A Tribute To TALAT MAHMOOD-A Legend with Velvet Voice

Remembering Today on  His Birth Anniversary

Talat Mahmood (24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998) is considered one of the greatest male Indian non-classical and semi-classical singers. He was a born singer with an intuitive sense of beauty, charm and grace, he was one of the most important and significant singers of the Golden Era of Hindi film music.. 
Talat apprenticed classical music under Pandit S.C.R. Bhat at Marris College of Music, Lucknow.He  began his singing career at the age of 16 in 1939 when he began singing the Ghazals of Daag, Mir, Jigar etc. on All India Radio, Lucknow. His voice had a quality distinct from all the other singers. HMV was quick to notice this and offered Talat his first disc in 1941 Sab din ek samaan nahin tha, Bun jaoon ga kya se kya main, Iska to kuch dhyan nahin tha.
In 1944 came the hit Tasveer teri dil mera behela nah sake gi. Its popularity was so phenomenal and unrivalled that even today it remains one of the top selling non-film discs.This disc brought Talat the fame throughout India and soon he was beckoned by the Calcutta film industry. Talat made cameo appearances and starred in about 16 movies, for both the Calcutta (film hub of the 1940s) and Bombay Film Industry.
In 1949 Talat moved to Bombay, to sing for the Hindi film industry. His name and fame had already preceded him and soon he was flooded with offers. His big break came with the song Ae dil mujhe aisi jagha le chal jahan koi na ho composed by music director Anil Biswas for the soundtrack of the movie Arzoo. 
Besides being a gifted singer, Mahmood was quite handsome as well. He acted in over a dozen films with top actresses of the time like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Suraiya and others.Some of the films were  Rajlaxmi 1945,Tum Aur Main 1947, Araam with Dev Anand and Madhubala in 1951,Thokar  with Shammi Kapoor in 1953,his last appearance was in Sone ki Chidiya (1958) opposite Nutan. Later he decided to give up acting to concentrate on singing.
Talat Mahmood was probably the pioneer of international concert tours – his first tour was to East Africa in 1956. Music directors felt that Talat, busy with his films and overseas concerts, wouldn’t be available to sing playback. Music directors who had earlier given him plum assignments now began favouring other singers. SD Burman, for whom Talat had rendered the sublime Jaaye toh jaaye kahan wanted Mohammed Rafi for the plaintive  Jalte hain jiske liye, and it was only on Bimal Roy's insistence that Talat got to sing it.
By the 60s, things had taken a turn for the worse. There seemed to be no place for Talat’s voice by this time .Talat’s career never quite recovered. Except for the odd song in a few nondescript films, Talat Mahmood retired graciously from film music, preferring to focus on his non-film records and live shows, until ill-health saw him leave the limelight completely.
Talat recorded his first track way back in 1941 and sang around 750 songs in 12 languages. 
My Tribute to this Great Singer
First Song for Hindi film Rajlaxmi 1945 

Song from Rajlaxmi 1945 (Audio only)

 Ae dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal (Aarzoo/1950)

Song from Aarzoo 1950

Shukriya shukriya ae pyar tera  from Aaraam 1951,He himself acting

Song from Aaraam 1951

Main dil hoon ek armaan bhara. from Anhonee 1952

Song from Anhonee 1952

Ye hawa ye raat ye chandni from Sangdil 1952

Song from Sangdil 1952

 Andhe jahaan ke andhe raaste from Patita 1953

Song from Patita 1953

 Shaam-e-gham ki kasam from Footpath 1953

Song from Footpath 1953

Zindagi denewale sun from Dil e Nadaan 1953 picturised on Talat himself

Song from  Dil e Nadaan 1953

Raat ne kya kya khwaab dikhaaye from Ek Gaon ki Kahani (1957)

Song from  Ek Gaon ki Kahani (1957)

Pyar par bas toh nahin hai  from Sone ki Chidiya (1958)

Song from Sone ki Chidiya (1958)

Jalte Hain Jiske Liye from Sujata 1959

Song from Sujata 1959

Phir wohi shaam  from Jahan Ara (1964)

Song from Jahan Ara (1964)

Remembering IFTEKHAR on his 97th Birth Anniversary

For cinema lovers this name is synonymous with Police Officer, a role he often played on the silver screen. In fact the movie “Ittefaaq” changed his life completely. The cop’s uniform suited his personality so well, that he instantly became a very busy man. He soon bought his own flat in Khar. 

