Sunday, May 29, 2022

Bhoolbhulaiya 2 is declared blockbuster with 140 crore world business and 120 crore Indian box office in 8 days with outstanding performances of Tabu.

Due to superlative performance of Tabu in double role and Kartik Aryan and Kiara Advani Bhool Bhulaiya 2 has done Indian business of 120 crore in India and 140 crore in World Market. It has been declared a blockbuster. Aneez Bazmee has given a greater hit than Bhoolbhulaiya 1.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language comedy horror film directed by Anees Bazmee, written by Aakash Kaushik and Farhad Samji, and produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar under the banner T-Series Films and Murad Khetani and Anjum Khetani under the banner Cine1 Studios. A standalone sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), the film stars Tabu, Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani and follows Ruhaan Randhawa, a fraud psychic who is brought in to deal with the return of Manjulika, a malevolent spirit hell-bent on revenge against the Thakur family. Principal photography began in October 2019 and filming was completed in February 2022. Primarily filmed in a real mansion in Lucknow, other shooting locations included Mumbai and Manali. Aaryan lost his voice momentarily while performing for the climax sequence of the film. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2's soundtrack was composed by Pritam and Tanishk Bagchi, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Sameer, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Mandy Gill. It features a remix single of the 2007 film's title track by Neeraj Shridhar. Initially set for release on 31 July 2020, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was delayed owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was theatrically released in India on 20 May 2022 and received positive reviews from critics, with particular praise for Tabu's performance. As of 27 May 2022, the film has earned ₹132.84 crore (US$17 million) worldwide to become the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2022. In 2004, in a palace in Bhawanigarh, Rajasthan, priests capture an angry spirit set on attacking a member of the Thakur family, and trap it inside a room. The family abandon the palace, leaving it deserted. Sometime in present-day Himachal Pradesh, Ruhaan Randhawa meets Reet Rathore, who is travelling home for her wedding to Sagar on a bus via Chandigarh. The two cut short their trip to attend a music festival. The bus they were supposed to be on falls into a ditch and all the passengers die. Reet attempts to contact her family, who assume she has died; over the phone, she overhears her cousin Trisha and Sagar and realise that they are in love. Reet decides to play dead for a while so that Trisha and Sagar can marry instead. Reet and Ruhaan reach Bhawanigarh and hide in the deserted ancestral palace, where the spirit is trapped. The Thakurs catch Ruhaan in the palace and he convinces them that he is a psychic who was brought there by Reet's spirit. He claims that her spirit wishes to stay in the palace with her family and see her cousin get married. Ruhaan becomes famous in the village as Rooh Baba for his supposed powers and he and Reet fall in love. Anjulika, Reet's sister-in-law, warns Ruhaan to stay away from the locked room where Manjulika is trapped. Manjulika and Anjulika were identical twins from Kolkata who came to the palace with their father after he got a job there as an accountant. He favoured Anjulika over her sister, leading to a jealous Manjulika seeking refuge in practicing black magic. Manjulika fell in love with Uday Thakur, but Uday chose Anjulika over her. Angered, she resolved to kill her sister after killing their father. Anjulika fatally stabbed Manjulika in self-defense. Since then, her spirit has killed eight members of the family and pushed Uday from the balcony, paralysing him. In 2004, a priest locked her spirit in a room. One night, Ruhaan and Reet are seen by Chhote Pandit, a priest, which spearheads a search. Knowing it is the one room no one will search, Ruhaan and Reet open Manjulika's room and hide there, freeing the spirit. Anjulika is attacked by Manjulika and discovers Reet is alive. The priest who trapped Manjulika is possessed and kills his disciples before being killed himself. Ruhaan encounters the spirit and she pushes him off the top of a fort. Ruhaan returns to the palace, now possessed and speaking in Bengali. As the family gathers, they discover that Reet is alive. Reet goes to protect Anjulika from Ruhaan, only to find Anjulika holding a knife to her throat, threatening to kill her. Ruhaan reveals that he was pretending to be possessed to bring out the truth. The spirit is actually Anjulika; Manjulika had been posing as her all these years. Ruhaan discovered the truth after the spirit spared him at the fort and told him to leave. On Anjulika's wedding night, Manjulika had switched places with her using black magic. It was Anjulika who was stabbed when she tried to attack her sister. Uday Thakur had discovered the truth but Manjulika pushed him off the balcony to keep him quiet. She also killed the eight family members because they too had discovered her true identity. Anjulika's spirit brutally attacks Manjulika and traps her in the same locked room. She has a moment with her family and thanks Ruhaan for revealing her story. Stating that she has unfinished business with her sister, she disappears into the locked room to Manjulika's screams. The family once again leaves the palace.

KGF 2 crossed 1300 crores business worldwide, 950 crores business in India and 500 crore business in Hindi box office

KGF Chapter 2 crosses 1300 crores worldwide business in 31 days, 950 crores in India and 500 crores in Hindi box office. With brilliant performances of Yash, Anant Nag, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon and other KGF chapter 2 is emerging as the biggest blockbuster ever. It has been business of 750 crores in 9 days and has potentials to end up at 1400 crore thereby breaking the records of Bahubali 2 and RRR. Director Prashanth Neel has flabbergasted everyone with a period film.
K.G.F: Chapter 2 is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films. The second instalment in a two-part series, it serves as a sequel to the 2018 film K.G.F: Chapter 1. The film stars Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty and Prakash Raj. It follows the assassin Rocky, who after establishing himself as the kingpin of the Kolar Gold Fields, must retain his supremacy over adversaries and government officials, while also coming to terms with his past. Produced on a budget of ₹100 crore (US$13 million), K.G.F: Chapter 2 is the most expensive Kannada film ever made. Neel retained the technicians from its predecessor with Bhuvan Gowda handling the cinematography and Ravi Basrur scoring the music for the soundtrack and the film's background. Dutt and Tandon joined the cast in early 2019, marking the former's Kannada film debut. Portions of the film were shot back-to-back with Chapter 1. Principal photography for the rest of the sequences commenced in March 2019, but was halted in February 2020 owing to the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Filming resumed five months later and was completed in December 2020. Locations included Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore and Kolar. K.G.F: Chapter 2 was theatrically released in India on 14 April 2022 in Kannada, along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages. It is also the first Kannada film to release in IMAX. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was generally considered an improvement over its predecessor. Neel's direction, the cinematography and performances (particularly Yash) received praise, but the pace and screenplay attracted criticism. Besides recording the second highest-opening day in India, the film set domestic opening day records in Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam, and surpassed the lifetime gross of its predecessor in two days to become the highest-grossing Kannada film. With earnings of ₹750 crore (US$98 million) globally, K.G.F: Chapter 2 is the eighth highest-grossing Indian film of all time, and also the third highest-grossing film in India. A sequel is in development. The night after detailing the events in K.G.F: Chapter 1, Anand Ingalagi suffers a stroke and his son Vijayendra takes over for K.G.F: Chapter 2. Rocky kills heir apparent Virat and takes charge as the kingpin of Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F), keeping Reena hostage to ensure the cooperation of Guru Pandian, Andrews and Rajendra Desai, and kills Kamal when he protests. He issues orders to start work in eight hidden mines. Meanwhile, Adheera resurfaces and kills all guards at an outpost. In a ruse to bring Rocky to Adheera, Andrews kills Desai to lure Reena outside K.G.F, and John captures Reena. Adheera shoots Rocky but spares his life, while his men roadblock all gold exports from K.G.F. Meanwhile, Shetty ties up with other subordinates of Andrews across the Western Coast and exterminates Rocky's allies. A recuperated Rocky along with Reena visits Dubai to deal in gold with Inayat Khalil, but Khalil had joined forces with Shetty. Rocky's aides kill Shetty's associates and recaptures the Western Coast, and Khalil deals with Rocky and sells him AK-47s. Rocky and his gang gravely wound Adheera and kill his henchmen with their newly acquired weapons. Exasperated with K.G.F, some central ministers had planned a no-confidence motion against the DYSS-supported government to bring Ramika Sen in power, but Rocky's henchmen threaten other ministers against the vote and the motion fails. Rocky kills Shetty, gaining control over Bombay. Pandian warns Rocky of Sen's rising stature but he disregards him. Three years later in 1981, she wins the Indian general elections and becomes Prime Minister. After CBI officer Kanneganti Raghavan briefs her about the situation in K.G.F, she closes all state borders and authorises him to raid Rocky's warehouses. A young Ingalagi is caught spying by Rocky's henchmen, but Rocky is impressed by his integrity. The CBI find nothing in their raids save for a 400 gram-gold bar. Rocky retrieves it from a police station and singlehandedly brings the place down with a DShK. Rocky halts all exports from K.G.F but continues the mining. His aides trace his biological father, a drunkard who abandoned his family, and Rocky anoints the unaware man caretaker of his mother's newly shifted grave. Reena confesses her feelings to Rocky and they get married. Rocky meets with Sen and hands her a file exposing his involvement in money laundering but she cannot consider it as almost all her party members were complicit in the corruption. Still furious after his defeat, Adheera makes his way to K.G.F through a secret passage with Andrews, Daya, John, supported by Khalil's armada. Just as Reena reveals her pregnancy to Rocky, Adheera fatally snipes her. In the ensuing clash, Rocky's army kill Andrews and Daya, while Rocky kills John and chokes Adheera to death. Rocky and his henchmen disrupt Sen's speech at the Parliament and kill Pandian. Pandian had staged the attack on Garuda for which Adheera was framed, and informed Adheera of Garuda's attack priorly. He was also the one who showed Adheera the secret passage, goaded Andrews into hiring Rocky, staged the no-confidence motion drama in Delhi and persuaded Shetty to join forces with Khalil just to gain Rocky's trust. Sen issues a death warrant against Rocky and enforces the Indian Army. Rocky evacuates K.G.F and leaves on a ship with his cache of gold. He signals the Navy to his location but refuses to surrender. Sen issues orders to bomb K.G.F and Rocky's ship, and he drowns in the ocean along with the gold, which stays lost till date. Before leaving, Rocky had formed a new colony for all K.G.F workers. A young Ingalagi decides to write a book on Rocky. In a mid-credits scene, three months post-Rocky's death, a CIA official hands over a file listing Rocky's crimes in United States and 16 other nations between 1978-1981 to Sen. In the present, the peon of the television news channel finds the final draft of K.G.F: Chapter 3.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

