Lara Dutta – the promising actress of bollywood.

Lara Dutta – the promising actress of bollywood.

Lara Dutta is one of the most promising actresses of bollywood who had acted in a number of successful films for the last 10 years. She had attracted the attention of viewers by excelling in beauty context and broke the myth that those who have good looks are weak artists.

She started her career in the film Andaz along with Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra and impressed the audience with her effortless performance. She had acted well in the film No Entry, which was a seriocomic film based on extramarital affairs. She played the role of the wife of Anil Kapoor in the film, who was suspicious towards any woman who interacted with Anil Kapoor. Anil Kapoor was loyal towards his wife until Salman Khan advised him not to show unnecessary loyalty and he had been successful to maintain both a wife and a kept. Bipasa Basu was given the challenge of breaking Anil Kapoor’s loyalty for a huge sum of money and she had suceeded in doing so. The film was shot at colourful locations and the songs like “no entry”, the performance of other actors in addition to Lara Dutta contributed for its success.


Lara Dutta had done well in the film Partner with Salman Khan along with Govinda and Katrina Kaif. She had provided stylish performance in addition to the comedy impulse shown in the film, which was not easy keeping in mind the funny performance of Govinda and Salman Khan.

She had done well in the film Kaal, which was a suspense thriller, and she had brought out the feelings as required in the film. She had acted in the film Zinda, which was an action thriller with Sanjay Dutt providing a memorable performance and her choreography in the song “zinda hon mai” was well appreciated.


Although the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom did not create a significant impact in the minds of the viewers inspite of the presence of Bobby Deol, Big B, Preety Zinta and Abhishek Bacchan, Lara Duta received credit for her performance in the film. These days she appears in music competitions held in television channels as judge along with Javed Akhtar and AR Rehman and encourages upcoming singers with optimistic statements. With a number of her films to be released in 2008, the viewers wish her good luck and expect better performance in future.

Preeti Zinta – the stylist actress of bollywood.

Preeti Zinta – the stylist actress of bollywood.

Preeti Zinta is one of the most stylist actresses of the contemporary period. Whenever producers look for characters born and brought up in foreign countries, Preeti Zinta, comes in their mind automatically. She had dominated bollywood films for the last 10 years by performing in challenging roles.

She started her career by acting in the film Soldier, opposite Bobby Deol, depicting a girl who was born and brought up in Australia. She showed her choreographic skills in the songs “soldier, soldier”, “mere sason me jo aye”, etc. She acted in a challenging role in the film Kya Kehna, where she entered into an affair with Saif Ali Khan and gave birth to a child even before marriage was solemnized. Her husband never accepted the child and advised her to go for abortion, and her parents did not support her too. But she gave birth to the child against all the barriers created by society. Her performance was well appreciated by the audience.


In Veer-Zara, she acted in a cross-border love story opposite Sharukh Khan, ho saved her life when she came to India to fulfil her grandmother’s wishes. She being a Pakistani girl, entered the Indian village, appreciated the life of simple villagers and went back to Pakistan with the help of Shahrukh Khan. But due to wrong charge against him, he had to stay in prison for anti-national activities, and Preeti stayed in India to fulfil the dreams of her father-in-law who wanted to open a primary school of children in that village. She met Shahrukh Khan after he was released by Rani Mukherjee after proving before the court of law that the charge framed against him was false. There was good music in the film too.

She had done well in Koi mil Gaya, opposite Hrithik Roshan, which was based on fantasy. She was sympathetic towards a handicapped person who later got strength from extra-terrestrial beings. Although there can be debate relating to acceptance of the subject matter, there is no doubt that there was total entertainment in the film and the Director Rakesh Roshan should be given credit for that.


In Salaam namaste, she acted as a radio jockey, opposite Saif ali Khan, and brought out the advantages and disadvantages of theory of live-together. She never married her boyfriend, but shared the responsibilities as wife and husband. The entire film was shot in Australia.

She had performed well in Dil Chahta Hai, opposite Amir Khan, where she convinced him that people never learn how to love each other, it comes from within, which was evident in the song “jane kyu”. It is difficult to highlight all her performances in a small article. But with films like Hero, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, she had proved her metal as an actress and can be an inspiration for new actresses.

Article By: Supriya Chatterji.

