Rajender Kumarji and Vaijayantimalaji were sublime in the romantic films of 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.

Happy birthday to Bharat Kumar Manoj Kumarji.

Happy birthday to Manoj Kumar. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Manoj Kumar on 24th July, 2021

. He is almost 80

years old now. He started his career as a romantic hero, then showed his skills in the field of direction and created a separate identity as a patriotic hero. He later on earned the name of Bharat Kumar. Harikishan Giri Goswami, better known as Manoj Kumar, was a big admirer of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar. He was obsessed with Dilip Kumar’s performance in the film Shabnam, in 1949, and kept the name of the character of the film, which was Manoj Kumar. Although he started his career in the film Fashion in 1957, he got recognition with a lead role in the film Kaanch Ki Gudiya in 1960. Vijay Bhatt directed Hariyali Aur Raasta in 1962 changed the destiny of Manoj Kumar as a romantic hero. The songs of the film were composed by genius of genius Shankar Jaikishan, and with Mala Sinha’s assistance Manoj Kumar reached the hearts of millions of music lovers in the country. The songs in the film including “ifteda-e-ishq”, “yeh hariyali aur yeh raasta”, sung by Mukesh and Lata astonished the viewers. The film became super hit. In the mid-60s, Manoj Kumar landmark roles in suspense thrillers like Woh Kaun Thi, 1964, and Gumnaam, 1965. Woh Kaun Thi was a horror film of Raj Khosla where Manoj Kumar played the role of the doctor who got scared with the ghostly appearance of Sadhna, who played a double role in the film. He solved the mystery in the film got Prem Chopra arrested at the end after realizing that his wife had a twin sister who was used as a ghost. The music of Madan Mohan was brilliant and Lata’s songs “naina barse rimjhim”, “lagja gale”, etc., created sensation. Gumnaam was a murder thriller which stormed bollywood in the mid-60s. More than seven friends were given offer of going for holidays, but the flight was hijacked and the friends had to land at an island. Each of them was killed one after the other and no one knew who killed them. Manoj Kumar solved the mystery and unearthed the truth that Tarun Bose was the actual murderer. The music composed by Shankar Jaikishan was extraordinary with songs like “jane chaman shola badan” sung by Rafi and Sharda, “gumnaam hai koi” sung by Lata, “is duniya me jeena ho to”, “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” sung by Mohammad Rafi, etc. Manoj Kumar started his second innings with patriotic films like Shaheed, Upkaar, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapra Aur Makaan, Kranti, moved the viewers and earned him respect. He directed of those films and got filmfare award for best director for excellent work in films like Upkaar and Roti Kapda and Makaan. His film Upkaar also received the national award for best film in 1967, and he gave life to the slogan of PM Lal Bahadur Shastri titled “jai jawan jai kisan” with Upkaar. In fact Upkaar, was the highest grosser film in 1967, surpassing all the other super hit films like Ram Aur Shyam, Jewel Thief, etc. The songs in Upkaar composed by Kalyanji Anandji were also brilliant including “mere desh ki dharti” sung by Mahendra Kapoor and “kasme wade pyar wafa sab” sung by Manna Dey. After Upkaar a big section of the crowd used to call Manoj Kumar as Bharat Kumar, as his patriotic feelings used to reflect in his creations. His other successful films as hero also include Patthar Ke Sanam, Anita, Aadmi, etc. He acted with childhood idol Dilip Kumar in Aadmi and Kranti. The songs of most of his films were of excellent class. Naushad’s creation in Aadmi, and Rafi’s songs like “na aadmi ka khoi bharosa”, “aaj purani rahon se”, etc., had remained invalueable assets over the period of time. The viewers expect him to continue the excellent work as a director in the years to come.

Ajoy Kar's films became blockbuster due to marvellous performances of Uttam Kumar.

Uttam Kumar’s excellent combination with director Ajoy Kar. Uttam Kumar being the greatest superstar of Bengali cinema during the golden age, that is the 50s, 60s and 70s, had acted in the films of all the legendary filmmakers of Bengal and the country as a whole. He had worked with Satyajit Ray in films like Nayak, Chiriakhana, Tapan Sinha in films like Jotugriha, Jhinder Bandi, Agragami in films like Sankhabela, Shilpi, Agradoot in films like Sabar Opore, Surjo Toron, Gulzar in films like Kitaab, Mrinal Sen in films like Raat Bhor. But the commercial films in which Uttam Kumar had gained stardom were mostly related to the works of Ajoy Kar, the innovative filmmaker of the country. He utilized the middle-class image of Uttam Kumar in the film Griha Prabesh. He made Uttam Kumar play a sacrificing role in the society in the film Shyamali. Shaymali was staged in Star Theatre in Kolkata as play and ran successfully for more than 4 years. Ajoy Kar came out victorious in the film Shyamali after Uttam Kumar played a cameo in the film. Uttam Kumar played the role of an honest academician in the film Bardidi based on the epic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Ajoy Kar provided spectacles in the make up of Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar was as brilliant in the role of a down to earth zamindar as Sandharani who played the lead role in the film. Ajoy Kar’s Harano Sur was the biggest hit film of Bengali cinema of the 50s. Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen became the most enterprising romantic pair of the millennium with the landmark performance in the film Harano Sur. Uttam Kumar lost his memory in the early part of the film after meeting with an accident and married Suchitra Sen. He forgot her after his earlier memory was regained. Suchitra Sen worked in the house of Uttam Kumar as governess of Uttam Kumar’s brother’s child to return his memory. Uttam Kumar produced the film and it created history. The Ajoy Kar Uttam Kumar magic continued in the film Saptapadi based on the classic literature of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay. Uttam Kumar being a hindu Brahmin married Suchitra Sen, a Christian. Chabi Biswas the father of Uttam Kumar begged before Suchitra Sen to forget Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar changed his religion, became a doctor and served the people during the 2nd world war. He even cured Suchitra Sen who suffered a bomb blast during the war. The film was considered to be the greatest hit of the 60s. Uttam Kumar acted in other landmark films of Ajoy Kar like Suno Boronari and Khelaghar. It was pity that in the late 60s, Ajoy Kar went to Pune Film and Television Institute and taught new directors the art of film making. Otherwise he could have experimented more with Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. The legendary films of the great director and the landmark matinee idol should be restored for the future generations.

In 1967, bengali Superstar Uttam Kumar ventured into bollywood opposite superstar Vaijayantimalaji in the film Choti Si Mulakat. Before Vaijayantimalaji was uncrowned queen of bollywood. All her films from Nagin to Naya Daur, Devdas to Zindagi, Sangam to Suraj became super hits blockbusters. This film was based on the story of Agni Parikkha which was super hit film of Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen in bengali. But the hindi version did not get box office. All the songs of Rafisahab "tujhe dekha tujhe chaha", "choti si mulakat me pyar ban gayi", Ashaji's "mat ja mat ja" composed by Shankar Jaikishan were bumper hits. There was exotic locations of Jammu and Kashmir, Shimla and everything was in colour. There was powerful performances of character artists like Pratibha Debi, Tarun Bose, Shashikala, Rajender Nath and others. The film was directed by Alo Sarkar. Uttam Kumar and Vaijayantimalaji looked dazzling in the film. Their lips in the songs were amazing. Brilliant costumes were used in the film. The story of the film was also brilliant.

It was amazing that in bollywood films with weak storyline and poor acting also became hits in the past, while Choti Si Mulakat with two superstars Vaijayantimalaji and Uttam Kumarji ended up without success.

In 1958 Vaijayantimalaji and Dilip Kumarsahab dominated bollywood films.

