Poet Shailendraji combination with Raj Kapoorsahab and Shankar Jaikishanji remains immortal.

The lovers of music all across he world remember poet Shailendra on his birth anniversary on 30th August, 2026

. 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.

Golden singer Mukeshji is remembered on birth anniversary

Remembering Mukesh on his death anniversary. Great singer Mukesh is remembered both on his birth anniversary on 22nd July, 2025 and death anniversary on 27th August, 2026. The viewers of bollywood films remember legendary singer Mukesh on his death anniversary on 27th August, 2014. He was born on 22nd July, 1923 and died on 27th August, 1976 and people all over the world remember his great works. Mukesh was probably the most popular singer of the 50s, 60s and 70s after Mohammad Rafi. His nazal tune had huge amount of sensitiveness and he gave expression to brilliant composers of the golden age with the romantic voice. His combination with Showman Raj Kapoor was considered one of the golden combinations of the 40s, 50s, 60s. His notable songs for Raj Kapoor included “awara hoon” from film Awara, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “aaja re” from film Aah, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “ramaiya vasta maiya” and “mera joota hai japani” from film Shree 420 composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “sab kuch sikha humne”, “dil ki nazar se” and “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar” from film Anari, “ai sanama jish ne tujhe chand sa surat di hai” from film Diwana, “sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamar”, from film Teesri Kasam, composed by SJ, etc. The list can go on. Shankar Jaikishan stormed bollywood films with their everlasting tunes for more than 25 years, and wherever they were associated with Raj Kapoor, Mukesh sang the songs of his lifetime. The combination gave everlasting hits in films like Barsaat, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, Ek Dil Sau Afsana, Around the World, Diwana, Teesri Kasam, Mera Naam Joker, to name a few. In non-Raj Kapoor films also Mukesh did a superlative job. His performance in Dilip Kumar’s Madhumati, composed by Salil Choudhury, Manoj Kumar’s Hariyali Aur Raasta composed by Shankar Jaikishan, Rajender Kumar’s Saathi composed by Naushad Ali, Manoj Kumar’s Pathar Ke Sanam composed by LP, require special mention. Some of the notable songs of Mukesh which had remained immortal in those films included “dil tarap tarap ke kehrahahe aabhi ja” in Madhumati, “ifteda-e-ishq me” in Hariyali Aur Raasta, “mera pyar bhi tuhe” in Saathi, “tauba yeh matwali chal” in Patthar Ke Sanam, etc. He died in 1976, and ended the era relating to soft romantic songs. His journay from the film Nirdosh in 1941 to Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, remained unblemish. In 1974, he received national award for best singer for the song “kai baar yun hi dekha hai” from the film Rajnigandha, composed by Salil Choudhury. He deserved many more national awards, as he had sung from his soul bringing tears in the listener’s eyes. Besides he received filmfare awards for his best performance in films like Anari, Pehchan, Beimaan, Kabhi Kabhi. Even in the 70s, when slow music gradually lost its predominance, Mukesh’s songs in somber mood like “mai pal do pal ka shayar hoon” and “kabhi kabhi mere dil me” in the film Kabhi Kabhi composed by Khayyam and written by Sahir Ludhiyanvi created a permanent place in the hearts of millions of musiclovers. Articles after articles can be devoted on the successful combination of Mukesh with Shankar Jaikishan, Salil Choudhury, Naushad, Roshan, and others. His films and songs should be preserved.

On death anniversary of Showman Raj Kapoorsahab it can be said that his jubilee films are uncomparable

The box-office success of Raj Kapoor films were amazing. Showman Raj Kapoor is considered to be the biggest superstar of Indian films for the last 100 years. Other than Dilip Kumar no other actor has box office success anywhere near Raj Kapoor. Credit goes to his own production, direction, music of Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics of Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, camera work of Radhu Karmakar and brilliant singing by Mukeshji, Manna Dey Sahab, Lataji, Rafisahab and others and the entire team of Raj Kapoor. In 1948 Raj Kapoor directed his film Aag where he was the lead actor. But in 1949, Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat became the greatest blockbuster which was a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film with Nargis, Premnath, KN Singh, Nimmi playing important characters. It was the first time Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Mukeshji’s song “chor gaye balam”, Lataji’s “hawa me udta jaye”, “jiya beqarar hai” became super hit. In the same year, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar starrer Andaz was the 2nd biggest blockbuster. Nargis acted opposite the two titans Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. Mehboob Khan directed the film and music was composed by Naushad Ali. In 1950, Raj Kapoor’s film Dastan was the 4th biggest hit of the year after Ashok Kumar’s Samadhi, Dilip Kumar’s Babul, and Ashok Kumar’s Sangram. Dastan was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. AR Kardar directed the film. Naushad Ali composed the music. Raj Kapoor, Suraiya, Veena played the lead roles. In 1951, Raj Kapoor’s Awaara became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. It became popular in Russia and Europe as well. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prithviraj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, KN Singh played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “awara hoon, yah gardish me hoon aasman ka tara hun”, Lataji’s “jab se balam ghar aye”, “ghar aya mere pardesi” became super hit. In 1952, Raj Kapoor’s Anhonee became the 5th biggest hit film. KA Abbas directed the film. Roshanlal Nagrath composed the music. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Om Prakash played the lead roles. In the same year, Raj Kapoor’s Bewafa became the 8th biggest hit. Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Ashok Kumar played the lead roles. The film was directed by ML Anand. AR Qureshi composed the music. Talatji’s song “dil matwala lakh samhala”, “tumko phursat ho” became big hit. In that year Dilip Kumar Aan was the biggest blockbuster. In 1953, Raj Kapoor’s Aah became 9th biggest hit film. It was directed by Raja Nawathe and produced by Raj Kapoor. Music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Pran played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “aaja re”, “jane nan azar” and Lataji’s song “rajaki ayegi baraat” became superhit. In that year Pradeep Kumar’s Anarkali was the biggest blockbuster. In 1955, Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420 became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Rafisahab’s song “ramaiya vasta maiya”, Manna Deysahab’s song “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “mur murke na dekh”, Lataji’s song “ichakdana” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Azaad was the 2nd biggest hit. In 1956 Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Pran played the lead role. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Manna Dey’s song “aaja sanam madhu chandni me hum”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, Lataji’s “rasik balma” became super hit. In 1957 Raj Kapoor’s Sharda was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Meena Kumari, Shyama acted opposite him. The music was composed by C Ramchandra. Mukeshji’s song “jap jap jap re”, Lataji’s song became super hit. In 1958, Raj Kapoor’s Phir Subah Hogi was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Ramesh Saigal directed the film. The music was composed by Khayyam. Mala Sinha, Rehman acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Mukeshji’s songs “wo subah kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije meri gustakh nigahon ka gila” became super hit. In 1959, Raj Kapoor’s Anari was the biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit. It ran for more than 50 weeks. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Nutan, Raj Kapoor, Lalita Power played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “sab kuch seekha humne”, “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar”, Lataji’s song “yeh chand khilan”, became super hit. Raj Kapoor received the filmfare award for best actor for Anari in that year. In 1960, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai became the 4th biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. It was produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Radhu Karmakar. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Padmini, Pran acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor again received filmfare award for best actor for the film. Lataji’s song “o maine pya kiya”, “o basanti pawanapawan”, Mukeshji’s song “aa ab laut chale”, “mera naam raju”, “hoton pe sacchai rehte hai” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Mughal I Azam was the biggest blockbuster. In 1964, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam became the biggest blockbuster and a platinum jubilee hit. It ran for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala, Raj Kapoor played the lead roles. All the songs became super hit including Rafisahab’s “ki tum naaraaz na hona”, Mukeshji’s “bol radha bol”, “o mehbooba”, to name a few. Raj Kapoor’s other silver juvilee hits included Parvarish in 1958 opposite Mala Sinha, Mai Nashe Me Hoon opposite Mala Sinha in 1959, Chalia opposite Nutan in 1960, Shrimaan Satywadi opposite Shakila in 1960, Nazrana opposite Vaijayantimala, Usha Kiran in 1961, to name a few. The other films of Raj Kapoor which did better than average business included Bawre Nain opposite Geeta Bali in 1950, Do Ustad opposite Madhubala in 1959, Aashiq opposite Padmini in 1962, Dil Hi To Hai opposite Nutan in 1963, Diwana opposite Saira Banu and Around the World opposite Rajashree in 1967. After Mera Naam Joker’s failure in box office in 1970, Raj Kapoor did cast his son Rishi Kapoor from Bobby in his own films. So viewers saw actor Raj Kapoor in few films in the 1970s and 1980s. In a career of 67 films as actor, more than 25 films of Raj Kapoor ended up as golden jubilee, silver jubilee and platinum jubilee. It is an amazing record. Other than Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar, no actor comes any close to the huge box office success of Showman Raj Kapoor.