Looking back at owner of velvetty voice Talat Mehmood sahab on death anniversary.

The owner of velvette voice Talat Mehmood was remembered on his death anniversary on 9th May, 2022
. The listeners of bollywood music wish happy birthday to legendary singer Talat Mehmood on 24th February, 2015
. He was a leading performer in bollywood films during the 40s, 50s and 60s. Along with Rafi, Mukesh and other leading singers of bollywood Talat Mehmood sang notable songs in the films of leading stars of bollywood. He rendered his voice for most of the actors of the bollywood during the 40s and 50s including Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan, and others. His landmark songs included “dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai” composed by Ghulam Mohammad and picturised on Bharat Bhushan, in the film Mirza Ghalib in 1954, “koi nahi mera” composed by Shankar Jaikishan and picturised on Dilip Kumar in the film Daag in 1952, “mai dil hoon ek armaan bhara” picturised on Raj Kapoor in the film Anhonee in 1952, etc. He sang landmark songs for Dilip Kumar also in the films Footpath, Devdas, etc. All the leading composers of bollywood films of that age namely Naushad Ali, Shankar Jaikishan, Roshan Lal Nagrath, Madanmohan Kohli , OP Nayyar, Salil Choudhury, SD Burman and others used him in different films. His other landmark songs included “phir wohi sham” composed by Madanmohan and picturised on Bharat Bhushan in the film Jahan-ara released in 1964. Talat Mehmood acted in a number of films including Dil-e-Nadan opposite Shyama, Raftaar opposite Nadira, Waris opposite Suraiya, Ek Gaon Ki Kahani opposite Mala Sinha and also showed his acting talent in those films. He had been mainly associated with ghazals and soft romantic songs. His vibrating technique in rendition had charmed many listeners of the golden age. He also sang light songs for many composers. His other songs included “jalte hai jiske liye” composed by SD Burman in the film Sujata, “humse aya na gaya” composed by Madanmohan in the film Dekh Kabira Roya, “itna na mujhse tu pyar bara” composed by Salil Choudhury in the film Chaya, “aye mere dil kahin aur chal” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Daag, to name a few.. Talat Mehmood had a number of basic discs in Bengali as well. His landmark songs included “chander eto alo” and “alote chayate” composed by Robin Chatterjee, “duti paakhi duti teere” composed by Kamal Dasgupta, etc. The sweetness of his voice was well appreciated by the Bengali listeners as well. His songs and films should be preserved and restored.

Raj Khosla sahab's suspense thrillers made Wo Kaun Thi Mera Saya and other films super hit

Raj Khosla and bollywood films. Born in 1925 and died in 1991, Raj Khosla was considered by critics to be the path-breaker in crime-thriller films. His film CID in 1955, created a trend in respect of crime thrillers. He introduced Wahida Rehman and Shakila in the film. The music of the film composed by OP Nayyar was also impressive with hit songs of Rafi like “ankhon hi ankho me ishara ho gaya”, “leke pehla pehla pyar”, etc. His film Solwa Sal, involved Wahida Rehman being eloped by her boyfriend but later on brought back home by a journalist. In Bombai Ka Babu, there was a killer who entered into the family of the person he killed and then had an affair with the sister of the deceased. Dev Anand and Suchitra Sen played the lead roles in the film. The 60s saw Raj Khosla’s musical blockbusters. His film Ek Musafir Ek Haseena with Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna stormed bollywood. The songs composed by OP Nayyar for Rafi and Asha were super hit including “bahut shukriya bari meherbani”, “aap yuhi agar”, “hume dekhakar aapka muskurana”, etc. The shooting in Kashmir also raised interest in the minds of the viewers. In 1964, Raj Khosla came up with probably one of the greatest spooky films in bollywood, with the title “Woh Kaun Thi”. Sadhna played the roles of the two sisters who were exploited by Prem Chopra to terrorize Manoj Kumar and get his property. At the end of the film the secret was revealed. The music composed by Madan Mohan was brilliant with landmark songs like “naina barse”, “lagja gale”, etc. Raj Khosla continued with horror films with Mera Saya and Anita where Sadhna played the role of the ghosts. Sunil Dutt acted opposite Sadhna in Mera Saya while Manoj Kumar acted opposite her in Anita. The music was impressive again. In the mid-60s Raj Khosla again returned back to romantic dramas like Do Badan with Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh. The music of Ravi with impressive songs like “jab chali thandi hawa”, require special mention. He also made films related to stories of dacoits like Mera Gaon Mera Desh with Dharmender. His last successful film included Mai Tulsi Tere Angan Ki. Both Nutan and Asha Parekh did well in their respective roles in the films. His other films like Do Badan and Dostana were impressive, but whenever the viewers remember the name of Raj Khosla, the first impressive comes in respect of horror stories and crime thrillers like Mera Saya and Who Kaun Thi. The films should be preserved and restored.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

Shankar Jaikishanji were the highest paid music directors of 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and ruled bollywood for 3 decades.

