Raj Kapoorji Nargisji Nutanji versus Dilip Kumarsahab Meena Kumariji Vaijayantimalaji combinations.

Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar had remained the greatest legends of hindi cinema for the last 100 years. Ranbir Raj Kapoor, also known as Raj Kapoor, was the son of legendary actor Prithviraj Kapoor. Muhammad Yusuf Khan, also known as Dilip Kumar was the son of Fruit tycoon Lala Ghulam Sarwar. Raj Kapoor was born on 14th December, 1924, while Dilip Kumar was born on 11th December, 1922. They acted together only in one film titled Andaz in 1949, which was directed by Mehboob Khan. There were a lot of striking points of the two superstars who ruled bollywood films during the 40s, 50s and 60s. Raj Kapoor was awarded Padmabhushan in 1971, while Dilip Kumar was awarded Padmabhushan in 1991. Raj Kapoor was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke in 1987 and Dilip Kumar was awarded Dadasaheb Phalke award in 1994. In 1947, Raj Kapoor acted opposite Madhubala and Begum Para in the film Neel Kamal. In 1947, Dilip Kumar acted in the successful film Jugnu, although he started his career with the film Jwar Bhatta in 1944. While Raj Kapoor got the title of showman, with his projection of larger than life romantic stories in films like Barsaat, 1949, Awaara, 1951, Shree 420, 1955, Sangam, 1964, etc; Dilip Kumar got the title of Tragedy King with his projection of the sad personality in films like Devdaas, 1955, Musafir, 1957, Madhumati, 1958, Mughal –i-Azam, 1960, etc. Both the actors acted opposite leading actresses of the golden age including Nimmi, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Wahida Rehman, Vaijayantimala, to name a few, although Raj Kapoor acted in 17 films opposite Nargis, while Dilip Kumar acted in 7 films opposite Vaijayantimala. Nimmiji gave super hit films opposite Dilip Kumar sahab like Aan, Uran Khatola. Nutanji gave super hit films opposite Raj Kapoor sahab like Anari, Chalia, Dil Hi To Hai. Meena Kumariji gave super hit films opposite Dilip Kumar sahab like Footpath, Yahudi, Kohinoor. Padminiji gave super hit films opposite Raj Kapoor sahab like Jis Desh Me Ganga Beheti Hai, Aashiq. While other romantic actresses like Noor jahanji, Kamini Kaushalji did marvellous job opposite Dilip Kumar sahab, other romantic actresses like Rajashreeji, Shakilaji, Sadhnaji did brilliant job opposite Raj Kapoorsahab. While Raj Kapoor at an age of 22 years married Krishna Kapoor at an age of 16 years who was his maternal cousin in 1944; Dilip Kumar at an age of 44 years married Saira Banu at an age of 22 years in 1966. Both Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar supported the Congress, but although Raj Kapoor did not join active politics, Dilip Kumar became Member of Rajya Sabha and also Sheriff of Mumbai. While Raj Kapoor had marathon combination with composer Shankar Jaikishan, lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri and singers Mukesh, Lata and Manna Dey, who worked with him in more than 15 films; Dilip Kumar had immortal bond with composed Naushad, lyricist Shakeel Badayani and singer Mohammad Rafi who had contributed in more than 15 films of the legend. While Raj Kapoor won filmfare awards in different categories including best actor, best director, best producer, etc; Dilip Kumar won the filmfare award for best actor for record 8 times. Raj Kapoor had died in 1988 and Dilip Kumar had retired from films after acting in the film Qila, many years ago. Their works should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoorji

Happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shekhar Kapoor on 6th December, 2022. He was one of the thoughtful directors of bollywood films and still his films are cherished by a big section of the viewers today. He directed a meaningful film Masoom in the early 80s. He used the most dynamic actors and actresses of the contemporary period that was Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddun Shah. Naseeruddin had a previous wife who died leaving his small child played by Jugal Hansraj. He married Shabana Azmi who already had her own daughters including Urmila Matondkar. It was difficult for Shabana Azmi to accept the step son when her own daughters’ interests were related. Naseeruddin Shah decided to send the young child to boarding, but Shabana Azmi’s conscious spoke and she brought him back at the end of the film. RD Burman’s composition titled “huzur is kadar bhi” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar, and “tushse naraz nahi zindagi” sung by Lata appealed to the masses. Shekhar Kapoor astonished the viewers with a masala film Mr. India in the mid-80s. Anil Kapoor found a device which could make people invisible. He used the device to encounter a big smuggler played by Amrish Puri with the title Mogambo. Anil Kapoor ran an orphanage full of children and after becoming Mr. India used the children in his fight against Mogambo. Anil Kapoor’s compassionate performance, Amrish Puri’s fiery acting, Sri Devi’s dance numbers, everything appealed to the masses and the film ended up being the greatest hit of the year. Laxmikant Pyarellal’s music in the film became super hit including songs like “hawa hawai”, “karte hai hum pyar Mr. India se”, etc. Shekhar Kapoor was criticized the most for his film Bandit Queen based on the life of dacoit Phoolan Devi. Shekhar Kapoor tried to show the torture faced by Phoolan Debi who was a malwa, by the Thakurs of the area, which compelled her to become dacoit. But the film gathered controversy due to the details shown by Shekhar Kapoor in respect of humiliation faced by Phoolan Debi. The Censure Board came in the way. Shekhar Kapoor got criticized all the way. His other film Elizabeth was also a noble venture. Shekhar Kapoor is also known for his acting in TV serials like Khandan which became super hit in the mid-80s. His future projects include Paani, Long Walk To Freedom and The Last Full Measure. The viewers expect Shekhar Kapoor to continue his innovative film making in the years to come.