Sangam with brilliance of Raj Kapoorsahab, Vaijayantimalaji, Rajender Kumarji was the greatest blockbuster of 1964.

Sangam was the greatest hit film.  Sangam  Ayee Milan Ki Bela  Dosti  Ziddi  Raj Kumar  Kashmir Ki Kali  Haqeeqat  Zindagi  April Fool  Woh Kaun Thi Sangam was the greatest hit film. Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala 1964 was a significant year in the history of bollywood films in India. There were various reasons for that. Firstly budgets of Indian films increased. Secondly from making black and white films majority of filmmakers started making coloured films. The technology of Indian films developed. More shooting of Indians took place in foreign countries. Music in those films just improved and improved. Sangam Raj Kapoor, Vaijayantimala in Sangam In 1964 the greatest blockbuster was Sangam. The film was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. It was one of most successful films Raj Kapoor had made. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Brilliant performance of Vaijyantimala, Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar made the viewers spellbound. The story of Inder Raaj Anand was also very touching. Shooting of Raj Kapoor in Switzerland, Paris and other European countries created a treat for the eyes. Shankar Jaikishan’s excellent music with super hit songs of Rafi “ye mera prempatra par kar”, Mukesh “dost dost na raha”, Lata “O mere sanam”, to name a few. Raj Kapoor won the best director filmfare award for Sangam, while Vaijayantimala won the best actress award for best performance in Sangam. Ayee Milan Ki Bela Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu, Dharmender The second greatest hit film was Ayee Milan Ki Bela. Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu and Dharmender were the lead artists. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was excellent with Rafi’s brilliant songs “to bura maan gaye”, “hum pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, etc., all became super hit. The performance of Saira Banu and Rajender Kumar was excellent. The direction of Mohan Kumar and production of J. Om Prakash require special mention. Dosti Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar in Dosti The third greatest hit film was Dosti. Very significantly it was a black and white classic film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya of Rajashri Productions. The film was the remake of super hit Bengali film Lalubhulu directed Agradoot. Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar were the lead artists, one playing the role of a blind child while the other being handicapped whose feet was lost in an accident. There were no superstars in the film but the brilliant story touched the souls of every Indian. Sanjay Khan made his debut in the film. In Lalubhulu excellent music of Robin Chatterjee, excellent lyrics of Sailen Roy with brilliant songs of Manobendra Mukherjee namely “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “ei pranjharona jaglo”, was worth mentioning. In Dosti, excellent music of Laxmikant Pyarellal, brilliant lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “chahunga mai tujhe”, “rahi manwa dukh ki chinta” made the viewers spellbound. Ziddi Joy Mukherjee, Asha Parekh The fourth greatest hit film was Ziddi. Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Pramod Chakraborty. There were strong performances from Mehmood, Subha Khote, Dhoomal, Nazima. SD Burman’s music was very significant with Rafi’s hit songs “teri surat se”, “janu kya mera dil”, and Manna Dey’s comedy songs “pyar ki aag me”, “mai tere pyar me” etc. Asha Parekh’s strong dance performances require special mention. Raj Kumar Sadhna, Shammi Kapoor The fifth greatest hit film was Raj Kumar. Shammi Kapoor and Sadhna were the lead artists. The film was directed by K. Shankar. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye”, “tumne kisi ki jaan ko”, were worth mentioning. The supporting performances of Pran, Manorama, Prithviraj Kapoor, Rajender Nath require special mention. Kashmir Ki Kali Shammi Kapoor Sharmila Tagore The sixth greatest hit film was Kashmir Ki Kali. Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Shakti Shamanta. The brilliant music of OP Nayyar and excellent songs of Rafi including “ye chand sa roshan chehra”, “diwana hua badal”, etc., flabbergasted the audience. Excellent shooting in Jammu and Kashmir require special mention. Nasir Hussain, Pran and other supporting actors did well. Haqeeqat Balraj Sahani, Dharmender The seventh greatest hit film was Haqeeqat. The film was written and directed by Chetan Anand on the backdrop of Indo-China war. Strong performances from Balraj Sahani, Dharmender, Jayant, Priya Rajwangsh require special mention. Excellent music of Madanmohan Kohli, excellent lyrics of Kaif Azmi and songs of Rafi “kar chale hum fida”, Lata “zara si aahat”, etc., require special mention. Singer Bhupinder Singh acted and sang in the film the song “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga” with Rafi, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood. Zindagi Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala The eighth greatest hit film was Zindagi. It was produced by S.S. Vasan of Gemini Pictures and directed by Ramanand Sagar. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala and Raj Kumar played the lead roles. Again the hit music of Shankar Jaikishan with successful songs of Rafi “pehele mile the sapno me” contributed in the success of the film. The performances of supporting actors Prithviraaj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, Jayant, require special mention. April Fool Biswajeet, Saira Banu The ninth greatest hit film was April Fool. It was directed by Subodh Mukherjee. Saira Banu and Biswajeet Chatterjee played the lead roles. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi’s brilliant songs “aa gale lag ja”, “april fool banaya” once again attracted attention. The brilliant shooting in Jammu and Kashmir was worth mentioning. Woh Kaun Thi Manoj Kumar, Sadhna The tenth greatest hit film was Woh Kaun Thi. The film was a crime-thriller directed by Raj Khoshla. Manoj Kumar, Sadhna, Prem Chopra, KN Singh gave excellent performances. The horror effect created by Madanmohan’s music and Lata’s song “naina barse”, “lagja gale”, require special mention. The film can be considered to be one of the best 10 horror film ever made in India. A number of observations can be made in respect of 1964. Shankar Jaikishan still dominated the world of music. Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Zindagi and April Fool became super hit due to their excellent music. Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar were at their best and every film had their great contribution. The other composers Madanmohan Kohli, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarellal all were excellent in their contribution. Naushad Ali also composed excellent music in Dilip Kumar’s Leader in 1964. Among the actors after Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar was a great crowd puller. Three of his films Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Zindagi featured in the top 10 films. Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Manoj Kumar, Biswajeet Chatterjee, Dharmender made notable contribution. Among the actresses Vaijayantimala was at the top. Saira Banu, Sadhna, Asha Parekh were the other contributors who gave excellent competition. Big Budget films like Sangam were appreciated, at the same time medium budget films like Dosti, created havoc. Good stories were appreciated by the audience