Shankarji Jaikishanji had very high remuneration during golden age of music. Shankarji Jaikishanji were the highest paid composers of their time.In 50s their fees per film ranged from 20000 TO 50000, till 1958. Choti Behen – They received Rs 75000 for film Chhoti Bahen. The film is remembered for great music in addition to lovely story. Anari – They received Rs75000 for Anadi in 1959. Raj Kapoorsahab and Nutanji played the lead characters and Raj Kapoorsahab and Shankar Jaikishanji received filmfare awards respectively for best actor and music director in that year. Love Marriage – SJ received Rs 75000 for film Love Marriage in 1959. Dev Anandsahab and Mala Sinhaji played the lead roles. Aas Ka Panchi – SJ received Rs 125000 for film Aas Ka Panchhi released in Feb 1961. Rajender Kumarji and Vaijayantimalaji played the lead roles. Sasural – SJ received Rs175000 for film Sasural in 1961.Rajender Kumarji and Saroja Deviji played the lead roles and Rafisahab received filmfare award for best male playback singer for the song “teri pyari pyari surat ko kisi ki nazar na lage” in film Sasural. Junglee – SJ received Rs 175000 for film Jungli released in Oct 1961. Shammi Kapoorji and Saira Banuji played the lead roles. Professor – SJ received Rs 225000 for film Professor released in 1962. Shammi Kapoorji and Kalpanaji played the lead roles and SJ won the filmfare award for the best music director in the year for the film Professor. Hamrahi – SJ received Rs 300000 for film Hamrahi released in 1963. Rajender Kumarji and Jamunaji played the lead roles. Dil Ek Mandir – SJ received Rs 300000 for film Dil Ek Mandir released in 1963. Rajender Kumarji and Meena Kumariji played the lead roles. Ayee Milan Ki Bela – SJ received Rs 350000 for film Ayee Milan Ki Bela in 1964. Rajender Kumarji and Saira Banuji played the lead roles in the film. 1964 Zindagi – SJ received Rs 450000 for film Zindagi in 1964. Rajender Kumarji and Vaijayantimalaji played lead roles in the film. Aarzoo – SJ received Rs 500000 for film Arzoo ( All time high ) in 1965. Rajender Kumarji and Sadhnaji played lead roles in the film. In 1967, J Om Prakash paid 70000/- to L.P. for music of Aaye Din Baharke. ( just 20% amount of his last SJ film Aayee Milan Ki Bela. These details are derived from Raju Bharatan's following two books. 1. Naushadnama 2. The down melody Lane. Looking back at Shankar Jaikishan and remembering the bond with Mohammad Rafi. Shankar Singh Raghuwanshi is remembered on his anniversary on 15th October, 2021. Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal is remembered on 12th September, his death anniversary in 2021. The listeners of music all over the world wished happy birthday to legendary composer Jaikishan better known as Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal on 4th November, 2021. He was part of the legendary duo Shankar Jaikishan who dominated bollwood music during the 1950s and 1960s. Rafisahab had a very sweet relationship with Shankar Jaikishan but unfortunately their relationship had not been glorified in bollywood history. Whenever contribution of composers relating to classic creations involving Rafi are highlighted the name of Naushad, Roshan, Madanmohan, OP Nayyar are glorified and the contribution of Shankar Jaikishan is ignored. If Rafi’s stylish andaz relating to westernized compositions are adequately it is Shankar Jaikishan who had used it to perfection. They had used Rafi for singing romantic songs with Japanese orchestration in Love in Tokyo including songs like “aja re aa zara aa”, “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, “ o mere shahekhuba”, etc. In Biswajeet’s April Fool SJ’s composition for Rafi including “aa gale lag ja” had westernized background. SJ’s composition for Rafi in Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris like “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “raat ke humsafar”, had loud French music with echo effect and Rafi’s intonation was also westernized. Shankar Jaikishan gave a completely different style of music to Rafi in Rajender Kumar’s Aarzoo with songs like “aji ruth kar ab”, “chalke teri aankho se”, “ai nargisi mastana”, etc. SJ had given songs addressing children to Rafi including “nanne munne bache teri mutthi me kya hai” in Boot Polish, “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mamma re” in Shammi Kapoor’s Andaz and “chakke p chakka” in Brahmchari. Rafi pronounced the words with childish accent and SJ used the orchestration to attract children. There were ghazals also given by SJ for Rafi including “rukh se zara nakab” in Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, “unke khayal aye to” in Raj Kumar’s Lal Patthar, “saaze dil ched de” in Pradeep Kumar’s Rajhaath, etc. Besides SJ’s creation involving Rafi in somber mood had created great impact including songs like “teri zulfon ki judai to nahi maangi thi” in Dev Anand’s Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” in Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee, “yaad na aye” in Rajender Kumar’s Dil Ek Mandir. Shankar Jaikishan had used Rafi’s classical andaz in the songs “radheke tune bansoori churai”, “ajahu na aye”, etc., and combined the ragas with devotional andaz. SJ had given music in almost 200 films within the span from 1949 to 1971, and at least each year they composed music for approximately 10 films. As Rafi was given predominance over other male singers SJ had use him in regular intervals even without doing injustice to Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood and others. Songs like “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” from Jhuk Gaya Aasman, “to bura maan gaye” from Ayee Milan Ki Bela, “yeh ankhen” from Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, “tujhe jeevan ki dor se” from Aasli Nakli, “dheere dheere chal” from Love Marriage, “badan pe sitaren lapete hue” from Prince, “mai kahin kavi na banjayun” from Pyar Hi Pyar, “mai gayun tum so jao” from Brahmchari, had not lost their flavour even 40 years after their creation due to sheer brilliance of Shankar Jaikishan. It is really tragic neither Shankar Jaikishan had received the accolades that they deserved nor Rafi’s association with them had been glorified but history says that the combination of Rafi with Shankar Jaikishan had produced invaluable creations which had become immortal over the period of time. Rafi had a dream run in the 60s, mainly in the films of Jubilee Kumar, Rajender Kumar for more than a number of reasons. Firstly Rajender Kumar acted in the production and direction of biggest banners of bollywood in the 60s. Secondly from 1963 to 1966, all his films ended up in silver jubilee showing his immense popularity and strong presence in the box-office. Shankar Jaikishan was equated with God in the early 60s and the main reason of the box-office success of Jubillee Kumar’s films was the superlative music given to him by both SJ and Naushad. In the film Ayee Milan Ki Bela, all the songs of SJ, picturised on Rajender Kumar and sung by Rafi became super hit The immortal songs include “mai pyar ka diwana“, “aha aye Milan ki bela“, “tum khamseen ho“, “to bura maan gaye“, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum“. Rajender Kumar and Saira Banu’s online chemistry in the film helped in the success of the film. SJ’s composition in the film Aarzoo, Humrahi and Sasural for Rajender Kumar and Rafi were equally rich. The brilliant songs include “chalke teri aankhose“, “ae nargisi mastana“, “aji ruth kar ab“, “yeh aansoo meri dil ki zubaan hai“, “teri pyari pyari surat ko“, “mujhko apne gale laga lo“, to mention a few. Sadhna complimented the powerful performance of Rajender Kumar in Aarzoo. The brilliant combination of Rafi, SJ and Rajender Kumar, continued in the film Dil Ek Mandir and Jhuk Gaya Aasman. Prominent songs include “yaad na jaye“, “jahan koi nahi“, “dil ek mandir hai“, “o priya kaun hai jo sapno me aya“, “kahan chal diye“, to mention a few. SJ Rafi and Rajender Kumar continued in the film Aman, where songs like “surahidar garden koel si hi awaz” still mesmerizes the listeners. Rafi, Rajender Kumar and SJ created history even in the film Suraj. The songs “kaise samjhayun“, “chehere pe giri zulfein“, “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe“, “baharon phool barsao” had become immortal over the years. Rajender Kumar and Vaijayantimala’s screen presence were as majestic as the voice of Rafi and the quality of music of Shankar Jaikishan. The other films where the magic combination of Rafi, Rajender Kumar and Shankar Jaikishan made people speechless include Zindagi and Sangam, with the prominent songs being “pehle milethe sapno me” and “meherban likhoon“. When Shammi Kapoor was informed about Rafi’s death in 1980, he was told by the informer that he had lost his own voice. In other words it was said that Rafi’s voice had reached the soul of Shammi Kapoor, whose success in bollywood films was largely dependent on the golden voice of Rafi. Shankar Jaikishan had contributed in around 22 films of Shammi Kapoor and without the magical duo Rafi’s combination with Shammi Kapoor would not have fulfilled the popular demands of the musical audience. If SJ’s composition for Raj Kapoor mark the music catered to the masses, the composition for Rajender Kumar mark the sophisticated tunes catered towards the cultured audience, the compositions for Shammi Kapoor mark the westernized andaz addressed for the young generations. Shammi Kapoor brought the rock and roll andaz of Hollywood films in hindi films, and SJ and Rafi combined together to bring the energetic andaz of Shammi Kapoor who was considered to be a rebel star in the 60s. In fact his style was imitated by Joy Mukherjee and Biswajeet who were also blessed with melodious songs sung by Rafi in the 60s. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi combined together to give superhit songs in the film Junglee, including “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar”, “meri yaar shabba khair”, “chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen”, etc. Saira Banu made her debut opposite Shammi Kapoor and the Subodh Mukherjee film became a trend setter for other directors of producers of the 60s. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi created the same magic in the film Janwar. Songs like “tumse achha kaun hai”, “lal chari maidan khari” became superhit along with romantic performance of Rajashree in the film. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi combination in the film Raj Kumar was equally sublime with songs like “hum hai rajkumar”, “tumne pukara aur hum chale ayen”, “tumne kisiki jaan ko”, to name a few. Sadhna was sublime along with Shammi Kapoor in the film. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi created magic again in the film An Evening in Paris. All the songs of the film became super hit including “aji aisa mauka”, “aasman se aya farishta”, “raat ke humsafar”, “akele akele kahan ja rahe ho”, “mera dil hai tera”, “diwane ka naam to pucho”, to name a few. The foreign locations of Paris were as majestic as the European music of SJ and modernized performance of Sharmila Tagore in the film. The brilliant combination of SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi again created magic in the film Brahmchari. All the songs in the film including “dil ke jharoke me”, “chakke pe chakka”, “mai gavun tum so jayo”, “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche” created storm in bollywood films. Shammi Kapoor won the filmfare for best actor for his performance in Brahmchari, and Shankar Jaikishan won the film fare for best music director for the same film, while Rafi won the filmfare for best singer for singing the song of the same film. Again Rajashree was sublime in the film. SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi were equally brilliant in the film Prince where Vaijayantimala acted opposite Shammi Kapoor. Rafi’s songs “muqabla hum se na karo” was as hit as “badan pe sitaren lapete hue”. The same combination came up with brilliant songs in the film Laat Sahab. The songs “sawerewali gari se chale jayenge” and “aye chaand zara chup ja” became superhit. Nutan contributed well opposite Shammi Kapoor. The magic combination of SJ, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi contributed even in GP Sippy film, Andaz. All the songs of Rafi like “dil use do jo jaan deden”, “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mammare” became superhit. Hema Malini performed for the first time opposite Shammi Kapoor. The brilliant combination of SJ, Hasrat Jaipuri, Shailendra, Shammi Kapoor and Rafi ended with sad demise of Jaikishan in 1971. Articles after articles can be devoted on the magic combination who even created magic in other films like Tumse Accha Kaun Hai, Jawan Muhobbat, etc. Critics argue that OP Nayyar and Ravi also contributed in Shammi Kapoor’s films, but their music was also influenced by Shankar Jaikishan’s tunes. The films and the songs of Shammi Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan and Rafi should be preserved for the future generations. A big section of music lovers agree that had Jaikishan not died in 1971, Rafi’s dominance in bollywood music not suffered at all. In fact SJ’s tunes were brilliant and were specifically catered towards the likings of common mass. They were not that technical which could not reach the audience. Besides SJ gave tunes in around 10 films per years all along the 50s and 60s, the era when Rafi was unbeatable.

