Happy birthday to Jeetender.

Happy birthday to Jeetender.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jeetender, the golden hero of the 60s on 7th April, 2010. He has been considered as one of the most consistent actors who had steady box-office in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

In the early 60s, he started his career with the success in the film Geet Gaya Pattharone, opposite Rajashree. Bollywood industry was flooded with actors at that time including Showman Raj Kapoor, Tragedy King Dilip Kumar and the other matinee idols like Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Bharat Bhushan and others. He had to face very strong competition to stay in the competition at that time.

Within a short period of time his dancing skills were cultivated by the directors and his films started making profits. His film Farz in 1967, opposite Babita, became super hit. The songs composed by LP and sung by Rafi created storms, including “mast baharon ka mai ashiq”, “baar baar din yeh aye”, etc. Besides, Jeetender’s dance performance in most of the songs entertained the viewers to a big extent.

From that time onwards, Jeetender had a great combination with LP, Rafi and Anand Bakshi. All the songs of the film Humjoli, Jeegri Dost and Banphool became superhit. Prominent songs included “mere desh me”, “dhal gaya din”, etc. Initially critics called Jeetender jumping jack, but his dancing skills followed by his acting skills made him a ruler in the 70s and 80s. He was blessed with romantic songs of Rafi and the composition of many brilliant composers of 60s and 70s. The songs of his film Mere Huzoor were equally romantic.

In 70s, he was probably the only romantic actor other than Rishi Kapoor, he survived the period relating to action films, when Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughu Sinha and others gave hit action films one after the other. The hit films of Jeetender in the 70s include Karwan, Nagin, which continued in the 80s with the success of films like Asha opposite Reena Roy.

Jeetender also played a crucial in off-beat films of Gulzar like Parichay, Khushbu and Kinara where the intellectual audience had appreciated him. He gave very elegant lips in brilliant songs of Bhupinder Singh like “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc. He transformed himself from an excited, energetic, youth to a reserve personality in Parichay, Khusbu and Kinara.

Jeetender’s in the 80s had compelled producers to launch him opposite young actresses like Sri Devi and Jaya Prada who were much younger than him in films like Himmatwala or Dharm Adhikari. After the launching of his son Tushar Kapoor in modern films, he had reduced acting in contemporary films.

But the viewers expect him to still continue in modern films in character roles just like before.

Shaapit will do good business.

Shaapit will do good business.

Vikram Bhatt’s new film Shaapit has prospects of doing good business. Aditya Narayan, the son of famous singer Udit Narayan had been provided the lead role in the film. Aditya Narayan had previously did landmark role in Salman Khan’s film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai. He played the role of the son of Salman Khan in that film.

Rahul Dev and Shweta Agarwal were the other major performers in the film. At the beginning it is shown that Aditya Narayan got engaged with Shweta Agarwal. When they met with an accident their parents got involved. Apparently it was discovered that the family was cursed for the last 300 years.

The curse stated that no father could get their daughter married, if any girl child wanted to marry she would get killed. Aditya Narayan along with his friend Shubh Joshi went to Rahul Dev, a Professor in paranormal activities.

He comes to know from the history of the family, that one of the queens while being given death sentence by the king, told her mate that after her death her body should be preserved at a place which will be unknown to everyone. With the help of her spirits, she would not allow the following generation to live in peace. Only when her ashes will be immersed in water, there will be the end of the domination of her spirits.

Aditya Narayan, with the help of Rahul Dev and Shubh Joshi did the difficult work. They immersed the ashes in water. But before that they were assaulted by the force of the spirits. The film had good camera effects.

The performances of Aditya Narayan, Rahul Dev, Shubh Joshi and Shweta Agarwal were very impressive. The film is destined to do good business considering the innovative story and good direction.

Sonu Nigam require more romantic numbers in 2010.

Sonu Nigam require more romantic numbers in 2010.

There was a time whenever discussion hovered around recent romantic numbers in bollywood films, Sonu Nigam’s name emerged automatically.

It started with “hume jab se muhobbat ho gayi hai” in Border for Akshay Khanna. It continued in Refugee. The songs “panchi nadiya”, “aisa lagta hai”, “mere humsafar” composed by Anu Malik and picturized on Abhishek Bacchan.

After 2000, Sonu Nigam still gave romantic numbers like “piya bole piya bole” in Parineeta, composed by Shantanu Moitra for Saif Ali Khan, “pal pal pal pal pal pal, kaise katega pal” composed by Shantanu Moitra for Sanjay Dutt in Lage Raho Munnabhai.

Even the song “chup chup ke chup chup ke” from Bunty Aur Babli had romantic appeal. It was composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Anu Malik’s composition for Sonu Nigam in Salman Khan’s Janeman titled “sau dard hai” had both pathos and romantic appeal embedded in them.

But in the last year excepting “kal nau baje” from the film Short Cut, he did not have striking number of romantic songs. In 2010, he should get back to romantic numbers which are most soothing in the years of listeners. These days very rarely romantic songs were composed.

Sonu Nigam’s song “phir se” in the film Toh Baat Pakki in 2010, or his song in Salman Khan’s film Veer, composed by Sajid Wajid is not as romantic as the songs of the previous films like Tumko Bhula Na Payenge, where the title song had a haunting effect.

Experimental songs do well and show the range of playback singers. But they don’t create a lasting impact. For example, Sonu Nigam’s song “all is well” in The Three Idiots became hit, but his followers want Sonu Nigam to get back to romantic songs where he had been elegant in the 90s. Let us hope for the best.

Nochiketa Ghosh's contribution in Bengali films.

Nochiketa Ghosh’s contribution in Bengali films.

Nochiketa Ghosh had contributed widely both in Bengali film music and Bengali modern songs in the 50s, 60s and 70s. In the 50s he showed his metal in Uttam Kumar’s film Nabajanma. Manobendra Mukherjee’s song “ore mon majhi” and Dhananjoy Bhattacharya’s “kalama katiya” gave expression to Nochiketa Ghosh’s folk tunes.

