Happy birthday to style - queen Zeenat Aman.

Happy birthday to style –queen Zeenat Aman.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to style – queen Zeenat Aman on 19th November, 2010. She had dominated bollywood films in the 70s.

She created attention with her successful performance in Dev Anand’s film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. She played the role of a girl who became addicted to drugs. She became a style icon during the period when European Hippies and other communities influenced fashion all over the world. She had acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films in the mid-70s. Her successful films opposite Big B included Don, Dostana, Lawaarish, etc.

She was extremely successful in Raj Kapoor’s film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She played the role of a village girl whose face got burned and disfigured. The film was related to the romantic relationship of Zeenat with Shashi Kapoor, who was an urbanized youth. Lata’s songs in the film including “satyam shivam sundaram” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal require special mention. Zeenat gave able lips in the songs.

In the early 80s Feroz Khan gave a stylish image to Zeenat in the film Qurbani. She played the role of a hotel singer and stormed bollywood with her performance. Her lips in the songs “aap jaisa koi mere zindagi me aye”, “laila ho laila”, etc., in the film Qurbani created sensation. Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna also gave memorable performances in the film. The film ended up being blockbusters.

In the 80s she acted opposite other stars as well. Her film Abdullah opposite Sanjay Khan did great business. Zeenat was also known for contributing in action films like Shalimaar opposite Dharmender, Don opposite Big B, Ram Balram opposite Dharmender. In all those films the roles required action stunts. Zeenat did show her martial art stunts in the film Don. Her roles are idolized and reworked by Priyanka Chopra in Don – the Chase Begins.

Zeenat gave good lips in qawallis as well. One example was in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi. She gave lips in Asha Bhosle’s song “hai agar dushman zamana” opposite Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor gave lips in Rafi’s portion with his own brilliance. Zeenat Aman left films in the mid -80s when she was at the summit of her career. Her films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Dev Anand.

Happy birthday to Dev Anand.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to evergreen star Dev Anand on 26th September, 2010. Along with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar he was one of the most popular stars of bollywood films of the 50s and 60s.

He acted opposite most of the leading actresses of the 50s and 60s and most of his romantic of the golden age remained hits. Some of his successful films include Taxi-Driver with Nalini Jayant, CID with Wahida Rehman and Shakila , Tere Ghar Ke Saamne with Nutan, Kalapani with Madhubala, Kalabazar with Wahida Rehman, Jewel Thief with Vaijayantimala, Jaal with Geeta Wali, etc. His production banner Navketan was the pivot around which his brothers Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand contributed a lot.

In the 60s, Dev Anand acted in successful films like Guide, Jewel Thief, etc. Guide was based on the epic literature of RK Narayan. Dev Anand received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in the film Guide. He made an English version of Guide too. In Jewel Thief he successfully acted in the role of a detective to combat the group of burglers led by Ashok Kumar.

From the 70s Dev Anand started directing his films including Prem Pujari, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, etc. Even as a director he showed his class. As an actor he was known for his stylish andaz as he emulated the mannerisms of Hollywood actor Gregory Pegg. Another factor for which Dev Anand is still remembered is the quality music given in his films.

Composers like SD Burman, Shankar Jaikishan, Jaidev, OP Nayyar, gave everlasting music with Rafi’s songs like “tujhe jeevan ki dorme” in Asli Nakli, “khoya khoya chand” in Kala Bazar, “tere mere sapne” in Guide, “hum bekhudi me tumko bulaye” in Kala Pani still remaining immortal. Even Kishore’s songs “jeevan ki safar me rahi” in Munimji, “gata rahe mera dil” in Guide, “phulon ke rang se” in Prem Pujari had not lost their colour even today.

Dev Anand received Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his excellence in Indian cinema. He even at his late 80s is interested to produce and direct films. Few years back he made the film Mr. Prime Minister. The viewers expect him to continue the great work that he started 60 years ago.

Contribution of C. Ramchandra in bollywood films.

Contribution of C. Ramchandran in bollywood films.

C. Ramchandran glorified bollywood films of the 50s and 60s with his innovative music. Born in 1918, in Puntumba town of Ahmadnagar District of Maharashtra, he studied music under Vinayakbua Patwardhan at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

He acted in bollywood films like Naganand, Saeed-e – Havas and Atma Tarang in the late 40s. He independently composed music in Tamil films like Jayakkodi and Vanamohini. As far as bollywood films were concerned he got break in Bhagwandada’s film Sukhi Jeevan. His biggest hit with Bhagwan came in the film Albela in 1951. All the songs in the film became super hit including “bholi surat dil ke khote”, “shola jo bharke”, “dheere se aja”, etc.

