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.

Sunny Deol – the action star of the 80s and 90s.

Sunny Deol – the action star of the 80s and 90s.

Sunny Deol is one of the successful action stars of the 80s and 90s. Although he started his career by acting in the romantic film Betaab, in 1983, launched by his father Dharmender, in the late years he established himself as an actor who raised voice against the corrupt practices in the society.

He had provided spirited performance in the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi, like Ghayal, Ghatak, Damini, etc. In Ghayal, he acted as the brother of Raj Babbar who was killed by a rich businessman played by Amrish Puri, and he took revenge in the entire film after facing the obstacles that were placed before him. Firstly the police did not cooperate with him, as they were loyal towards the businessman. He received a false charge which was planted against him. Then he had spend his time in prison. He escaped from the prison with three other prisoners who helped him in taking revenge against the offenders in the film.


The Commissioner of Police, ensured security to Amrish Puri by asking Om Puri to accompany him at every place where he went during that time, after Sunny had left from the prison and threatened him by saying that he was going to kill him. The film had very strong supporting performance from Om Puri and Amrish Puri, who provided natural performance in their respective roles. The film became a big hit, and got public sympathy.

In Damini, Sunny acted well as a lawyer opposite Meenakshi and helped her out to win the case against the odds shown in the film. The witnesses were purchased, killed and prevented from delivering evidence and the case relating to alleged offense against women took a turn after Sunny could submit before the court that the main witness of the incident played by Meenakshi was prevented from coming and disposing before the court. There was strong performance of Rishi Kapoor also in the film.

In Ghatak, also Sunny was sublime in his portrayal of a rebel character who had the guts to raise voice against Danny and his brothers who had created a threat in the business centre in the respective jurisdiction and the shopkeepers working in that placed got used to accepting their demands. Sunny showed that if the individuals were brave and could face the oppression in an united way, then it can end any type of tyranny existing in any part of the world. He also acted in comedy films like Chaalbaaz.

He also acted in other successful films like Darr, opposite Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla, Hero, etc. over the last 20 years, he had created a rebel image which impressed the leading producers and directors of the industry to portray him in challenging roles and he has fulfilled their expectations. The audience expect even better performances from him in years to come.

Article By: CR Chatterji.

Madhuri Dixit – the powerful dancer of the 90s

Madhuri Dixit – the powerful dancer of the 90s.

Madhuri Dixit can be considered as one of the powerful dancers of the 90s. She had blended her acting skills with her dancing skills and became the leading actress of the 90s.

Her film Tezaab opposite Anil Kapoor, made her a star with her dance performance in the song “ek do teen” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal. She also performed well in the film Dil opposite Amir Khan. She got a timid role in the film Jamai Raja where Anil Kapoor, her husband, taught her mother, played by Hema Malini, a lesson. Her mother was a proud lady who had a lot of wealth and due to her financial strength, she had the conception that anyone can be purchased. She also asked husband to leave her house due to differences related to her ego. Anil Kapoor taught her to be submissive and proved to her that money cannot be used to purchase happiness, peace, etc.


In Saajan, she balanced the soft performance of Sanjay Dutt and aggressive performance of Salman Khan with her romantic image. She also brought out the feelings of the woman who loves someone as a poet and later on realises that the person is someone else. She had also acted in hit films opposite Anil Kapoor including Ram Lakhan, Kishen Kanhaiya, Khel, Beta, etc.

At point of time she almost became the role model of dancers in India and the new generation used to imitate her styles in different films. In Subhash Ghai’s Khalnayak, she persuaded a criminal played by Sanjay Dutt to acknowledge her guilt and helped Jackie Shroff to answer all the allegations relating to lack of care shown to prevent Sanjay Dutt from escaping from his prison. She had also acted in crime thrillers like 100 days, where the audience could not understand who was the actual killer till the truth was unfolded.


