Happy birthday to Dharmender.

Happy birthday to Dharmender.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Dharmender on 8th December, 2010. He is one of the living legends of bollywood.

He had acted in more than 300 films and bollywood industry was heavily dependent on the star in the 60s and 70s. He started his journey with romantic films. His successful romantic films included Phool Aur Pathar with Meena Kumari, Mamta with Suchitra Sen, Mere Humdum Mere Dost with Sharmila Tagore, Aye Din Bahar Ke with Asha Parekh, Pyar Hi Pyar with Vaijayantimala, to name a few. Rafi’s songs picturized on Dharmender like “gar tum bhula na doge,” “ na ja kahin ab na ja”, “o majhi chal”, “dil kahen ruk ja”, “aaj mausam bara beimaan hai”, etc., had remained evergreen gems. His combination with legendary singer Mohammad Rafi was evergreen. As he acted in the production and direction of different legends in the 60s, including Bimal Roy, Chetan Anand, Asit Sen, etc., he gave lips in the songs of Rafi composed by different composers. Some of the examples include “aap ke haseen rukh” composed by OP Nayyar in the film Baharen Phir Bhi Ayegi, “dekha hai teri ankhome” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Pyar hi Pyar, “chalkaye jam” composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal in the film Mere Humdum Mere Dost, “tere paas aake” composed by Ravi in the film Aankhe, “in baharon me akela na phiro” composed by Roshan in the film Mamta, to name a few.

He played a different innings in the 70s. His image of action hero created revolution in bollywood films. He had a very muscular physic and created a trend of actors who involved themselves in exercises. His discipline had been followed by the actors of the next generation like Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and others. His successful films in the 70s included Jheel Ke Us Paar, Jugnu, Sholay, Dream Girl, etc.

His combination with Hema Malini is considered as one of the most colourful onscreen combination after Raj Kapoor Nargis and Dilip Kumar Vaijayantimala. Dharmender had acted in more than 20 films with Hema Malini, most of which were super hit. The most renowned films included Raja Jani, Naya Zamana, Sholay, Charas, Seeta Aur Geeta, Burning Train, Dream Girl, etc.

Dharmender acted in off-beat films as well. The best example was Gulzar’s Kinara. He was the husband of Hema Malini in the film who was a noted classical dancer. He was killed due to an accident with the car of Jeetender in the film. Bhupinder Singh’s song picturised on Dharmender titled “ek hi khwab kai baar dekha hai maine” remains as one of the greatest off-beat creations of RD Burman. His performance in the film Maa, based on the life of elephant requires special mention. He took a young elephant away from his mother to use him in Circus. The mother elephant revolted and killed Dharmender’s mother Nirupa Roy in the film. Dharmender’s patent dialogue “maa kasam”, “kamine”, etc., were memorized by youths of the 70s.
Both his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are successful actors of bollywood films. Dharmender still has acting left in him and the viewers expect him to carry on the marathon innings that he had started 50 years back.

Happy birthday to dream-girl Hema Malini.

Happy birthday to dream-girl Hema Malini.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dream girl Hema Malini on 16th October, 2010. She was the uncrowned queen of bollywood films of the 70s.

Her strong dancing skills gave her a separate place in bollywood films. Her performance in the film Sapno Ka Saudagar opposite Raj Kapoor was extremely successful in the late 60s. From there she never looked back. Her film Abhinetri opposite Shashi Kapoor became super hit. Her successful films opposite other stars included Gora Aur Kala opposite Rajender Kumar, Burning Train opposite Dharmender, Johnny Mera Naam opposite Dev Anand, to name a few. Gora Aur Kala became super hit with the successful songs composed by Laxmikant Pyarellal like “tu meri sapno ka rani banegi”, “dheere dheere bol”, etc.