In the mid-50s, Anarkali was the greatest hit music composed by C. Ramchandran in his entire career. Lata’s song “yeh zindagi usi ki hai” stormed bollywood with Bina Roy and Pradeep Kumar becoming immortal in the roles of Anarkali and Salim respectively. In the mid-50s, C. Ramchandran’s music in Dilip Kumar Meena Kumari’s film Azad became super hit. The landmark songs included “aaplam chaplam” sung by Lata and Usha Mangeshkar, “dekhoji bahar ayi” sung by Lata, to name a few.

C. Ramchandran’s music in Dev Anand’s film Amardeep became super hit in 1958. Rafi and Asha’s duet song “dekh hume awaaz na dena” became super hit along with Lata’s song “mera manka bhawra panchi”. C. Ramchandran was probably at his best in the film Navrang released in 1959. Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle’s duet “adha hai chandrama raat aadhi”, “aare jaare natkhat na chu re mera ghoonghat”, became everlasting classic. Manna Dey’s duet song with Asha Bhosle titled “tu chupi hai kahan” became another super hit song from the same film.

The other hit films where C. Ramchandran composed landmark tunes included Raj Kapoor’s Sharda in 1957, and Dev Anand’s Baarish in 1957. His music in Kishore Kumar’s film Asha also stormed bollywood in late 50s.

C. Ramchandran was also known for the immortal tune for Lata’s song “aye mere watan ke logon” written by poet Pradeep. It had remained as one of the most landmark songs related to India’s freedom struggle movement which brought tears in the eyes of Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1963, when sung during Republic Day by Lata. In the 60s, C. Ramchandran’s music in Feroz Khan’s film Oonche Log stormed bollywood with Rafi’s hit song “jag dil-e diwana ruth jaage”. It is not possible to highlight the contribution of C. Ramchandran in a small article as he composed music in more than 100 films in a span of 40 years. With the dominance of Shankar Jaikishan and OP Nayyar in the 60s, C. Ramchandran gradually faded away from the industry. But his hit music in films like Anarkali, Amardeep, Asha, Albela, etc. had made him immortal. His music and the films should be preserved and restored.

Tahir Hussain should be remembered for his works.

Tahir Hussain should be remembered for his works.

Director Tahir Hussain died on 2nd February, 2010, after having a massive heart attack. He had been known as the brother of notable filmmaker Nasir Hussain and father of Amir Khan.

He was associated with Director Nasir Hussain from the early 60s. He even acted in a small role in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai released in 1961. Dev Anand and Asha Parekh played the main roles in the film and the music of the film was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata became super hit including “jiya ho, jiya ho jiya kuch bol do”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “sau saal pehele”, “teri zulfonki”, etc.

Tahir Hussain produced the super hit film Carvaan in the early 70s. The performance of Jeetender and Asha Parekh amazed the viewers. The dancing capabilities of Jeetender and Asha Parekh were appreciated by the viewers. RD Burman’s music became super hit with Rafi, Lata and Asha’s songs like “kitna pyara wada”, “piya tu”, “dilbar” entertaining the viewers.

Tahir Hussain produced the film Anamika in the 70s with Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bacchan. Both Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bacchan used to be considered the most versatile actor and actress of the 70s. Due to their variations in acting they were generally cast in off-beat films directed by Gulzar, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, etc. But Tahir Hussain used them in a romantic film which did great business.

In the mid-70s, Tahir Hussain switched on to action films. His film Zakhmee with Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh became super hit. In the same film Rakesh Roshan, Reena Roy and others also were introduced he later on became great stars.

He produced the films Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke and Tum Mere Ho where Amir Khan played the lead roles. The films maintained the gharana of Tahir Hussain’s soft romantic stories which charmed the audience. These days his son Amir Khan has a wider popularity than the father as he is appreciated for giving super hit films like Ghajini and 3 idiots. Even then Tahir Hussain should b remembered for his great work and his films should be restored.

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman.

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary actress Wahida Rehman on 3rd February, 2010. She had played a marathon innings in bollywood films right from the 50s till today.

In the mid-50s, she cemented her position in bollywood films after giving hits after hits in Guru Dutt’s films. In CID, which was produced by Guru Dutt, she played the role of a seductive character who ultimately led to unfolding of truth relating to murder mystery. She acted opposite Dev Anand and balanced him with her powerful performance. In Pyasa, she played the role of a tawaif who gave shelter to Guru Dutt, an eminent poet in the film. The legendary pair was created in that film and songs like “jane kya” sung Geeta Dutt, “yeh mahalon yeh takhton” sung Rafi became evergreen hits.