1958 is remembered for brilliance of Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala.By 1958, the scenario of Indian films changed. From the dominance of few superstars like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, the Bollywood industry also propagated sophisticated actors like Balraj Sahani, Bharat Bhushan, Pradip Kumar and others. Actresses like Vaijayantimala topped the list adding competition to Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari and others. Directors like Bimal Roy, Ramesh Saigal, Satyen Bose did a great job. In respect of music in addition to Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, the other composers did magic including Dattaram, Salil Choudhury, SD Burman, OP Nayyar and others. Madhumati was the greatest blockbuster of 1958. It was produced and directed by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The music for the film was composed by Salil Choudhury with lyrics written by Shailendra. The film stars Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala acted the lead roles along with Pran and Johnny Walker. On a stormy night, Devendra (Dilip Kumar), an engineer, drives down a hill road with his friend to fetch his wife and child from the railway station. A landslide blocks their path and the friends take shelter in an old mansion off the road. Devendra finds the house uncannily familiar. In the large front room, he finds an old portrait which he recognizes. His friend and the old caretaker join him, and Devendra, amidst flashes of memory from another life, sits down to tell his story while the storm rages outside. In Madhumati Anand (Dilip Kumar) had come to Shyamnagar Timber Estate as its new manager. An artist in his spare time, he roamed the hills and fell in love with Madhumati (Vyjayantimala), a tribal girl whose songs have haunted him from a distance. Anand's employer, Ugra Narayan (Pran) was a ruthless and arrogant man and as Anand refused to bend down to him like others, he incurred his wrath. Anand also had enemies among his staff including Tiwari. Sent away on an errand, he returned to find that Madhumati had disappeared. He learned that Madhumati had been taken to Ugra Narayan, and confronted him but was beaten unconscious by Ugra Narayan's men. While Ugra Narayan's men were taking Anand's body out of the palace, his men met with Madhumati's dad (Jayant) who had to fight for her own daughter's death. He did it and won but died laying down in the road while Charandas (Johnny Walker) hided the body and took it to the hospital. It was a film relating to re-incarnations. All the songs in the film became bumper hits like Lata’s “aaja re pardesi”, “zulmi sang aankh lari”, Rafi’s “tute hue khwabone”, “jangal me mor naacha”, to mention a few. The entire team of Madhumati took away all the filmfare awards. Dilip Kumar was adjudged the best actor

, Johny Walker the best supporting actor, Salil Choudhury the best music director, Bimal Roy the best director. The film also received the national award for best film in 1958. Chalti Ka Naam Gaari was the second biggest hit of the year. Very significantly all the 3 brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore Kumar acted in the film. It was directed by Satyen Bose. In the film the brothers owned a garage. Ashok Kumar fell in love with Veena, but could not marry her. From that time he hated women. His brother Kishore Kumar fell in love with Madhubala. KN Singh played the role of villain in the film. The music of SD Burman became super hit with songs like “haal kaisa hai janabka”, sung by Kishore Kumar and Madhubala. Yahudi was the third biggest hit film of 1958. Dilip Kumar played the character of a yahudi, or jew in the film. It was a love story made in the backdrop of Roman Empire. At the end of the film Dilip Kumar became blind. Sohrab Modi, Meena Kumari, Nigar Sultana and Dilip Kumar gave landmark performances. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was outstanding with Mukesh’s hit song “yeh mera diwanapan hai”. Phir Subah Hogi was the fourth biggest hit film of 1958. The film was produced and directed by Ramesh Saigal and starring Raj Kapoor and Mala Sinha in lead roles. The movie was an adaption of Fyodor Dostoevsky's immortal novel, Crime and Punishment. Ram (Raj Kapoor) is a poor law student who supports his education with money orders from his mother and things he pawns. While struggling with his poor finances, he save a boy from accident. Seeing the poor condition of the boy's family he gives all his savings for the boy's treatment. Ram keeps visiting the boy and falls in love with the boy's elder sister Sohni (Mala Sinha). Sohni's father Gopal is addicted to liquor which Harbanslal keeps providing him with. Harbanslal has a mean motive in doing so as he wants marry Sohni. To prevent Sohni's arranged marriage with Harbanslal, Ram decides to rob the pawn broker. But he is caught in the act, and he murders the pawn owner. Ram's conscience keeps telling him to admit his crime. But he never picks up the courage to do so. The police inspector on the case keeps suspecting Ram for the crime. With no proof he, too, is helpless. Ram learns that police have already arrested another thief and have charged him with this robbery and murder. On the last day when the court is to rule in the case, Raj makes up his mind and admits. He pleads saying how he was acting in self-defense against real villains of the society. The court sentences him for three years of imprisonment. Sohni promises that she will wait for his release and then marry him. Raj Kapoor, Rehman and Mala Sinha’s performances were outstanding. The music of Khayyam was very impressive with hit songs of Mukesh, “chin-o-arab hamara”, “wo subah kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije meri gustakh nigahon ka gila”, to name a few. Sadhna was the 5th biggest hit film of 1958 with Vaijayantimala and Sunil Dutt in the lead roles. It was produced and directed by BR Chopra. The music was composed by Dutta Naik. Lata’s song “aurat ne janam diya mardon ko”, became super hit. Vaijayantimala received the best actress award for playing a complex role of tawaif in the film. Phagun was the 6th biggest hit film of 1958 with Bharat Bhushan and Madhubala in the lead roles. The film was directed by Bibhuti Mitra. OP Nayyar’s music stormed Bollywood. Rafi’s song “mai soya ankhiyan miche” became super hit. Raj Kapoor’s Parvarish was the 7th biggest hit film of 1958. It was directed by S Banerjee. Dattaram composed the music of the film. Raj Kapoor and Mehmood were born together, but due to accident in the hospital, Nazir Hussain could not identify who was his real son. He was a Thakur. Mala Sinha’s father Harnam Singh gave word to him to marry his daughter with his actual son. Radhakrishan, the uncle trained Raj Kapoor and Mehmood. Raj Kapoor sacrificed his solvent family and deliberately consumed alcohol to show Mehmood was the actual son. At the end the reality was revealed. The music of Dattaram was impressive, with Mukesh’s song “aansoo bhari hai” and Manna Dey’s song “masti bhara yeh sama” became super hit. If the films of 1958 are summarized, it will be seen that while historical films, social films, all created impact on viewers mind. While directors like Bimal Roy, Satyen Bose and others made realistic films, the actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, made significant contribution. Actresses like Vaijayantimala, Madhubala, Mala Sinha, Meena Kumari created sensation. Music directors like Salil Choudhury, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Khayyam made significant contribution. Singers like Rafi, Mukesh, Talat, Lata, Geeta Dutt and others were very prominent in the films. The films and the songs should be restored.

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 August, 2021

. 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 2014 will be a successful year for year.

The film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya was a trend setter film.

The film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya was a trend setter. The film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya was another brilliant venture of David Dhawan. It was a multi-starrer film produced by Sohail Khan. Three sets of pairs were experimented with in the year 2005, and from that time onwards it has become a trend setter. The actors and actresses who performed in the film included Salman Khan, Katrina kaif , Sushmita Sen ,Sohail Khan, Arshad Warsi , Isha Koppikar, Rajpal Yadav and others. Salman Khan was an orthopedic surgeon in the film. He had an affair with Katrina Kaif, who was a model. To stop the female patients from flirting with him, Salman told everyone that he was married. Katrina also believed in the fact. She asked Salman Khan to introduce her with his wife. He convinced Sushmita Sen, his nurse, to pretend as his wife. Sushmita met Katrina with two children of her relative and spoke about her relationship with Salman. Katrina thought the children were Salman’s children and wanted to meet them. When the children were introduced Katrina came to know that her previous wife had a boy friend. Then she wanted to meet him and for that matter Salman Khan had to ask Arshad Warsi to act with Sushmita Sen. Then came the artificial divorce scene, where Salman Khan’s mother stepped in from Punjab and accepted Sushmita Sen as the wife of Salman Khan. At the end of the film Sushmita Sen went to Karina Kaif and told the truth. Katrina asked Salman Khan to marry Sushmita Sen who agreed to pretend as his wife. Katrina Kaif married Sohail Khan who was struggling actor in the film. The entire story was depicted with comedy sequences. Himmesh Reshamiya’s music composition was very impressive. All the songs in the film became super hits including “just chill chill”, “saajan, tumse pyar ki larayi me”, “teri meri love story ka angle”, etc. Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan and other singers contributed well in the film. The performance of Rajpal Yadav in the role of soldier who lost his legs in Cargill War requires special mention. Rajpal Yadav’s legs were normal, yet he used to come to Salman Khan’s clinic only to meet Sushmita Sen. He helped Salman Khan to reach the airport to stop Sushmita Sen to leave the country at the end of the film. Arshad Warsi’s acting as lawyer in the divorce scene was phenomenal. Isha Koppikar did not get proper scope of dialogue throwing in the film but her dance performance in the song “saajan, tujhse pyar ki ladayi me” was very impressive. The performance of Salman Khan’s mother by the actress who was also an Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Rajasthan was extraordinary. Katrina Kaif and Sushmita Sen looked the beautiful in the film if compared with any other film in their career. Sohail Khan spend most of his career in production and direction of films, but in respect of his performance probably he did his best in the comedy role which was as important as Salman’s role. Day by day Salman Khan also has matured as a good comedian, because these days producers and directors rank him after Anil Kapoor and Govinda, whenever they think about comedy films. David Dhawan should continue with brilliant ventures like Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya in future also.

Tanujaji was a big asset for both bengali films and bollywood films.