He was born on 26^th February 1922 in Jalandhar and brought up in Kanpur. After completing his matriculation he did a diploma course in painting from Lucknow College Of Arts. 
Iftekhar’s debut film was 1944 release “Taqraar” which was made under the banner of “Art Films-Kolkata”. Heroine of this film was that time star actress Jamuna.
Iftekhar acted in over 400 films in a career that spanned from the 1940s through to the early 1990s.He  had been a lead actor in his youth during the Black & White era of Bollywood in the 1940s and 1950s.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Iftekhar graduated to playing uncle, father, and what came to be his speciality: police inspector roles, doctor or senior advocate. Generally he played 'sympathetic' characters but, on occasion, he played the heavy. One of his most memorable roles as a heavy was as Amitabh Bachchan's corrupt industrialist mentor in Yash Chopra's classic Deewaar (1975).

Besides Deewaar and Zanjeer Iftekar had character roles in many of the classics of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s Bollywood cinema: Bimal Roy's Bandini, Raj Kapoor's Sangam, Manoj Kumar's Shaheed, Teesri Manzil, Teesri Kasam, Johny Mera Naam, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Don, The Gambler and Sholay to name but a few.
70s and 80s were busiest days for Iftekhar During this period he acted in hundreds of movies like “Sharmili”, “Mehboob Ki Mehndi”, “Gambler”, “Kal Aaj Aur Kal”, “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”, “Jawani Deewani”, “Achanak”, “Zanjeer”, “Majboor”, “Deewar”, “Dharmatma”, “Sholey”, “Kabhi Kabhi”, “Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Mann Bhaaye”, “Don”, “Trishool”, “Noorie”, “Kaala Patthar”, “Karz”, “Dostana”, “Rocky”, “Saath Saath”, “Rajpoot”, “Sadma”, “Inqalaab”, “Jageer”, “Tawaif”, “Angaare” and “Awaam”, “Bekhudi” (1992) and “Kaala Coat” (1993) are among the last films.

Iftekhar with his wife

Iftekhar married Hannah Joseph, a Jewish girl from Calcutta,he had 2 daughters.His elder daughter, Salma was born in 1946 and the younger one, Sayeeda, was born 1946.Sadly his younger daughter died in 1995 which completely broken him and he died  on 1st March 1995, a few days after his younger daughter's passing away.

