Romanic pair of Saira Banuji and Rajender Kumarji gave golden jubilee and blockbuster films in the 1960s.

Rajender Kumarji and Saira Banuji Rajender Kumar, better known as Jubilee Kumar, had acted in memorable films in the 60s, ranging from Mere Mehboob, to Sangam, Aarzoo to Suraj, etc. During that span he had acted with all the leading actresses of bollywood films including Vaijayantimala, Sadhna, Meena Kumari, Wahida Rehman, etc. His combination with Saira Banu was well accepted by the viewers. Most of their films became successful and did very good business during the 60s. Their film Ayee Milan Ki Bela was a romantic film with melodious songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The memorable songs sung by Rafi and Lata include “to bura man gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, “aha aye Milan ki bela dekho aye”, “tum khamseen ho”, “mai pyar ka diwana”, to name a few. Dharmender got a supporting role in the form of brother of Rajender Kumar. He also did well in the film. Their film Jhuk Gaya Aasman was based on reincarnation. Rajender Kumar met with an accident and took the place another person who had huge property. The other Rajender Kumar was subject to conspiracy Prem Chopra and others who were interested to take his property. Music again played a notable role with Shankar Jaikishan providing westernized tunes for Rafi and Lata. The hit songs sung by Rafi and Lata included “o priya, kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “saccha hai ghar”, “kahan chal diye”, to mention a few. The popularity of Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu contributed a lot for the success of the film. Rajender Nath, the brother of Prem Nath did well as a relief character. The film which was less known involving Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu, included Aman. The film was based on the victims of Second World War. Rajender Kumar was a doctor and went to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to treat the victims who got infected due to hurling of Atom Bomb during the Second World War. Rajender Kumar went there against the wishes of his father played by Balraj Sahani. There he met Saira Banu and got involved with her. The film depicted the damage that caused in most parts of Japan including the population and their property. It was not a romantic film in that sense. But the music of Shankar Jaikishan again appreciated by the audience. The notable songs included “surahidar garden, koel si hi awaaz”, “aaj ki raat”, etc. Rajender Kumar died at the end of the film. The films of Jubilee Kumar and Saira Banu should be restored for the next generation as their romantic pair provided entertaining performances in the 60s.

Happy birthday to Kareena Kapoorji

Happy birthday to Kareena Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Kareena Kapoor on 21st September, 2022. She had been the number star of bollywood films and carried forward the grand legacy created by Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor forward. In 2013 her film Satyagraha opposite Ajay Devgan got commercial and critical success. In 2014 her film Singham Returns opposite Ajay Devgan did business of more than 135 crores. In 2015 her film Bajrangi Bhaijaan opposite Salman Khan did business of more than 320 crores. In 2014 her film Singham Returns opposite Ajay Devganji did business of 190 crores.

She started her career with the film Refugee in 2000 with Abhishek Bacchan. In that film she played the role of a pardanashin muslim girl of Pakistan. It was a big task on the part of Kareena to perform opposite stalwarts like Jackie Shroff, Anupam Kher, Sunil Shetty and others, who were experienced actors and Kareena Kapoor rose up to the occasion and received good reception from all sections of the viewers. Within short time she adapted herself to different types of roles in films like Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai opposite Tushar Kapoor, Yaadein opposite Hrithik Roshan, Ashoka opposite Shahrukh Khan, to name a few. After two three years her films started flopping, and she bounced back with an off-beat role in the film Chameli. She received the critics award for the best actress in filmfare. From that time she never looked back. Most of her films opposite Shahid Kapoor had been super hit including Chup Chup Ke, 36 China Town and Jab We Met. She received the filmfare award for the best actress for her effortless performance in the film Jab We Met. The film was related to the romantic relation of her with Shahid Kapoor. All the songs in the film became super hit including “yeh ishq hai”, “nagara nagara”, “tujhse hi tujhse hi”, etc. At the same time her films opposite other stars were appreciated. She was successful opposite Salman Khan in the film Kyon Ki. She was sublime opposite Ajay Devgan in the film Omkara and Golmaal Returns. In 2009, her film Kambakht Ishq opposite Akshay Kumar did medium business. But she had two mega releases for which the viewers are awaiting anxiously. One was Mai and Mrs Khanna opposite Salman Khan. The other was The Three Idiots opposite Amir Khan. While the first one did mediocre business, the second one broke all bollywood records to do more than Rs 200 crores business. Kareena Kapoor was sublime in the film in the role of the daughter of Boman Irani. She had already two releases in 2010, including Milenge Milenge and We Are Family. Her other film Golmaal 3 also did great business. 2011 had been a lucky year for Kareena Kapoor. Her film Bodyguard opposite Salman Khan had done business more than 140 crores and emerged as the greatest blockbuster of the year. She was successful in the next film Raone with Shahrukh Khan which also did business more than 100 crores. 2012 has a lot in store. On 21st September, her most awaited film Heroine is getting released. Madhur Bhandarkar had given a challenging role and Kareena Kapoor has a lot of expectations from the film. One factor is clear. Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor had maintained the stardom that existed in Raj Kapoor’s family for the last 60 years. So both Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor are required to continue the good work in the years to come. With the success of Satyagraha, Kareena Kapoor has shown huge potential and she can still contribute in future. The viewers expect Kareena Kapoor to stand the competition created by beauty queen Katrina Kaif and steady performer Priyanka Chopra in the coming years and emerge victorious.

Salman Khan starrer Bajrang Bhaijaan in 2015 had a great humanitarian message

Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan has very good humanitarian message.Salman Khan’s new film Bajrangi Bhaijaan released on 17th July, 2015, did business of more than 32 crores on the first day. The film has excellent humanitarian message. The film had been directed by Kabir Khan who had previously directed Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger few years back. Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh produced the film. The music had been composed by Pritam. The film is all about a little girl played by Harshali Malhotra who got lost in India. She belonged to a hilly district of Pakistan. Salman Khan met her in Delhi but as she was dumb he could not make out her place of residence. He kept her in the house of Kareena Kapoor and her father Sharat Saxena. Sharat Saxena incidentally gave Salman place to stay when his father died some time back. After that Salman Khan entered Pakistan without Passport and Visa. He was a devotee of Hanumanji. So told the truth that he entered underneath the fencing in the deserts between India and Pakistan. He got beaten up by the Pakistani police. He got help from a Pakistani journalist played by Nawazuddin Siddique and Om Puri, a religious person. Ultimately he could reach Munni or Shahida, the child to her parents in Pakistan in Sultanpur district. The child at the end spoke out. The film gave the message that nature shares all the assets in both India and Pakistan. Human love and affection could have softened the relationship between the human beings of both the countries. It is the law enforcers and policy makers who had stemmed hatred between the two country men.

