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

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

Remembering golden singer Hemant Kumar on his birth anniversary

Remembering Hemant Kumar on his birth anniversary. The viewers of bollywood and Bengali films pay their homage to evergreen singer Hemant Kumar on his birth anniversary on 16th June, 2024

. He had died more than 16 years back, but had left lot of memories which are cherished by the following generations. He composed music in many bollywood films in the 50s and 60s and carried forward the legacy of Rabindra Sangeet beyond the Bengal border and made it popular all across India. He composed music in the film Nagin and got the filmfare award for the best composer in 1955. His tune “man dole” sung by Lata for Vaijayantimala became extremely popular in the mid -50s. He sang a number of songs for Dev Anand including “yeh raat yeh chandni” in the film Jaal, “yeh apna dil” in Solwa Saal composed by SD Burman, songs in Patita composed by Shankar Jaikishan, etc. He also sang the legendary song “jane yeh kaise” for Guru Dutt in the film Pyaasa. His composition in Biswajeet’s films Bees Saal Baad and Kohra, became super hit. Successful songs included “yeh nayan dhali dhali”, “zara nazron se kahdo ji”, etc. In fact Hemant Kumar produced the film Bees Saal Baad, which was the sequel of Bengali crime thriller Jighansha, directed by Ajoy Kar. Hemant Kumar’s composition in the other films included Biswajeet’s Do Dil, Dilip Kumar’s Paigam, Dharmender’s Khamoshi, Guru Dutt’s Sahe Bibi Aur Ghulam, to name a few. Some of the hit songs sung by Hemant Kumar in those films included “tum pukarke”, and others. Besides he had given many hit songs to Lata, Asha and Geeta Dutt in those films. Hemant Kumar had sung majority of playback songs for Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar in the 50s. His songs included “surer akashe tumi je go shuktara” from the film Shapmochon in 1955, “tare bole diyo” from the film Dui Bhai in 1961, “nir choto khoti nei” from the film Indrani in 1958, “ei poth Jodi na shesh hoi” from the film Saptapadi in 1961, “jai chole jai” from the film Kal Tumi Aleya in 1965, “sapno jagano raat” from the film Shudhu Ekti Bachar in 1966, “mou bane aaj” from the film Bondhu in 1958, to name a few. Besides most of the Rabindra Sangeet sung by Hemant Kumar in Bengali films became hits, including “tumi robe nirobe” in Biswajeet’s Kuheli, “ami pothbhola ek pathik” in Uttam Kumar’s Mon Niye, “jokhon porbe na mor” in Uttam Kumar’s film Bibhas, “purano shei diner kotha” in Uttam Kumar’s Agnisshar, etc. Hemant Kumar had composed songs in more than 50 bengali films like Shap Mochon, Harano Sur, Saptapadi, Deep Jele Jai, Sathihara, Palatak, Phuleshwari, Dadar Kirti, Dui Bhai, Surjotoron, etc., most of which became dashing hits. Hemant Kumar had sung more than 1000 bengali modern songs under different composers. He had sung trend-setting songs composed by Salil Choudhury like “runner”, “kono ek gayer bodhu”, “patha harabo bole ebar”, “palki chole”. Nochiketa Ghosh composed landmark song for Hemant Kumar titled “amar ganer shorolipi lekha robe”. He had sung many ranbindra sangeet and showed his own skill aside other giants like Pankaj Mallick, Subinoy Ray, Dijen Mukherjee, Debrata Biswas and others. Hemant Kumar’s contribution in Bengali modern songs and film songs is so huge that articles after articles can be devoted for the melody king of Bengal. The viewers pay their respect for the departed soul of legendary singer Hemant Kumar on his birthday.

Manoj Kumar's Upkar Dilip Kumar's Ram Aur Shyam were the greatest 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.