Sameera Reddy Sunil Shetty Akshay Kumar starrer De Dana Dana was a big hit.

Review of De Dana Dan. Director Priyadarshan had come up with another hilarious film De Dana Dan, the sequel of Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri. He had used the same team of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal, whom he had used in the films Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri. In this film Akshay Kumar had been shown as a butler, cook, personal attendant of rich industrialist in Singapore played by Archana Puran Singh. He had an affair with Katrina Kaif. Akshay Kumar’s friend Sunil Shetty came to Singapore to become rich but ended up being a courier delivery person. He had an affair with Sameera Reddy who was a rich girl but whose parents wanted her to get married to only a rich person. In the meantime Paresh Rawal, who was a businessman, wanted to get Chunkey Pandey married to Sameera Reddy so that, he can get lot of money in dowry as Sameera Reddy was very rich. Both Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar planned to kidnap a person to recover ransom. In that way they could get quick cash and impress their girlfriends. But things went wrong just like other Priyadarshan movies and the chaos leads to comedy instances. Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty again did a brilliant job. The music of Pritam had rocked bollywood even before the film had been released. Some of the hit songs include “paisa” sung by Selina, Manak E, etc., “gale lag ja” sung by Javed Ali and Ban Jyotsna, “hotty naughty” sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. The exotic location of Singapore created

special attention for the viewers. Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy brought out their comedy instincts in style. As a whole the film became super hit and brought huge revenue to bollywood film industry.

Happy birthday to legendary singer Usha Utthupji

The listeners wish happy birthday to singer Usha Utthup who now had become a cult figure. Her birthday is on 7th November, 2022. In the recent past she had come in a number of TV shows and rocked the shows. Padmashree winner Usha Uthup glorified Zee Saregamapa Little Champs Program by being the Mahaguru on 5th and 6th August, 2011. Alka Yagnik had gone for a holiday and Usha Uthup came to judge the performances of the participants in the program. Very significantly the day was dedicated to the golden music of 1960s. Adnan Sami dressed up like Shammi Kapoor, Javed Ali dressed up like Dev Anand, Kailash Kher dressed up like Guru Dutt. The participants dressed up like the actors and actresses of the golden period and sang their songs. Very significantly the participants mainly sang the songs of Mohammad Rafi. Niladri Chatterjee sang the song “yahoo chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen” from the film Junglee, sung by Mohammad Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Azmat Hussain sang the song “mere pairon me ghungruu bandhade” from the film Insaniyat sung by Mohammad Rafi and composed by Naushad Ali. Usha Uthup mentioned that God was there in the heart of Azmat Hussain and that was the reason he sang so well. Anmol Khatri sang the song “nain lad jai he wo manwama kasak oi bekari” sung by Mohammad Rafi in the film Ganga Jumna, composed by Naushad Ali. Usha Uthup said he was looking like junior Dilip Kumar. The child participants were excellent in the rendition of the songs. Rimsha sang the song “yeh dil tum bin kahin lagta nahi ab kya Karen” sung by Lata and Rafi in the film Izzat, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Sanjana sang the song “kajra muhabbat wala” sung by Asha Bhosle and Shamshad Begum in the film Kismat composed by OP Nayyar. Barnali Hota sang the song “parde me rehne do” from the film Shikar, sung by Asha Bhosle composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Salman Ali sang the song “akele hai chale awo” sung by Mohammad Rafi and composed by Kalyanji Anandji in the film Raaz. Javed Ali praised Kalyanji Anandji for their unique composition and said that they had encouraged new talents. It was Kalyanji Anandji who had brought them in the industry. Nitin Kumar sang the song “na ja kahin ab na ja” sung by Mohammad Rafi and composed by LP in the film Mere Humdum Mere Dost. Usha Uthup sang the song “haal kaisa hai janaab ka” herself. She had given her musical instrument khanjari to Nitin Kumar as a token of love. In other episodes, Alka Yagnik used to make her valuable comments along with Javed Ali, Adnan Sami and Kailash Kher. On 5th and 6th August, Usha Uthup did the same, she had literally ignited and glorified the atmosphere of Zee Saregamapa Little Champs program telecast in Zee TV. Her English was as brilliant as her hindi as brilliant as her Bengali. She should be invited frequently in this program.

Happy birthday to veteran actress Sharmila Tagoreji

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary actress Sharmila Tagoreji on 8th December 2022. Her hit films like Kashmir Ki Kali opposite Shammi Kapoorji, Waqt opposite Shashi Kapoorji, Amanush, Anand Ashram opposite Uttam Kumarji, Mausam opposite Sanjeev Kumarji are still remembered by her admirers.