Pradeep Kumar – the legendary actor of 60s.

Pradeep Kumar – the legendary actor of 60s.

Pradeep Kumar is one of the legendary actors, who had glorified bollywood and tollywood films during the 40s, 50s and 60s. He impressed the Bengali audience in films like Biyallish, Dasshumohan, Grihadaha, etc, some having patriotic feeling embedded them, the others based on classical Bengali literature.

When he went to Bombay, producers and directors could not ignore his majestic personality and did cast him in historical characters which required elegance. He made a significant impact on the audience in the film Anandmath, along with Prithviraj Kapoor and Bharat Bhushan. In Anarkali, he displayed the royal style of acting during the mughal period opposite Beena Rai, who played the role of anarkali. His other film Nagin, opposite Vaijayantimala was also successful.

In the 60s, he acted in musical blockbusters, one after the other, starting with Aarti, opposite Meena Kumari. The songs composed by Roshan and sung by Rafi and Lata were masterpieces, including “aapne yaad dilaya to mujhe yaad aya”, “ab kya missal doon mai tumhare shabab ki”, “baharon ki manzil rahi”, to name a few.


He had a screen presence which resembled Shahjahan, and the get up was exploited in the film Taj Mahal, 1963, where his performance was excellent. He displayed the royal form of lifestyle existing during the historical age and his lips in the songs of Rafi, composed by Roshan was marvellous, including songs like “paon chulene do phulon ko inayat hogi”, “jo wada kiya ho nibhana parega”, etc. The love of the monarch towards poetry, ghazals, architecture and beauty was well exhibited by Pradeep Kumar, and critics say that there was no second actor who could depict the character in the same manner as Pradeep Kumar.

Apart from historical films, Pradeep Kumar also showed his excellence in social films like Bheegi Raat and Bahu Begum opposite Meena Kumari and Ashok Kumar. The films involved triangular affairs, where one person had to sacrifice his affection for the other friend, which was done both these films by Ashok Kumar. But Pradeep Kumar played the role of decent individual in these films, who felt the emotions of Meena Kumari and ultimately was admired by the audience. The songs in these films like “dil jo na keh saka”, “jane who kaun hai, kya naam hai in ankhoka”, “hum intezer karenge tera qayamat tak”, “duniya kare sawal”, were some of the songs composed by Roshan in these films, which were the best creations ever in the history of bollywood music.

His films Chitralekha, opposite Meena Kumari, Rajhath opposite Madhubala, Adalat, opposite Nargis, Meri Surat Teri Anken, opposite Asha Parekh, also showed his depth of acting. Notable songs in these films include “man re to kahe na dheer dhare”, “saze dil cher de”, etc. He was probably one of the most majestic actors ever to grace bollywood, and even being a Bengali, he did not find it difficult to pronounce urdu dialogues whenever required in the historical classics. It is difficult to mention his performance in the films he has acted because his presence was felt for more than 30 years and he acted with all the leading actresses of that age. The Television channels should held Retrospectives on the legend to educate the new generation about royal style of acting.

Article By: CR Chatterji.

Vidya Balan – the new prospect of bollywood.

Vidya Balan – the new prospect of bollywood.

Vidya Balan is the one of the innovative stars of the recent times who have potential for good performances in future. She had impressed the film lovers with her soft performance in the film Parineeta. Parineeta is the story written by Sarat Chandra Chatterji, which was based on the life of Kolkata during the British rule. Although it was a family drama, the events depicted the society of the contemporary period.

Pradeep Sarkar had shown courage to take up such an old subject and the film became successful due to strong performance of Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. Vidya Balan had shown the submissive soft character of the middle-class bengalies existing at that period of time. The music of the film was successful with songs like “piyu bole, piya bole,” the Moulin Rouge song, etc.


Vidya Balan impressed the viewers with her performance in Lage Raho munnabhai as well. The film shows how Sanjay Dutt, who was known for criminal activities with his group of men who helped rich businessmen for doing unlawful work, was motivated by Gandhigiri, and the character of Vidya Balan had significant impact on his transformation. She helped the old persons in the society who were neglected by their children to live together in an old age home and kept them in good spirit with love, fun and light activities.