Nochiketa Ghosh’s music in Uttam Kumar’s film Trijama was equally sublime. Sandhya Mukherjee’s song “banmoyurir naach dekhte jabo” and “matite chandramallika” were equally brilliant. In the 50s, the other notable films where Nochiketa Ghosh’s music was impressive include Uttam Kumar’s film Indrani and Prithibi Amare Chaye. Geeta Dutt’s song “nishiraat bankha chand”, “ogo shundoro”, “kanak kanak madhur badhon” were some of the greatest hits of Geeta Dutt in her entire career. The lips of Mala Sinha and Suchitra Sen were impressive in these films. Hemanta Mukherjee’s song “surjo dobar pala” became super hit in the late 80s.

In the 60s, Nochiketa Ghosh composed music in average films. Prominent among them included Bhanu Pelo Lottery where Shyamal Mitra’s song “putul nebe go” became very popular. He again made a huge comeback in Uttam Kumar’s film Nishi Padda in the early 70s. Manna Dey’s songs “ja khushi ora bole boluk”, “na na na aaj rate aar” became super hit in the 70s. Manna Dey’s songs in Uttam Kumar’s film Chiradiner, like “phool pakhi bondhu amar chilo”, “manush khun hole pore”, “lal nil sabujeri mela boseche”, “tumi amar chirodiner” became super hit.

In Uttam Kumar’s film Stree, Manna Dey’s songs “hajar takar jhar batita”, “o se jotoi kalo hok”, “jemon shapinike posh manay ojha” became. Nochiketa Ghosh’s music in the film Sanyasi Raja was considered to be his best creation by critics. Manna Dey’s songs “shashikanto tumi dekchi”, “bhalobashar agun jalao”, were probably the best songs sung for Uttam Kumar in royal andaz. His composition in Uttam Kumar’s films Dhanni Meye and Mouchak require special mention. Manna Dey’s songs in these films like “sab khela sera bangalir tumi football”, “tabole to prem debena”, “paglagarod”, etc., flabbergasted the Bengali audience in the mid-70s.

Nochiketa Ghosh made many landmark tunes in Bengali modern songs. Some of them included Manobendra Mukherjee’s romantic songs “seto naam dhore kono din dakeni amay”, “bone noy mone mor”, “o amar chandramallika”, “aha na roy na”, etc. His composition “amar ganer sworolipi lekha robe” for Hemanta Mukherjee stormed Bengal in the early 50s. He died in the late 70s, otherwise he would have given many more notable tunes. His songs and films should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Jaya Prada.

Happy birthday to Jaya Prada.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Jaya Prada on 3rd April, 2010. Jaya Prada was considered as one of the most gifted actresses of bollywood films of the 80s. She shook the Indian audience with her dancing skills in the film Shankaravaranam.

In the late 70s her film Sargam opposite Rishi Kapoor became superhit with a brilliant story and excellent songs. She played the role of a deaf and dumb girl who had immense dancing callibre which was unearthed by Rishi Kapoor in the film.

The music composed by LP was brilliant by every musical standard and Lata and Rafi were sublime in the songs “dafliwale dafli baja”, “koel boli”, “ramjiki nikli sawari”, etc. In an age of action pact films of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Sargam being a romantic film with Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Prada did excellent business.

From that time Jaya Prada became the no. 1 bollywood actress and acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood. Her other superhit films include Sharabi, opposite Big B, Akhree Rasta opposite Big B, Kamchor opposite Rakesh Roshan, to name a few.

She acted in a number of films opposite Jeetender as well and all of those films were successful. At that time she got stiff competition from Sri Devi, another South Indian actress who had both acting talent and dancing talent. The films where both of them acted together, the viewers were confused to choose between the two. In Akhree Rasta Jaya Prada did equally well like Sri Devi.

In the 90s, also Jay Prada’s films especially opposite Big B did good business, like Indrajeet or Aaj Ka Arjun. In those films while Big B concentrated on action sequences, Jaya Prada played the romantic part to perfection. With the emergence of new actresses in bollywood films in the 90s like Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla, Jaya Prada faded away from the bollywood industry.

She joined politics and had been the parliamentarian for more than a decade. Besides she had played important roles in tamil films and other South Indian films over the years.

In 2010, she had been expelled from the Samajwadi Party by Mulayam Singh Yadav along with other primary members. That can give her some time to devote in bollywood films as well. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in bollywood films in character roles as many of them feel that she still has a lot of acting left in her.

Raqeeb had a good story line.

Raqeeb had a good story line.

Raqeeb released in 2007, had a very good storyline. The film was directed by Anurag Singh and produced by Raj Kanwar. Raqeeb in urdu means rivals.

The film revolved around the rivalry between Rahul Khanna, Sharman Joshi and Jimmy Shergill in respect of their affair with Tanushree Dutta. The story of the film had resemblance of Hollywood movie Wild Things.

Rahul Khanna was a security engineer in the film. His parents died at an early age after meeting with an accident. Sharman Joshi worked with him. Jimmy Shergill was a stage performer. Rahul Khanna met Tanushree Dutta through Sharman Joshi. Tanushree Dutta’s parents also died at an early age. She was also a loner. After having relationship between themselves for some time they married each other.

When Rahul Khanna was found dead, the suspicion fell on Jimmy Shergill who had motive of killing Rahul Khanna. Jimmy Shergill was the ex-boyfriend of Tanushree Dutta. When Jimmy Shergill came back to Tanushree Dutta’s life, their old love got rekindled.

They stopped Rahul Khanna from taking the medicine for asthma after creating mind game and he died. To the cops it appeared that the death of natural. But Rahul Khanna’s ghost haunted both Tanushree Dutta and Jimmy Shergill in the film.

Performance-wise all the actors in the film namely Rahul Khanna, Jimmy Shergill, Sharman Joshi and Tanushree Dutta did equally well. The music was composed by Pritam. It was impressive.

The film did decent business as these types of films have limited viewers.

Guzaarish will storm bollywood in 2010.

Guzaarish will storm bollywood in 2010.

The film Guzaarish will storm bollywood films in 2010. Sanjay Leela Banshali had come again with a novel project. The main characters in the film had been played by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai.

