Ravi Shankar Sharmaji's combination with Rafisahab is remembered for generations.

Ravi Shankar Sharmaji and Mohammad Rafisahab’s combination is remembered for generations. Renowned music director Ravi Shankar Sharmaji died on 7th March, 2012, at the age of 86 years. His music had remained immortal over the years. From the film Vachan and Albeli in 1955 he started his musical journey. In 1960, Mohammad Rafisahab’s soft ghazal “chaudavi ka chand” in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand made him a musical star. Guru Dutt’s picturization was as outstanding as the lyrics and the brilliant performance of Rafi Sahab in both the songs “chaudavi ka chand ho” and “mili khak me muhobbat”. Even Rafi Sahab’s songs for Johnny Walker in the film namely “mera yaar bana hai dulha” and “yeh duniya gol hai” caught the attention of the music lovers. From that time it was magic been created whenever Rafi Sahab and Ravi Sahab combined together. In Rajender Kumar’s film Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan in 1959, Rafi Sahab’s song “ajab hai maalik tera jahan” was very impressive. Ravi Sahab used Rafisahab in films of Raj Kapoor also namely Nazrana in 1961. The song “baazi kisi ne pyar ka” stood out among the other hit songs of the same film including “bikhrake zulfen’ sung by Mukeshji and Lataji. In 1961, Rajender Kumar’s Gharana stormed bollywood with the soft music in the songs “husnwale tera jawab nahin”, “jab se tumhe dekha hai” where Rafi’s velvety voice made the audience spellbound. Ravi Sahab and Rafi Sahab created in Rajender Kumar’s other film Pyar Ka Saagar in 1961, where the song “mujhe pyar ki zindagi denewale” made viewers spellbound. In many of the film of Ravi Shankar Sharma, Shakeel Badayani wrote the lyrics. In Shammi Kapoor’s China Town, Ravi’s music for Rafi had loud numbers like “baar baar dekho”. The magic combination did magic in Biswajeet’s film Shehnai. Rafi’s song “na jhatkon zulf se pani”. In Sunil Dutt’s film Nartakee in 1963, Rafisahab’s song “zindagi ke safar me akele the hum” created hypnotizing effect. Although Ravi created majority of songs for Rafi, he composed lots of successful songs for Mahendra Kapoor like “chalo ek baar phir se” in Gumrah, “neele gagan ki tale” in Humraaz, especially in the films of BR Chopra. The sarengi that had been used by Ravi had been excellent. No other composer other than Roshanlal Nagrath had used sarengi, the way Ravi used in the film Kaajal in 1965. Rafi’s songs for Raj Kumar namely “ye zulf agar khulke” and “chulene do nazuk hotonko” had made the audience intoxicated. Rafi Sahab’s song for Raj Kumar Nai Roshni in 1967, “kis tarah jeeten hai yeh log” really enchanted the audience. The 2 other songs composed by Ravi Sahab for Rafi Sahab were impressive “garibon ka jeena hai koi jeena” and “teri ankh jo ishara”. Biswajeet and Ashok Kumar played important roles in the film. All the songs of the film Do Badan in 1966 were smash hits. Rafi and Ravi were unparallel in the songs “bhari duniya me akhir dil”, “raha gardishon me hardam”, “naseeb me jisko jo”, etc., which were picturized on Manoj Kumar. Shakeel Badayani’s lyrics were meaningful and soulful. Even in Joy Mukherjee’s film Door Ki Awaaz, Ravi Rafi combination gave all super hit songs. They included “muqaddar azmana chahta hoon”, “banake mera muqaddar”, “dil mera aaj kho gaya hai kahin”, “husn se chand bhi sharmaya hai”, to name a few. The combination created magic in the films Ankhen, Do Kaliyan and Neel Kamal in 1968. Biswajeet’s song “tumhari nazar kyun khafaa ho gayi”, “yeh samaa yeh rut yeh nazaare” sung by Rafisahab had brilliant romantic andaz. All the songs in the film Neel Kamal were touchy including “tujkho pukare mera pyar”. It became a cult song. Rafi’s song “babul ki duyayen leti ja” had become a cult song during the marriages of daughters in India. It was also a gift of the Rafi and Ravi combination. The magic continued in the film Ek Phool Do Mali. Rafi’s songs “o nanhe se farishte” and “aulad walon” made the viewers and listeners mesmerized. In the 70s, Ravi faded out of the industry and made a comeback with the film Nikaah. Although Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle made notable contribution in Ravi’s songs, his magic of soft romantic tunes could be given right expression by Mohammad Rafi. The list of Rafi songs for Ravi is so long that it cannot be covered in several articles together. Even then the films and the songs should be restored. Although Ravi did not get the same honour as Shankar Jaikishan, or Naushad Ali or Roshan Lal Nagrath, his contribution in bollywood films cannot be ignored and he is one of the 10 best composers India had produced during the 50s and 60s and his combination with Mohammad Rafi had been unique.

