Thursday, December 22, 2016

Remembering singer of singers Rafisahab on birth anniversary.


Mohammad Rafi had remained one of the greatest singers of all times. On 24th December, 2016 the greatest singer is remembered again. By: Dr Souvik Chatterji On his death anniversary on 31st July, 2016, great Rafisahab is remembered all across the world. He is considered one of the greatest singers of all times. Relationship with Shankar Jaikishan. Shankar Jaikishan composed music in almost 195 films in that golden age. One of the great reasons of Shankar Jaikishan’s huge success was due to the great combination with immortal singer Mohammad Rafi Sahab. If Rafi’s stylish andaz relating to westernized compositions are adequately it is Shankar Jaikishan who had used it to perfection. They had used Rafi for singing romantic songs with Japanese orchestration in Love in Tokyo, released in 1966 including songs like “aja re aa zara aa”, “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, “ o mere shahekhuba”, etc. In Biswajeet’s April Fool, released in 1964 SJ’s composition for Rafi including “aa gale lag ja” had westernized background. At the same time Rafi’s song “tumhe chaha” with Suman Kalyanpur was a great rendition in pensive mood. SJ’s composition for Rafi in Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris, in 1967, like “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “raat ke humsafar”, had loud French music with echo effect and Rafi’s intonation was also westernized. Shankar Jaikishan gave a completely different style of music to Rafi in Rajender Kumar’s Aarzoo, released in 1965 with songs like “aji ruth kar ab”, “chalke teri aankho se”, “ai nargisi mastana”, etc. SJ had given songs addressing children to Rafi including “nanne munne bache teri mutthi me kya hai” in Boot Polish which was produced by Raj Kapoor and released in 1954, “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mamma re” in Shammi Kapoor’s Andaz, released in 1971 and “chakke p chakka” in Brahmchari, in 1969. Rafi pronounced the words with childish accent and SJ used the orchestration to attract children. There were ghazals also given by SJ for Rafi including “rukh se zara nakab”, “kya kya na kahe” in Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, “unke khayal aye to” in Raj Kumar’s Lal Patthar, “saaze dil ched de” in Pradeep Kumar’s Rajhaath, etc. Besides SJ’s creation involving Rafi in somber mood had created great impact including songs like “teri zulfon ki judai to nahi maangi thi” in Dev Anand’s Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” in Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee, “yaad na aye” in Rajender Kumar’s Dil Ek Mandir. Shankar Jaikishan had used Rafi’s classical andaz in the songs “radheke tune bansoori churai”, “ajahu na aye”, etc., and combined the ragas with devotional andaz. SJ has given music in almost 200 films within the span from 1949 to 1971, and at least each year they composed music for approximately 10 films. As Rafi was given predominance over other male singers SJ had use him in regular intervals even without doing injustice to Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood and others. Songs like “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” from Jhuk Gaya Aasman, “to bura maan gaye” from Ayee Milan Ki Bela, “yeh ankhen” from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “tujhe jeevan ki dor se” from Aasli Nakli, “dheere dheere chal” from Love Marriage, “badan pe sitaren lapete hue” from Prince, “mai kahin kavi na banjayun” from Pyar Hi Pyar, “mai gayun tum so jao” from Brahmchari, had not lost their flavour even 40 years after their creation due to sheer brilliance of Shankar Jaikishan. It is really tragic neither Shankar Jaikishan had received the accolades that they deserved nor Rafi’s association with them had been glorified but history says that the combination of Rafi with Shankar Jaikishan had produced invaluable creations which had become immortal over the period of time. Relationship with OP Nayyar. Whenever the name of OP Nayyar appeared in the minds of the audience, the name of immortal singer Mohammad Rafi had come together, without whom OP Nayyar was incomplete. The relationship between the two greats can be compared as tea and milk. OP Nayyar started his career with the film Kaneej in 1949. Guru Dutt had created his image in bollywood films in different categories being a thoughtful director and producer, dynamic actor, good choreographer. One of the numerous reasons for which his films became super hit in the 50s and 60s included the brilliant songs sung by Rafi during the golden age. Rafi’s songs in Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar, released in 1954 and composed by OP Nayyar became super hit. It was followed by Mr and Mrs. 55 released in 1955. Songs picturized on both Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker had melody and sweetness. Rafi’s songs like “dil pe kiya aisa jaadu”, “muhobbat karlo aji karlo”, “sun sun sun sun zaalima”, composed by OP Nayyar, created landmark in the mid-50s and Rafi emerged as the greatest singer of bollywood films during that time. In many of the songs Geeta Dutt did a great job in duets sung along with Mohammad Rafi. The same combination of Guru Dutt, OP Nayyar and Rafi gave everlasting hit in the film 12 O Clock with songs like “mai kho gaya”. Also in CID, OP Nayyar and Rafi combination created gold with songs like “aye dil mushkil jeena yahan”, “leke pehla pehla pyar”, “ankhon hi ankhon me”, etc. The magic combination of Rafi and OP Nayyar mesmerized the audience in Dilip Kumar’s Naya Daur. The super hit songs “saathi hath barana”, “mangke saath tumhara”, “mai bombai ka babu”, contributed a lot in the absolute success of the film. OP Nayyar received the filmfare award for the best music director only once in his career. Credit goes to Rafisahab for the great rendition of each songs of Naya Daur. The brilliant combination of OP Nayyar and Rafi continued in Raj Kapoor’s film Do Ustad. All the songs in the film became extremely popular including “tu ladki mai ladka”, “ruk ruk ruk, chor na de diwane”, “nazron ke teer mare kas kas kas”, etc. Rafisahab was the first choice of OP Nayyar, and inspite of Raj Kapoor’s voice having closeness with Mukesh and Manna Dey. OP Nayyar gave all the songs of Do Ustad released in 1959 to Mohammad Rafi Sahab. Even in Bharat Bhushan’s Phagun, OP Nayyar composed all the songs for great Rafi Sahab. So of the most super hit songs included “kaun se pardesi mera dil le gaya”, “tum rooth ke mat jana”, “mai soya ankhiya miche”. Qamar Jalalabadi’s words were as brilliant as Rafisahab’s velvety voice. Joy Mukherjee’s film Ek Musafir Ek Hasina did brilliant business in the early 60s. Raj Khosla’s musical thriller released in 1962 addressed every section of the society with romantic performance of Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna. All the songs of Rafi and Asha picturized on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna became super hit. It includes songs like “aap yuhin agar humse milte rahe”, “mujhe dekhkar aapka muskurana”, “phir tere shahar me”, “mai pyar ka rahi hoon”, “bahut shukhriya, bari meherbani”, “humko tumhari isqh ne”, to name a few. Rafi was elegant as ever in the songs “phir tere shahar me” and “humko tumhare ishq ne”. OP Nayyar was probably at his best in the film and his blend of eastern and western music created the romantic mood for the film. Joy Mukherjee, Rafi and OP Nayyar’s magical combination continued in the film Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon. Most part of the film released in 1963 was shot at picturesque locations of Jammu & Kashmir and the landscape was as romantic as the songs sung by Rafi and Asha in the film. The prominent songs included “banda parwar, thamlo jigar”, “lakho hai nigahon me”, “nazneen bara rangeen hai wada tera”, “aanchal me sajalena kaliyan”, “zulf ke chayon me chehere ka ujala lekar”, to name a few. Rafi had shown his excellent classical skills in the songs “zulf ke chayon me”, and “aancal me sajalena kaliyan”. Asha Parekh showed her dancing skills to perfection in the film. Rajender Nath played the role of the relief character in the film. In fact OP Nayyar maintained the same standard of music in Shammi Kapoor’s film Kashmir Ki Kali and Biswajeet’s film Mere Sanam which were made after Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon. Joy Mukherjee’s combination with OP Nayyar continued in the film Humsaya. In that film Sharmila Tagore got the lead role opposite Joy Mukherjee. By that time due to emergence on new actors and actresses in bollywood films, Joy Mukherjee’s popularity declined and the film also did moderate business. In respect of the songs, Rafi’s song “dil ki awaaz bhi sun” became hit. But OP Nayyar gave a number of songs to Mahendra Kapoor was well which did not strike gold in the box –office. Besides Rafi’s western romantic mood is utilized by OP Nayyar in a very stylish way in the songs “Diwana hua badal, sawan ki ghata chayi” and “Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehera” in the film Kashmir Ki Kali, 1964 picturised on Shammi Kapoor and “Humne to dilko aap ke kadmome rakh diya, is dil ka kya karenge yeh ab aap sochiye” in the film Mere Sanam, 1965 and “Phir Miloge Kabhi is baat ka wada karlo, humse ek aur mulakat ka wada karlo” in the film Yeh Raat Phir Na Ayegi, picturised on Biswajeet. In all these songs the sarengi and santoor had played a very pivotal role accompanied by the intoxicating appeal of Rafi’s voice. In the film Baharen Phir Bhi Aayegi, Rafi’s ghazal “aap ki haseen rukh” composed by OP Nayyar and picturised on Dharmender was extremely romantic and made the audience spellbound in the early 60s. OP Nayyar composed peppy numbers for Rafi Sahab in Dharmender’s film Muhobbat Zindagi Hai in 1966. Rafisahab’s song “na jaane kyun” was as brilliant as “tumhari mulakat se” and “yeh purnur chehra yeh dilkash ada”. The list of films where OP Nayyar and Rafi’s magic flabbergasted the listeners just goes on including films like Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Basant, Phagun, Kismat, etc. One article is too small to explain the domination of OP Nayyar and Mohammad Rafi in bollywood films of the 50s and 60s. But the songs and the films had not become obsolete and listeners can listen to them again and again. The songs and the films should be restored. Relationship with Naushad Ali. Naushad Ali is remembered for his brilliant tunes over a period of 50 years down the memory lane. In the 40s, he composed music in many films including Anmol Ghari, but he stormed bollywood with romantic songs in Dulari, including “suhani raat dhal chuki” sung by Rafi, all the songs of Andaz, where he composed Rafi’s songs for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh’s songs for Dilip Kumar. In the 50s, Naushad’s composition in Baiju Bawra made the listeners speechless. He won filmfare award for the best composer for his brilliant classical presentation in songs like “o duniya ke rakhwale”, “man tarapata”, “tu gangi ki mauj”, etc., sung by Rafi and Lata. Rafi’s range was used to perfection and from that time the Rafi Naushad combination provided gems after gems. The different ragas and their timings were explained by Naushad in the film. Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari gave able lips in the songs composed by Naushad. Songs of Uran Khatula, like “wo dur ke musafir” sung by Rafi for Dilip Kumar also shook bollywood in the mid-50s. In the 60s Naushad was unstoppable. His composition in Kohinoor for Rafi titled “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen” picturised on Dilip Kumar displayed the brilliance of Hindustani ragas. Naushad’s composition in Rajender Kumar’s Mere Mehboob, Naushad displayed the ghazal culture of Lucknow and Aligarh. The songs “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “ai husn zara jag”, etc. sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar was per se excellent. Naushad composed light songs in Mughal-i-azam for Lata including “pyar kiya to darna kya”, “mohe panghat ke nandlal”, and again composed thumri sung by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan in the same film. Naushad also composed Bhojpuri music for Dilip Kumar in the film Ganga Jumna. The songs “nain lar jaihe” sung by Rafi was one of the examples of Naushad’s control of Bihari folk tune. Naushad was at his best in Dilip Kumar’s Leader. All the songs in the film sung by Rafi and Lata flabbergasted the listeners, including “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “teri husn ki kya tareef karun”, “mujhe duniya walon”, etc. Naushad was excellent in Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata in the film including “aye hai baharen dekho”, “yeh raat dulhan bangayi”, “mai hoon saki”, etc. Critics consider Dil Diya Dard Liya as one of the best creations of Naushad. All the songs in the film became superhit including Rafi’s “dilruba maine tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”. Naushad Rafi and Dilip Kumar continued with their level of excellence in the film Aadmi, with Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc. Besides, Naushad composed excellent music in Rajender Kumar’s Palki, Saathi, Ganwar, etc. Rafi’s hit songs in those films included “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” sung with Suman Kalyanpur. Naushad faded away from film music in the 70s, causing huge loss to the film industry. The classical gharana related to thumris, kajris, ghazals, etc., faded away with Naushad. Music became popular, but lost its class. Naushad received Dadasahab Phalke for his excellent contribution to bollywood music. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored. Relationship with Roshanlal Nagrath. 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. Relationship with Madanmohan Kohli. If any composer had utilised the ghazal andaz of Mohammad Rafi to the best of his potentiality it is Madanmohan whose name appears in the minds of the lovers of music across the nation. Madanmohan’s father Rai Bahadur chunnilal send his son to Dehradun to join the army. Instead he left the army and joined All India Radio in Lucknow. He came in contact with Ustad Faizz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and carried on their legacy in the compositions he made for 30 years which can be classified as masterpieces. As Madanmohan was not associated with the Big Banners like RK or Navketan, he was not categorised with any star of bollywood during 50s, 60s, 70s. Further he never wanted to balance the popular test of music and excellent class of classical compositions he created. But the compositions were so rich in lyrics and tunes that the musical pandits had no way but to admire them. The golden age of bollywood music was categorised with the excellence of Mohammad Rafi and as such if any composer neglected Rafi and tried to reach the summit of popularity they have invited their own downfall. Madanmohan did not make such a mistake. He started his career with the film Ankhen in 1950. He also composed music for Raj Kapoor’s film Ashiana in 1952. His notable songs for Rafi in the film Railway Platform, 1956, include “basti basti parbat parbat”. In Gateway of India, 1957, Madanmohan used Mohammad Rafi for the song “do ghari woh jo pass aa baithe” picturised on Bharatbhushan. It was very successful and strengthened the everlasting bond of Rafi with Madanmohan. Rafi’s intoxicating appeal in the song “kabhi na khabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi toi ayega” in the film Sharabi, 1964, composed by Madanmohan can be classified one of the best songs in sombre mood. The most majestic ghazals of Rafi composed by Madanmohan include “kisiki yaad me apnako hai bhulaye huye” and “baad muddat ke yeh ghari ayi” from the film Jahan ara, 1964, picturised on Bharat Bhushan. Talat Mehmood’s song in the same film “phir wohi sham wohi gham wohi tanhai hai” was also based on ghazal andaz. The classic lyrics were written by Rajinder Kishan. The film titled Ghazal, in 1964, was based on ghazals and Rafi was outstanding by every standard in the song “rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karun.” In the same year Rafi’s patriotic flavour was bolstered in the song “kar chale hum fida jan-o-tan sathiyon” in the film Haqeeqat, where Rafi’s ghazal titled “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga” shared with Bhupinder Singh, Manna Dey and Talat Mehmood was sensational. The majestic lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi. In the film Neela Akash, 1965, picturised on Dharmender, Rafi’s song “akhri geet muhobbat ka sunayun to chalun” showed the tragic note of Madanmohan. In the film Need Hamari Khwab Tumkhari, all the songs were sung by Rafi including “husn ne jab isq se takraya tha”. Returning back to ghazals, Rafi’s song “aap ke pehlu me akar” in the film Mera Saya, 1966, was as outstanding as Lata’s title song “tu jahan jahan chalega mera saya saath hoga”. The lyrics were written by Raja Mehendi Ali Kahan. Raj Khosla’s crime thriller ended up becoming a musical blockbuster just like Woh Kaun Thi, in 1964, where Madanmohan’s composition “naina barse,” “lagja gale”, etc. for Lata Mangeshkar was probably the most immortal creation in the history of film music, with Sadhna giving life time performances in ghostly characters in both these films. The landmark ghazal “tumhari zulf ke saye me sham karlunga” in the film Naunihal, in 1967, is probably one of the five best ghazals Rafi did sing in his life. Experts in music realise that ages will pass, but no second singer can provide blood and flesh in the superlative ghazal of Madanmohan the way Rafi had done in this song. Kaifi Azmi has written sensational lyrics for the abovementioned song. People started thinking that Rafi and Madanmohan were made for each other. The belief was put to action in the next film Dulhan Ek raat ki, in 1967, picturised on Dharmender in the song “ek haseen sham ko dil mera kho gaya. In the film Chirag, 1969, “teri aakhon ke siwa duniya me rakkha kya hai” Madanmohan combined ghazal with light orchestration to try to inspire the common listeners in understanding these type of songs. In the film Heer Ranjha, 1971, picturised on Rajkumar, Rafi’s song “yeh duniya yeh mehfil” was well acclaimed by music lovers. Rafi was outstanding by every standard in the song “tum jo mil gaye ho” in the film Hanste Zakhm, 1973, where Madanmohan synchronised lightning with his own orchestration. Madanmohan also gave a tremendous break to Bhupinder Singh in the song “dil dhoonta hai, phir wohi, fursat ke raat din” written by Gulzar in Sanjeev Kumar’s Mausam in 1975. Rafi had the song “chari re chari kaise gale me pari.” Madanmohan’s last performance with Jaidev brought out Rafi’s Himalayan range in the film Laila Majnu in 1977. Rafi’s songs “tere dar pe aya hoon,” “barbad muhobat ka duya saath liye ja”, picturised on Rishi Kapoor showed his master spirit of adapting to tunes of middle east which was the geographical location where the story was based. Madanmohan died in 1975, without even seeing the success of Laila Majnu, it appeared like out of seven sur in every octave one sur had gone, because, the majestic combination of Madanmohan with Rafi cannot be forgotten through ages. Rafi’s archive should restore Madanmohan’s combination to let the next generation know about the high esteem with which Madanmohan addressed Mohammad Rafi during the golden age of film music. Articles after articles can be written to show the indispensability of Rafisahab during the golden age. For listeners the intoxication still continues. Rafisahab’s voice sunke lagta hai sunte jay bas suntey hi jay. His admirers pay their respect and homage to the noble soul.

