Happy birthday Hema Malini

'किसी शायर कि गझल ड्रीमगर्ल, किसी झील का कंवल ड्रीमगर्ल…. '

Happy Birthday Hema Malini !

I first met the ' Dream Girl ' in ' Seeta aur Geeta '. The film was running  superhit  and we had to buy tickets in black. While watching the movie, instead of getting carried away by Hema Malini's  beauty, I was impressed much by her fabulous  performance in the Double role .. a meek Seeta in contrast  to bold Geeta...Its no wonder she picked up the best actress award of Film Fare for this role/s.

After acting in two  Tamil films, Hemamalini made her debut in Hindi films through ' Sapno ka Soudagar ' opposite Raj Kapoor in 1968. But the film flopped. Thereafter Hema Malini took risk by accepting some non conventional roles : A young widow in Andaz and a negative role in Lal Pathar. By these roles she could  have some foot hold in the industry, But her lead role with Dev Anand in 'Johny Mera Naam'  straight way took her up to the top and the role in Seeta aur Geeta made her an established star. Hema Malini thereafter rule the Bollywood for next about 10 years by her dazzling beauty, tinkling smile, outstanding acting performance and graceful dancing sequences. Her hit films include Sholay, Pratignya, Sanyasi, Joshila, Dost, Dharmatma, Premanagar, Jugnu, Kranti,Charas , Naseeb, Satte pe Satta etc.

Hema Mailini and Dharmendra fell in love on the sets of Sholay in which Hema Malini has performed the role of talkative Basanti. It is heard that Dharmendra used to pay Rs 100/- to cameraman and spotboy for each mistake they commit during the romantic scene with Hema Malini, so that he could get an opportunity to romance with her again and again! Hema Malini  acted in total 28 films with Dharmendra. She was also paired with  other stars of the time viz.  Rajesh Khanna, Dev Anand and Amitabh Bacchan.

Apart from the normal romantic roles, Hema Malini has made significant contribution to Indian Cinema by performing female-centric roles in three films of Gulzar : Khushboo, Kinara and Meera.

In about mid 90s Hema Malini almost took a break from films and made a come back in Baghban in 2003 co-starring with Big B.

Hema Mailini is an elegant and trained Bhart Natyam Dancer and  is also master of  Kuchipudi and Mohiniattam dance formats. She has done a number of dance performances in India and abroad with her daughters, the most notable is her dance ballet 'Durga' at Mysore Palace and the another one at Khajuraho Dance festival.

Hema Malini entered the Politics in 2003 and was a member of Rajya Sabha till 2009. She has also honoured the post of General Secretary of BJP and was the First Lady Chairperson of National Film Development Corporation. Presently she is a MP from Mathura constituency.

It's a still enigma to me how  she could spell bound the audience at her Dance Ballet at Mysore at the age of 60! At this age of 67 also she looks slim, smart and fit ! Any way, we wish her best for both of her careers, Artistic as well as political !

Happy birthday Amitabh Bachchan

'पीटर, अब ये ताला मै तुम्हारी जेबसे चाबी निकालकरहि खोलुंगा' ​

​Happy Birth Day Amitabh.....

It was February 1975 and while passing by the Neelayam Talkies the poster of ' Deewar' used to tempt me.... The upcoming new smart actor ' Amitabh Bachchan ' has already made the inroads in my young mind by  his earlier film ' Zanjeer' and I was eager to see Deewar. But watching Deewar  was not possible till  my SSC exam was over... For school going children going for a movie  was not easy in those days... It used to have a lot of discussions, permissions and sanctions at home !

But as planned, when the last paper was over we directly went ' Neelayam' to watch the much coveted ' Deewar ' and after the first scene of fight itself, Amitabh took a permanent seat in my heart as  an idol,  which I continue to cherish even today..