Arundhati Debi and Uttam Kumar represented aristocratic pair of artists

Uttam Kumar in the 50s and 60s acted opposite different actresses, some who were beautiful, like Sumitra Debi, Suchitra Sen, Sharmila Tagore, etc., while others who had wide ranging acting conceptions like Manju Dey, Sabitri Chatterji and others. Arundhuti Debi was one of the highly educated characters whose qualifications were expressed in the characters she had played in a long career spanning over 25 years. With Uttam Kumar Arundhuti Debi acted in approximately 8 films including Bokul, Shiulibari, Jhinder Bandi, Jotugriha, Nabajanma, Manmayi Girls School, Pushpodhonu and Bicharak. While in Bicharak, she expressed the feelings of a confused sister whose elder sister was married to Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar was attracted to Arundhuti Debi and when fire broke out in the house and his first wife Deepti Ray required his help, he declined to help her and allowed her to die. A similar type of case was adjudicated by Uttam Kumar when he was a judge, when Chabi Biswas, the Public Prosecutor talked about the liability of the accused who could have saved the life of his brother, but he did not do so. Uttam Kumar was asked by Arundhuti Debi to examine his own conscience about his liability towards Deepti Roy in Prabhat Mukherjee’s classic film. Arundhuti Debi and Uttam Kumar showed their comedy conception in the film Manmayi Girl’s School, where they had to pretend to be spouses, because their landlord rented his house to them only on the condition of marriage. But their playacting resulted in an affair with one another. In Pushpadhanu, Arundhuti Debi brought up her husband’s child after he deserted her and got attached with Uttam Kumar who understood the feelings of an established dancer who got recognition but was a loner. Jhinder Bandi was made with the historical touch of Prisoner of Zenda and Tapan Sinha astonished the viewers with his treatment in the Indian context. The royal style of living of Rajputs was well demonstrated by both Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi. Shiulibari was directed by Pijus Bose, who utilized the talent of Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti in a story based on the life of villagers of West Bengal. Jotugriha, directed by Tapan Sinha, was probably the most successful film of Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi. In that film lack of begetting a child led to disharmony of the married couple. Both Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi got separated and even after separation never lost the respect of each other. The story ends with both the spouses travelling in to trains which crossed each other. The level of performance of both Uttam Kumar and Arundhuti Debi, was such that there were no Indian actor or actress who could match the standard of performance. Uttam Kumar was the greatest superstar of Bengali cinema and became one-man industry in the 70s. Critics argue that no Indian star other than Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor had the individual charishma which Uttam Kumar had and if his Hindi films clicked he could have created serious competition for the stars of 60s. But Arundhuti Debi’s films with Uttam Kumar were so rich in literature, script and performance that critics argue that the combination addressed the concerns of intellectual audience of the country more than any other combination. The films should be restored for their aesthetic value.

All the songs of Rafisahab in almost 15 films of Guru Dutt sahab were smash 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.

