Salman Khan Rashmika starrer Sikandar did 30 crores business on 1st day in India and 40 crores worldwide

Salman Khan Rashmika starrer Sikandar did business of 30 crores in 1st day in India and 40 crores business worldwide. Salman Khan was excellent.

Sikandar (lit. 'Sikandar') is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film stars Salman Khan in the titular role, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, Sathyaraj, Kajal Aggarwal, Sharman Joshi, Prateik Babbar, Kishore, Jatin Sarna and Sanjay Kapoor. In the film, Sanjay "Sikandar" Rajkot, the king of Rajkot, becomes a target for Minister Rakesh Pradhan after killing his son. When his wife’s donated organs save three lives, Rakesh seeks revenge, forcing Sanjay to protect them. Marking the reunion of Khan and Nadiadwala after Kick (2014), the film was officially announced in April 2024, with principal photography commencing the following June. It was predominantly shot in Mumbai, while a sporadic schedules was held at Hyderabad, before being wrapped by March 2025. The film has songs composed by Pritam, background score composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Tirru and editing by Vivek Harshan. With an estimated production budget of ₹200 crore, it is one of the most expensive Indian films of all time. Sikandar was released worldwide on 30 March 2025, in standard and IMAX formats, coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, to mixed reviews from both critics and audiences alike, with praise for the performances, action, and intense scenes but criticism for its weak story, outdated screenplay, dull dialogues, and pacing. Plot Sanjay Rajkot, the king of Rajkot, Gujarat, is known to the people as "Sikandar." He is married to Saisri, a painter, who is referred to as Rani Saidha. One day, during a flight, Arjun, the son of Minister Rakesh Pradhan, encounters Monica, a former pornographic film actress who has since married and has a son. Arjun threatens to show her past videos to her son in exchange for sex. However, Sanjay, who is also on the flight, intervenes, engaging in a fistfight with Arjun and his bouncers. He ultimately forces Arjun to apologize to Monica. The next day, Minister Rakesh hires Inspector Prakash to arrest Sanjay for attacking his son, personally bribing him for the job. Prakash arrives at Sanjay’s mansion in Rajkot, only to find that he is not there. Saisri informs him that Sanjay has already gone to the police station. When Prakash reaches the station, he finds Sanjay there but with his senior officers, who order Prakash to let him go. Saisri feels that Sanjay is always distant from her. She often notices him forgetting their wedding anniversary and her birthday. One day, she discovers that she is pregnant and tries to share the news with Sanjay. However, at the same time, his query manager sells 40 kilos of explosives, which are threatened to be used at a site. This forces Sanjay to rush there to stop the attack. Unbeknownst to him, Saisri follows him to the site, where she gets caught in a bomb blast and is severely wounded. She is rushed to the hospital but succumbs to her injuries before she can tell Sanjay about her pregnancy. Prior to her death, she had signed up for organ donation, and her lungs, eyes, and heart are transplanted into patients in Mumbai. Upon learning that her organs were used in surgeries there, Sanjay sets out to find the recipients. He soon discovers that her lungs were donated to Kamar, an orphaned child from Dharavi, Mumbai, her eyes to Vaidehi Ranga, and her heart to Nisha. Sanjay first encounters Kamar and learns that he suffers from lung disease due to the severe pollution in his area. The pollution is caused by Virat Bakshi, a businessman, who has bought several acres of land to build a mall. However, in an attempt to force the remaining residents to vacate, he uses the land he owns as a dumping ground for garbage, worsening the living conditions. Next, Sanjay meets Vaidehi and discovers that she lives with her husband, mother-in-law, and father-in-law. She runs a vadam shop, but her business has stopped receiving orders. She believes her strict father-in-law is the reason, as he holds the belief that women should not work. Finally, Sanjay meets Nisha, who is in the hospital because her donated heart has started to fail. Determined to save her, Sanjay arranges for a doctor from Dubai to guide the local doctors through a video call, which helps to stabilize her condition. He later learns that Nisha was born with a heart condition, which worsened after her ex-boyfriend, Kapil, callously informed her that he was getting married, which caused her immense emotional distress. Cast Salman Khan as Sanjay "Sikandar" Rajkot[5] Rashmika Mandanna as Saisri Rajkot, Sanjay's wife Kajal Aggarwal as Vaidehi Rangachari Sathyaraj as Minister Rakesh Pradhan Sharman Joshi as Amar, Sanjay’s aide Prateik Babbar as Arjun Pradhan Anjini Dhawan as Nisha Kishore as Inspector Prakash Jatin Sarna as De Niro, a Taxi driver Sanjay Kapoor as Nisha's father Nawab Shah as Virat Bakshi Vishal Vashishtha as Rangachari Kishori Shahane as Minister's wife Abha Ranta as Aishwarya Pradhan Sulabha Arya as Savithri Vijayant Kohli as Sudarshan Ayan Khan as Kamaruddin "Kamar" Prakash Sudarshan as Aditya Abhilash Chaudhary as Deva Navdeep Tomar as Salim Gurjant Singh as Mayur Anant Mahadevan as Chief Minister Arjun Dwivedi as Kapil's uncle Sunny Thakur as Zuber Ali Abhimanyu Vashishth as Varadachari Adiba Hussain as Asha Neha Iyer as Monica Amitabh Ghanekar as Prashant, Minister's PA Meghna Pandey as Air Hostress Rajesh Jhaveri as Rangacheri's father Dhanya Balakrishna as Saisri's maid Production Development In February 2024, it was reported that Salman Khan and Sajid Nadiadwala would begin production on a film, nearly a decade on from their last collaboration Kick (2014): A.R. Murugadoss was then reported to be the film's director.[6][7] It marks the first film between Khan and Murugadoss, who initially pitched the lead role of Ghajini (2008) to Khan.[8] Nadiadwala and Murugadoss both recruited Khan for Sikandar.[6][7] The film was announced by Khan on his social media platforms on Eid al-Fitr in April 2024, and expressed his excitement about collaborating with Murugadoss and Nadiadwala.[9] The film was scheduled to be filmed soon thereafter across multiple countries, including Portugal and other European countries but was delayed due to Murugadoss' commitments on Madharasi (2025).[6][7][10] Murugadoss eventually worked on Sikandar and Madharasi simultaneously until June 2024,[9][9] although, he completed significant portions of Madharasi before continuing on Sikandar.[9] With an estimated production budget of ₹200 crore,[6] Sikandar is the most expensive film produced by Nadiadwala and one of the most expensive Indian films of all time.[6][7] Casting In May 2024, Rashmika Mandanna was announced as the female lead opposite Khan, marking their first collaboration.[11] Sathyaraj and Prateik Babbar were cast soon thereafter.[12][13] In September, Sharman Joshi, Kajal Aggarwal and Anjini Dhawan were hired,[14][15][16] and one month later, Kishore also joined the cast.[17] Filming Principal photography commenced on 19 June 2024, with aerial-based action sequences shot in Mumbai.[18] An action sequence between Khan and Babbar was filmed in July,[19] and in August, further action sequences, including gun fights and hand-to-hand action sequences, were shot over a period of 40 days across Mumbai.[20] For these sequences, it was reported that sets worth ₹15 crore were created to resemble Dharavi and Matunga.[21] In September, Khan sustained a rib injury during filming.[22] Filming resumed later that month, with a song involving Khan, Mandanna and 200 background dancers being filmed.[23] However, filming was again halted, due to heavy rains across Mumbai.[24] Filming was further halted due to security concerns after Khan received death threats from Lawrence Bishnoi, with a shooting also reported near Khan's home.[25] After increasing on-set security, principal photography resumed in November, with filming taking place in Falaknuma Palace.[26][27] Two songs featuring Qawwali and Holi-style themes were reportedly also filmed.[28] Action sequences involving a train and 350 extras were then filmed on elaborate sets recreating Borivali and Mumbai Suburban.[29] In January 2025, Sikander's final filming period began in Mumbai,[30] with four action sequences shot, reportedly including aircraft, trains, and sets resembling a prison and a hospital.[31] Principal photography concluded on 14 March 2025.[32] Music The film’s music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company, with the songs being composed by Pritam and the background score being composed by Santhosh Narayanan.[33][34] The first single, "Zohra Jabeen", was released on 4 March 2025.[35] The second single, "Bam Bam Bhole", was released one week later,[36] and the third single, "Sikandar Naache", was released on 18 March.[37] The fourth single, "Hum Aapke Bina" was released on 28 March 2025.[38] Track listingNo. Title Lyrics Singer(s) Length 1. "Zohra Jabeen" Sameer Anjaan, Danish Sabri, Mellow D Nakash Aziz, Dev Negi, Mellow D 3:24 2. "Bam Bam Bhole" Sameer Anjaan Shaan, Dev Negi, Antara Mitra 3:38 3. "Sikandar Naache" Sameer Anjaan Amit Mishra, Akasa Singh, Siddhaant Miishhraa 4:06 4. "Hum Aapke Bina" Sameer Anjaan Arijit Singh