Stardum did not visit Amitabh easily... he had to pass  through  lot of frustrations, failures and rejections initially. His first film was Saat Hindustani but he rose to limelight from the film 'Anand',  a legendary film with Superstar Rajesh Khanna. After 'Zanzeer and Deewar he was recognised as Star and  was credited with the title 'An angry young man.' 

Amitabh continued to dominate the Bollywood in 1970s and 1980s to such an extent that the french Director 'Francis Truffant' labelled  him as 'One Man Industry '. The list of his films during this period is endless. To name a few Sholay, Don, Trishul, Silsila,Kaala Pathar, Mr Natwarlal, The Great Gambler Dostana,Satte Pe Satta, Lawaris,Sharabi, Naseeb, Mahan etc.

 In 1982, Amitabh suffered a major accident at the time of shooting of ' Coolie'. The entire nation prayed for his recovery and by the grace of God and the best wishes from all of us he came out of it. After recovery he took a break from films, joined politics but reentered the Bollywood in 1988 after getting frustrated from the bad aspects of politics. His first film on reentry was 'Shahenshah' which became the successful hit. But the success waned soon  and he had a bad patch from 1988 to 2000. His films flopped, and the company ABC Ltd, which he floated, went into financial doldrums. In 2000 he made a comeback with 'Mohabbatein' and thereafter has not look back till today.

 In his second innings Amitabh has played a range of character roles, a police officer in Khakee, Chef in Cheeni Kum, Godfather in Sarkar, A stern parent in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum, ageing teacher in Black, a ghost in Bhootnath, and a 13 year old son of his own son in Paa.....He also made a Hollywood Debut in 2013 in the film Great Gatsby in which he has played the role of a Jewish person.

​Bachchan also reached the millions of Indian homes by hosting tv serial ' Kaun Banega Karodpati ' and Big Boss.

Amitabh has acted in about 180 films, had 14 filmfare awards and 3 National film awards to his credit and has been honoured  with Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award next to Bharat Ratna. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by 7 leading Universities out of which four are from abroad viz. Universities in Leicester & Leeds in UK, Brisbane in Australia and Cairo in Egypt.

Dear Amitabh,  there is still so much to pen about you, your  lending of  voice to various movies, your playback singing and above all your humble nature, your  humanitarian activities and so on.. but Sorry Big B... you are too Big to be captured in a post of whats app/ facebook.. For you only the sky may be the limit but I have limitations of words and expressions...and therefore please don't mind if all of us only say a ' Happy Birthday ' to you from bottom of our hearts....

Remembering Shammi Kapoor

( 21st Oct 1938 to 14th Aug 2011 )

'तुम मुझे युं भुलाना पाओगे '

​Yes, Shammiji, never, we will never forget you...

If you conduct a survey about  which films  the college students watched again and again between 1965 to late 70s at matinee by bunking their afternoon college classes,   you will most probably  end up with  following answers : तीसरी मंझील, काश्मीर कि कली, जंगली, प्रोफेसर,  तुमसा नही देखा, An evening in Paris,Prince, जानवर, ब्रह्मचारी, उजाला, राजकुमार and so on ....... all films of Shammi Kapoor.. He was indeed  the Hero of Collegians....

He made a debut in 1953 in the film Jeevan Jyoti.  He had a hard time initially as his first 15 films flopped. The towering presence of the great trinity ( Raj- Dilip-Dev ) restricted his success . But when he created his separate personality  as a  light hearted and stylish Play boy from the film '  तुमसा नही देखा' in 1957 ​and 'दिल देके देखो ' in 1959 success started following him ......

Shammi Kapoor's popularity can be attributed to his zestfulness on the screen &  unique body jerking and shaking dancing style he developed. Elevated to the status of  only dancing hero in 60s, Shammi Kapoor  used to compose his own dancing steps without the choreographer ! Rajesh Khanna, the Superstar used to say ' My inspirations include Dilip Kumar's intensity, Raj Kapoor's sponteneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm....​

In early 70s Shammi Kapoor's increasing  weight problem compelled him to switch to character roles. But this second innings he also played well and his performance in Zameer, Vidhata, Hero, Premgranth and Parvareesh were well received.He also bagged the Film fare award for best supporting actor for his role in ' Vidhata' in 1982. He turned to direction in mid 70s directing ' Manoranjan ' and ' Bundalbaz ' starring Rajesh Khanna.