Song(Audio) from Ghar 1945

Song from Rajlaxmi 1945 Audio only 

Song from Aisa Kyon 1947

Happy 90th Birthday to KHAYYAM

Khayyam was born on 18th Feb 1927 as Sa'aadat Hussain in undivided Punjab in Rahon, a town in Nawanshahr District no in India. When he was young. It was his dream to become like a singer-actor like the great KL Saigal whose movies he used to watch very often. However, his family opposed this and he had to leave his house. Khayyam then went to his uncle in Delhi to learn music but was forced to return to complete his education. Khayyam then went to Lahore to learn music from the famous Baba Chishti.
 He made his debut as Sharmaji of the Sharmaji-Varmaji composer duo with the movie Heer Ranjha in 1948. He went solo after his co-composer Rahman Varma went to the newly created Pakistan post partition. One of his earliest breaks was in the film Biwi in which the song "Akele mein wo ghabrate to Honge" sung by Mohammed Rafi was a huge hit. But he gained greater recognition from the film Phir Subha Hogi starring Raj Kapoor and Mala Sinha, in which songs written by Sahir Ludhyanvi and sung by Mukesh and Asha Bhonsle were set to tune by Khayyam, notable amongst them "Wo Subha Kabhi to Aayegi", "Aasman Pe hai Khauda aur Zameen pe Hum" and "Chin-o-Arab Humara".
The song "Jaane kya dhhonti rehti hein ye aanken mujhmen" sung by Rafi from the film Shola Aur Shabnam established Khayyam's reputation as a great composer.Latter on Songs from the film Shagun which had Khayyam's wife Jagjit Kaur sing "Tum apna ranj-o-gham" and "Tum chali Jaogi". From the film Lala Rukh "Hai Kali Kali ke lab par" sung by Rafi and from Footpath "Shyam-e-Gham ki Kasam" sung by Talat Mehmood. From Mohhabat Isko Kehte hein "Theheriye hosh mein aa lun to chaley jaiyega" by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur made him popular composer.
Khayyam teamed up with Sahir Ludhyanvi once again to work in the Yash Chopra-directed "Kabhi Kabhi". The songs were super hits and showed Khayyam's versatility with huge hits like "Kabhi Kabhi mere dil mein Khayal ata hai" (Sung by Mukesh), "Tere chehre se nazar Nahin hatti" (Kishore & Lata) and "Mein Pal do pal ka Shayar Hun" (Mukesh). 
 Again pairing with Sahir in Trishul he produced great songs like "Mohabbat bare kaam ki cheez hai" and "Janeman tum kamal karti ho" and the light "Gapuchi Gapuchi gam gam". "Hazar rahen" from Thodi si Bewafai and "Aaja re o mere dilbar Aaja" from Noorie and "Dikahyi Diye" from Bazaar are some noticeable songs. Khayyam also created music for the Kamal Amrohi directed "Razia Sultan" and his "Aye dil-e-nadan" sung by Lata capturing the mood beautifully. One of popular song is Cho lene do.
How can we forget him in Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan in 1981. He made Asha Bhonsle sing songs which are indisputably her best. "In Aankhon ki masti ke", "Ye Kya Jagah hai doston" and "Dil Cheez kya hai" are evergreen.

Wo Subha Kabhi to Aayegi

Aasman Pe hai Khauda aur Zameen pe Hum

Jaane kya dhhonti rehti hein ye aanken mujhmen

Jeet Hi lenge Baazi Hum tum

Tum apna ranj-o-gham

Shyam-e-Gham ki Kasam

Theheriye hosh mein aa lun to chaley jaiyega

Mein Pal do pal ka Shayar Hun

Hazar rahen

Aye dil-e-nadan

In Aankhon ki masti ke

Remembering MADHUBALA-The Venus of Indian Cinema on her 84th Birth Anniversary

Madhubala (February 14, 1933 - February 23, 1969) the woman who was born on Valentine's Day and became India's sweetheart struggled to find true love all through her life is one of the most gorgeous actresses to have graced the screens of Bollywood.Madhubala is an epitome of beauty, who had an unbeatable charm. She is admired for her looks and work even by the present day generations.
Born as Mumtaz, Madhubala joined the Bombay film industry when she was 9 as her father lost his job. She was one of five children in the family and her earnings helped the family to survive hard times. By the time she turned 14, Madhubala was playing the leading lady (in ‘Neel Kamal’) with Raj Kapoor in 1947.Her first film as child artist was Basant (1942), was a box-office success.As a child actress she went on to play in several movies. Actress Devika Rani was impressed by her performance and potential, and advised her to assume the screen name 'Madhubala'.

She acted in 70 films but most of her films were flops.Only 15 films were hit,still she was the most saught after heroine of her time.
It was the movie Mahal (1949) which made Madhubala a household name. The song Aayega Aanewala made both Madhubala and Lata Mangeshkar superstars.