Nandaji films are relevant even today

It is a shocking news for the lovers of Indian films that Nanda had died today, on 25th March, 2014, at the age of 75 years. She suffered a massive heart attack. Her friend Mala Sinha shared her experiences with the press and media about acting with Nanda. Both of them acted in the film Dhool Ka Phool. Nanda having huge amount of acting potentials never received her dues. Born in a Maharashtrian family she learned acting from childhood. Eminent director V Shantaram gave her a prominent role in the film Toofan Aur Diya in 1956. She was brilliant in the film Bhabhi in 1957. She played the role of the younger sister of Pandari Bai, the wife of Balraj Sahani in the film. She became widow at a very early age and the information was not given to her by Pandari Bai. She played a very juvenile role in the first part of the film and in the second part became serious. She received the nomination for best supporting actress in 1957 for her role in Bhabhi but did not win it. She was sublime in the role of the wife of Rajender Kumar in the film Dhool Ka Phool in 1959. She followed it up by a brilliant performance in the film Choti Behen. Again she had the challenge of acting with Balraj Sahani. She did a great job. In 1960s, Nanda became a stylish heroine and acted in glamour oriented roles. With Manoj Kumar she had a fantastic combination. She did a great job in the film Bedaag. Gumnaam was the blockbuster film of Nanda which did fabulous business. Shankar Jaikishan’s music stormed Bollywood in 1965 with Gumnaam. Nanda gave soft lips in the song “jaane chaman sholabadan” which was sung by Sharda and Mohammad Rafi. The she was paired opposite Shashi Kapoor in more than 7 films. The romantic pair started their journey in the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen. It was a music oriented film which created magic. Kalyanji Anandji’s music was appreciated by the audience. Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur’s duet song “nanakarte pyar humhi to kar baite” became bumper hit. The combination just gave hits after hits. The other notable films included Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari, Muhobbat Is Ko Kehte Hai, to name a few. The movies were shot in romantic locations of Jammu Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The music created magic and the audiences admired the films. In the 1970s and 1980s, Nanda shifted to character roles. There also she showed excellence. In Manoj Kumar’s film Shor she played a compassionate character. In Dilip Kumar’s film Mazdoor she played the role of his wife. She also gave a landmark performance in Raj Kapoor’s film Prem Rog in 1982. Her character role of the mother of Padmini Kolhapuri caught the attention of the viewers. In her career around 40 years, she had acted in diverse roles. But neither was she honoured, nor recognized for the great callibre shown over the years. Her films should be preserved.

