Meena Kumari - The Tragedy-queen of Indian cinema

Meena Kumari – the tragedy queen of Indian Cinema.

Meena Kumari can be considered as the greatest actress of Bollywood during the golden age who had portrayed images and characters showing complexity of the mind of the Indian women and the social ostentations that they had faced during different periods of time. Meena Kumari, born on 1st August, 1932, known as Mahjabeen Bano, stormed into the Indian silver screen in 1952, with the sublime performance in Baiju Bawra. Although the film had been renowned for everlasting composition of Hindustani ragas by Naushad and supreme performance of Mohammad Rafi, with songs like “man tarpata”, “woh duniya ke rakhwale”, etc., Meena Kumari’s performance opposite Bharat Bhushan showed the filmlovers that she had come to conquer Bollywood with her soft style of acting.


In the 50s Meena Kumari’s performance in films like Parineeta, 1953, Footpath, 1954, Yahudi, 1958, etc. were appreciated by critics, but she had created her image of martyr in the film Sharda, 1957, where even after having an affair with Raj Kapoor, in the film she had to sarcrifice her affection to marry Raj Mehra, his father, who was much older than her. In Dil Ek Mandir, 1963, Meena Kumari after having affair with Rajender Kumar in her youth had to marry Raj Kumar, due to social pressure. But from the time she had married Raj Kumar, she fulfilled all the duties of a middle class Hindu woman, and brought her sick husband to the hospital at the mercy of Rajender Kumar. She prayed to God, for the recovery of Raj Kumar. Rajender Kumar sacrificed his life to treat her husband and died at the end of the film. The songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Rafi and Lata, had not lost their significance even today.



In 1962, Meena Kumari, performed the role of choti bahu, in Guru Dutt’s Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam, the film showing the zamindari raj (dominance of Feudal lords) existing in the British capital in India, that is Kolkata. She was married to the youngest son in a family of zamindars who used to attend mujras in Jaan bazaar, in Kolkata, where performers from Lucknow, Benaras used to come and exhibit their skills of singing classical songs. She tried to retain her husband Rehman at home, and through her conversation, Guru Dutt, the observer came to know about the history of the family.



Meena Kumar’s performance opposite Pradeep Kumar, used to create a different dimension, as her pardanashin image had matched with royal style of acting of Pradeep Kumar. After the success of Aarti, 1962, Meena Kumari, acted in the blockbusters Bheegi Raat, 1965, and Bahu Begum, 1967, opposite Pradeep Kumar and Ashok Kumar. In Bheegi Raat, she loved Pradeep Kumar, yet due to an accident which made her legs paralysed she could not attend the engagement and worked in the house of Ashok Kumar as governess. When society boycotted Ashok Kumar, she agreed to marry her, but presence of Pradeep Kumar at the end of the film in the song “dil jo na keh saka” compelled Ashok Kumar to sacrifice his affair and go back to London. It was a film where, Rafi, Lata, Roshan and the actors all had provided their best performance possible. Meena Kumar’s other film with Pradeep Kumar titled Chitralekha was also successful.

Meena Kumari had become immortal with her classic performance in the film Pakeeza, 1971, opposite Raj Kumar, which took around 10 years to be completed. It was created on a subject related to women brought up in kotha and exhibited the class of women who could not give the recognition to their next generation as their father’s are not known. The music composed by Ghulam Mohammad, Lata and Rafi’s songs, Kamal Humrohi’s direction (the husband of Meena Kumari) all complemented each other, and the film became historical piece of document.



The greatest hallmark of Meena Kumari lied in her ability to depict the helplessness of Indian women existing specially in the 50s and 60s, when the patriarchal society dominated them and they had no independent income to live separately against the pressure of society. In her performances, beauty, aristrocracy, tragedy, personality all blended into one. Whenever we think about cine-classics like Dil Apna aur Preet Parayi, 1960, or Ghazal, 1965, Meena Kumari’s image automatically comes in our mind. She died in 1972, only at an age of 41. Meena Kumari’s films should be restored in an archive for future generations to learn the art of understanding the characters from the core of the heart the way Meena Kumari had done during the golden age of Indian cinema.

Suchitra Sen- one of the greatest actresses on Tollywood and Bollywood

Suchitra Sen- One of the greatest actresses of Bollywood and Tollywood.