The greatest bollywood blockbusters of 1959 including Anari and Paigham

Greatest bollywood hit films of 1959. The year 1959 was very significant in the history of bollywood films. Both social films and historical films dominated bollywood. The biggest hit film of 1959 was Anari. Anari was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Raj Kapoor, Motilal, Lalita Power and Nutan were the leading artists in the film. The film showed the story of an innocent person who got involved in a case relating to forged medicines. The film was known for its excellent music composed by Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, including “yeh chand khila”, “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar”, “sab kuch sikha humne” became smash hits. The film also received the major filmfare awards of 1959. Raj Kapoor got the award for the best actor, Lalita Power got the award for the best supporting actress, Shankar Jaikishan got the award for the best music director, Mukesh got the award for the best singer. The second highest grosser of 1959 included Paigham. Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala were the leading artists of the film. The film was directed by S.S. Vassan. Dilip Kumar and Vaijayantimala had given blockbusters in the past like Madhumati, so their online chemistry was accepted by the audience. The third biggest hit film was Navrang. The fourth was Dhool Ka Phool. The fifth hit film was Goonj Uthi Shehnai. Very significantly Rajender Kumar featured in both Dhool Ka Phool opposite Mala Sinha, and Goonj Uthi Shehnai opposite Amita. Both the films were famous for the excellent music composed by Kalyanji Anandji and Vasant Desai. The sixth hit film was Dil Deke Dekho where Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh were the main artists. Music was composed by Usha Khanna. The seventh hit film was Sujata. It was directed by Bimal Roy. Nutan and Sunil Dutt were the main artists. The next three hit films of the year included Choti Behen, Rani Roopmati and Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan. The film was directed by Devendra Goel and music composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma. In Choti Behen directed by L.V. Prasad, Balraj Sahani and Nanda were the main artists. Music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. In Rani Roopmati, Bharat Bhushan and Nirupa Roy played the lead roles. SN Tripati composed the music of the film. In Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan, Rajender Kumar and Meena Kumari played the lead roles. There were few inferences that can be drawn from the biggest hit films of 1959. While Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar dominated bollywood as main stars, Rajender Kumar emerged as another crowd puller by giving three hits together. As far as actresses were concerned there was brilliant competition between Vaijayantimala, Nutan, Meena Kumari and others. As far as directors were concerned in addition to established directors like Bimal Roy, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, upcoming directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, L.V. Prasad, B.R. Chopra, Nasir Hussain created a great impact in bollywood films. As far as music director were concerned there was stiff competition between Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, C. Ramchandran, Ravi Shankar Sharma, Vasant Desai and others.

Sangam with Rajender Kumarji Vyjayantimalaji Raj Kapoor sahab was the greatest blockbuster of 1964

 Sangam was the greatest hit film.  Sangam  Ayee Milan Ki Bela  Dosti  Ziddi  Raj Kumar  Kashmir Ki Kali  Haqeeqat  Zindagi  April Fool  Woh Kaun Thi Sangam was the greatest hit film. Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala 1964 was a significant year in the history of bollywood films in India. There were various reasons for that. Firstly budgets of Indian films increased. Secondly from making black and white films majority of filmmakers started making coloured films. The technology of Indian films developed. More shooting of Indians took place in foreign countries. Music in those films just improved and improved. Sangam Raj Kapoor, Vaijayantimala in Sangam In 1964 the greatest blockbuster was Sangam. The film was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. It was one of most successful films Raj Kapoor had made. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Brilliant performance of Vaijyantimala, Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar made the viewers spellbound. The story of Inder Raaj Anand was also very touching. Shooting of Raj Kapoor in Switzerland, Paris and other European countries created a treat for the eyes. Shankar Jaikishan’s excellent music with super hit songs of Rafi “ye mera prempatra par kar”, Mukesh “dost dost na raha”, Lata “O mere sanam”, to name a few. Raj Kapoor won the best director filmfare award for Sangam, while Vaijayantimala won the best actress award for best performance in Sangam. Ayee Milan Ki Bela Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu, Dharmender The second greatest hit film was Ayee Milan Ki Bela. Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu and Dharmender were the lead artists. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was excellent with Rafi’s brilliant songs “to bura maan gaye”, “hum pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, etc., all became super hit. The performance of Saira Banu and Rajender Kumar was excellent. The direction of Mohan Kumar and production of J. Om Prakash require special mention. Dosti Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar in Dosti The third greatest hit film was Dosti. Very significantly it was a black and white classic film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya of Rajashri Productions. The film was the remake of super hit Bengali film Lalubhulu directed Agradoot. Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar were the lead artists, one playing the role of a blind child while the other being handicapped whose feet was lost in an accident. There were no superstars in the film but the brilliant story touched the souls of every Indian. Sanjay Khan made his debut in the film. In Lalubhulu excellent music of Robin Chatterjee, excellent lyrics of Sailen Roy with brilliant songs of Manobendra Mukherjee namely “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “ei pranjharona jaglo”, was worth mentioning. In Dosti, excellent music of Laxmikant Pyarellal, brilliant lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “chahunga mai tujhe”, “rahi manwa dukh ki chinta” made the viewers spellbound. Ziddi Joy Mukherjee, Asha Parekh The fourth greatest hit film was Ziddi. Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Pramod Chakraborty. There were strong performances from Mehmood, Subha Khote, Dhoomal, Nazima. SD Burman’s music was very significant with Rafi’s hit songs “teri surat se”, “janu kya mera dil”, and Manna Dey’s comedy songs “pyar ki aag me”, “mai tere pyar me” etc. Asha Parekh’s strong dance performances require special mention. Raj Kumar Sadhna, Shammi Kapoor The fifth greatest hit film was Raj Kumar. Shammi Kapoor and Sadhna were the lead artists. The film was directed by K. Shankar. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye”, “tumne kisi ki jaan ko”, were worth mentioning. The supporting performances of Pran, Manorama, Prithviraj Kapoor, Rajender Nath require special mention. Kashmir Ki Kali Shammi Kapoor Sharmila Tagore The sixth greatest hit film was Kashmir Ki Kali. Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Shakti Shamanta. The brilliant music of OP Nayyar and excellent songs of Rafi including “ye chand sa roshan chehra”, “diwana hua badal”, etc., flabbergasted the audience. Excellent shooting in Jammu and Kashmir require special mention. Nasir Hussain, Pran and other supporting actors did well. Haqeeqat Balraj Sahani, Dharmender The seventh greatest hit film was Haqeeqat. The film was written and directed by Chetan Anand on the backdrop of Indo-China war. Strong performances from Balraj Sahani, Dharmender, Jayant, Priya Rajwangsh require special mention. Excellent music of Madanmohan Kohli, excellent lyrics of Kaif Azmi and songs of Rafi “kar chale hum fida”, Lata “zara si aahat”, etc., require special mention. Singer Bhupinder Singh acted and sang in the film the song “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga” with Rafi, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood. Zindagi Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala The eighth greatest hit film was Zindagi. It was produced by S.S. Vasan of Gemini Pictures and directed by Ramanand Sagar. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala and Raj Kumar played the lead roles. Again the hit music of Shankar Jaikishan with successful songs of Rafi “pehele mile the sapno me” contributed in the success of the film. The performances of supporting actors Prithviraaj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, Jayant, require special mention. April Fool Biswajeet, Saira Banu The ninth greatest hit film was April Fool. It was directed by Subodh Mukherjee. Saira Banu and Biswajeet Chatterjee played the lead roles. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi’s brilliant songs “aa gale lag ja”, “april fool banaya” once again attracted attention. The brilliant shooting in Jammu and Kashmir was worth mentioning. Woh Kaun Thi Manoj Kumar, Sadhna The tenth greatest hit film was Woh Kaun Thi. The film was a crime-thriller directed by Raj Khoshla. Manoj Kumar, Sadhna, Prem Chopra, KN Singh gave excellent performances. The horror effect created by Madanmohan’s music and Lata’s song “naina barse”, “lagja gale”, require special mention. The film can be considered to be one of the best 10 horror film ever made in India. A number of observations can be made in respect of 1964. Shankar Jaikishan still dominated the world of music. Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Zindagi and April Fool became super hit due to their excellent music. Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar were at their best and every film had their great contribution. The other composers Madanmohan Kohli, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarellal all were excellent in their contribution. Naushad Ali also composed excellent music in Dilip Kumar’s Leader in 1964. Among the actors after Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar was a great crowd puller. Three of his films Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Zindagi featured in the top 10 films. Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Manoj Kumar, Biswajeet Chatterjee, Dharmender made notable contribution. Among the actresses Vaijayantimala was at the top. Saira Banu, Sadhna, Asha Parekh were the other contributors who gave excellent competition. Big Budget films like Sangam were appreciated, at the same time medium budget films like Dosti, created havoc. Good stories were appreciated by the audience