Although Kagaz Ka Phool did not do well in the box-office, both Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman received critical acclamation for their powerful performances in the film. Again hit songs like “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt and “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi and composed by SD Burman became landmark songs of the period.

Chaudavi Ka Chaand, marked the most successful film depicting the romantic association of Wahida Rehman and Guru Dutt. Rafi’s song “chaudavi ka chaand” composed by Ravi was dedicated towards Wahida Rehman. The muslim pardanashin community was well depicted by Wahida Rehman in the film. She again did well in the film Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam opposite Meena Kumari and Guru Dutt. It was an adaptation of Uttam Kumar’s legendary Bengali film Saheb Bibi Ghulam directed by Karthik Chatterji. Wahida Rehman played the role of Jaba, which was played by Anubha Gupta in the Bengali film Saheb Bibi Ghulam.

All time great director Satyajit Ray experimented with Wahida Rehman in the role of a rural woman in the film Abhijan in the early 60s. Wahida Rehman’s broken Bengali having hindi accent attracted the attention of the intellectual viewers. In the 60s she transformed herself into a glamorous heroine.

Her second innings included hit films opposite Raj Kapoor like Ek Dil Sau Afsana, Teesri Kasam, superhit films opposite Dev Anand like Guide, Prem Pujari, and everlasting films opposite Dilip Kumar like Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, Dil Diya Dard Liya, to name a few. In Teesri Kasam, Wahida Rehman played the role of nautanki dancer who was attached to a cart driver played by Raj Kapoor.

The songs in these films composed by Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, SD Burman, etc. created history. The hit songs of Teesri Kasam included “o aa aa bhi jha”, “paan khai saiya”, “mare gaye gulfam”, the hit songs of Guide included “piya tose naina lagere”, “aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai”, the hit songs of Ram Aur Shyam included “aaye hai barahen meete zulmon sitam. Wahida Rehman’s dancing skills were also exhibited in these films.

She was even sublime in films like Mujhe Jeene Do, Reshma Aur Shera, opposite Sunil Dutt, Bees Saal Baad and Kohra, opposite Biswajeet, Neel Kamal opposite Raj Kumar, Dharti opposite Rajender Kumar, Patthar Ke Sanam opposite Manoj Kumar, to name a few.

Articles after articles can be devoted to the legendary actress who had same box-office popularity like that of legendary star Meena Kumari and Madhubala. Directors like Asit Sen experimented with her in the film Khamoshi, Gulzar experimented with her in the film Namkeen, Yash Chopra experimented with her in the film Kabhi Kabhi.

Viewers had seen her character acting in films like Mashal opposite Dilip Kumar in the 80s to Dilli 6, that was released in 2009. Increase in age had increased her variety of performance and she has been growing old gracefully. The viewers expect her to continue the monumental performances that she had been giving for the last 60 years. Viewers pay respect and regard to the living legend.

Rafi's soft number composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Rafi’s soft numbers composed by Shankar Jaikishan.

Mohammad Rafi was the virtual ruler of world of playback singing in the 60s. As far as his combination with Shankar Jaikishan is concerned, generally the loud numbers gather popularity due to the pomp and grandeur of those songs.

For example Rafi’s song “chahe koi mujhe jungle kahen” in Junglee, picturised on Shammi Kapoor, “kaun hai jo sapno me aya” in Jhuk Gaya Aasman picturised on Rajender Kumar, “jiya ho jiya ho jiya kuch bol do” in Jab Par Kisi Se Hota Hai, picturised on Dev Anand, “Japan, Love in Tokyo”, in Love in Tokyo, picturised on Joy Mukherjee, “april fool banaya, in April Fool picturised on Biswajeet , etc., were the most popular songs of those films. Shankar Jaikishan’s innovative orchestrations were involved with all these songs.

But if SJ’s softer numbers are looked at they provided gems for Rafi during the 50s and 60s. In Shammi Kapoor’s Junglee, “ehsaan tera hoga mujhpar” was a masterpiece where Rafi’s romantic presentation can take anyone to a different world. In Rajender Kumar’s Humrahi, “mujhko aapne gale lagalo” was a brilliant song where Rafi’s andaz was as outstanding as that of Mubarak Begum. Aye Milan Ki Bela had evergreen gems embedded in them. All the soft numbers of Rafi like “tum khamseen ho”, “to bura maan gaye”, “o sanam tere ho gaye hum” created everlasting appeal in the minds of the youth of the 60s.