Priyanka Chopra films are entertaining

Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2025. After marriage Priyanka Chopra started her second innings. Priyanka Chopra will be celebrating her birthday in 2025, on 18th July with awesome gifts given to her by her mother. She had not disclosed to the media as to what are the surprise gifts. Priyanka Chopra is at the top of the world with her successes in the film Don 2 and Barfi in 2011 and 2012. 2014 had been a great year with her film Gunday opposite Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor doing business worth 75 crores. Her performance in the role of boxer in Mary Kom in 2014 had been widely appreciated. In 2015 she did well in the film Dil Dhadakne Do.In 2017n she did well in Hollywood in Bay Watch. In 2018, she got married and did not act in the film Bharat with Salman Khan. Instead of her Katrina Kaif played the role. She acted in the film Pink Sky opposite Farhan Akhtar in 2019. From Filmfare award to Star screen, the role she played in Barfi fetched her awards and accolades from different parts of the world. Priyanka Chopra had a hectic year 2011. She received positive reviews for her performance in the film Saat Khoon Maaf that was released in the early part of the year. She had many husbands in the film for different reasons. Her film Don- 2, The Chase Continues she had acted opposite Shahrukh Khan once again. Viewers have huge expectation from the films of 2013 including Zanjeer and Krish 3. She is also acting in the film Barfee opposite Ranbir Kapoor. In the film she is playing the role of a mentally challenged girl. She is in fact visiting few mental asylums to get the feel of the role. She is also acting in the film Agneepath. Priyanka Chopra is today’s most popular actress of the bollywood film industry. She had started her career in bollywood films after she won the Miss India contest title. Since then she never looked back. Her first film Andaz opposite Akshay Kumar and Lara Dutta did well in the box office. But initially she haven’t got that much recognition, but with the film Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan and Akshay kumar , Priyanka Chopra became a leading star of the period. She had got the grace, glamour and attitude in her which is very much wanted by today’s audience and young crowd. She gave stunning performance in the Fashion and got the filmfare award for the best actress for the year 2009. She even won her first prestigious National award for the performance in the film Fashion. Director Madhur Bhandarkar had been known for making realistic films and Priyanka Chopra did adapt her style of performance in the ideal way that Madhur Bhandarkar expected. In the same year she did perform in many films including God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku , Love story 2050, Dostana and Billu Barber in 2009. Her next upcoming film was released in 2009 was titled Kamina opposite Shahid Kapoor. This film also did fabulous business. The big factor which had kept Priyanka Chopra ahead of Kareena Kapoor, Ash, Katrina and others, include her capability to adapt herself in different roles. Whenever the situation demanded she played the role of an upstart American in the film Dostana. She effortlessly managed the comedy sequences along with Abhishek Bacchan and John Abraham. In the film Love Story 2050, she adjusted herself to the hi-tech world that would have emerged around 40 years from now on. Her role in God Tussi Great Ho was totally different. There were misunderstandings and traps set by either Sohail Khan or Salman Khan. She faced the events and was firm in her affection towards Salman Khan. Similarly in Billu Barber, her performance in a dance number opposite Shahrukh Khan requires special mention. In fact she had given elegant lips in the songs “tujhe aksa beach dikhadun”, “salaam-e-ishq”, “tenu le”, etc. The viewers expect her to continue the brilliant work that she had started in 2008 and do even well in 2020

