excellent humanitarian message. The film had been directed by Kabir Khan who had previously directed Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger few years back. Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh produced the film. The music had been composed by Pritam. The film is all about a little girl played by Harshali Malhotra who got lost in India. She belonged to a hilly district of Pakistan. Salman Khan met her in Delhi but as she was dumb he could not make out her place of residence. He kept her in the house of Kareena Kapoor and her father Sharat Saxena. Sharat Saxena incidentally gave Salman place to stay when his father died some time back. After that Salman Khan entered Pakistan without Passport and Visa. He was a devotee of Hanumanji. So told the truth that he entered underneath the fencing in the deserts between India and Pakistan. He got beaten up by the Pakistani police. He got help from a Pakistani journalist played by Nawazuddin Siddique and Om Puri, a religious person. Ultimately he could reach Munni or Shahida, the child to her parents in Pakistan in Sultanpur district. The child at the end spoke out. The film gave the message that nature shares all the assets in both India and Pakistan. Human love and affection could have softened the relationship between the human beings of both the countries. It is the law enforcers and policy makers who had stemmed hatred between the two country men. Salman Khan played his role in an outstanding way. His innocence and human feeling touched everyone. Kareena Kapoor and Sharat Saxena were brilliant in their roles. Om Puri did a cameo in his short role. Nawazuddin was again brilliant and very different from his villainish roles. The music of Pritam was outstanding. Atif Aslam’s song “tu chahiye”, Adnan Sami’s qawalli “bhar do jholi meri”, Mohit Chauhan and Palak Mucchal’s song “chicken” and Javed Ali’s song “tu jo mila” touched everyone. Salman Khan in the past had shown that he was the badshaah of eid. Bajarangi Bhaijaan started with a bang. The film will do business of more than 200 crores.

Salman Khan's Bajrangi Bhaijaan has very good humanitarian message.

Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan has very good humanitarian message. Salman Khan’s new film Bajrangi Bhaijaan released on 17th July, 2015, did business of more than 32 crores on the first day. The film has excellent humanitarian message. The film had been directed by Kabir Khan who had previously directed Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger few years back. Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh produced the film. The music had been composed by Pritam. The film is all about a little girl played by Harshali Malhotra who got lost in India. She belonged to a hilly district of Pakistan. Salman Khan met her in Delhi but as she was dumb he could not make out her place of residence. He kept her in the house of Kareena Kapoor and her father Sharat Saxena. Sharat Saxena incidentally gave Salman place to stay when his father died some time back. After that Salman Khan entered Pakistan without Passport and Visa. He was a devotee of Hanumanji. So told the truth that he entered underneath the fencing in the deserts between India and Pakistan. He got beaten up by the Pakistani police. He got help from a Pakistani journalist played by Nawazuddin Siddique and Om Puri, a religious person. Ultimately he could reach Munni or Shahida, the child to her parents in Pakistan in Sultanpur district. The child at the end spoke out. The film gave the message that nature shares all the assets in both India and Pakistan. Human love and affection could have softened the relationship between the human beings of both the countries. It is the law enforcers and policy makers who had stemmed hatred between the two country men. Salman Khan played his role in an outstanding way. His innocence and human feeling touched everyone. Kareena Kapoor and Sharat Saxena were brilliant in their roles. Om Puri did a cameo in his short role. Nawazuddin was again brilliant and very different from his villainish roles. The music of Pritam was outstanding. Atif Aslam’s song “tu chahiye”, Adnan Sami’s qawalli “bhar do jholi meri”, Mohit Chauhan and Palak Mucchal’s song “chicken” and Javed Ali’s song “tu jo mila” touched everyone. Salman Khan in the past had shown that he was the badshaah of eid. Bajarangi Bhaijaan started with a bang. The film will do business of more than 200 crores.

Rafi and Madanmohan Kohli combination created artistic songs.

Rafi and Madanmohan combination created artistic songs. There are two types of songs composed in Bollywood films. One form of the songs are those songs which are created for the sequences of the films and for public tastes. The other forms are those songs which are created to attain artistic excellence. Madanmohan Kohli’s compositions for Mohammad Rafi fall in the second category. Majority of the songs composed by Madanmohan Kohli were in the form of ghazals. In Bharat Bhusan’s film Jahanara, released in 1964, 2 of Rafi’s songs composed by Madanmohan were masterpieces including “baad muddat key eh ghari ayi” and “kisiki yaad me apna ko hai bhulaye hue”. In Sunil Dutt’s film Ghazal, released in 1964, all the songs sung by Rafisahab for Madanmohan were masterpieces including “rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karoon”, “ishq ki garmiye- jazbaat kise pesh karun”, “mujhe yeh phool na den”, “meri mehboob kahi aur milan kar mujhse”, to name a few. Sahir Ludhiyanvi wrote the lyrics of the songs. They were majestic by every musical standards. Madanmohan’s casting of Mohammad Rafi in those songs was point blank. Rafisahab’s patriotic andaz was captured by Madanmohan Kohli in the film Haqeeqat in 1964. The songs “kar chale hum fida”, “yeh sochkar”, “hoge majboor usne bulaya hoga” still brings patriotic feeling in numerous Indians even 50 years after the creation. The romantic andaz continued in Shashi Kapoor’s film Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari where the songs “husn jab jab ishq se takra gaya” and “kabhi tera daman na chorenge hum” were masterpieces. In Dharmender’s film Neela Akash, in 1965, all the songs of Rafi Madanmohan combination stormed Bollywood including “akhri geet muhobbat ka sunalun”, “aapko pyar chupane ki buri aadat hai”. In Sunil Dutt’s film Chirag, the Rafi Madanmohan combination again created magic. The songs were outstanding including “chirag dil ka jalao bahut andhera hai”, “teri aankhon ke siva duniya me rakkha kya hai”. All the songs of Rafi Madanmohan combination in Dharmender’s film Dulhan Ek Raat Ki require special mention. The songs like “ek haseen sham ko”, “kisi ka kuch kho gaya hai”, were romantic in nature. Even in female-centric films like Mera Saaya, Madanmohan and Rafisahab combination created gems like “aap ke pehlu me akar ro liye”. In films like Sharabi released in 1964, Rafisahab’s songs in intoxicating mood were captured by Madanmohanji in the right spirit, which included “kabhi na kabhi”, “sawan ke mahine me” and “mujhe le chalo”. In Bharat Bhushan’s film Naya Qanoon, all the songs of Rafisahab were gems and the magic with Madanmohan continued in the songs “unne qisa e gham” and “kuch aisi pyari shakl”. In the 1970s also Madanmohan Kohli composed immortal tunes for Rafisahab. Some of the gems included “yeh duniya yeh mehfil” from film Heer Ranjha, “tum jo mil gaye ho to yeh lagta hai’ from film Hanste Zakhm, “barbaad muhobbat ka dua saath liye ja” from the film Laila Majnu. No one can forget the enchanting appeal of Rafisahab’s rendition of the song “tumhari zulf ke saye me sham karlunga’ another gem of Madanmohan Kohli. Madanmohan Kohli’s untimely death in mid-1970s ended the dream combination. But the songs and films are rich assets and huge amount of preservation is required to pay respect to the departed souls of Madanmohan Kohli and Mohammad Rafi.