Salman Khan played his role in an outstanding way. His innocence and human feeling touched everyone. Kareena Kapoor and Sharat Saxena were brilliant in their roles. Om Puri did a cameo in his short role. Nawazuddin was again brilliant and very different from his villainish roles. The music of Pritam was outstanding. Atif Aslam’s song “tu chahiye”, Adnan Sami’s qawalli “bhar do jholi meri”, Mohit Chauhan and Palak Mucchal’s song “chicken” and Javed Ali’s song “tu jo mila” touched everyone. Salman Khan in the past had shown that he was the badshaah of eid.

Happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat

Happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat. The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mallika Sherawat on 24th October, 2022

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.

Ranbir Kapoor starrer Brahmastra with 250 crores business in India and 140 crores business abroad is heading towards greatest bollywood blockbuster of 2022

Ayan Mukherjee directed a fanstastic film Brahmastra. All the actors Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy, Nagarjuna and others did fabulous acting. Brahmastra did 250 crore business in 15 days and 140 crores business in foreign markets. It is heading towards greatest bollywood blockbuster of 2022.

In ancient India, a group of sages in the Himalayas collide with the energy Brahm-shakti, which produces many celestial weapons of great power called astras. The strongest among them, the Brahmāstra, carries the capacity to destroy the world. The sages use their respective astras to control the Brahmāstra and become the Brahmānsh, a secret society to protect the world from the powers of astras. In present-day Mumbai, Shiva a disc jockey, falls in love at first sight with Isha Chatterjee, a London resident who is visiting India for the Durga Puja festival at her grandfather's pandal. Soon, Isha reciprocates his feelings for her. Shiva tells her that he is an orphan who never knew his father, and his mother died in an accident when he was a baby. Meanwhile, in Delhi, Mohan Bhargav is attacked by Zor and Raftar for a piece of Brahmāstra he owns. Mohan manages to disguise it inside his Mayāstra before escaping by using the Vanārastra. When he returns to retrieve the piece, he is captured by Junoon, who works for the mysterious Dev. Under Junoon's possession, Mohan reveals that the second piece is protected by an artist and archaeologist named Anish Shetty in Kashi. The third piece is with Guru, the current leader of the Brahmānsh. Before he can reveal the location of Brahmānsh (Āshram), Mohan commits suicide. Shiva sees a vision of Mohan's encounter with Junoon. He and Isha head for Kashi to warn and save Anish but are interrupted by Raftar, who now wields Vānarāstra. Anish defeats him using the Nandiāstra before escaping with Shiva and Isha. While going to Himachal Pradesh, where Āshram is located, they are chased by Junoon and Zor in a truck. Anish gives the second piece of the Brahmāstra to Shiva and stays to fight Junoon and Zor, only to be killed. Shiva and Isha are chased by Raftar to Āshram where Shiva kills him using the Agnyāstra after he tried to kill Isha. At Āshram, they learn about other astras and Shiva is forced to join Brahmānsh by Guru for the information of his parents. He meets other newly recruits Rani, Raveena, Sher and Tensing who are all trained by Guru on how to use their respective astras and Shiva also gains control over fire. As Junoon gets closes to them, Guru reveals that Shiva is the son of former Brahmānsh members, Dev and Amrita. Dev actually awoke the Brahmāstra as he was the only person, who was able to control multiple astrās at once. Amrita (pregnant with Dev's child), who wielded the Jalāstra defeated him in a battle on a remote island and both of them seemingly perished from the battle. Amrita's boat was found in the ruins of the battle, brought back from the island, with two broken pieces of the Brahmāstra. The pieces of the Brahmastra were given to both Mohan and Anish. The third piece was believed to be missing, with Amrita concluding that they both survived. The third piece of the Brahmāstra is in Amrita's Mayāstra disguised into a conch shell which Shiva unknowingly releases it after his blood drops on the conch. Junoon and her army arrive at Āshram for Brahmāstra and hostages everyone. Shiva defeats Junoon while also killing Roz, who wielded Nandi Astra and releases everyone. But Junoon managed to take the third piece from Isha. She seemingly sacrificed herself to activate Brahmāstra. The destruction starts to begin but Shiva gains control over the Brahmāstra with the 'power of love', reuniting with Isha. Before the credits, due to Junoon having activated the Brahmāstra, Dev, who was imprisoned as a statue on an unknown island, is released. Cast Amitabh Bachchan as Raghu, the current leader of the Brahmānsh, Guru of recruited members and wields the Prabhāstra. Ranbir Kapoor as Shiva, an orphan and newly recruit member of the Brahmānsh, who possesses the power of the Agnyastra, (the astra of fire) within himself. Nivaan Gupta as baby Shiva Alia Bhatt as Isha Chatterjee, an OCI from London who is Shiva's love interest. Mouni Roy as Junoon, who aims to revive the Brahmāstra and release Dev. Nagarjuna Akkineni as Anish Shetty, an artist and an archaeologist who is a member of the Brahmānsh and wielded the Nandi Astra. Saurav Gurjar as Zor, a henchman of Junoon.[12] Rohollah Ghazi as Raftaar, a henchman of Junoon. Aditi Joshi as Rani, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh. Lehar Khan as Raveena, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wields the Gajāstra. Gurfateh Pirzada as Sher, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wields the Nāg Dhanush[13] Stanzin Denek as Tensing, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wielded the Pawanāstra. Dimple Kapadia as unnamed member of Brahmānsh. Saqib Ayub as Ali, Shiva's friend. Chaitnya Sharma as Tiger, Shiva's friend. Rashi Mal as Shaina, Isha's cousin.