Tanuja’s success in bollywood films and Bengali films. Tanuja, the sister of dignified actress Nutan and the daughter of Sobhna Samarth created a unique place in bollywood films and Bengali films. Being the member of a family having legacy of contributing a lot in bollywood films, she had to face acid test. In the 60s, when bollywood industry was flooded with talented actresses, Tanuja stepped in bollywood films. She had faced Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Wahida Rehman, Sadhna, Vaijayantimala and other classic actresses and yet created her identity in that age. Tanuja’s prominent films in the 60s include Baharen Phir Bhi Ayegi, with Dharmender, Memdidi, Sapno Ka Saudagar, opposite Raj Kapoor, etc. Within 3 to 4 years, she was cast opposite leading actors of bollywood films. Her performance opposite Dev Anand, in the film Jewel Thief was appreciated by film-lovers. Jewel Thief was crime-thriller director by Vijay Anand. Tanuja’s innocence in the film and spontaneous presence impressed the viewers. Besides Tanuja’s lips in Ahsa Bhosle’s song “raat nashili hai” was very impressive. In the early 70s, Tanuja switched on to serious films like Basu Bhattacharya’s Anubhav opposite Sanjeev Kumar. Her lips in Geeta Dutt’s song “mera dil jo mera hota” and other songs showed the acting class of Tanuja. She did even better in Dharmender’s film Izzat. Dharmender had double role with one son being the illegitimate child of Balraj Sahani. Her performance in the song “loote dil pe diya jalta nahi hum kya Karen” sung by Lata and Rafi made viewers spellbound. She was equally impressive in the film Pabitra Papi. Tanuja was involved in super hit films like Haathi Mera Saathi opposite Rajesh Khanna, Mere Jeevan Saathi opposite Rajesh Khanna, Ek Paheli, opposite Feroz Khan, to name a few. In respect of Bengali films, Tanuja showed a great spirit in adapting Bengali language and adjusting herself opposite Uttam Kumar in the 60s and 70s. Deya Neya, Anthony Firingi and Raj Kumari stands out as the biggest hits of Tanuja opposite Uttam Kumar. All these films were musical blockbusters and the lips of Tanuja in leading songs in these films require special mention. Shyamal Mitra composed music for the super hit film Deya Neya. Tanuja was sublime in her lips in the song “madhabi madhute holo mitali”. She was brilliant in the two songs of Sandhya Mukherjee in the film Anthony Firingi, titled “ami je jalsaghare”, and “champa chameli golapero bage”, composed by Anil Bagchi. Raj Kumari marked the beginning of musical career of Bengali musical sensation RD Burman. Songs like “ki holo, kabe holo” creates shivers in the spines of many listeners even today. Tajuna was sublime in other successful films like Prothom Kodom Phool, Teen Bhubaner Pare, Madhuban, etc. She is considered more versatile than her daughter Kajol who got success by performing opposite Shahrukh Khan in hit films in the 90s. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in bollywood films in future.

Shankar Jaikishanji gave maximum jubilee hits between 1940s to early 1970s.

Jubilee hit films of Shankar Jaikishan. Shankar Jaikishan are the musical duo who became immortal with their music. Between 1949 to 1971 they became a phenomenon. Their music really enchanted the listeners. Here is the list of jubilee hits of SJ. 1949 - Barsaat - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1951 - Awaara - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1952 - Daag - Dilip Kumar - Silver jubilee 1955 - Shree 420 - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1956 - Chori Chori - Raj Kapoor - Silver jubilee 1956 - Basant Bahar - Bharat Bhushan - Silver jubilee 1958 - Yahudi - Dilip Kumar - Silver jubilee 1959 - Anari - Raj Kapoor - Golden Jubilee 1960 - Jis Desh me Ganga Behti Hai - Raj Kapoor - Golden Jubilee 1960 - Dil Apna Prit Parayi - Raj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1961 - Junglee - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1961 - Sasural - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1962 - Professor - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1962 - Hariyali Aur Raasta - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1963 - Dil Ek Mandir - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - Sangam - Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar - Platinum Jubilee 1964 - Ayee Milan Ki Bela - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - Zindagi - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - April Fool - Biswajeet - Silver Jubilee 1965 - Aarzoo - Rajender Kumar - Golden Jubilee 1965 - Janwar - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1965 - Gumnaam - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1966 - Suraj - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1966 - Love in Tokyo - Joy Mukherjee - Silver Jubilee 1967 - An Evening in Paris - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1968 - Brahmchari - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1968 - Shikar - Dharmender - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Yakeen - Dharmender - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Kanyadaan - Shashi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Prince - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1972 - Beimaan - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee In 1949, Raj Kapoor rose to Stardom with Barsaat. Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat became the greatest blockbuster which was a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. Mukesh’s “chor gaye balam”, Lataji’s “hawa me urta jaye” and “jiya beqarar hai” became super hit. In 1951, Raj Kapoor’s Awaara became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. It became popular in Russia and Europe as well. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prithviraj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, KN Singh played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “awara hoon, yah gardish me hoon aasman ka tara hun”, Lataji’s “jab se balam ghar aye”, “ghar aya mere pardesi” became super hit. In 1952, Dilip Kumar’s Daag was a silver jubilee hit film. Talatji’s song “koi nahi mera is duniya me” and “ei mere dil kahin aur chal” became super hit. In 1955, Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420 became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Rafisahab’s song “ramaiya vasta maiya”, Manna Deysahab’s song “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “mur murke na dekh”, Lataji’s song “ichakdana” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Azaad was the 2nd biggest hit. In 1956 Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Pran played the lead role. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Manna Dey’s song “aaja sanam madhu chandni me hum”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, Lataji’s “rasik balma” became super hit. In 1956, Bharat Bhushan’s Basant Bahar also became a silver jubilee hit. Manna Dey’s song “sur na saje”, Bhim Sen Joshi’s “Ketaki gulab”, Rafisahab’s “duniya na bhaye mohe” became big hit. In 1959, Raj Kapoor’s Anari was the biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit. It ran for more than 50 weeks. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Nutan, Raj Kapoor, Lalita Power played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “sab kuch seekha humne”, “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar”, Lataji’s song “yeh chand khilan”, became super hit. Raj Kapoor received the filmfare award for best actor for Anari in that year. In 1960, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai became the 4th biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. It was produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Radhu Karmakar. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Padmini, Pran acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor again received filmfare award for best actor for the film. Lataji’s song “o maine pya kiya”, “o basanti pawanapawan”, Mukeshji’s song “aa ab laut chale”, “mera naam raju”, “hoton pe sacchai rehte hai” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Mughal I Azam was the biggest blockbuster. In 1960, Raj Kumar’s Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi became silver jubilee hit. Lataji’s songs ‘sheesha-e-dil itna na uchalo”, “dil apna aur preet parayi” became big hit. In 1961, Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair” became super hit. In 1961, Rajender Kumar’s Sasural became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s song “ek sawal tum karon”, “teri pyari pyari surat ko” became super hit. In 1963, Rajender Kumar, Raj Kumar’s film Dil Ek Mandir became silver jubilee hit. Lataji’’s song “ruk ja raat”, “hum tere pyar me sara alam” and Rafisahab’s “jahan koi nahi”, “dil ek mandir hai” and “yaad na jaye” became super hit. In 1964, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam became the biggest blockbuster and a platinum jubilee hit. It ran for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala, Raj Kapoor played the lead roles. All the songs became super hit including Rafisahab’s “ki tum naaraaz na hona”, Mukeshji’s “bol radha bol”, “o mehbooba”, to name a few. In 1964, Sangam was Rajender Kumar’s biggest blockbuster in entire career ending up as platinum jubilee running for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor and Vaijayantimala’s performances were as brilliant as Rajender Kumar’s performance. Rafisahab’s song composed by Shankar Jaikishan “ki tum naraaz na hona” haunted the viewers. In the same year, Rajender Kumar’s Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Zindagi ended up as silver jubilee hits running for more than 25 weeks. Again Rafisahab and Shankar Jaikishan’s combination created gold for Rajender Kumar including the songs “tum khamseen ho”, “tu bura maan gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, “aha aye milan ki bela”, “pehele mile the sapno me”, to name a few. Vaijayantimala acted opposite Rajender Kumar in Zindagi, while Saira Banu acted opposite Rajender Kumar in Ayee Milan Ki Bela. In 1965, Rajender Kumar’s film Aarzoo became silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Again the Rafisahab, Shankar Jaikishan produced gold, the landmark songs being “aye nargisi mastana”, “chalke teri ankhon se”, “aji humse bachkar kahan jayiega”. Sadhna’s performance opposite Rajender Kumar was brilliant and the film ended up being the 4th biggest hit of the year. In 1966, Rajender Kumar’s film Suraj became silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Again it was magic combination of Rafisahab and Shankar Jaikishan which created gold. The landmark songs included “gustaqi maaf”, “kaise samjhayun bari nasamajh ho”, “itna hai tumse pyar mujhe mere raazdaar”, to name a few. Vaijayantimala acted opposite Rajender Kumar in the film. In 1965, Manoj Kumar’s Gumnaam became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “jaan pehchaan ho”, “jaane chaman shola badan” and Lataji’s “gumnaam hai koi” became super hit. In 1965, Shammi Kapoor’s Janwar became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “lal chari maidaan khari”, “tum se accha kaun hai”, Suman Kalyanpur’s “mere sang ga gunguna” became super hit. In 1966, Joy Mukherjee’s Love in Tokyo became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, “aaja re aa zara aa” became super hit. In 1967, Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “aasman se aya farishta”, raat ke humsafar” became big hits. In 1967, Dharmender’s Shikar became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s song “shikar karne ko aye” and Ashaji’s song “parde me rahene do” became a big hit. In 1968, Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmchari became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “mai gayun tum so jayo”, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche” became super hit. In 1971, Jaikishan’s death brought a big blow to marathon innings of Shankar Jaikishan in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The songs require restoration and preservation as they are still young and immortal.