Uttam Kumar's death anniversary brings great memories of the superstar of Bengal.

Uttam Kumar’s death anniversary brings great memories of the superstar of Bengal. Again, 24th July, 2015 will bring memories of Mahanayak Uttam Kumar.In 2011, the walls of the Tollygunge Metro Station had been filled with the pictures of films of Uttam Kumar. In fact the people of Tollygunge cannot associate the place without the existence of Uttam Kumar whose works glorified the different studios which carried on the legacy of Bengali Film Industry. Mamta Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal had also provided support to revive the Uttam Mancha and take care of Shilpi Sangsad, an organization created by Mahanayak Uttam Kumar to help the needy actors, actresses, technicians, etc. Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray acknowledged the dynamic presence of the legendary superstar in Bengali films and made a film Nayak in 1966 based on the story of Uttam Kumar. His original name was Arun Kumar Chatterji, who was a clerk in Port Commission before joining Bengali films. When he joined films with Drishtidaan in 1948, he had to struggle to create his image as against he established heroes like Asit Boron, Bikash Roy and others. In 1952, his film Basu Paribar struck at the box-office and he overtook Bosonto Choudhury, Asit Boron and became the leading superstar of Bengali films. All the qualities of a romantic hero was possessed by him, including a standard height, good complexion, manly voice, romantic hairstyle and unique dialogue delivery. Any dress suited the legendary superstar including Punjabi, dhoti, coat, Bengali dresses, etc. He had acted in the films of all the legendary directors of the golden age including Satyajit Ray’s Nayak in 1966, Chiriakhana in 1967, Tapan Sinha’s Jhinder Bandi in 1961, Upahaar in 1955 and Jotugriha in 1964, Ajoy Kar’s Harano Sur in 1957, Saptapadi in 1961, Suno Bara Nari in 1960, Agradoot’s Bipasha in 1962, Surjo Toron in 1958, Agragami’s Sagarika in 1956, Shonkhobela in 1966, to name a few. Uttam Kumar acted opposite all the leading actresses of Bengali celluloid including Suchitra Sen, Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey, Sabitri Chatterji, Supriya Choudhury, Mala Sinha, and others. His combination with Suchitra Sen had given everlasting classics and both of them still remains the most romantic pair in Indian silver screen. Uttam Kumar’s films were based on rich literature including Tagore’s Khokababur Protyaborton, Subodh Ghosh’s Suno Bara Nari, Samaresh Bose’s Kuhak, Sorodindu Bondhopadyay’s Chiriakhana, Shankar’s Chourangi. The films were related to different types of stories including comedy stories, tragic stories, soft romantic stories, etc. Uttam Kumar had acted in around 205 films (including bollywood films like Amanush, Anand Ashram, Choti Si Mulakat, Dooriyan, Kitaab etc., ) in a span of 35 years, and all his films had remained everlasting treasures. Out of his 205 films, around 37 of them ended up being blockbusters, around 50 were super hit films and around 50 were hit films. Actor Shatrughun Sinha in his interview before Bengali media had disclosed that when he was working in Pune Film and Television Institute, the graduates had unanimous view that Uttam Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar were the greatest superstars of celluloid and had Uttam Kumar acted in more number of bollywood films, he would have remained as great a legend as Dilip Kumar or Raj Kapoor. Even the singers who had sung for him including Manna Dey, Shyamal Mitra, Hemanta Mukherjee, Manobendra Mukherjee, etc., agreed that they did not find any actor who was parallel to Uttam Kumar in giving lips in songs. He made the viewers feel that he only sang the songs. Actor Shatrughun Sinha in his interview had said that during his student life in Pune Film and Television Institute, the upcoming actors used to debate about the charishma of Uttam Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. Although there was no unanimity about the finest actor among them, there was consensus about one fact had Uttam Kumar established himself in bollywood films by acting in more number of films, he would have been equally an international figure like Raj Kapoor or Dilip Kumar. Articles after articles can be devoted to Uttam Kumar who was one –man –industry in Bengali films. His films should be revisited to create motivation for making better quality films in future.

Roshanlal Nagrath, Pradip Kumar and Mohammad Rafi combination came saw and conquered.

