Kundan Shah did an excellent job in Jane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Kundan Shah did an excellent job in Jane Bhi Do Yaaron.

Director Kundan Shah did an excellent job in the film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. The film was released in 1983. It was produced by National Film Development Corporation.

Kundan Shah used the best actors of the country in the film including Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Ravi Vaswani, Satish Shah, Pankaj Kapoor, Neena Gupta, Satish Kaushik and others. Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani were professional photographers in the film.

Bhakti Barve the editor of “khabardar” newspaper which exposed scandals gave them job. The Municipal Commissioner Satish Shah died in film. Everyone tried to get the dead body of Satish Shah, including Pankaj Kapoor, Om Puri and others. At the end of the film, the dead body was brought in the set of the drama Mahabharata. The dead body of Satish Shah, was used as Draupadi, and the satire was played at its height, with Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor and others.

At the end of the film, the entire fault was dumped on the shoulders of Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani who were sent to jail. Satish Shah, Neena Gupta and others complimented each other in the film. During the early 80s, Naseeruddin Shah and team of actors who learned acting from Drama Schools and Films Institutes created revolution in the field of acting.

Kundan Shah was excellent in his art of utilization of the talented actors and actresses in the film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. The film should be preserved and restored.

Happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri.

Happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to actor of actors Om Puri on 18th October, 2010. Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah used to be considered and is still considered the most versatile actor of all times. Born on 18th October, 1950, Om Puri learned acting from Film and Television Institute of India. He was an alumnus of 1973 batch of Delhi School of Drama along with Naseeruddin Shah.

He was the automatic choice of the greatest directors of Indian films like Satyajit Ray who did cast him in Sadgati, Govind Nihalini who had cast him in Aakrosh, Ardha Satya, etc., Ketan Mehta who had cast him in Mirch Masala, Gulzar, who had cast him in Maachis, to name a few.

But when question came in relation to awards, critics feel that Om Puri, did not receive the recognition he deserved. He received national awards for best actor for his performance in the films Arohan and Ardhya Satya. But there is no justification as to the fact why did not receive a national award for his lifetime performance in the film Aakrosh. He did not have a single dialogue, and in a mute role, he expressed his agony, which was at par with some of the best Hollywood actors of all times.

His performance in Satyajit Ray’s film Sadgati requires special mention. He died at the end of the film while cutting wood for cremation purposes for Mohan Agase in the film. He made the classic literature of Munshi Premchand immortal with his performance. He was sublime in Mirch Masala. He was outstanding in Tamas.

Although he won a number of international awards, that does not justify his immense acting skills. He won the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for his performance in the film Ardhya Satya in 1984. He won Brussels International Best Film Actor award in 1998 for his performance in the film My Son the fanatic.

Even his performance in commercial films like Ghayal or Gupt or China Gate requires special mention. In the last 10 years he had featured in every alternate films including Gulzar’s Maachis, Priya Darshaan’s Malamaal Weekly, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Pukar, Sohail Khan’s Dabaang. His performance in small roles in landmark films like Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi.

The viewers and critics feel that Om Puri should continue his brilliant work irrespective of adequate justice being done through the awards, because his actual admirer are the immense number of viewers who had always considered him a genius of genius.

Happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah.

Happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Naseeruddin Shah on 20th July, 2010. Along with Om Puri, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, Nasir was the leading actor who had shaped parallel cinema in India. He became the leading actor of art films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini, Sudhir Mishra, Mrinal Sen and others. He was sublime in films like Aakrosh, Sparsh, Khandahaar, etc.

Viewers cannot forget his realistic acting in Goutam Ghosh’s film Paar. He was unparallel in the scene where he along with Shabana Azmi, took the herd of animals across river Ganges for their livelihood. Their standard of acting was extraordinary. He was equally brilliant in a sensitive role in Shekhar Kapoor’ s film Masoom. His son Jugal Hansraj was not accepted by Shabana Azmi, as he was her step son, but at the end of the film Nasir convinced Shabana about accepting the child. The songs in the film like “huzoor is kadar bhi na itra ke chaliye” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar and composed by RD Burman became extremely popular in the early 80s.

In the late 80s, Nasir got influenced by veteran actor Amrish Puri and joined mainstream cinema. There also he became a grand winner. He gave fabulous performance in the film Tridev along with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, and also Vishwaatma wit Sunny Deol and Chunkey Pandey. His action skills, comedy skills all were utilized by the commercial directors and became an indispensable figure in the early 90s.