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakraborty

Happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mithun Chakravarty on 16th June, 2021. He had contributed in bollywood films for more than 30 years and had also contributed in Bengali films as well. He brought revolution in the world of dancing in bollywood films. His film Disco Dancer, was related to the struggle of a young man in establishing him in the world of dancing. The music of the film composed by Bappi Lahiri played a big role in the success of the film. All the songs in the film became super hit including “I am a disco dancer”. Kishore Kumar, (Bappi Lahiri’s own relative), and Bappi Lahiri contributed a lot in the success of Mithun Chakravarty. Mithun Chakravarty acted in successful films in the 80s, including Dance Dance, Pyar Jhukta Nahi, etc. Some of films were dance oriented films, while the other ones were action oriented. Although Mithun’s husky voice was criticized at times, his action sequences had always been appreciated. Mithun Chakravarty won a number of national awards for his excellence in Bengali films, mainly related to films of intellectual directors like Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta. His performances in films like Mrigaya and Tahader Katha require special mention. At the same time he acted in many commercially hit films like Anyay Abhichar and Kalankini Kankabati. In the last 5 years, Mithun had kept his mark in character roles. Last year his performance in the role of a solicitor in the film Yuvvraaj was appreciated. He did a fantastic job in Akshay Kumar’s Chandni Chowk to China released in 2010. His emotional performance had made a lot of viewers cry. He tried to convince Akshay Kumar that those who tempted him to go to China and create name and fame were not his friends or well-wishers but were flatterers. Mithun had matured over the years. In 2012 he did a great job in the film Housefull 2. He acted along with Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Rishi Kapoor and proved his worth in the role of dacoit. These days whenever he is given any character role, he uses his long experience for the last 30 years in giving expression to the respective character. He played the role of the ancestor of Salman Khan in the film Veer, for two generations he maintained the bravery and glory of the pindary clan. Mithun had also acted in negative characters and did a great job in those roles as well. His comedy performances in films like Agnipath can inspire many new actors of modern days. Besides Mithun had also been a great human being as he contributed in relief operations during natural calamities and human causes like raising funds for Thalasemia patients or people suffering from cancer, etc. Mithun Chakravarty also appeared in Sourav Ganguly’s program Dadagiri and there also showed his excellence in answering questions. His success story from the beginning of a middle-class Bengali family can be a learning example for many youngstars. He is a hardworker. He is required all over India, in Dance India Dance program, in Dadagiri, bollywood films, Bengali films, everywhere. He had also been a member of the Rajya Sabha and there too he did a good work. The viewers expect him to continue the brilliant work that he started years back.

Happy birthday to Priyanka Chopra.

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2021. After marriage Priyanka Chopra started her second innings. Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2021, on 18th July with awesome gifts given to her by her mother. She had not disclosed to the media as to what are the surprise gifts. Priyanka Chopra is at the top of the world with her successes in the film Don 2 and Barfi in 2011 and 2012. 2014 had been a great year with her film Gunday opposite Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor doing business worth 75 crores. Her performance in the role of boxer in Mary Kom in 2014 had been widely appreciated. In 2015 she did well in the film Dil Dhadakne Do.In 2017n she did well in Hollywood in Bay Watch. In 2018, she got married and did not act in the film Bharat with Salman Khan. Instead of her Katrina Kaif played the role. She acted in the film Pink Sky opposite Farhan Akhtar in 2019. From Filmfare award to Star screen, the role she played in Barfi fetched her awards and accolades from different parts of the world. Priyanka Chopra had a hectic year 2011. She received positive reviews for her performance in the film Saat Khoon Maaf that was released in the early part of the year. She had many husbands in the film for different reasons. Her film Don- 2, The Chase Continues she had acted opposite Shahrukh Khan once again. Viewers have huge expectation from the films of 2013 including Zanjeer and Krish 3. She is also acting in the film Barfee opposite Ranbir Kapoor. In the film she is playing the role of a mentally challenged girl. She is in fact visiting few mental asylums to get the feel of the role. She is also acting in the film Agneepath. Priyanka Chopra is today’s most popular actress of the bollywood film industry. She had started her career in bollywood films after she won the Miss India contest title. Since then she never looked back. Her first film Andaz opposite Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta did well in the box office. But initially she haven’t got that much recognition, but with the film Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan and Akshay kumar , Priyanka Chopra became a leading star of the period. She had got the grace, glamour and attitude in her which is very much wanted by today’s audience and young crowd. She gave stunning performance in the Fashion and got the filmfare award for the best actress for the year 2009. She even won her first prestigious National award for the performance in the film Fashion. Director Madhur Bhandarkar had been known for making realistic films and Priyanka Chopra did adapt her style of performance in the ideal way that Madhur Bhandarkar expected. In the same year she did perform in many films including God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku , Love story 2050, Dostana and Billu Barber in 2009. Her next upcoming film was released in 2009 was titled Kamina opposite Shahid Kapoor. This film also did fabulous business. The big factor which had kept Priyanka Chopra ahead of Kareena Kapoor, Ash, Katrina and others, include her capability to adapt herself in different roles. Whenever the situation demanded she played the role of an upstart American in the film Dostana. She effortlessly managed the comedy sequences along with Abhishek Bacchan and John Abraham. In the film Love Story 2050, she adjusted herself to the hi-tech world that would have emerged around 40 years from now on. Her role in God Tussi Great Ho was totally different. There were misunderstandings and traps set by either Sohail Khan or Salman Khan. She faced the events and was firm in her affection towards Salman Khan. Similarly in Billu Barber, her performance in a dance number opposite Shahrukh Khan requires special mention. In fact she had given elegant lips in the songs “tujhe aksa beach dikhadun”, “salaam-e-ishq”, “tenu le”, etc. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work that she had started in 2008 and do even well in 2020

and the years to come.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia.

Happy birthday to Neha Dhupia. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Neha Dhupia on 27th August, 2020. Neha Dhupia, the daughter of Commander Pradip Dhupia of Indian Navy, had attracted public attention after winning the Miss India Universe 2002 crown in that year. After beginning her career in the film Qayamat: City Under Threat, she impressed the viewers with challenging role in the film Julie where her glamour was used to perfection. But she got a notable role in the film Kya Cool Hai Hum in 2005. She acted opposite Ritesh Deshmukh where Tusshar Kapoor and Isha Koppikar were the other pair. Isha Koppikar, the police officer in the film was sent by Anupam Kher to investigate a case relating to a habitual offender. Tusshar Kapoor was suspected to be a murderer and Isha Koppikar was sent to his house to monitor his activities. Ritesh Deshmukh had an affair with Neha Dhupia and married her at the end of the film. The film was serio-comic in nature and Neha Dhupia performed very well in her respective role. She also got a purposeful role in the film Shootout At Lokhandwala. The film was related to a real-life story where the Bombay police had trapped the underworld group in a house in Bombay and fired at them. Sanjay Dutt gave a memorable performance in the role of Encounter specialist in the film opposite Vivek Oberoi who played the role of a mafia don. Neha Dhupia did her part very well. She did even better in the film Chup Chup Ke, in the role of the sister of Kareena Kapoor. Shahid Kapoor pretended to be dumb in the film and stayed in their house. Neha Dhupia acted as a mediator between Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor and helped in the marriage between the two. Neha Dhupia knew that Shahid Kapoor could speak but never informed Sunil Shetty or Om Puri or any other member of the house about it. Although the film was related to the serio-comic relationship between Om Puri, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav, Neha Dhupia kept her mark in a reserve role and in some of the sequences even acted better than Kareena Kapoor. She was even impressive in her supporting role in the film Singh is Kinng, where Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar had the lead roles. Singh is Kinng also did good business in India and abroad. But if her performance in the earlier films like Sheesha and new films like Mithya are compared it will be found that initially the stylish screen presence and bold performance of Neha Dhupia was publicized by the producers. These days the acting skills of Neha Dhupia are used. She had been bold enough to act in the role of a prostitude in the film De Dana Dan in 2008. The role required comedy timing and she did extremely well. In 2009, her performance in the film Raat Gayi Baat Gayi bagged her the nomination for Star Screen Award for the best actress in a supporting role. She had two releases in 2010 where her two films, Action Replay and With Love to Obama had different roles. Although her performances in the films were appreciated the films did not do good business. In 2012 she had acted in the film Rush where Imraan Hashmi, Sagarika Ghadke and Aditya Pancholi had played important characters. In 2013, she acted in the film Ungly with Sanjay Dutt, Imran Hashmi and others. Unless she grabs any glamourous role in near future she will not remain in the rat race where the competition between Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha is very keen.