[14][15][16] Shah Rukh Khan as Mohan Bhargav, a scientist and a member of the Brahmānsh who wielded Vanarāstra.[17] The name of the character is a nod to Khan's character in the 2004 film Swades.[18] Deepika Padukone as Amrita, Shiva's mother and a former member of the Brahmānsh who wielded Jalāstra (uncredited appearance)[19] Rohan Rustomji as Sunny, Isha's cousin. Farida Dadi as Aunty, Shiva's landlady. Riyaaz Makaney as Dadaji, Isha's grandfather. Production Development The idea of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva first came to Mukerji in 2011 while writing the script for his second film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.[20] Mukerji first announced that he was working on a new project in July 2014.[21] At the time, the film was titled Dragon.[22] In October 2017, Brahmāstra was officially announced by producer Karan Johar. Mukerji was signed as the director while Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were set to star. Initially, the film's title was rumoured to be Dragon but was later confirmed as Brahmāstra. Mukerji explained that the title Brahmāstra "resonates with the ancient wisdom, energies and power."[23] Mukerji also revealed that it is a "contemporary film with ancient elements."[24] In 2017, Johar revealed his plan to make the film into a film trilogy.[25][26] The preparation for the film started in January 2018.[27] In an interview, Kapoor stated that Mukerji "has spent six years of his life working really hard to make an original story" and that the trilogy would be made over a period of 10 years[28] and refuted rumours suggesting that it is a romantic superhero film. Instead, Kapoor confirmed that the film is a "romantic-fairytale in a supernatural format". and that the film is not something which "doesn't have truth to it, or which is unbelievable".[28] Nagarjuna Akkineni also confirmed that he would be playing a "pivotal" role.[29] Mouni Roy revealed in an interview that she is the "only antagonist" in the film.[30][31] In June 2022, Mukerji announced the film would be a part of a trilogy franchise – serving as the first instalment – under the Astraverse, a cinematic universe centered around various mystical astras.[32][33] In August 2022, Roy confirmed Shah Rukh Khan had a cameo appearance in the film.[34] Pre production Ayan Mukherjee started work nine years before the theatrical release. Pre-production work started in 2014, filming began in 2017.[35] In February 2018 Amitabh Bachchan, Kapoor did look tests in the presence of Mukerji.[36] Themes In July 2022, a video was released featuring Mukerji explaining the mystical universe of various astras.[37] He explained how from the Brahm-Shakti, astras were born, which compose all the different energies that are found in nature like Jalāstra (water), Pawanāstra (wind), and Agnyastra (fire). He also talked about astras that store the powers of different animals like the Vanarāstra, which can give the power of a "divine" monkey to the person who controls it, and the Nandiāstra, which contains the power and strength of a thousand bulls, within itself. The last āstra to emerge from the universe, carrying the collective power of the Brahm-Shakti – called the "lord of all the āstras" – is explained to be one of the most powerful celestial weapons of gods (or Devas) in Hindu mythology, the Brahmāstra.[38] Mukerji stated that the core idea was inspired by stories of Hindu mythology he heard in his childhood from his grandfather.[39] Characters Mukerji revealed that the inspiration behind actor Kapoor's character came from Rumi who also inspired the first look of his character. Mukerji also drew inspiration from Rumi's work: "love is the bridge between you and everything", to build the foundation of the film. Later, he revealed that the Rumi-inspired look was scrapped and Kapoor had gotten a haircut instead.[40] Kapoor revealed his experience with look tests for the film, expressing that it is a "tedious job: sticking, removing applying, de-applying, and applying again, until some decision is reached".[41] Filming Principal photography began in February 2018 with the commencement of the first schedule of the film on 24 February 2018. The first schedule of the film was wrapped up in Bulgaria on 24 March 2018.[42] The second schedule of filming continued in said country and then London on 8 July 2018,[43] in New York in late July,[44] and then back in Bulgaria by the end of the month.[45][46] Extensive shooting started on 1 February 2019 at Edinburgh, Scotland.[47] The 20-day schedule started in the Ramnagar Fort and Chet Singh Fort in Varanasi on 30 July 2019.[48] The filming was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[49] and later resumed in November 2020.[50][51] Filming wrapped up on 29 March 2022 in Varanasi.[52] After S. S. Rajamouli's father, K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, proposed some changes in the film to Mukerji, reshoots were conducted for four days.[53] With a production budget of ₹410 crore (US$51 million), the film is one of the most expensive Indian films and the most expensive Hindi film ever at the time of its release.[7] Post-production In the post-production, it is estimated that 150 crore Indian rupees spent on VFX by makers.[54] The VFX work of this film is done by DNEG- Prime focus company. Editing was supervised by Prakash Kurup. Jam8 music and sound design studio lead by Pritam provided sound effects. VFX studio DNEG and ReDefine's foreign team created visual effects. Chiranjeevi gave the voice-over for the Telugu version.[55] Ranbir and Alia Bhatt did their dubbing portion in September 2020 in a studio in Bandra.[56] Music Main article: Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (soundtrack) The film score is composed by English composer Simon Franglen[57] while the soundtrack score is composed and written by Pritam and produced and mixed by British musician Steel Banglez,[58] with songs written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The music album is set to release officially on October 5th, on the occasion of Dussehra