She had done well opposite Rishi Kapoor in films like Sahebaan, Yarana, etc., where the songs like “kaise jiyunga mai” composed by Shiv Hari became a very big hit. She also acted in character roles along with Shabana Azmi in films like Mrityudand. Her performance opposite Sharukh Khan in the film Dil To Pagal Hai, was well appreciated with her choreographic skills exhibited in songs like “kab tak chup baithe”, “dil to pagal hai”, etc., composed by Uttam Singh. She also acted in Koyla opposite Shahrukh Khan. She won a number of film fare awards for best performance as actress in the respective years. She stopped acting after successful films like Pukar or Lajja, but made a comeback very recently with her film Aja Nacchle. The film lovers expect even better performance in years to come.

Article By: Rumi Chatterji.

Salman Khan – the dynamic hero of bollywood

Salman Khan – the dynamic hero of bollywood.

Salman Khan can be considered as one of the most dynamic hero of bollywood who had made major contribution in the last 20 years. He started his career with the film Maine Pyar Kiya in late 80s opposite Bhagyashri and made significant impact on the film lovers. People were looking for new actors at that time and Salman Khan fulfilled their wishes in that film.

In 1991, he made a major contribution in the film Saajan, along with Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit. The film was based on triangular love story, where Sanjay Dutt was a handicapped poet who had written impressive poetry on Madhuri Dixit. He asked Salman Khan to show himself as the poet so that Madhuri Dixit can get impressed and get a better life partner than a handicapped person. Ultimately the truth was unfolded. The film became successful due to melodious songs being composed by Nadeem Shravan. The prominent songs include “mera dil bhi kitna pagal hai”, “dekha hai pehli baar”, “jiy to jiye kaise”, etc.


Salman Kahn had acted in other successful films at that time including Hum Saath Saath Hai, Khamoshi, etc. In Khamoshi, he played the role of a compassionate person who felt for a girl played by Manisha Koirala, who was the only person in the family of deaf and dumb who could speak. The songs in the film including “aaj mai upar, aasma niche” were successful.

In Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he played the role of a singer who had come to India from abroad, to learn Indian classical music, and got involved in an affair with the daughter of the music teacher played by Aisharya Rai. The Indian traditional culture depicted in the film with colourful locations in Rajasthan, had contributed for the success of the film. The songs in the film including “aankho ki gustakhiyan”, “dhol baje”, etc., were very successful.

His other successful films include Auzaar, Bibi No. 1, No Entry, etc. He also acted well in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, where he played the role of a playboy whose wife died leaving a son, and the son came in the way of marriage of himself with Twinkle Khanna. The son was played by Udit Narayan’s son, and his performance was well appreciated by film lovers.


It is very difficult to cover the best films of Salman Khan in a small article, as he had made landmark performance for the last 20 years, but there is no doubt that if films like Salaam- e-isqe, or Partner, are seen, everyon will conclude that he is a crowd puller and that is one of the reasons why his wax statue is made in Madam Tussade’s museum in London after Big B, Aiswariya Rai and Shahrukh Khan.

Article By: Rumi Chatterji.

Anil Kapoor

Anil Kapoor – the versatile actor of the 80s and 90s.

Anil Kapoor can be considered as one of the most versatile actors who had glorified bollywood films during the 80s and 90s. His initial films like Woh Saat Din caught the attention of film lovers. He also got scope of acting with big stars like Dilip Kumar in films like Mashal in 1984. His transformation by Dilip Kumar from a law breaker to a reformed journalist had made a lasting impression in the mind of filmlovers. He used the tapori language that is spoken by street peddlers in Mumbai in the first part of the film. He ultimately became a journalist and used hi pen to unearth the evils of society. His performance in the multistarrer Subhash Ghai titled Karma is also worth mentioning. Dilip Kumar used the prisoners who were facing life mprisonment and death sentence and all the prisoners Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Naseeruddin Shah helpedDilip Kumar to destroy the terrorist establishments in India.

In the early part of his career hisperformance in the film Meri Jung is worth mentioning. He acted as a lawyer and conducted a trial in the ideal way a trial is conducted in courts f law. In 1986, his film Mr. India based on fantasy made him a superstar. He got the formula by which a person can be invisible and used the formula to take revenge from Amrish Puri who acted as an underworld don who used his troops for unlawful activities. Amil Kapoor’s sense of humour amused the viewers and many viewers started comparing him with Raj Kapoor with his comedy skills.