SJ matured into the country most glamourous western composers by mid-60s. Rafi’s brilliant voice was complimented by superlative utilization of western instruments in most of the songs of SJ during that period. In Biswajeet’s April Fool Rafi’s presentation of “aa gale lag ja” showed him to be a Hollywood singer whose rendition had Western andaz. In Joy Mukherjee’s Love In Tokyo, Rafi presented the seductive andaz in the song “aaja re aa zara aa” which can put anyone to sleep. Rafi’s ghazal andaz in the same film “o mere shahe khuba” had equally everlasting appeal.

In Rajender Kumar’s Zindagi, “pehele milethe sapno me” showed Rafi’s effortlessness in rendering romantic songs. All the songs of Rajender Kumar’s Aman were brilliant. Especially “surahidar garden koel si hi awaz”, and “aaj ki raat” had Rafi’s powerful level of intonation to back up SJ’s romantic andaz. Besides the orchestration had Japanese flavor.

In Shammi Kapoor’s Professor, “awaz deke hume tum bulayo” created the tempo for the film. All the duets in that film created sensation including “mai chali mai chali”. Rafi complimented Lata in most of the duets backed by SJ’s effective use of sexaphone. In Shammi Kapoor’s An Evening in Paris, Rafi’s measured number in the duet song “raat ke humsafar” probably had the most intoxicating appeal in the entire film as against the loud numbers like “aasmaan se aya farishta”.

Rajender Kumar’s musical blockbuster Aarzoo, probably had Rafi at his best. If “aye nargisi mastana” showed Rafi’s effortlessness, “aji hum se bachkar” showed Rafi’s classical control, where as “chalke tere aankho sharab aur ziada” showed Rafi’s brilliant ghazal andaz. Rafi was at his best in Rajender Kumar’s Suraj as well. All the songs in the film had grand appeal. Probably the songs “kaise samjhayun” and “baharon phool barsayo” received the viewers’ attention. But “gustaqi maaf” and “itna hai tujhse pyar mujhe” were more melodious.

Shammi Kapoor’s Brahmchari had the theme music “mai gayun tum so jayo”. The song had been played a number of times by Shankar Jaikishan once too slowly while the other at a faster pace. Rafi was equally romantic in both the songs. Besides “dil ke jharoke me” was an experiment of SJ asking Rafi to sing at a high note which he did in style. In Shammi Kapoor’s Raj Kumar “tumne kisi ki jaan ko jate hue dekha hai” and “yeh rangbirangee duniya me” Rafi’s romantic rendition appealed to the masses.

In Dharmender’s Pyar Hi Pyar, Rafi showed the ghazal andaz in the song “dekha hai teri aankho me pyar hi pyar beshumar”. In Jeetender’s Mere Huzoor, Rafi’s song “rukh se zara naqab, uta do mere huzur” expressed the shy delivery of the hero. In Raj Kumar’s Lal Patthar “unke khayal aye to” showed Rafi’s royal andaz or probably the badshahi andaz in delivering as the characters were related to Indian history of kings.

In Dev Anand’s Pyar Muhobbat, “dil ki awaz khuda khair Karen” had an enchanting appeal. Again Rafi’s seductive andaz in Manoj Kumar’s Gumnaam in “jane chaman shola badan” entertained the viewers and listeners. Rafi presented the songs in Uttam Kumar’s Choti Si Mulakat also with stylish westernized manner. Viewers can also cherish Rafi’s song “tum hi tum ho” in Raj Kapoor’s Ek Dil Sau Afsane picturised on Raj Kapoor. “Khuda bhi aasman se” in Rajender Kumar’s Dharti is still unforgettable even today. The list of SJ’s soft numbers for Rafi can go on.

Some way or the other SJ’s relationship with Rafi never got predominance due to erroneous interpretation of Shankar Jaikishan over the years by the media. Just because SJ were associated with Showman Raj Kapoor in almost 20 films, so the entire focus went to Mukesh and Manna Dey’s songs composed by SJ. But if the rest of SJ’s creations in almost 170 films are analysed it will be seen that Rafi had sung almost 800 songs for SJ, which include more than 20 films of Shammi Kapoor, 10 films of Rajender Kumar, 7 films of Dev Anand, 3 films of Dilip Kumar, to name a few. The films and the songs should be revisited.

Happy birthday to Zeenat Aman.

Happy Birthday to Zeenat Aman.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Zeenat Aman on 19th November, 2009. She had dominated bollywood films in the 70s.