Even as villain he astonished the viewers in films like Mohra. He did outcast the heroes in the film like Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar and ended up being the main actor in the feeling. Nasir could play any type of role and in the long run no other actor other than Om Puri could match Nasiruddin Shah’s versatility. In China Gate, both of them faced each other and the viewers enjoyed the dynamic performances of the two legends. Even in films like Monsoon Wedding, Nasir showed that his skill in realistic acting just had got enhanced day after day.

In 2008, he performed perhaps the best film of the year, A Wednesday. He killed the terrorists as an ordinary citizen, to end the threat they had created over a period of time.

In 2010, his performance in the film Ishqiya opposite Vidya Balan and Arshad Warsi had been highly appreciated by the critics. The film did good business as well. Even his performance in Prakash Jha’s film Rajneeti impressed the masses. Rajneeti ended up being a blockbuster. The viewers expect the legendary actor to continue his dynamic performance as he is still irreplaceable in bollywood films.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films provide their best wishes and wish happy birthday to Amrish Puri on 22nd June 2010. Amrish Puri died few years back and bollywood industry lost one of its indispensable actors ever.

His voice had an universal appeal and initially Amrish Puri was associated with realistic films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others. His performance in the films Bhumika, Aakrosh, Ardh Satya, Vijeta, Suraj Ka Satwa Ghora, Sardari Begum brought him national and international awards. But he became an indispensable figure in the commercial film industry with his manly body and outstanding voice.

His role JK in Ramesh Sippy’s successful film Shakti, balanced the soft tune of acting of Dilip Kumar as police officer and loud acting of Amitabh Bacchan as a smuggler. He killed Rakhee at the end of the film and was murdered by Big B when he was about to leave India. His act of kidnapping of Big B at a young age led to creation of a barrier between Dilip Kumar and Big B, where Big B thought Dilip Kumar never liked his son, which was untrue. It took Big B the entire film to know that Dilip Kumar loved him just his any other father.

Amrish Puri balanced Dilip Kumar’s personality in Mashal. Dilip Kumar was a journalist in the film and Amrish Puri, an underworld don, evicted Dilip Kumar from his house when he published real news about him. Dilip Kumar’s wife Wahida Rehman died in the streets when they were evicted from their house. Dilip Kumar later became a smuggler and killed Amrish Puri when he tried to murder Anil Kapoor, a young journalist who again reported true events.

Amrish Puri was sublime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Ghayal. His character Balwant Rai was memorized by even children of India. He killed Raj Babbar and created false case against Sunny Deol. Sunny along with Sudesh Berry and others escaped from the jail and took revenge against Amrish Puri’s men inspite of Om Puri giving protection in the role of Police Officer Desouza. The entire action revolved around Amrish Puri.

Amrish Puri’s character Mogambo in Shekhar Kapoor’s Mr. India gave a new dimension to the character of villains. He dominated the film inspite of Anil Kapoor’s brilliance in using a scientific gazette to remain invisible. Amrish Puri never stuck to one style of acting and never got type-casted like other villains including Jeevan, Prem Chopra or Ajit.

He showed his comedy instincts in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate opposite Anil Kapoor and also David Dhawan’s Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan. Amrish Puri’s character role in films like China Gate, Chachi 420, still haunts viewers. He made viewers cry with his performance in the film Ghatak as father of Sunny Deol. He had cancer and died at the end of the film.

Amrish Puri acted in almost 400 films within a span of 25 years which include blockbusters like Big B’s Andha Kanoon, Aaj Ka Arjun, Dilip Kumar’s Duniya, Bidhata, Mashal, Sunny Deol’s Damini, Ghatak, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Vishswatma, Sanjay Dutt’s Vijeta, Mahanta, to name a few. Critics argue that no other actor other than Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah had shown the dynamism that Amrish Puri had shown over the years. His films should be restored and preserved for the new generation.

Om Puri and awards.

Om Puri and awards.

Om Puri, along with Naseeruddin Shah used to be considered and is still considered the most versatile actor of all times. Born on 18th October, 1950, Om Puri learned acting from Film and Television Institute of India. He was an alumnus of 1973 batch of Delhi School of Drama along with Naseeruddin Shah.