Happy birthday to Tabu.

Happy birthday to Tabu on 4th November. All the viewers of bollywood films had wished happy birthday to Tabu on the 4th of November, 2019. Although these days Tabu is not in the news to the extent she used to be few years back, she still enjoys popularity from bollywood audience. In 2015 her performance in Ajay Devgan’s film Drishyam was awesome. In 2014 her performance in the role of elder sister of Salman Khan in the film Jai Ho was well appreciated by the audience. When she entered films, within very short period of time she was recognized by the directors of parallel films and realistic films and experimented with her in dynamic roles. Gulzar gave her a challenging role in the film Machis. It was related to the story on terrorism existing in Punjab in the 90s. Tabu represented a member of a family who was affected by such terrorism. Her performance stand out among other notable performances of Om Puri and Chandrachud Singh in the same film. She played a challenging role in the film Tarqeeb. The film was related to suspense of her death. She was killed and Nana Patekar did an impressive investigation to unearth the truth as to her killing. The first part of the film showed Tabu’s struggle in maintaining her family and her fight against poverty. The early part her relevance in respect of finding the motive of killing her in the film. She played the role of a strict police officer in the film Kohram with Nana Patekar. Nana Patekar took the disguise of a journalist to unearth the identity of Big B in the film who was alleged to have been involved with criminal activities. At the end of the film both Big B and Nana Patekar co-operated with each other in their fight against Danny and his men who were really involved with anti-national activities. Tabu was very impressive in her respective role in the film Hu Tu Tu. She also changed her image by performing in serio-comic performance in the film Bibi No.1, where she played the role of the wife of Anil Kapoor who helped Karishma Kapoor to bring peace in her family after her husband Salman Khan got involved in extra-marital affair with Sushmita Sen. Tabu had acted in off-beat films like Chandni Bar and received critics acclamation for her performance in those types of films. She also acted in Mira Nair’s Hollywood film Namesake. Last year she played a notable role in the film Cheeni Kum with Big B where she depicted the character of a middle-aged lady who entered into an affair with an old man. She is probably one of the Hyderabadi actresses, who had done well both in bollywood films as well as South Indian films. Even more than that her performance in the comedy film Hera Pheri, where she acted opposite Sunil Shetty had no similarity with the role of village girl in Virasat where she acted opposite Anil Kapoor. She had showed her range of acting over the last 15 years and other than Dimple Kapadia there are no actresses of contemporary period who has equal potential as that of Tabu. Although she had acted in Telegu films in 2008 like Pandurangadu, she had not played any important role in any bollywood film in 2009. In 2010, she acted in the film Toh Baat Pakki, but that film did mediocre business. In 2012 Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai opposite Salman Khan and Govinda was supposed to be released. But it is supposed to be released in 2014. The other film Life of Pi was released and she got critical acclamation. In 2014, she was seen in Salman Khan’s film Jai Ho, which was previously name as Mental. Jai Ho did business of 115 crores. Her admirers expect her to make a strong comeback in bollywood films and contribute in both commercial and off-beat films.

Happy birthday to Beauty Queen Aishwarya Rai.

Happy birthday to Beauty –Queen Aishwarya Rai. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to bollywood beauty-queen Aishwarya Rai on 1st November, 2019. She had been the first woman in India whose wax Statue had been made in Madam Tussadd’s Museum in London , UK. After winning Miss World Crown she stormed Bollywood films with Jeans. Her film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, released in late 1990s became super hit. Her screen presence in traditional Rajasthani dress flabbergasted the viewers. She gave elegant lips in the songs “nimura nimura” and “dhol baaje”. She gave the best performance of her life in the film Taal. Her softness in the film opposite Ashay Khanna and Anil Kapoor charmed the viewers. AR Rehman’s music in the film was sensational. All the songs in the film became super hit including “ishq bina kya jina”, “rabba jogi”, etc. Ash in that period was at the top of her career. She also did well opposite Anil Kapoor in the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In that film she was raped by Puru Raj Kumar and was given shelter by Anil Kapoor. After that her docile image balanced the strong performance of Anil Kapoor in the film. The film got huge box-office. Ash created spark in item numbers as well. The best example can be “kajra re kajra re” in the film Bunty Aur Babli. Gulzar wrote the lyrics which was sung by Alisha Chinoi. The music was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. In fact the best dance performance of the film was related to the song which pulled the crowds. Aishwarya’s other hit films include Josh, Kuch Na Kaho, Sarkar Raaj, etc. 2008 was a great year for Ash. After success in the film Dhoom 2 opposite Hrithik Roshan, she amazed the viewers with her powerful performance in the film Jodha Akbar, again opposite Hrithik Roshan. If Dhoom 2 showed her westernized dimensions, Jodha Akbar proved her royal andaz. That was the best film of the year and of her career till now. Aishwarya Rai played a very notable role in the films Bride and Prejudice and other Hollywood films. Articles after articles can be devoted on Aishwarya Rai’s Hollywood performances. In 2010 the viewers appreciated her performance in the role Sita in Mani Ratnam’s film Ravan. Her film Action Replay opposite Akshay Kumar did not do great business. Viewers appreciated her performance in the film Guzarish where she had acted opposite superstar Hrithik Roshan and it was critically acclaimed film. She discontinued acting for 2 years after giving birth to a daughter. She did well in her comeback film Jazbaa which had been released in 2015. The viewers expect Ash to continue the great work that she had started 15 years back.