She created attention with her successful performance in Dev Anand’s film Hare Rama Hare Krishna. She played the role of a girl who became addicted to drugs. She had acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films in the mid-70s. Her successful films opposite Big B included Don, Dostana, Lawaarish, etc.

She was extremely successful in Raj Kapoor’s film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. She played the role of a village girl whose face got burned and disfigured. The film was related to the romantic relationship of Zeenat with Shashi Kapoor, who was an urbanized youth. Lata’s songs in the film including “satyam shivam sundaram” require special mention. Zeenat gave able lips in the songs.

In the early 80s Feroz Khan gave a stylish image to Zeenat in the film Qurbani. She played the role of a hotel singer and stormed bollywood with her performance. Her lips in the songs “aap jaisa koi mere zindagi me aye”, “laila ho laila”, etc., in the film Qurbani created sensation. Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna also gave memorable performances in the film.

In the 80s she acted opposite other stars as well. Her film Abdullah opposite Sanjay Khan did great business. Zeenat was also known for contributing in action films like Shalimaar opposite Dharmender, Don opposite Big B, Ram Balram opposite Dharmender. In all those films the roles required action stunts. Zeenat did show her martial art stunts in the film Don.

Zeenat gave good lips in qawallis as well. One example was in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi. She gave lips in Asha Bhosle’s song “hai agar dushman zamana” opposite Rishi Kapoor. Rishi Kapoor gave lips in Rafi’s portion with his own brilliance. Zeenat Aman left films in the mid -80s when she was at the summit of her career. Her films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Mala Sinha.

Happy birthday to Mala Sinha.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Mala Singh on 11th November, 2009. She had been a legendary actress of bollywood films and contributed in both bollywood films and Bengali films for more than 40 years.

In the 50s, Mala Sinha had acted in classic films like Parvarish, Phir Subah Hogi opposite Raj Kapoor. These films became immortal for their unforgettable songs like “anshu bhari hai”, “woh subah kabhi to ayegi”, etc. Mala Sinha was sublime opposite Dev Anand in the film Love Marriage. The music of the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan was equally grand. The hit songs included “dheere dheere chal”, “kahan ja rahete”, etc.

Mala Sinha contributed well in Guru Dutt’s classic film Pyaasa. The romantic andaz displayed by Mala Sinha was very significant in the film in the songs “hum aapke aankho me”, sung by Rafi and Geeta Dutt. Mala Sinha continued her dream run in the 60s by performing in historical films like Jahanara opposite Bharat Bhushan. The film was a musical block buster. The songs “baad muddar key eh ghari aye”, “kisi ki yaad me”, etc., composed by Madan Mohan created history. The biggest achievement of Mala Sinha lies in sustaining in bollywood industry amidst high competition from other leading actresses like Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Vaijayantimala, etc.

Mala Sinha also acted with the next generation of actors like Rajender Kumar and Dharmender. Her successful films opposite Rajender Kumar included Dhool Ka Phool, Lalkar and Geet. Her successful films opposite Dharmender included Ankhen, Neela Akash, etc. which did great business. She did very well in films opposite Biswajeet like Night in London and Shammi Kapoor in Dil Tera Diwana.

Mala Sinha played a very long innings in Bengali films as well. Her successful films opposite Uttam Kumar included Khelaghar, Shaharer Itikatha, Bandhu, Putrabadhu, Saathihara, to name a few. Her other notable films include Dhuli, Abhaya Srikanto, etc.

She even featured in modern films in the 90s like Khel where she had played character roles opposite Madhuri Dixit. The viewers expect her to continue in character roles in films in future.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Asha Parekh on 2nd October, 2009. She had been a dancing legend of the 60s. Bollywood industry is indebted to her for her brilliant performance in various films.

She started her career opposite Shammi Kapoor in the film Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. After that she acted in musical blockbusters most of which were directed by Nasir Hussain. She was sublime in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Dev Anand. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “sau saal pehle”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “teri zulfon ki”, “jiya ho” became rich assets of history.

Asha Parekh had a fantastic combination with Joy Mukherjee. Her films Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Love in Tokyo became superhit. The songs in most of these films composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan stormed box-office. The most famous songs included “banda parwar”, “raton ka sila”, “nazneen bara rangin hai wada tera”, “japan, love in Tokyo”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, etc. Similarly Asha Parekh’s combination with Biswajeet and Shammi Kapoor was very grand. Her film Mere Sanam with Biswajeet was another musical blockbuster. All the songs of the film like “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jayo”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano” sung by Rafi stormed box-office in the mid-60s.