He was the automatic choice of the greatest directors of Indian films like Satyajit Ray who did cast him in Sadgati, Govind Nihalini who had cast him in Aakrosh, Ardha Satya, etc., Ketan Mehta who had cast him in Mirch Masala, Gulzar, who had cast him in Maachis, to name a few.

But when question came in relation to awards, critics feel that Om Puri, did not receive the recognition he deserved. He received national awards for best actor for his performance in the films Arohan and Ardhya Satya. But there is no justification as to the fact why did not receive a national award for his lifetime performance in the film Aakrosh. He did not have a single dialogue, and in a mute role, he expressed his agony, which was at par with some of the best Hollywood actors of all times.

His performance in Satyajit Ray’s film Sadgati requires special mention. He died at the end of the film while cutting wood for cremation purposes for Mohan Agase in the film. He made the classic literature of Munshi Premchand immortal with his performance. He was sublime in Mirch Masala. He was outstanding in Tamas.

Although he won a number of international awards, that does not justify his immense acting skills. He won the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Award for his performance in the film Ardhya Satya in 1984. He won Brussels International Best Film Actor award in 1998 for his performance in the film My Son the fanatic.

Even his performance in commercial films like Ghayal or Gupt or China Gate requires special mention. His performance in small roles in landmark films like Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi.

The viewers and critics feel that Om Puri should continue his brilliant work irrespective of adequate justice being done through the awards, because his actual admirer are the immense number of viewers who had always considered him a genius of genius.

It is very strange that Kurbaan did mediocre business.

It is very strange that Kurbaan did mediocre business.

Amongst the big budget films of 2009, Kurbaan was one of the films which did not do great business. The film had message relating to evil effects of terrorist attacks. Rensil D Silva experimented with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the film Kurbaan. Karan Johar produced the film with the backdrop of terrorism.

In the film Kareena Kapoor who previously lived in US returned to India after her father had cardiac arrest. Kareena Kapoor met with Saif Ali Khan when they were in Delhi University and fell in love with one another.

Kareena got a job in US and took Saif Ali Khan to US. She helped him to work as Professor of Islam in the same University where Kareena Kapoor worked. Kareena Kapoor was contacted by Dia Mirza’s sister who anticipated that she would be killed. She conveyed the message to Dia Mirza, but by that time she was killed. Kareena Kapoor developed intimacy with Dia Mirza, Vivek Oberoi and Nauheed Cyrusi. While Kareena Kapoor was pregnant she heard that Om Puri and others planned to blast the flight in which Dia Mirza was flying.

Kareena Kapoor later found out that Saif Ali Khan was involved in the same terrorist activity in which Om Puri and others were involved. Saif Ali Khan kept Kareena Kapoor under house arrest and threatened her that in case she disclosed anyone about the conspiracy, her father in India would be killed. The flight exploded and everyone in the flight was killed.

Vivek Oberoi joined the terrorist group with the mission of taking revenge against Om Puri, Saif Ali Khan and others. Om Puri preponed the plan of blasting three subway stations in New York. Ultimately Saif Ali Khan sacrificed his life to save Kareena Kapoor and the child in the mother’s womb.

The music composed by Salim Sulaiman was very impressive. The song “shukran allah” sung by Sonu Nigam, Salim Merchant and Shreya Ghoshal became superhit. The other songs like “dua”, “ali maula” all were very impressive.
Just because the viewers had discarded action films in the recent past, the film did not do great business. Otherwise the performance of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri and Vivek Oberoi were excellent. The director had taken pains to shoot in underground metro stations and did innovative work while showing the blasts. The effort did not get the reward that it deserved. The viewers should watch the film to understand the negative effects of vengeance in the name of zihad. Nothing is achieved excepting killing innocent persons who have nothing to do with the policies of 1st world countries.

Review of the film Kurbaan.

Review of the film Kurbaan.

Rensil D Silva experimented with Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in the film Kurbaan. Karan Johar produced the film with the backdrop of terrorism.

In the film Kareena Kapoor who previously lived in US returned to India after her father had cardiac arrest. Kareena Kapoor met with Saif Ali Khan when they were in Delhi University and fell in love with one another.

Kareena got a job in US and took Saif Ali Khan to US. She helped him to work as Professor of Islam in the same University where Kareena Kapoor worked. Kareena Kapoor developed intimacy with Dia Mirza, Vivek Oberoi and Nauheed Cyrusi. While Kareena Kapoor was pregnant she heard that Om Puri and others planned to blast the flight in which Dia Mirza was flying.