Combination of Mohammad Rafi, Roshanlal Nagrath and Pradeep Kumar. Whenever any reference relating to everlasting singer Mohammad Rafi comes, the attention goes to the big budget films and songs for big banners. Rafi is known the most for singing catchy numbers for Shammi Kapoor under the composition of Shankar Jaikishan and classical songs for Dilip Kumar under the composition of Naushad Ali. Although Rafi had sung brilliant songs for all the leading actors of 40s, 50, and 60s, much had been written about the successful films where both the songs and the films did excellent business. But Rafi had sung excellent songs for Pradeep Kumar under the composition of Roshanlal Nagrath, where even if the mass was not touched, the class was addressed and the royal andaz of singing showed the range of Rafi to suit his voice for any form of playback singing. The magic of Roshanlal Nagrath, Pradeep Kumar and Mohammad Rafi started in Aarti released in 1962. Phani Majumdar directed the film. Four of the songs of Rafi stand out, “aapne yaad dilaya”, “ab kya misaal doon”, “baar baar tohe kya” and “tere bin lage na jiya”. Some of them were solo songs, while others were duet songs sung with Lata Mangeshkar. There were other duet songs of Rafi with Asha Bhosle, but the ones in pathos andaz like “aapne yaad dilaya” mesmerized the audience. The lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri, the composition of Roshanlal Nagrath, the voice of Mohammad Rafi and lips of Pradeep Kumar made the viewers spellbound. None of the songs had lost their charm even today. The magic continued in the film Tajmahal in 1963. M. Sadiq directed the film. Pradeep Kumar played the role of Shahjahan while Beena Roy played the role of Mumtaz Mahal. Here the combination was different with Sahir Ludhiyanvi writing the songs for Roshan which were sung by Mohammad Rafi. Four of Rafi’s songs were masterpieces including “jo wada kiya wo nibhana parega”, “paon chulene do phulonko inayat hogi”, “chandi ka badan”, and “jo baat tujhme hai”. Roshanlal Nagrath won the filmfare award for the best composer only once in his life, that was for the composition of the music of the film Tajmahal. He deserved it many more number of times. Sahir Ludhiyanvi won the best lyricist award for the lyrics of the film. Rafi was as outstanding as Pradeep Kumar in the role of Shahjahan. The magic continued in the film Chitralekha in 1964. Kidar Sharma directed the film. Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok kumar played the main roles. Rafi’s song “man re tu kahe na dheer dhare” is still considered one of the 10 best bhajans Rafi had sung. Sahir Ludhiyanvi wrote the songs of the film. Rafi’s other song “cha gaye badal” was equally impressive. The Roshan, Rafi, Pradeep Kumar combination continued in the film Bheegi Raat in 1965. It was directed by Kalidas. Rafi’s songs in the film “dil jo na keh saka”, “aise to na dekho”, “jane wo kaun hai kya naam hai”, “mohabbat se dekha” all were masterpieces. Some were duets with Suman Kalyanpur, while the others were solo songs sung by Mohammad Rafi. Lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The words were excellent. Rafi was unparallel in all the songs. The combination continued in the film Bahu Begum in 1967. It was directed by M. Sadiq. Rafi’s songs “hum intezar karenge tera qawamat tak”, “dhoond ke layun kahan se”, “vakiv hoon ishqgade” were all masterpieces. While some had ghazal andaz, the others were stand out qawallies with Manna Dey. Roshan was as brilliant as Mohammad Rafi as Sahir Ludhyianvi. In the same year, the combination was sublime in the film Noorjahan. Rafi sang the songs “aap jab se kareeb aye hain” and “wo mohabbat wo wafayen” in style. For a change the lyrics were written by Shakeel Badayani. The unfortunate death of Roshanlal Nagrath in 1967, ended the journey of Rafi with Roshan and Pradeep Kumar. Otherwise masterpieces after masterpieces could be created. Rafi’s archive should preserve the songs of Pradeep Kumar and Roshan, which showed the royal andaz of music existing in the courts of Mughals, Pathans and Sultans in India.

Bheegi Raat became super hit due to deadly performances of Pradip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar.

Bheegi Raat became super hit due to deadly performances of Pradeep Kumar, Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar. In the mid-60s, the directors were courageous to make serious films based on social stories. Director Kalidas experimented with social story in Bheegi Raat, and the only reason of the success of the film was deadly performances of Pradip Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Meena Kumari. Actors Pradip Kumar, Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumari were outstanding in the film Bheegi Raat released in 1965. The film was directed by Kalidas. The music was composed by Roshanlal Nagrath. In the film Pradip Kumar played the character of a painter whose father became bankrupt. Sashikala’s father paid money to repay the debts of Pradip Kumar’s father. Pradip Kumar left his home and went to Nainital. There she fell in love with Meena Kumari. Meena Kumari worked as the governess of Kamini Koushal’s house. Her elder brother Ashok Kumar was in UK. He lost his wife and the small daughter Irani was looked after by Meena Kumari. Kamini Kaushal died. Pradip Kumar declared a date for engagement with Meena Kumari. Meena Kumari met with an accident and became paralyzed. The news was given by Ashok Kumar but Sashikala never informed Pradip Kumar about it. At the end of the film when Meena Kumari agreed to marry Ashok Kumar, in his engagement party Pradip Kumar and the truth was unfolded. Ashok Kumar sacrificed his love for Pradip Kumar and announced his name for marriage with Meena Kumari. The performance of Meena Kumari, Ashok Kumar and Pradip Kumar were par excellence. It is a shame that they did not get any award for the excellent performance neither in filmfare nor any other award. The other part of the film which stands out is the brilliant music of Roshanlal Nagrath. The lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Rafi’s songs “jane wo kaun hai kya naam hai un ankhoka”, “dil jo na keh saka” and Rafi Suman’s duet “aise to na dekho” were excellent by every musical standard. Roshanlal Nagrath and Rafi should have received national award for such brilliance of music. The excellent location of Nainital also requires special mention. The film should be preserved and restored.