Remembering genius composer Naushad Ali on birth anniversary.


Remembering Naushad on his birth anniversary. 5th May, 2016 is the death anniversary of eminent composer Naushad Ali. The lovers of music in India remember his everlasting tunes on the death anniversary. The audience of film music in India remembered dignified composer Naushad Ali on his birth anniversary on 23rd December, 2016. He was a genius composer and shaped Indian film music with his classical gharana in the 40s from where it just grew with variety and innovation. Naushad Ali is remembered for his brilliant tunes over a period of 50 years down the memory lane. In the 40s, he composed music in many films including Anmol Ghari, but he stormed bollywood with romantic songs in Dulari, including “suhani raat dhal chuki” sung by Rafi, all the songs of Andaz, where he composed Rafi’s songs for Raj Kapoor and Mukesh’s songs for Dilip Kumar. In the 50s, Naushad’s composition in Baiju Bawra made the listeners speechless. He won filmfare award for the best composer for his brilliant classical presentation in songs like “o duniya ke rakhwale”, “man tarapata”, “tu gangi ki mauj”, etc., sung by Rafi and Lata. Rafi’s range was used to perfection and from that time the Rafi Naushad combination provided gems after gems. The different ragas and their timings were explained by Naushad in the film. Bharat Bhushan and Meena Kumari gave able lips in the songs composed by Naushad. Songs of Uran Khatula, like “wo dur ke musafir” sung by Rafi for Dilip Kumar also shook bollywood in the mid-50s. In the 60s Naushad was unstoppable. His composition in Kohinoor for Rafi titled “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen” picturised on Dilip Kumar displayed the brilliance of Hindustani ragas. Naushad’s composition in Rajender Kumar’s Mere Mehboob, Naushad displayed the ghazal culture of Lucknow and Aligarh. The songs “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam”, “ai husn zara jag”, etc. sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar was per se excellent. Naushad composed light songs in Mughal-i-azam for Lata including “pyar kiya to darna kya”, “mohe panghat ke nandlal”, and again composed thumri sung by Bare Ghulam Ali Khan in the same film. Naushad also composed Bhojpuri music for Dilip Kumar in the film Ganga Jumna. The songs “nain lar jaihe” sung by Rafi was one of the examples of Naushad’s control of Bihari folk tune. Naushad was at his best in Dilip Kumar’s Leader. All the songs in the film sung by Rafi and Lata flabbergasted the listeners, including “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “teri husn ki kya tareef karun”, “mujhe duniya walon”, etc. Naushad was excellent in Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata in the film including “aye hai baharen dekho”, “yeh raat dulhan bangayi”, “mai hoon saki”, etc. Critics consider Dil Diya Dard Liya as one of the best creations of Naushad. All the songs in the film became superhit including Rafi’s “dilruba maine tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”. Naushad Rafi and Dilip Kumar continued with their level of excellence in the film Aadmi, with Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc. Besides, Naushad composed excellent music in Rajender Kumar’s Palki, Saathi, Ganwar, etc. Rafi’s hit songs in those films included “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” sung with Suman Kalyanpur. Naushad faded away from film music in the 70s, causing huge loss to the film industry. The classical gharana related to thumris, kajris, ghazals, etc., faded away with Naushad. Music became popular, but lost its class. Naushad received Dadasahab Phalke for his excellent contribution to bollywood music. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

On birthday fans expect Govinda to make comeback in bollywood films.


Happy birthday to Govinda. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Govinda on 21st December, 2016. For the last 20 years he had entertained bollywood viewers with his remote style of comedy performance and dancing. Govinda came to limelight with his impressive performance in the film Ankhen along with Chunkey Pandey. Both Govinda and Chunkey were thrown out of their homes by their father Kader Khan, due to their mischievous acts. They witnessed the kidnapping of the CM played by Raj Babbar. In his place another person was brought who had similarity in looks. Govinda and Chunkey saved the CM and killed the imposter. Govinda had a brilliant relationship with director David Dhawan. David Dhawan had used Govinda in most of his comedy films, and the dance performance and comedy performance of Govinda charmed the audience. His film Hero No. 1 with Karishma Kapoor became super hit. All the songs of the film including “sona kitna sona hai”, “mai to raste se jaa raha tha”, became very popular. The other films of Govinda like Aunty No.1, Cooli No. 1, also showed his charishma in comedy acting. Govinda also acted in serious films like Andolan with Sanjay Dutt. He played the role of an engineer who had to compromise with the corrupt builders while building bridges. His revolt against the system was the subject matter of the film. He acted in a number of films with Sanjay Dutt and most of the films did good business. Some of those films included Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, Haseena Maan Jayegi, etc. Govinda’s film Bare Miya Chote Miya with Big B and Raveena Tandon, and Deewane Mastane with Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, did fantastic business as well. In the recent past Govinda’s performance in David Dhawan’s film Partner with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif stormed bollywood. He required the guidance of a love guru played by Salman Khan to impress Katrina Kaif. The songs of the film like “do you want a partner”, “you are my love” became super hit, and Govinda’s dance performances in those songs were excellent. Salman Khan asked the director David Dhawan to increase the role of Govinda in the film, and he justified it by playing his character in style. Govinda played his role in the film Salaam-e-Ishq in style. The film had all the leading actors of bollywood industry including Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sohail Khan, John Abraham and Akshay Khanna. In that league of actors Govinda proved his worth by romancing with a foreigner girl who was given shelter by a taxi-driver. In 2009, Govinda’s films Life Partner, and Do Not Disturb with Sushmita Sen and Lara Dutta, did mediocre business. He acted well in his small role in the film Raavan in 2010, and the viewers expect another cameo in the sequel of Partner. In 2014 he acted in the films Kill Dil and Happy Ending. Viewers he can still devote time for films and continue the work of entertainment in the years to come.

On birthday fans expect Anil Kapoor to give more hit films.


Happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor on 24th December, 2016. Critics argue that other than Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bacchan, no other actor in India had the same amount of individual talent as that of Anil Kapoor. He had sustained the heat and storm of bollywood films for more than 26 years and even at an age of 53, still remains an indispensable figure in bollywood industry. Although Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan took the industry by storm from the mid-90s, but Anil Kapoor had given one hit or the other in all those years. Furthermore those actors who had come with Anil Kapoor like Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol and others shifted to character acting, but Anil Kapoor still remained hero in the recent period. That describes his talent in totality. In 2008, he had played different types of roles. In Race, the first super hit film of 2008, Anil Kapoor played the role of detective who had solved the mystery relating to the death of Saif Ali Khan. He disclosed the fact that Saif Ali Khan had not died but his death was planted. He also witnessed the death of Akshay Khanna when he competed with Saif Ali Khan in a car race. The film was related to the devolvement of family property between the two brothers. Anil Kapoor balanced the suspense –drama with action stunts of Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna and dance sequences of Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy. The songs composed by Pritam like “pehli nazar”, “allah duhayi hai” became landmark hits in the early part of the year. He acted in a negative role in the big banner film Tashan with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. He sent Akshay Kumar to collect the debts of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Akshay Kumar discovered his childhood relationship with Kareena Kapoor and took revenge against Anil Kapoor at the end of the film in a power-pact action sequence. Although the film could not do justice to the star-cast and high expectations of the audience of the country, the funny performance of Anil Kapoor could not be ignored. Anil Kapoor was sublime in Subhash Ghai’s musical venture Yuvvraaj that was released in the last part of the year 2008. It was the first time that Subhash Ghai, AR Rehman and Gulzar had united together to compose the music of the film, and the music had already become hit. The hit songs of the film included “tu muskura”, “shanno shanno”, “to mera dost hai”, etc. Although Subhash Ghai concentrated more on the romantic presentation of the relationship between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the film, the performance of Anil Kapoor as the elder brother and an innocent character appealed to the viewers the most. The audience has so much weakness for Anil Kapoor that the scene where Zaid Khan had slapped Anil Kapoor had created negative impact on the crowds and there were requests of editing of the scene. Although the film did not get box-office Anil Kapoor’s splendid performance was appreciated. In 2009, the film directed by Anil Kapoor titled Short Cut, got critical acclamation. He had cast Akshay Khanna in the lead role who played the role of a devoted director. He was cheated by the actor Arshad Warsi who got success in films by short cut. Akshay Khanna used him in his own film and took revenge against the cheating committed by Arshad Warsi. Sonu Nigam’s song “kal nau baje” appealed to the viewers. The film he had produced in 2009, titled Slumdog Millionaire, won numerous number of Oscar awards, including the best composer award won by AR Rehman. Anil Kapoor is continuing with his directoral projects ahead. In his long career, Anil Kapoor had acted with giants like Dilip Kumar and Big B in Sholay; Dilip Kumar, Nasiruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff in Karma, Nutan in Meri Jung, etc. He had performed in every type of film including romantic films, comedy films, action dramas, serious films, etc. He had acted different actresses ranging from Padmini Kolhapuri, Sri Devi, Madhuri Dixit to Tabu, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, to name a few. Articles after articles can be devoted to the versatile actor. His notable films include Mr. India, Meri Jung, Tezaab, Pukar, Nayak, Virasat, No Entry, to name a few. He received filmfare awards, national awards for best actor and other awards dedicated for the excellence in bollywood cinema. Critics say that he never received the recognition that he deserved in life. In 2010, the film No Problem, produced by him, did mediocre business. He had acted well in the film along with Sushmita Sen, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna. A section of the crowd thinks that Anil Kapoor can contribute in mainly character roles, as his age is in the 50s. In 2015 also he did well in the film Welcome Back opposite John Abraham and Nana Patekar. Even then the viewers expect him to continue the good work and entertain the viewers in the same way both as actor and also producer, director, as he did in the last 25 years.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna.


Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna on 29th December, 2016. She has left films after marrying Akshay Kumar, but her performances in the recent past still haunts the viewers of bollywood films. She was very successful in the film Barsaat opposite Bobby Deol. Bobby Deol started his career with that film and it was produced by Dharmender. The music was impressive. Twinkle Khanna expressed her romantic feelings very well in the film. The viewers accepted the pair of Bobby Deol and Twinkle Khanna. With the success of the film in the early 90s, Twinkle Khanna became a readymade choice for any type of film. She acted with Shahrukh Khan in the film Badshah. Just like other films of Shahrukh Khan the film was based on fantasy and funny acts. Twinkle Khanna played her part very well in the film. The song “humto diwane hue yaar” became superhit. Twinkle Khanna also acted in the comedy film Joru Ka Ghulam with Govinda. As the name suggested, the film was related to the story of how a groom became obsessed with the bride and almost became her servant. Although the term was used in the literal sense, Govinda’s character proved the title of the film. Johnny Lever did well in the film. Twinkle Khanna gave able lips in the song “mai joru ka ghulam banke rahunga” with Govinda. Twinkle Khanna got a challenging role in Amir Khan’s film Mela. The story was related a girl being chased by dacoits and how she was saved. Amir Khan’s own brother acted in the film. The film had action sequences as well. Sonu Nigam’s song in the film “mela dilon ka aya hai” became super hit. The other challenge was matching Amir Khan’s acting performance in the film as in most of his films he had strived to reach perfection in the respective roles. The viewers accepted Twinkle Khanna’s performance opposite Amir Khan in the film. Probably Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai with Salman Khan was the most successful film of her career. The film was shot in UK, Switzerland and other European Countries. All the songs of the film were super hit including “o jana”, “is dil me kya hai”, “pehli pehli baar”, etc. In the film the love of Salman Khan for her reformed Salman Khan’s character, who was a playboy before that. Twinkle Khan looked gorgeous in the film. Twinkle Khan in a number of films opposite Ajay Devgan also in the late 90s. She had acting in her blood, as her mother Dimple Kapadia is considered one of the greatest actresses of bollywood films with landmark performances in films like Lekin, Prahar, Krantiveer, Sagar, Rudali, to name a few. Besides her father Rajesh Khanna was a superstar of the 70s. When Twinkle Khanna looked like dethroning Juhi Chawla, Preeti Zinta or Kajol in bollywood films, she married Akshay Kumar and ended her career. She must have been a proud wife as Akshay Kumar had proved himself to be the greatest entertainer of 2007 and 2008, with majority of his films becoming blockbusters. But a lot of acting was still left in Twinkle Khanna. The viewers of bollywood films expect Twinkle Khanna to make a comeback and contribute in character roles where there are not many matured actresses at the moment.

Happy birthday to Konkona Sen Sharma


The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Konkona Sen Sharma on 3rd December, 2016. Konkona Sen Sharma, one of the successful actresses of bollywood had remained down to earth. Recently she had given interview in Zee Bangla in a program held on 26th June, 2010, which was anchored by director Anurag Basu. She was born on 3rd December, 1979, in Kolkata. In the entire program which determined the greatest fan of Konkona Sen Sharma, the honesty and humbleness of the talented actress was reflected. References came about the performances of the co-stars of Konkona Sen Sharma, where she admitted that she admired Irfan Khan. She started her career with the film Ek Je Ache Kanya in 2000. Then she got National Award for the performance in the film Mr. and Mrs. Iyer in 2002. It was directed by her mother Aparna Sen. She acted well in the parallel cinema Page 3 in 2005. Then she received filmfare awards for best supporting actresses in the films Omkara in 2006 and Life in a Metro in 2007. Her performance in the film Omkara also earned her second national award in the category of best supporting actress. She spoke about her experience of acting opposite popular actress Rani Mukherjee in the film Laga Chunari Me Daag. She said that her dancing skills were quite weak. Her tool flew off and hurt Rani Mukherjee on the first day of shooting. She also did a great job opposite Farhan Akhtar in Zoya Akhtar’s film Luck By Chance which was given positive reviews by critics. Recently she carried her success in art films to commercial films as well. Her film Wake Up Sid opposite Ranbir Kapoor became a smash hit in 2009. She confessed that she was very comfortable working with the director Vishal Bharatswaj as he was organized and actor Ranbir Shorey who was very intimate to her. The Bengali audience expressed their sadness for not seeing her in many Bengali films. Her Bengali films were limited to only art films like Rituparna Ghosh’s Titli where she acted opposite Mithun Chakravarty and Aparna Sen and the film Doshor where she acted opposite Prasenjit Chatterji. She confessed that she did not get good scripts. But both Anurag Basu and Konkona Sen Sharma said that they will look forward to working in more Bengali films in future. The viewers expressed their regards to the talented actress and wished her best of luck for upcoming films.

Happy birthday to style-queen Zeenat Aman.


Happy Birthday to style –queen Zeenat Aman. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to style – queen Zeenat Aman on 19th November, 2016. She had dominated bollywood films in the 70s. She created attention with her successful performance in Dev Anand’s film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Hare Rama Hare Krishna was released in the year 1971. She played the role of a girl who became addicted to drugs. She became a style icon during the period when European Hippies and other communities influenced fashion all over the world. She had acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films in the mid-70s. Her successful films opposite Big B included Don, Dostana, Lawaarish, etc. In Don, she had shown martial art and the ability to adapt herself in action films. She was extremely successful in Raj Kapoor’s film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She played the role of a village girl whose face got burned and disfigured. The film was related to the romantic relationship of Zeenat with Shashi Kapoor, who was an urbanized youth. Lata’s songs in the film including “satyam shivam sundaram” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal require special mention. Zeenat gave able lips in the songs. In the early 80s Feroz Khan gave a stylish image to Zeenat in the film Qurbani. She played the role of a hotel singer and stormed bollywood with her performance. Her lips in the songs “aap jaisa koi mere zindagi me aye”, “laila ho laila”, etc., in the film Qurbani created sensation. Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna also gave memorable performances in the film. The film ended up being blockbuster. She also acted in serious films like Insaaf Ki Taraazu. In the 80s she acted opposite other stars as well. Her film Abdullah opposite Sanjay Khan did great business. The songs of Abdullah composed by RD Burman like “maine pucha chaand se” sung by Mohammad Rafi also became super hit. Zeenat was also known for contributing in action films like Shalimaar opposite Dharmender, Don opposite Big B, Ram Balram opposite Dharmender. In all those films the roles required action stunts. Zeenat did show her martial art stunts in the film Don. Her roles are idolized and reworked by Priyanka Chopra in Don – the Chase Begins. Zeenat gave good lips in qawallis as well. One example was in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi. It was released in 1977. She gave lips in Asha Bhosle’s song “hai agar dushman zamana” opposite Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor gave lips in Rafi’s portion with his own brilliance. Zeenat Aman left films in the mid -80s when she was at the summit of her career. Her films should be preserved.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Shankar Jaikishan and Mukesh were made for each other.


Shankar Jaikishan had composed more than 350 songs for Mohammad Rafi and around 300 songs for Lata Mangeshkar. But with Mukesh also they had a great partnership. One of the primary reasons of Shankar Jaikishan association with Mukesh was because both were part of the same team of Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor’s films were musical in nature and wherever the 3 met, Raj Kapoor, Mukesh and Shankar Jaikishan they created magic. In Awaara in 1951, Mukesh’s song for Raj Kapoor “awara hoon” created havoc in India and Russia. Shankar Jaikishan’s tune enchanted the audience. Mukesh’s duet song with Lata “dam bhar jo udhar muh phere” became smash hit. In Raj Kapoor’s film Aah, SJ created the successful song for Mukesh and Lata ‘aaja re”. In Shree 420 both the songs of Mukesh “mera juta hai japaani” and “ramaiya vasta maiya” became super hit. Again credit goes to Shankar Jaikishan. In the film Anari in 1959, all the songs of Raj Kapoor sung by Mukesh touched the souls of the audience including “kisiki muskurahato pe ho nisaar”, “sab kuch sikha humne na sikhi hoshiari”, “dil ki nazar se”, to name a few. In Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, all the songs of Mukesh became super hit including “mera naam raju gharana anar”, “hoton pe sachai rehti hai”, “hum bhi hai tum bhi ho”, “pyar kar le”, to name a few. The magic combination continued in other hit films of Raj Kapoor including Sangam, Deewana, Teesri Kasam, Around the World, Mera Naam Joker. In Sangam Mukesh’s song ‘dost dost na raha”, “o mehbooba” and “mere man ki ganga” really thrilled the audiences. All the songs of the film Deewana were run away hits like “deewana mujhko log kahe”, “pate ka baat kahega”, “tumhare bhi ja jai”, “ae sanam jisne tujhe chand sa surat di hai”, to nam a few. In Mera Naam Joker, Shankar Jaikishan’s composition were in melancholy mood. Mukesh’s song “jeena yahan marna yaha” and “jane kahan gaye wo din’ touched the hearts of the audience. While Mukesh enchanted the audience in Raj Kapoor’s films, in other films also Shankar Jaikishan composed beautiful tunes. In Dilip Kumar’s film Yaahudi the song “yeh mera deewanapan hai” touched the souls of viewers. In Manoj Kumar’s film Hariyali Aur Raasta, Mukesh’s song “ifteda-e-ishq me hum” really mesmerized the audience. The list can go on. Mukesh had sung around 200 songs under the composition Shankar Jaikishan and majority of them became immortal. The songs and the films required restoration.