Previously Sanjay Leela Banshali had worked with Aishwarya Rai in the films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. Both those films ended up being blockbusters. Hrithik Roshan had previously worked with Aishwarya Rai in the films Dhoom 2 and Jodha Akbar which had appealed to the masses. In that respect Sanjay Leela Banshali had worked with a safe pair in bollywood films.

The film Guzaarish revolved around the story of a married nurse played by Aishwarya Rai and a paraplegic wheel-chair using patient played by Hrithik Roshan. Hrithik Roshan was suffering from the impairment of the motor and sensory functions of the lower limbs. He loved Aishwarya Rai and a relationship developed in the past.

The film as similarity with the film Who’s life is it anyway. Both Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan had learned Portuguese for the film. They had also sung songs for the film composed by AR Rehman who is the composer for the film. Hrithik Roshan had sung a song for the first time in this film.

He was also not allowed to cut his beard for indefinite period by Sanjay Leela Banshali till the shooting was going on. The viewers can watch the movie by middle of 2010, which is the date for scheduled release. The other artists like Adity Roy Kapoor, Monikangana Dutta also played their roles very well. With the amount of devotion shown by both Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan for putting blood and flesh in their respective roles, the film is destined to do great business.

Akhil Bandhu Ghosh never got his dues.

Akhilbandhu Ghosh never got his dues.

There is a harsh truth in respect of success of musicians in India. It is said that talent alone is not the determinative factor for the success of a singer. Contacts, combination with notable composers, record companies they had equally important role to play in the success of singers.

It had happened with Akhil Bandhu Ghosh, a gifted classical singer of Bengal. Classical music reached its zenith during the 40s and 50s. With the performances of genius singers like Ghyanendra Prashad Goswami, Bhiswadeb Chatterji and Tarapada Chakravarty, the next generation were encouraged to learn classical ragas. Akhil Bandhu Ghosh used his classical touch in modern Bengali songs during the 50s along with Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya, Manobendra Mukherjee, Satinath Mukherjee, Manna Dey and others.

His song “mayamrigo sama” did reach the music-lovers of Bengal. He sang even songs having folk tunes embedded in them like “banshariya banshi bajayo na” and “emni dine ma je amar”, etc. His songs “piyal shakhar phake o se” and “shipra nadir tire” displayed the dawn and dusk of rural Bengal in the 50s.

But most of his classical records were recorded in less known companies like Megaphone and Hindustan. He did not get the patronage of HMV during the 50s if compared with the other classical singers. Yet his classical songs had class and style. The landmark songs included “keno praharo na jete moromer bina baje”, “aaji chandini rati go”, “tomar bhubane phuler mela”, etc. He even sang songs based on orthodox ragas.

Many of his songs were sung again by Indranil Sen in the 1990s. His song “o dayal bichar koro” had not lost its appeal after 50 years of its creation. Inspite of his free flow of voice, he did not get the recognition he deserved.

Other than Manna Dey, Manobendra Mukherjee and Dhanonjoy Bhattacharya there were hardly any other singer like Akhil Bandhu Ghosh who could reach the complicated ragas to the listeners in a lucid manner. His songs should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Ajay Devgan.

Happy birthday to Ajay Devgan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Ajay Devgan on 2nd April, 2010. He had contributed a lot in bollywood films in the last 20 years. He started his career with the superhit film Phool Aur Kaante.

As his father Veeru Devgan had a great background of training actors for action sequences and Ajay Devgan started his career with the latent quality of an action hero. The action sequences in Phool Aur Kaante were excellent. Also the music of the film became hit with songs like “premi pagal awara”, “tumko milne ko dil karta hai”, etc., sung by Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik, which were picturized on Ajay Devgan and Madhu.

The other successful films of Ajay Devgan include Ishq, Dilwale, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, etc. In Ishq, he acted with Amir Khan, Juhi Chawla and Kajol, and contributed well in the comedy sequences of the film. The film was based on the story of affairs between rich and poor people and the fathers of Juhi Chawla and Ajay Devgan never wanted to get their children married to poor people. The music of the film was very successful with songs like “ishq hua”, “humko tumse pyar hai”, etc.

Ajay Devgan also acted in very serious films like Raincoat opposite Aishwarya Rai, which was directed by Rituporno Ghosh, Zakhm, Gangaajal , etc. He had created an identity of a reserve actor and that image helped him in getting landmark roles for the last 10 years. His other successful films include Golmaal and Golmaal Returns.

In both Golmaal and Golmaal Returns Ajay Devgan acted with other comedians like Arshad Warsi and Tushaar Kapoor and maintained the rhythm of the film. Tushar Kapoor played the role of a deaf and dumb character in the film and at the end of the film got the job, the girl for marriage, as against the interests of his other friends.

Ajay Devgan married successful actress Kajol and both had acted together in a number of films like Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Ishq, You, Me and Hum, etc., most of which were successful. Even Ajay Devgan’s role of a ghost in the film Kaal opposite Lara Dutta, John Abraham and others were well appreciated by viewers. His performance in patriotic roles like that of Shahid Bhagat Singh also requires special mention.

His film All the best did brilliant business in the last year. Although the credit for the success of the comedy film goes collectively to the effort of Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and others, but Ajay Devgan’s anticipation of viewers accepting comedy stories require appreciation. In 2010 also he had acted in the comedy film Atithi Tum Kab Jayoge with Konkona Sen Sharma and Paresh Rawal.

The viewers expect Ajay Devgan to continue his good work both as an actor and also producer, director in the years to come.

Raj Khosla and bollywood films.

Raj Khosla and bollywood films.

Born in 1925 and died in 1991, Raj Khosla was considered by critics to be the path-breaker in crime-thriller films. His film CID in 1955, created a trend in respect of crime thrillers. He introduced Wahida Rehman and Shakila in the film. The music of the film composed by OP Nayyar was also impressive with hit songs of Rafi like “ankhon hi ankho me ishara ho gaya”, “leke pehla pehla pyar”, etc.