Talat Mehmood songs had always remained young.

Talat Mehmood songs had always remained young.Along with Rafi, Mukesh and other leading singers of bollywood Talat Mehmood sang notable songs in the films of leading stars of bollywood. He rendered his voice for most of the actors of the bollywood during the 40s and 50s including Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, and others. His landmark songs included “dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai” composed by Ghulam Mohammad and picturised on Bharat Bhushan, in the film Mirza Ghalib in 1954, “koi nahi mera” composed by Shankar Jaikishan and picturised on Dilip Kumar in the film Daag in 1952, “mai dil hoon ek armaan bhara” picturised on Raj Kapoor in the film Anhonee in 1952, etc. He sang landmark songs for Dilip Kumar also in the films Footpath, Devdas, etc. All the leading composers of bollywood films of that age namely Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan Lal Nagrath, Madanmohan Kohli , OP Nayyar, Salil Choudhury, SD Burman and others used him in different films. His other landmark songs included “phir wohi sham” composed by Madanmohan and picturised on Bharat Bhushan in the film Jahan-ara released in 1964. Talat Mehmood acted in a number of films including Dil-e-Nadan opposite Shyama, Raftaar opposite Nadira, Waris opposite Suraiya, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani opposite Mala Sinha and also showed his acting talent in those films. He had been mainly associated with ghazals and soft romantic songs. His vibrating technique in rendition had charmed many listeners of the golden age. He also sang light songs for many composers. His other songs included “jalte hai jiske liye” composed by SD Burman in the film Sujata, “humse aya na gaya” composed by Madanmohan in the film Dekh Kabira Roya, “itna na mujhse tu pyar bara” composed by Salil Choudhury in the film Chaya, “aye mere dil kahin aur chal” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Daag, to name a few.. Talat Mehmood had a number of basic discs in Bengali as well. His landmark songs included “chander eto alo” and “alote chayate” composed by Robin Chatterjee, “duti paakhi duti teere” composed by Kamal Dasgupta, etc. The sweetness of his voice was well appreciated by the Bengali listeners as well. His songs and films should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Sanjay Dutt.

Happy birthday to Sanjay Dutt. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Sanjay Dutt on 29th July, 2015. For the last 30 years, Sanjay Dutt remained one of the actors who had a very steady box-office. It was very sad that he had again gone for 3 and half years imprisonment relating to the TADA case. It is a loss for the film industry. For the next 2 years also he will be in prison. His film Policegiri had been released in 2014 and did not do great business. 2012 had been an excellent year for Sanjay Dutt. He acted in the film Agneepath in a negative character opposite Hrithik Roshan. The film did business of more than 120 crores. The bigger achievement is that Sanjay Dutt’ s performance had been appreciated equally as that of Hrithik Roshan. Hrithik Roshan played the same character which Amitabh Bacchan had played in the first version of film Agneepath. It was a big challenge for both Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan but both the actors were outstanding. While his first film Rocky was successful in the early 80s, he struggled to create a name till his film Naam with Kumar Gaurav struck box-office. He did undergo a makeover and from the late 80s, his long hair and muscular body changed his career. His performance in the role of a handicapped poet in the film Saajan opposite Madhuri Dixit was well appreciated. The film ended up being blockbuster with hit songs like “mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai”. Sanjay Dutt’s action films always created an impact in the minds of the viewers. The hit films included Sadak, Khalnayak, Daag –The Fire, etc. He received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in the film Vaastav. Sanjay Dutt and Vidya Balan formed one type of such an unique pair who had been accepted by the viewers of bollywood films. Sanjay Dutt got the scope of performing opposite Vidya Balan at middle-age as opposed to his performance opposite Madhuri Dixit in during his young age in films like Thanedaar, Saajan, Khalnayak, etc. In Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta, Sanjay Dutt’s role was based on the character of a middle aged person who was considerate about the family of Parineeta. Although Vidya Balan was attached with Saif Ali Khan according to the classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji, Sanjay Dutt’s contribution was even greater in the film than Saif Ali Khan. All the songs in the film composed by Shantanu Moitra ended up being super hit, including Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal’s song “piyu bole”. Lage Raho Munnabhai was probably the greatest hit film of Sanjay Dutt in his entire career. He was a bhai ( underworld don) who pretended to be a Professor and impressed Vidya Balan who was attached to an old-age home. He impressed her with his knowledge on Gandhiji. Mahatma Gandhi’s soul instructed Sanjay Dutt to follow his path related to ahimsa. The romance in the film was related to matured level of understanding. Sonu Nigam’s song “pal pal pal pal pal pal”, was a landmark hit. After that song Vidya Balan slapped Sanjay Dutt after reading the letter where he mentioned that he was not a Professor. The film with Vidya Balan forgiving Sanjay Dutt for the lies he said to her. In 2011, Sanjay Dutt’s film Double Dhamaal did mediocre business. But the positive reviews that were received in the film were about Sanjay Dutt, Kangana Ranaut and Mallika Sherawat. 2011 has a lot in store for Sanjay Dutt. The films which had been released in 2011 and 2012 include Rascals, Agneepath, Chatur Singh Two Star, Power and Koochi Koochi Hota Hai. The viewers are looking forward to more films of Vidya Balan with Sanjay Dutt, as the pair had shown matured level of performance which touched the hearts of millions of viewers all across the world. Sanjay Dutt these days had restricted himself in acting in action films, so if he signs romantic films, the producers and directors should think about Vidya Balan who suits him better than any other actress of bollywood industry. Viewers are expecting him to return from prison after 3 years and get back to films.

