Remembering eminent poet Shailendraji and his majestic combination with Raj Kapoorsahab and Shankar Jaikishanji

The lovers of music all across he world remember poet Shailendra on his birth anniversary on 30th August, 2024

. Poet and lyricist Shailendra had glorified the world of bollywood music with his romantic words. He had tremendous combination with legendary composer Shankar Jaikishan. Both of them in turn had magical relationship with immortal singer Mohammad Rafi. Generally between 1940s and 1960s, whenever Shailendra wrote the songs, the tunes were given by Shankar Singh Raghuvanshi. Whenever Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the songs, the tunes were given by Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal. The magic combination came together in the film Boot Polish, released in 1954 with the song “nanhe munne bacche tere mutthi me kya hai” which had become immortal over the years. In the film Shikast, the combination came together in the song “gham me jal raha hai”. In the mid-50s, all of them Shailendra, SJ and Rafi became superstars and icons in their individual departments. SJ composed excellent song with the words of Shailendra sung by Rafi,Mukesh and Lata in Raj Kapoor’s film Shree 420 titled “ramaiya vasta maaiya”. In 1955 the film ended up being blockbuster. In Seema, the song “kahan jaraha tu” stands out. Manna Dey’s song “tu pyar ka sagar hai” was also a masterpiece. Rafi made the audience spellbound with the song “duniya na bhaye mohe” in the film Basant Bahar. Shailendra and SJ were brilliant as ever. Rafi’s song “mai rickshawala” in the film Choti Behen had realistic andaz. In Dev Anand’s Love Marriage, Rafi’s songs “kaha ja rahe the” had romantic andaz. In Shararat, the combination got together with the song “ajab hai dastan” which was very melodious. The same soft romantic Shailendra with SJ and Rafi changed their gears in aggressive songs of Shammi Kapoor in the film Junglee with the songs “yahoo, chahe koi mujhe jungle kahe”, “ayi ayi ya suku suku”, etc. The combination made the audience spellbound in Rajender Kumar’s film Sasural with the song “ek sawal mai karoon.” In Shammi Kapoor’s song “dil tera diwana” in the film Dil Tera Diwana, really the song balanced the lightning and rain. The combination continued in Shammi Kapoor’s film Professor with the songs “mai chali mai chali”, “khuli palak me” etc. The same combination brought tears in the eyes of the audience in Rajender Kumar’s film Dil Ek Mandir with the song “yaad na jaye”. The magic combination continued together in the blockbusters of the mid 60s, including Biswajeet’s April Fool in 1964, Shammi Kapoor’s Janwar and Rajkumar in 1965, Rajender Kumar’s Humrahi in 1963, Ayee Milan Ki Bela in 1964, Aarzoo in 1965, Suraj in 1966, Joy Mukherjee’s Love in Tokyo in 1966, Dev Anand’s Pyar Muhobbat in 1966, Uttam Kumar’s Choti Si Mulakat in 1968, to name a few. The unfortunate death of Shailendra in 1966 ended the marathon that was played by Rafi and SJ with the immortal lyricist for more than 20 years. His lyrics were used in films that were released later after his death in films like Shammi Kapoor’s Bhramchari, Rajender Kumar’s Jhuk Gaya Aasman and Dharti, Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, to name a few. Articles after articles can be devoted to the genius Shailendra, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi who had produced only gems after gems during the golden age of Indian music. They had made the audience laugh, smile, cry and repent with the words, tunes and rendition of voices. The songs and the films should be preserved.

In 2023 Sunny Deolji starrer Gadar 2 business of 750 crores worldwide with 480 crores in India and 270 crores abroad.

Sunny Deolji starrer Gadar 2 did 450 crores business in 16 days in India and internationally 260 crores taking the tally to 710 crores worldwide. Sunny Deolji starrer Gadar did 340 crores business in 9 days in India and internationally 225 crores taking the tally to 565 crores worldwide. Sunny Deolji starrer Gadar 2 did 301 crore business in 8 days. Internationally the film did 200 crores and so worldwide it has done 501 crores business. Sunnyji is the oldest star to give a blockbuster at this age. During the backdrop of "Crush India" campaign in 1971, Tara Singh goes missing during a skirmish on the border and is believed to be imprisoned in Pakistan. Learning this, Tara's son Charanjeet "Jeete" Singh goes to save him, but gets imprisoned and tortured by the Pakistan soldiers under Major General Hamid Iqbal, whose 40 subordinates were killed by Tara during his escape with his wife Sakeena and Jeete from Pakistan in 1954.[a] Hamid got Sakeena's father executed in 1954, and now wants to exact revenge on Tara himself. Tara, having survived the skirmish on the border uncaptured, learns about this after reuniting with Sakeena, and sets out to rescue Jeete. With the help of his friends in Pakistan, Tara confronts Hamid and helps Jeete escape a public execution, but they are parted shortly afterwards. After reuniting, Tara and Jeete are helped by the family of Muskaan, a Pakistani Muslim girl with whom Jeete has fallen in love. Hamid captures Muskaan's family and some Indian soldiers. Killing Muskaan's brother, he forces Tara, Jeete and Muskaan to surrender. Tara, along with others, is able to escape after a brutal fight. Hamid gives chase, but Tara and others are able to take the fight to Indian territory, allowing Indian army to hold Hamid and his men at gunpoint. Tara spares Hamid, who tries to kill Tara anyway and is gunned down by Indian soldiers. Tara and Jeete triumphantly return to India with Muskaan, and reunite with Sakeena. Sunny Deol reprises his role of Tara Singh, but was initially hesitant about revisiting the role, believing that films like Gadar: Ek Prem Katha can be made only once in history. He states, "We had made Gadar but the audience made it a Blockbuster. Initially, I was a bit apprehensive about whether we would do justice and continue the legacy of the first part." The film's director Anil Sharma revealed how he convinced Deol to return, stating, "When I narrated Gadar 2, Sunny was a little hesitant because he felt Gadar was a blockbuster and didn't want to meddle with it. But I requested him that the entire nation has been requesting a sequel and we should respect their emotions. After many calls, he finally agreed to hear the story. When we sat down for narration and finished it, he had tears in his eyes. That's how the journey of Gadar 2 started."[9] Ameesha Patel and Utkarsh Sharma also reprise their roles of Sakeena and Charanjeet "Jeete" Singh from the first film.[10] Simrat Kaur was also cast for the film.[10] Manish Wadhwa was offered the role of a Pakistani army general in the film. Rohit Choudhary, was also cast in the role of a Pakistani army general in the film. Luv Sinha and Gaurav Chopra have also been cast in important role. The shoot of the film was wrapped up by May 2023.[11] The late Amrish Puri face used as Ashraf Ali, Sakeena's father from the first film. Puri passed away in 2005 and used his role through archive footage from Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and computer-generated imagery. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Gadar 2 has an approval rating of 9% from 11 reviews, with an average score of 3.3/10.[23] Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and wrote “Gadar 2 is old-school desi entertainment at its best. Sunny Deol returns to the big screen with a vengeance… He is as ferocious as ever. The patriotic flavour coupled with tremendous recall value will make it a huge money-spinner. Gadar 2 lives up to massive expectations… Has it all: drama, emotions, action, two beautiful songs [from the first part] and the hand pump sequence, of course. Anil Sharma makes sure he packs every ingredient on the shelf to create a big-screen entertainer.” [24] Anuj Kumar from The Hindu wrote "It is not as provocative as the original as driver Anil Sharma seeks to take a middle path. Perhaps, it feels like that because the socio-political atmosphere outside the theatre has become much more dramatic and shrill than what it was when the original released in 2001. Still, it is good that Sharma has toned down the jingoistic tone."[25] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Gadar 2 does falter in terms of story and its pace, though it brings back the mass entertainment and that can surely make it a paisa vasool watch."[26] Anindita Mukherjee from India Today gave three and half stars out of five and wrote "Gadar 2 supersedes expectations, as it successfully tugs at your heartstrings. And there’s Sunny Paaji to do all the heavy-lifting (pun intended).[27] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rates one and half stars out of 5 stars said: What we can confirm is that Sunny paaji can still snarl effectively, and that dhai-kilo-ka-haath has residual potency. We can also confirm the reappearance of a hand-pump.[28] Umesh Punwani of Koimoi gave one star and reviewed as: this is a blatant misuse of fans’ emotions taking it for granted to deliver such a horrendous product hoping it’ll work only based on nostalgic factors