Dharmender and Sharmila Tagore had acted in many bollywood films together and in most of the cases the films had become extremely successful. Their film Mere Humdum Mere Dost became hit mainly due to the melodious music composed by LP in the film. Rafi’s songs like “na ja, kahin ab na ja”, “hui shaam unka”, etc. became landmark hits in the late 60s. They did very well in the film Satyakam directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Dharmender played the role of an engineer who came to know the crude reality relating to the corruption in the relative sector. He married Sharmila Tagore whose modesty was outraged and there was nobody to marry. Dhamender received the acclaimation of critics for his good performance in the film. Both of them showed their comedy skills in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Chupke Chupke which was the remake of Uttam Kumar’s film Chodobeshi. Dharmender was a Professor of Botany who pretended to be the driver of Om Prakash and ran away with Sharmila. Big B was asked the play the role of the Professor of Botany and he did the acting to perfection and got ultimately engaged with Jaya Bacchan and got married to her. SD Burman’s music was successful with songs like “ab ke sajan”, “chupke chupke” sung by Lata and “saregama” sung by Rafi and Kishore. Both of them did well in the film Yakeen, where again the music was excellent. Rafi’s song “gar tum bhula na doge” became big hit in that age. With the advent of action films Dharmender got involved in big budget films like Sholay, Jugnu, Charas, etc., and Sharmila Tagore concentrated to soft romantic films like Mausam, Dooriyan, etc., with Sanjeev Kumar, Uttam Kumar and others. Yet the viewers accepted the pair of Dharmender and Sharmila Tagore both in the soft romantic films and comedy films. The films should be restored and preserved.

Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray said Chabi Biswas was the greatest Indian actor ever.

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.

Happy birthday to superstar Rajnikantji

Happy birthday to Rajnikant. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rajnikant on 12th December, 2022. For the last 30 years he had remained as one of the most popular superstars of South Indian films and carried his stardom in bollywood films as well. He was very ill last year, struggling with kidney disorder. After treatment he had recovered. His film Robot was a sensation in South India and did well in North India as well. His admirers expect him to continue his stylish performances in new films in future, the same way as he did in the past. Presently his film Robot 2 is destined to do business of more than 400 crores. From the beginning of his career he had created an identity in action films. He had his own mannerisms which were liked by South Indian audience and was also new for bollywood viewers. In the film Andha Kanoon, he acted along with Big B. The film was released in 1983. His parents were tortured and killed in the film by Pran, Prem Chopra and Danny. The entire film was related to the revenge that he had taken against all those actors. His sister’s role was played by Hema Malini who was a police-officer in the film. There were romantic sequences in the film as well where Reena Roy contributed opposite Rajnikant, but as the action sequences became predominating there was not much scope for the romantic performance. The film became superhit in the early 80s. Rajnikant also showed his comfort in hindi films after playing a handsome innings in South Indian films. Rajnikant showed his skills in action films along with Kamal Hassan and Big B in the film Geraftar. There he played the role of a friend of Big B, who was killed during an encounter with the villains in the film. The action sequences in the film became famous during mid-80s. Also the music of Bappi Lahiri became popular. During the mid-80s Rajnikant acted in the superhit film Chaalbaaz which was made in the same line as Ram Aur Shyam and Seeta Aur Geeta. In the earlier films the double roles played by Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini amused the viewers. In Chaalbaaz the double role was played by Sri Devi. Rajnikant and Sunny Deol were the two heroes in the film. As the film was based on comedy of errors Rajnikant used his comedy skills to perfection opposite Sri Devi. Also Anupam kher did an experiment in the negative role in the film. Rajnikant had been one of the most popular icons of Tamil films for generations and had carried forward the legacy that was created by Shivaji Ganeshan, Jemini Ganeshan and others. The list of his hit films are too long and cannot be highlighted in a small article. Even his latest film that was released in 2008 titled Shivaji had become super hit. He also played a very active role in South Indian politics. He campaigned for the political party Dravida Munetra Khazagham (DMK) under the leadership of M. Karunanidhi. Filmstars in South India are hailed across all the four states Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh as the languages Tamil, Telegu, Kannada and Malayalam are very close to each other. Rajnikant had remained popular for more than 25 years and the people at large could identify themselves in the diversified characters that Rajnikant had played during his long career. In 2014 he acted in the film Lingaa. Whenever the list of South Indian filmstars who had glorified bollywood films comes into question the name of Rajnikant comes at the top along with Kamal Hassan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna, Arvind Swami and others. The All India audience expect Rajnikant to continue his excellent work both in South Indian films as well as bollywood films in the years to come.

Hasrat Jaipurisahab had great combination with Shankar Jaikishanji and Rafisahab

Remembering Hasrat Jaipuri, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi on the death anniversary of Hasrat Jaipuri. 17th September is remembered as the death anniversary of eminent poet Hasrat Jaipuri sahab