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.

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.

On death anniversary of Showman Raj Kapoor sahab it can be said that his golden jubilee silver jubilee films are unparallel

The box-office success of Raj Kapoor films were amazing. Showman Raj Kapoor is considered to be the biggest superstar of Indian films for the last 100 years. Other than Dilip Kumar no other actor has box office success anywhere near Raj Kapoor. Credit goes to his own production, direction, music of Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics of Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, camera work of Radhu Karmakar and brilliant singing by Mukeshji, Manna Dey Sahab, Lataji, Rafisahab and others and the entire team of Raj Kapoor. In 1948 Raj Kapoor directed his film Aag where he was the lead actor. But in 1949, Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat became the greatest blockbuster which was a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film with Nargis, Premnath, KN Singh, Nimmi playing important characters. It was the first time Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Mukeshji’s song “chor gaye balam”, Lataji’s “hawa me udta jaye”, “jiya beqarar hai” became super hit. In the same year, Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar starrer Andaz was the 2nd biggest blockbuster. Nargis acted opposite the two titans Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. Mehboob Khan directed the film and music was composed by Naushad Ali. In 1950, Raj Kapoor’s film Dastan was the 4th biggest hit of the year after Ashok Kumar’s Samadhi, Dilip Kumar’s Babul, and Ashok Kumar’s Sangram. Dastan was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. AR Kardar directed the film. Naushad Ali composed the music. Raj Kapoor, Suraiya, Veena played the lead roles. In 1951, Raj Kapoor’s Awaara became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. It became popular in Russia and Europe as well. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prithviraj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, KN Singh played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “awara hoon, yah gardish me hoon aasman ka tara hun”, Lataji’s “jab se balam ghar aye”, “ghar aya mere pardesi” became super hit. In 1952, Raj Kapoor’s Anhonee became the 5th biggest hit film. KA Abbas directed the film. Roshanlal Nagrath composed the music. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Om Prakash played the lead roles. In the same year, Raj Kapoor’s Bewafa became the 8th biggest hit. Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Ashok Kumar played the lead roles. The film was directed by ML Anand. AR Qureshi composed the music. Talatji’s song “dil matwala lakh samhala”, “tumko phursat ho” became big hit. In that year Dilip Kumar Aan was the biggest blockbuster. In 1953, Raj Kapoor’s Aah became 9th biggest hit film. It was directed by Raja Nawathe and produced by Raj Kapoor. Music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor and Pran played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “aaja re”, “jane nan azar” and Lataji’s song “rajaki ayegi baraat” became superhit. In that year Pradeep Kumar’s Anarkali was the biggest blockbuster. In 1955, Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420 became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Rafisahab’s song “ramaiya vasta maiya”, Manna Deysahab’s song “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “mur murke na dekh”, Lataji’s song “ichakdana” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Azaad was the 2nd biggest hit. In 1956 Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Pran played the lead role. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Manna Dey’s song “aaja sanam madhu chandni me hum”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, Lataji’s “rasik balma” became super hit. In 1957 Raj Kapoor’s Sharda was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Meena Kumari, Shyama acted opposite him. The music was composed by C Ramchandra. Mukeshji’s song “jap jap jap re”, Lataji’s song became super hit. In 1958, Raj Kapoor’s Phir Subah Hogi was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Ramesh Saigal directed the film. The music was composed by Khayyam. Mala Sinha, Rehman acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Mukeshji’s songs “wo subah kabhi to ayegi”, “phir na kije meri gustakh nigahon ka gila” became super hit. In 1959, Raj Kapoor’s Anari was the biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit. It ran for more than 50 weeks. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Nutan, Raj Kapoor, Lalita Power played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “sab kuch seekha humne”, “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar”, Lataji’s song “yeh chand khilan”, became super hit. Raj Kapoor received the filmfare award for best actor for Anari in that year. In 1960, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai became the 4th biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. It was produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Radhu Karmakar. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Padmini, Pran acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor again received filmfare award for best actor for the film. Lataji’s song “o maine pya kiya”, “o basanti pawanapawan”, Mukeshji’s song “aa ab laut chale”, “mera naam raju”, “hoton pe sacchai rehte hai” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Mughal I Azam was the biggest blockbuster. In 1964, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam became the biggest blockbuster and a platinum jubilee hit. It ran for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala, Raj Kapoor played the lead roles. All the songs became super hit including Rafisahab’s “ki tum naaraaz na hona”, Mukeshji’s “bol radha bol”, “o mehbooba”, to name a few. Raj Kapoor’s other silver juvilee hits included Parvarish in 1958 opposite Mala Sinha, Mai Nashe Me Hoon opposite Mala Sinha in 1959, Chalia opposite Nutan in 1960, Shrimaan Satywadi opposite Shakila in 1960, Nazrana opposite Vaijayantimala, Usha Kiran in 1961, to name a few. The other films of Raj Kapoor which did better than average business included Bawre Nain opposite Geeta Bali in 1950, Do Ustad opposite Madhubala in 1959, Aashiq opposite Padmini in 1962, Dil Hi To Hai opposite Nutan in 1963, Diwana opposite Saira Banu and Around the World opposite Rajashree in 1967. After Mera Naam Joker’s failure in box office in 1970, Raj Kapoor did cast his son Rishi Kapoor from Bobby in his own films. So viewers saw actor Raj Kapoor in few films in the 1970s and 1980s. In a career of 67 films as actor, more than 25 films of Raj Kapoor ended up as golden jubilee, silver jubilee and platinum jubilee. It is an amazing record. Other than Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar, no actor comes any close to the huge box office success of Showman Raj Kapoor.