The nation remembers Rishi Kapoorji both on birth anniversary and death anniversary

Rishi Kapoor died on 30th April 2020 and shocked the nation. One day ago the country was devastated with death news of talented actor Irfan Khan. Rishi Kapoor suffered from cancer and died at an of 1967. He is alive in his works. The viewers of bollywood films wished happy birth anniversary to Rishi Kapoor on 4th September 2024. He had remained one of the most romantic actors that bollywood had ever produced. He started his career as a child artist in Raj Kapoor’s film Mera Naam Joker in 1971. He stormed bollywood films with his romantic performance in the film Bobby in 1973. The film did great business and Rishi Kapoor received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in Bobby. Raj Kapoor as producer and director started a new innings with a new team of Laxmikant Pyarellal as against Shankar Jaikishan after the death of Jaikishan in 1971. LP had huge contribution in the music of the films of Rishi Kapoor for the next ten years. From that time onwards Rishi Kapoor remained one the most romantic actors in bollywood films. His films Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, Laila Majnu in 1976 and Sargam in 1978 were the greatest musical blockbusters of the 70s. The songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal, Jaidev and Madanmohan in these films became everlasting hits. The notable songs of Rafi and Lata in this film included “koel boli”, “parda hai parda”, “dafliwale”, “barbad muhobbat ki dua”, “is reshmi pazeeb”, to name a few. LP received the filmfare award for the best composer for 3 Rishi Kapoor’s films namely Amar Akbar Anthony, Sargam and Karz from 1978 to 1980. Rishi Kapoor’s extraordinary capability of giving lips in these songs separated him from other actors of that era. His films Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi and Karz created history. He showed his dancing skills in every type of songs of Rafi and Kishore including “hai aga dushman zamana”, “bacchna aye haseeno”, “dard –e- dil”, “om shanty om”, “puchona yaar kya hua”, to name a few. RD Burman and Laxmikant Pyarellal probably gave their best music to Rishi Kapoor in the 70s and 80s. In the 80s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Duniya, Sitamgar, Saagar, Chandni, Cooli, Naseeb, did fantastic business. He got the opportunity of acting opposite stalwarts in the industry namely Dilip Kumar in Duniya, Dharmender in Sitamgar, Kamal Hassan in Saagar, to name a few. In fact due to presence of Rishi Kapoor, producers and directors created romantic stories during an era when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha dominated bollywood with action films. Even in the 90s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Bol Radha Bol, Damini, etc., were appreciated by the audience. He was successful opposite young actresses like Juhi Chawla, Meenakshi Sheshadri, who were one generation younger than him. He had great contribution in the films of eminent directors like Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, Ramesh Sippy, David Dhawan, and others. After the debut of his son Ranbir Kapoor in the film Sawaariya, Rishi Kapoor switched to character roles. In 2009 also Rishi Kapoor did well in films like Dilli 6, Pyar Me Twist, Luck By Chance. He received Star Screen award for the best supporting actor in 2010 for his performance in the film Love Aaj Kal. In 2010 he acted in the films Chintuji and Sadiyaan. 2012 had been an excellent year for Rishi Kapoor. At the beginning of the year he acted in a negative character for the first time in his career in the film Agneepath. The film with hero Hrithik Roshan had done business of more than 125 crores. His other film Housefull 2 with Akshay Kumar had become super hit too. It also had done business of more than 110 crores. He is experimenting with new characters in this part of his career. He received best villain award for his performance in the film Agneepath. In 2013, he had acted in the films Chasme Baddoor and Besharam. In 2015 his performance in the film All is Well was very well appreciated. With his death the 3 generation actors Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor ended. It is an irreparable loss to the industry.

Krishna Janmashtami brings memories of Lord Krishna

Indians have a separate religious sentiment associated with Lord Krishna, the renowned avatar of God Vishnu. The film Mahabharat made in 1965 is revisited on the eve of Krishna Janmashtami to be celebrated all over India tomorrow on 25th August, 2016. The film Mahabharat was directed by director Babulal Mistry in 1965. Actor Abhi Bhattacharya played the celebrated role of Lord Krishna in the film. He had the challenging task of chanting the slokas from Bhagwat Geeta, which moulded Arjun in the battle of Kurukshetra and led to victory of the Pandavas. Very significantly Pradeep Kumar played the epic role of Arjun in the film. When Arjuna saw his own relatives in the other side of the battle, he got perplexed and thought whether to fight the battle or not. Lord Krishna explained to him that he must do his Karma and that too of a Kshatriya. In the entire Mahabharata what Lord Krishna had delivered later became learning texts for Hindus all over the world. Actor Dara Singh played the role of Bhima in the film, while Jeevan played the role of Shakuni. Actress Padmini played the notable role of Draupadi in the film. Composer Chitragupt composed the music of the film, and the songs sung by Rafi in the film were very memorable. In the late 80s and early 90s, eminent filmmaker BR Chopra made Mahabharata in Doordarshan, and as TV serial had remained extremely successful. Nitish Bharatdwaj played the role of Lord Krishna in the serial. All the episode related to the birth of Lord Krishna flabbergasted the audience. His mama’s role was played by Goga Kapoor. The viewers saw the battle between Lord Krishna and Mama Kanghs was very well depicted by BR Chopra. Nitish Bharadwaj studied Bhagwat Geeta, very well and his performance in the battlefield of Kurukshetra where he persuaded Arjun to fight the battle had remained matchless. The character of Arjun was played by Feroz Khan. The pandavas were heavily dependent on Lord Krishna in their war against the kauravas. Lord Krishna only asked Bhima to hit Duryodhana on his uru, meaning the thigh, which led to his victory. Lord Krishna asked Arjun to throw his arrow at Karna when his chariot got stuck in mud and he tried to release it. The same Lord Krishna, provided cloth to Draupadi, at a time when Duryodhana asked Dushshashan to take away her clothes. Lord Krishna is worshipped as God by numerous hindus all across the world, and the effort of filmmakers in reaching the epic related to Lord Krishna had always been considered noble and appreciated. Both the film Mahabharata and the serial Mahabharata should be restored.