Uttam Kumar death anniversary and memories of the superstar.

Uttam Kumar’s death anniversary brings great memories of the superstar of Bengal. Again, 24th July, 2015 will bring memories of Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. Superstar Uttam Kumar was remembered on his birth anniversary on 3rd September, 2014. Actor-turned-MPs Dev and Moon Moon Sen would be felicitated with the Mahanayak and Mahanayika Samman, the highest film award given by the West Bengal government. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will give the annual 'Mahanayak Uttam Kumar Samman' at Nazrul Mancha stadium tomorrow to felicitate the actors and technicians of the Bengali film industry. On her Facebook page, Banerjee said veteran actress Mousumi Chatterjee and reigning Bengali film superstar Dev will be the recipients of this year's 'Mahanayak Samman' while Moonmoon Sen will receive the 'Mahanayika Samman'. Both Dev and Sen had won the recent Lok Sabha polls on a Trinamool ticket. The awards were instituted in the year 2012 in the memory of the legendary actor 'Mahanayak' Uttam Kumar. Actor-director-producer Arindam Sil will be conferred with Special Film Award (Acting). Special Film Awards will also be presented to actors like Paoli Dam, Hiran Chatterjee, Abir Chatterjee, Indranil Sengupta, Kharaj Mukherjee, Rudranil Ghosh and others. Veterans of Bengali film industry like Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Mamata Shankar and Debashree Roy will be feted with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Veteran playback artiste Kumar Sanu will be felicitated with Lifetime Achievement Award for Music (playback Singer) while Special Film Awards (Music Director) will be presented to Sivaji Chattopadhyay, Arundhati Home Chowdhury and Adhir Chatterjee. Nispal Rane on behalf of Surinder Films will get Special Film award for the best producer. Special film award for direction will be given to Swapan Saha, Kamaleshwar Mukherjee and Prodipto Bhattacharyya. 50 actors had been awarded the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar award on his death anniversary on 24th July, 2013. Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee had started the awards in the memory of the greatest superstar of Bengal Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. Madhabi Mukherjee, Dipankar Dey, Ranjit Mullick and Sandhya Roy had been given lifetime achievement award. Incidentally Madhabi Mukherjee had acted in many super hit films of Uttam Kumar like Shankhabela, Choddobeshi, Agnisshar, etc. and Sandhya Roy had acted in many hit films of Uttam Kumar like Mayamrigo, Surjotapa. Director Goutam Ghosh had also been granted lifetime achievement award. Actors Partho Mukherjee, Chinmoy Roy, directors Sandip Ray, Raj Chakravarty, Sujit Saha, Koushik Ganguly and Srijit Mukherjee are given special awards. Actors Tapas Pal and Prasenjit Chatterjee are given Mahanayak Samman. Actors Saswata Chatterjee and Parambrata Chatterjee are given special awards. Film Producing companies are also awarded and felicitated including RD Bansal and Company, Arora Films, Shri Venkatesh films, New Theatres, to name a few. He had died almost 33 years ago, yet the viewers had not forgotten his films and still his presence is felt in the life bengalies in different parts of the world.

Laxmikant Pyarellal v RD Burman in the 1970s.

Laxmikant Pyarellal v. RD Burman in the 70s. There is a big debate about who dominated bollywood music in the 70s, was it Laxmikant Pyarellal or was it RD Burman? Before dealing with the debate a brief introduction is necessary about the status of composers in the early 70s. Composers like Jaikishan, Roshan, Madanmohan, SD Burman, died in the late 60s or early 70s. Composers like OP Nayyar, Salil Choudhury, Naushad, Vasant Desai, Ghulam Mohammad, C. Ramchandran either left films or faded away from the industry. So there was three-fold competition between RD Burman, LP and Kalyanji Anandji. Some of the films of KA were hits, others received critical acclaimation. There major films included Dev Anand’s Johnny Mera Naam, Dilip Kumar’s Gopi, Big B’s Zanjeer, Don, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Firoz Khan’s Dharmatma, to name a few. But the young actors were inclined to both LP and RD Burman. The other factor that counted in the industry was that Kishore Kumar created a big competition for Mohammad Rafi who dominated bollywood films in the 60s and 70s. Firstly Rajesh Khanna’s films had the music of both RD Burman and LP. On one hand RD Burman’s music in films like Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, stormed bollywood, on the other hand LP contributed with his music in Rajesh Khanna’s films like Aan Milo Sajna, Roti, Hathi Mere Saathi, etc. With the appearance of Rishi Kapoor in bollywood films again musical films got predominance in the mid-70s. On one hand LP introduced new singers in the industry like Shailendra Singh and created a partnership with Rishi Kapoor which started with Bobby and went on in films like Badalte Rishte, Sargam, Karz, Amar Akbar Anthony, etc. RD Burman also contributed heavily in Rishi Kapoor’s films like Khel Khel Me, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, to name a few. Very significantly both Rafi and Kishore were used by RD and LP successfully. Both RD Burman and LP contributed equally in Big B’s films. While LP contributed in films like Ek Nazar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Suhaag, Naseeb, etc., RD Burman contributed in films like Dewaar, Sholay, Shaan, etc. Even in the films of Dharmender both LP and RD Burman contributed a lot. LP gave music in films like Jeevan Mrityu, Aya Sawaan Jhumke, Izzat, Loafer, etc., while RD Burman contributed in films like Yaadon Ki Baraat, Jheel Ke Us Paar, Burning Train, etc. LP contributed more than RD Burman in films of Jeetender. The list starts with Farz and includes Banphool, Badalte Rishte, Jeegri Dost, Humjoli, Aasha, etc. RD Burman also made notable contribution in Jeetender’s films like Karwa, Burning Train, Parichay, Khusbu, Kinaara. LP had composed music in other significant films like Manoj Kumar’s Shor, Sanjeev Kumar’s Khilouna, Rajender Kumar’s Gora Aur Kala, Aap Aye Bahar Aye, while RD Burman was sublime in Dev Anand’s Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Sanjeev Kumar’s Aandhi, Uttam Kumar’s Kitaab. It is difficult to infer who actually had an edge in music composition in bollywood films I the 70s, whether RD Burman or LP, it can be said that RD Burman had gained popularity many years after his death as many of his songs are still sung by modern bollywood singers like Kumar Shanu, Abhijeet, Vinod Rathod, Babul Supriyo, who had imitated Kishore Kumar to create their fanbase in bollywood. LP was only used by the industry for more than 35 years, and just like Shankar Jaikishan, always had remained unwept, unsung, unlamented, unrecognized.