Raj Kapoorsahab Dilip Kumarsahab Ashok Kumarji dominated biggest blockbusters of 1949.

The biggest Bollywood blockbusters of 1949. 1949 was a year in Bollywood films where a lot of transitions took place. Till that time majority of shooting of films used to take place in the studios. Directors started shooting the films outdoor. Barsaat was the biggest blockbuster in 1949. It was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. This was the second film directed by Showman Raj Kapoor after Aag in 1947. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prem Nath and Nimmi played the lead roles. The pairs that were launched included Premnath and Nimmi together and Nargis and Raj Kapoor together. KN Singh played the role of a negative character in the film. It was the first time the composer duo Shankar Jaikishan was used by Raj Kapoor. Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri also contributed in the film. Raj Kapoor and Nargis fell in love with each other but due to resistance of Nargis’s father the marriage got obstructed. Nargis drowned in water and KN Singh, a fisherman found her. At the end of the film Nargis and Raj Kapoor were united. The music of the film rocked Bollywood. All the songs like “chod gaye balam” by Mukesh, “hawa mai udta jaye” and “jiya beqarar hai” by Lata stormed Bollywood. Andaz was the second biggest blockbuster of 1949. It was directed by Mehboob Khan. The music of the film was composed by Naushad Ali. Dilip Kumar loved Nargis in the film without knowing that he was already having affair with Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor came from abroad and married Nargis. When Dilip Kumar disclosed his love towards Nargis, she was shocked because she always considered Dilip Kumar as her friend and not a husband. Murad played the role of the father of Nargis. Cuckoo also played an important roles. The songs of the film were bumper hits like “tu kahe agar”, “toote na dil toote na” by Mukesh and “yun to aapas me bigadte hai” by Rafi and Lata. There were signs that Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were going to rule Indian films for the next 30 years. Mahal was the third biggest blockbuster of 1949. Ashok Kumar played the lead role opposite Madhubala. It was directed by Kamal Amrohi. It was produced by Bombay Talkies. Khemchand Prakash composed the music of the film. The film was based on the story of reincarnation. Madhubala’s atma or soul was visualised by Ashok Kumar in the second birth. Lata’s song “ayega anewala” become a theme song for horror movies. The direction was excellent. Ashok Kumar came to a mahal or palace and the illusions made him horror –striken. It was one of the films which gave Lata her primary recognition with “ayega anewala”. Even Raj Kumari’s songs “ek teer chala dil ko laga” and “mai wo hansi hoon lab pe jo ane se reh gayi” became super hit. There were other successful films in 1949 like Dulari, Shabnam and other films. Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Khemchand Prakash, Roshanlal Nagrath were the most dominating composers of that age. The world of singing was dominated by Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood, Lata, Raj Kumari, Zohrabai Ambewali, Shamshad Begum, Noorjahan, Geeta Dutt and others. The most prominent directors included Raj Kapoor, Kamal Amrohi, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, V Shantaram and others. While stars like Ashok Kumar continued their dream run, new stars like Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor showed promise. Actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Suraiya became most prominent in the black and white age. The films require restoration.

Dilip Kumarji Raj Kapoorji and Ashok Kumarji dominated bollywood films of 1950

The biggest Bollywood hit films of 1950. The 1950s began with new types of films in Bollywood. While stars like Ashok Kumar already himself in Bollywood arena, new stars like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor rose to stardom. Actresses like Nargis, Madhubala, Geetawali, Nalini Jayant, Suraiya dominated Bollywood films. In the previous decade in the 1940s, Dilip Kumar’s Andaz and Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat were the biggest blockbusters. Samadhi was the years’s biggest blockbuster of 1950. It was directed by Ramesh Saigal, who was one of the top directors of Filmistan with films like Shaheed (1948), Samadhi (1950) and Shikast (1953). The music was composed by C. Ramchandran, with "Gore Gore Banke Chhore" (Oh Fair Lad) sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Amirbai Karnataki, and picturised on Kuldip Kaur and Nalini Jaywant, becoming a popular song. Ashok Kumar played the lead role in the "patriotic spy-thriller", "the film turned out to be the year's biggest hit with a gross profit of ₹ 75 lakhs". The 2nd super hit film was Babul. By 1940s Dilip Kumar already established himself as tragedy king with the success of the film Andaz. Babul had Dilip Kumar in another tragic role, where he was teamed with Nargis and Munawwar Sultana. It was directed by S. U. Sunny. The music composer was Naushad Ali, and he had Shamshad Begum give playback for seven out of the twelve songs in the film. A famous song by Talat Mehmood and Shamshad was "Milte Hi Anken Dil Hua Diwana Kisika". Shamshad Begum along with Suraiya, Lata and Geeta Dutt were dominating Bollywood music at that time. Naushad Ali had Talat Mehmood singing for the first and last time under his baton. The famous Talat solo was "Husnwalon Ko Na Dil Do Yeh Mita Dete Hain" (Don't Give Your Heart To The Pretty Ones, They Destroy It). The songs of this film made Talat the "most sought-after ghazal singer". Over a period of time Mohammad Rafi started singing almost all the songs for Dilip Kumar. The film was a big success and grossed an estimated ₹ 70 lakhs. The third biggest hit film was Dastan. Dastan was directed by A. R. Kardar, with Raj Kapoor, Suraiya, and Veena in the main roles. The film was a tragic melodrama narrated in a flashback by Suraiya's character. This was the only film in which Raj Kapoor and Suraiya starred together. The "waltz-type rhythm" song "Tara Ri Tara ri" sung by Suraiya and Mohammed Rafi, became a popular number. Inspired from the film Enchantment (1948), it's referred to as "one of the biggest commercial hits,” with a business of 65 lakhs. Very significantly Naushad Ali used Rafisahab to sing songs for Raj Kapoor and not Mukesh. Suryaiya sang for herself. The 4th biggest hit film was Jogan. Jogan directed by Kidar Sharma, featured Dilip Kumar and Nargis. It was described as Dilip Kumar's "most powerful portrayal as a one-way love seeker". It had Nargis playing a Meera-like Sadhvi and has been referred to as a "most famous classic". The film grossed ₹ 62 lakhs. Incidentally Rajender Kumar made his debut in Bollywood films in a small role in the film Jogan. The music was composed by Bulo C Rani and all the songs were sung by Geeta Dutt, including the hit song “ghunghat ke pat khol” The fifth biggest hit film was Sangram. Sangram starred Ashok Kumar and Nalini Jaywant again. Written and directed by Gyan Mukherjee for Bombay Talkies, it had music by C. Ramchandran. A popular song from the film was "Yaara Wai Wai, Yaara Wai Wai". The film as a box-office success commercially, earning a gross profit of ₹ 50 lakhs. In conclusion it can be said that 1950s began with black and white films. But performances of Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were per excellence. The directors like Kidar Sharma, AR Kardar, Mehboob Khan and others really made a fantastic impact. Naushad Ali, Hunslal Bhagatram, Shankar Jaikishan and C Ramchandran dominated music. Talat, Rafi, Mukesh dominated male singing while Suraiya, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Lata dominated female playback songs. With passing of time new actors like Bharat Bhushan, Pradeep Kumar competed with Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor.