Remembering Shankar Singh Raghubanshi on birth anniversary.

Immortal combination of Shankar Jaikishan with Mohammad Rafi sahab. Great composer Shankar Singh Raghubvanshi is remembered on his birth anniversary on 15th October, 2019. He was also remembered on death anniversary on 26th April, 2016. He was one of the genius composers of the famous duo Shankar Jaikishan. In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s a number of composers dominated Bollywood films. Naushad Ali, Roshanlal Nagrath, Madanmohan Kohli, OP Nayyar, all had the class of their own. 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.

Subir Sen sang landmark songs in 1960s.

Subir Sen songs are still relevant. Subir Sen, the noted Bengali Singer who had played a great innings in both Mumbai and Bengal had always remained an unsung singer. He had super hit songs in Bengali from the 50s to 70s. Some of his hit songs included “akash jekhane golpo bole”, “chand tumi eto alo kotha hote pele”, “chondon ankha chotto kopal”, “dur diganto dheke aache meghe”, etc. His song “eto sur aar eto gaan” and “saradin tomay bhebe” mesmerized the Bengali audience in the late 50s. Composer Sudhin Dasgupta and Abhijit Banerjee composed some memorable songs for Subir Sen. His other song “ogo shakuntala” composed by Bhupen Hazarika was very well appreciated by the Bengali audience. Some of his other songs included “nogor jibon chobir moton”, “ei ujjal din”, “swarnojhara surjorange”, tomra amar gaan shune”, “tomar hashi lukiye”, “tumi bolechile”, etc. He also sang songs under the composition of Salil Choudhury including “dharaniro pothe pothe”. He also acted in Uttam Kumar’s film Momer Alo, where composer Robin Chatterji had composed songs for him. He was extremely successful in his bollywood venture. He sang the songs in the film Katputli with elegance. The songs were composed by legendary composer Shankar Jaikishan. His song “dil mera ek aas ka panchi” became super hit in the film Aas Ka Panchi. Jubilee Kumar Rajender Kumar gave lips in the song and Shankar Jaikishan composed the song for Subir Sen. He was even impressive in the songs sung in Shammi Kapoor’s film Boy Friend which were also composed by Shankar Jaikishan. His success somewhat got overshadowed due to the similarity of his voice with Bengali singer Hemant Kumar or Hemanta Mukherjee. His songs and the films should be preserved and restored.

Singer Arati Mukherjee was given first break by music director Robin Chatterjee.

Singer Arati Mukherjee was given the first break by eminent Bengali composer Robin Chatterjee. Arati Mukherjee gave an exclusive interview in Anandabazar Patrika before Pathik Pandit, and it was published on 9th October, 2011. Arati Mukherjee lost her father at an early age. She lived in a joint family. She learned classical singing from different gurus including Sushil Banerjee. He was the judge of a music competition, where Arati Mukherjee participated. Eminent singer Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya was the chief judge in that competition and he was impressed by Arati Mukherjee’s singing. He asked Sushil Banerjee, whether Arati Mukherjee is interested to sing a duet song with him in the film Mamlar Fol. The film was based on the story of kathasahityik Sarat Chandra Chatterjee. Robin Chatterjee was the leading composer of Bengali films of the 50s and composed excellent music in films like Sagarika, Pathe Holo Deri, etc. In the 60s Arati Mukherjee got scope of singing in hit films like Deya Neya, Shankha Bela. Her song “madhabi madhute holo mitali” in the film Deya Neya became very successful. Her pet name was Alo. Arati Mukherjee married famous solicitor Shreyas Manim. In the flat in Mumbai famous singer and composer Hemanta Mukherjee came. He asked her to make a cake. She started making the cake. Then she and husband played a song of Ustad Amir Khan. The cake became overcooked. Hemanta Mukherjee ate that cake and said that it added taste due to the music. Her journey in the hindi film world started with the film Geet Gata Chal. She received filmfare award for her song in the film Masoom, where RD Burman composed music. Arati Mukherjee talked about a number of composers including Nochiketa Ghosh and Sudhin Dasgupta. She talked about director Hrithik Ghatak who was looking for a new voice for his film Subarnarekha. Hrithik Ghatak met Arati Mukherjee’s guru Sagiruddin Khan and he introduced Arati Mukherjee to Hrithik Ghatak. Tapan Sinha composed the song “choti si panchi” sung by Arati Mukherjee. Arati Mukherjee’s humbleness had amazed the readers and listeners of music.