Looking back at successful actress Nadiraji

Nadira – the sizzling star of golden age. Nadira used to be considered a sizzling star of the 50s and 60s, the golden age of bollywood cinema. Her beauty was different than the traditional stars like Nargis or Madhubala, and her charishmatic intonation had created a separate place in the minds of viewers. She acted in the first coloured film of bollywood that is Aan, made in the early 50s opposite Dilip Kumar. From Aan itself, the smartness of Nadira reflected in her acting as the film required horse-riding and adventurous acts which were difficult for other actresses of the same era. In 1955, Raj Kapoor gave the role of her lifetime in the film Shree 420. Her villainish performance in the film did outcast Nargis in the same film. The song “mur murke na dekh” composed by Shankar Jaikishan and sung by Asha Bhosle and Manna Dey was picturised on Nadira and Raj Kapoor. The lips of Nadira created a lasting impact in the minds of the viewers and Shree 420 became a super hit film. The good part of Shree 420 in the career of Nadira was that it made her a rising star. But the bad part was that from that film her image in negative characters got bolstered and producers and directors started casting her in negative roles. In Dil Apna Aur Preeti Parayi, she acted opposite Raj Kumar and Meena Kumari. Raj Kumar had affair with Meena Kumari, a nurse in the film, and after marriage with Nadira, the weakness towards Meena Kumari led to disharmony in the family. Nadira matched Meena Kumari in acting in a musical blockbuster, where once again Shankar Jaikishan amazed the viewers with songs like “ajeeb dastan hai yeh”. Nadira’s strong command over urdu had earned her majestic roles in films like Pakiza, where the muslim pardanashin community was shown. Nadira’s performance in the film was appreciated by the critics who consider the epic film of Kamal Hamrohi, as one of the greatest films of all times. In the mid-70s, with advent of action films, characterization of negative personalities underwent a change. Even in those films Nadira contributed in her own way. Her performance as a step-mother of Shabana Azmi in the film Amar Akbar Anthony created special attraction. Her torture towards Shabana’s family was detected by Vinod Khanna, who was police officer in the film and she was arrested. In the mid-80s, she made valuable contribution in Ramesh Sippy’s romantic film Saagar. She was associated with Kamal Hassan, who made the viewers cry at the end of the film when his romance ended in failure. She loved Dimple Kapadia who was addicted towards Rishi Kapoor. When Rishi Kapoor was attacked by his relatives Kamal Hassan saved at the cost of his own life. Kamal Hassan had special relation with Nadira and he used to disclose his private matters to her. Nadira was compassionate towards Kamal Hassan when she came to know about his sacrifice. In the 90s, Nadira’s performance in the TV serials directed by Gulzar, where Om Puri interviewed her about her film career, was equally impressive. Kamini Kaushal also acted in the serial and matched Nadira in the special role. Nadira’s films should be preserved to grace her remote style of performance having sizzling effect and also lasting appeal.

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Legendary singer Mahendra Kapoorji is still remembered in India

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.

Immortal bond of superstar Uttam Kumar with directors Agradoot and Ajoy Kar.