Shammi Kapoor's era is long over but to me and millions of his fans it does not make any difference. I'll bet that no one will change the channel if Shammi  is going in a full swing on TV in ' Tarif karu kya Uski ' or Aaja Aaja main hoon pyar tera '..He is still crowned as the ' Most Entertaining Hero of the Bollywood '.............

Happy birthday Sunil Shetty

HBD Sunil Shetty

' From Action Hero to Expressive Performer'

It is quite interesting to follow the Bollywood journey of Sunil Shetty. He entered Bollywood quite late when he was in his early thirties. Being a Black Belt in Kick Boxing the natural choice of the producers was to allot action packed roles for him. His first film was 'Balwan ' (1992 ) which had a moderate success. However his next film ' Mohra' became superhit and in the same year  with the success of 'Dilwale' and 'Anth'  he established himself as a leading  'Action Hero'. Thereafter he did pretty well in that slot by slamming about 20 stereotyped action films. 

Introspection and flopping of some of his action films prompted him to shift his image from a Clashing Hero.  'Border' and 'Hera Pheri' can be considered as two landmarks for his transition  from an action hero to a versatile  actor. His role of  Army Officer in Border was critically acclaimed in which he could portray the uprightness of the character with a fierce sense of duty. In 'Hera Pheri' he proved that he is not only a  fighting hero  but can also play a light hearted comedy   with equal ease.

His journey towards becoming a complete actor  culminated when he received two filmfare awards not for the best action oriented roles  (from where he began) but for the roles as best villain ! He received one for his villanish role in ' Dhadkan' and the another one for the role in ' Main Hoon Na '.....

Sunil Shetty has also tried himself in Production by producing the films like ' Rakht' and 'Bhagam Bhag'. He is also engaged in hotel  businesses....being a 'Shetty' no wonder that he owns and runs a chain of Udupi Restaurants !

​We wish him good luck and a successful coming year.....​

Remembering Amjad Khan

( 12th November 1940 - 27th July 1992 )

'जो डर गया वो समझो मर गया ! '

It was May 1973.... Ramesh Sippy was a much a relaxed person as he had ultimately finalised the  star cast of Sholay and the photograph of his  forthcoming multistarrer Cast appeared in Screen bulletin on the background of a big lit up fire. In the photo were Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh, Hema Malini, Jaya and Danny Denzongpa... Yes,  the much talked about role of villain ' Gabbar Singh', after long deliberations and discussions has finally been zeroed down to Danny,  a young upcoming actor who has  just rose to fame by his negative role in ' Dhund '  

But the 'Destiny' had planned something different in her mind. The shooting schedule of Danny for Firozkhan's  film ' Dharmatma', which was to be shot in Afganistan, coincided with that of Sholay and as no solution appeared to be found out Danny opted for ' Dharmatma' standing by his commitment he had first made to Firozkhan.

Again the search for the Gabbar  started, but now a frantic and desperate one. Finally Amjad Khan, a theatre actor, was selected for the role of Gabbar Singh  on the recommendation of Salim- Javed, the storywriters of Sholay and shooting of Sholay ultimately started. 

But Amjad, though acted in a few films earlier was not an experienced actor. In his first scene,even after forty retakes, he could not do well the Gabbar's basic  mannerism on a horse back : taking tobacco out of the pouch, mincing  it and putting it in the mouth. The shooting of his scenes was therefore suspended.

Amjad wept,cried. His father was suffering from cancer and his son was  only of a month. His entire career depended on this film. He rehearsed and rehearsed. Ramesh Sippy stood by his side. He was advised to be in costume of Gabbar till next schedule and to live like the Gabbar in the unit. In next schedule he was prepared and after a few takes gave his first shot right. 