Happy birthday to Zarina Wahab.

Happy birthday to Zarina Wahab. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Zarina Wahab on 17th July, 2015. She was born in a muslim family in Vishakapatnam. She learned acting in the Film and Television Institute of Pune. She started her film career in Dev Anand’s film Ishq Ishq Ishq in 1974. She attracted the attention of the viewers with her effortless performance in Basu Chatterjee’s film Chitchor. Chitchor was also released in 1974. She played the role of a village girl in the film who was impressed by the down to earth nature of Amol Palekar. She and her family thought that he was a wealthy engineer. But later they came to know that the actual engineer was Vijayendra Ghadge. The family of Zarina Wahab namely Deena Pathak and AK Hangal stopped Zarina Wahab from mixing with Amol Palekar. But she could not forget his memories, nor her neighbouring brother Master Raju. The film became silver jubilee hit. The music composed by Ravinder Jain stormed bollywood with songs like “tu jo mere sur me”, “kahin deep jale”, etc., sung by Yesu Das and Hemlata. The same plot was used in the film Mai Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, where Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bacchan played the lead roles. Zarina Wahab formed a brilliant pair with Amol Palekar and their next film Gharonda which was released in 1977 which was a masterpiece. She played the role of the daughter of Sriram Lagoo. Amol Palekar struggled to get decent job in Mumbai. The film was related to the extreme competition of work in Mumbai and struggle of getting a place to stay. The music of the film composed by Jaidev was excellent. Bhupinder Singh’s song “ek akela is shahar me”, “ do diwane shahar me” and Runa Laila’s song “tumhe honaho mujhko to itna yakeen hai” stormed bollywood in the mid-70s. Zarina Wahab got filmfare nomination for best actress in the film. Zarina Wahab acted in other films like Tumhare Liye directed by Basu Chatterjee, Sawan Ko Aane Do, and many South Indian films like Gajula Kishtavya, Madanolsavam, etc. As character artist she played the role of the mother of Shahrukh Khan in the film My Name is Khan. She married actor Aditya Pancholi and has son and daughter. She also acted in TV Serial Yahan Me Ghar Ghar Kheli which used to be telecast in Zee TV Channel. The performance showed that she still had not forgotten acting at all. The viewers expect her to continue the great work that she had started 30 years back.

Happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah.

Happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah on 20th July, 2015. Along with Om Puri, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, Nasir was the leading actor who had shaped parallel cinema in India. He became the leading actor of art films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini, Sudhir Mishra, Saee Paranchpe, Mrinal Sen and others. He was sublime in films like Aakrosh, Sparsh, Khandahaar, etc. In 2013, he acted in the film Dedh Ishquiya, the sequel to the film Ishqiya. Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi acted with him in the film. In the film Ishqiya, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan did a great job opposite Naseeruddin Shah. Viewers cannot forget his realistic acting in Goutam Ghosh’s film Paar. He was unparallel in the scene where he along with Shabana Azmi, took the herd of animals across river Ganges for their livelihood. Their standard of acting was extraordinary. He was equally brilliant in a sensitive role in Shekhar Kapoor’ s film Masoom. His son Jugal Hansraj was not accepted by Shabana Azmi, as he was her step son, but at the end of the film Nasir convinced Shabana about accepting the child. The songs in the film like “huzoor is kadar bhi na itra ke chaliye” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar and composed by RD Burman became extremely popular in the early 80s. In the late 80s, Nasir got influenced by veteran actor Amrish Puri and joined mainstream cinema. There also he became a grand winner. He gave fabulous performance in the film Tridev along with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, and also Vishwaatma wit Sunny Deol and Chunkey Pandey. His action skills, comedy skills all were utilized by the commercial directors and became an indispensable figure in the early 90s. Even as villain he astonished the viewers in films like Mohra. He did outcast the heroes in the film like Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar and ended up being the main actor in the feeling. Nasir could play any type of role and in the long run no other actor other than Om Puri could match Nasiruddin Shah’s versatility. In China Gate, both of them faced each other and the viewers enjoyed the dynamic performances of the two legends. Even in films like Monsoon Wedding, Nasir showed that his skill in realistic acting just had got enhanced day after day. In 2008, he performed perhaps the best film of the year, A Wednesday. He killed the terrorists as an ordinary citizen, to end the threat they had created over a period of time. His showed at his old age that still he is indispensable as an actor in the bollywood industry. His performance was as brilliant as the performance of Anupam Kher in the film. In 2010, his performance in the film Ishqiya opposite Vidya Balan and Arshad Warsi had been highly appreciated by the critics. In songs like “dil to baccha hai ji” his silent manner of imagining his relationship with Vidya Balan showed his brilliance class of acting. The film did good business as well. Even his performance in Prakash Jha’s film Rajneeti impressed the masses. Rajneeti ended up being a blockbuster. In 2011 he acted in the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in a small role. Naseeruddin Shah stormed Bollywood with the role of South Indian actor in the film Dirty Picture opposite Vidya Balan in 2011. Dirty Picture received maximum number of awards in 2012. The viewers expect the legendary actor to continue his dynamic performance as he is still irreplaceable in bollywood films.