Following the success of Mahal, Madhubala appeared in the box office 
hits Dulari (1949), Beqasoor (1950), Tarana (1951) and Badal (1951).Her 1950 film Hanste Aansoo was the first ever Hindi film to get an "A" – adults only – rating from the Central Board of Film Certification.
 In the mid-1950s, her films including the major ones like Mehboob Khan's Amar (1954) did not do well commercially. However, she bounced back between 1958 and 1960 when she starred in a series of hit films. These include Howrah Bridge, opposite Ashok Kumar where she played the role of an Anglo-Indian Cabaret singer involved in Calcutta's Chinatown underworld. In the song Aaiye Meherebaan from this film, she lip-synced a torch song dubbed by Asha Bhosle which has remained popular to this day. Among other successful films, she played opposite Bharat Bhushan in Phagun; Dev Anand in Kala Pani; Kishore Kumar in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi; and Bharat Bushan again in Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Then in 1960, she appeared in the magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam.It was the film Mughal-e-Azam that marked what many consider to be Madhubala's greatest and definitive characterization, as the doomed courtesan, Anarkali.

She co-starred with all the popular heroes of that time including Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Rehman, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Dev Anand. She also worked with many top directors including Mehboob Khan (Amar), Guru Dutt (Mr & Mrs '55), Kamal Amrohi (Mahal) and K Asif (Mughal-e-Azam). She also ventured into production and made the film Naata (1955).
In 1960, Madhubala was at the peak of her career and popularity with the release of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat. She did have intermittent releases in the early 1960s. Some of these, like Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962) and Sharabi (1964).Her last film released was Jwala in 1971.
Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960 after Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul, and according to Leena Chandavarkar (Kishore's fourth wife): "When she realized Dilip was not going to marry her, on the rebound and just to prove to him that she could get whomsoever she wanted, she went and married a man she did not even know properly.
Madhubala had ventricular septal defect (a hole in her heart) which was detected while she was shooting for Bahut Din Huwe in Madras in 1954.By 1960, her condition aggravated, and her sister explains that "due to her ailment, her body would produce extra blood. So it would spill out from the nose and mouth.
When acting was no longer an option Madhubala turned her attention to film direction. In 1969 she was set to make her directorial debut with the film Farz aur Ishq. However the film was never made as during pre-production, she died on February 23, 1969, shortly after her 36th birthday.
My Tribute to her
Song from Neel Kamal the first film as a leading lady,Raj Kapoor also made his debute with this film

Song from Neelkamal 1947

Song from Mahal 1949

Song from Dulari 1949

Song from Tarana 1951

Song from Mr &Mrs 55 1955

Song from Phagun 1958

Song from Kala Paani 1958

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Song from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi  1958

Song from Jaali Note  1960

Song from Barsaat Ki Raat  1960

Song from Mughal-e-Azam  1960

Song from  Jhumroo 1961

Remembering PRAN -Villain of the Millennium' on his 97th Birth Anniversary

Pran Krishan Sikand.popularly known as Pran was born on 12th Feb 1920 in Ballimaran, Kotgarh Old Delhi.He was one of the seven children.He started his career as as an apprentice with A. Das & Co., Delhi as to become a professional photographer.
He got his first role in Dalsukh M. Pancholi's Punjabi film Yamla Jat (1940) because of an accidental meeting with writer Wali Mohammad Wali at a shop in Lahore.This was followed by small roles in the film Chaudhary and Khajanchi, both in 1941. Pancholi cast him again in Khandaan (1942), which was Pran's first Hindi film. It featured him as romantic hero, opposite Noor Jehan, who had acted with him in Yamla Jat as a child artist.
Due to India's partition in 1947, his career had a brief break.Although Pran had acted in 22 films from 1942 to 1946 in Lahore; 18 were released by 1947 but he had to wait For a year, he looked for acting opportunities while doing other jobs. He worked in Delmar Hotel, Marine Drive for eight months, after which he got a chance to act in 1948.