Gradually Anil Kapoor started performing in all types of films, in films where he depicted an innocent person like Iswar, films where he showed his anger against the society which was dominated by corrupt individuals like Tezaab, and other films like Ram Lakhan. Most of his films had Madhuri Dixit as the actress opposite him and her choreographic skills added flavour in the blockbusters. He also acted in pure comedy films like Jamai Raja, where he smashed the ego and dominance of her mother-in-law played by Hema Malini. The reply were given through comedy and there was action at the end of the film.



In later years Anil Kapoor acted in significant films like Pukar, Lajja, etc. He received the national award for the best actor for performing in the film Pukar, where he playedrole of a patriot. He joined the army but was thrown away from there for false charges that were put against him by Madhuri Dixit. Ultimately he proved himself innocent and prevented a big destructive attempt made by the terrorists.

Anil Kapoor showed his immense personality in films where the character required them. He poured all his composure in the film Nayak, where he became the Chief Minister of the State of Maharashtra only for 1 days, but showed the standing CM played by Amrish Puri that if there is a will a lot of reformation can be done even in one day. He dismissed all those officers and government servants who were not working and brought in work culture. Amidst his action films he also acted in romantic films like 1942-a lovestory. His lips in the songs like “ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga” and “kuch na kaho, kuch bhi nakaho” composed by RD Burman became superduper hits. He depicted the romance with Manish Koirala at the backdrop of India’s freedommovement.


Even during the days of new actors dominating bollywood, Anil Kapoor comedy impulse in seen in films like No Entry. In a span of 25 years, he has acted in around 100 films and showed his skills in different spheres. His films should be restored to show the new generation that for being a successful actor, comedy, tragedy and personality has to be displayed.



Anil Kapoor Photogallery

Vaijayantimala - the dancing legend of bollywood

Vaijayantimala-the legendary dancer of bollywood.

Vaijayantimala can be considered as one of the greatest dancers of bollywood films who had glorified the films she has acted with her serene performance and notable creative art of choreography. Among all the South Indian actresses, she was probably the path-breakers who blended her acting capabilities with the mudras of Bharatnatyam and other forms of eastern classical dances and inspired the bollywood directors to make films based on those subjects.

She kept her mark in the film Nagin in 1955, opposite Pradeep Kumar, where her performance in the song “man dole” sung by Lata is worth mentioning. She played the role of Chandramukhi in Bimal Roy’s epic film Devdas opposite Dilip Kumar, in 1955. She tried to reform Devdas by preventing him from taking recourse to alcohol for forgetting Parbati whom he loved and was married to another person. The same role was played by another established dancer Madhuri Dixit when Sanjay Leela Banshali remade Devdas in recent years. Vaijayantimala received the film fare award for the best supporting actress in Devdas, and she refused it saying that her role was even more important than that of Parbati. In fact Parbati had led to the death of Devdas, on the other hand, Chandramukhi tried to give him a new life, although she could not succeed in her pursuit.

In Bimal Roy’s Madhumati, in 1958, Vaijayantimala exhibited her class of dancing opposite Dilip Kumar and showed her innocence in a role related to women of hilly region of India. Her performance in songs like “aaja re pardesi”, “dil tarap tarap ke keh raha hai a bhi ja”, composed by Salil Chowdhury had impressed the film lovers, and they lamented her death shown in the film. She also displayed her choreographic skills in the film Katputli, where songs like “bol re katputli” composed by Shankar Jaikishan became big hits.

In the early 60s she displayed the role of village girl in the film Ganga Jumna. She adapted herself to the bhojpuri accent used in the film. If the other films had marked her dancing capabilities Sangam marked her acting potentiality. She had an affair with Rajender Kumar, yet Raj Kapoor married her not knowing her liking, and at the frag end of the film, when Raj Kapoor wanted to sacrifice his love, she questioned his authority to take decision about her, because from the time she married him she fulfilled all the responsibilities of a hindu wife. Rajender Kumar sacrificed his life by killing himself. Vaijayantimala received the film fare award for the best actress for performing in the film Sangam.

At the same time she had acted in female oriented roles like Amrapali, where she depicted the role of a devdasi who performed her art in Indian temples.