His film Solwa Sal, involved Wahida Rehman being eloped by her boyfriend but later on brought back home by a journalist. In Bombai Ka Babu, there was a killer who entered into the family of the person he killed and then had an affair with the sister of the deceased. Dev Anand and Suchitra Sen played the lead roles in the film.

The 60s saw Raj Khosla’s musical blockbusters. His film Ek Musafir Ek Haseena with Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna stormed bollywood. The songs composed by OP Nayyar for Rafi and Asha were super hit including “bahut shukriya bari meherbani”, “aap yuhi agar”, “hume dekhakar aapka muskurana”, etc. The shooting in Kashmir also raised interest in the minds of the viewers. In 1964, Raj Khosla came up with probably one of the greatest spooky films in bollywood, with the title “Woh Kaun Thi”. Sadhna played the roles of the two sisters who were exploited by Prem Chopra to terrorize Manoj Kumar and get his property. At the end of the film the secret was revealed. The music composed by Madan Mohan was brilliant with landmark songs like “naina barse”, “lagja gale”, etc.

Raj Khosla continued with horror films with Mera Saya and Anita where Sadhna played the role of the ghosts. Sunil Dutt acted opposite Sadhna in Mera Saya while Manoj Kumar acted opposite her in Anita. The music was impressive again.

In the mid-60s Raj Khosla again returned back to romantic dramas like Do Badan with Manoj Kumar and Asha Parekh. The music of Ravi with impressive songs like “jab chali thandi hawa”, require special mention. He also made films related to stories of dacoits like Mera Gaon Mera Desh with Dharmender. His last successful film included Mai Tulsi Tere Angan Ki. Both Nutan and Asha Parekh did well in their respective roles in the films. His other films like Do Badan and Dostana were impressive, but whenever the viewers remember the name of Raj Khosla, the first impressive comes in respect of horror stories and crime thrillers like Mera Saya and Who Kaun Thi. The films should be preserved and restored.

Dharmender and Rafi combination in the 60s.

Dharmender and Rafi combination in the 60s.

Dharmender had a grand combination with musical maestro Mohammad Rafi which contributed the most in the major part of his acting career which glorified bollywood films for more than 40 years. Dharmender and Rafi’s combination was unique for a number of reasons. Firstly Dharmender was not attached to any big banner in the early part of his career like Dilip Kumar with Bimal Roy or Shammi Kapoor with Shakti Shamanta. Secondly Dharmender played prominent roles opposite senior actors in many films in the early part of his career like Balraj Sahani in Haqeekat, Rajender Kumar in Ayee Milan Ki Bela, Raj Kumar in Kajal, to name a few. For those reasons, different composers composed music in the films of Dharmender and most of them were sung by great Rafi Sahab.

In the film Shola Aur Shabnam, composer Khayyam’s soft passionate compositions for Rafi were given adequate expression by Dharmender, like “dhunti yeh ankhen mujhme”, “jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum”, “pehle to aankh milna”, “phool ko dhoonde pyaasa bhawra”. The lyrics of Kaifi Azmi touched the hearts of numerous film lovers. In the film Neela Akash, all the songs composed by Madan Mohan for Rafi were brilliant including “aakhri geet muhobbat ka sunalun”, “pyar who shaye hai aye mere yaaron” and “aapko pyaar chupane ki buri aadat hai”.

In the film Baharen Phir Bhi Aayegi, Rafi’s ghazal “aap ki haseen rukh” composed by OP Nayyar and picturised on Dharmender was extremely romantic and made the audience spellbound in the early 60s. In the film Yakeen, the title song “yakeen karlo”, “baharon ki baraat aa gayi” and “ghar tum bhula na doge” composed by Shankar Jaikishan for Rafi had all its romantic appeal embedded other than the melodious orchestration.

In the film Mere Humdum Mere Dost, all the songs of Rafi composed by LP for Dharmender including “hui sham unka”, “na jaa kabhi aab na ja” and “chalkaye jam” were masterpieces which became super hit in the mid-60s. All the songs composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Pyar Hi Pyar for Rafi became super hit including “mai kahin kavi na banjayun”, “abhi salaamat abhi hai zinda”, “dekha hai teri aankhon me”, “tu meri mai teri”, etc. Roshan’s composition for Dharmender in the film Mamta titled “in baharon me akela na phiro” also became super hit.
In the 70s, as RD Burman and SD Burman used other singers for Dharmender, the evergreen combination of Rafi with Dharmender was seen in lesser number of films. But the films and the songs of the hit combination should be preserved.

Happy birthday to Madhu.

Happy birthday to Madhu.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Madhu on 26th March, 2010. Madhu, also known as Madhubala Raghunath had contributed a lot to the bollywood industry especially in the 90s. During the 90s, terrorism became an important issue in India. Many directors addressed the problem by revealing them in films.

Director Mani Ratnam addressed the issue relating to terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir in his Roja. Roja was probably the most successful film of Madhu. It had been shown that Madhu was married to Arvind Swami after he rejected Madhu’s sister for marriage. In fact Madhu’s sister had an affair with another person and told Arvind Swami about it.

Arvind Swami was a renowned computer engineer and his senior officer asked him to take an assignment and go to Kashmir. Arvind Swami took Madhu and went to Kashmir. Over there Arvind Swamy was kidnapped by the terrorists led by Pankaj Kapoor. They demanded the release of their leader who was arrested and kept in custody.

Madhu went to all the officers present over there for the release of the terrorist leader for the sake of her husband. At the end of the film Arvind Swamy freed himself and came and met Madhu after being tortured by the terrorists. The film became super hit, with powerful direction, brilliant music of AR Rehman and powerful acting of mainly Arvind Swami, Madhu and Pankaj Kapoor. The songs “roja janeman”, “rukmini rukmini”, “dil hai chota sa” stormed bollywood films in mid-90s.

Madhu did well even in action films like Phool Aur Kaante, opposite Ajay Devgan. The film was related to the romantic story between Ajay Devgan and Madhu and the barriers created by anti-socials in their way. The music given in that film by Nadeem Shravan was also successful. The songs “premi pagal”, ‘tumse milne ko dil karta hai”, etc., sung by mainly Kumar Shanu and Alka Yagnik, became very successful.