Happy birthday to Amol Palekar.


Happy birthday to Amol Palekar. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Amol Palekar, on 24th November, 2016. He had been an invaluable asset of realistic films of the 70s and 80s. Directors like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and others had displayed stories relating to the common man due through the performances of Amol Palekar in the related films. He caught the attention of the viewers with his performance in the film Rajnigandha, directed by Basu Chatterji, where he acted opposite Vidya Sinha, the successful actress of the 70s. Salil Choudhury’s music in the film including songs sung by Lata, Yesudas and others like “janeman janeman”, “ranjigandha”, etc., created special impact on the viewers. Amol Palekar’s performance in the other film of Basu Chatterji, titled Chitchor also impressed the viewers. In that film a new pair of Zareena Wahab was created with Amol Palekar who was accepted by the viewers. The film revolved around the romantic story of Amol Palekar that took place in forest locations. The performance of Master Raju in the role of a child artist was also impressive. The music of the film composed by Ravindra Jain including songs like “gori tera gaon”, “tu jo mere sang me”, etc., sung by Hemlata and Yedudas was very impressive. Amol Palekar also gave brilliant performances in serious films like Gharonda, where he expressed the agony of a jobless person in Mumbai and other complication of life. Zarina Wahab again did well opposite him in the film. The music given by Jaidev and the lyrics written by Gulzar in the film was of very high standard. The notable songs sung by Bhupinder Singh and Runa Laila like “do diwane shahar me”, “ek akela is shahar me”, “tume ho na ho”, etc., are important landmarks of Indian film music and Amol Palekar should his capability of giving able lips even in compositions catered to the intellectual commodity. If the serious films of Amol Palekar gave variety to bollywood films in the 70s, the comedy films made every section of the society laugh. His combination with Utpal Dutta was considered one of the most successful combinations in the 70s and 80s, especially in respect of films which had intellectual humour in them. Golmaal and Naram Garam are two films where Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutta complimented each other with their distinct style of acting. In Golmaal, Amol Palekar had to play double role to impress Utpal Dutta and marry his daughter Vindya Goswami. In Naram Garam, he worked in the estate of Utpal Dutta, and after all the preparations being made Utpal Dutta instead of marrying Swaroop Sampad, asked Amol Palekar to marry her. Amol Palekar also did well in films like Baton Baton Me, opposite Tina Munim. His contribution to bollywood films was also wide in respect of direction. His directed film Paheli was critically acclaimed by the critics. He used Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee very well in the film. Viewers want Amol Palekar to make a comeback in bollywood films, as his face is wanted more infront of the camera than behind it as director. He can still contribute in character roles in modern bollywood films.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

The Charm of Showman Raj Kapoor is still there today.


Happy birth Anniversary to Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor is remembered by the nation on his birthday on 14th December, 2016. He was probably the most popular actor of bollywood films of the 40s, 50s and 60s other than Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor still remain the most popular actors of bollywood cinema in the last 70 years. One of the reasons of their immense success includes the superlative class of music being given to the giant actors by Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan. Naushad gave classic tunes to Dilip Kumar in the films Uran Khatola, Kohinoor, Mughal-I-Azam, Leader, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, to name a few. Rafi and Shakeel Badayani were the other players in the deadly combination. Rafi’s songs for Dilip Kumar like “madhuban me radhika nachere”, “woh dur ke musafir”, “tere husn ki kya taarif karun”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, “dilruba maine tere pyar me kya kya na kiya”, “aaj purani rahon se koi mujhe awaaz na den”, “na aadmi ka koi bharosa”, “do sitaron ka zameen par hai Milan aaj ki raat”, etc., remain one of the greatest creations of all times. If Naushad was unparallel as a composer, Shakeel Badayani was unparallel as a lyricist, Rafi was matchless as singer and Dilip Kumar matchless as an actor. Producer director Raj Kapoor was the closest competitor of Dilip Kumar during the 40s, 50s and 60s. In fact both the giants had acted together in the film Andaz in 1949. Raj Kapoor’s deadly combination with Shankar Jaikishan had produced super hit films like Barsaat, Aah, Awara, Shree 40, Chori Chori, Anari, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, to name a few. The music of those films were equally popular and successful. Songs of Mukesh and Manna Dey like “ramaiya vasta maiya”, “mur murk e na dekh”, “sab kuch seekha humne”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, “o mehbooba”, “dost dost na raha” “aa aab laut chalen”, had not lost their flavor even after 50 years of their creation. As Raj Kapoor had other qualities besides acting including production, direction, editing, etc., he is considered the greatest showman of all times even today. As far as the compositions of Naushad and Shankar Jaikishan are considered, both the composers had very strong classical orientation. Naushad gave folk tunes to Dilip Kumar in Ganga Jumna sung by Rafi including “nain lad jaiy he” and Lata in “dhoondo dhoondo resaajna”, etc. Shankar Jaikishan gave folk tunes to Raj Kapoor in Teesri Kasam in songs like “chalet musafir” sung by Manna Dey, to name a few. If Naushad displayed the muslim culture of Lucknow, Aligarh with his classical tunes in films like Leader, Kohinoor, Mughal-i-azam, Shankar Jaikishan displayed the European tunes in Raj Kapoor’s films Sangam, Around the World, etc., where the westernized orchestrations complimented the colourful scenary of the foreign countries. In fact, SJ’s tunes “chale jana zara theheron” showed the brilliance of Lake Erie and Niagra Falls stretching from Canada to USA, and mesmerizing the audience. Even in Sangam, the creation of SJ picturised in the snow-clad Switzerland titled “ishq the ishq, I love you” showed SJ’s capability of adapting to European tunes. The musical fountain in Around the World, showed the brilliance of SJ in the film Around the World. The lyrics written by Shakeel Badayani in Dilip Kumar’s films where music was composed by Naushad were as innovative as the lyrics written by Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’ films composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The lyrics contained urdu shairy, bhopuri language, ultramodern lyrics, rural language, etc. and appealed to the masses. Naushad had composed music in more than 15 films of Dilip Kumar and the same is the case of Shankar Jaikishan in Raj Kapoor’s films. The music of each of those films can be analysed and revisited. It is impossible to say whether Dilip Kumar’s combination with Naushad was greater than Raj Kapoor’s combination with Shankar Jaikishan, but it is true that the two giants had left assets for generations to cherish which had ended up being masterpieces. New actors, composers, singers, directors learn from the success of the Showman and Tragedy King and the works should be revisited. Raj Kapoor’s legacy is carried forward by his son Rishi Kapoor, grandson Ranbir Kapoor and granddaughter Kareena Kapoor. Both Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor had established themselves in bollywood films and will go a long way. Different private channels showed films of Raj Kapoor on his birthday in 2013. Raj Kapoor’s creations should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Amol Palekar.


Happy birthday to Amol Palekar. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Amol Palekar, on 24th November, 2016. He had been an invaluable asset of realistic films of the 70s and 80s. Directors like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and others had displayed stories relating to the common man due through the performances of Amol Palekar in the related films. He caught the attention of the viewers with his performance in the film Rajnigandha, directed by Basu Chatterji, where he acted opposite Vidya Sinha, the successful actress of the 70s. Salil Choudhury’s music in the film including songs sung by Lata, Yesudas and others like “janeman janeman”, “ranjigandha”, etc., created special impact on the viewers. Amol Palekar’s performance in the other film of Basu Chatterji, titled Chitchor also impressed the viewers. In that film a new pair of Zareena Wahab was created with Amol Palekar who was accepted by the viewers. The film revolved around the romantic story of Amol Palekar that took place in forest locations. The performance of Master Raju in the role of a child artist was also impressive. The music of the film composed by Ravindra Jain including songs like “gori tera gaon”, “tu jo mere sang me”, etc., sung by Hemlata and Yedudas was very impressive. Amol Palekar also gave brilliant performances in serious films like Gharonda, where he expressed the agony of a jobless person in Mumbai and other complication of life. Zarina Wahab again did well opposite him in the film. The music given by Jaidev and the lyrics written by Gulzar in the film was of very high standard. The notable songs sung by Bhupinder Singh and Runa Laila like “do diwane shahar me”, “ek akela is shahar me”, “tume ho na ho”, etc., are important landmarks of Indian film music and Amol Palekar should his capability of giving able lips even in compositions catered to the intellectual commodity. If the serious films of Amol Palekar gave variety to bollywood films in the 70s, the comedy films made every section of the society laugh. His combination with Utpal Dutta was considered one of the most successful combinations in the 70s and 80s, especially in respect of films which had intellectual humour in them. Golmaal and Naram Garam are two films where Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutta complimented each other with their distinct style of acting. In Golmaal, Amol Palekar had to play double role to impress Utpal Dutta and marry his daughter Vindya Goswami. In Naram Garam, he worked in the estate of Utpal Dutta, and after all the preparations being made Utpal Dutta instead of marrying Swaroop Sampad, asked Amol Palekar to marry her. Amol Palekar also did well in films like Baton Baton Me, opposite Tina Munim. His contribution to bollywood films was also wide in respect of direction. His directed film Paheli was critically acclaimed by the critics. He used Shahrukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee very well in the film. Viewers want Amol Palekar to make a comeback in bollywood films, as his face is wanted more infront of the camera than behind it as director. He can still contribute in character roles in modern bollywood films.