Happy birthday to Saira Banuji

Happy birthday to Saira Banu. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Saira Banu on 23rd August, 2024

. She used to be called beauty-queen of the 60s. Acting was there in her blood with her mother Nasim Banu doing well in many films in the 40s. Saira Banu started her career with the film Junglee opposite Shammi Kapoor in 1961. The brilliant music of Shankar Jaikishan given in the film and exotic locations of Jammu and Kashmir flabbergasted the audience in the early 60s. All the songs in the film were super hit including “suku suku”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “Kashmir ki kali hun mai”, to name a few. From that time onwards Saira Banu started getting stylish roles one after the other in bollywood films. Saira Banu went on to give hit after hit with Biswajeet and Joy Mukherjee as well. With Biswajeet her film April Fool released in 1964 became super hit. The songs of SJ again created storm including “april fool banaya”, “aa gale lag jaa”, etc. With Joy Mukherjee Saira Banu’s film Shagird stormed box-office in 1967. All the songs of Rafi and Lata were hits including “dil vil pyar vyar”, “woh hai zara khafa khafa”, “o bare miya diwane”, “duniya mehfil hai”, etc. The music was composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal. Saira Banu exhibited the character of village girl who was sought after by her teacher played by IS Johar, but fell in love with Joy Mukherjee in the film. There were other hit films of Saira Banu like Saaz Aur Awaaz opposite Joy Mukherjee, Aadmi Aur Insaan opposite Dharmender, to name a few. Saira Banu’s combination with Rajender Kumar was well accepted by the audience. All the three films opposite Jubilee Kumar including Ayee Milan Ki Bela in 1964, Aman in 1967 and Jhuk Gaya Aasman in 1968 became super hit. The songs of all those films composed by SJ again struck box-office. Prominent songs included “o priya kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “tum khamseen ho”, “kahan chal diye”, “surahidar garden”, etc. Saira Banu balanced the powerful performance of Rajender Kumar in those films. In Aman, Saira Banu played the role of a Japanese girl. In Ayee Milan Ki Bela she played the role of an urbanized girl having wealthy background. In Jhuk Gaya Aasman, she played the role of a sophisticated girl coming from middle-class family who was involved with Rajender Kumar who was guide in Darjeeling, but after reincarnation led the life of a wealthy industrialist. May be after Sadhna, Saira Banu was accepted by the viewers the most opposite Rajender Kumar. After marrying Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu acted in a number of films opposite him including Sagina, Gopi and Bairaag, most of which did well in the box-office. Sagina was directed by Dada Saheb Phalke winning director Tapan Sinha, who made the Bengali version and the hindi version of the same film separately. Saira Banu acted opposite Dilip Kumar in both the films. Her films with Raj Kapoor titled Diwana and Dev Anand titled Par Muhabbat did good business mainly due to hit music of Shankar Jaikishan. The songs of those films including “ai sanam jisne tujhe chaand si surat di hai”, “dil ki awaz khuda khair Karen” still remain the landmarks of Indian film music. Even Saira Banu’s comedy films like Parosan opposite Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood did brilliant business. From the mid-70s Saira Banu faded away from the industry before acting in films opposite Big B like Zameer and Hera Pheri. There were other films of Saira Banu opposite other stars like Manoj Kumar in the film Purab Aur Paschim, Dharmender in Resham Ki Dori. The viewers expect her to contribute in bollywood films in character roles again.

BlogThis!

Happy birthday to veteran star Aruna Iraniji

Happy birthday to dancing legend Aruna Irani. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dancing legend Aruna Irani on 3rd May, 2024

. She had made her debut as a child actress in the film Ganga Jamuna in 1961. She played the role of the smaller version of Azra in the film. She played similar roles in films like Jahanara in 60s. But her fantastic dancing skills launched her in super hit films like Farz which was released in 1967. She danced opposite Jeetender in the film Farz in Rafi’s song “mast baharon ka mai aashiq”, and that cemented her career in bollywood films. After that she got dance-based roles one after the other in bollywood. But due to comedy pairing with Mehmood in films like Humjoli, she got roles in the range of vamps rather than frontline heroines. She was brilliant opposite Mehmood in the Jeetender starrer Waarish in 1968. The music of RD Burman was brilliant with Rafi’s hit songs like “ek bechara pyar ka maara”. She amazed the viewers with the role of a gypsey woman in Jeetender’s film Carwan released in 1971. Her dance number in the song “dilbar” sung by Lata Mangeshkar and “chadti jawani” sung by Mohammad Rafi had shaken up bollywood in the early 70s. Her dancing skills were used to perfection by Showman Raj Kapoor in the film Bobby especially in Shailendra Singh’s song “mai shayar to nahin”. Her successful films in 70s and 80s includes Khel Khel Me, Buddha Mil Gaya, Laila Majnu, Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari, Qurbani, Sargam, Rocky, Love Story, etc. In negative characters in films like Qurbani she had amazed the viewers. From late 80s, she switched to character roles and became one of the leading actresses in that field. She received filmfare award for the best supporting actress for her brilliant performance in Madhuri Dixit’s film Beta. Her brilliant performance in films like Raja Babu, Ghulam-e-Mustafa, Kartavya, had created a separate place in the hearts of millions of filmlovers. Viewers got astonished to realize how an able dancer in her teenage, had transformed into a brilliant character artist who could do any type of role starting from comedy acting to serious roles to roles of negatives characters. She should have won many more filmfare awards for epic performances in films like Bobby, Qurbani, Haseena Maan Jayegi. She also played notable role in Priyadarshan’s film Khatta Meetha released in 2010. She also had received filmfare lifetime achievement awards. She said that she knew nothing. Dilip Kumar brought her to the beautiful world of bollywood. She learned everything and was indebted to the viewers for their love and affection. It was her humility which spoke out and made everyone enchanted. The viewers expect the veteran of more than 300 films to continue the great work that she started 40 years ago.