Kareena Kapoor later found out that Saif Ali Khan was involved in the same terrorist activity in which Om Puri and others were involved. Saif Ali Khan kept Kareena Kapoor under house arrest and threatened her that in case she disclosed anyone about the conspiracy, her father in India would be killed. The flight exploded and everyone in the flight were killed.

Vivek Oberoi joined the terrorist group with the mission of taking revenge against Om Puri, Saif Ali Khan and others. Om Puri preponed the plan of blasting three subway stations in New York. Ultimately Saif Ali Khan sacrificed his life to save Kareena Kapoor and the child in the mother’s womb.

The music composed by Salim Sulaiman was very impressive. The song “shukran allah” sung by Sonu Nigam, Salim Merchant and Shreya Ghoshal became superhit. The other songs like “dua”, “ali maula” all were very impressive.
The critics fear one fact. Films based on terrorist activities did not do good business in the past. So obviously Kurbaan can face the heat in that respect. Otherwise the performance of Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Om Puri and Vivek Oberoi were excellent.

The film should do well.

Happy birthday to Om Puri.

Happy birthday to Om Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Om Puri on 18th October, 2009. Om Puri had been considered to be one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema by critics, eminent directors, international film journalists, etc.

Oscar winning director Satyajit Ray experimented with Om Puri in the film Satgati in the early 80s. Om Puri played the role of a cremator who was employed by the zamindar played by Mohan Agasi to cremate a dead body in a village in North India. Om Puri died at the end of the film as he worked with extreme bad health. Om Puri’s expression relating to pain and misery expressed the exploitation of lower strata of the society in North Indian villages as written by Munshi Premchand.

Om Puri became the automatic choice of renowned directors like Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini, Sai Paranchpe, Sudhir Mishra, and many other directors who enriched parallel cinema in India. The range of roles of Om Puri included the role of a villager in the film Aakrosh whose tongues were cut to prevent him from speaking, the role of a poor person who donated his eyes in the film Chokh, the role of a police officer who found corruption at every level of the police force in the film Ardha Satya.

Amongst the different directors Govind Nihalini probably made the best use of Om Puri. The performance of Om Puri in the film Tamas in the role of a victim of partition of 1947 requires special mention. The film created controversy as it was related to hindu-muslim riots and when it was featured in TV, its transmission was stopped for certain period of time.

Om Puri made very valuable contribution in commercial films over the last 20 years. His successful films included Ghayal opposite Sunny Deol, Krishna opposite Sunil Shetty, China Gate opposite Naseeruddin Shah, Gupt opposite Bobby Deol, Malamaal Weekly opposite Paresh Rawal, Raat, etc. It is difficult to mention the national and international awards won by Om Puri in his illustrious career in a small article.

The viewers expect him to continue the great work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Shabana Azmi.

Happy birthday to Shabana Azmi.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shabana Azmi on 18th September, 2009. She had remained an institution by herself. She had been considered to be the greatest performer in bollywood films along with Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri.

She started her journey with Shyam Benegal’s film Ankur in 1974. With her debut, the trend of parallel cinema began in bollywood. She concentrated on the inner emotions of the characters that were played. She was unparallel in the role of a step mother in Shekhar Kapoor’s film Masoom. Her performance was as brilliant as the performance of Naseer in the film.

In Goutam Ghosh’s film Paar, she showed the life of daily wage earner in Kolkata along with Naseeruddin Shah. The scene where Shabana Azmi swam across the Ganges near Bandha Ghat along with a pack of animals which were supposed to be reached the respective destination, body language, physical effort, expressions all get mixed into one.

She was as powerful as Smita Patil in the film Arth. She also played an important role in Oscar Winning Director Satyajit Ray’s film Shatranj Ki Khiladi. The other notable films which ended up being masterpieces include Khandahaar, Dharavi, Sparsh, etc.

Shabana Axmi was equally successful in commercial films. She played a prominent part in hit film Parvarish along with Vinod Khanna and Big B. Her performance in the film Amar Akbar Anthony opposite Vinod Khanna was appreciated by the commercial crowds. She even did a great job in a negative role in the film Godmother.