In film Shankhabela Bosonto Choudhury performance was at par with superstar Uttam Kumar.

Uttam Kumar Shankhabela Bosonto Choudhury superseded Uttam Kumar in Agragami’s epic film Shankhobela. The film was released in the year 1966 and ended up being a blockbuster. There was lot of history behind the film. Sudhin Dasgupta, the composer of music in the film for the first time used Manna Dey to sing for Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar. All the songs in the film sung by Manna Dey and Lata Mangeshkar became super hit. Some of them included “ke pratham kache esechi”, picturised in the romantic scenario of Maithon amidst river Damodar, “ami agantuk ami barta dilaam”, “aaj mon cheyeche ami hariye jabo”, to name a few. As far as Bosonto Choudhury was concerned, he was one of the competitors of Uttam Kumar other than Bikash Roy and Astiboron, who had started their careers with Uttam Kumar. Bosonto Choudhury acted in lesser number of films, as he only signed those films which suited his culture, aristocracy and education. Therefore from his first film Mahaprashthaner Pothe, his performance in noted films used to depict aristocracy legacy of Bengal that was left behind by Chabi Biswas. In Shonkhobela, he played the role of the doctor, who treated Uttam Kumar’s son, after Uttam Kumar left his Madhabi. Madhabi could not compromise with Uttam Kumar’s fast life, full of parties and hard drinks, which was necessary for the success of his marketing career. She left the house of Uttam Kumar and worked in a school to upbring her child. Bosonto Choudhury showed compassion to Madhabi, and understood her social standing while treating the child. The story of her life was told to him by his assistant played by Mrinal. The child had to be treated and operation had to be carried out which the signing of bond by the guardian. Bosonto Choudhury compelled the father of the child Uttam Kumar to come and sign the bond. He scolded Uttam Kumar for remaining carefree about his son who was terribly sick. Bosonto Choudhury’s astounding personality in the film brought back the marital peace of Uttam Kumar and Madhabi Muherjee who stayed separately after the differences were made. The viewers appreciated Uttam Kumar’s brilliant performance in the role of a romantic husband which he depicted with highest amount of maturity. Uttam Kumar’s romantic style of performance had always created a benchmark in the world of romantic acting and that was the reason why Oscar Winning director Satyajit Ray had considered Uttam Kumar as the greatest matinee idol, fulfilling the aspirations of numerous middle-class Indians. But some way down the line, Bosonto Chouhdury superseded Uttam Kumar with his aristocrat performance and at the end of the film received higher accolades from the critics and educated section of the society. Both Uttam Kumar and Bosonto Choudhury had immense contribution in Bengali classic films, and their space had remained empty after 50 years of the completion of the films. For those reasons Shonkhobela should be preserved and restored.

Directors Agradoot and Ajoy Kar had excellent combination with superstar Uttam Kumar.

Elegant combination of Uttam Kumar with Ajoy Kar and Agradoot. In the 1950s major films of Uttam Kumar created romantic appeal before the majority of audience of the country. His combination with Ajay Kar and Agradoot was very grand. Ajay Kar did cast Uttam Kumar for the first time in the film Griha Prabesh. It was a social film where Uttam Kumar and Suchitra sen were launched and they acted opposite other established artists like Manju Dey, Bikash Roy and others. In Shyamali in 1956, Ajay Kar utilized Uttam Kumar’s acting potential. It was a film relating to deaf and dumb character played by Kaberi Bose. Uttam Kumar played a very compassionate role and his experience of acting in stage opposite Sabitri Chatterjee in the play Shaymali helped him a lot. In 1957, Uttam Kumar’s film Harano Sir ended up being the biggest blockbuster of the decade. Suchitra Sen played the role of wife of Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar met with an accident and for his previous history. Suchitra Sen treated her and married her. But again Uttam Kumar met with an accident and forgot Suchitra Sen. The rest of the film was related to the struggle of Suchitra Sen in bringing back memories of Uttam Kumar of the past. Geeta Dutt’s song “tumi je amar” became bumper hit. Ajay Kar’s Saptapadi stands out as one of the greatest classics of the golden period. Critics argue that Saptapadi released in 1961 stands out as the best film of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen in their entire career. Ajoy Kar probably made the best use of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen in the film Saptapadi. It was a story of Tarashankar Banerjee on affair between hindu Brahmin played by Uttam Kumar with a Christian girl played by Suchitra Sen. Uttam Kumar’s father Chabi Biswas did not accept the marriage. Uttam Kumar became a Christian and a doctor but could not marry Suchitra Sen. The film was made at the backdrop of Second World War. Hemanta Mukherjee’s music in the film was very impressive. Ajay Kar reciprocated the magic in Uttam Kumar’s film Shono Boronari. The film was released in 1960. There Supriya Debi, the daughter of eminent barrister Udasin played by Chabi Biswas fell in love with a homeopathic doctor played by Uttam Kumar. As monetarily Uttam Kumar was no match to Chabi Biswas, a marriage was arranged with industrialist Dipak Mukherjee in the film. At the end of the film Supriya Debi left her house to accept Uttam Kumar. The music of Robin Chatterjee in the film was very impressive. Ajoy Kar made other successful films with Uttam Kumar including Khelaghar opposite Mala Sinha, Bardidi with Sandharani, to name a few. Agradoot included a group of directors were formed in 1946 by director Bibhuti Laha, sound recordist Jatin Dutta, Laboratory specialist Sailen Ghoshal, script writer Nitai Bhattacharya and producer Bimal Ghosh. With Uttam Kumar Agradoot made the film Sahajatri in 1951. Bharati Debi was the heroine of the film. After that Agradoot directed one after the other hit films with Uttam Kumar. Agniparikkha in 1954 directed by Agradoot became super hit. Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen were established as leading stars of Bengal. Anupam Ghatak composed the music of the film. Sandhya Mukherjee sang landmark songs like “gaane more indradhanu”, “ke tumi amare dako”, to name a few. From that time Suchitra Sen, singer Sandhya Mukherjee, music director Robin Chatterjee, Anupam Ghatak stormed Bengali films. Sabar Opore followed. Uttam Kumar played the role of lawyer in the film who re-opened a murder case where his father Chabi Biswas was proved guilty of murder. Again the combination with Suchitra Sen, Sandhya Mukherjee, Robin Chatterjee struck gold. The songs of Sandhya Mukherjee like “ghum ghum chand jhikimiki tara”, and Dhananjoy Bhattacharya like “kantaro aghate chino paye rakta jhare” became super hit. The other super hit films of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen directed by Agradoot include Pathe Holo Deri, Bipasha, to name a few. Majority of Agradoot’s films were produced by MP Production and shot in MP Studio. One interesting statistics about Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen pair is that from 1953 to 1959, both of them acted in 22 films. Majority of those films were directed by Agradoot and majority of them ended up being super hit films. Chabi Biswas was pivotal in playing the roles of fathers of Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar in majority of those films. Agradoot continued with his experiment in other Uttam Kumar films like Kuhak in 1961, Kokhono Megh in 1968, Choddobeshi in 1971. It was a great experiment of Agradoot in casting Uttam Kumar in negative role for the first time in Kuhak. Sabitri Chatterjee was the heroin. He wanted to take away the stolen money from Tarun Kumar’s son but was ultimately killed by Premangshu Basu. In Kokhono Megh Uttam Kumar played the role of detective with Kali Banerjee the villain. Anjana Bhowmick acted opposite Uttam Kumar. Agradoot also directed Uttam Kumar in serio-comic film Choddobeshi. Madhabi Mukherjee, Bikash Roy, Anubha Gupta were the other artists in the film. If the films of Ajoy Kumar and Agradoot were analyzed it will be seen while Uttam Kumar played the pivotal roles in all the films, the success of the films were dependent on outstanding music. The prominent music directors who contributed in the music of the films included Robin Chatterjee and Anupam Ghatak. The outstanding performances by character artists like Chabi Biswas took the films to a different horizon. Other male character artists performed beyond expectation including Kamal Mitra, Nitish Mukherjee, Bikash Roy, Pahari Sanyal, Kali Banerjee, Jahar Ganguly, to name a few. Also the female character artists like Malina Debi, Sunanda Debi, Chandrabati Debi, Chaya Debi, Padda Debi played landmark characters. The excellent literature of legendary writers like Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and contemporary writers like Samaresh Basu, Subodh Ghosh appealed to the masses. If Uttam Kumar became mahanayak, the legendary superstar of Bengal, there was huge contribution of Ajay Kar and Agradoot in making him a superstar. /s320/85a8e35fa5fd27565702cd986d9dbf62%2BUttam%2Bkumar%2Bsharmila.jpg" width="298" height="320" data-original-width="564" data-original-height="606" />