Deepika Padukoneji will make a comeback with Pathan opposite Shahrukh Khanji.

Happy birthday to Deepika Padukone. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Deepika Padukone on 5th January, 2022. Deepika Padukone, the daughter of renowned badminton player Prakash Padukone, started her career in the fashion world from where the producers and directors got impressed. 2021 has been good for her as film 83 where she played wife of cricketer Kapil Devji was well appreciated. 2013 had been a great year for her. Her film Chennai Express opposite Shahrukh Khan had done business of more than 230 crores. Her film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani opposite Ranbir Kapoor did business of 189 crores. Her film Race 2 opposite Saif Ali Khan did business of 95 crores. 2014 also had been great year for her. Her film Happy New Year did business of more than 202 crores. She also received best actress award for her performance in the film Ramlila in 2014. In 2015 Deepika’s films Piku and Bajirao Mastani had been super hit. In 2017 Deepika's film Padmavat did business of 300 crores.

She made a dream debut in the film Om Shanti Om, opposite Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan was one of the biggest icons of bollywood films till 2007. Akshay Kumar had shaken up the box-office domination of Shahrukh Khan after giving many blockbusters in the last few years. It was a dream which came true for Deepika Padukone to act opposite Shahrukh Khan in the romantic blockbuster. Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan searched a new face for the film. Deepika Padukone answered their query. The film was related to reincarnation. Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had double roles in the film. Deepika was killed by breaking out of fire in a grand studio. The entire story of her death was recreated to bring the perpetrators of crime before the people at large. The soul of Deepika Padukone did the rest. The film had similar story line like that of Karz. But the excellent music of the film and decent performance from Deepika Padukone and Shahrukh Khan had converted a decent film into a commercially successful mission. The songs of Sonu Nigam and others like “tumko paya hai to jaise”, “om shanty om”, “ankho me teri”, etc., became landmark hits in 2007. Deepika Padukone bagged the best debutant award in the filmfare and Om Shanti Om bagged filmfare awards under different categories. As Deepika Padukone created a huge expectation from the performance in the first film the viewers started believing in her capability in the following films as well. She did well again in 2008 in the film Bacchna Aye Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor, Minissha Lamba and Bipasha Basu. The film was related to the story of how Ranbir Kapoor met three girls namely Bipasha Basu, Deepika Padukone and Minissha Lamba and how their interaction created an impact in the life of Ranbir Kapoor. Again the fabulous locations and quality music composed by Vishal Shekhar impressed the viewers. The hit songs included “bacchna aye haseeno”, “ki mujhe pyar hai”, etc. Deepika Padukone probably matched Ranbir Kapoor the best if compared with the other performers in the same film. In 2009, Deepika’s much awaited film Chandni Chowk To China was released in January. She had acted opposite superstar Akshay Kumar who had shown his action skills and comedy skills as well in the film. For the requirement of the film Deepika Padukone had learned martial art as well which was done by Priyanka Chopra in the past. But the film did mediocre business. The other film of Deepika Padukone that was released in 2009 was Love Aaj Kaal. It was the film of Saif Ali Khan and he acted opposite Deepika Padukone. The film became a big hit and the romantic combination of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone was accepted by the audience. The music of Pritam was well appreciated by the audience including the song “chor bazari”. After that Deepika Padukone had acted in many films in 2010, including Billo Barbar, Lafange Parindey, Larenge Hum Ji Jaanse, etc., and acted opposite many actors including Farhan Akshtar, Abhishek Bacchan (where he played the role of Masterda Surjo Sen in Ashutosh Gowarikar’s flm), etc. 2011 had been a successful year for Deepika Padukone. Her performance opposite Saif Ali Khan and Big B in the film Aarakshan had been appreciated by the viewers. The film did excellent business too. In 2012 her film Cocktail opposite Saif Ali Khan did good business. The viewers expect Deepika Padukone to revive her position in 2016 with the success of the films Race 2, Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Happy New Year and continue her great work in the years to come in bollywood films and other films. Her Padmmavat in 2018 did business of 300 crores. She is expected to do well in future.

Priyanka Chopra films are loved by everyone

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2022. After marriage Priyanka Chopra started her second innings. Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2022, 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

Asha Parekhji is remembered on birthday

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Asha Parekh on 2nd October, 2022. She had been a dancing legend of the 60s. Bollywood industry is indebted to her for her brilliant performance in various films. She started her career opposite Shammi Kapoor in the film Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. The film did great business with hit songs composed by Usha Khanna including “dil deke dekho” sung by Rafi. After that she acted in musical blockbusters most of which were directed by Nasir Hussain. She was sublime in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Dev Anand. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “sau saal pehle”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “teri zulfon ki”, “jiya ho” became rich assets of history. Asha Parekh had a fantastic combination with Joy Mukherjee. Her films Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Love in Tokyo became superhit. Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, released in 1963 was shot in Kashmir, while Love in Tokyo, released in 1966 was shot in Japan. The romantic scenery entertained the viewers. The songs in most of these films composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan stormed box-office. The most famous songs included “banda parwar”, “lakhon hai nigahon me”, “raton ka sila”, “nazneen bara rangin hai wada tera”, “japan, love in Tokyo”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, “o mere shahekhuba”, etc. Similarly Asha Parekh’s combination with Biswajeet and Shammi Kapoor was very grand. Her film Mere Sanam with Biswajeet, released in 1965 was another musical blockbuster. All the songs of the film like “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jayo”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano” sung by Rafi stormed box-office in the mid-60s. Asha Parekh played many serious roles in films like Chirag opposite Sunil Dutt, Kati Patang opposite Rajesh Khanna, Upkaar opposite Manoj Kumar, etc. She got critical acclamation for performance in the film Chirag. Asha Parekh dancing skills gave her a separate recognition during an age when actresses like Vaijayantimala, Rajashree, Mumtaz, Padmini were already created sensation in bollywood. Asha Parekh’s performance in the film Carwan opposite Jeetender requires special mention. She proved her dancing skills opposite other renowned dancers in the film like Helen and Aruna Irani. She also acted in character roles in films like Bulandi, Kaalia, etc., in the 80s. Asha Parekh had headed the Indian Censor Board for some time. As a member of the Board she did a great job in ensuring decency in the entertainment industry specifically films. Recently she was invited as guest judge in the Sony TV Indian Idol Program in 2012, where Sunidhi Chauhan, Anu Malik, Salim Merchant and Asha Bhosle were the other judges. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in the years to come.

Ranbir Kapoor Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra did 200 crore business in 9 days and heading towards greatest bollywood blockbuster in 2022

Ayan Mukherjee directed a fanstastic film Brahmastra. All the actors Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bacchan, Alia Bhatt, Mouni Roy, Nagarjuna and others did fabulous acting. Brahmastra did 200 crore business in 9 days and 120 crores business in foreign markets. It is heading towards greatest bollywood blockbuster of 2022.