Her films opposite Rajender Kumar including Zindagi, Aas ka Panchi, Ganwar, Suraj, Saathi, etc., were very successful. She played a very significant part in Vijay Anand’s crime thriller Jewel Thief in 1967. Her brother was kidnapped by the Jewel Thief played by Ashok Kumar and throughout the film she cultivated an image of a character Amar who never existed. Her lips in the song “rulake gaya sapna mera” is worth mentioning.

She also performed well in the film Choti Si Mulakat opposite Uttam Kumar which was based on child marriage. They were married together when they were infants but some of the family members did not accept the marriage. Later when they met each other not knowingly to be spouses, they entered into affair and the child marriage stood in their way. Them their identity was disclosed. Vaijayantimala almost acted with all the leading actors of the golden age of Indian cinema. He married Dr. Bali and left films in early 70s. Her success had paved way for other notable South Indian actresses like Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, etc., who made significant contribution to Indian films. Her films should be restored for cinematic, musical and choreographic landmarks they were created during that age.

Bhupinder Singh - the passionate singer of bollywood

Bhupinder Singh: The passionate singer of bollywood:

Ghazal singers in India and other parts of the world have very limited number of audience, as the lyrics are very meaningful and require knowledge to appreciate them and the tunes also bear slow and soft image. In Indian films ghazals were used in the 50s, 60s by the thoughtful composers of that period including Madanmohan, Jaidev, Naushad, Khayyam, Shankar Jaikihsan, Roshan, etc. and sung in most cases by Mohammad Rafi and Talat Mehmood.

Bhupinder Singh, started his career as playback singer in the film Haqeeqat, in 1964, composed by Madanmohan, where he also acted as one of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in India’s war against China. The song “hoke majboor mujhe usne bulaya hoga” was sung by Bhupinder Singh along with Rafi, Talat Mehmood and Manna Dey. Bhupinder Singh had played important instruments like different types of guitars, etc., for composers like RD Burman.

As his deep voice having intoxicating appeal suited the criteria for singing ghazals, he made major contribution in refined commercial films where tunes were not composed for commercial requirement but to impress the music lovers. If any director had done justice to the young ghazal singer it was Gulzar and Bhupinder Singh got recognition in singing important songs for his films in general.

His song “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din”, in the film Mausam , 1975, is one of the most soft ghazals Madanmohan had composed in his career. Sanjeev Kumar recollected his past while his car crossed the roads towards Darjeeling and the song was played in the background. His songs in Parichay, 1972, picturised on Sanjeev Kumar, including “mitwa” and “bite na bitay raina” exhibits his strong command over classical songs.

His two songs in Gharonda, 1977, including “ek akela is shahar me” and “do diwane shahar me” picturised on Amol Palekar, had the flavour of urbanised folk song and he was successful to blend his voice with the remote style of composition of Jaidev. There was excellent use of the violin in the song “ek akela is shahar me”. The philosophical words of Gulzar like “in umrase lambi sarko ko manzil pe pahuchte dekkha nahi, is anjabeesi shahar me jana pehchana dhoonta hai” was given right expression by Bhupinder Singh and carried the essence of the phrase the sweetest songs are those which carry the saddest thoughts. Bhupinder also brought out the pensive mood of Jaidev’s creation in the songs “zindagi, zindagi, o mere ghar ana zindagi” and “zindagi me jab tumhare gham nahi the” in Uttamkumar’s Dooriyan in 1980. He also sang a notable ghazal titled “karoge yaad to” composed by Khayyam in the film Bazaar.

Bhupinder Singh also sang notable classical songs in the film Kinara, 1977, composed by RD Burman and picturised on Jeetender and Dharmender, including “naam gum jayega”, “ek hi khwab kaibaar dekha maine”, “meethe bol bole”. The other ghazal which was successful in the early 80s included “huzur is kadar bhi na itrake chaliye” picturised on Naseeruddin Shah in the film Masoom, where Suresh Watkar accompanied Bhupinder Singh. Excepting few ghazals sung by Jagjit Singh including “tumko dekha to yeh khayal aya” picturised on Farooq Sheikh and ‘tum itna jo muskura rahi ho” from the film Arth, the use of ghazals in bollywood films almost became extinct from the mid-80s.