According to Satyajit Ray the greatest actor to grace Indian celluloid was Chabi Biswas.

After working with many actors Chabi Biswas was considered the greatest actor by Satyajit Ray. Satyajit Ray, the Oscar winning director of Indian films considered Chabi Biswas as the greatest actor ever to have been born in Asian soil. Ray brought the neo-realistic movement in Indian films and when he made a statement about an actor that statement the verdict of Supreme Court judge. In that perspective Ray’s comments about Chabi Biswas in Shamik Banerjee’s interview had justified the fact that Chabi Biswas was the only actor in Indian cinema whose improvisation in a Satyajit Ray film had flabbergasted international audience of US, Canada, France, Germany, etc. Satyajit Ray was known as the greatest perfectionist of his age. His script had each and every dimension relating to the work of the actors and actresses and there was hardly any scope of improvisation. But Chabi Biswas was such a great actor who could hardly be directed, nor guided, as his own innovation relating to the respective role that he played was brilliant by every acting standard. Ray had cast Chabi Biswas in three films Jalsaghar, Debi and Kanchenjungha, and due to his tragic death in 1962, Ray never got the scope of experimenting with the legendary actor in his following films. In Jalsaghar, the character Biswambhar Roy could not have been portrayed by any actor better than Chabi Biswas. It was based on the epic literature of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, where Ray showed his brilliance in the depiction of Feudal System during Colonial period in Bengal. For Chabi Biswas, aristocracy got predominance in his life as a zamindar, and that dignity, personality, honour could not be sacrificed during his lifetime. As long as Chabi Biswas’s wealth matched with his aristocracy, the zamindar compromised with other aspects of life, but when the upcoming wealthy people in the village like Gangapodo Basu, by becoming rich through business, tried to equate themselves with the dignified landlord, they faced the tassled. Ray admitted, the scene where Chabi Biswas brought baijee (classical singer) from Benaras to perform in his house and Gangapodo Basu tried to give her reward and Chabi Biswas prevented him, the diction, the aristocracy and dignity could only be portrayed by Chabi Biswas. He said a performer can be first rewarded by the host who called her, not the invitee. The scene where Chabi Biswas was told that due to lack of duty paid by the farmers, there was no money to light the jharlonthon, Chabi Biswas went upstairs and showed the photographs of his ancestors whose sacred legacy he carried forward, and that was the scene which shook international audience. Ray once said, had Chabi Biswas been born in US, he would have received Oscar award for his performance in Jalsaghar. Chabi Biswas’s performance in the film Debi, based on the epic literature of Prabhat Mukhpadhay, was unparallel. He almost got the illusion of seeing Goddess Kali in Sharmila Tagore, who was his daughter -in-law. The expression for the belief which was based on devotion to God, was very complex, which could be only played by Chabi Biswas. Ray admitted, that had Chabi Biswas not been there, he would not have made the film at all. In respect of roles having dignified presence, Chabi Biswas could not be replaced. The best example was Kanchenjungha. There Chabi Biswas a rich industrialist. He could not equate others with himself as he had money, power, recognition in society. But Ray experimented with the abstract subject of the greatness of Kanchenjungha creating an impact in the minds of all the passersby including an egoist of the stature of Chabi Biswas. That was the reason when Chabi Biswas called the name of his friend Banerjee, the film ended with the realization. All the films of Satyajit Ray where he exploited the majestic performance of all time great actor Chabi Biswas should be restored and preserved. Lessons of acting and film making cannot be learned in a better than observing the great works of the two giants together.

Sunil Duttsahab and Raj Kumar sahab were sublime in film Humraaz.

Sunil Dutt and Raj Kumar were sublime in the film Humraaz. Director BR Chopra directed many multi-starrer films and all of them did great business. Humraaz was one of the blockbusters released in 1967. In the film Vimi, the daughter of military officer Manmohan Krishan loved Raj Kumar and secretly married him. But Raj Kumar was send to the warfront and she came to know that he was no more. She gave birth to a daughter which was kept a secret by Manmohan Krishan. After 4 years of marriage, when Manmohan Krishan was in his last days the secret was disclosed. It was also mentioned that Vimi’s daughter Sarika was studying in a Boarding School, and the details relating to that was given to Vimi. Sunil Dutt, discovered that Vimi secretly went to a hotel to meet Raj Kumar, her earlier husband, and to find the truth took the disguise of a bearded man and stayed in a hotel to discover the matter. On one of the days Vimi was killed. Then Balraj Sahani had investigated into the matter. Raj Kumar and Sunil Dutt came to Ooty to take Sarika when they came to know that Madan Puri had taken her to that place. Madan Puri extracted money from his father-in-law and gave Sarika falsely mentioning that she was his granddaughter. Sarika after the killing of Vimi became dumb. At the end when the death scene of Vimi was shown by Iftekar and Mumtaz, which was recorded in a camera, everyone came to know Madan Puri killed Vimi. In a tassle to rescue Sarika, Raj Kumar was killed. The performances of Raj Kumar, Balraj Sahani, Sunil Dutt were excellent. The beautiful locations of Darjeeling and other places mesmerized the audience. BR Chopra utilized the best composition of music director Ravi Shankar Sharma. The songs of Mahendra Kapoor, “neele gagan ke tale”, “kisi patthar ki moorat se”, “na muh chupake jiyo”. Mahendra Kapoor also won filmfare award for his brilliant singing in the film Humraaz. BR Chopra did a great job as a producer and director. The film ended up being the 4th biggest blockbuster of 1967 after Upkar, Ram Aur Shyam and Farz. The film should be restored and preserved.

Remembering great singer Hemanta Mukherjee on birth anniversary.

Remembering Hemant Kumar on his birth anniversary. The viewers of bollywood and Bengali films pay their homage to evergreen singer Hemant Kumar on his birth anniversary on 16th June, 2021