Madhu was also sublime in other films like Hum Hai Bemisaal, Diljaale, Return of the Jewel Thief, etc. She had acted with Sunil Shetty, Akshay Kumar and other leading stars of bollywood films. She was sublime in the film Yashwant opposite Nana Patekar. Her husband was adamant police of officer and she became a successful officer after passing civil service exam. She compromised with the uncompromising character played by Nana Patekar who gave her shelter and married her.

She acted in a number of Tamil and Malayalam films like Ottaya Pattalam as well. In the late 90s, all of a sudden she faded out of the bollywood industry. The viewers expect her to make a comeback very soon.

Right Yaaa Wrong will do good business.

Right Yaaa Wrong will do good business.

Then film Right Yaaa Wrong will do good business. The film had been directed by Neeraj Pathak and produced by both Neeraj Pathak and Krishan Choudhury.

The film was related to the rivalry of two police officers played by Sunny Deol and Irfaan Khan. Isha Kopikaar, the wife of Sunny Deol had been brutally murdered in the film according to the story. Sunny Deol was suspected for the commission of murder upon his wife. Although his sister Konkona Sen Sharma supported him and did not feel that he had murder his wife, Irfaan Khan, the prime investigator in the case got a scope of gathering evidence to prove the charge against Sunny Deol.

During his successful career, Sunny Deol was so busy with encounters with the underworld, that he hardly realized that his beautiful wife Isha Koppikar had extra-marital affair with other person. When his lower part of the body became paralyzed, he asked his family members to kill him.

The film had a lot of resemblance with the film Above Suspicion where Christopher Reeve and William H. Macy played notable roles. As far as the story is concerned it is very innovative and full of twists.

But in that respect the script was not as sharp if compared with the scripts of directors of suspense thrillers like Vijay Anand, Abbas Mastan, etc. Sunny Deol did well in his role. Isha Koppikar did a great job in a short role. A lot of critics had mentioned that had Isha Koppikar not got type cast the image of ‘khalas girl’ at the beginning of her career, she was a great asset for the industry. She requires to play more number of positive characters in future.

Irfan Khan was brilliant. He again had made acting looking very easy. Konkona Sen Sharma also was effortless in her role. The music of the film composed by Monty Sharma had been very average. Ofcourse music never played any premier role in the film. But the viewers should be happy with the story line and for that reason the film should be good business.

Arshad Warsi's first production Hum Tum Aur Ghost.

Arshad Warsi’s first production Hum Tum Aur Ghost.

Arshad Warsi had come up with his first production Hum Tum Aur Ghost. The film had been directed by Kabir Kaushik. There is lot of expectation on Arshad Warsi after his film Ishqiya opposite Vidya Balan and Naseeruddin Shahin the early part of the year had become hit.

In the film Arshad Warsi was a fashion photographer. He met Dia Mirza who was a fashion journalist. But Arshad Warsi could not sleep at night as he heard many voices that disturbed.

It had wide significance in the life of Arshad Warsi, as nobody other than him could hear those voices. Dia Mirza got irritated with the behavior of Arshad Warsi, while the friends of Arshad Warsi showed sympathy for him.

Arshad Warsi heard the call of the spirits which only appeared before him and went on a mission to help three characters as advised by the spirits. The three characters included a child named Ali, an old man named Mr. Kapoor and a young woman.

The rest of the film hovered around the theme of helping the three characters. The innovative part of the story is related to that issue. The music of the film had been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

The notable songs in the film included “dekho raste mei” composed by Shreya Ghoshal and KK, “hum tum aur ghost” sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani and Arun Ingle, “banware se pooche banwaria” sung by Shaan, Sunidhi Chauhan and others.

Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza and Boman Irani played their roles to perfection. But the film does not have that amount of twists and turns which can make the audience sit in the auditoriums and halls for more than three hours.
The film should do average business.

Geeta Dutt would have made huge difference had she survived in the 70s.

Geeta Dutt would have made huge difference had she survived in the 70s.

Singer Geeta Dutt, was born in a zamindar family as Geeta Roy Choudhury in Faridpur in Bangladesh in 1930. She married Guru Dutt and after his death left singing leading to an end of her career at a premature stage.

She had sung bhajans and other types of songs in the early 50s. Her song “sachimata go ami” became very popular among Bengali community in the early 50s. Her other notable modern Bengali songs in the 50s included “akashjure shapnamaya” and “tomay dekhechi tandrabihin ratero chayay” composed by Kanu Ghosh, which were related to the early creations of IPTA. She also sang successful songs composed by Sudhin Dasgupta like “jheeri jheeri choitali batashe”, “ektu chaowa”, “otho otho magouri”, “krishnachura agun tumi”, “kajol kajol kumkum”, etc. Her songs in pensive mood included “koto gaan haralam” composed by Anal Chatterji, “ektu chaoya ekto payoa”, “oi shur bhara dur nilimay”, composed by Kanu Ghosh, etc. Her songs composed by Binod Chatterji included “hridoy amar kichu Jodi bole”. Kanu Ghosh also composed a fast number for Geeta Dutt titled “ogo amar moner chiro udas anmona”. Salil Choudhury composed for Geeta Dutt “jaak na muche jaak” and sonay dekhe ango”.

Geeta Dutt’s songs in Bengali films stormed the tollywood as most of them were related to actress Suchitra Sen. Her successful songs included “tumi je amar” sung in Harano Sur, “ogo sundoro” sung in Uttam Kumar’s film Indrani, “ei shundo sarnali sondhay” in Hospital, to name a few. Her songs in other films included “banshi bujhi se” in the film Saathihara, “ke dake amay” in Swaralipi, “oi mayabi tithi” in the film Sonar Horin, to name a few.

In the mid-50s, Geeta Dutt sang notable songs in bollywood films as well. Some of her successful songs included “mera naam chinchin cho” in Howrah Bridge, composed by OP Nayyar, “ai dil mushkil” with Rafi in CID composed by OP Nayyar, “waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam” in Kagaz Ka Phool composed by SD Burman, “khayalon me kisiki" in Bawre Nain composed by Roshan, “hum bhi hai tum bhi ho” in Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, to name a few.