Happy birthday to Megastar of the Millenium Amitabh Bacchan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to the megastar of bollywood films Amitabh Bacchan on 11th October, 2019. Born in 1942, he had been the most popular actor of the entire millennium. In the 70s his films like Zanjeer, Sholay, Deewar created a new age of action films. His angry young man image created a revolution during an age when corruption became rampant in India. If Zanjeer was related to the obstacles faced by an honest police officer to safely perform his duties, Deewar was based on the contradiction of two brothers of whom one was a police officer, while the other was compelled to be a smuggler due to social compulsions. Sholay was based on the story of domination of the Chambal region of India by dacoits. The Thakur (played by Sanjeev Kumar) of the village employed two brave criminals namely Big B and Dharmender to face the dacoits. Big B was a very powerful actor and became the choice of all the leading directors of the 70s and 80s. His films included Abhimaan directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sholay directed by Ramesh Sippy, Zanjeer directed by Prakash Mehra, Deewar directed by Yash Chopra, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat directed by Shakti Samanta, Amar Akbar Anthony directed by Manmohan Desai, to name a few. The other factor which singled out Big B with the other actors in terms of his versatility was his baritone voice which he modulated to perfection. His comedy films like Namakhalal, Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, created new dimensions in Indian film history. His notable films during the 80s included Shakti, Akhree Rasta, Inquilab, etc. Even in the 90s his films like Akela and Indrajeet carried his strong personality forward. Big B had played a huge innings as a character actor and his films like Black, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc., showed the viewers, that after Dilip Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar, Big B was an actor with whom the directors could do any experiment. His performance in his son Abhishek Bacchan’s films like Bunty Aur Babli had also been notable. In 2010, he received the national award for the best actor for the third time for his excellent performance in the film Paa. In 2011, he was absolutely brilliant in the role of an academician in Prakash Jha’s film Aarakshan. In 2013, his performance in Prakash Jha’s film Satyagraha was brilliant. Day by day his acting skills are just getting better and better and he is experimenting in different types of roles. Even in Kaun Banega Crorepati he is the anchor and his profound educational background and pure hindi accent amazes the viewers. Sony TV cannot think about any other anchor other than Amitabh Bacchan. In 2018 he is acting in the film Thugs of Hindustan. The viewers expect him to continue the great work that he started 40 years back.

Happy birth anniversary to Rebel Star Shammi Kapoorsahab.