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2015.

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2015. Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2015, on 18th July with awesome gifts given to her by her mother. She had not disclosed to the media as to what are the surprise gifts. Priyanka Chopra is at the top of the world with her successes in the film Don 2 and Barfi in 2011 and 2012. 2014 had been a great year with her film Gunday opposite Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor doing business worth 75 crores. Her performance in the role of boxer in Mary Kom in 2014 had been widely appreciated. In 2015 she is busy with the film Dil dhadakne Do. From Filmfare award to Star screen, the role she played in Barfi fetched her awards and accolades from different parts of the world. Priyanka Chopra had a hectic year 2011. She received positive reviews for her performance in the film Saat Khoon Maaf that was released in the early part of the year. She had many husbands in the film for different reasons. Her film Don- 2, The Chase Continues she had acted opposite Shahrukh Khan once again. Viewers have huge expectation from the films of 2013 including Zanjeer and Krish 3. She is also acting in the film Barfee opposite Ranbir Kapoor. In the film she is playing the role of a mentally challenged girl. She is in fact visiting few mental asylums to get the feel of the role. She is also acting in the film Agneepath. Priyanka Chopra is today’s most popular actress of the bollywood film industry. She had started her career in bollywood films after she won the Miss India contest title. Since then she never looked back. Her first film Andaz opposite Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta did well in the box office. But initially she haven’t got that much recognition, but with the film Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan and Akshay kumar , Priyanka Chopra became a leading star of the period. She had got the grace, glamour and attitude in her which is very much wanted by today’s audience and young crowd. She gave stunning performance in the Fashion and got the filmfare award for the best actress for the year 2009. She even won her first prestigious National award for the performance in the film Fashion. Director Madhur Bhandarkar had been known for making realistic films and Priyanka Chopra did adapt her style of performance in the ideal way that Madhur Bhandarkar expected. In the same year she did perform in many films including God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku , Love story 2050, Dostana and Billu Barber in 2009. Her next upcoming film was released in 2009 was titled Kamina opposite Shahid Kapoor. This film also did fabulous business. The big factor which had kept Priyanka Chopra ahead of Kareena Kapoor, Ash, Katrina and others, include her capability to adapt herself in different roles. Whenever the situation demanded she played the role of an upstart American in the film Dostana. She effortlessly managed the comedy sequences along with Abhishek Bacchan and John Abraham. In the film Love Story 2050, she adjusted herself to the hi-tech world that would have emerged around 40 years from now on. Her role in God Tussi Great Ho was totally different. There were misunderstandings and traps set by either Sohail Khan or Salman Khan. She faced the events and was firm in her affection towards Salman Khan. Similarly in Billu Barber, her performance in a dance number opposite Shahrukh Khan requires special mention. In fact she had given elegant lips in the songs “tujhe aksa beach dikhadun”, “salaam-e-ishq”, “tenu le”, etc. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work that she had started in 2008 and do even well in 2015 and the years to come.

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty.

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty on 16th June, 2015. 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.

Happy birthday to Nitu Singh

Happy birthday to Nitu Singh. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Nitu Singh on 8th July 2015. She had started her career as child actress and later kept a mark as leading actress in commercial films. In the late 60s, her performance in the film do Kaliyan attracted attention. Biswajeet Chatterji and Mala Sinha were the lead performers in the film. Nitu Singh got double role. Both the sisters were sad due to the separation of their parents. At the end of the film the differences between Biswajeet and Mala Sinha were sorted out. She acted in many successful films opposite Rishi Kapoor whom she married later. The successful films included Kabhi Kabhi, Khel Khel Me, Amar Akbar Anthony, Rafoo Chakkar, etc. The songs of Amar Akbar Anthony also created history with Rafi’s qawalli “parda hai parda” and “humko tumse ho gaya hai pyar kya Karen”. The film directed by Manmohan Desai stormed bollywood in the late 70s. Nitu Singh acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films in the 70s. Her successful films opposite Big B included Parvarish, The Great Gambler, to name a few. Her successful film opposite Shashi Kapoor included Dewaar. Her successful film opposite Jeetender included Burning Train. Viewers still remember her elegant lips in the song “pal do pal ka saath hamara” sung by Rafi and Asha Bhosle in the film Burning Train. She acted in the films directed by eminent directors like Manmohan Desai in films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Yash Chopra in films like Kabhi Kabhi, Kala Patthar, BR Chopra in films like Burning Train, to name a few. After marrying Rishi Kapoor, she left films in the 80s. Probably she had concentrated in upbringing of Rishi Kapoor’s son and daughter, including Ranbir Kapoor. But she had a lot of acting left in her. She received a number of awards for the performance in the film Do Dooni Char released last year. The film was extremely successful. She acted in a character role opposite Rishi Kapoor and it appeared before the viewers that she had not forgotten acting at all. The viewers of bollywood films wish her to make comeback in contemporary films in character roles.