She conducted radio program and her way of addressing the audience by saying good morning Mumbai had become a trend setter for radio-jockeys across the country. The romantic song in the film “pal pal” sung by Sonu Nigam and others had created a long-lasting impact. She had also done well in the film Eklavya, along with Big B, Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali khan.


Last year she had acted in a role of ghost in the film Bhool Bhoolaiya, opposite Akshay Kumar, where it was shown that the soul of singer had entered her body and she was killing other persons whenever that soul compelled her to commit such an act. Akshay Kumar had cured her at the end of the film after studying the inner mind of the character. Although these stories are not believed by majority of the audience but the suspense in the film was kept intact by the director throughout the film.

Vidya Balan had shown her capability to act in different roles in her short career till date, and the audience expects powerful performance from her in the coming days.

Article By: Supriya Chatterji.

Bobby Deol: The dashing hero of 90s

Bobby Deol: The dashing hero of 90s.

Bobby Deol brought a new style of acting in the 90s with his brilliant performance in action films. His first film Barsaat, opposite Twinkle Khanna showed his capability in terms of dialogue delivery and romantic performance.

He amazed the film lovers with his European style of acting in Gupt, which was a suspense thriller. His father Raj Babbar, was killed by someone and he was found at the scene of occurrence with the murder weapon and was arrested imprisoned. He escaped from the prison and inquired in the relevant places including the souses of the ememies of his father to unearth the truth. In the meantime he fell in love with Kajol and Manisha Koirala and provided good lips in the songs composed by Viju Shah including “bechaiya”, “gupt”, etc. He had adopted decent dancing skills and that added to the success of the film. Besides Om Puri’s performance as the investigating officer and Kajol’s performance as a villain astonished the viewers.


Bobby continued his European stunts in the film Soldier, opposite Preeti Zinta, which was shot mainly in Australia. He took revenge against all the offenders who had killed his father and humiliated both his father parents with false charges. The music composed by Anu Malik was excellent with songs like “soldier, soldier”, “saajan”, “mehfil me barbar”, etc. all becoming big hits. Bobby was successful in exhibiting his comedy skills, action skills and powerful personality in the film. Preeti Zinta also created her westernized image in the film for the first time.

Bobby Deol had the challenge of matching the level of excellence reached by his father Dharmender and brother Sunny Deol. He was successful to create a unique identity for himself which was totally different from them. His action films like Bicchu and Badal, opposite Rani Mukherjee where he acted as terrorist showed his depth of acting and his anti-establishment image.


He was also successful in films like Ajnabee where he faced false allegations for alleged conspiracy of Akshay kumar and Bipasa Basu and unearthed the truth relating to such conspiracy. He matched the set performance of Kareena Kapoor in the film and the songs and the action sequenced well appreciated in the film.

Bobby had acted in a number of films by this period of time including Aur pyar ho gaya, Chor machaye shor, Jhoom barabar jhoom, etc. he film lovers expect even better performances from him in 2008 and the coming years.

Article by: CR Chatterji.

Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Hema Malini is one of the few legendary dancers of bollywood who has created an institution of their own by providing memorable performances in the 70s and 80s. She had acted in films directed by different types of directors including Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar, etc.

Her performance opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Sapno Ka Saudagar, in the early part of her career was well appreciated by the audience. In that film Raj Kapoor used to create illusions in the minds of people and say that the dreams will come true. She supported this simple man with an amazing vision. In the early 70s she got a double role in Seeta aur Geeta, where one of the sisters was ill-treated by her relatives and exploited to get the regular income derived from the ancestral property kept by her parents and the other sister took revenge against the oppression. The film was directed with a serio-comic dimension with Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmender doing justice to their respective roles. She had also done well in Johny Mera Naam, opposite Dev Anand, and Gora Aur Kala, opposite Rajender Kumar.


In 1975, Hema Malini acted in the most successful film of her career titled Sholay. Most of the characters of the film had become immortal and the names of the characters are memorised by the viewers for generations, including her character Basanti. She also displayed her powerful dancing skills in the songs “jab tak hai jaan”, “holi ke din” etc. Her comedy performance in the film also requires special mention.