In ancient India, a group of sages in the Himalayas collide with the energy Brahm-shakti, which produces many celestial weapons of great power called astras. The strongest among them, the Brahmāstra, carries the capacity to destroy the world. The sages use their respective astras to control the Brahmāstra and become the Brahmānsh, a secret society to protect the world from the powers of astras. In present-day Mumbai, Shiva a disc jockey, falls in love at first sight with Isha Chatterjee, a London resident who is visiting India for the Durga Puja festival at her grandfather's pandal. Soon, Isha reciprocates his feelings for her. Shiva tells her that he is an orphan who never knew his father, and his mother died in an accident when he was a baby. Meanwhile, in Delhi, Mohan Bhargav is attacked by Zor and Raftar for a piece of Brahmāstra he owns. Mohan manages to disguise it inside his Mayāstra before escaping by using the Vanārastra. When he returns to retrieve the piece, he is captured by Junoon, who works for the mysterious Dev. Under Junoon's possession, Mohan reveals that the second piece is protected by an artist and archaeologist named Anish Shetty in Kashi. The third piece is with Guru, the current leader of the Brahmānsh. Before he can reveal the location of Brahmānsh (Āshram), Mohan commits suicide. Shiva sees a vision of Mohan's encounter with Junoon. He and Isha head for Kashi to warn and save Anish but are interrupted by Raftar, who now wields Vānarāstra. Anish defeats him using the Nandiāstra before escaping with Shiva and Isha. While going to Himachal Pradesh, where Āshram is located, they are chased by Junoon and Zor in a truck. Anish gives the second piece of the Brahmāstra to Shiva and stays to fight Junoon and Zor, only to be killed. Shiva and Isha are chased by Raftar to Āshram where Shiva kills him using the Agnyāstra after he tried to kill Isha. At Āshram, they learn about other astras and Shiva is forced to join Brahmānsh by Guru for the information of his parents. He meets other newly recruits Rani, Raveena, Sher and Tensing who are all trained by Guru on how to use their respective astras and Shiva also gains control over fire. As Junoon gets closes to them, Guru reveals that Shiva is the son of former Brahmānsh members, Dev and Amrita. Dev actually awoke the Brahmāstra as he was the only person, who was able to control multiple astrās at once. Amrita (pregnant with Dev's child), who wielded the Jalāstra defeated him in a battle on a remote island and both of them seemingly perished from the battle. Amrita's boat was found in the ruins of the battle, brought back from the island, with two broken pieces of the Brahmāstra. The pieces of the Brahmastra were given to both Mohan and Anish. The third piece was believed to be missing, with Amrita concluding that they both survived. The third piece of the Brahmāstra is in Amrita's Mayāstra disguised into a conch shell which Shiva unknowingly releases it after his blood drops on the conch. Junoon and her army arrive at Āshram for Brahmāstra and hostages everyone. Shiva defeats Junoon while also killing Roz, who wielded Nandi Astra and releases everyone. But Junoon managed to take the third piece from Isha. She seemingly sacrificed herself to activate Brahmāstra. The destruction starts to begin but Shiva gains control over the Brahmāstra with the 'power of love', reuniting with Isha. Before the credits, due to Junoon having activated the Brahmāstra, Dev, who was imprisoned as a statue on an unknown island, is released. Cast Amitabh Bachchan as Raghu, the current leader of the Brahmānsh, Guru of recruited members and wields the Prabhāstra. Ranbir Kapoor as Shiva, an orphan and newly recruit member of the Brahmānsh, who possesses the power of the Agnyastra, (the astra of fire) within himself. Nivaan Gupta as baby Shiva Alia Bhatt as Isha Chatterjee, an OCI from London who is Shiva's love interest. Mouni Roy as Junoon, who aims to revive the Brahmāstra and release Dev. Nagarjuna Akkineni as Anish Shetty, an artist and an archaeologist who is a member of the Brahmānsh and wielded the Nandi Astra. Saurav Gurjar as Zor, a henchman of Junoon.[12] Rohollah Ghazi as Raftaar, a henchman of Junoon. Aditi Joshi as Rani, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh. Lehar Khan as Raveena, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wields the Gajāstra. Gurfateh Pirzada as Sher, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wields the Nāg Dhanush[13] Stanzin Denek as Tensing, a newly recruit of Brahmānsh who wielded the Pawanāstra. Dimple Kapadia as unnamed member of Brahmānsh. Saqib Ayub as Ali, Shiva's friend. Chaitnya Sharma as Tiger, Shiva's friend. Rashi Mal as Shaina, Isha's cousin.[14][15][16] Shah Rukh Khan as Mohan Bhargav, a scientist and a member of the Brahmānsh who wielded Vanarāstra.[17] The name of the character is a nod to Khan's character in the 2004 film Swades.[18] Deepika Padukone as Amrita, Shiva's mother and a former member of the Brahmānsh who wielded Jalāstra (uncredited appearance)[19] Rohan Rustomji as Sunny, Isha's cousin. Farida Dadi as Aunty, Shiva's landlady. Riyaaz Makaney as Dadaji, Isha's grandfather. Production Development The idea of Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva first came to Mukerji in 2011 while writing the script for his second film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.[20] Mukerji first announced that he was working on a new project in July 2014.[21] At the time, the film was titled Dragon.[22] In October 2017, Brahmāstra was officially announced by producer Karan Johar. Mukerji was signed as the director while Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt were set to star. Initially, the film's title was rumoured to be Dragon but was later confirmed as Brahmāstra. Mukerji explained that the title Brahmāstra "resonates with the ancient wisdom, energies and power."[23] Mukerji also revealed that it is a "contemporary film with ancient elements."[24] In 2017, Johar revealed his plan to make the film into a film trilogy.[25][26] The preparation for the film started in January 2018.[27] In an interview, Kapoor stated that Mukerji "has spent six years of his life working really hard to make an original story" and that the trilogy would be made over a period of 10 years[28] and refuted rumours suggesting that it is a romantic superhero film. Instead, Kapoor confirmed that the film is a "romantic-fairytale in a supernatural format". and that the film is not something which "doesn't have truth to it, or which is unbelievable".[28] Nagarjuna Akkineni also confirmed that he would be playing a "pivotal" role.[29] Mouni Roy revealed in an interview that she is the "only antagonist" in the film.[30][31] In June 2022, Mukerji announced the film would be a part of a trilogy franchise – serving as the first instalment – under the Astraverse, a cinematic universe centered around various mystical astras.[32][33] In August 2022, Roy confirmed Shah Rukh Khan had a cameo appearance in the film.[34] Pre production Ayan Mukherjee started work nine years before the theatrical release. Pre-production work started in 2014, filming began in 2017.[35] In February 2018 Amitabh Bachchan, Kapoor did look tests in the presence of Mukerji.[36] Themes In July 2022, a video was released featuring Mukerji explaining the mystical universe of various astras.[37] He explained how from the Brahm-Shakti, astras were born, which compose all the different energies that are found in nature like Jalāstra (water), Pawanāstra (wind), and Agnyastra (fire). He also talked about astras that store the powers of different animals like the Vanarāstra, which can give the power of a "divine" monkey to the person who controls it, and the Nandiāstra, which contains the power and strength of a thousand bulls, within itself. The last āstra to emerge from the universe, carrying the collective power of the Brahm-Shakti – called the "lord of all the āstras" – is explained to be one of the most powerful celestial weapons of gods (or Devas) in Hindu mythology, the Brahmāstra.[38] Mukerji stated that the core idea was inspired by stories of Hindu mythology he heard in his childhood from his grandfather.[39] Characters Mukerji revealed that the inspiration behind actor Kapoor's character came from Rumi who also inspired the first look of his character. Mukerji also drew inspiration from Rumi's work: "love is the bridge between you and everything", to build the foundation of the film. Later, he revealed that the Rumi-inspired look was scrapped and Kapoor had gotten a haircut instead.[40] Kapoor revealed his experience with look tests for the film, expressing that it is a "tedious job: sticking, removing applying, de-applying, and applying again, until some decision is reached".[41] Filming Principal photography began in February 2018 with the commencement of the first schedule of the film on 24 February 2018. The first schedule of the film was wrapped up in Bulgaria on 24 March 2018.[42] The second schedule of filming continued in said country and then London on 8 July 2018,[43] in New York in late July,[44] and then back in Bulgaria by the end of the month.[45][46] Extensive shooting started on 1 February 2019 at Edinburgh, Scotland.[47] The 20-day schedule started in the Ramnagar Fort and Chet Singh Fort in Varanasi on 30 July 2019.[48] The filming was halted in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[49] and later resumed in November 2020.[50][51] Filming wrapped up on 29 March 2022 in Varanasi.[52] After S. S. Rajamouli's father, K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, proposed some changes in the film to Mukerji, reshoots were conducted for four days.[53] With a production budget of ₹410 crore (US$51 million), the film is one of the most expensive Indian films and the most expensive Hindi film ever at the time of its release.[7] Post-production In the post-production, it is estimated that 150 crore Indian rupees spent on VFX by makers.[54] The VFX work of this film is done by DNEG- Prime focus company. Editing was supervised by Prakash Kurup. Jam8 music and sound design studio lead by Pritam provided sound effects. VFX studio DNEG and ReDefine's foreign team created visual effects. Chiranjeevi gave the voice-over for the Telugu version.[55] Ranbir and Alia Bhatt did their dubbing portion in September 2020 in a studio in Bandra.[56] Music Main article: Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (soundtrack) The film score is composed by English composer Simon Franglen[57] while the soundtrack score is composed and written by Pritam and produced and mixed by British musician Steel Banglez,[58] with songs written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The music album is set to release officially on October 5th, on the occasion of Dussehra