But from the time Guru Dutt died in the mid-60s, Geeta Dutt stopped singing and sang back in the film Anubhav, titled “meri jaan”, “mera dil jo mera hota”, etc. That was the period when composers in Mumbai like Shankar Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, C. Ramchandran, Salil Choudhury experimented the most with westernized compositions. In that respect the listeners were deprived because, had Geeta Dutt seriously continued her singing most of the upcoming composers would have experimented with her.

Arbaaz Khan did well in the film Daraar.

Arbaaz Khan did well in Daraar.

Actor Arbaaz Khan did well in the film Daraar. He acted in a negative role opposite Rishi Kapoor and Juhi Chawla and created an impact in the film.

His rough style of acting gave him an image of his own. His brother Sohail Khan till now had generally done positive characters, but as there had been huge similarity with Salman Khan, he still now had not created his own identity.

The film Daraar, directed by Abbas Mastan was released in 1996. The film was inspired by the Hollywood film Sleeping With The Enemy where actress Julia Roberts played a notable role. Arbaaz Khan received the filmfare award for the best villain for his performance in the film Daraar.

Arbaaz Khan married Juhi Chawla, but whenever he saw any person praising his wife, he got angry. He became over-possessive and did beat Juhi Chawla. He asked her whether she could swim. She said no. Then Juhi Chawla sailed in a boat and later on escaped to Shimla. Arbaaz Khan thought that she had drowned.

Rishi Kapoor met her and wanted to marry her. When Juhi Chawla gave a letter to him mentioning that she was married, Johnny Lever lost the letter and send a wrong letter. Rishi Kapoor declined to marry Juhi Chawla. But when the original letter was found, Rishi Kapoor agreed to marry Juhi Chawla.

Arbaaz Khan read in newspaper that Juhi Chawla was alive. He went to Shimla and wrongly send Rishi Kapoor to prison. He killed Juhi Chawla’s friend. Later on when she tried to kill Juhi Chawla, she was saved by Rishi Kapoor.

The songs sung in the film by Kumar Shanu, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Abhijeet, Sadhna Sargam and others became successful. Music was composed by Sandip Chowta and Anu Malik. Songs were written by Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri and others. The film did good business.

Many of the following roles played by Arbaaz Khan in the future in films like Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya or Hulchul were inspired by the performance in the film Daraar.

Uttam Kumar would have got more national awards had it started earlier.

Uttam Kumar would have got more national awards had it started earlier.

The national awards for best actor started in 1967. Uttam Kumar received the best actor award for his splendid performance in the film Chiriakhana and Antony Firingi released in the same year.

It is a pity that the national awards for the best actor were started so late. Otherwise superstar Uttam Kumar could have won many more awards. Firstly his performance in the film Saheb Bibi Ghulam could have been considered for the award. He played the role of Bhootnath who was the observer in the film who witnessed the downfall of zamindari in North Calcutta during British regime. The same character was played by Guru Dutt in the bollywood film Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam.

Uttam Kumar’s performance in the film Harano Sur would have been considered for award. He played the role of big industrialist in Ajoy Kar’s classic film who lost his memory, married Suchitra Sen, and then forgot her after meeting with another accident. The film was considered as one of the greatest blockbusters of Bengali cinema.

Uttam Kumar won the BFJA award for the best actor for his brilliant performance in the film Saptapadi in 1961. He played the role of Krishnendu Mukherjee, an eminent doctor, who fell in love with Suchitra Sen, who was a Christian, but as his father Chabi Biswas stood in the way of inter-religious marriage, he sacrificed his life for the cause of victims of 2nd world war. Uttam Kumar’s performance could very well qualify for national award.

Uttam Kumar was equally brilliant in Tapan Sinha’s historical film Jhinder Bandi. He played a double role showing the bravery of rajput prince. Uttam Kumar was sublime in his performance in the films Thana Theke Aschi, Jotugriha, Nayak and Shankhabela.

Had these films being released after 1967, Uttam Kumar would have got more number of national awards. Firstly he was the automatic choice of all the legendary directors of Bengal, namely Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Ajoy Kar, Harishadhon Dasgupta, Agradoot, Agragami, Salil Sen, Salil Dutta, to name a few. Secondly, his films were path-breaking classics, which remained in the hearts of numerous filmlovers across the country. The films should be revived as each of them had become work of art over the years.

Happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor.

Happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Shashi Kapoor on 18th March, 2010. Very recently he received the filmfare lifetime achievement award.

Although he could not walk, he received the award on wheelchair. Born in 1938, Shashi Kapoor started his acting career in the film Aag in 1948 directed by his elder brother Raj Kapoor. He also showed his acting skills as a child artist in the film Awara in 1951. The film won different awards in international film festivals and ended up being super hit.

Shashi Kapoor acted in off-beat films at the beginning of his career like Prempatra opposite Sadhna. He entertained the audience with the film Jab Jab Phool Khilen in 1965. All the songs of Rafi composed by Kalyanji Anandji in the film became super hit like “pardesiyon se na”, “yahan mai ajnabee hoon”, “na na karke pyar”, etc. From that time Shashi Kapoor acted with Nanda in a number of films like Muhabbat Is Ko Kehte Hai, Neend Hamari Khwab Tumhari, etc.

In the late 60s Shashi Kapoor acted in many romantic films like Pyar Kiye Jaa, Kanyadaan, Abhinetri, etc. In the 70s, Shashi Kapoor acted in action films along with Amitabh Bacchan, at a time when action films dominated either types of films in bollywood.

His dialogue in the film Dewaar opposite Big B titled “mere paas ma hai” became immortal over the years. He acted in many films opposite Big B like Shaan, Do Aur Do Paanch, Iman Dharam, Namakhalal, Suhaag, Kala Pathhar, Kabhi Kabhi,Trishul, Silsila, etc., and most of those films ended up being blockbusters.