Dilip Kumarsahab's Mughal I Azam remained the greatest blockbuster of 1960 followed by Barsaat ki raat, Kohinoor, Chaudavi Ka Chand and Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai

Dilip Kumar, Madhubala Mughal-i-azam. Biggest bollywood hit films of 1960. Bollywood films had done business all over India over the last 60 years. In 1960 different types of films were released. In that year the biggest blockbuster was Mughal-i-Azam. Dilip Kumar and Madhubala were the leading artists of the film Mughal-i-Azam. It was a historical film depicting the history of Akbar, Jehangir and Anarkali. Very significantly Dilip Kumar, popularly known as Tragedy King ruled the team of bollywood actors with his realistic acting. Naushad Ali’s excellent music and Rafi, Lata’s melodious songs in the film was a treat for the years of the audience. The second biggest hit film of 1960 was Barsaat Ki Raat. Bharat Bhusan and Madhubala were the leading artists of the film. Excellent music composed by Roshanlal Nagrath was added attraction for the viewers. Rafi’s song “zindagi bhar nahi bhulegi wo barsaat ki raat” and Manna Deys song “na to karwanki talash hai” had become immortal over the years. Bharat Bhusan and Madhubala’s excellent performance require special mention. 1960 was a year of musical blockbusters like Kohinoor and Chaudavi Ka Chand. Kohinoor was the third biggest grosser and Chaudavi Ka Chand was the fourth biggest grosser. Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari were the main artists in Kohinoor, and Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman were leading artists of Chaudavi Ka Chand. Again the excellent music composed by Naushad Ali in Kohinoor with Rafi’s excellent songs like “madhuban me radhika nachere” and “do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan aaj ki raat” stands out even today. In Chaudavi Ka Chand, the excellent ghazals sung by Rafi and composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma including “chaudavi ka chand ho” made the viewers spellbound. In the same year, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai was the fifth largest grosser. The film had been directed by Radhu Karmakar and music composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Raj Kapoor, Padmini and Pran were the main artists in the film. Mukesh and Lata Mangeshar’s songs like “o maine pyar kiya”, “mera naam hai raju”, “aa aab laut chale” became everlasting musical masterpieces. The other hit films in the list of bollywood grosser included Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi, (6th), Love In Simla (7th), Ghunghat, (8th), Kanoon (9th) and Kala Bazaar (10th). The artists who were prominent in those films included Raj Kumar, Meena Kumari, Joy Mukherjee, Sadhna, Rajender Kumar, Dev Anand, Wahida Rehman and others. The inference that can be made in respect of bollywood films included that Dilip Kumar dominated the bollywood scenario with his brilliant performance, at the same time the other actors who were very close competitors of him included Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, Raj Kumar, Rajender Kumar, and others. As far as actresses were concerned Madhubala, Wahida Rehman, Meena Kumari were the dominating figures in bollywood. Music played a very significant role during 1960. The composers who dominated the world of music included Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshanlal Nagrath, Ravi Shankar Sharma, and others. Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Manna Dey, Mukesh and others gave their best in that year to make the films super hit. Lastly the directors who dominated the scenario included K. Asif, P. L. Santoshi, Mohammad Sadiq, Raj Kapoor, Kishore Sahu, Guru Dutt and others. The high standard of performances of the actors and actresses created huge competition, and the directors utilized their potentiality to the maximum.

Saira Banuji and Rajender Kumarji combination with Shankar Jaikishanji gave blockbuster hits in 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.

Stree 2 with brilliance of Shraddha Kapoorji and Raj Kumar Raoji did business of 134 crores in 4 days and is heading towards blockbuster.

Stree 2 in 3 days did more than 90 crores in India due to brilliance of Rajkumar Raoji and Shraddha Kapoorji. It is heading towards being blockbuster.

Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 2: The Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt, and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana. It is the fifth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe and is the sequel to Stree (2018). Soft Chitti, warm Chitti, little ball of fur. Happy Chitti, sleepy Chitti, purr purr purr. Hold on, don't nod off just yet! This Indian spin on The Big Bang Theory's 'Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty' had everyone in the theatre in stitches. It's just one of the many laugh-out-loud moments that kick off Amar Kaushik's Stree 2. With a star-studded cast featuring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee, and Aparshakti Khurana, the film offers a lot more in terms of entertainment and surprises. Stree 2 is the much-awaited sequel to the 2018 hit Stree, and it certainly lives up to the hype. The film continues the unique blend of horror and comedy that made the original so unforgettable. However, this time, the stakes are higher, the scares are more intense, and the laughs flow even more effortlessly. The story picks up right where the first film left off. The village of Chanderi is now living in peace, protected by the "O Stree Raksha Karna" signs that keep the menacing ghost of Stree away. However, a new terror emerges in the form of Sarkata, a headless man who starts abducting the village's girls and women. Unlike Stree, who targeted men, Sarkata goes after women who challenge societal norms and dare to think independently, making him a patriarchal symbol. Shraddha Kapoor's stint in Stree 2 The film centers around Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) and his friends, Rudra (Pankaj Tripathi), Jana (Abhishek Banerjee), and Bittu (Aparshakti Khurana), as they try to save their village from this new menace. They are joined by a mysterious nameless girl (played by Shraddha Kapoor), who warns them that they only have a few days to stop Sarkata before it's too late. The group quickly realises that the only one who can defeat Sarkata is Stree herself, setting up a thrilling and suspenseful race against time. The first half of Stree 2 is a masterclass in setting the stage for what's to come. The introduction of Sarkata as the new villain is done with great flair, and the sequences featuring him are both spine-chilling and visually striking. The film's setting, which captures the uncanny yet lively atmosphere of Chanderi, is spot-on, drawing viewers into the story from the very beginning. Special mention must be made of the cinematography and background music, which are both highly effective in building tension and enhancing the overall mood of the film. The performances in the first half are also top-notch. Rajkummar, Pankaj, Abhishek, and Aparshakti reprise their roles with the same energy and charm that made them so beloved in the first film. Their camaraderie and comic timing are impeccable, making the humour feel natural and unforced. Shraddha, delivers a standout performance, balancing mystery and strength with ease. She makes a strong impact with her action-packed performance. Her role is crucial to the story, and she handles it with grace and confidence.

Kaushik expressed interest in a sequel as early as October 2018, and Rao later confirmed that development was underway in February 2022. The production houses officially announced the sequel in April 2023. Principal photography commenced the following July and was predominantly shot in Chanderi and Bihar before wrapping by mid‐2024. The film has music composed by Sachin–Jigar, score composed by Justin Varghese, cinematography handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee and editing by Hemanti Sarkar. Stree 2 in 3 days did more than 90 crores in India due to brilliance of Rajkumar Raoji and Shraddha Kapoorji. It is heading towards being blockbuster.

Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 2: The Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt, and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana. It is the fifth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe and is the sequel to Stree (2018). Kaushik expressed interest in a sequel as early as October 2018, and Rao later confirmed that development was underway in February 2022. The production houses officially announced the sequel in April 2023. Principal photography commenced the following July and was predominantly shot in Chanderi and Bihar before wrapping by mid‐2024. The film has music composed by Sachin–Jigar, score composed by Justin Varghese, cinematography handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee and editing by Hemanti Sarkar. Stree 2 was theatrically released in India on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed ₹84.4 crore at the box office.[4] Plot After the events of Stree, the small town of Chanderi is being haunted by a beheaded creature, "Sarkata", who is abducting women. Cast Shraddha Kapoor as a phantasm with undisclosed name, Stree's daughter Rajkummar Rao as Vicky Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra, a paranologist Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, Vicky's friend Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu, Vicky’s friend Atul Srivastava as Vicky's father Mushtaq Khan as MLA Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother Anya Singh as Chitti Arvind Bilgaiyan as Jana's father Bhoomi Rajgor as Stree Sunil Kumar as Sarkata Aakash Dabhade as Narendra, Jana's friend Simran Sharma as Mamata, Narendra's wife Ajay Pal as postman Mustaqueem Khan as Durga Badriprasad Chavan as Lokesh Vipasha Arvind as Anju Bhabhi Tamannaah Bhatia as Shama (cameo appearance in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Amar Kaushik (cameo in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar / Bhediya, Jana's cousin (cameo appearance)[6] Akshay Kumar as Sarkata's descendant (cameo appearance)[7] Production Development In October 2018, director Amar Kaushik announced his plans for a sequel to the Stree.[8] In February 2022, actor Rajkummar Rao confirmed the sequel's development.[9] In March 2023, the sequel entered the pre-production stage, with filming scheduled to commence in July 2023.[10][11] In April 2023, the makers announced that the film would release on 30 August 2024.[12] The cast included Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana, reprising their roles from the previous film.[13] Filming Principal photography commenced on 10 July 2023,[14] with the initial shoot held in Chanderi.[15] Most of the main cast was present barring Pankaj Tripathi who joined the sets after completing his work on Main Atal Hoon.[16][17] The second schedule began in the same place in November 2023.[18] In December, a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia alongside Rao, Tripathi, Khurrana, and Banerjee, along with the director, was filmed in Bihar and choreographed by Vijay Ganguly.[19][5] According to him, it was shot under harsh weather conditions as Kaushik wanted to capture a realistic setting, as the following scene takes place in a live location.[20] Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to shoot his special appearance, reprising his role from the film Bhediya.[6] Post-production The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not mandate any visual cuts for Stree 2. However, the board requested two audio modifications: the removal of a celebrity's name and the muting of a national monument's name. After these changes, the film was granted a U/A rating and has a runtime of 149 minutes Stree 2 was theatrically released in India on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed ₹84.4 crore at the box office.[4] Plot After the events of Stree, the small town of Chanderi is being haunted by a beheaded creature, "Sarkata", who is abducting women. Cast Shraddha Kapoor as a phantasm with undisclosed name, Stree's daughter Rajkummar Rao as Vicky Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra, a paranologist Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, Vicky's friend Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu, Vicky’s friend Atul Srivastava as Vicky's father Mushtaq Khan as MLA Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother Anya Singh as Chitti Arvind Bilgaiyan as Jana's father Bhoomi Rajgor as Stree Sunil Kumar as Sarkata Aakash Dabhade as Narendra, Jana's friend Simran Sharma as Mamata, Narendra's wife Ajay Pal as postman Mustaqueem Khan as Durga Badriprasad Chavan as Lokesh Vipasha Arvind as Anju Bhabhi Tamannaah Bhatia as Shama (cameo appearance in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Amar Kaushik (cameo in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar / Bhediya, Jana's cousin (cameo appearance)[6] Akshay Kumar as Sarkata's descendant (cameo appearance)[7] Production Development In October 2018, director Amar Kaushik announced his plans for a sequel to the Stree.[8] In February 2022, actor Rajkummar Rao confirmed the sequel's development.[9] In March 2023, the sequel entered the pre-production stage, with filming scheduled to commence in July 2023.[10][11] In April 2023, the makers announced that the film would release on 30 August 2024.[12] The cast included Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana, reprising their roles from the previous film.[13] Filming Principal photography commenced on 10 July 2023,[14] with the initial shoot held in Chanderi.[15] Most of the main cast was present barring Pankaj Tripathi who joined the sets after completing his work on Main Atal Hoon.[16][17] The second schedule began in the same place in November 2023.[18] In December, a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia alongside Rao, Tripathi, Khurrana, and Banerjee, along with the director, was filmed in Bihar and choreographed by Vijay Ganguly.[19][5] According to him, it was shot under harsh weather conditions as Kaushik wanted to capture a realistic setting, as the following scene takes place in a live location.[20] Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to shoot his special appearance, reprising his role from the film Bhediya.[6] Post-production The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not mandate any visual cuts for Stree 2. However, the board requested two audio modifications: the removal of a celebrity's name and the muting of a national monument's name. After these changes, the film was granted a U/A rating and has a runtime of 149 minutes

Stree 2 with Shraddha Kapoor and Raj Kumar Rao in 3 days did more than 90 days and is heading towards being blockbuster

Stree 2 in 3 days did more than 90 crores in India due to brilliance of Rajkumar Raoji and Shraddha Kapoorji. It is heading towards being blockbuster.

Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (transl. Woman 2: The Terror of the Headless) is a 2024 Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik, written by Niren Bhatt, and produced jointly by Maddock Films and Jio Studios. The film stars Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana. It is the fifth installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe and is the sequel to Stree (2018). Kaushik expressed interest in a sequel as early as October 2018, and Rao later confirmed that development was underway in February 2022. The production houses officially announced the sequel in April 2023. Principal photography commenced the following July and was predominantly shot in Chanderi and Bihar before wrapping by mid‐2024. The film has music composed by Sachin–Jigar, score composed by Justin Varghese, cinematography handled by Jishnu Bhattacharjee and editing by Hemanti Sarkar. Stree 2 was theatrically released in India on 15 August 2024, coinciding with Independence Day. The film received positive reviews from critics and has grossed ₹84.4 crore at the box office.[4] Plot After the events of Stree, the small town of Chanderi is being haunted by a beheaded creature, "Sarkata", who is abducting women. Cast Shraddha Kapoor as a phantasm with undisclosed name, Stree's daughter Rajkummar Rao as Vicky Pankaj Tripathi as Rudra, a paranologist Abhishek Banerjee as Jana, Vicky's friend Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu, Vicky’s friend Atul Srivastava as Vicky's father Mushtaq Khan as MLA Sunita Rajwar as Jana's mother Anya Singh as Chitti Arvind Bilgaiyan as Jana's father Bhoomi Rajgor as Stree Sunil Kumar as Sarkata Aakash Dabhade as Narendra, Jana's friend Simran Sharma as Mamata, Narendra's wife Ajay Pal as postman Mustaqueem Khan as Durga Badriprasad Chavan as Lokesh Vipasha Arvind as Anju Bhabhi Tamannaah Bhatia as Shama (cameo appearance in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Amar Kaushik (cameo in the song "Aaj Ki Raat")[5] Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar / Bhediya, Jana's cousin (cameo appearance)[6] Akshay Kumar as Sarkata's descendant (cameo appearance)[7] Production Development In October 2018, director Amar Kaushik announced his plans for a sequel to the Stree.[8] In February 2022, actor Rajkummar Rao confirmed the sequel's development.[9] In March 2023, the sequel entered the pre-production stage, with filming scheduled to commence in July 2023.[10][11] In April 2023, the makers announced that the film would release on 30 August 2024.[12] The cast included Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and Aparshakti Khurana, reprising their roles from the previous film.[13] Filming Principal photography commenced on 10 July 2023,[14] with the initial shoot held in Chanderi.[15] Most of the main cast was present barring Pankaj Tripathi who joined the sets after completing his work on Main Atal Hoon.[16][17] The second schedule began in the same place in November 2023.[18] In December, a dance number featuring Tamannaah Bhatia alongside Rao, Tripathi, Khurrana, and Banerjee, along with the director, was filmed in Bihar and choreographed by Vijay Ganguly.[19][5] According to him, it was shot under harsh weather conditions as Kaushik wanted to capture a realistic setting, as the following scene takes place in a live location.[20] Varun Dhawan joined the set in February 2024 to shoot his special appearance, reprising his role from the film Bhediya.[6] Post-production The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) did not mandate any visual cuts for Stree 2. However, the board requested two audio modifications: the removal of a celebrity's name and the muting of a national monument's name. After these changes, the film was granted a U/A rating and has a runtime of 149 minutes