Within short time she formed a brilliant combination with Dharmender and their films started rocking bollywood in the 70s. The pair started off with films like Naya Zamana, Raja Jani and went on to give all time hits like Seeta Aur Geeta, Jugnu, Charas, Sholay, etc. If Sholay is remembered for superlative camerawork of Ramesh Sippy, villainish andaz of Amzad Khan, angry image of Big B, then it is also remembered for tremendous dance performance of Hema Malini. She danced on top of glasses in the song “jab tak hai jaan”. Besides she showed her bravery also in the film by riding on the horse-cart against the gang of dacoits of Gabbar Singh.

Hema Malini did extremely well in off-beat films as well. One of her landmark films included Kinara opposite Jeetender and Dharmender. Gulzar’s films was based on dancing and Hema Malini’s classical dance balanced the story line where Jeetender’s car struck Dharmender and killed him on the spot. Dharmender was the husband of Hema Malini in the film and she lived with his memory in the film.

Hema Malini’s films opposite Big B also did great business. Some of their hit films included Desh Premi, Satte Pe Satta, etc. In the last few years Hema Malini had been seen contributing in character roles in bollywood films like Baghban. She must be proud about the success of her daughter Esha Deol, but is respect of glamour and beauty and dancing skills still Hema Malini is remembered for her dominance during the 70s.

The viewers still believe that a lot of dancing skills are still left in Hema Malini and she should still act in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to Ramesh Sippy

Happy birthday to Ramesh Sippy.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Ramesh Sippy on 23rd January, 2010. He had been a trend setter in the history of action films in India and was followed by majority of directors of the contemporary period.

Being the relative of GP Sippy, he was associated with hit films from the early part of 70s. The film Andaz with Shammi Kapoor and Hema Malini became a musical blockbuster due to the brilliant tunes created for the film. Shankar Jaikishan composed music of the film and the major songs for the film sung by Rafi like “hai na bolo bolo”, “re mamma re mamma”, “dil use do jo jaan de de” became super hit. Seeta Aur Geeta was another super hit film released in 1972. Hema Malini in a double role was as brilliant as Dharmender and Sanjeev Kumar in their respective roles.

In 1975, Ramesh Sippy made the film of his life, which became the most popular entertainer in the entire millennium. The film was related to the dominance of dacoits in the north and central Indian villages. Amzad Khan in the role of Gabbar Singh gave the best performance of his career in the role of the leader of the dacoits. Sanjeev Kumar showed astounding personality in the role of a thakur of the village who lost his two hands and his entire family in his fight against the dacoits. Amitabh Bacchan and Dharmender being two thieves fought against the dacoits and freed the village from their menace. Ramesh Sippy’s casting in the film including heroines like Hema Malini and Jaya Bacchan, comedians like Asrani, Jagdeep was brilliant. The music of RD Burman mesmerized the viewers with songs like “jab tak hai jaan”, “mehbooba mehbooba”, “holi ke din”, etc.

Ramesh Sippy continued his brilliance in another action film Shaan in 1980. Big B, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughun Sinha, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Majhar Khan all were their best in the film. The scene where Sunil Dutt as chased by dogs in the films, was extraordinary and the viewers could not distinguish whether they were seeing Hollywood films or bollywood films. Vindya Goswami and Parveen Babi were at their best in the respective romantic roles. The music of RD Burman was brilliant with hit songs of Rafi, Kishore like “janu meri jaan” and Asha like “pyar karne wale”, to name a few.

Ramesh Sippy was unparallel in the film Shakti, where Dilip Kumar’s personality in the role of honest police officer had outcast angry young man Amitabh Bacchan who played the role of his son and a smuggler in the film. Rakhee played the role of the wife of Dilip Kumar and balanced the two personalities in the film. Amrish Puri played the role of notorious smuggler who was eventually killed by Big B. The film became super hit in the early 80s.

Ramesh Sippy was equally evergreen in romantic films like Saagar. He balanced the romantic performance of Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia and Kamal Hassan in the same film. It is not possible to highlight the achievements of giant director like Ramesh Sippy in a small article considering his success even in the early 90s in films like Akela.

For more than 20 years he was the path-breaker in action films and his films should be preserved and restored to teach the art of film making for the upcoming directors.

Happy birthday to Dharmender.

Happy birthday to Dharmender.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Dharmender on 8th December, 2009. He is one of the living legends of bollywood.