In RK Studio holi was played with a lot of grandieur

The holi festival has come again in 2023. The festival of colours brings a large section of the society together. These days holi is losing significance in the context of bollywood films and the stars involved with film-making. During the lifetime of Showman Raj Kapoor, holi was celebrated in RK Studio. It used to be a very prestigious affair. Other than members of the Kapoor family including Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor and others, celebrities from the film industry used to play holi in the studio. These days Holi party is thrown by Raj Kundra and others. The event marked the strengthening of relationship of members of the bollywood film industry. The celebration included directors like Manmohan Desai, actors like Dilip Kumar, singers like Mukesh, composers like Shankar Jaikishan, to name a few. The enthusiasm was there even during the 80s, when most of the celebrities who were contemporaries of Raj Kapoor became old. Raj Kapoor himself stopped it in the late 80s as he started having physical discomfort while playing holi. He had asthma and the contact of colours basically aggravated the disease. The prestigious celebration of holi stopped after 1988, after the death of Raj Kapoor. After that time, a number of other celebrities started the tradition of inviting the film industry to play holi. But the pomp and grandiuer that was there in RK Studio could not be replicated. Holi forms an important festival for Indians and bollywood films had devoted a lot of space for holi. It was shown in films like Paraya Dhan, Sholay, Silsila, to name a few. The songs related to holi like “holi re holi” sung by Manna Dey, “holi ke rang” sung by Kishore Kumar, or “rang barse” sung by Big B had not lost their appeal even after 30 years of the release of the films. Modern producers and directors can also portray the festival of colours in modern films in their innovative style as holi is one of the most popular festivals of the country. Ranbir Kapoor is on the way to be the new superstar of bollywood films with successful performances in films like Bachna Aye Haseeno, Wake Up Sid, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. He can make an effort to revive the holi celebrations in RK Studio.

Rajashreeji had great combination with Showman Raj Kapoor sahab in romantic films.

Rajashree – the classical dancer of the 60s. Rajashree, daughter of famous director V. Shantaram and classical dancer Sandhya, made a notable contribution in bollywood films in the 60s. She faced very strong competition from Vaijayantimala, Sadhna, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and yet maintained her stardom in hit films opposite leading stars of bollywood films. She was extremely successful opposite Shammi Kapoor, in the film Janwar. Shammi Kapoor brought westernized mannerisms in bollywood films in the 60s, and his style was enhanced by fantastic music composed by Shankar Jaikishan, and colourful locations where the films were picturised. The same thing happened in the film Janwar. Most part of the film was picturised in Jammu & Kashmir, and the songs of Rafi like “lal chadi”, “tumse accha kaun hai”, etc., became super hit. Rajashree had adequate classical training for exhibiting her dancing skills which she showed in the song “mere sang ga gunguna”. The second part of the film dealt with the conspiracy committed against Shammi Kapoor, and her marriage with Shammi Kapoor got stuck due to those reasons. Over all her performance was very impressive and the film became super hit. The same combination was again successful in the film Brahmchari. Shammi Kapoor ran an orphan house where the children were brought by him and he did not marry to help out the orphan children in the film. Rajashree intereacted with Shammi Kapoor in the film and for different reasons, Shammi Kapoor taught her to be modern and arranged her marriage with Pran. After knowing that Pran had a very bad reputation in society and was also involved with Mumtaz, the marriage was cancelled and Rajashree was saved at the end of the film. Again the scintillating music of Shankar Jaikishan amused the viewers. All the songs of Rafi including “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche”, “chakke pe chakka”, “dil ke jharoke me tujhko bithakar”, “mai gayun tum so jayo”, became landmark hits in the late 60s. Rajashree was extremely successful opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Around the World. Raj Kapoor played the role of an innocent person who had to travel all across the world, first as a worker in a ship and then after joining different forms of employments. He was attached with Rajashree during his travel to different places. The fantastic location of West Indies, United States, etc., was balanced by classic music of Shankar Jaikishan once again. Mukesh’s songs “kitna akela hoon mai”, “duniya ka sair kar lo”, “chale jana” became landmark hits in the late 60s. Rajashree acted in successful films opposite the other leading stars of bollywood films in the 60s, including Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Jeetender, to name a few. Most of those films including Sehnai, became successful. Rajashree faded out from the industry in the 70s. Her films should be restored for the next generations.

Sangam with Raj Kapoorsahab Vaijayanimalaji Rajender Kumarji was biggest blockbuster of 1964.