Happy birthday to dignified actress Rakheeji

Happy birthday to Rakhee. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rakhee on 15th August, 2024. She had contributed in bollywood films for more than 30 years. She had contributed both as a leading actress and also as a character actress. Rakhee came to limelight with her successful film Sharmilee opposite Shashi Kapoor in the early 70s. The songs of the film composed by SD Burman became very successful, including the songs “khilte hai dil yahan”, “megha chaye aadhi raat”, etc. Rakhee played a double role, one being calm and quite named Kanchan and the other who was outspoken named Kamini and created attention. In the mid-70s Rakhee acted in landmark roles including the one in the film Kabhi Kabhi opposite Big B and Shashi Kapoor. She loved a poet played by Big B, but had to marry Shashi Kapoor. The poetry of Big B created a great impact in the life of Rakhee. The songs of Mukesh and Lata composed by Khayyam in the film including “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon” and “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” made the viewers spellbound. Rakhee acted in many landmark films opposite Big B including Shakti Shamanta’s Bengali film Anusandhan, hindi film Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Kala Patthar, Kasme Wade, etc. In the early 80s Rakhee played the role of her lifetime opposite Dilip Kumar in the film Shakti. She played the role of the mother of Big B, who faced the hostility between Dilip Kumar and Big B, one being the protector of law, while the other being the lawbreaker. The scenes where she praised her law-abiding husband her performance had outcast Big B, and viewers said that Rakhee’s performance was as brilliant as Dilip Kumar in Shakti. The film became super hit. She was brilliant in the film Shaan. She played the role of the wife of Sunil Dutt. After the death Sunil Dutt, her small interaction with Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bacchan, who were the brothers of Sunil Dutt in the film, had shown the class of acting of Rakhee. Rakhee by that period of time created her own class in character roles. She was outstanding opposite Suresh Oberoi in the film Shraddhanjali. In the 90s, Rakhee played many character roles in films like Anil Kapoor’s Ram Lakhan, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan’s Karan Arjun, Bobby Deol’s Soldier, to name a few. She had acted in more than 100 films and continues to act in many contemporary films. Rakhee had also acted in many character roles and challenging roles. Her performance in Aparna Sen’s film Parama requires special mention. She had affair with a middle-aged neighbour. When the truth relating to her extra-marital affair was known to her husband, she lost her value in the family. She showed the helplessness in the respective story. She had performed in both commercial films and parallel cinema and in both forms of films she had kept a mark. She was sublime in the other Bengali film Shubha Maharat. The viewers expect her to continue the good work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to dignified director and poet Gulzar sahab

Happy birthday to Gulzar. Gulzar received Dadasahab Phalke award in 2014. It is great that Gulzar had been chose to be the recipient. He really deserved it. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary director and lyricist Gulzar on 18th August, 2024. He had been one of the greatest living legends at this moment. Bollywood is indebted to thoughtful director who had converted filmmaking into work of art. His film Mausam released in 1975, was based on reflections of mind. Sanjeev Kumar was attached with Sharmila Tagore living in Darjeeling when he came over there as a student. After he went abroad to pursue his post-graduate studies, Sharmila was exploited and her daughter how looked identical like her mother was compelled to join prostitution. Sanjeev Kumar returned as a foreign-return doctor and took his daughter away from the surroundings and gave her a new life. Bhupinder Singh’s ghazal “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi” composed by Madan Mohan and written by Gulzar remains as the greatest ghazal created in the 70s. The story-telling in the film was appreciated by critics. Gulzar created a different dimension by experimented with classic literature during the 70s and 80s. His films Aandhi released in 1975, with Suchitra Sen and Sanjeev Kumar and Kinara released in 1978, with Jeetender and Hema Malini can very well be classified as master pieces. He gave very meaningful sequences where songs were recorded. He created a separate fanclub for himself who could understand human relations at the same period when larger than life images were created in main stream cinema of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha and other angry young men in films like Sholay, Kalicharan, Burning Train, etc. Gulzar’s films created for children like Parichay, released in 1972 and Kitaab, released in 1978 are still considered masterpieces. He was impressed by the thoughts of Hollywood film Sound of Music and Uttam Kumar’s Joyjoyanti to make a film related to five children who required a good teacher. Jeetender treated them with compassion and brought change in the children. In Kitaab, Uttam Kumar cared for his brother-in-law Master Raju who was a small child and had been send by her mother (Dina Pathak) to get educated in urbanized background. Vidya Sinha was the sister of Master Raju. Uttam Kumar played a huge part in transforming the character of Master Raju in the film. Gulzar experimented with so many diverse subjects that articles after articles can be devoted to his different themes, including the film Koshish, released in 1972, based on life of deaf and dumb, Lekin, based on folklore of Rajasthan. Koshish had a very strong social message. It showed that deaf and dumb persons could go to dead and dumb schools and learn sign language. Their life can have a new aspiration and direction. All his artists like Suchitra Sen, Jaya Bacchan, Sharmila Tagore, Uttam Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetender portrayed the life of middle-class men who were found in everyday life. He even worked with subjects like terrorism in films like Machis. His composers, Jaidev, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, RD Burman all had given their best music for the thoughtful director. These days Gulzar concentrates more on writing lyrics. In that field too he had been master of masters. In the recent past Gulzar said that he wanted to devote time to write books. For those reasons he had reduced directing films in the last 10 years. It is a huge loss for thoughtful viewers. He continued to write lyrics of songs in bollywood films in regular intervals and his popular lyrics like “aisi nazar se” in the film Bunty Aur Babli had both class and also rhythm. He received the filmfare award for the best lyricist a number of times. His admirers expect him to continue to make rich films which make the audience think, feel and reflect on the happiness and sniffles of life.