He had acted in more than 300 films and bollywood industry was heavily dependent on the star in the 60s and 70s. He started his journey with romantic films. His successful romantic films included Phool Aur Pathar with Meena Kumari, Mamta with Suchitra Sen, Mere Humdum Mere Dost with Sharmila Tagore, Aye Din Bahar Ke with Asha Parekh, Pyar Hi Pyar with Vaijayantimala, to name a few. Rafi’s songs picturized on Dharmender like “gar tum bhula na doge,” “ na ja kahin ab na ja”, “o majhi chal”, “dil kahen ruk ja”, “aaj mausam bara beimaan hai”, etc., had remained evergreen gems.

He played a different innings in the 70s. His image of action hero created revolution in bollywood films. He had a very muscular physic and created a trend of actors who involved themselves in exercises. His discipline had been followed by the actors of the next generation like Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan and others. His successful films in the 70s included Jheel Ke Us Paar, Jugnu, Sholay, Dream Girl, etc.

His combination with Hema Malini is considered as one of the most colourful onscreen combination after Raj Kapoor Nargis and Dilip Kumar Vaijayantimala. Dharmender had acted in more than 20 films with Hema Malini, most of which were super hit. The most renowned films included Raja Jani, Naya Zamana, Sholay, Charas, Seeta Aur Geeta, Burning Train, Dream Girl, etc.

Dharmender acted in off-beat films as well. The best example was Gulzar’s Kinara. He was the husband of Hema Malini in the film who was a noted classical dancer. He was killed due to an accident with the car of Jeetender in the film. Bhupinder Singh’s song picturised on Dharmender titled “ek hi khwab kai baar dekha hai maine” remains as one of the greatest off-beat creations of RD Burman. His performance in the film Maa, based on the life of elephant requires special mention. He took a young elephant away from his mother to use him in Circus. The mother elephant revolted and killed Dharmender’s mother Nirupa Roy in the film. Dharmender’s patent dialogue “maa kasam”, “kamine”, etc., were memorized by youths of the 70s.
Both his sons Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are successful actors of bollywood films. Dharmender still has acting left in him and the viewers expect him to carry on the marathon innings that he had started 50 years back.

Happy birthday to Hema Malini.

Happy birthday to Hema Malini.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to dream girl Hema Malini on 16th October, 2009. She was the uncrowned queen of bollywood films of the 70s.

Her strong dancing skills gave her a separate place in bollywood films. Her performance in the film Sapno Ka Saudagar opposite Raj Kapoor was extremely successful in the late 60s. From there she never looked back. Her film Abhinetri opposite Shashi Kapoor became super hit. Her successful films opposite other stars included Gora Aur Kala opposite Rajender Kumar, Burning Train opposite Dharmender, Johnny Mera Naam opposite Dev Anand, to name a few.

Within short time she formed a brilliant combination with Dharmender and their films started rocking bollywood in the 70s. The pair started off with films like Naya Zamana, Raja Jani and went on to give all time hits like Seeta Aur Geeta, Jugnu, Charas, Sholay, etc. If Sholay is remembered for superlative camerawork of Ramesh Sippy, villainish andaz of Amzad Khan, angry image of Big B, then it is also remembered for tremendous dance performance of Hema Malini. She danced on top of glasses in the song “jab tak hai jaan”.

Hema Malini did extremely well in off-beat films as well. One of her landmark films included Kinara opposite Jeetender and Dharmender. Gulzar’s films was based on dancing and Hema Malini’s classical dance balanced the story line where Jeetender’s car struck Dharmender and killed him on the spot. Dharmender was the husband of Hema Malini in the film and she lived with his memory in the film.

Hema Malini’s films opposite Big B also did great business. Some of their hit films included Desh Premi, Satte Pe Satta, etc. In the last few years Hema Malini had been seen contributing in character roles in bollywood films like Baghban.

The viewers still believe that a lot of dancing skills are still left in Hema Malini and she should still act in bollywood films in future.

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar on 9th July, 2009.