 Sangam was the greatest hit film.  Sangam  Ayee Milan Ki Bela  Dosti  Ziddi  Raj Kumar  Kashmir Ki Kali  Haqeeqat  Zindagi  April Fool  Woh Kaun Thi Sangam was the greatest hit film. Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala 1964 was a significant year in the history of bollywood films in India. There were various reasons for that. Firstly budgets of Indian films increased. Secondly from making black and white films majority of filmmakers started making coloured films. The technology of Indian films developed. More shooting of Indians took place in foreign countries. Music in those films just improved and improved. Sangam Raj Kapoor, Vaijayantimala in Sangam In 1964 the greatest blockbuster was Sangam. The film was produced and directed by Raj Kapoor. It was one of most successful films Raj Kapoor had made. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Brilliant performance of Vaijyantimala, Raj Kapoor and Rajender Kumar made the viewers spellbound. The story of Inder Raaj Anand was also very touching. Shooting of Raj Kapoor in Switzerland, Paris and other European countries created a treat for the eyes. Shankar Jaikishan’s excellent music with super hit songs of Rafi “ye mera prempatra par kar”, Mukesh “dost dost na raha”, Lata “O mere sanam”, to name a few. Raj Kapoor won the best director filmfare award for Sangam, while Vaijayantimala won the best actress award for best performance in Sangam. Ayee Milan Ki Bela Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu, Dharmender The second greatest hit film was Ayee Milan Ki Bela. Rajender Kumar, Saira Banu and Dharmender were the lead artists. The music of Shankar Jaikishan was excellent with Rafi’s brilliant songs “to bura maan gaye”, “hum pyar ka diwana”, “aha aye Milan ki bela”, etc., all became super hit. The performance of Saira Banu and Rajender Kumar was excellent. The direction of Mohan Kumar and production of J. Om Prakash require special mention. Dosti Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar in Dosti The third greatest hit film was Dosti. Very significantly it was a black and white classic film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya of Rajashri Productions. The film was the remake of super hit Bengali film Lalubhulu directed Agradoot. Sudhir Kumar and Sushil Kumar were the lead artists, one playing the role of a blind child while the other being handicapped whose feet was lost in an accident. There were no superstars in the film but the brilliant story touched the souls of every Indian. Sanjay Khan made his debut in the film. In Lalubhulu excellent music of Robin Chatterjee, excellent lyrics of Sailen Roy with brilliant songs of Manobendra Mukherjee namely “dukkho amar shesh kore dao probhu”, “ei pranjharona jaglo”, was worth mentioning. In Dosti, excellent music of Laxmikant Pyarellal, brilliant lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “chahunga mai tujhe”, “rahi manwa dukh ki chinta” made the viewers spellbound. Ziddi Joy Mukherjee, Asha Parekh The fourth greatest hit film was Ziddi. Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Pramod Chakraborty. There were strong performances from Mehmood, Subha Khote, Dhoomal, Nazima. SD Burman’s music was very significant with Rafi’s hit songs “teri surat se”, “janu kya mera dil”, and Manna Dey’s comedy songs “pyar ki aag me”, “mai tere pyar me” etc. Asha Parekh’s strong dance performances require special mention. Raj Kumar Sadhna, Shammi Kapoor The fifth greatest hit film was Raj Kumar. Shammi Kapoor and Sadhna were the lead artists. The film was directed by K. Shankar. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and brilliant songs of Mohammad Rafi namely “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye”, “tumne kisi ki jaan ko”, were worth mentioning. The supporting performances of Pran, Manorama, Prithviraj Kapoor, Rajender Nath require special mention. Kashmir Ki Kali Shammi Kapoor Sharmila Tagore The sixth greatest hit film was Kashmir Ki Kali. Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore were the lead artists. The film was produced and directed by Shakti Shamanta. The brilliant music of OP Nayyar and excellent songs of Rafi including “ye chand sa roshan chehra”, “diwana hua badal”, etc., flabbergasted the audience. Excellent shooting in Jammu and Kashmir require special mention. Nasir Hussain, Pran and other supporting actors did well. Haqeeqat Balraj Sahani, Dharmender The seventh greatest hit film was Haqeeqat. The film was written and directed by Chetan Anand on the backdrop of Indo-China war. Strong performances from Balraj Sahani, Dharmender, Jayant, Priya Rajwangsh require special mention. Excellent music of Madanmohan Kohli, excellent lyrics of Kaif Azmi and songs of Rafi “kar chale hum fida”, Lata “zara si aahat”, etc., require special mention. Singer Bhupinder Singh acted and sang in the film the song “hoke majboor usne bulaya hoga” with Rafi, Manna Dey, Talat Mehmood. Zindagi Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala The eighth greatest hit film was Zindagi. It was produced by S.S. Vasan of Gemini Pictures and directed by Ramanand Sagar. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala and Raj Kumar played the lead roles. Again the hit music of Shankar Jaikishan with successful songs of Rafi “pehele mile the sapno me” contributed in the success of the film. The performances of supporting actors Prithviraaj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, Jayant, require special mention. April Fool Biswajeet, Saira Banu The ninth greatest hit film was April Fool. It was directed by Subodh Mukherjee. Saira Banu and Biswajeet Chatterjee played the lead roles. The excellent music of Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammad Rafi’s brilliant songs “aa gale lag ja”, “april fool banaya” once again attracted attention. The brilliant shooting in Jammu and Kashmir was worth mentioning. Woh Kaun Thi Manoj Kumar, Sadhna The tenth greatest hit film was Woh Kaun Thi. The film was a crime-thriller directed by Raj Khoshla. Manoj Kumar, Sadhna, Prem Chopra, KN Singh gave excellent performances. The horror effect created by Madanmohan’s music and Lata’s song “naina barse”, “lagja gale”, require special mention. The film can be considered to be one of the best 10 horror film ever made in India. A number of observations can be made in respect of 1964. Shankar Jaikishan still dominated the world of music. Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Zindagi and April Fool became super hit due to their excellent music. Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar were at their best and every film had their great contribution. The other composers Madanmohan Kohli, OP Nayyar, SD Burman, Laxmikant Pyarellal all were excellent in their contribution. Naushad Ali also composed excellent music in Dilip Kumar’s Leader in 1964. Among the actors after Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar was a great crowd puller. Three of his films Sangam, Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Zindagi featured in the top 10 films. Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Manoj Kumar, Biswajeet Chatterjee, Dharmender made notable contribution. Among the actresses Vaijayantimala was at the top. Saira Banu, Sadhna, Asha Parekh were the other contributors who gave excellent competition. Big Budget films like Sangam were appreciated, at the same time medium budget films like Dosti, created havoc. Good stories were appreciated by the audience

Shankar Jaikishanji were instrumental to give the maximum number of jubilee hits between 1940s to 1960s.

