The First Film of Prita Rajvansh was to be with,Dev Anand

Priya Rajvansh (Born on December 30th, 1939 ) was introduced to Bollywood by the Director Chetan Anand. She was cast opposite Dev Anand in the film Kaafir which was later shelved.
In Chetan Anand’s picture ‘Kafir’, Priya Rajvansh plays the role of a Pakistani Muslim girl in love with a Hindu doctor, a role which may be played by Chetan Anand himself. ^The story of his film was set during the period of Partition of the country when several innocent lives were lost. Four songs on this film had already been recorded and 6 reels of the film were shot but later the shooting of the film was stopped due to some controversies.
Priya Rajvansh was born as Veera Sunder Singh in Shimla. Her father Sunder Singh was a Conservator in the Forest Department. She grew up in Shimla along with her brothers. She passed intermediate from St. Bede's College, Shimla in 1953. Her father was on a UN assignment, so after graduation, she joined the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, UK.
 A movie maker of that time called Thakur Ranbeer Singh belonging to a Rajput Kota family came to know of her. He was a friend of Chetan Anand, he used to stay with Chetan Anand whenever he visited India. It was in 1960s Chetan Anand was lookout fora new girl to be cast in his next film.It was Ranveer Singh who suggested the name of Priya Rajvansh. Could you believe it when I say that he chose her for the role of the heroine in his film even without meeting her?
After the film, Kaafir was shelved in 1962. Chetan promised her that he will take her in his next venture which happened to be Haqeeqat. The film became a hit and is often counted as among the best Indian war-films. Soon she was in a relationship with her mentor, Chetan Anand, who had just separated from his wife.

After Haqeeqat Priya was the heroine of every film of Chetan Anand. In fact, she starred only in Chetan Anand films, in which she was involved in every aspect- starting from story to scripting, lyrics, and post-production.

Her next film, Heer Raanjha came out only in 1970, where she acted opposite the rage of that time, actor Raaj Kumar, and the film was a hit.  Hanste Zakhm, arguably the finest film of her career, in 1973. Her other noted films were Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973), with Raaj Kumar, and Kudrat (1981), paired opposite Rajesh Khanna , where she had a parallel role with Hema Malini as the lead. She also starred opposite Dev Anand in Saheb Bahadur in 1977. Her last film Haathon Ki Lakeeren came out in 1985, after which she ended her film career.She did only 7 films from 1962 to 1997.

She died on 27 March 2000 in Chetan Anand's Ruia Park bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai, India. Police charged Chetan Anand's sons Ketan Anand and Vivek Anand along with their employees Mala Choudhary and Ashok Chinnaswamy with her murder

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

Song of Heer Ranjha 1970

Song of Hanste Zakhm 1973

Song of Sahib Bahadur 1977

Ghalib Shayari in Hindi Films

On the 222nd Birth Anniversary of Ghalib, I have made a collection of Bollywood Songs on Ghalib Shayari. He is the topmost poet whose poems are used as songs in Hindi films.
In 1954 a film on Mirza Ghalib was made by Sohrab Modi. The film won (1) the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film and (2) the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi in the 2nd National Film Awards for 1954. Suraiya's singing (of Mirza Ghalib's ghazals) and her acting was especially applauded by the Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, who remarked to her " You have brought back Ghalib to life", in a special screening of the film in Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Bollywood has paid a tribute to this legendary poet through a film named Mirza Ghalib (1954) in which Bharat Bhushan plays Ghalib and Suraiya plays his courtesan lover, Chaudvin. The musical score of the film was composed by Ghulam Mohammed and his compositions of Ghalib's famous ghazals are likely to remain everlasting favorites.

Song of Mirza Ghalib(1954)

Song of Mirza Ghalib(1954)

Song of Mirza Ghalib(1954)

Song of Mirza Ghalib T V Serial by Gulzar

Song of Mirza Ghalib T V Serial by Gulzar

The Shenhanshah of Bollywood completes 50 years in Film Industry

Amitabh Bachchan completed 50 years in the Indian film industry as his debut film Saat Hindustani was released on November 7, 1969. To date, he appeared in about 200 films. Most of his films were successful.
We are all blessed to witness the greatness! There is so much to admire, to learn and even more to appreciate. Several generations of cinema lovers get to say we lived in the times of BACHCHAN
Bachchan has given memorable performances in films and is a four-time National Film Awards winner. He has been selected unanimously for #DadaSahabPhalke award. for this year which is to be given today.
Even at 77, Amitabh Bachchan can give any newcomer a run for his money. Big B is one actor who has constantly reinvented himself and has earned the love and respect of all generations.
Here are few fav scenes from his films

Scene from  Anand

A scene from Amar Akbar Anthony

A scene from Namak Halal

A scene from Satte Pe Satta

A scene from Deewar

A scene from Mr Natwarlal

A scene from Baghban

A scene from Don

A scene from Sholay

Ameen Sayani is radio, and radio is Ameen Sayani.