Viewers remembered Shammi Kapoor on his birth anniversary on 21st October, 2016. Rebel Star Shammi Kapoor is remembered on 14th August, 2015, his death anniversary, for his immense contribution to Bollywood films. On 14th August, 2011, veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, passed away. He was 79 years old. The country had become sad due to his demise. He brought a new wave in Indian films with powerful performances in films like Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Janwar and other films. He used to be called Rebel Star and the Indian Elvis Priestley. One thing for which viewers used to be mad to see his films during 60s used to be the everlasting music in the films and brilliance of Mohammad Rafi in those songs. Rafi had sung 341 songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan during his illustrious career with 216 solos. Very significantly 3 of the filmfare awards that Rafi received during 60s had been composed by Shankar Jaikishan. They included “teri pyari pyari surat ko kiski nazar na lage” from the film Sasural, “baharon phool barsao” from the film Suraj and “dilke jharoke me mujhko bithaker” from the film Brahmchari. But in the list of songs sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, at least half of the total sungs were composed for Shammi Kapoor. Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan worked together for around 22 films, most of which did great business in the 60s. If Rafi’s songs sung for Shammi Kapoor are remembered for the loud music and melo-dramatic dance numbers, there were lot of songs which were ever romantic and touched the hearts of the viewers. In the film Junglee, Rafi’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” and “meri yaar shabba khair” had very melodious appeal and the sweetness of Rafi haunted the listeners for years. In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, the songs “awaz deke hume tum bulayo”, “mai chali mai chali”, probably had set the mood of the film. From that time Rafi, Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan created magic in one film after the other. In Raj Kumar, Rafi’s soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor like “yeh rang badalti duniya me”, “tumne kisiki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” made the viewers speechless. Even the western numbers of Shankar Jaikishan for Rafi stole the hearts in the 60s. In the film Janwar, Rafi’s number “meri muhabbat jawan rahegi” and “humko hai tumse pyar” had been the most romantic songs in the film, where the landscape of Kashmir and Rafi’s melodious voice complimented each other. In the film An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho” and “raat ke humsafar” were the most romantic numbers which were more melodious than the loud numbers which equally became hits. In Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmachari, probably the best songs included “mai gayun tum so jayo” and “dil ke jharoke mai”. “mai gayun tum so jayo” was sung twice by Rafi in the film, one with a even slower rhythm. Shankar Jaikishan’s background music was as brilliant as Rafi’s singing style for Shammi Kapoor. In the film Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Rafi’s soft number “janam janam ka saath hai” had remained evergreen and melodious for years. In Latt Sahab, Rafi’s romantic number with Asha Bhosle titled “aye chaand zara ruk ja” haunted the listeners for years after years. Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan combined together in other films of Shammi Kapoor like Prince, Buttameez, Laat Sahab, Ujala, Chote Sarkar, Hong Kong, etc. There were many more romantic numbers of Rafi sung for Shammi Kapoor, which cannot be covered in a small article. In Shammi Kapoor’s Jawan Muhabbat, the song “jawan muhabbat jahan jahan hai” was very romantic. The last film where Shankar and Jaikishan worked together for Shammi Kapoor included Andaz. The songs “dil use do jo jaan de de” and “re mamma re mamma re” were brilliant both in form and orchestration. It was very unfortunate that Jaikishan died in 1971,and after that Shammi Kapoor also added weight and switched to character roles in films like Zameer, Parvarish, etc. The magical combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended and the era of romantic songs also suffered a set back. Some section of listeners argue that Rajender Kumar probably received the more romantic numbers sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, but Shammi Kapoor’s combination with Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was phenomenal which swept the youth and took them to a different inspite of Shammi Kapoor being called a rebel star and Shankar Jaikishan providing the most loud bomblastic numbers for Rafi. The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shammi Kapoor, Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia.

Happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Chubby Star Ayesha Takia on 10th April, 2018. Actress Ayesha Takia has a very bright future in bollywood films. There are two categories of actresses who perform in bollywood films. The first category includes the daughters of celebrities who make their debut in films made by their parents. Examples include Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, whose first films had lot of curiousness created in respect of the performance. The second category includes the other actresses who prove their capability by performing in films over a period of time. Ayesha Takia fall in that category. She was born on 10th April, 1986. Her father Nisith or mother Faridah were not celebrities to the stature of Jeetender, or Feroz Khan or Hema Malini whose children joined bollywood films. Ayesha did advertisement relating to complain girl and acted in music video of Falguni Pathak titled “meri chunari ur ur jaye”. She received the filmfare award for best debutant for the performance in the film Tarzan, The Wonder Car. After that few average films like Socha Na Tha, Dil Mange Mor followed. She created attention in the film Shaadi No. 1, where Esha Deol and Soha Ali Khan acted with her. All three of them had husbands like Fardeen Khan, Sharman Joshi, etc., who were addicted towards other ladies. Sanjay Dutt came over there and disclosed the truth relating to the affairs of their husbands with other girls like Riya Sen. At the end of the film Ayesha’s husband and the husbands of Esha Deol and Soha Ali Khan understood their mistake and followed the right path. Ayesha Takia was sublime in the film Salaam-e-Ishq opposite Akshay Khanna. Initially Akshay Khanna did not wanted to marry her for not taking up responsibilities of husband. But later he got convinced and married her. Ayesha gave able lips in the songs “salaam –e-ishq”, “dekho to dekho aisa hota to”, etc. Although the film did mediocre business the songs of the film became super hit. In 2008 and early part of 2009 her films De Taali, Sunday and 8*10 Tasveer did mediocre business. In 2009, Ayesha Takia acted in super hit film Wanted opposite Salman Khan. Her romantic performance opposite Salman Khan was appreciated by all sections of the crowd. Her softness and submissiveness is like by different sections of audience. The song “love me love me” became hit in the film. The film did business of more than 75 crore and established Ayesha Takia as a leading actress along with Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. The viewers also appreciated the good work of Ayesha Takia in films like Paathshala and Aap Ke Liye Hum in 2010. Viewers expect Ayesha Takia to continue her good work and make a comeback as well.