On Mahalaya bengalies listen to Mahishashur Mordini in All India Radio

For Bengalies the greatest festival of the year include Durga Puja. The flavor of the festival is set up by Mahalaya which occurs seven days before the occasion. Mohishahshur Mordini had not lost its appeal even after 60 years of its creation. It is played in All India Radio on the morning of every Mahalaya each year. In 2013 it was also played and it enchanted numerous bengalies all across the world. The mantra in the entire play was uttered by Birendra Krishna Bhadra who became a living legend in the early 50s. He conducted all the important programs in All India Radio from Kolkata at a time when Television did not appear in India and Radio was the only medium of entertainment. From Mahalaya the Petripaksha ends and Devipaksha begins. Hindus all over the world worship Goddess Durga and the occasion lies for four days including Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. On Dashami Goddess Durga is immersed in holy Ganges. Mahalay is the day when Hindus do tarpan in the Ganges to remember the ancestors who had died but were still attached with the next generation. When Birendra Bhadra directed Mohishashur Mordini, the tale relating to Goddess Durga defeating the devil powers under the name of Mohishahur, Singer Pankaj Mallick and Bani Kumar also made notable contribution to bring in all the legendary singers of Bengal and made them sing significant songs. For example Manobendra Mukherjee sang “tabo achinto”, Dijen Mukherjee sang “jago tumi jago”. The other singers included Supriti Ghosh, Suprava Sarkar, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shaymal Mitra, Utpala Sen and others. Supriti Ghosh sang the song “bajlo tomar alor benu”, Shipra Bose sang the song “ogo amar agomoni alo”, Tarun Banerjee sang the song “he chinmoyi”, Sandhya Mukherjee sang the song “bimane bimane”, Krishna Dasgupta sang the song “akhilo bimane taba jayogatha”, Pratima Banerjee sang the song “amala kirane tribhubane”, Shyamal Mitra, Arati Mukherjee and Ashima Bhattacharya sang the chorus song “shubhra shankha rabe”, Utpala Sen sang the song “shanti dile bhari”, Pankaj Mullick sang the song “rupang dehi jayang dehi”. Birendra Bhadra was unparallel in the manner in which he pronounced the Sanskrit sloks, which could not be replicated and when Uttam Kumar that greatest superstar of Bengal tried to do it, he was criticized and All India Radio again displayed the Mohishashur Mordini directed by Birendra Bhadra. Even Hindus across India celebrate Navratri and Dussehra based on the success of God in defeating evil powers. Even today Bengalies feel that it creates a Godly atmosphere and gives the feeling that Goddess Durga had really arrived on earth. These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree played the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play related to Mahishashur Mordini. In 2013 Zee Bangla came up with another musical program on Maa Durga where Arindam Mukherjee did the narration. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

Legendary music duo Shankar Jaikishanji is still remembered today

Immortal combination of Shankar Jaikishan with Mohammad Rafi sahab. Great composer Shankar Singh Raghubvanshi is remembered on his birth anniversary on 15th October, 2021. He was also remembered on death anniversary on 26th April, 2020

. 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.

Mahalaya and Mahishashur Mardini marks the beginning of Durga Puja in every part of the world