On death anniversary Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray was remembered by the nation.

The nation remembered Satyajit Ray on 23rd April, 2022. The nation remembered Satyajit Ray on his death anniversary on 23rd April, 2021
. Not only he was the recipient of the prestigious Oscar awards, he was the path-breaker in Indian films who taught the next-generation the art of story-telling. In 2010, Society had celebrated the 89th birth anniversary of the legendary director by showcasing some of his notable works like ‘Agantuk’, (The Stranger), ‘Jalsaghar’, (The Music Room), ‘Charulata’, (The lonely wife). The films were shown in Cinemax, Metro Big Cinemas and NCPA. After the films were shown, the significance of such films was discussed by Bhawna Somayya, ex-editor of Screen, filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh and film academicians from all across the country. Besides, discussions were held to highlight the contribution of Ray as a writer, an illustrator, an activist of the film society movement and a filmmaker. Internationally acclaimed directors like Shyam Bengal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, were greatly influenced by Satyajit Ray’s films like Apu Trilogy, Jalsagar, Nayak, Mahanagar, etc., and they themselves became eminent story-tellers of the following period. The use of nature, the birds, and background, and the use of theme music in translating an unknown event to a group of individuals had enchanted the thoughtful directors all across the world. Even directors of the present period like Goutam Ghosh are influenced by the works of Satyajit Ray. He made Abar Aranye which was a sequel to Satyajit Ray’s film Aranyer Dinratri. A personality like Ray could only make a film like Kanchenjungha, where the greatness of the Himalayas overshadowed the ego of a materialistic industrialist played by Satyajit Ray. An important part of Satyajit Ray’s creations include his literature on diverse subjects. While his Sandip Ray had taken the challenge of converting the Feluda Series into feelings, his literature relating to horror-based subject matters, his series of 12 stories are yet to be converted into films. Sandip Ray’s films Bombaier Bombete, Kailashe Kelenkari, Baksho Rahasya, based on epic literature of Ray had got good response from the viewers. But Ray’s brilliant stories in the 12 series like Ebaro Baro, Aro Baro, Ek Dojon Goppo, Aro Ek Dojon, Eker Pite Dui, are yet to see the light of celluloid. Ray’s stories like Khagam, based on the theme of human being converted into a snake, Pterodactyler dim, based on the prehistoric era, Fritze, based on the topic of life in a doll, Asomongobabur Kukur, based on the weird mannerisms of dogs, had bewildered the readers. If such stories are adapted and made into films, the viewers will enjoy them to the brim. The legacy of Ray whether in the form of neo-realistic films like Pather Panchali, or suspense –thriller stories relating to Feluda Series or Professor Shanku, still continues, even 18 years after his death. The stories should be translated in different languages, and films should be preserved and restored.

Satyajit Ray gave masterpiece direction in Tagore literature in Post Master and Monihara

Satyajit Ray
showed his mastery in casting in Post Master and Monihara. Satyajit Ray was a master of casting whenever film direction was in question. He experimented with Rabindranath Tagore’s epic literature Teen Kanya in his film Teen Kanya. He chose the stories Post Master, Manihara and Shamapti. In Post Master, Ray’s choice of Anil Chatterji in the role of Post Master showed his immense class in casting of characters. Anil Chatterji displayed the uneasiness of a Post Master in adjusting in village conditions very well. He listened to the rural music of the old villagers. He got frightened to weird mannerism of Nripati Chatterji who played the role of a village beggar. He faced fever, and even in sleep he dreamt about the weird beggar. Ray’s casting of Chandana Banerjee in the role of the little girl was equally excellent. The girl lost her parents at a young age and served the Post Masters in the village. She took care of Anil Chatterji when he got fever and treated him like an elder brother. Anil Chatterji taught him to read and write. When he got transferred and a new Post Master came in his place, Chandana Banerjee made the viewers weep through her passionate expression. She got attached with the Post Master and did not even take the money offered to her by Anil Chatterji when he left the village. In Manihara, the casting of Kali Banerjee and Konika Majumdar in the lead roles also showed Ray’s class. Kali Banerjee was a zamindar and Konika Majumdar was his wife. She had a troubled past. She was possessive towards her jewellery. When Kali Banerjee went to Kolkata for work, she asked one of her friends to reach her to her native town. Konika Majumdar died. When Kali Banerjee returned back, her ghost came and appeared before Kali Banerjee. Kali Banerjee looked at her hand full of jewellary which later turned into a skeleton. A road passer told the story to a visitor who was also a ghost. Kali Banerjee’s frightened expression amazed the viewers. Ray was a great artist and his illustration helped him to cast the right actors and actresses at the right roles. The characters came out of classic novels and mesmerized the viewers with conviction and accuracy. The film should be preserved for Tagore’s brilliant literature, Ray’ s powerful direction and the effortless performances of main actors and actresses in the film.

Monday, May 9, 2022

Rafisahab sang songs in around 15 films of Guru Dutt sahab but majority songs became landmark hits.