What happened thereafter all are aware of. Amjad Khan portrayed Gabbar  as a sadistic villain, a pure evil so completely that none of the roles of any other villain,  till date, even his own, came closure to what he has performed in Sholay. Sholay became the historic film and Gabbar Singh the  Legend...

Amjad Khan's peculiar dialogue delivery, unusual laughter ended up in  watching  Sholay by film viewers by  fifty, sixty times with fanatical devotion. His dialogues from Sholay कितने आदमी थे ,बहोत याराना लगता है रे,अरे ओ सांभा are still part of the daily life.

After Sholay, Amjad Khan's performance was once again hailed in 'Inkaar' and in Muqaddar ka Sikandar'. The Industry was looking for a fresh  villain as 'Ajit' was on the verge of retirement. Amjad's performance in Satyajit Ray's film 'Shatranj Ke Khiladi' was also critically accalimed.

Amjad Khan got injured in 1986 and passed away in 1992 due to the complications arose out of the accident. But he has remained immortal as Gabbar Singh in the hearts of the billions of people....

Happy Birthday Manoj Kumar

I was under the impression that Manoj Kumar ..... the Patriotic 'Bharat Kumar' might have been born on either 15th August or on 26th January ! But it is not so ! He was born on 24th July 1937 just like you and me as 'Harikrishna Goswami.!

After graduation, he decided to enter  the films and adopted  the name ' Manoj Kumar' for himself which he picked up  from the character name of Dilip Kumar, his idol, in the film ' Shabnam '

His initial films were not noteworthy. He rose to the fame from ' Hariyali aur Rasta ' and thereafter from ' Woh Kaun thi '.

His patriotic fervour started from  the role of  'BhagatSingh ' he played in ' Shaheed '. In 1965 the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastry has launched the slogan ' Jay Jawan Jay Kisan'. In his meeting  with Prime Minister, Shastriji  advised him to make a film based on this slogan. Manoj Kumar quickly responded by producing  and directing ' Upkar ' which became superhit and fetched a number of awards. He continued the patriotic spirit by directing Purab aur Paschim and thereafter Kranti , in which he fulfilled his dream of directing his idol ' Dilip Kumar '.

In addition to his pursuit of patriotic  films Manoj Kumar had an impressive presence in films  due to his striking  performances in Himalay Ki Godmain, Gumnam, Aadmi, Pathar Ke Sanam ,Do Badan,  Roti kapda aur Makan,  Shor ,Beiman, Sanyasi, Das Numbari etc. However in early 70s  as like Rajendra Kumar his career was affected  by the emergence of Superstar Rajesh Khanna. After Kranti his subsequent films flopped and he quit acting in 1995 after the film  ' Maidan - e- Jung.

Manoj kumar was in the news a few years back when he sued for his parody in the film ' Om Shanti Om' in which  the hero tries to sneak into the film premier by copying Manoj Kumar's  favourite style of covering the face by hand. Since then, I have hardly heard anything  about him.But I remember him without fail on  every 15th August when his song मेरे देशकी धरती सोना उगले, उगले हिरे मोती from Upkar is played at every nook and corner !

Remembering Rajesh Khanna

The Superstar… ( 29th December 1942- 18th July 2012 )

' The word ' Superstar ' was invented for him and for me it shall ever remain his and no others. His generation and the generations that follow shall never be able to describe or understand his phenomena ' - Amitabh on twitter on the demise of Rajesh Khanna

How apt are the words of the Big B ! In the early years of 1970s Rajesh Khanna literally swept Bollywood at his feet. His Superstardum was all pervasive...girls married to his photographs, sent love letters in blood and youths tried to imitate his style of winking and casual nods. The BBC also took a note of his stardom by making a film on him, titled ' Bombay Superstar' and in 70s when films were not at all considered respectable in colleges, a textbook of Bombay University contained a lesson ' The Charishma of Rajesh Khanna' !