Her performance opposite Big B in the film Mai Azaad Hoon, in the role of a journalist requires special mention. She had created a benchmark which had been followed by actresses of the present era including Dimple Kapadia and Tabu. The viewers expect her to continue the high standard of work in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah.

Happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Nasiruddin Shah on 20th July, 2009. Along with Om Puri, Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi, Nasir was the leading actor who had shaped parallel cinema in India. He became the leading actor of art films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini, Sudhir Mishra, Mrinal Sen and others. He was sublime in films like Aakrosh, Sparsh, Khandahaar, etc.

Viewers cannot forget his realistic acting in Goutam Ghosh’s film Paar. He was unparallel in the scene where he along with Shabana Azmi, took the herd of animals across river Ganges for their livelihood. Their standard of acting was extraordinary. He was equally brilliant in a sensitive role in Shekhar Kapoor’ s film Masoom. His son Jugal Hansraj was not accepted by Shabana Azmi, as he was her step son, but at the end of the film Nasir convinced Shabana about accepting the child. The songs in the film like “huzoor is kadar bhi na itra ke chaliye” sung by Bhupinder Singh and Suresh Watkar and composed by RD Burman became extremely popular in the early 80s.

In the late 80s, Nasir got influenced by veteran actor Amrish Puri and joined mainstream cinema. There also he became a grand winner. He gave fabulous performance in the film Tridev along with Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, and also Vishwaatma wit Sunny Deol and Chunkey Pandey. His action skills, comedy skills all were utilized by the commercial directors and became an indispensable figure in the early 90s.

Even as villain he astonished the viewers in films like Mohra. He did outcast the heroes in the film like Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar and ended up being the main actor in the feeling. Nasir could play any type of role and in the long run no other actor other than Om Puri could match Nasiruddin Shah’s versatility. In China Gate, both of them faced each other and the viewers enjoyed the dynamic performances of the two legends. Even in films like Monsoon Wedding, Nasir showed that his skill in realistic acting just had got enhanced day after day.

In 2008, he performed perhaps the best film of the year, A Wednesday. He killed the terrorists as an ordinary citizen, to end the threat they had created over a period of time. The viewers expect the legendary actor to continue his dynamic performance as he is still irreplaceable in bollywood films.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films provide their best wishes and wish happy birthday to Amrish Puri on 22nd June 2009. Amrish Puri died few years back and bollywood industry lost one of its indispensable actors ever.

His voice had an universal appeal and initially Amrish Puri was associated with realistic films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others. His performance in the films Bhumika, Aakrosh, Ardh Satya, Vijeta, Suraj Ka Satwa Ghora, Sardari Begum brought him national and international awards. But he became an indispensable figure in the commercial film industry with his manly body and outstanding voice.

His role JK in Ramesh Sippy’s successful film Shakti, balanced the soft tune of acting of Dilip Kumar as police officer and loud acting of Amitabh Bacchan as a smuggler. He killed Rakhee at the end of the film and was murdered by Big B when he was about to leave India. His act of kidnapping of Big B at a young age led to creation of a barrier between Dilip Kumar and Big B, where Big B thought Dilip Kumar never liked his son, which was untrue. It took Big B the entire film to know that Dilip Kumar loved him just his any other father.

Amrish Puri balanced Dilip Kumar’s personality in Mashal. Dilip Kumar was a journalist in the film and Amrish Puri, an underworld don, evicted Dilip Kumar from his house when he published real news about him. Dilip Kumar’s wife Wahida Rehman died in the streets when they were evicted from their house. Dilip Kumar later became a smuggler and killed Amrish Puri when he tried to murder Anil Kapoor, a young journalist who again reported true events.

Amrish Puri was sublime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Ghayal. His character Balwant Rai was memorized by even children of India. He killed Raj Babbar and created false case against Sunny Deol. Sunny along with Sudesh Berry and others escaped from the jail and took revenge against Amrish Puri’s men inspite of Om Puri giving protection in the role of Police Officer Desouza. The entire action revolved around Amrish Puri.

Amrish Puri’s character Mogambo in Shekhar Kapoor’s Mr. India gave a new dimension to the character of villains. He dominated the film inspite of Anil Kapoor’s brilliance in using a scientific gazette to remain invisible. Amrish Puri never stuck to one style of acting and never got type-casted like other villains including Jeevan, Prem Chopra or Ajit.