Bhupinder Singh restricted his passion for ghazals in his private albums. Excepting Mohammad Rafi, no other classical singer could shine above a limited level, because the mass are attracted towards popular music which in major cases include non-classical compositions. That was the reason why Manna Dey having immense control over ragas, had lesser songs than he deserved in his career. Bhupinder Singh’s songs should be restored to honour the classical and ghazal andaz of the singer that had been exhibited in refined commercial films of bollywood.

Patriotic actor Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar – the patriotic actor of bollywood

Manoj Kumar, better known as Bharat Kumar, was one of the most patriotic souls in bollywood who devoted his life towards the making of patriotic films. Born on 24th July, 1937, Harikishen Goswami, better known as Manoj Kumar, made his debut in the film Fashion in 1957. As he was obsessed towards Dilip Kumar, one of the greatest actor of bollywood and started keeping his name in the name of Manoj Kumar, the character played by Dilip Kumar in the film Shabnam.

He got recognition in Vijay Bhatt’s film Hariyali Aur Raasta, in 1962, opposite Mala Sinha, where the music of Shankar Jaikishan, became super hit and the film provided him stable place in bollywood. He got a notable role in Raj Khosla’s crime thriller “woh kaun thi” where the twin sister of his wife played by Sadhna was shown at different times to make him insane and he unfolded the truth on the death of the twin sister when everyone came to know that Sadhna was not ghost, but the villain Prem Chopra had used her to make Manoj Kumar insane and inherit the property according to the will created by his ancestors. It wasthe greatest horror film of that age and outstanding music of Madan Mohan had hypnotised the audience.

His next film directed by Vijay Bhatt titled Himalay Ki God Me, in 1965, was also successful. Manoj Kumar again acted in a suspense thriller titled Gumnam, where the members of dance club were hijacked and left in an island and the villain Tarun Bose went on killing one after the other. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was super hit with immortal songs of Lata titled “gumnam hai koi”, songs of Rafi titled “ek ladkine mera jina mushkil kar diya” and “o mere man”, etc. Also Mehmood’s song sung by Rafi, “hum kale hai to kya hua dilwale hai” amused the crowds.

From 1965, Manoj kumar associated himself with patriotic films and his film Shaheed based on the life of Bhagat Singh became very big hit with Rafi’s song “ay watan ay watan” creating patriotic passion in the minds of numerous Indians. Bhagat Singh had been remade in the recent years with Ajay Devgan and Bobby Deol playing the role that Manoj Kumar had played before. He was inspired by the slogan of Lal Bahadur Shastri, that is “jai jawan jai kisan” and made a film based on that subject titled Upkaar in 1967. the film showed the life of a farmer and also brought patriotic subject related to Indian army. Mahendra Kapoors’ song “mere desh ki dharti” became superhit and people identified Manoj Kumar as Bharat Kumar. Manoj Kumar received the film fare award for best direction for the film Upkaar.

Manoj Kumar’s other films like Aadmi, opposite Dilip Kumar, Patthar ke Sanam also became successful. Rafi’s title song in Patthar ke Sanam, astonished the listeners. He also acted in the film Do Badan, where music composed by Ravi and sung by Rafi, including “bhari duniya me”, etc., appealed to the crowd. Manoj Kumar continued with his patriotic films by either directing, or acting in films like Puram aur Paschim, Beimaan, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Kranti, etc. Puram aur Paschim depicted the relationship of life of the eastern countries and western countries.He received the film fare award for the best actor in 1972 for performing in the film Beimaan.

He also acted in a number of crime thrillers like Anita and in the major number of these films he played the role of the doctor. In the 80s his film Kranti, which was based on the freedom movement of India became successful with Dilip kumar, Shatrughun Sinha also providing notable performances. His films should be restored for revisiting the freedom struggle movement of India and admiring his patriotic spirit displayed in several films.

Jaya Bacchan - the most natural actress of bollywood

Jaya Bacchan – the natural actress of bollywood.