. 15th April is celebrated as the birth anniversary of great poet and lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri. Renowned poet and lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri was born on 15th April, 1922 as Iqbal Hussain. In 1940, Hasrat Jaipuri came from Jaipur to Mumbai. Prithiviraj Kapoor heard him in a mushaira and recommended him to Raj Kapoor when he was making the film Barsaat. The epic combination of Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan started from Barsaat. The first 2 songs written by him became super hit namely “jiya beqarar hai” and “chor gaye balam”. The pen of Hasrat Jaipuri glorified RK Films and other bollywood films for the next 30 years. Rafi, SJ and Hasrat Jaipuri was an equally brilliant combination like Shailendra, SJ and Rafi. Hasrat’s song sung by Rafi titled “teri teri pyari pyari surat ko” in Rajender Kumar’s film Sasural became super hit. In Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee almost all the songs sung by Rafi became immortal hits. In that list, Hasrat’s song “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” touched the souls of music lovers all across India. The song was sung by Rafi and Lata and both the versions were very melodious. Hasrat’s lyrics for Rafi “tum mujhe yu bhula na paoge” became super hit in the late 60s. It was composed by SJ for Shammi Kapoor in the film Pagla Kahin Ka. Hasrat’s song “ajahu na aye balma” in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera was a sensational song. Rafi exhibited his classical andaz and tune of Shankar Jaikishan was excellent by every musical yardstick. Hasrat Jaipuri received the filmfare award for the best lyricist for Rafi’s song “baharon phool barsao” in Rajender Kumar’s film Suraj. Rafi’s other songs written by Hasrat Jaipuri and composed by SJ included “unke khayal aye to” in Raj Kumar’s Lal Pathar, “badan pe sitare lapete hue” in Shammi Kapoor’s Prince, “awaaz deke hume tum bulayo” in Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, “aji ruuth kar ab” in Rajender Kumar’s Aarzoo, “dekha hai teri aankho me pyar hi pyar beshumar” in Dharmender’s Pyar Hi Pyar, “dhire dhire chal chand gagan me” in Dev Anand’s Love Marriage, “rukh se zara naqab uthalo” in Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, “teri zulfon ne judai to nahi maangi thi” in Dev Anand’s Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” in Rajender Kumar’s Jhuk Gaya Aasman, etc. Hasrat Jaipuri contributed in Raj Kapoor’s blockbusters like Awaara, Shree 420, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, etc, Rajender Kumar’s blockbusters like Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Dil Ek Mandir, Humrahi, Sasural, Zindagi, etc, Shammi Kapoor’s hit films Janwar, Brahmchari, Raj Kumar, Andaz, etc., Joy Mukherjee’s Love In Tokyo, Biswajeet’s April Fool, Uttam Kumar’s Choti Si Mulakat, to name a few. Raj Kapoor’s greatest hit film in his illustrious career remained Sangam. In the film Hasrat Jaipuri’s words “yeh mera prempatra par kar” sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar had remained immortal. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote it for a girl named Radha. Raj Kapoor kept the name of Vaijayatimala Radha in the film Sangam. Rafi’s voice at the end of the film brought tears in the minds of the audience with the words “kitum nazaar na hona” when Raj Kapoor and Vaijayantimala immersed the ashes of Rajender Kumar in Prayag Sangam at the end of the film. Hasrat Jaipuri died in 1999. One article is too small to highlight the works of the legends Hasrat Jaipuri, SJ and Rafi. In fact Hasrat Jaipuri worked with other composers of the golden age as well. But the songs written by Hasrat Jaipuri for Rafi which were composed by Shankar Jaikishan still stand out as the most romantic masterpieces in the history of bollywood cinema.

Dilip Kumarsahab and Vaiayantimalaji dominated the bollywood films of 1958

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 stylish dancer Helenji

Happy birthday to Helen. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Helen on 19th Nov., 2022. She had remained an exceptional dancer and featured in majority of bollywood fllms in the 60s and 70s. She was probably one of the most indispensable figures in bollywood during 60s and 70s. Without her films like Gumnaam, Teesri Manzil, Jewel Thief, Inteqam, Carwan, Night in London, etc. would have been incomplete. She had acted opposite leading stars of the 60s and 70s, for example, in Gumnaam she acted opposite Pran, In Teesri Manzil she acted opposite Shammi Kapoor, in Jewel Thief she acted opposite Dev Anand, in Night in London opposite Johnny Walker to name a few. She in fact filled in the empty space created by prominent dancer Cuckoo in the 50s. One of her most memorable films included Gumnaam, which was released in 1965, where she played the role of one of the few persons who were taken to an isolated island. She was killed along with a number her friends by Tarun Bose in the film who was identified by Manoj Kumar at the end of the film. Her dance number in the songs “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” and “is duniya me jeena ho to” composed by Shankar Jaikishan were brilliant by every judging standards. She was put to test in her dance no. in the song “muqabla hum se na karo” in the film Prince along with Shammi Kapoor and Vaijayantimala. She did the western part while Vaijayantimala did the eastern part. Whenever she got a scope of performing opposite Shammi Kapoor her performance used to get a different dimension as he was the only male star in the 60s to dominate bollywood films with rock and roll dance performances. Both of them did well in the film Teesri Manzil. The song “o haseena zulfonwali” is remembered for the dance of both Helen and Shammi Kapoor. Helen got a villainish role in the film and trapped Shammi Kapoor in a murder case where the actual murderer was Prem Nath. Helen even got few roles of heroines in the 60s including the role in the film Pyar Hi Pyar where she acted opposite Mehmood, where the main roles were played by Dharmender and Vaiyantimala. Her prominent roles continued in the 70s, including her cameo in the song “piya tu ab tu aja” composed by RD Burman in the film Carwan, her role in the film Sholay, where her dance number in the song “mehbooba mehbooba” amazed the viewers. The villainish roles continued like the one in Big B’s film Don, where her song “yeh mera dil” became a runaway hit. Kareena Kapoor danced in the same item number as that of Helen when the film was remade by Farhan Akhtar, with Shahrukh Khan. Her other notable films include Mere Jeevan Saathi, Hindustani, Half Ticket, etc. She even acted in character roles in the 90s in films like Akela and Khamoshi. Her performance in the film Khamoshi had been appreciated by all section of viewers. In one article it is not possible to cover the contribution of Helen, who had dominated bollywood films of 60s and 70s. The admirers of Helen expect her to make more contribution in bollywood films in character roles as she has a lot acting still left in her.