Asha Parekh played many serious roles in films like Chirag opposite Sunil Dutt, Kati Patang opposite Rajesh Khanna, Upkaar opposite Manoj Kumar, etc. Asha Parekh dancing skills gave her a separate recognition during an age when actresses like Vaijayantimala, Rajashree, Mumtaz, Padmini were already created sensation in bollywood.

Asha Parekh’s performance in the film Carwan opposite Jeetender requires special mention. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in the years to come.

Happy birthday to Dev Anand

Happy birthday to Dev Anand.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to evergreen star Dev Anand. Along with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar he was one of the most popular stars of bollywood films of the 50s and 60s.

He acted opposite most of the leading actresses of the 50s and 60s and most of his romantic of the golden age remained hits. Some of his successful films include Taxi-Driver with Nalini Jayant, CID with Wahida Rehman, Kalapani with Madhubala, Kalabazar with Wahida Rehman, etc. His production banner Navketan was the pivot around which his brothers Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand contributed a lot.

In the 60s, Dev Anand acted in successful films like Guide, Jewel Thief, etc. Guide was based on the epic literature of RK Narayan. Dev Anand received the filmfare award for the best actor for his performance in the film Guide. In Jewel Thief he successfully acted in the role of a detective to combat the group of burglers led by Ashok Kumar.

From the 70s Dev Anand started directing his films including Prem Pujari, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, etc. Even as a director he showed his class. As an actor he was known for his stylish andaz as he emulated the mannerisms of Hollywood actor Gregory Pegg. Another factor for which Dev Anand is still remembered is the quality music given in his films.

Composers like SD Burman, Shankar Jaikishan, Jaidev, OP Nayyar, gave everlasting music with Rafi’s songs like “tujhe jeevan ki dorme”, “khoya khoya chand”, “tere mere sapne”, “hum bekhudi me tumko bulaye” still remaining immortal. Even Kishore’s songs “jeevan ki safar me rahi”, “gata rahe mera dil”, “phulon ke rang se” had not lost their colour even today.

Dev Anand received Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his excellence in Indian cinema. The viewers expect him to continue the great work that he started 60 years ago.

Remembering Hemant Kumar on his birthday.

Remembering Hemant Kumar on his birthday.

The viewers of bollywood and Bengali films pay their homage to evergreen singer Hemant Kumar on his birthday on 16th June, 2009. He had died more than 15 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, songs in Patita, etc. He also sang the legendary song “jane yeh kaise” for Guru Dutt in the film Pyaasa. His composition in Biswajeet’s film Bees Saal Baad and Kohra became super hit. Successful songs included “yeh nayan dhali dhali”, “zara nazron se kahdo ji”, etc.

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. 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, “tare bole diyo” from the film Dui Bhai, “nir choto khoti nei” from the film Indrani, “ei poth Jodi na shesh hoi” from the film Saptapadi, “jai chole jai” from the film Kal Tumi Aleya, “sapno jagano raat” from the film Shudhu Ekti Bachar, “mou bane aaj” from the film Bondhu, 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 Kuheli, “ami pothbhola ek pathik” in Uttam Kumar’s Mon Niye, “jokhon porbe na mor” in Uttam Kumar’s film Bibhas, etc.

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.

he

Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi and Dev Anand

Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi and Dev Anand.

Dev Anand, the stylish actor of the 50s and 60s was generally associated with towering composer SD Burman as he was preferred under the Navketan banner and contributed in most of Dev’s films from 40s to 60s. The team of Dev Anand comprising of SD Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Lata, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Kishore, Hemant Kumar, Talat Mehmood, was different from the team of Dilip Kumar, Naushad, Shakeel Badayani, Rafi, or the team of Raj Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishan, Manna Dey, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Mukesh, etc.

But when producers and directors approached Shankar Jaikishan for composing music in Dev Anand’s films, they did not follow the existing trend. Shankar Jaikishan either broke the existing trends of music or created a new trend which was followed by the following generations. In the film Patita, in the 50s, songs were sung by mainly Hemant Kumar and Lata. But the combination of SJ and Dev Anand stormed bollywood from the time he used Rafi for almost all the songs in the film Love Marriage in 1959.

Love Marriage became super hit, with Dev Anand and Mala Sinha and the songs became everlasting hits. Rafi’s songs included “kahan ja rahe the”, “dheere dheere chal”, etc. The songs were mostly picturised in the studios but had great appeal. The combination of Rafi, SJ and Dev Anand created storms in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai.

Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai was a musical film with Asha Parekh and all the songs became super hit in the early 60s. Some of them included “jiya ho, jiya ho jiya kuch bol do”, “sau saal pehele hume tumse pyar tha”, “yeh aankhe uff yummma”, “teri zulfonki”, to name a few. The success of the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai was followed up in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film Asli Nakli.

In Asli Nakli, Sadhna acted opposite Dev Anand, and all the songs were super hit again. Rafi and Lata’s songs included “tera mera pyara amar”, “tujhe jeevan ki dor se bandh liya hai”, “ek budh banayunga”, “asli nakli chehera”, etc. Some songs were picturised on the Bengali actress Sandhya Roy who played the role of the sister of Dev Anand in the film.

In the late 60s Dev Anand’s popularity decreased with rise of new stars like Shammi Kapoor, Rajender Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Manoj Kumar, etc., so the films like Pyar Mohabbat or Duriyan did moderate business if compared with the hits of the early 60s. So Rafi and SJ’s combination with Dev Anand could not get recognition to that extent. Even then the songs in the film Pyar Mohabbat, like “dil ki awaaz khuda khair Karen”, “pyar muhobbat” and duet songs with Sharda like “sun sun, sun re balam, dil tujhko pukare” were hits.

Music lovers across the country feel that had Shankar Jaikishan not been busy with Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor and Rajender Kumar in the 50s and 60s, the golden combination of Rafi, SJ and Dev Anand could have given many more number of melodious hits. The songs and the films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman.

Happy birthday to Wahida Rehman.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to legendary actress Wahida Rehman on 3rd February, 2009. She had played a very long innings in bollywood films right from the 50s till today.

In the mid-50s, she cemented her position in bollywood films after giving hits after hits in Guru Dutt’s films. In CID, which was produced by Guru Dutt, she played the role of a seductive character who ultimately led to unfolding of truth relating to murder mystery. She acted opposite Dev Anand and balanced him with her powerful performance. In Pyasa, she played the role of a tawaif who gave shelter to Guru Dutt, an eminent poet in the film. The legendary pair was created in that film and songs like “jane kya” sung Geeta Dutt, “yeh mahalon yeh takhton” sung Rafi became evergreen hits.

Although Kagaz Ka Phool did not do well in the box-office, both Guru Dutt and Wahida Rehman received critical acclamation for their powerful performances in the film. Again hit songs like “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” sung by Geeta Dutt and “bichar gaya bari bari” sung by Rafi and composed by SD Burman became landmark songs of the period.

Chaudavi Ka Chaand, marked the most successful film depicting the romantic association of Wahida Rehman and Guru Dutt. Rafi’s song “chaudavi ka chaand” composed by Ravi was dedicated towards Wahida Rehman. The muslim pardanashin community was well depicted by Wahida Rehman in the film. She again did well in the film Saheb Bibi Aur Ghulam opposite Meena Kumari and Guru Dutt. It was an adaptation of Uttam Kumar’s legendary Bengali film Saheb Bibi Ghulam directed by Karthik Chatterji.

All time great director Satyajit Ray experimented with Wahida Rehman in the role of a rural woman in the film Abhijan in the early 60s. Wahida Rehman’s broken Bengali having hindi accent attracted the attention of the intellectual viewers. In the 60s she transformed herself into a glamorous heroine.

Her second innings included hit films opposite Raj Kapoor like Ek Dil Sau Afsana, Teesri Kasam, superhit films opposite Dev Anand like Guide, Prem Pujari, and everlasting films opposite Dilip Kumar like Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi, Dil Diya Dard Liya, to name a few.

The songs in these films composed by Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad, SD Burmna, etc. created history. Wahida Rehman’s dancing skills were also exhibited in these films.

She was even sublime in films like Mujhe Jeene Do, Reshma Aur Shera, opposite Sunil Dutt, Bees Saal Baad, opposite Biswajeet, Neel Kamal opposite Raj Kumar, Dharti opposite Rajender Kumar, Patthar Ke Sanam opposite Manoj Kumar, to name a few.

Articles after articles can be devoted to the legendary actress who had same box-office popularity like that of legendary star Meena Kumari and Madhubala. Directors like Asit Sen experimented with her in the film Khamoshi, Gulzar experimented with her in the film Namkeen, Yash Chopra experimented with her in the film Kabhi Kabhi.

Viewers had seen her character acting in films like Mashal opposite Dilip Kumar in the 80s to Dilli 6, that was released in 2009. Increase in age had increased her variety of performance and she has been growing old gracefully. The viewers expect her to continue the monumental performances that she had been giving for the last 60 years. Viewers pay respect and regard to the living legend.

Rafi and Dev Anand

Rafi and Dev Anand.