Happy birth anniversary to gorgious actress Sri Deviji

Happy birthday to gorgeous icon Sri Devi. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birth anniversary to gorgeous icon and evergreen actress Sri Devi on 13th August, 2024. She died few years ago and her death shocked the nation. She was the most dominating figure in bollywood films in the 80s. Her excellent dancing skills gave her an edge over other actresses of that period. In 2013 her film English Vinglish received awards in IIFA awards in Macao. Her director received best debutant director award. She was brilliant in the film Himmatwala opposite Jeetender. The film was a South Indian production which was released in the early 1980s and the dancing skills of both Sri Devi and Jeetender mesmerized the viewers. The music of the film was also very popular. Sri Devi got a landmark role in Feroz Khan’s film Jaanbaaz. She played the role of the wife of Jeetender who was given drugs forcefully by Shakti Kapoor, Raza Murad and their men. She died due to consumption of the drugs. Feroz Khan along with Anil Kapoor took revenge against her brutal killing. Sri Devi’s combination with Anil Kapoor was appreciated by the viewers of the 80s. Their film Mr. India, directed by Shekhar Kapoor became everlasting hit. Sri Devi displayed her comedy skills as against the innocent performance of Anil Kapoor in the film. Anil Kapoor’s device for becoming invisible amazed the viewers. Amrish Puri was matchless in his performance in the role of Mogambo. Sri Devi’s dance number opposite Anil Kapoor in a blue dress during a rainy day haunted many youngstars of the 80s. Big B acted in many films opposite Sri Devi including Inquilab, Akhree Rasta and others. Most of those films ended up being blockbusters. In Akhree Raasta she had show her mettle opposite another South Indian beauty Jaya Prada. Her performance was as good as Jaya Prada, and both the actresses justified their selection opposite Megastar Big B. Sri Devi gave many hits opposite Rishi Kapoor including Yash Rash film Chandni. In Chandi, Sri Devi looked gorgeous. Rishi Kapoor was considered to be most romantic actor of the 80s. Sri Devi had the challenge of matching him in a Yash Raj film, where shooting is done in Switzerland and costly dresses are used for the stars. Sri Devi rose up to the occasion and got the viewers flabbergasted with her performance. Even then viewers considered Anil Kapoor the best combination opposite Sri Devi. Their superhit films included Laadla, Lamhe, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja, and others. Sri Devi had a fantastic career in South Indian films as well. Her performance in films opposite Rajnikant and Kamal Hassan became super hit in the 8os. She acted in hit bollywood films opposite Rajnikant like Chaalbaaz where she played a double role. She was excellent in the film Sadma opposite Kamal Hassan. Her abnormal acting which was required in the role and later on a different behavior really made the viewers spellbound. The music composed by Illaiyaraja was exceptional, with the song “surmaiy ankhyonme” becoming smash hit. With the domination of Madhuri Dixit in bollywood films in the 90s, Sri Devi faded away from the film arena. Besides she added weight after marrying Boney Kapoor and giving birth to her daughter. Although viewers cannot expect the same glamour and charm of Sri Devi in her late 30s, yet they want her presence in bollywood films, as lot of acting is still left in her. The viewers were shocked by her sudden death.

Happy birthday to superstar Vaijayantimalaji

Happy birthday to superstar Vaijayantimala. Happy birthday to Vaijayantimala. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dancing queen Vaijayantimala on 13th August, 2024. She had ruled bollywood films during the 50s and 60s, during an age when muslim actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Meena Kumari rocked silver screen. She was the first South Indian actress to create a sensation in bollywood films and paved the way for other South Indian actresses to follow like Hema Malini, Sri Devi, Jaya Prada, Meenakshi Sheshadri, and others. There was no successful actor of the 1950s and 1960s, who did not act opposite Vaijayantimala. The list is very long ranging from Dilip Kumar to Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar to Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand to Pradip Kumar, Joy Mukherjee to Uttam Kumar. In 2013, she received the lifetime achievement award too for her immense contribution in Bollywood films. Her online chemistry with Tragedy King Dilip Kumar created history in bollywood. Most of their films including Devdas, Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigham, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Sunghursh ended up being blockbusters. Besides dancing, she was sublime in the role of a tawaif in Bimal Roy’s film Devdas, in the role of village girl in Bimal Roy’s Madhumati. Vaijayantimala used to do a lot of homework also in respect of her role. When she was awarded best supporting actress award in filmfare for her performance in the film Devdas, she did not receive the award. She said after reading the literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, she found that Chandramukhi, the character she played, was equally a heroine as Parvati. Probably Madhumati, released in 1958, marks the best performance of Vaijayantimala in her entire career. Her innocence reflected in her acting and she made the audience spellbound with the lips given in songs composed by Salil Choudhury including “aa ja re pardesi”, “ghari ghari mera dil dharke”, “daiya re daiya re”, etc. She received the filmfare award for the best actress for the brilliant performance in the film. On one hand she was brilliant opposite Dilip Kumar, on the other hand she created sensation with Raj Kapoor as well. Their film Nazrana did mediocre business. But Sangam, released in 1964, was probably one of the biggest hits of Raj Kapoor in his entire life. Vaijayantimala’s stylish performance opposite both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar created a benchmark which could hardly be reached. Sangam still remains one of the most landmark films based on triangular love story shot at exotic locations in London, Paris, and other European countries. Shankar Jaikishan was matchless in Sangam. The acting performance of Vaijayantimala was excellent and she received the filmfare award for the best actress once again. The last scene where Vaijayatimala questioned both Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar about deciding about her life, had become a trend-setter. She justified the fact that she had affair with Rajender Kumar, but from the time she married Raj Kapoor, she fulfilled all the responsibilities of a hindu wife. She had been followed by numerous actresses of the following period in similar roles. In the 60s, Vaijayantimala was matchless. Her name was enough to make any film hit. The list of her hit films include Nagin opposite Pradeep Kumar, Suraj opposite Rajender Kumar, Amrapali opposite Sunil Dutt, Prince opposite Shammi Kapoor, Choti Si Mulakat opposite Uttam Kumar, Jewel Thief opposite Dev Anand, Pyar Hi Pyar opposite Dharmender, to name a few. In fact her combination with Rajender Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan created sensation in the 60s. All their films ended up being silver jubilees including Aas Ka Panchi, Suraj, Sangam, Zindagi, etc. Her lips in landmark songs like “kaise samjhayun bai na samajh ho”, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe meri raazdaar”, “o mere sanam”, “titli uri” had become immortal over a period of time. Besides her standard of classical dancing in films like Katputli or Amrapali had created interest among viewers to appreciate aesthetic dance numbers which became an art in due period of time. Her films should be restored and preserved.

Happy birthday to successful actress Kajolji.