Remembering Sanjeev Kumar on 9th July, 2009.

The viewers of bollywood films would remember Sanjeev Kumar on his birthday on 9th July, 2009. He was one of most gifted actors that bollywood films had produced and still remains immortal in his memorable works. He was sublime in the role of a deaf and dumb character in Gulzar’s film Koshish. He received national award for his brilliant performance and also inspired Jaya Bacchan to reach the same level of excellence in the film.

In Sholay he played the epic role of Thakur of north Indian village. His personality in the film amazed the Indian viewers and many aspects he superseded Dharmender and Big in the same film where they were sublime. His personality matched the cruel instincts of Amzad Khan in the role of Gabbar Singh in the same film. Again his role in the film Aandhi opposite Suchitra Sen in 1975, showed his softer side. He could feel the emotions of his wife who was a popular political leader but was corned by many members of the opposition. He received filmfare award for best actor in 1975 for his epic performance in Aandhi.

Gulzar probably had made the best use of the versatile actor. His role in the film Mausam was full of reflections. He recollected his past experience with Sharmila Tagore when his car ascended the roads to his destination in Darjeeling. Bhupinder Singh’s song “dil dhoonta hai phir wohi fursat ke raat din” written by Gulzar and composed by Madan Mohan matched him ideally. Probably Bhupinder Singh’s deep voice suited Sanjeev Kumar better than no other actor in bollywood . He gave elegant lips in the film Parichay in the song “bite na bitai rehna”.

Besides, Sanjeev Kumar kept his mark in comedy films like Seeta Aur Geeta opposite Hema Malini, also Angoor opposite Moushumi Chatterji. He was sublime also in films like Satyakam and Shikar. Critics argue that he was the most versatile actor after Dilip Kumar and Balraj Sahani and he showed his variation in films like Naya Din Nayi Raat. All the nine roles were different and Sanjeev Kumar treated each of the them with separate andaz. His role in Khilouna showed the characteristics of a mad person and was worth mentioning. He gave elegant lips in Rafi’s song “khilouna jaan kar mujhko”.

The works of Sanjeev Kumar should be preserved and actors of the new generation learn from his versatile performances.

Happy birthday to Reena Roy.

Happy birthday to Reena Roy.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Reena Roy on 7th January, 2009. She faced the strong competition of the performers of the 70s and yet could survive for more than 15 years in bollywood films. She came at a time when Hema Malini, Rekha, Parveen Babi and other actresses were at their peak.

But she impressed the viewers with her natural performance in Subhash Ghai’s film Kalicharan, opposite Shatrughun Sinha. The film was based on the story of a prisoner who was reformed and given training to work in the police force and thereafter help the investigation agency in tracking down the culprits. Reena Roy’s dance performance in the song “jareja” sung by Lata, was well appreciated.

In the late 70s Reena Roy kept her mark with her performance in the film Nagin. It was a multistarrer film where Firoz Khan, Mumtaz, Jeetender, Sunil Dutt, all were sublime in their respective roles. The story was based on fantasy where the snakes changed their form and took revenge against human beings who had killed their fellow snakes at different periods of time. Although the story had no practical base, but the entertaining performance of most of the stars including Reena Roy, converted a normal film into a hit venture.

Reena Roy acted in multistarrer films of other directors like Manmohan Desai. In Naseeb, she played the role of a worker in a restaurant where Big B himself worked. The film became extremely successful with powerful performance of Shatrughun Sinha, Rishi Kapoor and Hema Malini. The music of the film was extremely successful. Pran and Amzad Khan played key roles in negative characters.

In the 80s, with the advent of action films new action stars adorned bollywood films. Actors like Rajnikant tried their luck in bollywood after playing successful innings in South Indian films. Even during that period Reena Roy was successful in her performance opposite Rajnikant in the film Andha Kanoon.

Andha Kanoon was related to the revenge that was taken by Rajnikant against Pran, Prem Chopra and Danny after they killed his family members. Reena Roy played the romantic character opposite Rajnikant and kept her mark opposite many stars in the film.