He was a close friend of Ismail Merchant and featured in many of his English films like Siddharta. He produced impressive films like Junoon directed by Shyam Benegal and Vijeta directed by Govind Nihalini. His sons Kunal Kapoor and Karan Kapoor acted in many films.

In the 1990s, Shashi Kapoor put on a lot of weight and stopped acting. He was in tears to receive the filmfare lifetime achievement award. The viewers pay homage to the veteran actor.

Winners of the 2010 Oscar awards.

Winners of the 2010 Oscar awards.

The Winners of the 2010 Oscar Awards had been announced. The ceremony had been held in Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, California, USA.

Actors Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin hosted the show. The best actor award went to the versatile actor Jeff Bridges for his outstanding performance in the film Crazy Hurt. The best actress award went to famous actress Sandra Bullock for her performance in the film The Blind Side.

Kathryn Bigelow won the award for the best film titled the Hurt Locker. The best foreign language film award went to the Argentinian film The Secret In Their Eyes. The award for the best actor in a supporting role went to the actor Christoph Waltz for his performance in the film Inglourious Basterds. The best animated film award went to the film Up.

The award for the best editing went to Bob Murawski and Chris Innis for the film The Hurt Locker. The award for the best actress in a supporting role went to Mo’nique.

There were a number of technical awards given in the ceremony. The sound editing award went to Paul N. J. Ottoson for the film The Hurt Locker. The Best Cinematographer award went to Mauro Fiero for the film Avatar.

The award for the best costume design went to Sandy Powell for the film The Young Victoria. The award for the best original score went to Michael Giachinno for the film Up. The award for the best original song went to ‘The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)’.

Most of the awards went to the film The Crazy Heart and The Hurt Locker. A lot of new performers and technical personalities won the awards which show the increase in the level of competition in the world of motion pictures in US.

The film industries all across the world are influenced by Hollywood films and should take the challenge of giving opportunities to new actors, actresses, singers, composers, editors, etc., to bring creativity in the works in future.

Happy birthday to Rani Mukherjee.

Happy birthday to Rani Mukherjee.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Rani Mukherjee on 21st March, 2010. Born on 21st March, 1978, she started her career with the film Raja Ki Ayegi Baraat. She ruled bollywood films from 2002 to 2006. After that all of a sudden her stardom got affected.

She rose to stardom with brilliant performance in Karan Johar’s film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. She acted opposite Kajol and Shahrukh Khan and superseded both of them in the film. She received the filmfare best supporting actress award for her performance in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. After reaching stardom she acted opposite all the leading stars of bollywood films. Her films Badal and Bichhu opposite Bobby Deol, which involved terrorism and narcotics respectively, did great business. Her film Ghulam opposite Aamir Khan was successful. Her lips in the song “aati kya khandala” were well appreciated.

She got critical acclamation for powerful performance in the film Saathiya opposite Vivek Oberoi. All the songs composed by AR Rehman were super hit and film took Rani Mukherjee’s career to a different dimension. She played significant roles in other films like Nayak opposite Anil Kapoor, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke opposite Salman Khan, Chalte Chalte opposite Shahrukh Khan.

She played the role of her life in Black. In the film she played the character of a blind girl. The entire process rediscovering herself earned her the filmfare award under the category of both best actress and best actress under critic’s choice. Then her combination with Abhishek Bacchan was well received by the viewers. Films like Bunty Aur Bably and Yuva was well received by the viewers. Rani Mukherjee started showing her versatility in any type of role, including the role of surrogate mother, aspiring model, etc.

Her other successful films included Mujhse Dosti Karoge opposite Hrithik Roshan, Veer Zara opposite Shahrukh Khan, Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega opposite Salman Khan, to name a few. Her attachment with the Yash Raj Banner had led to downfall after 2007. None of the films like Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, Ta Ra Rum Pum, did good business, and Rani Mukherjee lost out of competition with successful actresses of the present period like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, etc.

The viewers expect Rani Mukherjee to make come back in character roles because a lot of acting is still left in her, and she has to come out of internal politics of bollywood.

Happy birthday to Fardeen Khan.

Happy birthday to Fardeen Khan.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Fardeen Khan on 8th March, 2010. He had created an identity for himself inspite of being the son of popular bollywood star Feroz Khan. Most of the sons and daughters of the celebrities of bollywood films had always struggled due to comparison of them with their parents.

In case of Fardeen Khan, he never tried to imitate Feroz Khan. Feroz Khan was famous for his stylish performance in action films including Apradh, Dharmatma, Khote Sikke, Qurbani, Jaanbaaz, Yalgaar, etc. In most of these films he introduced Hollywood style of acting in Indian films. Fardeen Khan instead of imitating his father created a simple style of acting which suited different types of films.

His performance in the film No Entry, requires special mention. He played the character of a journalist in the film in the company of Anil Kapoor. He had an affair with Celina Jaitley, but just because he had to save Anil Kapoor, he told a lie to Lara Dutta that Bipasha Basu was his wife.

From that time onwards he just went on telling one lie after the other.He went to Mauritious for honeymoon. Even there he found Anil Kapoor and Lara Dutta and his relationship with Bipasha Basu was revealed. Both Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley filed divorce suits against Anil Kapoor and Fardeen Khan respectively due to their relationship with Bipasha Basu.

Salman Khan had to come all the way from abroad to save the situation. His playacting with Esha Deol had helped both Fardeen Khan and Anil Kapoor to ease out their relationship with their wives. The film had excellent songs and the comedy sequences appealed to the viewers. The film ended up being a blockbuster.

The other notable films of Fardeen Khan included Bhoot with Urmila Matondkar, Jungle with Urmila Matondkar, etc. The film Jungle was based on the story of Veerappan in the forests of Karnataka where he became a smuggling don. Fardeen Khan’s performance in the film Dev was also worth mentioning.

In 2009, Fardeen Khan’s film All The Best with Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan did business worth 60 crore rupees. He played the role of the brother of Sanjay Dutt who used the pocket money to do weird acts. His friend Ajay Devgan used to give him ideas but it created more trouble for Fardeen Khan. When Sanjay Dutt came for sudden visit to his house as his flight got delayed, the chaos and confusion entertained the viewers. Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse complimented the stars in the film.