Happy birthday to Katrina Kaif

Happy birthday to Katrina Kaif. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Katrina Kaif on 16th July, 2015. 2014 was a successful year for her. Her film Bang Bang opposite Hrithik Roshan became a blockbuster doing 181 crores business. 2013 was a great year for Katrina Kaif. Her film Dhoom 3 opposite Amir Khan did business worth 260 crores and still remains India’s greatest blockbuster. 2012 was a great year for Katrina Kaif with her film Ek Tha Tiger opposite Salman Khan doing business of 199 crores and Jab Tak Hai Jaan opposite Shahrukh Khan doing business of 120 crores. In this month itself in 2011 Katrina Kaif’s new film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was released. She had acted opposite Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and others in this film. Katrina Kaif had remained the uncrowned queen of bollywood films of the last 5 years. Her success in big budget films one after the other had given the number one position and producers and directors had relied upon her while experimenting with various subjects. She was brilliant and gorgeous opposite Salman Khan in the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, gave electrifying performance opposite Akshay Kumar in the films Namaste London, Welcome, Singh is Kinng, was sublime opposite Govinda in the film Partner and Akshay Khanna in the film Race. With her gorgeous lips in romantic songs in all these films including “teri ore teri ore”, “allah duhayi hai”, “just chill chill”, etc., youngsters had become mad about her in the last few years. She had also replaced Aishwarya Rai in a number of advertisements and became the brand ambassador herself. Superstars in the past had accepted the fact that reaching the summit of popularity is difficult, but it is more difficult to maintain the popularity. Katrina Kaif had attained the first feat but has to maintain the stardom. In that respect Katrina’s fate was dependent on the success of the film New York. In 2009, her film was getting released for the first time, so lot of viewers have wide expectation from the film. In the film New York, Katrina Kaif had been asked to attend the birthday party by the crew members who were shooting a film in Philadelphia. Katrina was invited along with John Abraham and Kabir Khan. Crew members who came in one car got entry, while the car where Katrina, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Kabir Khan came, entry was denied. Their identity was required. All of them said that they were popular artists in Indian films. But such identification did not suffice the requirement. By the time, all the actors and actresses were successful to provide their identification, the party was over. The film was related to that subject.Katrina Kaif looked gorgeous as ever just like other films. 2010 opened up well for Katrina Kaif with her film Rajneeti opposite Ranbir Kapoor becoming hit. But her two films opposite Akshay Kumar had miserably failed at box-office, one was Priyadarshan’s film De Dana Dana, while the other was Farah Khan’s film Tees Maar Khan. Bollywood is a strange place. If two films fail in the career of even the number one actress she loses stardom and may lose offer of better roles in future. She has to strike form very soon, may be in 2011 itself. She is earning a lot from endorsement of landmarks brands, but that she is managing only due to her strong box-office presence. She is presently working opposite Ranbir Kapoor in the film Jagga Jasoos. The viewers expect that Katrina Kaif continue giving hits after hits in 2015.

Happy birthday to Manoj Kumar.

Happy birthday to Manoj Kumar. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Manoj Kumar on 24th July, 2015. He is almost 75 years old now. He started his career as a romantic hero, then showed his skills in the field of direction and created a separate identity as a patriotic hero. He later on earned the name of Bharat Kumar. Harikishan Giri Goswami, better known as Manoj Kumar, was a big admirer of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar. He was obsessed with Dilip Kumar’s performance in the film Shabnam, in 1949, and kept the name of the character of the film, which was Manoj Kumar. Although he started his career in the film Fashion in 1957, he got recognition with a lead role in the film Kaanch Ki Gudiya in 1960. Vijay Bhatt directed Hariyali Aur Raasta in 1962 changed the destiny of Manoj Kumar as a romantic hero. The songs of the film were composed by genius of genius Shankar Jaikishan, and with Mala Sinha’s assistance Manoj Kumar reached the hearts of millions of music lovers in the country. The songs in the film including “ifteda-e-ishq”, “yeh hariyali aur yeh raasta”, sung by Mukesh and Lata astonished the viewers. The film became super hit. In the mid-60s, Manoj Kumar landmark roles in suspense thrillers like Woh Kaun Thi, 1964, and Gumnaam, 1965. Woh Kaun Thi was a horror film of Raj Khosla where Manoj Kumar played the role of the doctor who got scared with the ghostly appearance of Sadhna, who played a double role in the film. He solved the mystery in the film got Prem Chopra arrested at the end after realizing that his wife had a twin sister who was used as a ghost. The music of Madan Mohan was brilliant and Lata’s songs “naina barse rimjhim”, “lag

ja gale”, etc., created sensation. Gumnaam was a murder thriller which stormed bollywood in the mid-60s. More than seven friends were given offer of going for holidays, but the flight was hijacked and the friends had to land at an island. Each of them was killed one after the other and no one knew who killed them. Manoj Kumar solved the mystery and unearthed the truth that Tarun Bose was the actual murderer. The music composed by Shankar Jaikishan was extraordinary with songs like “jane chaman shola badan” sung by Rafi and Sharda, “gumnaam hai koi” sung by Lata, “is duniya me jeena ho to”, “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” sung by Mohammad Rafi, etc. Manoj Kumar started his second innings with patriotic films like Shaheed, Upkaar, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapra Aur Makaan, Kranti, moved the viewers and earned him respect. He directed of those films and got filmfare award for best director for excellent work in films like Upkaar and Roti Kapda and Makaan. His film Upkaar also received the national award for best film in 1967, and he gave life to the slogan of PM Lal Bahadur Shastri titled “jai jawan jai kisan” with Upkaar. In fact Upkaar, was the highest grosser film in 1967, surpassing all the other super hit films like Ram Aur Shyam, Jewel Thief, etc. The songs in Upkaar composed by Kalyanji Anandji were also brilliant including “mere desh ki dharti” sung by Mahendra Kapoor and “kasme wade pyar wafa sab” sung by Manna Dey. After Upkaar a big section of the crowd used to call Manoj Kumar as Bharat Kumar, as his patriotic feelings used to reflect in his creations. His other successful films as hero also include Patthar Ke Sanam, Anita, Aadmi, etc. He acted with childhood idol Dilip Kumar in Aadmi and Kranti. The songs of most of his films were of excellent class. Naushad’s creation in Aadmi, and Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka khoi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc., had remained invalueable assets over the period of time. The viewers expect him to continue the excellent work as a director in the years to come.