Happy birthday to dashing star Rekhaji.

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Admirers of ghazals still remember ghazal king Jagjit Singhsahab.

Jagjit Singh’s excellent compositions will remain immortal forever. The listeners of music all over the world wish happy birthday to Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh on 8th February, 2016. Listeners of ghazals remember the king of ghazals Jagjit Singh on 10th October every year. Ghazal King Jagjit Singh passed away on 10th October, 2011. In respect of his excellent ghazals his listeners have remained speechless. His voice had been used to heal sadness and sickness. He had been the only singer who had composed and sung songs on the poetry of legendary Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee titled “Nayidisha” in 1999 and “Samvedna” in 2002. Along with his wife Chitra Singh, he was the first Indian composer to have used digital multi-track recording for the album “Beyond Time” in 1987. His original name was Jagpreet Singh. He learned khayal, dhrupad, thumri from Ustaad Jamaal Khan. His album “The unforgetables” in 1976, mesmerized the audience. His baritone voice made everyone enchanted. He departed from classical ghazals to a more refined romantic rendition, by keeping the soul of the lyrics intact. He created a different gharana, a bit different from the other legends of ghazals like Mehedi Hassan, Talat Mehmood, Mohammad Rafi, Noor Jahan, Begum Akhtar, etc. His compositions in the duet albums “Ecstasies”, “A Sound Affair”, “Passions”, with Chitra Singh were unparallel. Jagjit Singh’s excellent bass was balanced by Chitra Singh’s high notes in most of the ghazals. Duet ghazals like”duniya jise kehte hai jadoo ka khilouna hai”, “kaun keheta hai muhobbat ka zuban hoti hai”, etc., will remain immortal for ever. After the death of his son Vivek at the age of 21 years, Chitra Singh left singing. But Jagjit Singh’s later albums were full of pathos, but the excellent lyrics of the shayar’s or poets or given adequate expression by the legendary Ghazal King. The titles of his music albums were also thoughtful including Hope, Insight, Mirage, Kahkashan (Galaxy), etc., to name a few. Jagjit Singh probably had sung with the best poets of the country in the 80s and 90s including Nida Fazli, Qateel Shifai, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Sudarshaan Fakir, Zaka Siddiqi, Nazir Bakri, Faiz Ratlami and others. It required huge talent and innovation to do justice to the thoughtful words shown in the poem. In whichever field of music Jagjit Singh had ventured he had struck gold, whether his albums in bhajans or gurbani. Jagjit Singh enriched hindi film music with his excellent compositions in the film Saath Saath and others. His film songs like “tumko dekha to ye khayal aya”, “tum itna jo muskura rahi ho”, “hoton se chulo tum” had remained historical masterpieces. His songs in TV Serial Mirza Ghalib had enchanted numerous listeners. A Padmabhushan being awarded to the musical maestro was not enough to reward his brilliance. One article is too small to highlight his achievements. His immortal works should be preserved and restored.

Manobendra Mukherjee's classical andaz made bengali songs modern.

Manobendra Mukherjee was one of the legendary classical singer of Bengal who had simplified classical ragas and used them in Bengali modern songs. His romantic song “ami eto je tomay bhalobesechi” written by Shyamal Gupta and composed by himself had classical touch embedded in it. His other own composed song “emni kore porbe mone baki jibon dhore” was also a masterpiece related to classical andaz. Manobendra Mukherjee’s pure classical numbers were even more melodious. One example is “ei moushumi mon shudhu rong bodlay”. In this song there was a small alaap or khanak taken at the place “mori je hay” where Manobendra had used the sargam by uttering in “aa aa” form. It was brilliant. There were other romantic songs like “boroshaklanto o duti nayan mele”. The song had been composed by Anal Chatterji. Manobendra Mukherjee had another master piece “bolo raat bolo se kothay”. The song was totally raga oriented. Manobendra Mukherjee was sublime in the song “ei nil nil jal sagore” composed by Probir Mojumdar and “tomar pather prante moner monidip jele rekhechi” composed by Satinath Mukherjee. Some of his own compositions like “ei ganga sei padda” and “sei bhalo ei bosonto noi” had absolute romantic andaz. Manobendra Mukherjee had given adequate expression to songs composed by Himangshu Dutta including “birohini chiro birohini”, “tumi je andhar”, “biroho barisha”, etc. The songs were difficult in nature and Manobendra was probably the most classically trained singer to do justice to them. Manobendra had also sung some of the songs created in thumri style. One example was “koto je soyechi betha” composed by Chinmoy Lahiri. One more classical number included “tumi to dariye acho”. Articles after articles can be devoted to Manobendra Mukherjee whose classical touch was as elegant and stylish as Neil Harvey’s wristy strokes.