It is difficult for Fardeen Khan to match the popularity of Salmaan Khan or Shahrukh Khan or Hrithik Roshan in the present time. But even with his limited popularity he has created an identity with which he can be categorized. The viewers expect Fardeen Khan to explore himself further in bollywood films in future.

Click had serious horror elements.

Click had serious horror elements.

The film Click directed by Sangeeth Sivan, had serious horror elements embedded in it. In the last 5 years Ram Gopal Verma had shown his specialization in these types of films. But other directors had also done notable work in the field.

In Click, Shreyas Talpade played the role of a photographer. He and his wife Sada were returning home and faced a hit and run accident on road. From that time he found strange presence of someone in his photos.

He went and met Chunkey Pandey who suggested that spirits don’t chase human beings, but are attached with those who are related in some way or the other to them.

In the film Sneha Ullal had relationship with Shreyas Talpade during his early life. But he could not marry her. He send his friends to go to Sneha Ullal’s house to explain the thing to her. But they ended up raping and murdering the girl. When Shreyas Talpade entered her house and saw his friends, he feared that everyone was going to consider him responsible for killing the girl.

So he did not inform the police. The mother of Sneha Ullal never considered her daughter to be dead. She allowed her to sleep in the bed. Later it was seen that the body turned into skeleton after a period of time.

When Shreyas Talpade went to a doctor, the doctor asked him to weigh himself in a weighing machine. The weight was found to be 120 kg. The doctor thought that the machine was faulty. But later it was found that the spirit of Sneha Ullal sat on the neck of Shreyas Talpade and that added the weight.

The spirit chased him one night and he fell down from ladder and injured himself. At the end of the film he was found in a hospital with Sneha Ullal still sitting on his body. All the actors Shreyas Talpade, Sneha Ullal, Sada expressed their emotions very well in the film. The music was composed by Samir Tandon. The film has a lot of resemblance with the film Shutter. The director Sangeeth Sivan had made other types of films in the past including Apna Sapna Money Money, Kya Cool Hai Hum having comedy flavor and action films like Ek: The Power of One. This time he had experimented with horror subject-matter.

The film had been released on 19th February and is expected to do well.

Toh Baat Pakki should do good business.

Toh Baat Pakki should do good business.

The film Toh Baat Pakki should do good business. Director Kedar Shinde had relied upon comedy story for the success of his film. It had been produced by Ramesh S. Taurani.

Tabu had played an important role after a very long time. She played the role of a middle-class woman who had married Ayub Khan. She searched a rich and good person to get him married to her sister. Her sister again had a choice of her own.

She met Sharman Joshi who played the role of an engineer, in a grocery store. She allowed Sharman Joshi to stay in her own house so that he could meet her sister. He fell in love with the sister and agreed to marry her.

But when he sat in the seat of the bridegroom, he found a different girl. The film was full of comedy from the beginning till the end. There was lot of anxiety amongst the viewers to see Tabu perform, the last she was seen acting in a film was Cheeni Kum, which she did more than three years ago.

The music of the film had been composed by Pritam. The popular numbers included “jis din” sung by Mika Singh, “phir se” sung by Sonu Nigam and “karle mujhse pyar” sung by Pritam Chakravarty. The songs were not as catchy if compared to Pritam’s music in the film Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani or Jab We Met.

The film received a passive response in its opening week. These days halls are flooded with comedy films. At some point of time the viewers will get sick seeing comedy one after the other. Even then the story of the film was good.

Further due to presence of veteran artists like Tabu, Ayub Khan, Sharman Joshi, the acting had been powerful. The film should get more viewers in the days to come.

Happy birthday to Anupam Kher.

Happy birthday to Anupam Kher.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Anupam Kher on 7th March, 2010. He had been indispensable during the 80s and 90s and contributed both in commercial films and parallel cinema. He initially attracted the attention of critics by performing well in the film Surhansh. He played the role of an old person who had served the nation but was neglected after retirement.

At that time he got the offer of playing the role old persons one after the other at a young age. His performance in the films Daddy, Janam, etc. , were well appreciated by the thoughtful viewers. But the film that had made him a star was Karma.

Anupam Kher acted opposite Dilip Kumar in Subhash Ghai’s multi-starrer venture Karma. He played the role of a terrorist leader named Dr. Dang. He was arrested by Dilip Kumar, but his men blew up the prison and released him. He then took revenge by killing the family members of Dilip Kumar. Dilip Kumar created an army full of prisoners who were suffering life sentences including Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff. He fought against the men of Anupam Kher and addressed terrorism with style.

From that time onwards, commercial directors started casting Anupam Kher either in villainous roles or comedy roles. He successfully acted in comedy roles in the film Ram Lakhan, as the father of Madhuri Dixit, Jamai Raja as the brother of Hema Malini, Khel, as the partner of Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. He received the maximum number of filmfare awards for comedy performance in the history of bollywood cinema. He showed his comedy instincts also in the film Apna Sapna Money Money opposite Ritesh Deshmukh.

Apart from relief characters, Anupam Kher acted in serious films and his performance was very natural over there. His performance in the film Kahona Pyar Hai, in the role of the father of Amisha Patel was very impressive. He sent killers to murder Hrithik Roshan, yet he concealed his own involvement in the plan to his daughter in style. He did very well in the film A Wednesday opposite Naseeruddin Shah. His performance also in the film 1942 A Love Story, in the role of the father of Manisha Koirala also require special mention.

His performance in the film China Gate, Khosla Ka Ghoshla, Akhree Rasta, requires special mention. He had acted in more than 300 films in a span of 25 years. In that respect no other actor other than Amrish Puri, Kader Khan and Paresh Rawal, had such a huge contribution in bollywood films like Anupam Kher. He was very impressive in 2009 in the films God Tussi Great Ho, where he played the role of the father of Salman Khan, A Wednesday, etc. Still critics feel that had he not got typecast in comedy roles, he was more versatile and could have contributed more in serious roles.

The viewers expect him to continue the good work in 2010 and in the years to come.