Happy birthday to Kajol. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Kajol on 5th August, 2024. She had dominated bollywood films during the mid-90s. Besides her combination with Shahrukh Khan had given many everlasting hits like Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Karan Arjun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, etc. Most of these films were musical blockbusters as well. The songs in these films like “yeh kaali kaali ankhen”, “jaati hun mai”, “kuch kuch hota hai” became landmark hits over the years. Besides, the directors and producers of the late 90s experimented with different types of roles with Kajol. She played the role of a villain in the film Gupt opposite Bobby Deol. She went on killing Raj Babbar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and others to maintain his attachment with Bobby Deol. She also received the filmfare award for the best villain for her performance in the film Gupt. Kajol did well in comedy films like Ishq opposite Ajay Devgan, whom she married later on. She played the role of the friend of Juhi Chawla and got involved into incidents with Ajay Devgan and Juhi Chawla. Kajol did well opposite Sanjay Dutt in the film Dushman. She played a double role in the film. Her performance relating to fear against Ashutosh Rana astonished the viewers. Her sister was killed by Ashutosh Rana, and Kajol took the help of Sanjay Dutt, an Army Officer to learn fighting skills and combat the villain played by Ashutosh Rana. After the fading away of Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla from the bollywood industry, Kajol got the maximum number of chances in big productions. After marriage with Ajay Devgan, she reduced the number of films. She made a comeback but could not maintain the success rate as she did in the past. She has the record of winning the filmfare award for best actress five times in her career. Her aunt Nutan also won filmfare awards five times in her career. In 2011, she received the Padmashree award for her excellence in bollywood films from the Government of India. In 2010, Kajol gave another super hit film My Name is Khan with her successful co-actor Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan’s abnormality in the film was ably balanced by Kajol in the film. She was compassionate towards him and that helped him to recover. The music in the film was also well appreciated by the viewers. She did another social film titled We Are Family with Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor in 2010. The viewers are looking forward to better performances from Kajol in future as many people feel that she still has lot of acting left in her.

Legendary singer Manobendra Mukherjee is still alive in his romantic classical songs.

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

Rafisahab had majestic combination with ghazal ka shehzada Madanmohansahab.

The country remembers the death anniversary of legendary composer Madanmohan Kohli on 14th July, 2024

. The legendary composer left us more than 38 years ago but left the country with innumerable treasure of ghazals. If any composer had utilised the ghazal andaz of Mohammad Rafi to the best of his potentiality it is Madanmohan whose name appears in the minds of the lovers of music across the nation. Madanmohan’s father Rai Bahadur chunnilal send his son to Dehradun to join the army. Instead he left the army and joined All India Radio in Lucknow. He came in contact with Ustad Faizz Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and carried on their legacy in the compositions he made for 30 years which can be classified as masterpieces. As Madanmohan was not associated with the Big Banners like RK or Navketan, he was not categorised with any star of bollywood during 50s, 60s, 70s. Further he never wanted to balance the popular test of music and excellent class of classical compositions he created. But the compositions were so rich in lyrics and tunes that the musical pandits had no way but to admire them. The golden age of bollywood music was categorised with the excellence of Mohammad Rafi and as such if any composer neglected Rafi and tried to reach the summit of popularity they have invited their own downfall. Madanmohan did not make such a mistake. He started his career with the film Ankhen in 1950. He also composed music for Raj Kapoor’s film Ashiana in 1952. His notable songs for Rafi in the film Railway Platform, 1956, include “basti basti parbat parbat”. In Gateway of India, 1957, Madanmohan used Mohammad Rafi for the song “do ghari woh jo pass aa baithe” picturised on Bharatbhushan. It was very successful and strengthened the everlasting bond of Rafi with Madanmohan. Rafi’s intoxicating appeal in the song “kabhi na khabhi kahin na kahin koi na koi toi ayega” in the film Sharabi, 1964, composed by Madanmohan can be classified one of the best songs in sombre mood. The most majestic ghazals of Rafi composed by Madanmohan include “kisiki yaad me apnako hai bhulaye huye” and “baad muddat ke yeh ghari ayi” from the film Jahan ara, 1964, picturised on Bharat Bhushan. Talat Mehmood’s song in the same film “phir wohi sham wohi gham wohi tanhai hai” was also based on ghazal andaz. The classic lyrics were written by Rajinder Kishan. The film titled Ghazal, in 1964, was based on ghazals and Rafi was outstanding by every standard in the song “rang aur noor ki baraat kise pesh karun.” In the same year Rafi’s patriotic flavour was bolstered in the song “kar chale hum fida jan-o-tan sathiyon” in the film Haqeeqat, where Rafi’s ghazal titled “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga” shared with Bhupinder Singh, Manna Dey and Talat Mehmood was sensational. The majestic lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi. In the film Neela Akash, 1965, picturised on Dharmender, Rafi’s song “akhri geet muhobbat ka sunayun to chalun” showed the tragic note of Madanmohan. In the film Need Hamari Khwab Tumkhari, all the songs were sung by Rafi including “husn ne jab isq se takraya tha”. Returning back to ghazals, Rafi’s song “aap ke pehlu me akar” in the film Mera Saya, 1966, was as outstanding as Lata’s title song “tu jahan jahan chalega mera saya saath hoga”. The lyrics were written by Raja Mehendi Ali Kahan. Raj Khosla’s crime thriller ended up becoming a musical blockbuster just like Woh Kaun Thi, in 1964, where Madanmohan’s composition “naina barse,” “lagja gale”, etc. for Lata Mangeshkar was probably the most immortal creation in the history of film music, with Sadhna giving life time performances in ghostly characters in both these films. The landmark ghazal “tumhari zulf ke saye me sham karlunga” in the film Naunihal, in 1967, is probably one of the five best ghazals Rafi did sing in his life. Experts in music realise that ages will pass, but no second singer can provide blood and flesh in the superlative ghazal of Madanmohan the way Rafi had done in this song. Kaifi Azmi has written sensational lyrics for the abovementioned song. People started thinking that Rafi and Madanmohan were made for each other. The belief was put to action in the next film Dulhan Ek raat ki, in 1967, picturised on Dharmender in the song “ek haseen sham ko dil mera kho gaya. In the film Chirag, 1969, “teri aakhon ke siwa duniya me rakkha kya hai” Madanmohan combined ghazal with light orchestration to try to inspire the common listeners in understanding these type of songs. In the film Heer Ranjha, 1971, picturised on Rajkumar, Rafi’s song “yeh duniya yeh mehfil” was well acclaimed by music lovers. Rafi was outstanding by every standard in the song “tum jo mil gaye ho” in the film Hanste Zakhm, 1973, where Madanmohan synchronised lightning with his own orchestration. Madanmohan also gave a tremendous break to Bhupinder Singh in the song “dil dhoonta hai, phir wohi, fursat ke raat din” written by Gulzar in Sanjeev Kumar’s Mausam in 1975. Rafi had the song “chari re chari kaise gale me pari.” Madanmohan’s last performance with Jaidev brought out Rafi’s Himalayan range in the film Laila Majnu in 1977. Rafi’s songs “tere dar pe aya hoon,” “barbad muhobat ka duya saath liye ja”, picturised on Rishi Kapoor showed his master spirit of adapting to tunes of middle east which was the geographical location where the story was based. Madanmohan died in 1975, without even seeing the success of Laila Majnu, it appeared like out of seven sur in every octave one sur had gone, because, the majestic combination of Madanmohan with Rafi cannot be forgotten through ages. Rafi’s archive should restore Madanmohan’s combination to let the next generation know about the high esteem with which Madanmohan addressed Mohammad Rafi during the golden age of film music.

BlogThis!