Suchitra Sen can be considered as one of the most glamourous actresses ever to appear in Indian Celluloid. Rama Sen, born on 6th April, 1931, better known as Suchitra Sen, can be considered as the greatest actresses who had remained sublime in her immortal performances. She started her career in the Bengali film Saat Number Qoidi, meaning Prisoner No. 7 in early 50s. She stormed into the Bengali silverscreen by forming successful combination with Uttam Kumar in the film Sare Chuattor, 1953. Her combination with Sandhya Mukherjee and Geeta Dutt, had provided a golden age glorified with melodious romantic songs.

In the mean time, her poetic eyes persuaded Bimal Roy to cast her opposite Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, in the film Devdas in 1955. She brought out both the affection and submissiveness possessed by Bengali housewives in the 30s and 40s in the role of Parbati and done justice to Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s epic novel Devdas, which is even remade today, with Aiswariya Rai acting in the role of Suchitra Sen. She got offer to act in hindi films like Champakali opposite Bharat Bhushan, Musafir opposite Dilip Kumar and Bombai Ka Babu opposite Dev Anand.



While performing in a number of successful hindi films, she dominated the Bengali silver screen by providing golden jubilees one after the other, in Pathe Holo Deri, Chawa Pawa, Indrani, etc. In Harano Sur (Missing tune), in 1957, she acted in the role of a doctor who treated the patient Uttam Kumar, who lost his memory and could not even recognise her as her wife. She worked in the house of Uttam Kumar as governess of his brother’s daughter and struggled to bring back his memory by singing the missing tune. Suchitra Sen blended her romantic appeal, with the softness and humbleness possessed by women at that period of time and won all the sympathy of the audience with her everlasting performance.

In Deep Jele Jai, 1959, Suchitra Sen played the role of a nurse who acted as the girlfriend of people suffering from psychological shock due to unsuccessful affair. Day after day, she had to do the acting and a time came when she became a patient herself. Her outburst at the end of the film saying “I never acted, I never knew how to act” created unrest in the cinema halls. Wahida Rehman, took up the challenge in the hindi film Khamoshi, 1969, but she too, being a classic actress, could not bring out the feeling of the frustrated nurse, the way Suchitra Sen had done. In Saptapadi, 1961, her performance, in the role of Rina Brown, an anglo-Indian who gets involved in an affair with Bengali Brahmin played by Uttam Kumar, and sacrificed her love on the request of his father (played by Chabi Biswas). Unfortunately, Uttam Kumar, embraced Christianity and devoted his life as a doctor who treated patients suffering the after mirth of Second World War. Ajoy Kar’s cine-classic was glorified by powerful dialogue delivery and unmatched performance of Suchitra Sen.

Her performance in Saat Pake Badha, 1963, where she played the role of an affluent Bengali who married a middle class academician, commanded respect, sympathy and tears in the eyes of compassionate film-lovers. The over interference of her mother in the household affairs of her family, irritated her husband, and her effort to show adjustment and sacrifice went in vain as the bond ended with her husband leaving the city. She received the best actress award in the Moscow Film Festival in that year, for showing the depth of understanding the complex character depicted by the novelist. Jaya Bacchan was inspired by her performance when she acted in hindi version of the same film titled Kora Kagaz, 1974.



Her performance in a double role in the film Uttar Falguni, 1963, and Mamta (the hindi version of the same film), 1966, can be considered as the best performance ever given in a subject related to a bond of mother and a daughter. She being a victim of ill-treatment from her husband and under compulsion became a tawaif who sacrificed her life to make her daughter a barrister who pleaded in Calcutta High Court in a murder case, where her mother had killed the cruel husband who wanted to destroy the life of the daughter. She got involved in the role of both the tawaif and the barrister with such elegance that the director Asit Sen, got mixed up with the feeling that two separate actresses were playing the two roles.