He showed his comedy instincts in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate opposite Anil Kapoor and also David Dhawan’s Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan. Amrish Puri’s character role in films like China Gate, Chachi 420, still haunts viewers. He made viewers cry with his performance in the film Ghatak as father of Sunny Deol. He had cancer and died at the end of the film.

Amrish Puri acted in almost 400 films within a span of 25 years which include blockbusters like Big B’s Andha Kanoon, Aaj Ka Arjun, Dilip Kumar’s Duniya, Sunny Deol’s Damini, Ghatak, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Sanjay Dutt’s Vijeta, Mahanta, to name a few. Critics argue that no other actor other than Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah had shown the dynamism that Amrish Puri had shown over the years. His films should be restored and preserved for the new generation.

Happy birthday to Paresh Rawal.

Happy birthday to Paresh Rawal.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Paresh Rawal on 30th May, 2009. He had remained indispensable for the last ten years. He initially showed his metal in off-beat films like Woh Chokri.

The image of villain in Woh Chokri inspired directors to cast him as villain in other films as well. His landmark films as villain include Vijeta and Mahanta opposite Sanjay Dutt, Auzaar opposite Salman Khan, Gupt opposite Bobby Deol, Ghayal opposite Sunny Deol, to name a few.

From the late 90s, action films lost their predominance and bollywood banked their resources on comedy films. From that period Paresh Rawal remained the uncrowned monarch of bollywood films. His performance in 36 China Town was brilliant by every acting standard. He was being suspected as one of the culprits in a murder case by Akshay Khanna and struggled hard to prove himself wrong.

Paresh Rawal did an even better job in the film Chachi 420 with Kamal Hassan. He wanted to marry chachi played by Kamal Hassan himself, and balanced the powerful performance of Om Puri and Amrish Puri.

Paresh Rawal gave a lifetime performance in the film Hera Pheri and compelled the producers and directors to make a sequel of the film with the title Phir Hera Pheri. Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty were the other actors who gave inspired performance along with Paresh Rawal. Even his performance in the film Golmaal require special mention. He played the role of blind person in the film who gave shelter to Ajay Devgan and his friends in the film.

Paresh Rawal’s performances in softer roles also had touched the viewers. He was sublime in the film Nayak opposite Anil Kapoor and Amrish Puri. Even then, the viewers expect to be represented in comedy roles more than any other roles.

His performances in films like Maalamaal Weekly with Om Puri and Mere Baap Pehle Aap with Akshay Khanna, proves the fact that he cannot be replaced in witty roles. The viewers expect him to continue the great work he had done over the last 20 years.

Remembering Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2009.

Remembering Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2009.

Viewers of international films all across the world remember Oscar Winning Director Satyajit Ray on 2nd May, 2009. 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.

Happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni.

Happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mamta Kulkarni on 20th April, 2009. She played very significant roles in the films of 90s. She was given prominent roles in successful bollywood films during that period.

Rakesh Roshan gave a significant role to Mamta Kulkarni in the film Karan Arjun. She was the wife of Salman Khan in the film. Both Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan were shown to have to lives. In their first lives they were tortured and killed by Amrish Puri. In their second life they were born at other places but came to Rajasthan to stop the illegal activities of Amrish Puri and his men. Mamta Kulkarni and Kajol contributed with their respective roles along with Rakhee, who had the prominent part in the film.

Mamta Kulkarni got the role of her lifetime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film China Gate. She was the relative of Om Puri who called him up to rescue the villagers from the rule of dacoits in the region. Om Puri was a retired major, who left the armed forces after one their missions failed. Om Puri called all his friends who worked in the last mission, including Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Danny, Tinu Anand, Jagdeep , etc., and formed a team to combat the dacoits. Mamta Kulkarni kept the retired military in her house and provided them food and amenities during their stay. The film was off-beat in nature and Mamta Kulkarni showed her acting skills in the film.

Her other successful films also included Krantiveer, where she acted opposite Atul Agnihotri. Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia had the main roles in the action film, but Mamta Kulkarni showed her frustration after she came to know about her father being involved in the gang of lawbreakers who were responsible for riots and other destructive activities.

After the late-90s all of sudden Mamta Kulkarni left bollywood films. Viewer remember her both in glamourous and non-glamourous roles. They expect her to make a comeback in recent bollywood films and entertain the viewers once again just like the way she entertained the viewers in the films of the 90s.