Happy birthday to Malaika Arora

Happy birthday to Item –queen Malaika Arora. The viewers of bollyood films wish happy birthday to Item-queen Malaika Arora on 23rd October, 2019. She had been an important figure in the bollywood industry for the last 10 years. Her father worked in Merchant Navy. She was selected as one of the MTV VJs when MTV started operation in India. She also did shine in the modeling world. After that she became number one item dancer in bollywood films. Her dance in the film Dil Se stormed bollywood. She danced in the song “chaiya chaiya” opposite Shahrukh Khan in the film. The cameos in bollywood films in the item numbers continued. She made a special appearance in Bobby Deol’s film Bicchu. She got a bigger role in the film Kaante. Her item number titled “kaal dhamaal” in the film Kaal again created attention. She also danced in item numbers in the film Om Shanti Om and Hey Babby in 2005. Then again in the film Welcome, her item number in the song “hoont rasiley” became the most popular song of the entire film. She danced opposite Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar in the film. She married Arbaaz Khan and has a son named Arhaan. She acted in the film Housefull. In 2010, she stormed bollywood again in Arbaaz Khan’s film Dabaang, in the item song “munni badnaam hui”. The film was the most successful song of the year. The major credit goes to the high class of dancing of Malaika Arora Khan. As far as her dancing capabilities are concerned she had established herself in bollywood. But she requires to play notable roles in social films to prove her acting capability. Helen, who initially got roles of vamps, later on when acted in films like Khamoshi, had shown the viewers that she had lot of acting talent. Malaika Arora Khan was the co-producer of the super hit film Dabaang 2. She danced in one of the songs of the film as well. Due to Salman Khan magic the film did business of more than 158 crores. The co-production and direction of Arbaaz Khan had been well appreciated by the viewers. Viewers expect Malaika Arora to act in prominent roles in future and expect that upcoming year will be a successful year for year.

Lata Mangeshkarji still remains the most popular female singer ever.

Happy birthday to melody-queen Lata Mangeshkar. The listeners of music in India and abroad wish happy birthday to Lata Mangeshkar, the melody queen on 28th September, 2016. She had remained a sensation even in her 80s. Starting her journey from the early 40s, Lataji created an impression with the songs “ayega anewala” in the film Mahal, released in 1947 composed by Khemchand Prakash. The songs of the horror film were picturised on Madhubala who later became a legendary star of bollywood films. Lata faced the competition from eminent singers Noorjahan, Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Rajkumari, and others and emerged victorious in the 50s and 60s. Her sweetness of voice compelled composers to give the best tunes ever created in Indian film history. Along with Rafi, Lata had the record of singing songs of almost all the composers of the golden age. Everlasting gems of Lata include “tu jaha jahan chalega” composed by Madanmohan Kohli, “duniya kare sawal” composed by Roshanagrath , “hume tum mil gaye humdum” composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “phir teri kahani yaad aye” composed by Naushad Ali , “ajare pardesi” composed by Salil Choudhury, “allah tero naam” composed by Jaidev, “piya tose naina lage re” composed by SD Burman, to name a few. Lata had sung more than 30000 songs during her singing career which was more than 65 years long. She had sung for Madhubala, Meena Kumari, Nargis, Wahida Rehman, on one hand, and did sing for the new actresses of the 90s namely Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, etc. Her patriotic songs “aye mere watan ke logon” brought tears even in the eyes of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Articles after articles can be devoted to the Indian nightingale, Lata who had remained an institution in different types of songs including Hindustani classical, folk songs, lift romantic songs, to name a few. Lata Mangeshkar sung songs in more than 15 regional languages including Marathi, Bengali and others. She played a very significant role in Bengali film industry in the world of playback singing. Some of her hit songs included “jago” in Raj Kapoor’s film Ekdin Ratre, composed by Salil Choudhury, “aaj mon cheyeche ami hariye jabo” composed by Sudhin Dasgupta in Uttam Kumar’s film Shankhabela, to name a few. Goddess Saraswati was very kind to the nightingale of India, Lataji, and that was the reason the sweetness of her voice remained intact for the last 60 years. Articles after articles can be written about the musical genius. Singers of the present age consider Lataji as their idol and try to emulate her style. Even reputed singers like Sonu Nigam feel privileged to get his son record his son at such tender age with evergreen legend Lata Mangeshkar. The listeners of music all over the world expect Lataji to continue the great work that she started 70 years ago. Her works should be restored.

Tarun Banerjee's Chalo Rina and O Suleman still haunt Bengalies.