Jubilee hit films of Shankar Jaikishan. Shankar Jaikishan are the musical duo who became immortal with their music. Between 1949 to 1971 they became a phenomenon. Their music really enchanted the listeners. Here is the list of jubilee hits of SJ. 1949 - Barsaat - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1951 - Awaara - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1952 - Daag - Dilip Kumar - Silver jubilee 1955 - Shree 420 - Raj Kapoor - Golden jubilee 1956 - Chori Chori - Raj Kapoor - Silver jubilee 1956 - Basant Bahar - Bharat Bhushan - Silver jubilee 1958 - Yahudi - Dilip Kumar - Silver jubilee 1959 - Anari - Raj Kapoor - Golden Jubilee 1960 - Jis Desh me Ganga Behti Hai - Raj Kapoor - Golden Jubilee 1960 - Dil Apna Prit Parayi - Raj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1961 - Junglee - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1961 - Sasural - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1962 - Professor - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1962 - Hariyali Aur Raasta - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1963 - Dil Ek Mandir - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - Sangam - Raj Kapoor, Rajender Kumar - Platinum Jubilee 1964 - Ayee Milan Ki Bela - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - Zindagi - Rajender Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1964 - April Fool - Biswajeet - Silver Jubilee 1965 - Aarzoo - Rajender Kumar - Golden Jubilee 1965 - Janwar - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1965 - Gumnaam - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee 1966 - Suraj - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1966 - Love in Tokyo - Joy Mukherjee - Silver Jubilee 1967 - An Evening in Paris - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1968 - Brahmchari - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1968 - Shikar - Dharmender - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Yakeen - Dharmender - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Kanyadaan - Shashi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1969 - Prince - Shammi Kapoor - Silver Jubilee 1972 - Beimaan - Manoj Kumar - Silver Jubilee In 1949, Raj Kapoor rose to Stardom with Barsaat. Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat became the greatest blockbuster which was a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. Mukesh’s “chor gaye balam”, Lataji’s “hawa me urta jaye” and “jiya beqarar hai” became super hit. In 1951, Raj Kapoor’s Awaara became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. It became popular in Russia and Europe as well. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Prithviraj Kapoor, Leela Chitnis, KN Singh played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “awara hoon, yah gardish me hoon aasman ka tara hun”, Lataji’s “jab se balam ghar aye”, “ghar aya mere pardesi” became super hit. In 1952, Dilip Kumar’s Daag was a silver jubilee hit film. Talatji’s song “koi nahi mera is duniya me” and “ei mere dil kahin aur chal” became super hit. In 1955, Raj Kapoor’s Shree 420 became the biggest blockbuster. It was a golden jubilee hit and ran for more than 50 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Rafisahab’s song “ramaiya vasta maiya”, Manna Deysahab’s song “dil ka haal sune dilwala”, “mur murke na dekh”, Lataji’s song “ichakdana” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Azaad was the 2nd biggest hit. In 1956 Raj Kapoor’s Chori Chori was a silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Nargis, Raj Kapoor, Pran played the lead role. The music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Manna Dey’s song “aaja sanam madhu chandni me hum”, “yeh raat bheegi bheegi”, Lataji’s “rasik balma” became super hit. In 1956, Bharat Bhushan’s Basant Bahar also became a silver jubilee hit. Manna Dey’s song “sur na saje”, Bhim Sen Joshi’s “Ketaki gulab”, Rafisahab’s “duniya na bhaye mohe” became big hit. In 1959, Raj Kapoor’s Anari was the biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit. It ran for more than 50 weeks. Hrishikesh Mukherjee directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed music for the film. Nutan, Raj Kapoor, Lalita Power played the lead roles. Mukeshji’s song “sab kuch seekha humne”, “kisiki muskurahaton pe ho nisar”, Lataji’s song “yeh chand khilan”, became super hit. Raj Kapoor received the filmfare award for best actor for Anari in that year. In 1960, Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai became the 4th biggest blockbuster and a golden jubilee hit running for more than 50 weeks. It was produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by Radhu Karmakar. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Padmini, Pran acted opposite Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor again received filmfare award for best actor for the film. Lataji’s song “o maine pya kiya”, “o basanti pawanapawan”, Mukeshji’s song “aa ab laut chale”, “mera naam raju”, “hoton pe sacchai rehte hai” became super hit. In that year Dilip Kumar’s Mughal I Azam was the biggest blockbuster. In 1960, Raj Kumar’s Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi became silver jubilee hit. Lataji’s songs ‘sheesha-e-dil itna na uchalo”, “dil apna aur preet parayi” became big hit. In 1961, Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair” became super hit. In 1961, Rajender Kumar’s Sasural became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s song “ek sawal tum karon”, “teri pyari pyari surat ko” became super hit. In 1963, Rajender Kumar, Raj Kumar’s film Dil Ek Mandir became silver jubilee hit. Lataji’’s song “ruk ja raat”, “hum tere pyar me sara alam” and Rafisahab’s “jahan koi nahi”, “dil ek mandir hai” and “yaad na jaye” became super hit. In 1964, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam became the biggest blockbuster and a platinum jubilee hit. It ran for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor produced and directed the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed the music of the film. Rajender Kumar, Vaijayantimala, Raj Kapoor played the lead roles. All the songs became super hit including Rafisahab’s “ki tum naaraaz na hona”, Mukeshji’s “bol radha bol”, “o mehbooba”, to name a few. In 1964, Sangam was Rajender Kumar’s biggest blockbuster in entire career ending up as platinum jubilee running for more than 75 weeks. Raj Kapoor and Vaijayantimala’s performances were as brilliant as Rajender Kumar’s performance. Rafisahab’s song composed by Shankar Jaikishan “ki tum naraaz na hona” haunted the viewers. In the same year, Rajender Kumar’s Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Zindagi ended up as silver jubilee hits running for more than 25 weeks. Again Rafisahab and Shankar Jaikishan’s combination created gold for Rajender Kumar including the songs “tum khamseen ho”, “tu bura maan gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum”, “aha aye milan ki bela”, “pehele mile the sapno me”, to name a few. Vaijayantimala acted opposite Rajender Kumar in Zindagi, while Saira Banu acted opposite Rajender Kumar in Ayee Milan Ki Bela. In 1965, Rajender Kumar’s film Aarzoo became silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Again the Rafisahab, Shankar Jaikishan produced gold, the landmark songs being “aye nargisi mastana”, “chalke teri ankhon se”, “aji humse bachkar kahan jayiega”. Sadhna’s performance opposite Rajender Kumar was brilliant and the film ended up being the 4th biggest hit of the year. In 1966, Rajender Kumar’s film Suraj became silver jubilee hit running for more than 25 weeks. Again it was magic combination of Rafisahab and Shankar Jaikishan which created gold. The landmark songs included “gustaqi maaf”, “kaise samjhayun bari nasamajh ho”, “itna hai tumse pyar mujhe mere raazdaar”, to name a few. Vaijayantimala acted opposite Rajender Kumar in the film. In 1965, Manoj Kumar’s Gumnaam became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “jaan pehchaan ho”, “jaane chaman shola badan” and Lataji’s “gumnaam hai koi” became super hit. In 1965, Shammi Kapoor’s Janwar became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “lal chari maidaan khari”, “tum se accha kaun hai”, Suman Kalyanpur’s “mere sang ga gunguna” became super hit. In 1966, Joy Mukherjee’s Love in Tokyo became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, “aaja re aa zara aa” became super hit. In 1967, Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “aasman se aya farishta”, raat ke humsafar” became big hits. In 1967, Dharmender’s Shikar became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s song “shikar karne ko aye” and Ashaji’s song “parde me rahene do” became a big hit. In 1968, Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmchari became silver jubilee hit. Rafisahab’s songs “mai gayun tum so jayo”, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche” became super hit. In 1971, Jaikishan’s death brought a big blow to marathon innings of Shankar Jaikishan in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. The songs require restoration and preservation as they are still young and immortal.

Between Raj Kapoorji and Dilip Kumarji who was the greatest icon of the millennium?

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