Rafisahab sang more than 150 songs in the films of Jubilee Kumar Rajender Kumarji.

There can be a big debate which actor did benefit the most out of Mohammad Rafi’s singing Dilip Kumar or Rajender Kumar. Mohammad Rafi, the eternal singer had sung more than 150 songs for Jubilee Kumar Rajender Kumar. Superstar Rajender Kumar had a deadly combination with Mohammad Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan. Whenever the three combined together they created history. In Dil Ek Mandir, Rafi’s song “jahan koi nahi” and “yaad na jaye” were created in two different moods. Both the compositions of Shankar Jaikishan were marvelous. Rafi was as outstanding as Rajender Kumar. The film was released in 1963. Rajender Kumar became Jubilee Kumar for having all his films doing business of more than 25 weeks between 1963 and 1966. Shankar Jaikishan was the leading composer composing majority of his songs. In the film Ayee Milan Ki Bela, released in 1964, all the songs sung by Rafi and picturized on Rajender Kumar became smash hits like “mai pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, “to bura maan gaye”, “tum khamseen ho nadaan ho”, to name a few. In the same year, Rajender Kumar’s Sangam had a masterpiece of Shankar Jaikishan namely “yeh mera prempatra parkar”. The song became the greatest hit of 1964. The film Zindagi was also released in 1964. Shankar Jaikishan’s brilliant composition for Rafi namely “pehele mile the sapno me” mesmerized the viewers. In 1965, Shankar Jaikishan created magic in Rajender Kumar’s film Aarzoo. All the songs of Rafi touched the souls of the audience including “chalke teri ankhon se”, “aji humse bachkar kahan jayiyega”, “ai phoolon ki raani”, “aye nargise mastana”, to name a few. The exotic locations of Kashmir, the brilliant costumes of Rajender Kumar and Sadhna, elegant singing of Rafi and brilliance of Shankar Jaikishan created magic. The deadly combination continued in the film Suraj in 1966. All the songs of Rafi became smash hits like “baharon phool barsao”, “gustaqi maaf”, “kaise samjhaun”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe”, to name a few. Rafi was brilliant in the duet songs as well where Suman Kalyanpur complimented Rafi. In 1967 and 1968, Rajender Kumar’s films Aman and Jhuk Gaya Aasman became hit due to the brilliant music of Shankar Jaikishan. Rafi’s songs in these films like “surahidar garden”, “aaj ki raat”, “o priya”, “saccha hai agar pyar mera sanam”, “kahan chal diye” stormed bollywood. Shankar Jaikishan composed music in the other films of Rajender Kumar as well including Aas Ka Panchi, where the title song was sung by Subir Sen, Dharti; where Rafi’s song “khuda bhi aaman se” became smash hit, etc. Rafi contributed in other films Rajender Kumar also where Shankar Jaikishan composed music including Shatranj. The songs and the films should be regularly telecast in the private channels to reach the excellent music to the younger generations. A big section of music lovers agree that had Jaikishan not died in 1971, Rafi’s dominance in bollywood music not suffered at all. In fact SJ’s tunes were brilliant and were specifically catered towards the likings of common mass. They were not that technical which could not reach the audience. Besides SJ gave tunes in around 10 films per years all along the 50s and 60s, the era when Rafi was unbeatable. RD Burman’s domination in the 70s would have got very strong resistence had Jaikishan survived few years more. The immortal lyrics of Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri also ended with the sad expiry of Jaikishan in 1971. In the case of Naushad, his gharana was so classically oriented, that his composition for an actor had changed the destiny of the actor. Although Naushad and Rafi’s combination was associated mainly with respect to Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, he preserved a huge treasure of music for Rajender Kumar as well. Mere Mehboob, stands out as probably one of the greatest creations of Naushad ever in the history of bollywood music. All the songs of Rafi for Rajender Kumar, including “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhobbat ki kasam“, “tumse izhaar-e-haal kar baithe“, “ai husn zara jag tujhe ishq jagaye” had revealed the royal elite culture of Aligarh and Lucknow in the form of shayri and ghazals. Rajender Kumar and Sadhna were at their best in the film.Naushad and Rafi were sublime in Rajender Kumar’s film Palki. The song “dil-e-betaab ko sine se lagana hoga” shows the class of Naushad. Although Naushad utilized Rafi to perfection in Rajender Kumar’s Ganwar, he used Mukesh in major songs of the film Saathi due to pressure of the producer and director. Rafi and Rajender Kumar were blessed with the immortal creations of Shankar Jaikishan and Naushad in the 60s and the films and the songs should be preserved as rich assets of the nation which can be cherished for generations after generations.

