Manoj Kumarsahab Upkar and Dilip Kumar sahab Ram Aur Shyam were major blockbusters of 1967

The biggest blockbusters of 1967. In 1967, different types of films were released in India with different storylines. While there were social films like Milan, but also there were other films like An Evening in Paris, where the entire film was shot in foreign location. The biggest blockbuster of the year was Upkar. Manoj Kumar played a village man 'Bharat', who sacrificesd everything to get his brother educated. His brother Puran (Prem Chopra) went abroad and came back a selfish man wanting his share of the property. But when India started a war with Pakistan, Bharat decided to enlist and head to the border; while his selfish brother, with the help of his greedy uncle, Charandas(Madan Puri) and some partners, tried to gain profit by selling drugs and black marketing in the market. In the end, Bharat returned as a demoralized soldier having lost the war and his brother repented as he was caught by the police (by the brother-in-law of Bharat). Hence, he vowed to be a good & hardworking brother just like his Indo-Pak war veteran brother Bharat. The movie also starred Asha Parekh as a doctor promoting family planning, Kamini Kaushal and Pran in his first positive character role. Madan Puri played the main villain with ease, full ability, and command. The film won several major awards. Manoj Kumar won the film award for the best director of the film. Mahendra Kapoor won the national award for best singer for the song “mere desh ki dharti”. The 2nd biggest blockbuster of the year was Ram Aur Shyam. This was the first double role of tragedy king Dilip Kumar. Ram (Dilip Kumar) lived with his sister Sulakshna (Nirupa Roy) and niece Kuku in his family estate. His brother-in-law Gajendra (Pran) looked after his factories and controlled his property with an iron hand. Ram was shy and coward in nature. He was always abused and brutally beaten by Gajendra. Sulakshna and Kuku tried to protect Ram from Gajendra whenever he whipped Ram. Everybody decided to get Ram married for his well being. Gajendra found a rich girl Anjana (Waheeda Rehman) with the aim of getting a huge dowry. Anjana disliked Ram after he spilled tea over her due to nervousness. Gajendra angry at Ram's behaviour, conspired with the support of his mother and cunning Munimji to kill Ram and take over his property. Ram overheard this and escapes to the city to save his life. Meanwhile, Ram's long lost twin brother Shyam (Dilip Kumar) lived in a village with his adopted mother Ganga whom he believed to be his birth mother. No one other than Ganga knew the truth about the twin brothers. Shyam was strong, brave and mischievous, unlike his brother. He had a love hate relationship with Shanta (Mumtaz). Shyam escaped to the city, after a mischievous conflict with Ganga, and met Anjana, who was impressed by his personality. Anjana and her father confused Shyam with Ram. Ram met Shanta who thought he was Shyam and took him forcefully to his mother. Ram and Shanta developed feelings for each other. Meanwhile, Shyam decided to take the place of Ram to face Gajendra. Shyam refused to sign his property after which angry Gajendra attacked him. Shyam retaliated and whipped Gajendra hard, shocking everybody. Sulakshna stopped her brother to protect her husband. Gajendra was startled after being beaten up by Shyam, whom everybody believed as Ram. Shanta and Anjana met and both claimed the picture of Ram as their fiancé. Gajendra learned that Shyam has taken the place of Ram. He abducted Ram and Shanta, and planned to kill Ram. He framed Shyam for the murder of Ram though Ram was alive. Shyam was arrested by police. Anjana and her father learned from Ganga that Ram and Shyam were twin brothers lost in a village fair. Shyam escaped from police custody and battled Gajendra and his henchmen. Gajendra tried to shoot them but both the brothers and Shanta manage to defeat him. At the end twin brothers were happily married and the family reunited. As usual the Naushad Ali, Rafisahab, Shakeel Badayani magic worked for Dilip Kumar and all the songs like “aaj ki raat mere”, “ayi hai bahar mite zulmo sitam”, “mai hoon saqi tu hai sharabi sharabi”, became super hit. Many films were later made with same storyline like Sita Aur Geeta, Chaalbaaz, etc. The 3rd biggest hit film was Farz. It was 1967 Hindi spy thriller film produced by Sunderlal Nahata Dundi on Vijaya Lakhshmi Pictures banner and directed by Ravikant Nagaich. The film starred Jeetendra and Babita in lead roles and music composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Jeetender’s career took a big turn with the success of the film. LP’s music for Rafisahab became bumper hit like “tujhse o haseena”, “baar baar din yeh aye”, “mast bahaaro ka mai aashiq” to name a few. The 4th biggest hit film was Humraaz. It was a 1967 Hindi film of the suspense thriller genre, produced and directed by B. R. Chopra, and written by Akhtar ul Iman. The film starred Sunil Dutt, Raaj Kumar, Mumtaz, Vimi, Sarika, Madan Puri, Iftekhar, Balraj Sahni, Jeevan and Helen. The film's music was composed by Ravi, while the lyrics were penned by Sahir Ludhianvi. Mahendra Kapoor received filmfare award for best singer for his song “neele gagan ke tale”. The 5th biggest hit film was Shagird. is a 1967 Indian Bollywood comedy film directed by Samir Gunguly. The film starred Joy Mukherjee and Saira Banu in lead roles. The LP Rafisahab magic worked in this film also with the songs “duniya pagal hai”, “bare miya deewane”, “wo hai zara khafa khafa” becoming big hits.

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

Veteran singer Mahendra Kapoorji is remembered for legendary songs

Veteran singer Mahendra Kapoor was remembered on his death anniversary. Few years ago the great singer had left the listeners. But he is alive in his numerous brilliant basic discs and film songs. He came to limelight in bollywood music with the resemblance of classical singer Mohammad Rafi. In fact Rafi is the idol and guru and Mahendra Kapoor learned singing from the musical giant. Mahendra Kapoor became a big contributor in BR Chopra’s films in the 50s and 60s. In Rajender Kumar’s film Dhool Ka Phool Mahendra Kapoor’s songs were very successful. During that period, Mahendra Kapoor sang a brilliant Bengali modern song “ekti e raat katena” which made viewers spellbound. The song had pathos feeling, romantic appeal, classical touch everything embedded in it. He was unblemish in Sunil Dutt’s film Gumraah released in 1963. His song “chalo ek baar bhir se” became super hit in the early 60s. Composer Ravi had composed many brilliant tunes for Mahendra Kapoor in his illustrious career which included the songs “neele gagan ki tale” in the film Humraaz for which he received filmfare award for the best singer, “in baharon me in ghatayon me tujhko mera dil pukare” in the film Gumraah to name a few. Mahendra Kapoor also sang many songs under composition of OP Nayyar which included “one two three” in Biswajeet’s film Kismat, “lakhon hai mera dilwala” in Biswajeet’s film Kismat, “baharen phir bhi ayegi” in Dharmender’s film Baharen Phir Bhi Ayegi. Mahendra Kapoor also sang important songs in the blockbusters of Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. In Raj Kapoor’s Sangam his song “har dil jo pyar karega” with Mukesh and Lata became super hit. In Dilip Kumar’s films Ram Aur Shyam and Aadmi, his songs were impressive. Mahendra Kapoor started a new innings with Manoj Kumar’s film Upkaar. He sang numerous number of patriotic songs for Manoj Kumar including “rang de basanti chola” in the film Shahid, “mere desh ki dharti “ in the film Upkaar, etc. He contributed in films like Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Kranti, etc. It is not possible to highlight the contribution of Mahendra Kapoor who had contributed in bollywood films for more than 40 years in a small article. Numerous listeners miss Mahendra Kapoor but remember him in his melodious songs. His songs and films should be restored.