Shakila and Raj Kapoor were sublime in Shriman Satyawadi.


Raj Kapoor and Shakila were brilliant in Shriman Satyawadi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, due to high box office of blockbusters, the hit films did not get that recognition. For example, in 1960, Raj Kapoor’s film Shriman Satywadi was released. Due to super hit box office report of Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai and all time blockbuster Dilip Kumar’s Mugha-i- azam, Shriman Satyawadi got lost in the crowd of brilliant films. But the film was successful. SM Abbas directed the film. Mahipatray Shah produced the film. The music was composed by Dattaram. Raj Kapoor was shown as an honest man whose father was an honest medicine seller. His father was falsely implicated by Mehmood’s father Radhakrishan. He deliberately kept narcotic drugs in his shop so that police could arrest him. He got a heart attack and died. Raj Kapoor was brought up by his neighbor uncle who send him to industrialist Nazir Hussain for job in Mumbai. Nazir Hussain and his daughter Shakila allowed Raj Kapoor to work in their advertisement company. Mehmood joined the same company and created a cream and pharmaceutical products which adulterated content. Consumers got skin diseases and one person died. Raj Kapoor left the company and did other jobs and finally worked as journalist in the Newspaper company owned by Moni Chatterjee. In the last scene Raj Kapoor went with Moni Chatterjee in the house of Radhakrishan to tell the truth relating to adulterated products. His son Mehmood shot a bullet on Moni Chatterjee. In a tassle with Raj Kapoor, Mehmood fell in an acidic pool and died. The film proved that honesty was the right policy. The music of the film became super hit. Mukesh’s songs “haal-e-dil hamara”, “ai dil dekhe hai humne” became bumper hit. Rafi’s song “rang birangi botal ka kaisa hai jadoo” was as big hit as Suman Kalyanpur’s song “kyun ura jata hai anchal” and Manna Dey’s bheegi “hawaano me” as well as Mahendra Kumar’s song “ek baat kahoon vallah”. Dattaram’s music was as brilliant as lyrics of Hasrat Jaipuri. Mehmood in a comedy cum villainish role was impressive. Nazir Hussain and Radhakrishan played very impressive roles. Raj Kapoor probably acted only in one film opposite Shakila. Both the artists matched each other. They should have been cast in more roles. The film and the music require restoration.

Friday, December 9, 2016

Happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor.


Happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Anil Kapoor on 24th December, 2016. Critics argue that other than Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bacchan, no other actor in India had the same amount of individual talent as that of Anil Kapoor. He had sustained the heat and storm of bollywood films for more than 26 years and even at an age of 53, still remains an indispensable figure in bollywood industry. Although Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan took the industry by storm from the mid-90s, but Anil Kapoor had given one hit or the other in all those years. Furthermore those actors who had come with Anil Kapoor like Jackie Shroff, Sunny Deol and others shifted to character acting, but Anil Kapoor still remained hero in the recent period. That describes his talent in totality. In 2008, he had played different types of roles. In Race, the first super hit film of 2008, Anil Kapoor played the role of detective who had solved the mystery relating to the death of Saif Ali Khan. He disclosed the fact that Saif Ali Khan had not died but his death was planted. He also witnessed the death of Akshay Khanna when he competed with Saif Ali Khan in a car race. The film was related to the devolvement of family property between the two brothers. Anil Kapoor balanced the suspense –drama with action stunts of Saif Ali Khan, Akshay Khanna and dance sequences of Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy. The songs composed by Pritam like “pehli nazar”, “allah duhayi hai” became landmark hits in the early part of the year. He acted in a negative role in the big banner film Tashan with Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar. He sent Akshay Kumar to collect the debts of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Akshay Kumar discovered his childhood relationship with Kareena Kapoor and took revenge against Anil Kapoor at the end of the film in a power-pact action sequence. Although the film could not do justice to the star-cast and high expectations of the audience of the country, the funny performance of Anil Kapoor could not be ignored. Anil Kapoor was sublime in Subhash Ghai’s musical venture Yuvvraaj that was released in the last part of the year 2008. It was the first time that Subhash Ghai, AR Rehman and Gulzar had united together to compose the music of the film, and the music had already become hit. The hit songs of the film included “tu muskura”, “shanno shanno”, “to mera dost hai”, etc. Although Subhash Ghai concentrated more on the romantic presentation of the relationship between Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the film, the performance of Anil Kapoor as the elder brother and an innocent character appealed to the viewers the most. The audience has so much weakness for Anil Kapoor that the scene where Zaid Khan had slapped Anil Kapoor had created negative impact on the crowds and there were requests of editing of the scene. Although the film did not get box-office Anil Kapoor’s splendid performance was appreciated. In 2009, the film directed by Anil Kapoor titled Short Cut, got critical acclamation. He had cast Akshay Khanna in the lead role who played the role of a devoted director. He was cheated by the actor Arshad Warsi who got success in films by short cut. Akshay Khanna used him in his own film and took revenge against the cheating committed by Arshad Warsi. Sonu Nigam’s song “kal nau baje” appealed to the viewers. The film he had produced in 2009, titled Slumdog Millionaire, won numerous number of Oscar awards, including the best composer award won by AR Rehman. Anil Kapoor is continuing with his directoral projects ahead. In his long career, Anil Kapoor had acted with giants like Dilip Kumar and Big B in Sholay; Dilip Kumar, Nasiruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff in Karma, Nutan in Meri Jung, etc. He had performed in every type of film including romantic films, comedy films, action dramas, serious films, etc. He had acted different actresses ranging from Padmini Kolhapuri, Sri Devi, Madhuri Dixit to Tabu, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, to name a few. Articles after articles can be devoted to the versatile actor. His notable films include Mr. India, Meri Jung, Tezaab, Pukar, Nayak, Virasat, No Entry, to name a few. He received filmfare awards, national awards for best actor and other awards dedicated for the excellence in bollywood cinema. Critics say that he never received the recognition that he deserved in life. In 2010, the film No Problem, produced by him, did mediocre business. He had acted well in the film along with Sushmita Sen, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna. A section of the crowd thinks that Anil Kapoor can contribute in mainly character roles, as his age is in the 50s. In 2015 also he did well in the film Welcome Back opposite John Abraham and Nana Patekar. Even then the viewers expect him to continue the good work and entertain the viewers in the same way both as actor and also producer, director, as he did in the last 25 years.

Happy birthday to John Abraham.


Happy birthday to John Abraham. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to John Abraham on 17th December, 2016. Born in 1972, John Abraham attracted most of the producers and directors after building a manly body and appearing in many fashion contests. His dialogue throwing also had a Hollywood style more than Indian mannerisms. John Abraham impressed the viewers with his powerful performance in the film Kaal, opposite Lara Dutta, Ajay Devgan, Vivek Oberoi, Esha Deol and others. A number of persons were killed near Corbett National Park in UP and there was a mystery relating to those deaths. People thought that man-eating tigers in the region were responsible for the deaths of those persons. But later on the truth was unfolded and it was known that Ajay Devgan was a supernatural being and he killed everyone else in the forest. John Abraham’s stylish performance and macho image worked a lot in the success of the film where the rest of the actors also did very well. In the film Salaam-e-Ishq, he did very well opposite Vidya Balan, where the romantic pairs consisting of Salman Khan and Priyanka Chopra, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, Govinda and a European actress, Sohail Khan and Isha Koppikar, Akshay Khanna and Ayesha Takia, did very well in their respective roles. John Abraham’s wife Vidya Balan lost her memory after she met with a railway accident. Throughout the film John Abraham tried to recreate the memory the Vidya Balan and recollected the past experiences. The music in the film composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy became superhit. The landmark songs in the film included “tenule”, “salaam-e-ishq”, etc., to name a few. In 2008, John Abraham acted in one of the biggest blockbusers of the year titled Dostana, where he acted in a gay role opposite Abhishek Bacchan. Priyanka Chopra played the role of the friend of the two actors John Abraham and Abhishek Bacchan. Karan Johar’s films are known for their exotic locations and melodious music. Karan Johar did not disappoint his viewers in the film Dostana also. The beaches of Miami had attracted viewers of different ages. The songs “desi girl” and other songs became hits even before the release of the film. John Abraham’s body as exhibited in the film could have made any other actor of bollywood envious. John Abraham within his short career had acted with all the leading actors of bollywood which even include Nana Patekar. His pair with Bipasha Basu remained a big topic of discussion few years back. In recent years he had given big hits like Force, Housefull 2, etc. In 2015 his film Welcome back with Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar did business more than 95 crores. The viewers expect on the birthday of John Abraham that the macho man will even give better performance in the years to come and will be a serious threat for established actors like Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan.