Jaya Bacchan can be considered as one of the natural actresses who made acting look so easy during the 70s and 80s. Born on April 10th, 1948, Jaya Bacchan made her debut in the Bengali film Mahanagar directed by renouned director Satyajit Ray in 1965. She played the role of the sister of Anil Chatterjee, a middle class Bengali whose financial needs compelled his wife to work in a sales office which was remote in those days. She started her hindi career with the film Guddi, directed by Rishikesh Mukherjee. The film depicted the passion of young girls towards bollywood actors whom they used to worship like Gods. In the film she was obsessed towards Dharmender and Utpal Dutt, took his help to make the little girl understand that whatever is shown in the films are untrue and they are customised on larger than life image, in fact most of the heroes and heroins are ordinary human beings without having supernatural capabilities. Jaya Bacchan’s innocence in the film amazed the viewers.

Within short time, Gulzar understood the acting capabilities of Jaya Bacchan and did cast her opposite Sanjeev Kumar in Koshish, in 1972, in a deaf and dumb role. She exhibited the pleasure, pain and other emotions of deaf and dumb only through her eyes and facial expressions. She also displayed the feelings for her father played by Sanjeev Kumar in Gulzar’s film Parichay in 1972. She was the eldest of the 5 children who became orphans and their grandfather Pran brought them to his own house for education. She was hostile towards her grandfather who did not accept her mother as daughter-in-law and compelled Sanjeev Kumar to create his separate establishment who died out of sickness. She influenced the other children who became naughty and stubborn and the film ends with Jeetender’s victory in transforming the children with love and affection. The story has reflections of Hollywood film The Sound of Music and Uttam Kumar’s Bengali film Joyjoyanti.


Jaya Bacchan moulded her image into a woman who understood middleclass sentiments and sacrificed her priorities for benefit of her family and the society as a whole. She depicted the image in Rishikesh Mukherjee’s film Abhimaan, where she was asked to perform on stage by established singer played by Amitabh Bacchan who later could not accept her popularity which superseded Big B’s image as singer. She sacrificed her singing for the benefit of the family and the story depicted the helplessness of middleclass women who never can reach their destination for the social taboos. She won the film fare award for the best actress in 1974 for Abhimaan. The next year she again won the film fare award for the best actress for performance in the film Kora Kagaz where again she showed the level of compromise of Indian women who always try to balance and adjust the priorities of the inlaws and their own parents and most often fail in their attempt if the husbands are unreasonable. Her performance in Milli opposite Amitabh Bacchan, where she dies at the end of the film due to sickness, after engaging the entire flat complex with her childish activities, brought tears in the eyes of the audience who were not prepared to see her die at the end.

Jaya Bacchan also provided immortal performances in commercial films like Anamika, opposite Sanjeev kumar, Zanjeer and Sholay opposite Amitabh Bacchan. In Sholay, the flashback showed her youth and exuberance and she became calm, quite after the death of her husband and made a last outburst at the end of the film with the death of Amitabh Bacchan. In the film Naya Din Nayi Raat, she depicted the character of a woman who leaves home for declining to marry the husband who was arranged for her and met 9 different persons in the nine days where Sanjeev Kumar played the character of all those nine persons, including a doctor, a drunkard, a patient suffering from leprosy, etc. Films like Nauker, where she again won film fare award for best actress opposite Sanjeev Kumar, bolstered the myth that she balanced the dynamic acting skills of Sanjeev Kumar and critics claimed that Jaya Bacchan and Sanjeev Kumar formed the most powerful acting pair in bollywood and no other pair excepting Naseeruddin Shah and Smita Patil, and Om Puri and Shabana Azmi could show the variety of performances that they had shown.

In the mid-80s she faded away from the film arena as she was busy with her family, but she made a comeback in character roles in films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Fiza, etc., where she played the role of the mother of Rithwik Roshan. Jaya Bacchan’s films should be preserved in an archive to inspire the new generation of actors and actresses to know the skill of natural acting.

Sanjeev Kumar - the dynamic actor bollywood

Sanjeev Kumar – the most versatile actor of bollywood.

Sanjeev Kumar can be considered as one of the most versatile actors who had glorified bollywood with his depth of understanding characters and dynamic performance in numerous films in Bollywood. Harihar Zariwala, better known as Sanjeev Kumar, was born on 9th July, 1938, and made his debut in the film Hum Hindustani in 1960, but got his role as a hero in the film Nishan in 1966.