Rajesh Khanna's film career began in 1965 when he won All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare out of ten thousand contestants. He made the debut in 'Aakhari Khat' and 'Razz' as a part of Prize for winning the competition. But he rose to the overnight national fame by 'Aradhana'. Starring in 15 consecutive solo hit films in the period 1969 to 1972 and having 35 films golden jubilee hits to his credit during 1967-1975, Rajesh Khanna was crowned as the First and only Superstar of Bollywood. Among the hits were Aradhana, Bandhan, Do Raaste, Safar, The Train, Kati Patang, Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna, Mehboob Ki Mehendi, Dushmun, Anand , Haathi Mere Saathi, Amar Prem and so on.

Keeping aside his Stardum, to me, he was the outstanding actor of the times having the elegance and the dialogue delivery touching the hearts of the film viewers. Seema Deo, who worked with him in ‘Anand' used to weep a lot on the sets watching the scenes of Rajesh Khanna ! Khanna in an interivew mentioned "My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."

Rajesh Khanna’s magic started ebbing down after 1975 when the era of action films dominated by Amitabh Bacchan began. The Superstar continued to work in films but he lacked the earlier luster. His films started failing of box office leading the egoistic Superstar in depression and alcoholism. He craved, yearned for his earlier Superstardom to return, but in his destiny returning of the Superstardum had been postponed till 18th July 2012 ! On that day when he passed away the world could watch his Superstardum as his funeral was attended by nearly 3 lakh people and his fans flowing down from places like California, Singapore and from the other corners of the world !

Remembering Rajendra Kumar

( 20th July 1929 to 12th July 1999 ) 

' The Jubilee Kumar '

It is debatable ......what was instrumental to earn him the title of ' The Jubilee Kumar ' or 'Jubilee Star' as his 6 to 7 films used to run for more than 25 weeks in the same city at the same time  in different theatres ! Whether it was his strong shrewdness in selection of films or  sheer luck or superb talent or combination of all these ? Or is the result of the superstitious Bollywood in which the producers run after an actor if they found him lucky ? Whatever it  may be.... Rajendra Kumar  definitely played  his innings well and will ever be remembered as the ' First Jubilee Star of Bollywood '

Rajendra Kumar in fact did not wish to be an actor but wanted to become the  director instead. He initially worked as an assistant director for five years. But somehow he was cast in a small role in ' Jogan ' by Kidar Sharma. Thereafter he did some bigger roles in the films Vachan and in V.Shantaram's ' Toofan or Diya'. He came to the spot light from ' Mother India' and became a ' Star' from the film ' Goonj Uthi Shahanai '.

Soon the film makers noticed in him a ' Dilipkumar, the tragedy king ' at an affordable price. He also had him within a typical romantic hero of Hindi Cinema with pleasant looks and modest attitude. He was engaged in number of films and his  hits  started coming in an uninterrupted sequence .... Kanoon, Sasural, Dil Ek Mandir , Mere Mehboob, Zindagi, Sangam, Aye Milan ki Bela, Arzoo, Suraj and so on....

Early 70s witnessed the ascent of Superstar Rajesh Khanna  and Rajendra Kumar lost his supremacy as ' Jubilee Star'. But he was wise enough to change the gears and moved to production. He co-produced the film ' The train' by engaging Rajesh Khanna himself which became superhit. He subsequently  launched the films 'Love story' and 'Naam' starring his son Kumar Gaurav.

He also continued to appear in films  but his charishma as a star was over and excepting the films 'Saajan Bina Suhagan ' and ' Bin Phere Hum Tere'   none of his films were noteworthy.

The appalling paradox  for Rajendra Kumar, is though  Jubilee Star, he  did not receive a single Filmfare or Screen Cine award during his entire career.......

When realised  he has been diagnosed  with cancer, he refused to take any medication and hugged death with the same calmness and restraint as he has displayed the same  in 'Sangam' while  shooting himself in the chest !