Happy birthday to Jeetenderji the golden hero of bollywood

Happy birthday to Golden Hero Jeetender. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jeetender, the golden hero of the 60s on 7th April, 2025. He has been considered as one of the most consistent actors who had steady box-office in the 60s, 70s and 80s. In the early 60s, he started his career with the success in the film Geet Gaya Pattharone, opposite Rajashree. Bollywood industry was flooded with actors at that time including Showman Raj Kapoor, Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and the other matinee idols like Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan and others. He had to face very strong competition to stay in the competition at that time. Within a short period of time his dancing skills were cultivated by the directors and his films started making profits. His film Farz in 1967, opposite Babita, became super hit. The songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi created storms, including “mast baharon ka mai ashiq”, “baar baar din yeh aye”, etc. Besides, Jeetender’s dance performance in most of the songs entertained the viewers to a big extent. From that time onwards, Jeetender had a great combination with LP, Rafi and Anand Bakshi. All the songs of the film Humjoli, Jeegri Dost and Banphool became superhit. Prominent songs included “mere desh me”, “dhal gaya din”, etc. Initially critics called Jeetender jumping jack, but his dancing skills followed by his acting skills made him a ruler in the 70s and 80s. He was blessed with romantic songs of Rafi and the composition of many brilliant composers of 60s and 70s. The songs of his film Mere Huzoor were equally romantic. Jeetender had to balance the stylish acting andaz of actor Raj Kumar and brilliant performance of Mala Sinha in the film Mere Huzoor. The film was a commercial and critical success. Jeetender with his dancing skills was sublime in the film Ek Nari Ek Brahmchari where Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs in the films were super hit including “tu nari mai brahmchari”sung by Rafi and Manna Dey. He was equally brilliant in the film Waarish. Rafi’s songs in the film were brilliant including “ek bechara pyar ka maara”. He was successful in the film Kathputli as well. In 70s, he was probably the only romantic actor other than Rishi Kapoor, he survived the period relating to action films, when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughu Sinha and others gave hit action films one after the other. The hit films of Jeetender in the 70s include Karwan, Nagin, which continued in the 80s with the success of films like Asha opposite Reena Roy. Jeetender also played a crucial in off-beat films of Gulzar like Parichay, Khushbu and Kinara where the intellectual audience had appreciated him. He gave very elegant lips in brilliant songs of Bhupinder Singh like “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc. He transformed himself from an excited, energetic, youth to a reserve personality in Parichay, Khusbu and Kinara. Jeetender’s in the 80s had compelled producers to launch him opposite young actresses like Sri Devi and Jaya Prada who were much younger than him in films like Himmatwala or Dharm Adhikari. After the launching of his son Tushar Kapoor in modern films, he had reduced acting in contemporary films. But the viewers expect him to still continue in modern films in character roles just like before.

Veteran actress Shakilaji's films are still relevant today

Renowned actress Shakila died at the age of 82 years. It is sad that renowned Bollywood actress Shakila died at the age of 82 years on 21st September, 2017 due to heart problems. She was very successful actress of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1950, she played the younger role of Suraiya opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Dastan. As a child artist only she created attention. She became a star in Guru Dutt’s film Aar Paar in 1954. Geeta Dutt’s song “babuji dheere chalna” composed by OP Nayyar is remembered by the audience even today due to brilliant lipsing and dance steps of Shakila. Although she played a negative role she became as popular as the other heroine of the film that was Shyama. Aar Paar was one of the biggest hits of Guru Dutt in the early 1950s. In the mid-1950s Shakila starred in hit films one after the other. Guru Dutt produced and Raj Khosla directed the film CID in 1956. Shakila played a lead role opposite Dev Anand. Rafi sahab and Geeta Dutt’s song “ankho hi ankho me ishara ho gaya” and Rafi Sahab, Shamshad Begum’s song “leke pehla pehla pyar bharke ankho me khumar jadu nagri se aya hai kaun jadugar” was picturized on Shakila. Shakila acted opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Shreeman Satyawadi. Again the film had good story and she proved her acting talents in the film. The song “kyun ura jata hai anchal” sung by Suman Kalyanpur and composed by Dattaram was picturized on her. The other hit songs “ek baat kahoon walla” sung by Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh and Suman Kalyanpur was also picturized on her. She was ranked among the top heroines of Bollywood at that time. In the early 1960s, her film China Town opposite Shammi Kapoor was also a big hit. Rafisahab’s song “baar baar dekho hazar baar dekho” composed by Ravi Shankar Sharma was picturized on her. She acted opposite Pradeep Kumar, Premnath, Mahipal and many other actors of that age. In the mid-60s she left films, got married and went to Britain. Later she came back to India. She was a great friend of Nandaji, Wahida Rehmanji, Asha Parekhji, Saira Banuji. Her demise brought huge loss to the film industry. Her films and songs should be restored.