Gulzar had given her a different identity in the films Khusbu and Kinara, opposite Jeetender. In Kinara, 1977, her husband Dharmender was killed in a road accident aftrer his car struck Jeetender’s car. She was completing the research paper that was left incomplete by Dharmender and in that context told her story to Jeetender not knowing him to be the person who was responsible for her husband’s death. The story has a number of turning points including the point where Hema Malini came to know about the reality and fell down and lost her eyes. In the story she displayed the character of a classical dancer and the songs composed by RD Burman and sung by Bhupinder Singh and Lata and the dance performances were excellent, including songs like “koi nahi hai mera”, “ek hi khwab kaibaar”, “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc. She formed a legendary romantic pair with her husband Dharmender and both of them provided everlasting hits like Jugnu, Burning Train, Raja Jani, Dream Girl, to mention a few.


She had created a trend which was followed by other South Indian actresses like Jaya Prada, Sri Devi, and others followed. Actresses of the new generation should learn from her performances and get inspiration for better performances in future.

Article By: Supriya Chatterji.

Saira Banu – the sweet actress of 60s.

Saira Banu – the sweet actress of 60s.

Saira Banu is considered as one of the sweet actresses who had glorified bollywood films during the 60s. She had acted in successful films opposite Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet and other leading actors of that age. She started her career with the film Junglee, 1961, opposite Shammi Kapoor where she succeeded in tramsforming the character of Shammi Kapoor, who was arrogant, unmannerly and indecent. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Rafi and Lata were evergreen hits like “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “Kashmir ki kasli hu mai”, etc.

Most of the films of Saira Banu were shot at picturesque locations in India and abroad, and the colour, the music, the camera work all contributed to the success of the films. She acted with Biswajeet in the film April Fool, and Joy Mukherjee in the film Shagird. In Shagird, she was a village girl who was brought up in the hilly regions and I.S. Johar, the teacher fell in love with her, Joy Mukherjee the student of IS ohar, explained to his guru about how to be presentable, and in the process involved in an affair with Saira Banu. The songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi and Lata including “who hair zara khafa khafa”, “bare miya diwane aise na bano”, “hilmil pyar war”, etc, were big hits.


Saira Banu acted in series of films with Rajender Kumar including Ai Milan Ki Bela, Jhuk Gaya Aasman, Aman, etc. All the songs in these films were composed by Shankar Jaikishan and were romantic, sweet and had become immortal with passage of time, including “tum khamseen ho”” aha ai Milan ki bela dekho ai”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, “o priya, kaun hai jo sapno me aya”, “surahidaar gardan”, “aaj ki raat”, “kahan chal diye”, etc. Rafi and Lata were at their best and the viewers were impressed with the music, the costumes, the glamour of Saira Banu, the screen presence of Rajender Kumar, the composition of Shankar Jaikishan, and the lyrics of Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra.

Saira Banu had acted with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar during that age and all those films ended up being musical blockbusters. Raj Kapoor’s Diwana, in 1967, is known for good performance of Saira Banu and songs like “ei sanam jisne tujhe chaand sa surat di hai”, “diwanma mujhko log kahe”, “ tumhare bhi jai jai”, “taro se pyare”, etc. Her films opposite Dilip Kumar include Gopi, Bairaag, Sagina, where the rural image presented by Dilip Kumar was balanced by the smart image exhibited by Saira Banu.


She had also provided brave performance in Manoj Kumar’s Purab aur Paschim, and Sunil Dutt’s Parosan. In Parosan, she feel in love with Sunil Dutt, a next door neighbour, for his outstanding singing skills, but later came to know that all the songs were sung by Kishore Kumar and he had just given lips in the songs. The comedy performance of Mehmood and Kishore Kumar require special mention.

In the mid –70s, she acted in films opposite Amitabh Bacchan in Zameer and other films and faded out of the film arena in the 80s. But whenever the sweet memories of the 60s are recollected, Saira Banu appears in the minds of viewers for her smart, sweet, romantic performances. Hr films should be preserved for their cinematic values.

Dharmender – the dynamic star of bollywood.

Dharmender – the dynamic star of bollywood.

Dharmender is one of the dynamic stars of bollywood who maintained a steady box office for over 40 years. Viewers of different age-groups have enjoyed his performance in the 60s, 70s and 80s. He is better known for action films, but he had acted in different types of films in his illustrious career.