Melody in Guru Dutts films and combination with Mohammad Rafi. 9th July is the birth anniversary
of noted Director Guru Dutt. He was born in 1925 on this day. Rafi became a living legend in the mid-50s after dominating bollywood films over ten years and singing for nearly all the giant productions and leading actors of bollywood. He had very strong combination with thinking actor Guru Dutt. Guru Dutt had created his image in bollywood films in different categories being a thoughtful director and producer, dynamic actor, good choreographer. One of the numerous reasons for which his films became super hit in the 50s and 60s include the brilliant songs sung by Rafi during the golden age. Rafi’s songs in Guru Dutt’s Aar Paar, composed by OP Nayyar became super hit. It was followed by Mr and Mrs. 55 released in 1955. Songs picturized on both Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker had melody and sweetness. Rafi’s songs like “dil pe kiya aisa jaadu”, “muhobbat karlo aji karlo”, “sun sun sun sun zaalima”, composed by OP Nayyar, created landmark in the mid-50s and Rafi emerged as the greatest singer of bollywood films during that time. The same combination of Guru Dutt, OP Nayyar and Rafi gave everlasting hit in the film 12 O Clock with songs like “mai kho gaya”. When Guru Dutt used SD Burman for composing songs in the film Pyaasa and Kaagaz Ka Phool, Rafi was used brilliantly for the legendary music of those films. Both the films won national and international awards and remain a landmark in the field of story-telling. Rafi’s songs “sar jot era chakrae” picturised on Johnny Walker and “hum aapke aankho me” and “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh taajon ki duniya” picturised on Guru Dutt had emotions, passions, comedy, tragedy everything embedded in them. Rafi’s duet combination with Geeta Dutt was bolstered in the film. The lyrics were outstanding as well. The films marked the best music given by SD Burman in his entire lifetime. Guru Dutt can boast himself to have given lips in one of Rafi’s best ghazals sung in the history of bollywood films titled “chaudavi ka chaand”. Guru Dutt picturised the song sequence with colour, showing his passionate relationship with Wahida Rehman in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. Ravi’s music in the film showed the pardanashin culture of muslims in India during the early 60s. Rafi also sang songs for Guru Dutt in the film Saanjh Aur Sawera, composed by Shankar Jaikishan. The title song “yehi hai who saanjh aur sawera” sung by Rafi became very popular. Meena Kumari balanced the powerful performance of Guru Dutt in the film. The other films where Rafi had contributed for Guru Dutt include Bharosa where Ravi composed melodious tunes including “yeh jhuki jhuki naina” picturised on Guru Dutt and Asha Parekh. Guru Dutt’s music in the film Baharen Phir Bhi Aayegi composed by OP Nayyar, created sensation in the mid -60s. It was a tragedy, that Guru Dutt died before the release of the film and could not see the success of the film. The songs sung by Rafi and picturised on Dharmender mesmerized the audience and still haunts people all over the world. One of those brilliant songs include “aap ki haseen rukh me aaj naya nur hai, mera dil machal gaya to mera kya kasoor hai”. The uniqueness of Guru Dutt’s relationship with Rafi lies in the fact that whether the composer was OP Nayyar or Shankar Jaikishan or SD Burman or Ravi, the music composed for whom had philosophical thoughts embedded in them and Rafi gave expression to the mesmerizing lyrics of evergreen tunes which had become immortal over a period of time. The films and the songs should be preserved and restored.

KGF Chapter 2 crosses 1200 crores business worldwide 900 crores in India and 405 crores Hindi Box office.

KGF Chapter 2 crosses 1200 crores worldwide business in 24 days, 900 crores in India and 405 crores in Hindi box office. With brilliant performances of Yash, Anant Nag, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon and other KGF chapter 2 is emerging as the biggest blockbuster ever. It has been business of 750 crores in 9 days and has potentials to end up at 1200 crore thereby breaking the records of Bahubali 2 and RRR. Director Prashanth Neel has flabbergasted everyone with a period film.
K.G.F: Chapter 2 is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films. The second instalment in a two-part series, it serves as a sequel to the 2018 film K.G.F: Chapter 1. The film stars Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty and Prakash Raj. It follows the assassin Rocky, who after establishing himself as the kingpin of the Kolar Gold Fields, must retain his supremacy over adversaries and government officials, while also coming to terms with his past. Produced on a budget of ₹100 crore (US$13 million), K.G.F: Chapter 2 is the most expensive Kannada film ever made. Neel retained the technicians from its predecessor with Bhuvan Gowda handling the cinematography and Ravi Basrur scoring the music for the soundtrack and the film's background. Dutt and Tandon joined the cast in early 2019, marking the former's Kannada film debut. Portions of the film were shot back-to-back with Chapter 1. Principal photography for the rest of the sequences commenced in March 2019, but was halted in February 2020 owing to the COVID-19 lockdown in India. Filming resumed five months later and was completed in December 2020. Locations included Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mysore and Kolar. K.G.F: Chapter 2 was theatrically released in India on 14 April 2022 in Kannada, along with dubbed versions in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages. It is also the first Kannada film to release in IMAX. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was generally considered an improvement over its predecessor. Neel's direction, the cinematography and performances (particularly Yash) received praise, but the pace and screenplay attracted criticism. Besides recording the second highest-opening day in India, the film set domestic opening day records in Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam, and surpassed the lifetime gross of its predecessor in two days to become the highest-grossing Kannada film. With earnings of ₹750 crore (US$98 million) globally, K.G.F: Chapter 2 is the eighth highest-grossing Indian film of all time, and also the third highest-grossing film in India. A sequel is in development. The night after detailing the events in K.G.F: Chapter 1, Anand Ingalagi suffers a stroke and his son Vijayendra takes over for K.G.F: Chapter 2. Rocky kills heir apparent Virat and takes charge as the kingpin of Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F), keeping Reena hostage to ensure the cooperation of Guru Pandian, Andrews and Rajendra Desai, and kills Kamal when he protests. He issues orders to start work in eight hidden mines. Meanwhile, Adheera resurfaces and kills all guards at an outpost. In a ruse to bring Rocky to Adheera, Andrews kills Desai to lure Reena outside K.G.F, and John captures Reena. Adheera shoots Rocky but spares his life, while his men roadblock all gold exports from K.G.F. Meanwhile, Shetty ties up with other subordinates of Andrews across the Western Coast and exterminates Rocky's allies. A recuperated Rocky along with Reena visits Dubai to deal in gold with Inayat Khalil, but Khalil had joined forces with Shetty. Rocky's aides kill Shetty's associates and recaptures the Western Coast, and Khalil deals with Rocky and sells him AK-47s. Rocky and his gang gravely wound Adheera and kill his henchmen with their newly acquired weapons. Exasperated with K.G.F, some central ministers had planned a no-confidence motion against the DYSS-supported government to bring Ramika Sen in power, but Rocky's henchmen threaten other ministers against the vote and the motion fails. Rocky kills Shetty, gaining control over Bombay. Pandian warns Rocky of Sen's rising stature but he disregards him. Three years later in 1981, she wins the Indian general elections and becomes Prime Minister. After CBI officer Kanneganti Raghavan briefs her about the situation in K.G.F, she closes all state borders and authorises him to raid Rocky's warehouses. A young Ingalagi is caught spying by Rocky's henchmen, but Rocky is impressed by his integrity. The CBI find nothing in their raids save for a 400 gram-gold bar. Rocky retrieves it from a police station and singlehandedly brings the place down with a DShK. Rocky halts all exports from K.G.F but continues the mining. His aides trace his biological father, a drunkard who abandoned his family, and Rocky anoints the unaware man caretaker of his mother's newly shifted grave. Reena confesses her feelings to Rocky and they get married. Rocky meets with Sen and hands her a file exposing his involvement in money laundering but she cannot consider it as almost all her party members were complicit in the corruption. Still furious after his defeat, Adheera makes his way to K.G.F through a secret passage with Andrews, Daya, John, supported by Khalil's armada. Just as Reena reveals her pregnancy to Rocky, Adheera fatally snipes her. In the ensuing clash, Rocky's army kill Andrews and Daya, while Rocky kills John and chokes Adheera to death. Rocky and his henchmen disrupt Sen's speech at the Parliament and kill Pandian. Pandian had staged the attack on Garuda for which Adheera was framed, and informed Adheera of Garuda's attack priorly. He was also the one who showed Adheera the secret passage, goaded Andrews into hiring Rocky, staged the no-confidence motion drama in Delhi and persuaded Shetty to join forces with Khalil just to gain Rocky's trust. Sen issues a death warrant against Rocky and enforces the Indian Army. Rocky evacuates K.G.F and leaves on a ship with his cache of gold. He signals the Navy to his location but refuses to surrender. Sen issues orders to bomb K.G.F and Rocky's ship, and he drowns in the ocean along with the gold, which stays lost till date. Before leaving, Rocky had formed a new colony for all K.G.F workers. A young Ingalagi decides to write a book on Rocky. In a mid-credits scene, three months post-Rocky's death, a CIA official hands over a file listing Rocky's crimes in United States and 16 other nations between 1978-1981 to Sen. In the present, the peon of the television news channel finds the final draft of K.G.F: Chapter 3.

RRR crosses 1200 crores worldwide box office and 264 crore at Hindi box office.