Mahalaya marks the beginning of Durga Puja all over the world. Mahalaya held every year, marks the beginning of Durga Puja all over the world. For bengalies in Mahalaya pritripakha ends, debipakha begins. On the same day, people go to the holy ganges to do tarpan, that is pay respect to the departed souls of father and ancestors. Different types of tarpans are done on the day including pitri tarpan, matri tarpan, deb tarpan, etc. Durga Puja is the puja of Asurdalani Maa Durga, who had defeated the evil forces (mahashahura) and brought peace and solidarity in the earth. All India Radio had a played a very important role in depicting the story of Mahalaya every year in the early morning. Mahishashur Mordini had been eternal creation of Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Bani Kumar and Pankaj Mullick. The way Birendra Krishna Bhadra had uttered the slokas “ya devi sarbabhuteshu shaktirupenu samhastita, namasthaswai namasthaswai namasthaswai namoh namohah”, he created an enchanting atmosphere, and devotees started feeling that they were in heaven. The other great part of Mahishashur Mordini was the great songs sung by legendary Bengali singers of the golden age, namely “taba achinto “ sung by Manobendra Mukherjee, “jago tumi jago” sung by Dwijen Mukherjee, and many songs sung by Sandhya Mukherjee, Suprava Sarkar, Supriti Ghosh, Shyamal Mitra and other legends. These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree are going to play the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play related to Mahishashur Mordini. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored. In the new durga puja in 2012, it is expected that everyone in every part of the world should enjoy Durgapuja in their own way. Mahishashur Mordini is the best creation of All India Radio. For Bengalies the greatest festival of the year include Durga Puja. The flavor of the festival is set up by Mahalaya which occurs seven days before the occasion. Mohishahshur Mordini had not lost its appeal even after 60 years of its creation. It is played in All India Radio on the morning of every Mahalaya each year. In 2012 it was also played and it enchanted numerous bengalies all across the world. The mantra in the entire play was uttered by Birendra Krishna Bhadra who became a living legend in the early 50s. He conducted all the important programs in All India Radio from Kolkata at a time when Television did not appear in India and Radio was the only medium of entertainment. From Mahalaya the Petripaksha ends and Devipaksha begins. Hindus all over the world worship Goddess Durga and the occasion lies for four days including Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami and Navami. On Dashami Goddess Durga is immersed in holy Ganges. Mahalay is the day when Hindus do tarpan in the Ganges to remember the ancestors who had died but were still attached with the next generation. When Birendra Bhadra directed Mohishashur Mordini, the tale relating to Goddess Durga defeating the devil powers under the name of Mohishahur, Singer Pankaj Mallick and Bani Kumar also made notable contribution to bring in all the legendary singers of Bengal and made them sing significant songs. For example Manobendra Mukherjee sang “tabo achinto”, Dijen Mukherjee sang “jago tumi jago”, Supriti Ghosh’s “bajlo tomar alor benu”. The other singers included Sipra Bose, Suprava Sarkar, Sandhya Mukherjee, Shaymal Mitra, Utpala Sen, Pratima Banerjee, Pannalal Bhattacharya and others. Birendra Bhadra was unparallel in the manner in which he pronounced the Sanskrit sloks, which could not be replicated and when Uttam Kumar that greatest superstar of Bengal tried to do it, he was criticized and All India Radio again displayed the Mohishashur Mordini directed by Birendra Bhadra. Even Hindus across India celebrate Navratri and Dussehra based on the success of God in defeating evil powers. Even today Bengalies feel that it creates a Godly atmosphere and gives the feeling that Goddess Durga had really arrived on earth. These days a lot of programs are held in television to depict mohishashur mordini in television. For example in Zee Bangla channel on 15th October, 2012, Srabanti Chatterjee and Shubhashree are going to play the role of Sati in Satir Ekanno Peeth in the play related to Mahishashur Mordini. But the importance of mohishashur mordini in All India Radio cannot be replaced. It is a historical piece of creation and should be restored.

Greatest female music legend Lataji is remembered on birth anniversary

Happy birth anniversary to melody-queen Lata Mangeshkar. The listeners of music in India and abroad wish happy birth anniversary to Lata Mangeshkar, the melody queen on 28th September, 2022. She had remained a sensation even in her 80s. Her demise in 2022 had ended a great journey of melodious songs of different tastes and variations. 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 remain a legend even after her demise. Her works should be restored.

Happy birthday to legendary singer Asha Bhosleji

Happy birthday to Asha Bhosle. The viewers of bollywood films and listeners of music all across the country wish happy birthday to Asha Bhosle on 8th September, 2022. She had remained a legend of legends in the field of music. She came to limelight in the 70s and 80s and ended up being the most successful female playback singer after Lata Mangeshkar. In the 50s, Asha Bhosle had to face the competition from other singers dominating the bollywood playback industry like Lata Mangeshkar, Shamshad Begum, Noorjahan, Suraiya, Geeta Dutt, Suman Kalyanpur, Sudha Malhotra and many other singers. Asha’s successful songs in the 50s include “mur murke na dekh” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Shree 420, “aiye meherban” composed by OP Nayyar in the film Howrah Bridge, “accha ji mai hari” composed by SD Burman in the film Kala Pani, to name a few. In the 60s, OP Nayyar backed Asha Bhosle, and her duets with Rafi in films like Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon released in 1963, Ek Musafir Ek Haseena released in 1962, Mere Sanam released in 1965, Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964, are considered milestones in Indian film music. Her famous duets with Rafi include “naznee bara rangeen hai wada”, “mai pyar ka rahi hoon”, “isharon isharon”, “diwana hua badal”, “bahut shukriya”, “zulf ki chayon me chehere ka ujala lekar”, etc. Few other composers only reposed their confidence on Asha like Khayyam who made her sing memorable songs in Raj Kapoor’s film Phir Subah Hogi, released in 1958. Ravi had given songs to Asha Bhosle in films like Waqt, Humraaz, Gumraah, etc. Some of her notable songs in those films include “in baharon me in fizayon me”, “wo subah kabhi to ayegi”, etc. Roshanlal Nagrath’s famous qawalli “na to karwaki talaash hai” in Barsaat Ki Raat in 1960 featured Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey, Asha Bhosle and Sudha Malhotra. Shankar Jaikishan used Asha Bhosle in Rajender Kumar Vaijayantimala starrer Suraj, notably in the song “kaise samjhayun” which was a classical duet song between Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle. The list can go on. In the 70s Asha Bhosle married RD Burman and it changed the career of the premier singer. Her westernized style of singing was used by RD to give her super hit songs like “piya tu ab tu aja” in the film Karwan, “dum maro dum” in the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, “chura liya” in the film Yaadon Ki Baraat, etc. She sang in almost all the films where RD Burman composed music. Asha Bhosle had sung landmark qawallies opposite Mohd. Rafi like “hum kisi se kum nahi”, in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi, “pal do pal ka” in the film Burning Train, etc. In the 80s, Asha Bhosle crossed new milestones by showing her skills in singing mujras in the film Umrao Jaan, composed by Khayyam. All the songs in the film including “dil cheez kya hai”, “justju”, etc., were appreciated by the critics. Her song “mera kuch saman” in Gulzar’s film Ijazat showed the versatile class of singing of Asha Bhosle. She received filmfare awards a number of times and she balanced the innovative style of singing of Kishore Kumar with her own innovation. It is not possible to cover the accomplishments of legendary singer Asha Bhosle in a single article as she had sung more than 25000 songs in hindi and other languages. Even her songs “amar din katena”, “aro dure cholo jai” in Uttam Kumar’s Bengali film Choddobeshi composed by Sudhin Dasgupta was worth mentioning. After marrying RD Burman, she had sung a number of Bengali songs composed by RD Burman. She had even sung ghazals with Ghulam Ali. In 2012, she had remained one of the judges of Sony TV Indian Idol 6 Program along with the other judges Anu Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan and Salim Merchant. There also she did a great job. The listeners expect Asha Bhosle to continue the great work she had started more than 50 years back.