As the directors and producers of the 60s and 70s, recognised the supreme calibre of Sanjeev Kumar in understanding the emotions of different characters from the depth of his heart, they started casting him in experimental roles. He acted in the role of an insane person in the film Khilona, 1970, opposite Mumtaz and got critics acclamation. His lips in Rafi’s song titled “khilona”, was well appreciated by music lovers. In Parichay, 1972, he acted in the role of classical singer who was rebuked by his father Pran (an industrialist) and to leave his house to create separate identity. Neither his wife was accepted his father, nor could he appreciate the musical skills of his sons, according to whom music was a substandard professions only practiced by tawaifs in kothas. Sanjeev Kumar contracted incurable disease and died leaving 5 children including Jaya Bacchan, the eldest of them and Master Raju, the youngest, who were brought back by Pran and reformed by Jeetender the compassionate teacher who felt the pains in the minds of these children who required love and not over strictness displayed by Pran. Sanjeev Kumar gave supreme lips in Bhupinder Singh’s songs “Mitwa” and “beeti na bitai raina”. The audience were in tears to see Sanjeev Kumar shedding blood while singing as he coughed out to death. Brilliant performances in each and every film of Gulzar made Sanjeev Kumar, the greatest actor of his generation.

He received the national award for the best actor in 1971, for his natural performance in the film Dastak, 1971, which was based on the pains of young couple who could not find a reasonable accommodation in the city of Mumbai, and went on searching them from one place to another which was a burning problem in those days and still remains a big concern today. He received his second national award in Gulzar’s film Koshish, in 1973, which was based on deaf and dumb subject. He himself was deaf and dumb and learnt to use sign language taught in deaf and dumb schools and taught Jaya Bacchan, who was also deaf and dumb to express herself with those signs. He did not have any dialogue in the film. There were so many soft emotions in the film, once Dina Pathak asked Sanjeev Kumar to tell his name which was haricharan, he just took a chilli and put it on her foot, as chilly is green meaning hari and feet resembles charan. At the same time he showed his sense of humour in Ramesh Sippy’s Seeta aur Geeta, 1972, opposite Hema Malini.

In 1975, Sanjeev Kumar, acted in the role of his lifetime in the film Sholay, where he played the role of a zamindar of a village in north India, who retired as a police officer and faced the challenge of dacoits in the Chambal region with a 2 man army of Amitabh Bacchan and Dharmender who were offenders themselves. The film was based on real life incidents and Ramesh Sippy’s blockbuster remains India’s most debated film of the millennium. He brought entire expression of horrified soul when Amzad Khan severed his two hands by giving a horrified look. The same expression was displayed at the end of the film when he deformed the hands of Amzad Khan, bringing all the feelings of revenge against a group of dacoits who killed everyone in his family and horrified the villagers with their tyranny. Sanjeev Kumar won the film fare award in the same year with his performance in the film Aandhi opposite Suchitra Sen. He was also nominated for the best actor award for his serene performance in the film Mausam opposite sharmila Tagore, in the same year, where his reflections in the song “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din” sung by Bhupinder Singh still haunts film lovers.

He also won best actor award for the film Arjun Pandit, in 1976, where he was the compounder of a village doctor and gave his entire savings for the education of the son of the doctor. The pains in the role of the rural character as displayed by Bengali actor Kali Banerjee in the film Arohi directed by Tapan Sinha was well matched by Sanjeev Kumar’s brilliant acting skills.

The list of outstanding performance of Sanjjev Kumar, include Shikar, 1968, Satyakam, Alaap, etc., and it can go on as he was seen in almost every alternate film made at that time. If Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah depict realistic acting after specialising in acting with experience of learning performing arts in acting schools and schools of drama, Sanjeev Kumar belong to a unique gharana where no training is given in respect of perceiving the feelings of human beings through the senses and displaying them with expressions. He films should be restored for immense filmic value.

Sharmila Tagore- Soft romantic actress of bollywood

Sharmila Tagore – the symbol of Bengali Beauty in Bollywood:

Sharmila Tagore is one of the remote actresses gracing bollywood during 60s and 70s, who had rabindrik image which depicted a unique appeal for the film lovers of the country.