Shammi Kapoorji Shankar Jaikishanji and Rafisahab combination has given gems and gems

Viewers remembered Shammi Kapoor on his birth anniversary on 21st October, 2022. Rebel Star Shammi Kapoor is remembered on 14th August, 2021, his death anniversary, for his immense contribution to Bollywood films. On 14th August, 2011, veteran actor Shammi Kapoor, passed away. He was 79 years old. The country had become sad due to his demise. He brought a new wave in Indian films with powerful performances in films like Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Junglee, Janwar and other films. He used to be called Rebel Star and the Indian Elvis Priestley. One thing for which viewers used to be mad to see his films during 60s used to be the everlasting music in the films and brilliance of Mohammad Rafi in those songs. Rafi had sung 341 songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan during his illustrious career with 216 solos. Very significantly 3 of the filmfare awards that Rafi received during 60s had been composed by Shankar Jaikishan. They included “teri pyari pyari surat ko kiski nazar na lage” from the film Sasural, “baharon phool barsao” from the film Suraj and “dilke jharoke me mujhko bithaker” from the film Brahmchari. But in the list of songs sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, at least half of the total sungs were composed for Shammi Kapoor. Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan worked together for around 22 films, most of which did great business in the 60s. If Rafi’s songs sung for Shammi Kapoor are remembered for the loud music and melo-dramatic dance numbers, there were lot of songs which were ever romantic and touched the hearts of the viewers. In the film Junglee, Rafi’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” and “meri yaar shabba khair” had very melodious appeal and the sweetness of Rafi haunted the listeners for years. In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, the songs “awaz deke hume tum bulayo”, “mai chali mai chali”, probably had set the mood of the film. From that time Rafi, Shammi Kapoor and Shankar Jaikishan created magic in one film after the other. In Raj Kumar, Rafi’s soft numbers for Shammi Kapoor like “yeh rang badalti duniya me”, “tumne kisiki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” made the viewers speechless. Even the western numbers of Shankar Jaikishan for Rafi stole the hearts in the 60s. In the film Janwar, Rafi’s number “meri muhabbat jawan rahegi” and “humko hai tumse pyar” had been the most romantic songs in the film, where the landscape of Kashmir and Rafi’s melodious voice complimented each other. In the film An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho” and “raat ke humsafar” were the most romantic numbers which were more melodious than the loud numbers which equally became hits. In Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmachari, probably the best songs included “mai gayun tum so jayo” and “dil ke jharoke mai”. “mai gayun tum so jayo” was sung twice by Rafi in the film, one with a even slower rhythm. Shankar Jaikishan’s background music was as brilliant as Rafi’s singing style for Shammi Kapoor. In the film Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Rafi’s soft number “janam janam ka saath hai” had remained evergreen and melodious for years. In Latt Sahab, Rafi’s romantic number with Asha Bhosle titled “aye chaand zara ruk ja” haunted the listeners for years after years. Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan combined together in other films of Shammi Kapoor like Prince, Buttameez, Laat Sahab, Ujala, Chote Sarkar, Hong Kong, etc. There were many more romantic numbers of Rafi sung for Shammi Kapoor, which cannot be covered in a small article. In Shammi Kapoor’s Jawan Muhabbat, the song “jawan muhabbat jahan jahan hai” was very romantic. The last film where Shankar and Jaikishan worked together for Shammi Kapoor included Andaz. The songs “dil use do jo jaan de de” and “re mamma re mamma re” were brilliant both in form and orchestration. It was very unfortunate that Jaikishan died in 1971,and after that Shammi Kapoor also added weight and switched to character roles in films like Zameer, Parvarish, etc. The magical combination of Shankar Jaikishan, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended and the era of romantic songs also suffered a set back. Some section of listeners argue that Rajender Kumar probably received the more romantic numbers sung by Rafi and composed by Shankar Jaikishan, but Shammi Kapoor’s combination with Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan was phenomenal which swept the youth and took them to a different inspite of Shammi Kapoor being called a rebel star and Shankar Jaikishan providing the most loud bomblastic numbers for Rafi. The songs and the films of the legendary combination of Shammi Kapoor, Rafi and Shankar Jaikishan should be preserved.

All Saira Banuji Rajender Kumarji films ended up being blockbusters in 1960s

Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu. 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.

Superstars Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar were marvellous in the film Rajlakkhi Srikanto

Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen were brilliant in Rajlakkhi Srikanto. Superstar Uttam Kumar was sublime in the film Rajlakkhi Srikanto. The film had been directed by Haridas Bhattacharya. He had done brilliant job with the classic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Sarat Chandra Chatterji had written his biography in the stories relating to Srikanto. Rajlakkhi Srikanto was released in 1958. The masses always read the great literature of Sarat Chanda Chatterjee. It was even a bigger risk to make a film where the story is already known. Very significantly Uttam Kumar understood the poetic character of Sarat Chandra Chatterji and depicted the character in style. He went for a hunting expedition after being called by Anil Chatterji. There he met his neighbour Rajlakkhi played by Suchitra Sen. He loved her during infancy. He was shocked to see her become a baijee named Pyari Bai who had her own house in Patna, Bihar. She unfolded her story and said that her father died. Then her mother went to stay in her brother’s house. Her mami got her married to an old man. He wanted to sell her. Suchitra Sen ran from her house and given shelter by a baijee. She taught her music. She earned her living by being baijee. Composer Gyan Prakash Ghosh composed great classical tunes and singer Krishna Ganguly sang very well. Uttam Kumar also tried to live like a sadhu and joined the group of sadhus led by Jahar Ray. But the disease of chicken pox spread in the village, and to help a family of patients Uttam Kumar stayed in the village. But the family left him when he got infected with small pox. At the end of the film Uttam Kumar left for Burma to get a job. But he remained unmarried throughout his life due to the fact that he could not marry Suchitra Sen who played the role of Rajlakkhi. The film did excellent business and the supporting performers in the film did an excellent job including Sishir Batabyal, Haridhan, and others.