Later on she married Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan and left films. But even these days whenever she is seen in character roles like the one in Abhishek Bacchan’s film Refugee, the viewers enjoy her presence to a big extent.

The viewers expect her to continue her good work in the years to come.

Hema Malini songs.

Hema Malini songs.

Hema Malini kept her mark in bollywood films with her strong choreography in the 70s and 80s. She had given lips in hits songs all along her career. All the songs of her film Sapno Ka Saudagar, composed by Shankar Jaikishan, where she acted opposite Raj Kapoor were successful.


The songs in the film Gora Aur Kala, like “dheere dheere bol”, composed by LP were hits. Rajender Kumar complimented Hema Malini with his romantic performance in the film. The songs in the film Seeta Aur Geeta, like “ek ladka mujhe kal raat”, “hawa ke saath saath”, etc., which were sung by Lata and Asha, were big hits. Sanjeev Kumar balanced the colourful performance of Hema Malini in the film.


Hema Malini also gave lips in notable songs in the film Johny Mera Naam, opposite Dev Anand, where the songs were composed by Kalynaji Anandji. The song “o mere raja”, became big hit in the early 70s.

RD Burman used all his musical background to compose quality songs in Gulzar’s film Kinara. Lata’s song “naam gum jayega” written by Gulzar, sung by Lata and Bhupinder Singh, and picturised on Hema Malini and Jeetender was one of the brilliant compositions of late 70s. Hema Malini exhibited her dancing skills in the song “meethe bol bole” sung by Bhupinder Singh in the film.


She also gave elegant lips in the songs in the film Sholay. Her lips in the songs “jab tak hai jaan”, “holi ke din”, created a great impact in the mind of viewers who were entertained by strong performance of Dhamender, Big B, Jaya Bacchan, Amzad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar in the multi-starrer film.


Hema Malini also gave good lips in the song “dil use do jo jaan de de” composed by Shankar Jaikishan in the film Andaz, opposite Shammi Kapoor. The song was also sung by Rafi in the film. She was sublime in most the films of 70s and early 80s. Her films should be restored for their musical value.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Lata and Hema Malini.

Lata and Hema Malini.

Lata Mangeshkar had dominated bollywood music for more than 50 years. Nearly all the leading actresses of bollywood films from Madhubala to Madhuri Dixit had been indebted to the legendary singer. Hema Malini had also given lips in numerous landmark hits of Lata.

In Naya Zamana, the title song of the film composed by SD Burman and picturised on Hema Malini was a big hit. Dharmender played the central character in the film. In the film Gora Aur Kala, the song “dheere dheere bol koi sun na le” sung by Lata and Mukesh, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal and picturised on Hema Malini and Rajender Kumar was also successful.


In Seeta Aur Geeta, Hema Malini gave lips on successful songs of Lata composed by RD Burman, including “ek ladka mujhe kal raat sapno me mili”. Hema Malini was sublime in Sholay and all the songs sung by Lata and composed by Rd Burman were successful. The song “jab tak hai jaan” was not only melodious but also showed the choreographic skills of the legendary dancer.


Lata also sang semi-classical songs for Hema Malini in films of Gulzar, including Kinara, where the song of Lata and Bhupinder Singh titled “naam gum jayega, chehera yeh badal jayega”, is considered one of the most quality songs of that period, where the powerful lyrics of Gulzar had matched the class of composition of RD Burman. Jeetender and Hema Malini got the role of their life in Kinara, where Dharmender played the role of the husband of Hema Malini who got killed in a road accident against the car of Jeetender.


Even in the film Abhinetri, Lata’s song “sa re ga ma pa”, picturised on Hema Malini was a big hit. Shashi Kapoor acted opposite Hema Malini in the film. The combination of Lata and Hema was successful also in the film Johny Mera Naam, Raja Jani, Jugnu, etc., where the songs have become immortal over the years.

The songs and the films should be restored for the future generations.

By: Supriya Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Lata Mangeshkar – the uncrowned queen of Indian playback singing
• Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Dharmender and Hema Malini.

Dharmender and Hema Malini.