Elegant combination of Uttam Kumar with Ajoy Kar and Agradoot. In the 1950s major films of Uttam Kumar created romantic appeal before the majority of audience of the country. His combination with Ajay Kar and Agradoot was very grand. Ajay Kar did cast Uttam Kumar for the first time in the film Griha Prabesh. It was a social film where Uttam Kumar and Suchitra sen were launched and they acted opposite other established artists like Manju Dey, Bikash Roy and others. In Shyamali in 1956, Ajay Kar utilized Uttam Kumar’s acting potential. It was a film relating to deaf and dumb character played by Kaberi Bose. Uttam Kumar played a very compassionate role and his experience of acting in stage opposite Sabitri Chatterjee in the play Shaymali helped him a lot. In 1957, Uttam Kumar’s film Harano Sir ended up being the biggest blockbuster of the decade. Suchitra Sen played the role of wife of Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar met with an accident and for his previous history. Suchitra Sen treated her and married her. But again Uttam Kumar met with an accident and forgot Suchitra Sen. The rest of the film was related to the struggle of Suchitra Sen in bringing back memories of Uttam Kumar of the past. Geeta Dutt’s song “tumi je amar” became bumper hit. Ajay Kar’s Saptapadi stands out as one of the greatest classics of the golden period. Critics argue that Saptapadi released in 1961 stands out as the best film of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen in their entire career. Ajoy Kar probably made the best use of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen in the film Saptapadi. It was a story of Tarashankar Banerjee on affair between hindu Brahmin played by Uttam Kumar with a Christian girl played by Suchitra Sen. Uttam Kumar’s father Chabi Biswas did not accept the marriage. Uttam Kumar became a Christian and a doctor but could not marry Suchitra Sen. The film was made at the backdrop of Second World War. Hemanta Mukherjee’s music in the film was very impressive. Ajay Kar reciprocated the magic in Uttam Kumar’s film Shono Boronari. The film was released in 1960. There Supriya Debi, the daughter of eminent barrister Udasin played by Chabi Biswas fell in love with a homeopathic doctor played by Uttam Kumar. As monetarily Uttam Kumar was no match to Chabi Biswas, a marriage was arranged with industrialist Dipak Mukherjee in the film. At the end of the film Supriya Debi left her house to accept Uttam Kumar. The music of Robin Chatterjee in the film was very impressive. Ajoy Kar made other successful films with Uttam Kumar including Khelaghar opposite Mala Sinha, Bardidi with Sandharani, to name a few. Agradoot included a group of directors were formed in 1946 by director Bibhuti Laha, sound recordist Jatin Dutta, Laboratory specialist Sailen Ghoshal, script writer Nitai Bhattacharya and producer Bimal Ghosh. With Uttam Kumar Agradoot made the film Sahajatri in 1951. Bharati Debi was the heroine of the film. After that Agradoot directed one after the other hit films with Uttam Kumar. Agniparikkha in 1954 directed by Agradoot became super hit. Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen were established as leading stars of Bengal. Anupam Ghatak composed the music of the film. Sandhya Mukherjee sang landmark songs like “gaane more indradhanu”, “ke tumi amare dako”, to name a few. From that time Suchitra Sen, singer Sandhya Mukherjee, music director Robin Chatterjee, Anupam Ghatak stormed Bengali films. Sabar Opore followed. Uttam Kumar played the role of lawyer in the film who re-opened a murder case where his father Chabi Biswas was proved guilty of murder. Again the combination with Suchitra Sen, Sandhya Mukherjee, Robin Chatterjee struck gold. The songs of Sandhya Mukherjee like “ghum ghum chand jhikimiki tara”, and Dhananjoy Bhattacharya like “kantaro aghate chino paye rakta jhare” became super hit. The other super hit films of Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen directed by Agradoot include Pathe Holo Deri, Bipasha, to name a few. Majority of Agradoot’s films were produced by MP Production and shot in MP Studio. One interesting statistics about Uttam Kumar Suchitra Sen pair is that from 1953 to 1959, both of them acted in 22 films. Majority of those films were directed by Agradoot and majority of them ended up being super hit films. Chabi Biswas was pivotal in playing the roles of fathers of Suchitra Sen and Uttam Kumar in majority of those films. Agradoot continued with his experiment in other Uttam Kumar films like Kuhak in 1961, Kokhono Megh in 1968, Choddobeshi in 1971. It was a great experiment of Agradoot in casting Uttam Kumar in negative role for the first time in Kuhak. Sabitri Chatterjee was the heroin. He wanted to take away the stolen money from Tarun Kumar’s son but was ultimately killed by Premangshu Basu. In Kokhono Megh Uttam Kumar played the role of detective with Kali Banerjee the villain. Anjana Bhowmick acted opposite Uttam Kumar. Agradoot also directed Uttam Kumar in serio-comic film Choddobeshi. Madhabi Mukherjee, Bikash Roy, Anubha Gupta were the other artists in the film. If the films of Ajoy Kumar and Agradoot were analyzed it will be seen while Uttam Kumar played the pivotal roles in all the films, the success of the films were dependent on outstanding music. The prominent music directors who contributed in the music of the films included Robin Chatterjee and Anupam Ghatak. The outstanding performances by character artists like Chabi Biswas took the films to a different horizon. Other male character artists performed beyond expectation including Kamal Mitra, Nitish Mukherjee, Bikash Roy, Pahari Sanyal, Kali Banerjee, Jahar Ganguly, to name a few. Also the female character artists like Malina Debi, Sunanda Debi, Chandrabati Debi, Chaya Debi, Padda Debi played landmark characters. The excellent literature of legendary writers like Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and contemporary writers like Samaresh Basu, Subodh Ghosh appealed to the masses. If Uttam Kumar became mahanayak, the legendary superstar of Bengal, there was huge contribution of Ajay Kar and Agradoot in making him a superstar. /s320/85a8e35fa5fd27565702cd986d9dbf62%2BUttam%2Bkumar%2Bsharmila.jpg" width="298" height="320" data-original-width="564" data-original-height="606" />

The owner of velvetty voice Talat Mehmoodsahab is remembered on death anniversary.

The owner of velvette voice Talat Mehmood was remembered on his death anniversary on 9th May, 2024

. 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.