. He had died more than 16 years back, but had left lot of memories which are cherished by the following generations. He composed music in many bollywood films in the 50s and 60s and carried forward the legacy of Rabindra Sangeet beyond the Bengal border and made it popular all across India. He composed music in the film Nagin and got the filmfare award for the best composer in 1955. His tune “man dole” sung by Lata for Vaijayantimala became extremely popular in the mid -50s. He sang a number of songs for Dev Anand including “yeh raat yeh chandni” in the film Jaal, “yeh apna dil” in Solwa Saal composed by SD Burman, songs in Patita composed by Shankar Jaikishan, etc. He also sang the legendary song “jane yeh kaise” for Guru Dutt in the film Pyaasa. His composition in Biswajeet’s films Bees Saal Baad and Kohra, became super hit. Successful songs included “yeh nayan dhali dhali”, “zara nazron se kahdo ji”, etc. In fact Hemant Kumar produced the film Bees Saal Baad, which was the sequel of Bengali crime thriller Jighansha, directed by Ajoy Kar. Hemant Kumar’s composition in the other films included Biswajeet’s Do Dil, Dilip Kumar’s Paigam, Dharmender’s Khamoshi, Guru Dutt’s Sahe Bibi Aur Ghulam, to name a few. Some of the hit songs sung by Hemant Kumar in those films included “tum pukarke”, and others. Besides he had given many hit songs to Lata, Asha and Geeta Dutt in those films. Hemant Kumar had sung majority of playback songs for Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar in the 50s. His songs included “surer akashe tumi je go shuktara” from the film Shapmochon in 1955, “tare bole diyo” from the film Dui Bhai in 1961, “nir choto khoti nei” from the film Indrani in 1958, “ei poth Jodi na shesh hoi” from the film Saptapadi in 1961, “jai chole jai” from the film Kal Tumi Aleya in 1965, “sapno jagano raat” from the film Shudhu Ekti Bachar in 1966, “mou bane aaj” from the film Bondhu in 1958, to name a few. Besides most of the Rabindra Sangeet sung by Hemant Kumar in Bengali films became hits, including “tumi robe nirobe” in Biswajeet’s Kuheli, “ami pothbhola ek pathik” in Uttam Kumar’s Mon Niye, “jokhon porbe na mor” in Uttam Kumar’s film Bibhas, “purano shei diner kotha” in Uttam Kumar’s Agnisshar, etc. Hemant Kumar had composed songs in more than 50 bengali films like Shap Mochon, Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Deep Jele Jai, Sathihara, Palatak, Phuleshwari, Dadar Kirti, Dui Bhai, Surjotoron, etc., most of which became dashing hits. Hemant Kumar had sung more than 1000 bengali modern songs under different composers. He had sung trend-setting songs composed by Salil Choudhury like “runner”, “kono ek gayer bodhu”, “patha harabo bole ebar”, “palki chole”. Nochiketa Ghosh composed landmark song for Hemant Kumar titled “amar ganer shorolipi lekha robe”. He had sung many ranbindra sangeet and showed his own skill aside other giants like Pankaj Mallick, Subinoy Ray, Dijen Mukherjee, Debrata Biswas and others. Hemant Kumar’s contribution in Bengali modern songs and film songs is so huge that articles after articles can be devoted for the melody king of Bengal. The viewers pay their respect for the departed soul of legendary singer Hemant Kumar on his birthday.

Nirmala Mishra in previous interview said "emon ekta jhinuk" was gained by Carribean humming.

Nirmala Mishra said Carribean humming gave her song “emon ekta jhinuk”. Eminent singer Nirmala Mishra gave an exclusive interview in Anandabazar Patrika on 16th October, 2011. At an age of 73 years she talked about many unknown facts. She disclosed that her father Mohinimohan Mishra was Pandit, Sangeet Ratna and Sangeet Nayak. He went to Benaras to get those degrees in music. Nirmala Mishra’s second brother who was also a great talented singer was given poison and did not survive, otherwise would have been a great singer. She was very mischievous during childhood, that was the reason she was called “jhamela”. She got typhoid 6 times, for that reason her eyesight was affected. Everyone prescribed her to sing light songs, but her father was upset as he was an eminent classical singer. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan had many times given her medicine for voice. Eminent singer Dhananjoy Bhattacharya had helped her in her initial days of career. When composer Nochiketa Ghosh composed a song and asked her whether she could do Carribean humming, she said yes. Nochiketa Ghosh thought about Lata Mangeshkar for the song. But she did the humming, and got the song “emon ekta jhinuk khuje pellam na”. It became super hit. In the same way she got the song “o tota pakhire” from the brilliant composer Prabir Mojumdar. She was called by superstar Uttam Kumar a number of times in his own house whenever Supriya Debi cooked a delicacy of prawns. She was asked to sing songs many times. She talked about her husband also who wrote the song “ami je tomar chirodiner hasi kannar saathi” which was later recorded and became a big hit. Nirmala Mishra said that just as Lata Mangeshkar was called the melody queen of Mumbai, Sandhya Mukherjee the melody queen of Kolkata, similarly she was considered the melody queen of Orissa. She had sung many Oriya songs and majority of them had become hits. Romantic singer Gayatri Bose sang many romantic songs during 1950s and 1960s. Romantic Singer Gayatri Bose sang many romantic songs during 1950s and 1960s. Some of the songs were for children also. Her song “amar sondhya pradip jolbe angina” composed by Robin Chatterjee was one of the successful songs. Her song “shuktara akashero konete” was one of the other songs. One of her other songs was “ei phalgun hok obosan” which was composed by Shyamal Mitra. There was another song “amar jibone pradeep jalate” which became very popular in the 1950s. Gayatri Bose showed her immense romantic andaz in the song “poddokoli sakal khoje” which was very melodious. Some of her other notable songs included “oi baaje kini rini rini”, “gun gun gun bhramara”, “aakash kandey baatash kaande”, “e mon kemon kore jeneche”, “dure pahar jeno koto”, to mention a few. Gayatri Bose sang many melodious songs in the 1950s. They included “aaj malonche moushami howa”, “andhare prodip mor”, “swapnabhara ei banatal”, “prothom mukul tumi jhorona”, “dekho dekho krishnachura”, “o meghe meghe”, etc. There was strong competition between a number of female singers during the golden age including Sandhya Mukherjee, Geeta Dutt, Alpona Banerjee, Pratima Banerjee, Ila Bose, Shipra Bose, Nirmala Mishra and others. That was one of the reason Gayatri Bose could not dominate the music arena but she had her own identity and singing style which was appreciated by the audience. She had also sang in Uttam Kumar’s films like Bidhilipi where Sandharani acted opposite Uttam Kumar. The music of the film was composed by Kalipada Sen. There were four songs in the film which were sung by Gayatri Bose, Mrinal Chakravarty and Alpona Banerjee. All the songs were very successful. Sandhya Mukherjee and Geeta Dutt sang majority of songs of actress Suchitra Sen. So in the film arena Gayatri Bose’s talent was not exploited to that extent. But she sang brilliant songs in the modern song arena and for those reasons the songs should be preserved.

Basu Chatterjee films like Rajanigandha, Chitchor are still relevant in India.

The demise of Basu Chatterjee at 93 age was a big blow to realistic films in India. He gave a lifetime break to actors Amol Palekar and Zarina Wahab. Amol Palekar 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. Even the films based on classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee made in hindi by Basu Chatterjee still remain in the minds of viewers. Films like Swami, Apnapan still haunt the viewers. Shabana Azmi, Utpal Dutt, Girish Karnad did a great job in these types of films. His film Ek Ruka Hua Faisla was also a great experiment. Basu Chatterjee's films hovered around the common man. He showed the life of simple man, like the employee Amol Palekar in film Chitchor. The simple village life really impressed the audience.Basu Chatterjee's film Choti Si Baat, with Amol Palekar and Vidya Sinha was also a great experiment. Ashok Kumar did a great job in the film. His films require restoration and preservation

Whenever Manna Deysahab sang duet songs with Rafisahab they created magic.

Manna Dey and Mohammad Rafi’s duet songs were masterpieces.

Only genius singers have the capability of simplifying difficult ragas and Hindustani classical music simplified into the version which is understandable by the common mass. Both Manna Dey Sahab and Mohammad Rafi Sahab had the capability of making those complicated tunes simple, melodious and romantic. There were huge numbers of difficult songs composed for both of them in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of them had become immortal over the years. The greatness of Manna Dey and Rafisahab lies in simplifying these high voltage qawallis and classical songs in the language of the lay man. Every filmlover who had watched the films and heard the classical andaz in these songs in the beginning wondered about the brilliance of Manna Dey and Rafisahab, and then enjoyed them, clapped at the rhythm created by them and sang all the lines themselves. It was a revolution brought about by the 2 genius singers. It can be very well understood, had these singers not being born, the giant of giants Roshanlal Nagrath, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, Madanmohan Kohli and others would not have composed the songs at all. Roshanlal Nagrath’s qawallies had the quality and the brilliance to overshadow the romantic songs and be the striking song of the film beating all other songs. In Barsaat Ki Raat, the qawalli sung by Manna Deyji and Rafisahab titled “Na to caarvaan ki talaash hai, na to humsafar ki talaash hai Mere shauq-e-khaana kharaab ko, teri rehguzar ki talaash hai”, was the lifeblood of the film. Sudha Malhotra and Asha Bhosle also made notable contribution in the song. The Roshan, Sahir Ludhiyanvi magic continued in the film Taj Mahal. Pradip Kumar played the role of emperor Shahjahan in the film. Rich urdu lyrics and khandani Hindustani classical songs mesmerized the audience in 1963. One of the brilliant qawallies titled “chandni ka badan, sone ka nazar” had classical contest of Rafisahab with Manna Dey. Again there was strong performances of Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle in the song. The Roshanlal Nagrath, Sahir Ludhiyanvi masterpiece continued in Bahu Begum in 1967. Again there were brilliant performances of Pradip Kumar and Meena Kumari. Rafi Sahab and Manna Dey complimented each other in the song “dhoond ke layun kahan se mai”. In that song in addition to the classical tans, both Rafisahab and Manna Dey Sahab, established the sufi andaz of the song as it was picturized in a dargah. The other duet song of Rafi Sahab and Manna Dey Sahab in the film titled “waqib hunk hub ishq ke” really made the musical bandits astonished. Perfection was very close to Manna Dey and Rafisahab’s uncomparable singing. Madanmohan Kohli did another good experiment in the film Haqeekat. In that film in 1964, Rafi Sahab, Manna Deyji, Bhupinderji and Talat Sahab had sung the song “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga”. Everyone’s style was very different. Very significantly the pathos exhibited in the song was also very unique in respect of all the singers. Shankar Jaikishan composed a beautiful song “mehfil me shama chamki” in the film Gunahon Ka Devta in 1967. Here also Manna Dey and Rafisahab showed their own gayaki skills to make the song sound beautiful. Naushad Ali created a beautiful qawalli in Rajender Kumar’s film Palki in 1967 titled “mai idhar jayun yaah udhar jayun”. Rafisahab and Manna Dey reached the message of the lyricist to the audience through their excellent classical singing. In the film Chandi Sona in 1977, Rafisahab and Manna Dey sang the song “ek shokh haseena se”. The singing was notable again. Sonik Omi composed the song “mujhse nazren milaaneki” for Manna Dey and Rafi Sahab in the film Maan Gaye Ustad released in 1981. There were duet songs sung by Rafisahab and Manna Dey in light mood like “yeh do diwane milke” in Johar Mehmood in Hongkong, “dekho dekho madam” in Pyar Muhabbat, “aayo aaten kyun nahin”, but those had comedy andaz in respect of them. The list just goes. More than 100 articles can be devoted to the two giants Manna Dey and Rafisahab. Their songs and films require restoration.