Salil Choudhary sahab the genius composer is still remembered for eastern and western blend of music.

Remembering Salil Choudhury. Salil Choudhury, noted scholar, poet, composer and literary giant was remembered on his death anniversary on 5th September, 2021. He was also remembered on his birthday on 19th November, 2013. As he was a versatile scholar, his scholarly attributes were reflected in his creations. He was both the lyricist and the composer and numerous songs sung by legendary singers over 50 years. His creation “ami parini bujhite parini” and “tumi jaante” for Manobendra Mukherjee were created with two different andaz, one having classical orientation while the other having westernized treatment. His creation “jhanana jhanana baje” and “antabihin oi andharater shesh” for Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya showed his class in handling classical singers. On the other hand his strength in folk songs were evident in his song “sunayoni sunayoni” sung by Nirmalendu Choudhury and Sabita Choudhury. Nirmalendu became famous all across the world with his folk numbers. Salil Choudhury hugely experimented with Shymal Mitra in songs like “jadi kichu amare shudhao”, “aha oi ankabanka poth jai shudure”, “dur nai beshi dur oi”, “ja jare ja ja pakhi”, to name a few. In “jadi kichu amare shudhao”, Salil Choudhury’s orchestration was unique, half of the song was blank verse while the other half had musical treatment. Salil Choudhury used the different playback singers in Bengal and explored their talents to the brim. Some of the great compositions include “eso kache boso” sung by Tarun Banerjee, “pallabini go sancharini” sung by Dwijen Mukherjee, “Jodi jante go tumi jante” sung by Manobendra Mukherjee, “jai jai din” sung by Biswajeet Chatterjee, to name a few. The list can go on. Salil Choudhury created a gem with the song “nil nil pakhi” for Sandhya Mukherjee. Besides, bengal’s literary community were astonished with Salil Choudhury conversion of famous poetry “ujjal ek jhak paira” sung by Sandhya Mukherjee into song. The poet’s feelings were translated into musical tune by sheer brilliance of Salil Choudhury. Other examples of converting legendary poems into songs include “runner” written by Shukanto Bhattacharya and “palki chole” written by Satyendranath Dutta which were sung by Hemanta Mukherjee which both became history. In “runner” the march of the postman on foot from remote corners of village was given adequate expression by Salil Choudhury. Salil Choudhury’s national fame allowed him to do numerous experiments with bollywood singers like Mukesh and Lata. Articles after articles can be devoted to Lata Salil Choudhury creations in Bengali. Mukesh also sung hit song “jhum jhum pakshi nachona” composed by Salil Choudhury. Salil Choudury created his masterpieces in Bengali films as well like Shyamal Mitra’s song “onek ghuriya sheshe” in Hrithik Ghatak’s film Bari Theke Paliye, Nirmalendu Choudhury’s song “sojoni o sojoni” and Manna Dey’s “uthali pathali amar buuk” in Rajen Tarafdar’s film Ganga. Besides his song “he bhai re bhai” and “baje go beena” sung by Manna Dey in the film Marjina Abdulla made the listeners speechless. Even Lata’s song “bujhbe na keu bujhbena” was equally popular. Bimal Roy’s film Do Bigha Zameen was based on Salil Choudhury’s literature. His music in the films Do Bigha Zameen, Madhumati, Musafir, Parakh, Jagte Raho, Anand, Maya, Rajnigandha, etc., stand out as landmarks in Indian film history. He received filmfare award for brilliant performance in the film Madhumati. All the songs in the film including Lata’s “aja re”, “ghari ghari”, Rafi’s “tute hue khwabonme”, “jangal me mor nacha”, Mukesh’s “dil tarap tarap ke”, “suhana safar aur mausam hasin” touched the souls of numerous Indians in the late 50s. Other notable songs of Salil Choudhury in bollywood films include “tasveer teri dil me” from Maya, “zindagi kaisi hai paheli hai”, “kahin dur jab din dhal jaye” from Anand, “rajnigandha” from Rajnigandha, “jago mohan pyare” from Jagte Raho, “dil tadpe tadpaye” from Poonam Ki Raat, to name a few. Bengal and India was as a whole was indebted to a maestro like Salil Choudhury and several researches can be undertaken for finding out the history behind his creations. One article is not enough to reiterate the immortal works of the giant creator. The creations should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to sweet star Juhi Chawlaji

Happy birthday to sweet star Juhi Chawla. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to sweet star Juhi Chawla on 13th November, 2022