Dharmender and Hema Malini had acted together in a number of successful films in the 70s and 80s. In Jugnu, Dharmender involved himself in risky deeds and earned money which he distributed among the poor people. Hema Malini performed her part very well in an otherwise action film.

In Seeta Aur Geeta, Hema Malini acted in a double role depicting the two twin sisters in the film. On of them was associated with Sanjeev Kumar while the other one was associated with Dharmender. The film was based on the similar storyline like that of Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam. The film became interesting when the two sisters got interchanged and the people got confused with their new characteristics. RD Burman gave very impressive music in the film.

Sholay is known to people for its totality, where the individual characters became immortal over the passage of time. Even there, the highly talkative Hema Malini complimented the comedy performance and action skills of Dharmender. The viewers accepted the pair in the film just like the other pair in the film including Big B and Jaya Bacchan.


In Gulzar’s Kinara, Dharmender had performed in a guest role, but there also the viewers accepted the pair. In Dharmender got killed due to accident with Jeetender’s car. He is shown in flashback. Bhupinder Singh’s song composed by Rd Burman titled “ek hi khwab kaibaar” picturised on Dharmender impressed the music lovers.

The same pair was well accepted in the film Burning Train. Although the film was based on the story of a super-express being built but due to bombing by Danny, had got burnt, the romantic portion displayed by Dharmender and Hema Malini got public appreciation. Dharmender even did well in the tragic sequence when due to misunderstanding he left the train and left Hema Malini also.

The pair had performed in other successful films like Charas, Naya Zamana, Dreamgirl, Rajajani, etc. Their films should be preserved for the new generation to see the mixture of romantic subjects and action thrillers.

By: Rumi Chatterji.

Related Reading

• Dharmender – the dynamic star of bollywood.
• Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Hema Malini – the powerful dancer of 70s and 80s.

Hema Malini is one of the few legendary dancers of bollywood who has created an institution of their own by providing memorable performances in the 70s and 80s. She had acted in films directed by different types of directors including Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar, etc.

Her performance opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Sapno Ka Saudagar, in the early part of her career was well appreciated by the audience. In that film Raj Kapoor used to create illusions in the minds of people and say that the dreams will come true. She supported this simple man with an amazing vision. In the early 70s she got a double role in Seeta aur Geeta, where one of the sisters was ill-treated by her relatives and exploited to get the regular income derived from the ancestral property kept by her parents and the other sister took revenge against the oppression. The film was directed with a serio-comic dimension with Sanjeev Kumar and Dharmender doing justice to their respective roles. She had also done well in Johny Mera Naam, opposite Dev Anand, and Gora Aur Kala, opposite Rajender Kumar.


In 1975, Hema Malini acted in the most successful film of her career titled Sholay. Most of the characters of the film had become immortal and the names of the characters are memorised by the viewers for generations, including her character Basanti. She also displayed her powerful dancing skills in the songs “jab tak hai jaan”, “holi ke din” etc. Her comedy performance in the film also requires special mention.

Gulzar had given her a different identity in the films Khusbu and Kinara, opposite Jeetender. In Kinara, 1977, her husband Dharmender was killed in a road accident aftrer his car struck Jeetender’s car. She was completing the research paper that was left incomplete by Dharmender and in that context told her story to Jeetender not knowing him to be the person who was responsible for her husband’s death. The story has a number of turning points including the point where Hema Malini came to know about the reality and fell down and lost her eyes. In the story she displayed the character of a classical dancer and the songs composed by RD Burman and sung by Bhupinder Singh and Lata and the dance performances were excellent, including songs like “koi nahi hai mera”, “ek hi khwab kaibaar”, “naam gum jayega”, “meethe bol bole”, etc. She formed a legendary romantic pair with her husband Dharmender and both of them provided everlasting hits like Jugnu, Burning Train, Raja Jani, Dream Girl, to mention a few.


She had created a trend which was followed by other South Indian actresses like Jaya Prada, Sri Devi, and others followed. Actresses of the new generation should learn from her performances and get inspiration for better performances in future.

Article By: Supriya Chatterji.