Happy birthday Neetu Singh

'छूकर मेरे मनको किया तूने क्या इशारा........'

Yes, she touched the hearts of all the collegians first time by her dance in the film  ' Yadon Ki Baarat ' for  the song ' Lekar Hum Diwana Dil ' in 1973.....

But Neetu Singh's journey in the films started much earlier, when she was barely 8 years old ,as child artist under the name ' Baby Sonia'. After her dance in ' Yadon Ki Baarat ' she started receiving offers for films. Coincidentaly,  at that time the rising star Rishi Kapoor was desperately in need of a teenage co-star, as Dimple Kapadia, his  co-star in the hit film ' Bobby ', had left the films on marrying Superstar Rajesh Khanna. Rishi  found her co-star ( and later a life partner !) in Neetu Singh and the pair rocked the Bollywood by super hit performances in ' Rafoo Chakkar ' 'Khel Khel Main', Kabhi Kabhi, Amar Akbar Anthony etc. Her notable films with other leading stars include ' Deewar, Doosra Adami, Kala Pathar, Yarana ' etc.

By her effortless acting and her cheerful attitude in the films Neetu , was always cherished by the teenagers as a fun loving ideal 'Girl Friend'. Moreover her gestures, acting style and attitude on screen closely resembled to that of Mumtaz, who was on the verge of retirement then,  and Neetu  perfectly slid into her slot.

Neetu Singh acted in about 60 films with all the leading stars.. Amitabh , Jeetendra, Rishi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor etc. She was unfortunate not to  find any  favour from Film Fare in terms of any   award. After marriage with Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh did a good bye to the films at the age of 24, the age at which normally  the one  enters the Bollywood !

Remembering Raaj Kumar

( 8th October 1926  to 3rd July  1996 )

'​चिनॉयशेठ, जिनके अपने घर शिशेंके हो, वो दुसरो पें पत्थर नही फेका करते '

Before 1970 dialogues of Hindi films were not much popular. The rehearsing of dialogues  by the film goers among themselves started on the emergence of Salim -Javed and the exchanging of dialogues of Zanjeer, Deewar and Sholay became part of daily life. But before all this happened there was only one actor who is today still remembered as ' King of Dialogue Delivery  ' and that is ' Raaj Kumar ......'

Raaj Kumar's first film was ' Rangeeli' in 1952. He did a few films thereafter but he rose to fame in 1957 by  his role in ' Mother India '. Raaj Kumar's confidence, bold dialogue delivery and stylish walk soon established him as an actor to be reckoned with.Having worked earlier as Sub Inspector in Mumbai Police for some time, Raaj Kumar used to deliver his dialogues with authoritative tone.He had his own fan base.. limited but intense. I remember some of them in my college days who used to watch ' Waqt' again and again just to listen to the above dialogue and the other famous one 'चिनॉयशेठ, छुरी बच्चों के  खेलनेकी चीज नही होती, हाथ कट जाये तो खून निकल आता है ....'

Raaj kumar was criticized that he is not suitable for emotional dialogue delivery. But he gave an apt reply to his critics in 'Pakeeza' by his famous dialogue ' आपके पांव देखे, बहोत हसीन है , इन्हे जमीनपर मत उतारीयेगा, मैले हो जायेंगे '. 

Raaj Kumar's  significant films include ' Paigham' ' Waqt ',' Dil Ek Mandir, Ujala, Kaajal, Unche Log, Humraaz, Heer Ranjha, Neel Kamal, Lal Patthar, Soudagar etc. He  received his first filmfare award as the best supporting actor for his film ' Dil ek Mandir and thereafter in the same category for his role in ' Waqt' 

 

Raaj Kumar breathed his last in 1996 and his era is over since long... but still I like to see him in the films ' Soudagar'  & ' Tiranga' which are frequently telecast on tv channels and listen to his dialogues 

'जानी, हम तुमको मारेंगे पर बंदूक भी हमारी होगी , गोली भी हमारी होगी, और वक़्त भी हमारा होगा.......'