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

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

Shankar Jaikishanji, Naushadji gave landmark duet songs to Suman Kalyanpurji and Rafisahab

Suman Kalyanpur had her birthday on 28th January, 2024. The media during the last 60s years had been too kind towards some of the celebrities while remained silent about the others. For example during the golden age 50s, 60s and 70s, other than Lata and Rafi there were other combinations who had given everlasting hits. Lata Mangeshkar always got the focus of attention and as such her duets with Rafi which covers more than 440 in number always stole the attention. Yet Suman Kalyanpur during the same age of competition had sung almost 170 duets with Rafi most of which became super hit, yet could not get the lime light which they deserved. The song “ajahu na aye balma” from Saanjh Aur Sawera, picturised on Mehmood and Subha Khote and composed by Shankar Jaikishan showed the compatibility of Rafi with Suman Kalyanpur in classical songs. Rafi could adapt his style of singing with any singer. But Suman Kalyanpur also did a great job with the giant. The song “dil-e-betaab ko seene se lagana hoga” from the film Palki, picturised on Rajender Kumar and Wahida Rehman and composed by Naushad had the ghazal andaz embedded in them and Suman Kalyanpur was unblemmish aside Rafi. SJ used the same Suman Kalyanpur aside Rafi in fast numbers like “aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche” from Brahmchari picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Mumtaz, “dil use do jo jaan de de” picturised on Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini in the film Andaz. The biggest tragedy is that the songs did great business and the films became super hit, yet the message relating to Rafi’s combination with Suman Kalyanpur did not reach most of the viewers and the media too did not play a neutral role in that aspect. Half of the people thought the duets were sung by Rafi and Lata as Suman Kalyanpur’s singing style matched with that of Lata. Khayyam’s composition “thereiye hosh me aaloon to chale jayiega” from the film Mohabbat is ko kehte hai” picturised on Shashi Kapoor and Nanda had another romantic number of Rafi and Suman. Madan Mohan’s tune “baad muddat se yeh ghari aye” sung by Rafi and Suman stunned many listeners of ghazals, as the urdu words were pronounced in style in the film Jahan –ara. Bharat Bhushan and Mala Sinha were sublime in the film. Rafi as usual was unblemish in respect of ghazals. But Suman too had adapted her style of singing which suited the songs of the Mughal period. Even the fast numbers composed by LP like “tumse o haseena” sung by Rafi and Suman did not get the hype of media which it deserved inspite of Farz ending up as a run away hit of Jeetender. Roshan’s meritorious composition like “maine aye jaane wafa” from the film Bedaag, “chand takda hai idhar” from the film Doojh Ka Chaand remained unnoticed. Besides there were other hits like “parbaton ke paron par sham ka basera hai” from the film Shagun composed by Khayyam, “tumne pukara aur hum chale aye” from the film Raj Kumar composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “dil ek mandir hai” from the film Dil Ek Mandir composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe dekha tujhe chaha” from the film Choti Si Mulakat composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “tujhe pyar karte karte” from the film April Fool composed by Shankar Jaikishan, “mujhe yeh phool na den” from the film Ghazal composed by Madan Mohan. The factor of Suman Kalyanpur being chosen to sing duets with legendary Rafi Sahab by giant composers like Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Laxmikant Pyarellal, Kalyanji Anandji, proved another fact that she was not any particular composer’s singer. She did a great job with Rafi, but due to passive attitude of the media the songs got recognition with no information relating to the singer. Even in many films when the names of the singers were written Suman Kalyanpur’s name was mentioned at the end without any particular reason for it. Rafi had proved in his entire life that he was a greater human being than a singer. That was the reason why he could match his singing style with any fellow female artist including Lata, Geeta Dutt, Sumna Kalyanpur, Sharda, Mubarak Begum, Asha Bhosle, Shamshad Begum, and others. His combination with Suman Kalyanpur should be preserved and restored.