Tarun Banerjee’s Chalo Rina and O Suleman haunted bengalies. Singer Tarun Banerjee had sung everlasting songs during the golden age of Bengali music; that is the 50s and 60s. He had a deep voice with good pitch. Two of his songs “chalo Rina” and “o suleman” haunted the bengalies. “chalo rina” was composed by Abhijeet Banerjee. The song spoke about the singer calling his girlfriend to travel with him along the red village road, and red flowers blossom and the rural life unfolds itself. “o suleman” was written by Pulak Banerjee and composed by Prasanta Bhattacharya. “o suleman” had Arabian tunes embedded in them. So it talks about a girl who was seen by a seller, who could not find her again. The romantic appeal of both the songs “chalo rina” and “o suleman” haunted the bengalies for generations. His song “mor malanche bosonto nai” was very popular during the 60s. He was sublime in the song “champakoli go koto name dekechi tomae” composed by classical singer Manobendra Mukherjee. The song “konokchapa dhan” composed by Prabir Mojumdar and sung by Tarun Banerjee was equally popular. He was excellent in the songs he had sung for poet and composer Salil Choudhury. One of his legendary songs included “eso kache eso, kono kotha bolo” which became immensely popular during the 60s. His song “ankhi cholocholiya keno gele choliya” composed by Nikhil Chatterji also became very popular during that period. His other hit songs during that period included “tolpar tolpar moner kotha”, “magnelia aar kamelia phool”, etc. He also sang songs which were compositions made out of rhymes. One of the examples included “ek ekdin megh kore mon bole hariye jai”. He also sang the song “champa amar ogo jago” which was written by Salil Choudhury and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta. Very rarely the two highly talented lyricist and composer Salil Chodhury and Sudhin Dasgupta came together to compose the legendary songs. “champa amar ogo” was one of them. He had sung songs which were in the form of ballads. Some of them included “modhumati jay boye jay”, “cholo Rina”, “kajol nodir jole”, “aar deri nei”, to mention a few. He equally sublime in other modern songs like “alta payer”, “elona se elona”, etc. He also made valuable contribution in Bengali film music. His song “haridasher bulbulbhaja tatka taja khete moja” in the film Shriman Prithviraj was very popular. The song was composed by Hemant Kumar and the film was directed by eminent director Tarun Majumdar. It is not possible to highlight the contribution of Tarun Banerjee in Bengali modern songs in a small article, who had contributed during the 50s, 60s and 70s. His songs and films should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat.

Happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat. The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat on 24th October, 2020

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Mallika Sherawat had transformed herself. When Mallika Sherawat initially joined bollywood films, she was considered as an actress who was only inclined to expose herself. Her films Murder and Khwawish were related to body exposure. Although Murder became superhit and Reema Lamba, better known as Mallika Sherawat became a hot star in 2004, she still required films which could allow her to show her acting talents. She also received international recognition with her performance in a small role in the film Myth, opposite Jackie Chan. From the film Pyar Ke Side Effects opposite Rahul Bose, viewers started recognizing her as a talented actress. She was sublime in the film Aap Ka Suroor, where she played a negative role. Also her dance number in the Abhishek Bacchan’s Guru titled “maiya maiya” brought her prominence. She did a great job in the film Maan Gaye Mugha-i-Azam. She was the wife of stage actor Paresh Rawal. She got attached with Rahul Bose, a member of the audience. Rahul Bose used the entire acting crew of Paresh Rawal to address terrorists. In his operation Mallika Sherawat played the major role. Mallika’s lips in the song “maan gaye mughal-i-azam” entertained the crowds. The song was made in the form of -a satire, and the play Mughal-i-Azam also created with the idea of addressing political questions of the relevant period. In Welcome, she pretended to be the wife of Akshay Kumar, on the request of Paresh Rawal. Paresh Rawal never wanted his relative Akshay Kumar to marry a girl from a criminal family. But he entered into an affair with Katrina Kaif, the sister of underworld dons Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. When Mallika Sherawat wept before Feroz Khan, the boss of both Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar, the marriage was cancelled. Although the role was short, Mallika Sherawat did very well. She was sublime in the film Ugly Aur Paagli, opposite Ranbir Shorey. The film was related to betting, and Mallika had given slaps after slaps to Ranbir with one kiss only in a comedy drama. In 2009, Mallika Sherawat featured in Kamal Hassan’s action drama Dasavatharam along with Asin. The other film Dhakreys Bed had convinced the viewers that Mallika can act, and given a proper script, can do better than other actresses of the contemporary period. She had transformed herself into a promising actress. The viewers expect her to continue the good work and not sign cheap roles where only exposure is required, not acting.