Happy Birthday 'Lolo'

No doubt Karishma  had a glamorous radiance and an electrifying charm  ... But to me this stunning beauty someway got eclipsed by her contemporaries ... in beauty by Aishwarya and Madhuri and in acting performance by Kajol and Rani Mukerji...

Karishma made an acting debut in ' Prem Qaidi ' in 1991 which received  a moderate response. Thereafter she acted in a number of films viz. Jigar, Anari, Raja Babu, Cooli no 1, Gopikishan etc. But she confirmed herself as an established actor from ' Raja Hindustani ' in 1996 and bagged her first film fare award for best actress. Immediately in 1997 she received National film award for best supporting actress for her role in ' Dil to Pagal Hai '

Thereafter Karishma demonstrated  her great acting caliber in Fiza and Zubaida. The role in Fiza demanded portraying of range of emotions and Karishma put in a superb and flawless performance.

Apart from this Karishma's notable films  are Andaz Apna Apna, Hero no 1, Biwi no 1, Hum Sath Sath Hai, Haseena Maan Jayegi, Janwar etc.

After her marriage in 2003, Karishma renounced the films. But recently  I heard that she is staging a comeback.... that's great ! film lovers will definitely cherish the return of this versatile actress who can do comedy and melodrama with equal ease !

Remembering Hemant Kumar

​( 16th June 1920 to 26th  September 1989 )

ना तुम हमें जानो..... 

Yes, it is difficult to understand Hemant Kumar as he is to be analysed  on two counts; first as a Singer and then as a Music Composer.

As a singer he is considered as foremost exponent of Ravindra Sangeet.  But Hemant Kumar  also learned Classical Music in his youth from Fanivasun Ganguly .He  initially  started singing Bengali songs in 1937 and thereafter switched   to singing for Hindi films. He became popular for playback songs for Devanand in the movies  Solvan Saal, Baat ek Raat ki, Jaal, House no 44 under the music directorship of  S D Burman.

He started  composing music in 1947 for Bengali films. His first Hindi film as a music composer was ' Anand Math'. The song ' Vande Mataram , Vande Mataram  by Lata Mangeshkar still arouses the feelings of patriotism.

But his best as a music composer came in 1955, for the film Nagin. He reached to the height of a fame by the song, ' Man dole mera tan dole' in which he used the clavioline for the effect of 'Been ' bagging his first Film fare award for the best Music Composer. Thereafter the music composition for Gurudatta's film  ' Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam ' added another feather in his cap(न जावो सैंया चुराके बैंया , कोई दुरसे आवाज दो चले आओ ). He was successful  in Bengal film industry  as a singer and music composer. But due to the presence of stalwarts like S D Burman and Madan Mohan, Hemant Kumar was not getting  the big banner films in Bollywood. He therefore turned to Production and started producing and composing music for  his own films. His first film was ' Bees Saal Baad ' featuring Lata's one of the best solos कहि दिप जले कहि दिल and thereafter ' Kohra ' giving his one of his best solo ' ये नयन डरे डरे '. His career reached at zenith with the film ' Khamoshi ' with the unforgettable songs हमने देखी है उन आंखोकि महकती खुशबु & तुम पुकार लो. The song वो शाम कुछ अजीब थी from Khamoshi marked the beginning of the legendary combination of  Kishor kumar for the  Superstar Rajesh Khanna for emotional songs.  

Early 70s witnessed the shift in Bollywood Music from melody to rhythm under the leadership of R.D. Burman. Somehow Hemant Kumar could not sense this  changing pulse of music lovers. Devoid of any work in Bollywood , he returned to Culcutta and continued his career in  Bengli Music where his contribution still  stands unmatched. Hemanat Kumar passed away in 1989. But even today his song   बेकरार करके हमें युं ना जाईये   from बीस साल बाद is being utilized in tv  ad of Secret temptation perfumes. No other proof is needed to confirm   that fragrance of his melody is still alive !