Gulzar, in his interview before the media said that he could not get a more dignified appearance in any other actress who could play the role in the film Aandhi, the way Suchitra Sen had acted in 1975. She was a politician who got cornered by opposition due to the policies she had taken, impersonating the period when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, faced the consequences of declaring emergency in mid-70s. She not only brought out the feelings of a loner but also matched Sanjeev Kumar in personality who was considerate and compassionate towards his wife. Suchitra Sen stopped acting in 1978, and was not seen performing in celluloid or television channels. May be eternal silence had increased the respect and honour for her numerous admirers in the country, although her granddaughters Raima Sen and Riya Sen are involved in a number of bollywood films these days. Suchitra Sen’s films should be preserved and restored in an archive to inspire new actresses to blend softness, personality, compassion in the characters the way Suchitra Sen had done in Bollywood and Tollywood films.

Kalyanji Anandji's association with Rafi

Kalyanji Anandji’s association with Mohammad Rafi.

In the Golden age of Indian film music, many composers have enriched the firmament of music with their innovative compositions, yet they did not get the recognition they deserved. Kalyanji Virji Shah (born in 1928) and Anandji Virji Shah, (born in 1933) better known as Kalyanji and Anandji, started their journey with the film Samrat Chandragupta, in 1958.



In early 60s, Kalyanji Anandji provided successful tunes in Raj Kapoor’s Chalia, in 1960, where songs like “chalia mera naam”, “dum dum diga diga” becoming successful. Due to strong dominance of Shankar Jaikishan in that era, most of the music lovers could not dissociate compositions of other composers, and thought it was S J’s composition. In Raj Kapoor’ film Dulha Dulhan, 1964, Mukesh’s song “humne tumko pyar diya hai jitna” was composed with tragic andaz.

Kalyanji Anandji associated with Mohammad Rafi, the man dominating the world of playback singing in that age in Shammi Kapoor’s film Bluff Master, 1963, where most of the songs were sung by Rafi followed by Joy Mukherjee’s Ji Chahta Hai, in 1964. The most successful composition of the musical duo came in 1965 with Shashi Kapoor’s film Jab Jab Phool Khilen, where Rafi’s songs ‘pardesiyon se na ankhiyan milana”, “mai yahan ek ajnabi hun”, “na na karke pyar” becoming super duper hits. In the film Himalay Ki God Me, 1965, Kalyanji Anandji’s composition and Mukesh and Lata’s songs became successful. In 1967, Kalyanji Anandji won filmfare award for their superlative composition in Manoj Kumar’s Upkaar. Manna Dey’s song “kasme wade” was as successful as Mahendra Kapoor’s song “o mere desh ke dharti” and Rafi’s duet song with Asha Bhosle “Gulabi raat gulabi”.



Rafi’s combination with Kalyanji Anandji continued in Shashi Kapoor’s Haseena Maan Jayegi, in 1968, with songs like “Bekhudi me sanam”, “Chale the saath milke” and the songs in the film Raaz, 1967, where Rafi’s song “Akele Hain Chale Ayo” becoming very popular. Mukesh’s song “Chandan sa badan” from the film Saraswatichandra, 1968, was also successful. Kalyanji Anandji composed legendary bhajan for Rafi titled “sukh ke sab sathi, dukh me na koi” in Dilip Kumar’s film Gopi, 1970.


In the 1970s, Kalyanji Anandji provided successful songs to Kishore Kumar including “Zindagi ka safar” in the film Safar. Rafi’s song in Raj Kumar’s Maryada, 1971, titled “tu jo aja” had an everlasting effect in the film. Kalyanji Anandji’s composition included hilly tunes composed in Rajender Kumar’s film Geet, in 1970, where Rafi’s songs “aaja tujhko pukare mere geet” becoming everlasting hit.

Kalyanji Anandji were the only musical duo along with Laxmikant Pyarellal, who could blend their own skills with the general taste of popular cinema which changed with passage of time. That was the reason why Kalyanji Anandji succeeded in composing successful songs for Firoz Khan’s films Apradh, 1972, Dharmatma, 1975, Jaanbaaz, 1986, which were spread out in two decades. He even composed successful songs in action pact films like Muqaddar ka Sikander, 1977, where he asked Kishore Kumar to sing the song “rote hue ate hai sab” for Amitabh Bacchan in the happy mood, and Mohammad Rafi to sing the same song in sombre mood for Vinod Khanna in the same film.

It is difficult to compile the contribution of Kalyanji Anandji in a short article because they had created everlasting hits in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and even 90s. But they had grand association with Rafi, and wherever they got opportunity the combination had provided immortal songs which can be preserved for immense musical value.


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