. Juhi Chawla stormed bollywood films in the 90s. Her first film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak became super hit in the late 80s. Her pair with Amir Khan was well accepted by the audience. The songs in the film became very successful. The landmark songs included “aye mere humsafar”, “papa kehte hai” sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and others. From that time many producers and directors did cast her opposite Amir Khan in many films. The film also started a new trend of romantic films one after other after 15 years of domination of action films under success of Angry young man Amitabh Bacchan. Salman Khan’s film Maine Pyar Kiya followed very soon. Her comedy andaz in the film Ishq opposite Amir Khan was well appreciated. Her romance with Amir Khan started with quarrels as against the affair of Kajol and Ajay Devgan in the same film. The film did great business. Juhi Chawla acted in romantic films opposite all the leading actors of bollywood, including Rishi Kapoor in Bol Radha Bol and Eena Meena Dika, Anil Kapoor in Deewana Mastana, Jhoot Bole Kowa Kate, Amir Khan in Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke, to name a few. In the mid-90s she acted in a number of films opposite superstar Shahrukh Khan. Her major films opposite Shahrukh Khan included Duplicate, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, etc. She started her production house Dreams Unlimited along with Shahrukh Khan and produced many films. One of the hit films included Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. Both Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla acted in the film. Juhi Chawla also acted in films opposite other actors. Her performance in character roles in the recent times had also impressed the crowds. Some of her recent films included Salaam-E-Ishq opposite Anil Kapoor. She played the role of a middle-aged woman whose husband got attached with another woman. She got dejected at the beginning, but keeping in mind the interest of her children, she compromised with Juhi Chawla. Juhi Chawla acted in action films like Darr as well. She performed opposite Sunny Deol and Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan acted in a negative role in the film who was killed at the end by Sunny Deol. Juhi Chawla’s dance performance in the film in songs like “tu meri saamne” still haunts the viewers. In 2012 she had acted in a number of films like Main Krishna Hoon, Son of Sardar. Son of Sardar was released in November, 2012, and there was lot of hope relating to the film where Juhi Chawla had a great role. The film did business of more than 100 crores and her performance opposite Sanjay Dutt created attention. In 2013, she had acted in the film Gulaab Gang. The film had been released. The viewers expect Juhi Chawla to continue the quality work in future.

Happy birthday to style queen Zeenat Amanji

Happy Birthday to style –queen Zeenat Aman. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to style – queen Zeenat Aman on 19th November, 2021

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

Happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khansahab.

Happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to superstar Shahrukh Khan on 2nd November, 2022. He was the ruler of bollywood industry in the 90s. Right from Baazigar, Shahrukh Khan gave blockbusters one after the other. After Amitabh Bacchan, he is the next superstar, whose screen presence had carried through many big budget films. His fans are waiting for the release of his upcoming big budget film Pathan and Donkey. 2014 had been a good year with Shahrukh Khan film Chennai Express doing business of 230 crores. His film Happy New year did business of 200 crores. 2011 had been a great year for Shahrukh Khan. He had produced the costliest film in Indian history Ra One. The film in the first week had already done business of more than 50 crores. Although the film had not broken the record of Salman Khan’s film Bodyguard this year which had done business of 150 crores, the film had created a new trend, and Shahrukh Khan’s excellent acting, stunts and enthusiasm had been praised a lot by the viewers. In 2012, Shahrukh Khan’s romantic film Jab Tak Hai Jaan was released on Diwali, on 13th November. It was the last film of Yash Chopra. He died recently. This was the first time Shahrukh Khan had acted opposite Katrina Kaif. AR Rehman composed the music of the film. The film did business of 115 crores. 2013 had been even more successful year for Shahrukh Khan. His film Chennai Express released in August, 2013, did business of more than 210 crores. The film broke the record of Amir Khan’s The Three Idiots and stands as the biggest blockbuster ever. 2014 had been a bigger year. Shahrukh Khan’s film Happy New Year did business of more than 150 crores in the 1st weeks. It has the potential of doing business of more than 200 crores. Shahrukh Khan had a grand combination with Director Karan Johar, and most of the films directed by him ended up being super hit. The notable films include Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, etc. Shahrukh Khan also gave able lips in hit songs of these films including “kuch kuch hota hai”, “suraj hua madhyam”, etc. In 2010, their grand combination gave another hit titled My Name is Khan. Shahrukh Khan played the lead role in the film and did a great job opposite Kajol. Shahrukh Khan also succeeded in negative roles. The greatest example includes Darr. There he played a negative character opposite Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla. On one hand he gave good lips in the songs “tu mere samne”, on the other hand his attack on Juhi Chawla made the viewers understand that he could act in any type of films. He received filmfare award for the negative category as well. He was played a challenging role in Mani Ratnam’s film Dil Se. The film was related to terrorism in North East India and Shahrukh Khan died with Manisha Koirala in the film. Shahrukh Khan has the record of bagging 7 filmfare awards for best actor, which is the second best record after Dilip Kumar who had won it 8 times. Shahrukh Khan, better known as King Khan, had acted in the films of almost all the leading directors of the country, including Amol Palekar’s Paheli with Rani Mukherjee. Besides he had acted opposite different actresses like Kajol in the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Preeti Zinta in the film Veer Zara, Anushka Sharma in the film Rab Ne Bana Di Jori, to name a few. Shahrukh Khan opened own production house titled Dreams Unlimited with Juhi Chawla, and the films produced by such combination like Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani also did good business. Shahrukh Khan had ruled the industry for more than 15 years. Shahrukh Khan is also known for high level of energy. He had sponsored the Kolkata Knight Riders IPl team which had been captained by Sourav Ganguly. Although the team had performed is a disastrous manner, Shahrukh Khan had always encouraged his players. Shahrukh Khan’s team under the captainship of Gautam Gambhir had also won the IPL Trophy this year. The viewers are waiting for his next film Pathan that is going to be released in 2023. In 2018 his film Zero did not do good business. He is breaking his own records. So there are more surprises in future. Viewers are waiting for his new film Zero.