Admirers are praying for recovery of heath of Dilip Kumar.


Dilip Kumar became sick and is hospitalized in Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai. All admirers are praying for his good health.Happy birthday to Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, the legend of legends. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Dilip Kumar, better known as Tragedy King on 11th December, 2016. After the death of evergreen star Dev Anand, few days back at the age of 88 years, Dilip Kumar is the only living legend still in right humour who had adorned the golden age of Indian cinema. An institution by himself, Dilip Kumar had been a torch bearer in the world of romantic acting for the last 72 years. Born in 1922, Yusuf Khan, one of the greatest actors of bollywood films of all times had created new dimensions at every decade with his unique style of acting. In 2013, he fell ill and was hospitalized for a short time. Entire Bollywood became concerned. He recovered and came home. On his birthday many guests came including Asha Parekh, Salim Khan, Rani Mukherjee and others. Although his performance in tragic roles like Bimal Roy’s Devdas and Madhumati, Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Musafir, and other landmark films had made him an icon of tragedy, he had proved his variation in comedy films, social films, action-oriented blockbusters. Directors like Bimal Roy, K. Asif, Tapan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, consider Dilip Kumar as the greatest actor of all times. He had made the characters immortal which he had played in his illustrious career. He had given extraordinary lips in landmark songs of the 50s and 60s sung by Mohammad Rafi like “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan aaj ki raat” in the film Kohinoor, “ek shahenshah ne banwake haseen tajmahal”, “tere husn ka kya tareef karun”, “apni azadi ko hum hargese mita sakte nahi”, in the film Leader, “dilruba maine tere pyar me kya kya na kiya”, “koi sagar dilko behlata nahi” in the film Dil Diya Dard Liya, “aaj ki raat mere”, “aye hai bahare dekho” in the film Ram Aur Shyam, to name a few. Giant composer Naushad made the greatest contribution in the films of Dilip Kumar, although Shankar Jaikishan gave quality music in the films Yahudi and Daag, Salil Choudhury contributed in the film Madhumati and Musafir. Dilip Kumar had acted opposite all the leading actresses of 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, including Madhubala in Tarana, Mughal-i-Azam, Nargis in Babul, Andaz, Meena Kumari in Kohinoor, Azad, Footpath, Vaijayantimala in Madhumati, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Wahida Rehman in Dil Diya Dard Liya, Aadmi, Ram Aur Shyam, Saira Banu in Sagina, Gopi, to name a few. Even during the 80s, his character roles created new dimension in bollywood films. His performance in the film Mashal, Masdoor, Shakti, Karma, Vidhata had inspired the new generation of actors like Anil Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and others. He has the record of getting the filmfare award for the best actor for the maximum number of times ( 8 times ) which had not been broken by even Shahrukh Khan till now. Dilip Kumar had not learned acting from any acting school yet the way he had made Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s character Devdas immortal, the actors of the next generation consider him an institution by himself. He had played roles of even trade union leaders in the film Sagina, he was the first actor in bollywood films to perform in a double role in the film Ram Aur Shyam. He created a trend and films with double roles were created in the same lines as that of Ram Aur Shyam in Seeta Aur Geeta, Chaalbaaz, Kishen Kanhaiya. He received the highest civilian award given by Pakistan, Nishan –e- imtiaz which was previously received by only one Indian, that is the former Prime Minister Morarji Desai. He had also received Dadasaheb Phalke award for his contribution in bollywood films. It is not possible to highlight the contribution of the legend of legends in a small article, as he had created an image which made him indispensable over 70 years in bollywood films. Yet his journey is not over. Even in the present age directors like Subhash Ghai engage him with his new projects these days. Many veteran actors came to Dilip Kumar to greet him on his birthday in 2012 and 2013. The viewers want Dilip Kumar to continue acting in bollywood films if his health permits. Viewers had got addicted to his soft tune of dialogue throwing and want him to reproduce the magic again.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Agradoot and bengali films.


Agradoot and bengali films.

Agradoot, group of directors were formed in 1960 by director Bibhuti Laha, sound recordist Jatin Dutta, Laboratory specialist Sailen Ghoshal, script writer Nitai Bhattacharya and producer Bimal Ghosh. They came, saw and conquered. Most of the films directed by Agradoot were produced by MP Productions.

In 1951, they made the film Sahajatri with Uttam Kumar and Bharati Debi. Music was composed by Robin Chatterji. The bond of Agradoot with Uttam Kumar just grew and grew. Very significantly Agradoot gave the maximum number of super hit Bengali films with the pair of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. If Ajoy Kar had directed the biggest blockbuster of the century namely Harano Sur and Saptapadi, Agradoot gave series of hit films with the eternal pair Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen. The list included Agniparikkha in 1954, Sabar Upare in 1955, Pathe Holo Deri in 1957, Surjo Toron in 1958, Bipasha in 1962. In Agradoot’s film composer Robin Chatterjee created the combination of singer Sandhya Mukherjee with Suchitra Sen. The rest was history. The legendary songs sung by Sandhya Mukherjee for Suchitra Sen in Agradoot’s films included “ghum ghum chand jhikimiki tara” in film Sabar Upare, “tumi na hoi rohite kache”, “e shudhu ganer din”, “ei saanjh ghera logon aaj” in Pathe Holo Deri, “klantir poth bujhiba furabe mor” in Bipasha, to name a few.

Uttam Kumar acted in other films of Agradoot namely Anupama in 1954 opposite Sabitri Chatterjee, Nayika Sangbad in 1967 opposite Anjana Bhowmick, Choddobeshi in 1971 opposite Madhabi Mukherjee, to name a few. At the same time Agradoot made realistic films which became award winning Bengali films. One of the examples included the film Lalu Bhulu in 1958. The film was related to two boys one being blind and the other being handicapped. Their story mesmerized the audience. The music composed by Robin Chatterjee in that film was excellent and Manobendra Mukherjee’s songs were classical in nature including “jar hiya akasher neel nilimay”, “sorjo tomar prothom toron kholo”, “dukher pathe naamly Jodi”, “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “ei pranjharona jaaglo”, to name a few. The film was remade in hindi with the title Dosti which also became super hit.

Agradoot was sublime in the film Babla in 1951, Badsha with Kali Banerjee and Khokababur Protyaborton with Uttam Kumar. Agradoot showed the risk of casting Uttam Kumar in the role of a servant in the film Khokababur Protyaborton and murderer in the film Kuhak. Uttam Kumar’s Uttarayan, Agnisangaskar are the other masterpieces of director Agradoot.

One article is too small to highlight the achievements of Agradoot. They had shaped the destiny of Bengali celluloid during 1950s and 1960s. Their films should be preserved and restored.

Saira Banu played different characters in her long career.


The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Saira Banu on 23rd August, 2016. 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.

Happy birthday to Salman Khan.