Remembering Jeevan

( October 24, 1915 to June 10, 1987 )

Film making is a team work but the success of the film normally gets attributed to the  heroes, heroines, directors, music composers and story writers. But it is always forgotten that  some of the actors who are neither  in lead roles nor even in supporting actor roles contribute significantly to the success of the film. Unfortunately  media does not have any time or space for them. Obviously they are not crowd pullers but the crowd on exiting  the theatre remarks about them ' wah ! kya kaam kiya hai '. One of such actors was ' Jeevan .....'

Jeevan, born as ' Omkar nath Dhar ', hailed from a royal family. His grandfather was Governor of Giligit. But he ran to Bombay to become an actor with only 26 rupees in his pocket as films in those days  were considered  taboo in the respectable families. He initially started with a job of sticking silver papers on reflectors in Mohan Studios. Gradually he was promoted as an actor. In the beginning, in the era of mytholgical fims he used to do role of Narad Muni. Later His peculiar nasal voice and somewhat sarcastic tone  of dialogue delivery made him suitable for the roles of villain. His notable films include Kanoon, Naya Daur, Nou do Gyarah, Ankhen, Johny Mera Naam, Amar Akbar Anthony , Naseeb, Roti, Suhaag, Lawaris, Sanam teri kasam, Hathkadi and so on. Unfortunately the towering presence of   'Pran ' as a villain prevented Jeevan to have access to lead roles of villain in big banner films and his potential as an actor could not be exploited.

Jeevan remained active till his last days till  he passed away in 1987. He did not receive any recognition, any award for any of his roles. But he still remains in the memory of film goers especially for his roles of 'Heera' in Johny Mera Naam and 'Robert' in Amar Akbar Anthony !

Remembering Sunil Dutt

( 6th June 1929- 25th May 2005 )

'जलते है जिसके लिये तेरी आंखोके दिये  ...'

Bollywood actors entering into politics is not so uncommon but it is very rare that a Bollywood star becomes a successful Politician and remains in active politics for about 25 years. But this happened in case of Sunil Dutt. He got elected to Parliament from Mumbai North West constituency 5 times and when he passed away in 2005 he was the Minister of sports and Youth in the Manmohan Singh Govt!

But he was also a star by himself though he could not garner the stardom as similar to that of the great trio ( Raj, Dilip, Dev ) He made a humble start with the film 'Railway Platform' in 1955. But the film 'Mother India ' in 1957, established him as a star. His successful films include Sadhana, Sujata, Mujhe Jeene do, Khandan, Padosan, Milan, Gumrah, Waqt, Pran Jaye par Vacchan na Jaye among others. He also created a record of directing and starring in the unique film ' Yaadein' in which he was the only actor. He then turned to Production but his two films ' Man ka Meet' and ' Reshma aur Shera' failed miserably at Box office.

Apart from Politician, Sunil Dutt was a tireless social worker. He was the founder of Nargis Dutt Foundation which helps the cancer patients and was also the sponserer of India Project.

His last appearance in film was in Munnabhai MBBS in 2003 in which he first and last time shared the screen with his son Sanjay Dutt !

About the Author

Jagdeesh V. Dhongde

Practicing Chartered Accountant, Past-Chairman of the Pune Branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Hindi Film Industry fan, Loving father, Altruist, Legend in his own terms.

My father is a practicing CA and an avid Bollywood fan (nothing new in India I guess!). But I think one special thing about his love for Hindi movies is that it transcends era - he enjoys movies as far back as the early 50s to even some choicest movies from 2015. And he adores the stars of the cine-world. Not just the brightest, but the rarest, the unknown, the most common whom most overlook. As a tribute to each one of them, he  has started taking out time from his hectic schedule and putting up posts on their birthdays, sharing their stories, his personal experience while watching the movies. It is well appreciated among his circles and I thought I could put it all together on one page.

Disclaimer: Information and image sources are the internet - imdb and Wikipedia and no copyright violation is intended.