She started her career with the Bengali film Apur Sangsar, in 1959, the third episode of the Apu Trilogy directed by one of the greatest directors of the world Satyajit Ray. Scenes depicted by Ray, where she was silent, her expressive eyes spoke for herself. She acted in other films of Ray including Seema Baddha, Aranyer Dinratri, Debi, etc., but viewers had acknowledged her sublime performance opposite Uttam Kumar, in Ray’s film Nayak, 1966, which was based on the biography of Bengal’s greatest superstar of all times. Sharmila played the role of a journalist and her submissiveness before a popular matinee idol shot in Rajdhani Express depicted the bashfulness of Bengali women of that age.



In 1964, Sharmila began her career in hindi films in Shakti Samanta’s musical blockbuster Kashmir Ki Kali, 1964, opposite Shammi Kapoor. She displayed the role of submissive Kasmiri woman and gave elegant lips in OP Nayyar’s songs sung by Asha along with Rafi including “isharo isharo”, “diwana hua badal”, etc. The same pair was launched again by Shakti Samanta, in An Evening in Paris, 1967, this time Shankar Jaikishan’s composition of music flabbergasted the audience, including duet songs sung by Asha and Rafi like “raat ke humsafar”, etc. The entire film was shot in France and Indian audience got an additional flavour of rich locations in addition to popular music.

Sharmila Tagore acted in successful films after that period including Yakeen, Satyakam opposite Dharmender, Talash opposite Rajender Kumar, Dastan opposite Dilip Kumar, Aradhana, Safar, Amar Prem opposite Rajesh Khanna, Mere Humsafar opposite Jeetender. Most of these films had excellent music and that contributed to the success of the films in addition to romantic performance of Sharmila Tagore opposite all these actors.

In the mid -70s Gulzar gave a new dimension to the performance of Sharmila Tagore by casting her in a double role in Mausam opposite Sanjeev Kumar. She was the daughter of a village doctor near Darjeeling, who treated Sanjeev Kumar while he came to that place while studying medical science. He went abroad for further education, within short time Sharmila gave birth to his daughter which was played by Sharmila again and due to victim of circumstances she became a tawaif. The entire film hovers around that relationship and Sanjeev Kumar, the father at the end of the film takes her back to the city. The film was based on reflections and Madan Mohan’s music, Gulzar’s lyrics and the songs sung by Lata, Bhupinder Singh and Rafi, including ‘dil dhoonta hai phir wohi” touched the soles of the viewers. She won the national award for the best actress in that year for sublime performance in Mausam.

Sharmila Tagore’s performance in Gulzar’s film Namkeen opposite Sanjeev Kumar is worth mentioning. She played the role of the eldest daughter of Wahida Rehman ( a widow of a poor rural family) and acted as a guardian for the other two sisters who received support from the truck-driver played by Sanjeev Kumar. Besides her performance opposite Uttam Kumar in films like Amanush, Anand Ashram, Dooriyan, is worth mentioning. In Anand Ashram, she married the doctor who opened a dispensary in the village for treatment of poor, helpless villagers and she ably supported her husband in the noble mission. Unfortunately she died while giving birth to her child. The rest of the film relates their relationship with the next generation but throughout the film Uttam Kumar mourned the untimely death of her wife and displayed her immense love for Sharmila.

Dooriyan relates to complex relationship between the husband and the wife which leads to separation and again unification at the end of the film as the children of the couple could not stay without their parents together. Very soft virtues of husband wife relationship was displayed in the film and the duet song “zindagi zindagi” sung by Anuradha Porwal and Bhupinder Singh and “zindagi me jab tumhare gham nahi the” talked about them. Jaidev’s everlasting tunes have not lost significance even today. In recent years Sharmila Tagore won national award for best supporting actress in Goutam Ghosh’s Abar Aranye. Although Sharmila Tagore did not belong to the category of powerful dancers like Vaijayantimala or aristocrat performers like Meena Kumari, her soft, docile, submissive, understanding characteristics have given a separate dimension to bollywood films for which her films should be preserved and restored.