RRR smashed all box office records and emerges to do business above 800 crores in India: RRR crossed 1200 crores business world wide and 264 crore at Hindi box office. Only on the first 2 days RRR did business of more than 230 crores. It has smashed all Bollywood records of the century. It has the potential of destroying Bahubali 2 records of 1000 crores business in India and is emerging as greatest blockbuster ever to reach 11000 crores in India. RRR is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic period action drama film directed by S. S. Rajamouli who wrote the film with K. V. Vijayendra Prasad. It is produced by D. V. V. Danayya of DVV Entertainments. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Samuthirakani, Ray Stevenson, Alison Doody, and Olivia Morris. It is a fictional story about two Indian revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Rama Rao), who fought against the British Raj and Nizam of Hyderabad respectively. Rajamouli came across reading stories about the lives of Rama Raju and Bheem, and connected the coincidences between them, imagining what would have happened had they been friends. Set in 1920, the plot explores the undocumented period in their lives when both the revolutionaries choose to go into oblivion before they began the fight for their country. The film was formally announced in March 2018, with the launch and the principal photography of the film began in November 2018 in Hyderabad. The film was shot extensively across India, with a few sequences in Ukraine and Bulgaria. The film's soundtrack and background score is composed by M. M. Keeravani with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. Sabu Cyril is the film's production designer whilst V. Srinivas Mohan supervised the visual effects. Made on a budget of ₹550 crore (US$72 million), RRR was initially scheduled for theatrical release on 30 July 2020, which has been deferred multiple times due to production delays and followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released theatrically on 25 March 2022, and opened to positive reviews from the critics with praise for the performances and screenplay. With ₹240 crore worldwide on its first day, RRR broke the record for the highest opening-day collection earned by an Indian film. In 1920, British governor Scott and his wife visit Adilabad district, and forcefully take away Malli, a Gond tribal girl to serve as their maidservant in Delhi. To rescue the girl, Komaram Bheem arrives in Delhi with his men. They capture a wild tiger in the forests to aid their mission. The Nizam of Hyderabad warns Scott's officer about Bheem's mission. Alluri Sita Rama Raju is a police officer who proves his ability to serve the Empire. When Lady Buxton offers a promotion to the officer who catches the leader of the Gond tribe alive, Ram comes forward. He attends a meeting of independence activists and proposes to assassinate Scott. As their goals seem to align, Bheem's aide, Lachhu, asks Ram to meet Bheem. However, Lachhu flees when he senses that Ram is a police officer. Lachhu tells Bheem about this who asks him to hide. Ram and Bheem accidentally meet and team up to save a boy. Bheem introduces himself as a Muslim named Akhtar while Ram hides his identity as a police officer. They become best friends. Bheem comes across Scott's niece Jennifer when they are trying to sneak into the governor's palace. Ram helps Bheem to get close to her. Jennifer invites Bheem to a party which the duo attend. Impressed by his dance, Jennifer invites Bheem to the palace. Bheem silently meets Malli, assuring her rescue. Ram captures Lachhu to ask whereabouts about their leader but in vain. Lachhu gets hold of a common krait and throws it onto Ram which bites him. Lacchu warns Ram that it can kill him within an hour without anti-venom, known only to the Gond people. Ram finds his way to Bheem who saves him. Bheem confesses to Ram by telling him about their mission. Bheem and his men barge into the palace with a truck full of wild animals. Bheem unleashes them onto the palace guards. However, Ram obstructs him as a police officer. Bheem pleads not to arrest him but Ram does not budge. Furious, Bheem fights off Ram, and goes on to climb the palace walls. Ram stops him while Scott holds Malli hostage at point-blank range. Bheem surrenders with no option left. Bheem is sentenced to death via a public execution. Scott offers mercy if he kneels but Bheem refuses despite heaving lashing by Ram. He sings a song which motivates the public to rebel. Bheem is taken away by the officers. Ram recalls that his father Venkat Ramaraju had rebelled and sacrificed his life against the British. Venkat takes a promise from Ram that he'd a deliver a weapon to every person who takes part in the rebellion. Venkat's friend Venkateswarulu informs Ram that his promise is going to be fulfilled since he is appointed as in charge of a shipment of arms. Ram, however, puts saving Bheem and the girl as his priority. He requests Scott to execute Bheem in the outskirts as a part of his plan. However, Scott recognizes the ploy, and injures him. Bheem frees himself and fights the guards off. Ram shoots and kills a guard over Malli's head to save her. Misunderstanding this as an attack, Bheem beats up Ram and escapes with Malli. Bheem and his men hide in Hathras but the British arrive there. Sita recognizes that they are in danger and drives away the British by lying that the place is experiencing a smallpox outbreak. Sita reveals that she is Ram's cousin and love interest. She adds that Ram is sentenced to death as he went against the British to save his best friend. Bheem regrets his actions and promises Sita to rescue Ram. Bheem sneaks into the Barracks with the help of blue print given by Jennifer. He frees Ram from the prison, taking him on his shoulder as the latter is unable to walk. Together, they fight the police and escape. Bheem treats Ram, however, the police attack them in the woods. Ram takes bow and arrows from a shrine of Lord Rama and retaliates. Bheem joins him with a javelin. They fight off the police and head towards the palace. They blast a motorcycle into a room full of TNT, and explode the building. Bheem retrieves guns and ammunition and delivers it to Ram. Lady Scott is killed in the chaos while Scott is killed by Ram and Bheem. They reunite with Sita, Jennifer and others. Upon Ram's insistence, Bheem requests to return the favour by educating him. Ram returns to his village and delivers the weapons as promised while Bheem returns to his hamlet, reuniting Malli with her mother. RRR opened to positive reviews from the critics, praising the performances and screenplay by Rajamouli. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "RRR is a teRRRific entertainer that’s meant for the big screen. The film has the merits to emerge massive hit. Don’t miss it!". Roktim Rajpal of Deccan Herald gave the film a rating of 4/5 and wrote "The action-packed climax again hits the right notes as the visuals do the talking, the hallmark of good storytelling". Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times Of India gave the film a rating of 3.5/5 and wrote "RRR is not perfection by any means (despite Rajamouli’s best efforts) because after the way he pulls off certain scenes, you wonder if he could’ve done a better job in certain others.

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Manju Dey was a versatile actress of golden age of bengali cinema

Manju Dey – the towering actress of Bengali films. Manju Dey was considered one of the towering actresses of Bengali films of the 50s and 60s. Along with an enterprising screen presence she also had a mellifluous voice. She mesmerized the viewers with her powerful performance in the film Jighansha, directed by renowned Bengali director Ajoy Kar. The film was based on the detective story of Arthur Conan Doyle titled The Hound Of Baskervilles. In the early 50s, the black –white classic took the Bengali audience by storm. Manju Dey played the role of the daughter of Bikash Roy, who was one of the successors of the princely estate who was deprived of his right over property. He stayed in the same estate in the disguise of an old botanist. He used Manju Dey, his daughter to act as witch who sang spooky songs around marshy land and drew the prince towards that area when Bikash Roy hired a serial killer to kill him. The detective in the film played by Shishir Botobyal, who played the same role as Sherlock Holmes in The Hound Baskervilles detected the identity and solved the mystery. The same film was remade in hindi with the title Bees Saal Baad, where Wahida Rehman played the role of Manju Dey and Biswajeet played the role of the prince. Manju Dey impressed the viewers with her role in Mrinal Sen’s film Neel Akasher Niche. She played the role of wife of Bikash Roy, a middle-class Bengali and was sympathetic towards Kali Banerjee, a Chinaman in the film who came from China and settled in the streets of Kolkata to sell his produce. The film required the depth of acting from Manju Dey in respect of showing compassion towards a foreigner who had come from a distant place and struggled to earn his livelihood in Kolkata. She was sublime in the film Biyallish (42), opposite Pradeep Kumar. The film was based on the Indian freedom struggle and how the domestic wives of the nation participated in the freedom movement. She and her husband Pradeep Kumar was tortured by British officer played by Bikash Roy and yet she was firm in her commitment. She established herself as a successful director with the film Abhishapto Chambal based on the novel by Tarun Bhadhuri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri. She acted in the film and showed her powerful personality. She learned horse-riding and acted along with other dacoits like Shekhar Chatterjee and others. Pradeep Kumar played the role of the husband of Manju Dey in the film and impressed with his manly performance. He died and after that it was left upto Manju Dey to take revenge against the alleged offenders. Her other successfully directed film included Shajarur Kanta (Porcupine’s thorn), which was a crime-thriller and impressed the viewers again. Manju Dey also contributed in the classic films in the 50s including Tapan Sinha’s film Kabuliwala based on the epic novel of Rabindranath Tagore. She played the role of the mother of the little girl Mini, who had attachment towards an Afghan fruit-seller played by Chabi Biswas. Later on Chabi Biswas was imprisoned and after being released from jail came to their house. All preparations were made for the marriage of Mini. Manju Dey advised her husband played by Radha Mohan Bhattacharya to give the money that was saved for the lighting in the marriage to be given to Chabi Biswas so that he could go back to his own country and meet his own daughter who was of same age of Mini. Manju Dey was used in off-beat films and experimental roles in her illustrious career and although her position was not same as the greatest actress of Bengal, that is Suchitra Sen, whenever her films like Kar Pape opposite Asit Boron, Upahaar opposite Uttam Kumar, etc., are revisited it will be inferred that she was one of the most dynamic actresses of Bengali films during the classic period. According to critics, other than Suchitra Sen and Arundhuti Debi, Manju Dey had the most dynamic personality and for those reasons her films should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to Tuni Munimji