Happy birthday to Zarina Wahabji.

Happy birthday to Zarina Wahab. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Zarina Wahab on 17th July, 2021. She was born in a muslim family in Vishakapatnam. She learned acting in the Film and Television Institute of Pune. She started her film career in Dev Anand’s film Ishq Ishq Ishq in 1974. She attracted the attention of the viewers with her effortless performance in Basu Chatterjee’s film Chitchor. Chitchor was also released in 1974. She played the role of a village girl in the film who was impressed by the down to earth nature of Amol Palekar. She and her family thought that he was a wealthy engineer. But later they came to know that the actual engineer was Vijayendra Ghadge. The family of Zarina Wahab namely Deena Pathak and AK Hangal stopped Zarina Wahab from mixing with Amol Palekar. But she could not forget his memories, nor her neighbouring brother Master Raju. The film became silver jubilee hit. The music composed by Ravinder Jain stormed bollywood with songs like “tu jo mere sur me”, “kahin deep jale”, etc., sung by Yesu Das and Hemlata. The same plot was used in the film Mai Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, where Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bacchan played the lead roles. Zarina Wahab formed a brilliant pair with Amol Palekar and their next film Gharonda which was released in 1977 which was a masterpiece. She played the role of the daughter of Sriram Lagoo. Amol Palekar struggled to get decent job in Mumbai. The film was related to the extreme competition of work in Mumbai and struggle of getting a place to stay. The music of the film composed by Jaidev was excellent. Bhupinder Singh’s song “ek akela is shahar me”, “ do diwane shahar me” and Runa Laila’s song “tumhe honaho mujhko to itna yakeen hai” stormed bollywood in the mid-70s. Zarina Wahab got filmfare nomination for best actress in the film. Zarina Wahab acted in other films like Tumhare Liye directed by Basu Chatterjee, Sawan Ko Aane Do, and many South Indian films like Gajula Kishtavya, Madanolsavam, etc. As character artist she played the role of the mother of Shahrukh Khan in the film My Name is Khan. She married actor Aditya Pancholi and has son and daughter. She also acted in TV Serial Yahan Me Ghar Ghar Kheli which used to be telecast in Zee TV Channel. The performance showed that she still had not forgotten acting at all. The viewers expect her to continue the great work that she had started 30 years back.

Manobendra Mukherjee and bengali film songs.

Bengali cinema for the last 10 years, have relied on music composed by music directors of Bombay and singers of bollywood films. Mostly composers like Bappi Lahiri, Shantonu Moitra, and singers like Kumar Shanu, Babul Supriyo, Abhijeet are brought from Bombay and contribute for the Bengali cinema. There are Bengali composers like Jeet Ganguly but they also rely on the voices of Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjaywala. There was an age (the 50s and 60s) when Bengali film industry was self-sufficient and did not have to borrow singers from bollywood industry. Manobendra Mukherjee belonged to such an elite class who could sing any type of song ranging from pure classical numbers to folk songs, to nazrulgeeti, to westernized songs. In 1954, Manobendra Mukherjee started his innings as music director in Bengali films with Uttam Kumar’s film Chapadangar Bou. He sang Mahadev’s gajon (a type of devotional song) titled “shibo he shibo he” which was picturised on Uttam Kumar and became very successful. Manobendra’s kirtan in Uttam Kumar’s film Shanjher Prodeep released in 1955 also became extremely popular. Manobendra was brilliant by every musical standard in the film Nilachole Mahaprobhu which was based on the life of Lord Chaitanya. Composer Raichand Boral made Manobendra sing a number of kirtans including “jagannath jagatbacndhu” which became superhit. The film was released in 1957 and mesmerized the Bengali audience with cult songs. During that time composer Ghyan Prakash Ghosh used Manobendra Mukherjee for pure classical numbers like “andhare”. Bosonto Choudhury played the main role in the film. Noted composer Anil Bagchi experimented with classical numbers in Chabi Biswas’s epic film Shashibabur Sangsar. The song “rojoni pohale sojoni kothaye” was very successful and Bosonto Choudhury gave able lips on Manobendra’s song in the film. In the mid-50s, composer Nochiketa Ghosh experimented with folk songs in the film Nabajanma. Uttam Kumar gave brilliant lips in Manobendra’s song titled “ore monmajhi” which was based on Bengali folk song titled bhatiayali. Manobendra was sublime in Bosonto Choudhury’s film Kostipathor. The song “kal se phakir aaj se raha” showed Manobendra’s skills in singing light songs. In the 60s Manobendra stormed Bengali films as a versatile composer. All the songs composed in Biswajeet’s film Mayamrigo became superhit, including Manobendra’s own song “metidiamerikar kabyo”, “bidhire”, Hemanta Mukherjee’s song “ore son son geroraj”, Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “bok bok bok bokum bokum payera”. Similarly all the songs composed by Manobendra Mukherjee in Chabi Biswas’s legendary film Badhu, were well appreciated by the learned audience including Manobendra’s own kirtan “gunimon kalorupe”, Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “sonali megher din”, etc. Manobendra’s composition in the film Godhuli Belai was equally brilliant with the title song “godhuli belai” picturised on Biswajeet. Probably Joy Joyanti, marked the best creation of Manobendra Mukherjee which fetched him Indira Gandhi award for remarkable music composition. The film was based on Hollywood film Sound of Music. Sandhya Mukherjee’s songs in the film “amader chuti chuti”, “kiholo karo je mukhe kotha phote na”, etc., were landmarks in Bengali film music. Besides, many composers had given their most dynamic compositions to Manobendra. The best example can be the film Lalu Bhulu. The film was released in 1958. Lyricist Sailen Roy and composer Robin Chatterji gave probably the best songs ever in the film. All the songs sung by Manobendra mukherjee like “ei pranjhorona jaglo”, “akash mor alloy decho bhore”, “jar hiya akasher neel nilimai”, “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “dukher pothe naamli Jodi”, etc., had class, variety and depicted the helplessness of two blind and handicapped boys who sang songs to earn their livelihood. In fact Lalu Bhulu’s songs were inspiration for lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, composer Laxmikant Pyarellal and singer Mohammad Rafi, who created songs of their lifetime in the film Dosti which was the hindi adaptation of Bengali film Lalubhulu. Some of Manobendra’s songs like “dole dodul dole jhulona” in Uttam Kumar’s film Deya Neya are still popular even today. Manobendra’s composition in films like Joto Mot Tato Poth, Sudur Niharika, Sadhok Bamakhepa, caught both the classical base and devotional flavor of Bengali music. It is a pity that Manobendra Mukherjee, with all his classical talent and depth, did not go to bollywood like Manna Dey, otherwise Bengal could have been represented on a larger scale by the meritorious singer and composer whose style and elegance in modern songs was compared with stylish andaz of Australian batsman Neil Harvey. Bengali films these days lack the brilliance of classical singers and composers like Manobendra Mukherjee who are born once in a decade. The songs and the films should be restored for their aesthetic value. The songs should be unearthed and publicly played as well.