 He got a role in the Bombay Talkies' film, Ziddi which starred Dev Anand and Kamini Kaushal in the lead and was directed by Shaheed Latif. The movie launched Pran's career in Bombay. Incidentally, it proved to be Dev Anand's big break as a hero.The film was a great hit which established the career of many,Dev Anand became a star with this film similarly Pran too became star with this film. Within a week of Ziddi's success, he had signed three more films — S M Yusuf's Grihasti (1948), which became a diamond jubilee hit, Prabhat Films's Apradhi (1949) and Wali Mohammad's Putli (1949). By then, Wali Mohammad, who was responsible for Pran's first role, had come to Bombay and became a producer, setting up an office at Famous Studios, near Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
As a villain, Pran's initial successful films were Ziddi and Bari Behan (1949). Pran's trademark blowing of smoke rings first appeared in the latter film. He was regularly offered the role of the main villain or of negative character in films with Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor as the lead hero in the 1950s and 60s. From the 1950s directors like M. V. Raman, Nanabhai Bhatt, Kalidas, Ravindra Dave, I. S. Johar, Bimal Roy repeatedly cast him. Similarly in the 1960s, he was frequent in the directorial ventures of A. Bhim Singh, Shakti Samanta, Bhappi Sonie, K. Amarnath, Nasir Hussain and others. 

It was Manoj Kumar who changed his image from Negative characters to Character actor with Upkar as Malang Chacha, a veteran war hero, in Manoj Kumar's film Upkar (1967). The Kalyanji Anandji song "Kasme Waade Pyaar Wafaa" was picturised on him. In this film, Pran played a more sympathetic role. He received his first Filmfare Award for Upkar. Kumar continued to cast him in pivotal roles in films such as Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Be-Imaan (1972), Sanyasi (1975) and Dus Numbri (1976).
In the 1970s, new younger directors and producers cast him in their films even though Pran asked for the highest price among supporting actors from 1968 to 1982
Pran and Ashok Kumar were very close friends in professional and real life. They acted in 27 films together in 1951–1987 starting with Afsana (1951). Their other films include Mr. X (1957), Adhikar (1971), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Chori Mera Kaam (1975) and Raja Aur Rana (1984). Sung by Kishore Kumar, the songs "Hum Bolega To Bologe Ke Bolta Hai" from Kasauti (1974), "Micheal Daru Pita Hai" from Majboor (1974), picturised on Pran, were very popular.
Pran had a six-decade career in Hindi cinema and is one of the most celebrated actors of the industry.r He appeared in over 350 films. He played the leading man in work like Khandaan (1942), Pilpili Saheb (1954) and Halaku (1956). His roles in the films like Madhumati (1958), Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Upkar (1967), Shaheed (1965), Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Ram Aur Shyam(1967), Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969), Johny Mera Naam (1970), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Be-Imaan (1972), Zanjeer (1973), Don (1978), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and Duniya (1984) are considered to be among his best performances.

 His acting is said to have been effective enough to desist people naming their children 'Pran' because of his negative roles,  His favourite line "Barkhurdaar" became immensely popular.He was also known for trademark blowing of smoke rings.
At the age of 78, Pran suffered a heart attack in 1998,after which he started rejecting film offers due to age-related problems.
Pran has received many awards and honours in his career. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in 1967, 1969 and 1972 and was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He was awarded as the 'Villain of the Millennium' by Stardust in 2000.The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 for his contributions to the arts. He was honoured in 2013 with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India.
.He died on 12 July 2013 at the age of 93 of pneumonia after suffering from a prolonged illness in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital
As a Tribute to this Greatest Villain and Character artist of Bollywood I am presenting some of the songs he acted in Hindi films

Song from Khandaan 1942 (Audio only)

Song from Pilpili Saheb (1954)  (Audio only)

Song from Jis Desh Mein Ganga Bahti Hai 1961

Song from Half Ticket 1962

Song from Nanha Farishta 1969

Song from Upkar 1967

Song from Adhikar 1971

Song from Victoria No 203 (1972)

Song from Dharma 1973

Song from Zanzeer 1973

Song from Majboor 1974

Song from Kasauti 1974

Song from Karz 1980