Initially he had played roles of anti-hero in films like Ai Milan Ki Bela, along with Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu, and other roles in Kajal along with Raj Kumar, but showed his individual capability in OP Ralhan’s Phool Aur Patthar, opposite Meena Kumari. In those days viewers appreciated romantic films more than action films. Dharmender had acted in a number of those films which are known for outstanding music.


For example his film Mere Humdum Mere Dost, opposite Sharmila Tagore, LP’s music and Rafi’s songs “na ja kabhi ab na ja”, “hui shaam unka” were super duper hits. Similarly his Pyar hi pyar, opposite Vaijayantimala, had hit songs like “dekha hai teri ankhon me”, “mai kahin kavi na banjayu” composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Rafi had been successful. At the same time he acted in films directed by Hrishijkesh Mukherjee like Satyakam, Giddi, Chupke chupke, where the characters were given adequate expression.

In Satyakam, he passed out as an engineer, and discovered the corruption in society. He was well supported by Sanjeev Kumar. In Guddi, he convinced a little girl played by Jaya Bacchan, who was his admirer, that whatever is shown in films are larger than life image, which has hardly any similarity with the reality. The film also showed the contribution of technical persons in the studios like cameraman, makeupman, costume-designer, dialogue-writer, etc., who are less known to the public, and the actors can accomplish their tasks due to their efforts. Chupke Chupke is a comedy film which shows the wit related to impersonation of a botanist to play the character of a driver of a lawyer.


At the same time Dharmender had acted in action films like Jugnu, Charas, Sholay, where his angry young man image had been accepted by the audience. He had raised his voice against the corrupt practices existing in the society, and he had been kind towards the gentle persons and harsh towards the criminals. In Sholay, his performance opposite Big B had entertained the crowd with the comedy scenes which were required to balance the tragic and action sequences. His performance opposite Hema Malini in films like Kinara, Jugnu, Seeta aur Geeta, is worth mentioning. He was an indispensable star, and bollywood depended on his sheer brilliance for more than 30 years. Modern actors have a lot to learn from the legendary hero.

Article By: Supriya Chatterji.

Rani Mukherjee – the versatile actress of bollywood.

Rani Mukherjee – the versatile actress of bollywood.

Rani Mukherjee is one of the most gifted actresses of the recent times. She had shown her capability of performing in any type of roles in the last few years. She had performed in every type of films including romantic films, action films and comedy films.

She impressed the audience with her performance in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, opposite Shahrukh Khan and Kajol. It was a romantic film and she had expression the different emotions very well. The notable songs in the film include “koi mil gaya”, “kuch kuch hota hai”, etc.

She had provided decent performance in the action films Badal and Bicchu, opposite Bobby Deol. In Bicchu, her parents were killed by the terrorists and she had to live with a terrorist who took revenge against the respective officers who were given the duty of maintaining law and order, but who were involved in crimes themselves. In Badal also she got into an affair with Boibby Deol not knowing him to be a terrorist. But in these films she came to know that the environment and real life situations compelled innocent persons to take up ammunition and engage in violence.


She had provided life-time performance in Black, where she was blind and she learnt how to use sign language to express herself from Big B, and what other skills are required by blind people. It was a very difficult role and her performance had impressed the jury and she received a number of awards for the classic performance.

She also impressed the crowd with her performance in Bunty aur Babli opposite Abhishek Bacchan. The film had a different storyline with two genuine characters cheating people everywhere not out of compulsion but out of fear and ultimately gets caught by a police officer who could think in their way. She showed her timing sense in the comedy part of the film. Her lips in the song “chote chote shaharo me” is worth mentioning along with good performance of Aishariya Rai in the song “mera chain wain sab ujra”. She also provided decent performance in her role in Yuva opposite Abhishek Bacchan.


She has a steady box office and her dynamic performances had compelled leading producers and directors in bollywood to cast her in important roles in films like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Laga Chumari Me Daag, etc.

She had also shown her depth of acting in the film Veer Zara, where acting as a lawyer she pleaded for an Indian who was wrongly charged for anti-national activities and who was suffering in prison in Pakistan. She convinced the judge about the innocence of the person played by Shahrukh Khan , who accept the false accusation for her love with an Indian played by Priety Zinta. Her acting potentiality is well known by this period of time, and the audience expects even better performances from her in the years to come.

Article By: Rumi Chatterji.