The nation remembers Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray on birth anniversary

Remembering Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2020. Viewers of international films all across the world remember Oscar Winning Director Satyajit Ray on his birth anniversary on 2nd May and death anniversary 23rd April, 2024

. Ray was born on 2nd May, 1921, and critics feel it was the birth of legend of legends and probably one of the greatest talents the world has ever produced after Rabindranath Tagore. Ray showed his excellence in every different of film making including script writing, costumes, music direction, costume designing, etc. My father, Chitta Ranjan Chatterji, Ex-Chief Public Prosecutor, Bankshall Court, North, Calcutta, represented Sandip Ray, the son of Satyajit Ray, in a case relating to recovery of manuscripts from Uday Acharya, the brother of Nirmal Acharya, a renowned critic. When the manuscripts of Ray’s films were seized from Udai Acharya’s house and opened from sealed trunk it was seen that they were pictographic in nature. Script of the film Pather Panchali, Gonoshotru had illustrations at every part which showed the secret of Ray’s brilliant characterization in films. Probably some of the actors and actresses in Ray’s films rose to stardom through the images portrayed by Ray. Chabi Biswas mesmerized the film lovers with his dignified performance in the role of Bishambhar Roy in the film Jalsaghar. Charu Prakash Ghosh was unparallel in the role of Birinchibaba in the film Kapurush Mahapurush. Anil Chatterji was unparallel in the role of Post Master in the film Teen Kanya. Utpal Dutt gave his performance for his life in the character Maganlal Meghraj in the film Joy Baba Felunath. Similarly Om Puri and Smita Patil were sublime in their roles in the film Sadgati. Sanjeev Kumar entered the skin of the character played in the film Shatranj Ki Khiladi. Uttam Kumar could not have been replaced by any other actor in the film Nayak. Karuna Banerjee had made the role of mother of Apu immortal in the film Pather Panchali. Sharmila Tagore was outstanding in the film Debi. Tapen Chatterji and Robi Ghosh are still remembered by filmlovers through their character Goopi Bagha. All the Indian directors like Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan ,had agreed that they learnt the art of story-telling from Ray’ films. Even the theme music of the legendary director had moved the directors all across the world. Audrey Hepburn, the Oscar winning actress while awarding the Oscar award for lifetime contribution of Ray, said in her speech that Ray’s direction had the soul of Apu in the Apu Trilogy march out from the village of West Bengal and explored India and expressed the struggle for existence of every middle-class individual of the country. Whenever classic literature of novelists and writers were used in films, Ray created his own dimension in those films, including the standard of excellence in the films Charulata and Ghare Baire which were based on the epic literature of Tagore. Films made by Ray from his own literature like Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath, Agantuk, etc., were equally brilliant. The films of Ray should be preserved to disseminate the art of script writing, costume designing, theme music, camera work, neat direction, etc. Satyajit Ray is remembered on 23rd April, 2012, his death anniversary. Oscar winning Director Satyajit Ray had been remembered all over the country on 23rd April, 2012. He had died on this day in 1992 at the age of 71 years. He was considered to be a legend of legends. Right from his first film Pather Panchali he changed the world of story telling in Indian films. He used classic literature of noted novelists like Rabindranath Tagore, Munshi Premchand, Bibhutibhushan Banerjee, Tarashankar Banerjee, and others and created a new dimension in the films with those classic stories. He changed the views of directors from shooting within studios and ventured out and captured the different moods of nature. He made crime thrillers like Joy Baba Felunath, Sonar Kella which were written by him and became popular with the children with the name of Feluda series. His use of theme music in films had been a learning experience for noted directors of the 70s like Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Govind Nihalini and others. His Apu Trilogi showed the path of a middle-class Indian who travelled the roads of villages and ventured into the urbanized town. Most of his films including Pather Panchali, Jalsaghar, Teen Kanya, Mahanagar, Nayak, were masterpieces. His films and literature should be preserved for their immense artistic value. A big section of intellectuals feel that he was the greatest creator in India to have born after Rabindranath Tagore. His Son Sandip Ray had directed many of the films based on his father’s literature including Bombaiyer Bombete, Tintoretor Jishu, Royal Bengal Rahasya, etc.