The version songs of Rafisahab with Lataji, Sumanji, Geetaji made the films superhit

The Male and female version songs of Rafisahab with Lataji and other singers were masterpieces. By: Dr Souvik Chatterji During the 1950s and 1960s there were many landmark male and female version songs created by composers and poets. The version songs of Rafisahab were masterpieces. Shankar Jaikishanji used Rafisahab in the song “ehsan tera hoga mujhpar” for Shammi Kapoorji in film Junglee in 1961. The same song had Lataji effect for Saira Banuji in the film. Roshanji used Rafisahab in the version song in film Barsaat Ki Raat, where the title song composed by Bharat Bhushanji became blockbuster hit. Lataji sang the version song for Madhubalaji in the film. Naushadji used Rafisahb in Rajender Kumarji song “mere mehboob tujhe meri muhabbat ka kasam” in film Mere Mehboob in 1963. Lataji sang the version song for Sadhnaji in the film. Shankar Jaikishanji used Rafisahab for Dharmenderji version of song “gar tum bhula na doge” where Lataji sang the Sharmilaji version. Rafisahab sang Pradip Kumarji song “dil jo na keh saka” composed by Roshanji in film Bheegi Raat in 1965. Meena Kumariji version was sung by Lataji in the film. In film Mamta in 1966, Suchitra Senji song “rahe na rahe hum” was sung by Lataji. The same song in a different version for Ashok Kumarji was sung by Rafisahab and Suman Kalyanpurji. In Shammi Kapoorji film Pagla Kahin Ka, Rafisahab song “tum mujhe bhula na payoge” was very brilliant where Lataji sang the Asha Parekhji version. In Balraj Sahaniji film Bhabhi, Rafisahab song “chal ur ja re pachi” was created was theme song in film Bhabhi composed by Chitraguptji in 1958. Talatji also sang the same song recorded for Bhabhi. In Joy Mukherjeeji film Love in Tokyo, in 1966, Shankar Jaikishanji composed “o mere shahe khuba” sung by Rafisahab. Lataji sang the version song for Asha Parekhji. In Sunil Duttji film Chirag, Rafisahab sang the song “teri ankhon ke siwa” composed by Madanmohansahab. Lataji sang the version song for Asha Parekhji. In Guru Duttji film Aar Paar, in 1954, Rafisahab sang duet song “sun sun sun sun zalima” composed by OP Nayyarji. Geeta Duttji sang the version song for Shyamaji in the same film. The list goes on. The songs really matched the sequences in the films and the composers also utilized the brilliance of Rafisahab and other singers very well.

Rajashreeji had a great combination with Raj Kapoor sahab in romantic films of 1960s

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

Happy birth anniversary to veteran star Shashi Kapoorji

Happy birth anniversary to Shashi Kapoor. The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birth anniversary to Shashi Kapoor on 18th March, 2025