Happy birthday to Tina Munim. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Tina Munim on 11th February, 2022. She is better known as Tina Ambani after marrying Anil Ambani who is one of Indian’s leading business magnets. She was discovered by Dev Anand and cast in the film Desh Pardesh in 1978. She also acted in the films Lootmaar and Manpasand. She was most successful opposite Rishi Kapoor, who was the greatest romantic actor in the late 70s and early 80s. Subhash Ghai’s Karz stormed bollywood in the late 70s, where Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim combination was well accepted by the audience. All the songs composed by LP and picturised on Rishi Kapoor and Tina Munim became super hit including “mai sola baraski”, “ek haseena thi”, “darde dil”, “om shanty om”, etc. Karz was remade few years back with Himesh Reshammiya playing the role of Rishi Kapoor in the new version. She also acted in the super hit film Aap Ke Diwane opposite Rishi Kapoor. Rakesh Roshan did cast her in the film Akhir Kyon opposite Rishi Kapoor. She was sublime in Basu Chatterjee’s film Baaton Baaton Me opposite Amol Palekar, and Man Pasand. She acted in a number of films opposite Rajesh Khanna including Souten, Bewafai, Insaaf Mai Karunga, most of which did excellent business. Souten did good business in the early 1980s. Padmini Kolhapuri played an important role in that film. She had acted opposite other actors also but viewers remember her combination the most with Rishi Kapoor. Her performances opposite Rishi Kapoor in the films Bade Dilwale, Deedar-E-Yaar and Aap Ke Deewane are remembered by the viewers. Aap Ke Deewane did great business in 1980. Rakesh Roshan also acted opposite Tina Munim where Rishi Kapoor played the main role. The music of Rajesh Roshan became super hit including Rafi’s songs “aap ke dewaane hai”, “tum ko khush dekhkar mai bahut khush hua”, etc. Sunil Dutt launched his son Sanjay Dutt in the film Rocky opposite Tina Munim. The film did good business in the early 80s. In 1987 she left bollywood films. Later she settled down after marrying Anil Ambani. She had been involved in many charitable works. The viewers wish Tina Munim to appear in bollywood films in future, as she still has a lot of acting left in her.

Happy birthday to Madhuri Dixitji.

Happy birthday to dancing queen Madhuri Dixit. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to beauty queen and dancing queen Madhuri Dixit on 15th May, 2022
. She ruled bollywood films in the late 80s and 90s. In fact after her retirement of films no single actress of bollywood films could be associated with the number one position. In 2013, for celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema when polling was conducted by History TV, amongst actresses Madhuri Dixit received the maximum number of votes. From Tezaab, she dethroned Sri Devi from the number one position and created sensation in bollywood. Her dance performance in the song “ek do teen” in Tezaab, surprised the viewers. Her pair with Anil Kapoor was well accepted by the viewers. The hit films of the immortal pair include Ram Lakhan, Khel, Jeevan Ek Sunghursh, Zindagi Ek Jua, Parinda, etc. In the late 90s, she proved herself in every type of film and was cast by different directors and producers. The successful pair had produced both commercial masala films like Ram Lakhan directed by Subhash Ghai, and also off-beat films like Parinda, which was made for the intellectual audience. Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit stormed bollywood with romantic performance in the film Saajan. It was the musical blockbusters of early 90s which shook the industry. All the songs of the film were hit including “jiye to jiye kaise”, “mera dil bhi kitna paagal hai”, “mai shayar hoon”, etc. Madhuri Dixit was considered the best dancer of the country at that time. Even her performances in the other films opposite Sanjay Dutt were also impressive including Thanedaar, Khalnayak and Mahanta. In off-beat films like Nana Patekar’s Prahar and Parinda, Prakash Jha’s Mrityudand, her performance impressed the intellectual audience. She acted in those films with hardly any make up and still created her impression. She received the filmfare award for the best actress a number of times. Viewers remember her notable performance in the film Beta opposite Anil Kapoor. She fought against her mother-in –law to get justice for her husband. Her other hit films include Dil opposite Amir Khan, Hum Aapke Hai Kaun opposite Salman Khan, Aarzoo opposite Akshay Kumar, Koyla and Dil To Paagal Hai opposite Shahrukh Khan, to name a few. In fact, her film Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, opposite Salman Khan had remained as one of the greatest blockbusters of all times. She became such a phenomenon in the mid-90s, that the producers associated the success of the film with her more than the heroes of those films. In Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Lajja, in a multi-starrer film Madhuri Dixit was not cast opposite the leading actors like Jackie Shroff, or Anil Kapoor, yet her performance stands out as one of the best performance of the film. Her womanhood in the film attracted every type of audience. Also her performance in crime-thrillers like 100 days attracted viewers. It was a murder mystery, where Jackie Shroff, the boyfriend of Madhuri killed her sister Moonmoon Sen. Madhuri Dixit expressed the anxiety and horror in the film to perfection. Even her performance opposite Anil Kapoor in the film Pukar requires special mention. Anil Kapoor got national award for the best actor for the performance in the film. It was a film related to patriotism and Madhuri Dixit was probably the only actress in bollywood who could match Anil Kapoor in his struggle against terrorists. She acted in few films few year back like Aaja Nachle, but the films did not create the same magic as that of the 80s and 90s. Last year she judged the dance competition held in Private Channel in India. She came from USA and gave tips to the different participants including Shekhar Suman, Ankita Lokhunde and others. She also attended the filmfare awards. After judging the program she returned back to USA. Madhuri Dixit attended some of the award functions later on. All the superstars of the present period like Hrithik Roshan appreciated Madhuri Dixit. Shahrukh Khan danced with Madhuri Dixit in one of the award shows. Priyanka Chopra dedicated certain dance numbers to Madhuri Dixit in the same show. She acted in the film Dedh Ishqiya and Gulab Gang in recent years and shown that she still has acting left in her. Viewers consider her as the best actress of the last 30 years and want her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Nimmiji, Vaijayantmalaji opposite Dilip Kumar sahab versus Nargisji Nutanji opposite Raj Kapoor sahab.

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. Nimmiji gave super hit films opposite Dilip Kumar sahab like Aan, Uran Khatola. Nutanji gave super hit films opposite Raj Kapoor sahab like Anari, Chalia, Dil Hi To Hai. Meena Kumariji gave super hit films opposite Dilip Kumar sahab like Footpath, Yahudi, Kohinoor. Padminiji gave super hit films opposite Raj Kapoor sahab like Jis Desh Me Ganga Beheti Hai, Aashiq. While other romantic actresses like Noor jahanji, Kamini Kaushalji did marvellous job opposite Dilip Kumar sahab, other romantic actresses like Rajashreeji, Shakilaji, Sadhnaji did brilliant job opposite Raj Kapoorsahab. 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.

Legendary singer Manobendra Mukherjee mohashoy made nazrul geeti popular in Bengal.