Irfan Khan was sublime in Billu Barber

Irfan Khan was sublime in Billu Barber.

Irfan Khan was sublime in his challenging role in the film Billu Barber. Although has banked his resources on the popularity of superstar Shahrukh Khan, the acting in the film had mainly being done by Irfan Khan who made people cry with his realistic performance.

In parallel cinema, those actors who show least amount of mannerisms are considered to be real actors. Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri created an identity as legendary parallel film actors through their natural performances. They used to understand the uniqueness of the characters they had portrayed in films like Akrosh, Drohkaal, Mirch Masala, to name a few. Irfan Khan belongs to that gharana of actors.

In Billu Barber, in the first part of the film he was not too happy to know that Shahrukh Khan had come to his village to shoot his new film. His children and wife Lara Dutta were excited about it and also told the other villagers about Irfan Khan’s association with Shahrukh Khan. Irfan Khan realized the change of status of himself with Shahrukh Khan and was reluctant to meet him.

When the news relating to his intimacy with Shahrukh Khan spread in the village, different sections of the society came to him and wanted them to be introduced to Shahrukh Khan with his reference. Om Puri even gave him costly equipments for restructuring his saloon which was there in a dilapidated condition. But with strong security created by the local police, Irfan Khan could not get access to meet Shahrukh Khan.

When the police arrested a number of villagers who tried to enter the shooting zone forcefully, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav and others understood the fact that Irfan Khan had no closeness at all with Shahrukh Khan. Om Puri unnecessarily ransacked his saloon and took back all the expensive items which he gave to him on the understanding of getting introduced with Shahrukh Khan.

The striking part of Irfan Khan’s performance was that he kept his composure when the villagers misbehaved with him after not getting access to Shahrukh Khan. He even remained calm and never got elated when Shahrukh Khan disclosed the contribution of his friend Billu whom he searched a lot but could not find after he became a film star.

Irfan Khan could not even go and visit the speech of Shahrukh Khan that he gave in the school in the village, he heard his words from outside. His realistic performance is a learning experience for commercial actors who believe in mannerisms. Irfan Khan should better roles in refined commercial films in future.

Character actors were brilliant in Billu Barber.

Character actors were brilliant in Billu Barber.

Those who have watched Priyadarshan’s films in the past know about his capability of utilizing the potentiality of character artists in his films. Furthermore he had the record of using many character actors together in his own films. The best example can be Malamaal Weekly. Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Asrani, Shakti Kapoor, Sudha Chandran, all contributed in their own way in the film. The comedy sequences were very intelligently directed and the film was well accepted by the viewers.

The same thing happened in the film Billu Barber. The character artists those who were used by Priyadarshan did a great job. Om Puri was a money lender in the film. He relationship with Irfan Khan, the barber in the film, totally changed from the time he came to know that Shahrukh Khan, a star who had come in the village to shoot his film, was a friend of Irfan Khan. Om Puri’s comedy conception had been witnessed by the viewers in landmark films in the past like Jane Bhi Do Yaaron, Chachi 420, etc. He continued his great work in Billu Barber as well.

Rajpal Yadav was an aspiring poet in the film. He also did a great work in the film. He initially never gave that amount of respect to Irfan Khan, the barber in the film Billu Barber. From the time he came to know about Irfan Khan’s association with Shahrukh Khan in the film, his reaction towards Irfan Khan changed altogether.

Lara Dutta acted in a non-glamourous role, playing the role of the mother of two children and the wife of Irfan Khan in the film. Although she had acted in dynamic roles like the role of lawyer in the film Bardasht, or the role of car driver in the film Zinda, this role in Billu Barber was very realistic in nature and Lara Dutta had done full justice to the role.

Irfan Khan himself is known for realistic performances in films of Madhur Bhandarkar and other noted directors. In Billu Barber he exhibited his emotions in respect of love, pride, thoughtfulness together at different intervals of the film. He was the central character and the success of the film depended more on him than Shahrukh Khan.

Even Rasika Joshi, playing the role of the principal of the school, where Shahrukh Khan came and visited during his film shooting, did a marvelous job. The performance did not have mannerisms and was totally down to earth in form.

Only Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone poured in their mannerisms during the dance sequences in the film, but the script required them badly. Overall Priyadarsha had used his resources to perfection and for those reasons the film should do extremely well.