. He died sometimes back but he is alive in his works. In 2011 he received the filmfare lifetime achievement award. In 2011, he received Padmabhushan, the civilian award for his excellence in bollywood films. His sickness prevents him from freely walking, but he receives most of his awards on wheel chair. Born in 1938, Shashi Kapoor started his acting career in the film Aag in 1948 directed by his elder brother Raj Kapoor. He also showed his acting skills as a child artist in the film Awara in 1951. The film won different awards in international film festivals and ended up being super hit. Shashi Kapoor acted in off-beat films at the beginning of his career like Prempatra opposite Sadhna. He entertained the audience with the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen in 1965. All the songs of Rafi composed by Kalyanji Anandji in the film became super hit like “pardesiyon se na”, “yahan mai ajnabee hoon”, “na na karke pyar”, etc. From that time Shashi Kapoor acted with Nanda in a number of films like Muhabbat Is Ko Kehte Hai, Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari, etc. Rafi’s songs in many Shashi Kapoor films did magic including “o dilbar janiye”, “dilbar dilbar”, “bekhudi me sanam”, to name a few. Shankar Jaikishan gave notable tunes to Shashi Kapoor in the film Kanyadan. Madanmohan gave notable tunes to Shashi Kapoor in the film Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari. In the late 60s Shashi Kapoor acted in many romantic films like Pyar Kiye Jaa, Kanyadaan, Abhinetri, Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati, etc. In Pyar Kiye Ja, he acted opposite actress Nanda, in Kanyadan he acted opposite Asha Parekh, in Abhinetri he acted opposite Hema Malini, in Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati he acted opposite Babita. In the 70s, Shashi Kapoor acted in action films along with Amitabh Bacchan, at a time when action films dominated either types of films in bollywood. His dialogue in the film Dewaar opposite Big B titled “mere paas ma hai” became immortal over the years. He acted in many films opposite Big B like Shaan, Do Aur Do Paanch, Iman Dharam, Namakhalal, Suhaag, Kala Pathhar, Kabhi Kabhi,Trishul, Silsila, etc., and most of those films ended up being blockbusters. Some of these films were multi-starred in nature. For example in Shaan and Kala Patthar he acted opposite Big B and Shatrughun Sinha. It was his sheer talent, that he could adapt himself in the new regime of anti-establishment films in the 70s, starting from Dewaar, which were quite different from the society shown in the romantic films of the 60s. He acted with other bollywood actors like Shatrughun Sinha in films like Gautam Govinda. He was a close friend of Ismail Merchant and featured in many of his English films like Siddharta. He produced impressive films like Junoon directed by Shyam Benegal and Vijeta directed by Govind Nihalini. His sons Kunal Kapoor and Karan Kapoor acted in many films. In the 1990s, Shashi Kapoor put on a lot of weight and stopped acting. He was in tears to receive the filmfare lifetime achievement award. The viewers pay homage to the veteran actor and wish him good health.

Shankar Jaikishanji, Naushadji gave landmarks duet songs to Sumanji Rafisahab

Suman Kalyanpur had her birthday on 28th January, 2025. 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.

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Happy birthday to veteran actress Wahida Rehmanji

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman. The viewers of Bollywood films wish happy birthday to veteran actress Wahida Rehman on 3rd February, 2025. Wahida Rehman was known for her combination with actor director Guru Dutt. From 1957, the viewers saw thoughtful Guru Dutt in films like Pyaasa and Kagaz Ka Phool. Both the films were based on eternal truth. Pyasa was related to recognition of a poet in a materialistic world. Kagaz Ka Phool was related to story of directors and performers in celluloid, their rise and their fall due to ungratefulness of opportunists in society. The music composed by SD Burman in both these films were of high standard. Wahida Rehman balanced the thoughtful acting of Guru Dutt in these films. Also the lyrics of Sahir Ludhiyanvi were very meaningful. The notable songs included “yeh mahalon yeh takhton yeh tajon ki duniya”, “sar jo tera”, “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi, “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt, to name a few. It was very unfortunate that Guru Dutt did not receive the filmfare award for the best actor for his thoughtful performance in the film Pyaasa. Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman’s onscreen chemistry was accepted by viewers in the film Chaudavi Ka Chand. The title song “chaudavi ka chand ho, ya aaftab ho” sung by Rafi and composed by Ravi can be considered as one of the ten best ghazals composed in the history of bollywood music. Guru Dutt bought colour in the song sequence. The film did great business. It was listed in the top five grosser of bollywood after Mughal-i-Azam, Kohinoor and Barsaat Ki Raat in the year 1960. Guru Dutt as an actor did great job in films like Bharosa, Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam, Saanz Aur Sawera, etc. His early demise in the mid-60s led to huge loss in the film industry as his works were filled with deep thoughts. In the 1960s Wahida Rehman acted in super hit films one after the other. Her successful films included Ram Aur Shyam, Dil Diya Dard Liya opposite Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, Patthat Ke Sanam opposite Manoj Kumar, Teesri Kasam opposite Raj Kapoor, Guide opposite Dev Anand, Dharti opposite Rajender Kumar to name a few. The viewers pay respect to legendary actress Wahida Rehman on her birthday and want the restoration of her works to acknowledge her creativity as actress and versatility.