Rafi had a very strong contribution in the success of films of Dev Anand in the 60s. In the film Kala Bazar, his song for Dev Anand titled “khoya khoya chand” became super hit. Wahida Rehman acted opposite Dev Anand in the film. His songs “hum bekhudi me tumko pukare” and “accha ji mai hari”, in the film Kala Pani, opposite Madhubala, became hit. Salil Choudhury used Rafi for Dev Anand in the film Maya, opposite Mala Sinha. The hit songs include “koi sone ka dilwala”, “tasveer teri dil me”.

Shankar Jaikishan used Rafi extensively for Dev Anand in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, opposite Asha Parekh. All the songs became super hits, including “jiya ho jiya ho jiya ho kuch bol do”, “teri zulfonki judai nahi mangithi”, “yeh akhen uff yumma”, “sau saal pehle”, to name a few. SJ again used Rafi for Dev Anand in the film Asli Nakli, where Sadhna was the main actress. The hit songs include “tujhe jeevan ki dor se”, “ek but banyunga”, etc. The same combination gave super hit songs in the film Pyar Muhobbat, opposite Saira Banu, where the songs “pyar mukhabbat”, “dil ki awaaz khuda khair Karen” impressed the viewers.

SD Burman gave his best music in the film Guide, where Dev Anand acted under the Navketan Banner with Wahida Rehman. SD Burman gave 3 songs to Rafi including “tere mere sapne”, “din dhaly jaye” and “kyase kya ho gaya, bewafa ho gaya tere pyar me”, which became super hits. The film and the music created landmark in Indian film history.

SD Burman gave all the songs of the film Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, to Rafi including songs like “dil ka bhawar Karen pukar”, “tere ghar ke saamne ek ghar banaunga”, etc. Dev Anand and Nutan did well in the film. The romantic songs contributed a lot in the success of the film.

OP Nayyar gave hit songs to Rafi in the film CID in the mid-50s. The hit songs include “leke pehla pehla pyar”, “ankhon hi ankhon me ishara ho gaya”, which contributed a lot in the creation of image of Dev Anand as an evergreen romantic hero.

From the mid-60s SD Burman stopped using Rafi for the songs of Dev Anand and used Kishore Kumar for most of the songs. Even during that time SD Burman used Rafi in landmark songs like “aise to na dekho” in the film Teen Deviya, “dil pukare are are are” in the film Jewel Thief, “mera man tera pyasa” in the film Gambler.

It is a tragedy that Dev Anand did not use Rafi in the 70s, without any deliberate reasons. Otherwise the combination could have created more hit songs and hit films. The hit songs of Rafi and Dev Anand should be preserved for musical reasons.

SD Burman and Dev Anand.

SD Burman and Dev Anand.

Just as Shankar Jaikishan had been instrumental in the musical success of Raj Kapoor’s films and Naushad was associated with Dilip Kumar, in the same way SD Burman had great contribution in the musical success of Dev Anand’s films. His music in the film Kala Pani was successful with Rafi’s songs “hum bekhudi me tum ko pukare”, and “acha ji mai hari”. The songs in Kala Bazar were equally successful with songs like “khoya khoya chand”.

In the film Tere Ghar Ke Saamne, all the songs were melodious including “tere ghar ke saamne”, “tu kahan yeh bata”, etc. Rafi and Lata had sung sweet songs in the film which were picturised on Dev Anand and Nootan. The songs of the film Teen Deviyan were successful including “aise to na dekho” sung by Rafi and “are yaar mera dil bhi hai gazab” sung by Kishore Kumar.


Probably SD Burman gave his best in the film Guide. The song “kya se kya ho gaya”, “tere mere sapne” and “din dhal jaye” sung by Rafi, “gata rahe mera dil” sung by Kishore and “piya tose naina lagere” and “katon se kheech ke who aanchal” sung by Lata were landmarks in Indian film industry. The songs were as popular as the film.


SD Burman also contributed well in the film Jewel Thief. Asha’s song “raat nashili hai” was as successful as Lata’s song “rulake gaya sapna mera” and Rafi’s song “dil pukare are are are” was as successful as Kishore’s song “yeh dil na hota bechara”. The film was a crime thriller and the powerful performance of Ahsok Kumar and Vaijayantimala was matched by the quality music composed by SD Burman.


The other successful films of Dev Anand where SD Burman contributed with quality music include Prem Pujari, Taxi Driver, Baazi, etc. SD Burman gave good songs to Geeta Dutt, Mukesh, Talat Mehmood and other singers as well.

The songs and the films should be restored for the next generation.