Happy birthday to Mahima Choudhury

Happy birthday to Mahima Choudhury. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mahima Choudhury on 13th September, 2022. She had been a big asset of bollywood films in the 90s. She had been given a great break by Subhash Ghai in the film Pardesh opposite Shahrukh Khan. All the songs in the film became super hit like “do dil mil rahe hai”, sung by Kumar Shanu or “yeh dil diwana” sung by Sonu Nigam, etc. Her traditional role in the film was well appreciated by every section of the viewers. Subhash Ghai had given breaks to new comers all across his career, and just like Madhuri Dixit, Manisha Koirala, Mahima Choudhury also proved her merit in the first film. After that Mahima Choudhury acted in every type of roles. She was sublime opposite Chandrachud Singh in the film Daag the fire. Although it was an out and out action film she kept her mark in the film. She had a double role in the film and did very well in the role of an accomplished girl and the role of a prostitude. The two characters were absolutely contrasting in nature. Due to domination of Sanjay Dutt in the film Mahima’s performance did not get the limelight which she deserved. She did extremely well in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Lajja. She was one of the five ladies who faced oppression from the patriarchal society and her way of expressing discontent was very impressive. She was sublime opposite Sanjay Dutt in the film Kurukshetra. Sanjay Dutt was a fearless police officer and faced the hurdles created by the corrupted ministers and the corrupted police officers in his department. Mahima Choudhury, who played the role of his wife in the film expressed her discontent after being the victim of vengeance of the criminals who were arrested by Sanjay Dutt. Mahima Choudhury did well in smaller roles as well. The one which is most remembered is her performance in the film Dhadkan where Shilpa Shetty, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar had the more prominent roles. She had featured in less number of films in the recent past. The viewers expect her to act in bollywood films in future as she still has a lot of acting left in her.

Combination of Shankar Jaikishanji and Mukeshji came saw and conquered and Mukeshji is remembered on birth anniversary.

On 22nd July 2024 Mukeshji is remembered on birth anniversary. Shankar Jaikishan had composed more than 350 songs for Mohammad Rafisahab and around 400 songs for Lata Mangeshkarji. But with Mukeshji also they had a great partnership. One of the primary reasons of Shankar Jaikishan association with Mukesh was because both were part of the same team of Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor’s films were musical in nature and wherever the 3 met, Raj Kapoor, Mukesh and Shankar Jaikishan they created magic. In Awaara in 1951, Mukesh’s song for Raj Kapoor “awara hoon” created havoc in India and Russia. Shankar Jaikishan’s tune enchanted the audience. Mukesh’s duet song with Lata “dam bhar jo udhar muh phere” became smash hit. In Raj Kapoor’s film Aah, SJ created the successful song for Mukesh and Lata ‘aaja re”. In Shree 420 both the songs of Mukesh “mera juta hai japaani” and “ramaiya vasta maiya” became super hit. Again credit goes to Shankar Jaikishan. In the film Anari in 1959, all the songs of Raj Kapoor sung by Mukesh touched the souls of the audience including “kisiki muskurahato pe ho nisaar”, “sab kuch sikha humne na sikhi hoshiari”, “dil ki nazar se”, to name a few. In Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, all the songs of Mukesh became super hit including “mera naam raju gharana anar”, “hoton pe sachai rehti hai”, “hum bhi hai tum bhi ho”, “pyar kar le”, to name a few. The magic combination continued in other hit films of Raj Kapoor including Sangam, Deewana, Teesri Kasam, Around the World, Mera Naam Joker. In Sangam Mukesh’s song ‘dost dost na raha”, “o mehbooba” and “mere man ki ganga” really thrilled the audiences. All the songs of the film Deewana were run away hits like “deewana mujhko log kahe”, “pate ka baat kahega”, “tumhare bhi ja jai”, “ae sanam jisne tujhe chand sa surat di hai”, to nam a few. In Mera Naam Joker, Shankar Jaikishan’s composition were in melancholy mood. Mukesh’s song “jeena yahan marna yaha” and “jane kahan gaye wo din’ touched the hearts of the audience. While Mukesh enchanted the audience in Raj Kapoor’s films, in other films also Shankar Jaikishan composed beautiful tunes. In Dilip Kumar’s film Yaahudi the song “yeh mera deewanapan hai” touched the souls of viewers. In Manoj Kumar’s film Hariyali Aur Raasta, Mukesh’s song “ifteda-e-ishq me hum” really mesmerized the audience. The list can go on. Mukesh had sung around 200 songs under the composition Shankar Jaikishan and majority of them became immortal. The songs and the films required restoration.

Happy birthday to Pyarellalji of great Laxmikant Pyarellal music duo.

The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to Pyarellal on 3rd September, 2019. Laxmikant Pyarellal had a very successful career in bollywood films. Their success in the film Parasmani and Dosti had proved the fact that they had emerged in the film arena to play a long innings. In the 70s they gave music in most of the successful films and the music was innovative too. After the death of Jaikishan in 1971, Raj Kapoor used LP in the film Bobby in 1973. The songs “mai shayar to nahi” sung by Shailendra Singh, and songs sung by Chanchal had given them an opening for flourishing their musical careers as well. LP gave successful music in the film Aan Milon Sajna, where songs like “aan milon sajna” sung by Rafi and “acha to hum chalte hai” sung by Lata and Kishore became hits. LP gave successful music in the film Amar Akbar Anthony, where Rafi’ssongs “parda hai parda”, “shirdiwali saibaba”, Kishore’s song “my name is Anthony Gonsalves”, etc., had catered to the popular taste of film music. LP gave successful music in Rishi Kapoor’s film Sargam, with hit songs of Rafi and Lata including “dafliwale”, “koel boli”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, etc. Even the songs in Rishi Kapoor’s film Karz, including “darde dil” sung by Rafi and “om shanty om” sung by Kishore gave super hit in the late 70s. Songs like “yeh dil tum bin kahin lagta nahi” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Izzat, and “patta patta boota boota”, sung by Rafi and Lata, in Ek Nazar are quality compositions showing the class of LP. LP also gave quality songs in the film Jeevan Mrityu, with Rafi’s song like “jhilmil sitaronka”, songs like “o sapno ka raja” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Banphool. LP in many cases compromised with the taste of mass audience in composing music in the late 70s if compared with the superlative class of music composed in the 60s. He even gave classical songs in the 60s like “roushan tumhi se duniya” and “woh jab yaad aye” sung by Rafi and Lata in the film Parasmani based on classical touch. Even then the compositions of LP in the 70s are notable and should be preserved.