Happy birthday to Salman Khan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Salman Khan on 27th December, 2016. He had been the other superstar other than Shahrukh Khan who had ruled bollywood films for the last 23 years. Although he had mixed results in respect of success of his films released in 2009 and 2008, his popularity and box-office had remained intact. In 2010, he had given the greatest hit Dabanng, which had done business of more than Rs 150 crores. From that time he had proved himself as the greatest cash generator of bollywood films. His film Ready released in summer 2011 did business worth 125 crores and his film Bodyguard had broken the record of Dabanng and did business worth 160 crores. In 2012 his film Ek Tha Tiger had been the greatest grosser with business of 200 crores. His other film Dabaang 2 had already done business of more than 158 crores. In 2013 he did not act in any film. In 2014 his film Jai Ho did medium business with 115 crores. But his other film Kick became a blockbuster with business of 235 crores. His film Bajrangi Bhaijaan in 2015 did business worth Rs 320 crores. His other film Prem Ratan Dhan Payo on the first day of release itself did business of 40 crores. He created an impression before the viewers with his romantic film Maine Pyar Kiya in 1989. After that he had acted in every type of film including comedy films, action films etc. His musical blockbusters include Khamoshi with Manisha Koirala, Andaz Apna Apna with Amir Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Ravina Tandon, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Twinkle Khanna, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega opposite Preeti Zinta, to name a few. He build a manly body from the early part of his career and from that time became the role model of many youngstars of the country. His action films included Auzaar with Shilpa Shetty, Tumko Na Bhool Payenge with Diya Mirza, Tere Naam, Karan Arjun opposite Mamta Kulkarni, to name a few. His recent action film in 2009 titled Wanted opposite Ayesha Takia did brilliant business. Although he did not shape his career as an action hero like Sunny Deol or Sanjay Dutt, his performance in action films were very impressive. He acted in landmark comedy films during his career, which included Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya opposite Katrina Kaif and Sushmita Sen, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge opposite Priyanka Chopra, Partner opposite Lara Dutta, God Tussi Great Ho opposite Priyanka Chopra, to name a few. In 2009, he acted in romantic films Mai Aur Mrs Khanna, opposite Kareena Kapoor, and also London Dreams with Ajay Devgan and Asin. Although Mai Aur Mrs. Khanna did average business, London Dreams became hit. If his films in 2008 can be analyzed it can be said that his film Heroes with Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Preeti Zinta, had done best business so far. The films God Tussi Great Ho did average business and the film Yuvvraaj could not rise up to the hype that was created by strong promotion of Subhash Ghai. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s performance had been well appreciated by the film-lovers and the film had created aesthetic values with innovative music and good locations. In 2010 his film Veer has both romantic elements and action elements as well but the huge cost that was put up was not recovered at all. His television show Dus Ka Dum in Sony Channel got fantastic response in 2009. The leading actors of bollywood films including Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Jeetender, Tusshar Kapoor, Amir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, all appeared in that show and Salman Khan helped all of them for the promotion of their films that were released this year. In 2011 his show Big Boss got excellent viewership with Sanjay Dutt also sharing the role of anchoring. Salman Khan had been extremely popular for the viewers of TV Channels for his straight forward communications. He appeared in Saregamapa Music Competition in Zee TV with Katrina Kaif and asked Aditya Narayan, Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam, Shankar Mahadevan and others about the fate of Aneek, Raja and others who had won the competition before. He enquired whether they had got chance in bollywood films or whether they were still struggling. No other bollywood actor would have ever been concerned about the fate of upcoming talents including singers, dancers, actors, etc. In 2011 he came during Zee Saregamapa Little Champs program and encouraged child participants like Azmat Hussain, Niladri Chatterjee, Salman Ali, Nitin Kumar, and others. In 2012 and 2013 he did a great job in the TV Program Big Boss. The viewers expect him to break records after records as it is proved in the recent 3 years that he is the greatest crowdpuller in the country. Salman Khan had always been involved with controversies and his good deeds got neutralized due to the killing of deers in Jodhpur, offense relating to rash and negligent driving, etc. But those who had behaved well with Salman Khan know that he is a gem of a human being. 2010 had been a year with mixed fortunes for Salman Khan. While Veer did mediocre business, Dabanng ended up being blockbuster. He had also hosted the show Big Boss with huge success. 2011 had been excellent for Salman Khan with 2 of his films Ready and Bodyguard giving business of more than 125 crores each. The viewers expect Salman Khan to give an even better performance in the film Dabaang 3 opposite Sonakshi Sinha which are going to be made in future.

Friday, December 2, 2016

Vaijayantimala Rajender Kumar gave landmark films in 1960s.


Rajender Kumar acted in many landmark films in the 60s and successfully performed opposite leading actresses of that age including Meena Kumari, Sadhna, Wahida Rehman, etc. But his performance opposite Vaijayantimala created a distinct impact on the viewers. Vaijayantimala previously formed a legendary combination with Dilip Kumar. In the film Sangam, she was attached with Rajender Kumar, but Rajender Kumar due to his soft corner for Raj Kapoor he could not express it.Raj Kapoor the airforce and the news relating to his death surprised Rajender Kumar and Vaijayantimala. At the time when they made up their mind of marrying each other Raj Kapoor again returned back and Vaijayantimala married him. Rajender Kumar sacrificed his life for his friends. The viewers were in their tears when Rafi’s song “ki tum naraz na hona” was played when his ashes were immersed by Raj Kapoor and Vaijayantimala in the holy prayag sangam in Allahabad. Both of them acted together in the film Suraj where Rajender Kumar was a prince and Vaijayantimala was a princess. It was an action-pact film where the melodious songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan created a great impact on the audience. Songs of Rafi, Lata and Asha including “chehre pe giri zulfen”, “kaise samjhayun”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe”, “baharon phool barsao”, etc, mesmerized the viewers. Both of them did well in the film Saathi also, where Rajender Kumar became blind. The music was composed by Naushad, and Mukesh and Lata sung very well songs like “mera pyar bhi tu hai” and others. Vaijayantimala gave a spirited performance in the film Zindagi opposite Rajender Kumar. She was not accepted by her father-in-law played by Prithviraj Kapoor, and she struggled hard with her mother to stay separately, without the support of Rajender Kumar. He accepted her at the end of the film and repented for the misunderstanding. Their other hit films include Aas Ka Panchi, Ganwar, etc., and in all these films the romantic pair got the appreciation of the mass audience. Their films had strong storyline and music and for those reasons should be restored.

Meena Kumari still remain in the hearts of filmlovers.


The viewers of bollywood films remembered Tragedy Queen Meena Kumari both on her birth anniversary on 1st August, 2016 on her death anniversary on 31st March, 2016. Meena Kumari can be considered as the greatest actress of Bollywood during the golden age who had portrayed images and characters showing complexity of the mind of the Indian women and the social ostentations that they had faced during different periods of time. Meena Kumari, born on 1st August, 1932, known as Mahjabeen Bano, stormed into the Indian silver screen in 1952, with the sublime performance in Baiju Bawra. Although the film had been renowned for everlasting composition of Hindustani ragas by Naushad and supreme performance of Mohammad Rafi, with songs like “man tarpata”, “woh duniya ke rakhwale”, etc., Meena Kumari’s performance opposite Bharat Bhushan showed the filmlovers that she had come to conquer Bollywood with her soft style of acting. In the 50s Meena Kumari’s performance in films like Parineeta, 1953, Footpath, 1954, Yahudi, 1958, etc. were appreciated by critics, but she had created her image of martyr in the film Sharda, 1957, where even after having an affair with Raj Kapoor, in the film she had to sarcrifice her affection to marry Raj Mehra, his father, who was much older than her. In Dil Ek Mandir, 1963, Meena Kumari after having affair with Rajender Kumar in her youth had to marry Raj Kumar, due to social pressure. But from the time she had married Raj Kumar, she fulfilled all the duties of a middle class Hindu woman, and brought her sick husband to the hospital at the mercy of Rajender Kumar. She prayed to God, for the recovery of Raj Kumar. Rajender Kumar sacrificed his life to treat her husband and died at the end of the film. The songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Rafi and Lata, had not lost their significance even today. In 1962, Meena Kumari, performed the role of choti bahu, in Guru Dutt’s Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam, the film showing the zamindari raj (dominance of Feudal lords) existing in the British capital in India, that is Kolkata. She was married to the youngest son in a family of zamindars who used to attend mujras in Jaan bazaar, in Kolkata, where performers from Lucknow, Benaras used to come and exhibit their skills of singing classical songs. She tried to retain her husband Rehman at home, and through her conversation, Guru Dutt, the observer came to know about the history of the family. Meena Kumar’s performance opposite Pradeep Kumar, used to create a different dimension, as her pardanashin image had matched with royal style of acting of Pradeep Kumar. After the success of Aarti, 1962; Meena Kumari, acted in the blockbusters Bheegi Raat, 1965, and Bahu Begum, 1967, opposite Pradeep Kumar and Ashok Kumar. In Bheegi Raat, she loved Pradeep Kumar, yet due to an accident which made her legs paralysed she could not attend the engagement and worked in the house of Ashok Kumar as governess. When society boycotted Ashok Kumar, she agreed to marry her, but presence of Pradeep Kumar at the end of the film in the song “dil jo na keh saka” compelled Ashok Kumar to sacrifice his affair and go back to London. It was a film where, Rafi, Lata, Roshan and the actors all had provided their best performance possible. Meena Kumar’s other film with Pradeep Kumar titled Chitralekha was also successful. Meena Kumari had become immortal with her classic performance in the film Pakeeza, 1971, opposite Raj Kumar, which took around 10 years to be completed. It was created on a subject related to women brought up in kotha and exhibited the class of women who could not give the recognition to their next generation as their father’s are not known. The music composed by Ghulam Mohammad, Lata and Rafi’s songs, Kamal Humrohi’s direction (the husband of Meena Kumari) all complemented each other, and the film became historical piece of document. The greatest hallmark of Meena Kumari lied in her ability to depict the helplessness of Indian women existing specially in the 50s and 60s, when the patriarchal society dominated them and they had no independent income to live separately against the pressure of society. In her performances, beauty, aristrocracy, tragedy, personality all blended into one. Whenever we think about cine-classics like Dil Apna aur Preet Parayi, 1960, or Ghazal, 1965, Meena Kumari’s image automatically comes in our mind. She died in 1972, only at an age of 41. Meena Kumari’s films should be restored in an archive for future generations to learn the art of understanding the characters from the core of the heart the way Meena Kumari had done during the golden age of Indian cinema.