Remembering Kazi Nazrul Islam by Manobendra Mukherjee’s songs. Poet, composer and singer Kazi Nazrul Islam is remembered on his death anniversary on 29th August, 2021. He was considered to be one of the greatest Bengali talents after Rabindranath Tagore who created songs and poetry during colonial period. He was in fact called bidrohi kobi, meaning rebel poet. Manobendra Mukherjee, the genius of Bengali classical songs had made Nazrul Islam immortal by singing more than 500 Nazrulgeeti during his lifetime. Manobendra Mukherjee died in 1992, but before that whatever records he made in nazrulgeeti still remains the Geeta for new singers who specialize in Nazrulgeeti. Some of the songs that people remember include “eto jol o kajol”. Manobendra showed his classical jugglery in the song “bou katha kou katha kao abhimanini”. The song which Manobendra Mukherjee sang in many concerts included “bagichay bulbuli”. The other song which was very popular in the 70s included “jare haat diye mala gethe”. The same song was also recorded by legendary singer Pandit Ajoy Chakravarty in his own andaz. Manobendra also was brilliant in the song “timir bidary”. Manobendra’s song “noyon bhora jol go tomar aanchol bhora chul” became extremely popular in 80s. His other hit songs included “jhumko lotar chikon”, “keno kaden poran”, “kache amar niba”, “saat bhai chompa”, “aso priyo aro kache”, “jani amar sadhona”, “amar noyone noyon”, “jabar belay fele”, “mor priya hobe”, “sondha se godhuli”, to name a few. Few of Manobendra’s songs had been sung one after the other by other musical giants. For example “sawono rate Jodi”, had been sung by Manobendra. It was also sung by Manna Dey in the film Devdas, where Uttam Kumar gave lips in the song. Besides Manobendra Mukherjee’s song “ado ado bol” was also recorded by genius singer Mohammad Rafi later on. One article is too small to highlight Manobendra Mukherjee’s landmark songs composed by Nazrul Islam, but along with Juthika Roy, Dhirendra Mitra, Firoza Begum, Kamal Dasgupta, Manobendra Mukherjee had glorified Nazrulgeeti in his own classical andaz. The songs should be preserved.

Legend of legends Manna Dey sahab is remembered on birth anniversary.

Happy birth anniversary to Manna Dey. The viewers of bollywood films and music lovers all across the country wish happy birthday to Manna Dey on 1st May 2022
. Born on 1st May, 1919, he had contributed in bollywood films for more than 70 years with his baritone voice. He had brilliant classical training and adorned bollywood music with versatile talent. He was awarded the dadasaheb phalke award for his immense contribution to music in India. Manna Dey learned music from Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan. He stormed bollywood films with super hit songs in Raj Kapoor’s film Shree 420 in 1955, with immortal songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “ramaiya vasta maiyya”, “pyar hua ikraar hua”, “mur mur ke na dekh”. During the golden Manna Dey was probably the only singer other than Mohammad Rafi who had been used by all the leading composers of bollywood music including Shankar Jaikishan in Basant Bahar, the song being “sur na saje”, Madanmohan in Dekh Kabira Roya, the song being “kaun aya mere man ke sware”, Roshan in Dil Hi To Hai, the song being “laga chunari me daag”, SD Burman in Meri Surat Teri Ankhen, the song being “pucho na kaise”, to name a few. Manna Dey had a very sweet relationship with Sudhin Dasgupta. He was used by almost all the leading composers of Bengal namely Anil Bagchi, Nochiketa Ghosh, Salil Choudhury and others. But probably his westernized andaz was used to the limit by Sudhin Dasgupta. Sudhin Dasgupta used Manna Dey in Uttam Kumar’s film Goli Theke Rajpoth with the song “lag lag lag lag bhelkir khela”. Manna Dey’s songs “ami agantuk” and “ke prothom kache esechi” composed by Sudhin Dasgupta in Uttam Kumar’s film Shankhabela created sensation in Bengali celluloid in 1966. Manna Dey’s songs “ami kon pothe je choli” and “bachao ke acho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Choddobeshi became super hit as well. In the 70s, Manna Dey’s songs “esechi ami esechi”, “lekha porata shikhe phele” and “paye paye joriye rakho” in Uttam Kumar’s film Har Mana Har created sensation as well. Uttam Kumar gave the lips of his lifetime in the film Har Mana Har. While major success of Sudhin Dasgupta came in Uttam Kumar’s films, he made major contribution in Soumitra Chatterji’s films as well. The songs “ei shohor theke aro anek dure”, “hoyto tomari jonyo”, “jibone ki pabona” in the film Teen Bhubaner Pare, composed by Sudhin Dasgupta and sung by Manna Dey showed the westernized orchestration of the giant composer. Sudhin Dasupta’s songs in Soumitra’s films Prothom Kodom Phul and Bosonto Bilaap were equally successful. Manna Dey’s all round musical skills were used to perfection in these films. Even the song “ogo tomar sesh bichare asay” sung by Manna Dey in bayul andaz in Kali Banerjee’s legendary film Dak Horkora, and composed by Sudhin Dasgupta made the viewers speechless. Manna Dey sang many numbers of solo numbers as basic discs under the compositions of Sudhin Dasgupta. One of the notable songs included “ami taar thikana rakhini”. The songs of Sudhin Dasgupta and Manna Dey combination should be preserved and restored. Music-lovers wish Manna Dey to continue singing till his last day of life.

The nation remembers romantic actor Rishi Kapoorji on his death anniversary.

Rishi Kapoor died on 30th April 2020 and shocked the nation. One day ago the country was devastated with death news of talented actor Irfan Khan. Rishi Kapoor suffered from cancer and died at an of 1967. He is alive in his works. The viewers of bollywood films wished happy birthday to Rishi Kapoor on 4th September 2019. He had remained one of the most romantic actors that bollywood had ever produced. He started his career as a child artist in Raj Kapoor’s film Mera Naam Joker in 1971. He stormed bollywood films with his romantic performance in the film Bobby in 1973. The film did great business and Rishi Kapoor received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in Bobby. Raj Kapoor as producer and director started a new innings with a new team of Laxmikant Pyarellal as against Shankar Jaikishan after the death of Jaikishan in 1971. LP had huge contribution in the music of the films of Rishi Kapoor for the next ten years. From that time onwards Rishi Kapoor remained one the most romantic actors in bollywood films. His films Amar Akbar Anthony in 1977, Laila Majnu in 1976 and Sargam in 1978 were the greatest musical blockbusters of the 70s. The songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal, Jaidev and Madanmohan in these films became everlasting hits. The notable songs of Rafi and Lata in this film included “koel boli”, “parda hai parda”, “dafliwale”, “barbad muhobbat ki dua”, “is reshmi pazeeb”, to name a few. LP received the filmfare award for the best composer for 3 Rishi Kapoor’s films namely Amar Akbar Anthony, Sargam and Karz from 1978 to 1980. Rishi Kapoor’s extraordinary capability of giving lips in these songs separated him from other actors of that era. His films Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi and Karz created history. He showed his dancing skills in every type of songs of Rafi and Kishore including “hai aga dushman zamana”, “bacchna aye haseeno”, “dard –e- dil”, “om shanty om”, “puchona yaar kya hua”, to name a few. RD Burman and Laxmikant Pyarellal probably gave their best music to Rishi Kapoor in the 70s and 80s. In the 80s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Duniya, Sitamgar, Saagar, Chandni, Cooli, Naseeb, did fantastic business. He got the opportunity of acting opposite stalwarts in the industry namely Dilip Kumar in Duniya, Dharmender in Sitamgar, Kamal Hassan in Saagar, to name a few. In fact due to presence of Rishi Kapoor, producers and directors created romantic stories during an era when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha dominated bollywood with action films. Even in the 90s, Rishi Kapoor’s films Bol Radha Bol, Damini, etc., were appreciated by the audience. He was successful opposite young actresses like Juhi Chawla, Meenakshi Sheshadri, who were one generation younger than him. He had great contribution in the films of eminent directors like Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Subhash Ghai, Ramesh Sippy, David Dhawan, and others. After the debut of his son Ranbir Kapoor in the film Sawaariya, Rishi Kapoor switched to character roles. In 2009 also Rishi Kapoor did well in films like Dilli 6, Pyar Me Twist, Luck By Chance. He received Star Screen award for the best supporting actor in 2010 for his performance in the film Love Aaj Kal. In 2010 he acted in the films Chintuji and Sadiyaan. 2012 had been an excellent year for Rishi Kapoor. At the beginning of the year he acted in a negative character for the first time in his career in the film Agneepath. The film with hero Hrithik Roshan had done business of more than 125 crores. His other film Housefull 2 with Akshay Kumar had become super hit too. It also had done business of more than 110 crores. He is experimenting with new characters in this part of his career. He received best villain award for his performance in the film Agneepath. In 2013, he had acted in the films Chasme Baddoor and Besharam. In 2015 his performance in the film All is Well was very well appreciated. With his death the 3 generation actors Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor ended. It is an irreparable loss to the industry.