When we think of Radio Ceylon, only one name emerges in our brain and that of Ameen Sayani. He is definitely the most popular and most renowned radio announcer from India. He achieved worldwide fame, and especially in all across South Asia when he presented his hit countdown show Binaca Geetmala How can we forget  his signature address ‘Behenon aur bhaiyo…!’
His best-known radio show was; Binaca Geetmala, later renamed as Cibaca Geetmala which has been broadcasted since 1952 from Radio Ceylon, and later from Vividh Bharati, AIR – for a total of over 42 years. 
Ameen Sayani (Born on 21 Dec 1932) started his career as an English broadcaster but when he went for an audition for AIR’s Hindi section, he was told after the test that there are hints of English and Gujarati in his accent and he cannot be recruited. But Sayani was not someone to be disheartened and went on to become one of India’s most loved radio presenters.
Ameen Sayani is from the family of Freedom Fighters, his mother was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. As advised by Mahatma Gandhi, his mother published The fortnightly, RAHBER (1940 to 1960), was simultaneously published in the Devnagri (Hindi), Urdu and Gujarati scripts – but all in the simple "Hindustani" language promoted by Gandhi. Sayani assisted his mother, Kulsum Sayani, in editing, publishing and printing a fortnightly journal for neo-literates.
He was introduced to All India Radio, Bombay, by his brother Hamid Sayani. Ameen participated in English programs there for ten years.
Beside announcer he has produced, compered (or spoken for) over 54,000 radio programmes and 19,000 spots/ jingles since 1951.

He has conferred the Padma Shri award in 2009. Besides this, Ameen Sayani has been felicitated with many awards:

• Living Legend Award (2006) from Federation OF Indian Chambers OF Commerce & Industry, with India Radio Forum
• Kaan Hall Of Fame Award (2003) from Radio Mirchi (FM Network of the Times Group)
• Golden Abby by Advertising Club, Bombay (2000 ) for the OUTSTANDING RADIO CAMPAIGN OF THE CENTURY ( “Binaca/Cibaca GEETMALA” ).
• Hall Of Fame Award (1993) from Indian Academy Of Advertising Film Art (IAAFA)
• Person Of The Year Award (1992) Limca Book Of Records
• Gold medal(1991) from Indian Society Of Advertisers (ISA) presented by Mr. K.R. Narayanan, then Vice-President of India.

1958 Annual Binaca geetmala

Raj Kapoor left an indelible impact on Indian cinema.

Raj Kapoor, the Greatest Showman of Bollywood started as a Clapper Boy assisting Kidar Sharma. Raj Kapoor appeared in a film for the first time at the age of ten in  1935's Inquilab. He appeared as a child artist in many more films It was his Guru Kidar Sharma, who introduced him in the lead role in Neel Kamal (1947) opposite Madhubala in her first role as a leading lady.
 In 1948, at the age of twenty-four, he established his own studio, R. K. Films, and became the youngest film director of his time making his directorial debut with Aag starring himself, Nargis, Kamini Kaushal, and Premnath.
On Raj's 95th birth anniversary today, I give a lowdown on his films which you have and will continue to watch multiple times.

Song of Aag 1948

Aag (1948): This 1948 Bollywood flick, which marked Raj Kapoor's debut as producer and director, was the first of several films in which he was paired opposite Nargis. Interestingly, the film also starred Raj's youngest brother Shashi Kapoor as a child artiste. Shashi had essayed the role of the younger version of Kewal, the character which Raj played.


Andaz(1949)

Song of Andaz 1949

 He got real recognition from 1949 film Andaz, he co-starred alongside Dilip Kumar and Nargis in that film. Though Andaz is talked about its unique casting coup of bringing together  Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, it must be admitted that at the time of Andaz’s making, both were just beginning to become stars Andaz took Nargis right to the top and established her without doubt as India’s finest dramatic actress. Dilip Kumar too consolidated on his image of paying the tragic lover   Raj Kapoor in the more difficult role of the husband suspecting his wife’s infidelity more than manages to match strides with Dilip Kumar while showcasing the comic side of his personality 

Barsaat (1949): 

Song of Barsaat (1949)

Released in 1949, the film starred the already popular Bollywood onscreen couple - Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Actress Nimmi was launched in the film industry with this film. Barsaat is referred to as one of the first key successful films which Raj had directed. Such was the success of the film that it enabled Kapoor to purchase RK Studios in 1950. 

Awara (1951)

Song of Awara (1951)

Produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. It stars Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Prithviraj Kapoor. Awaara is considered a milestone in the history of Bollywood. In the film, Kapoor's poor, innocent "little tramp" character references Charlie Chaplin and was further developed in other Kapoor films such as Shree 420. 



Chori Chori (1956) 

Song of Chori Chori (1956)

This was not a RK film but was an AVM Film.The film starred Raj Kapoor and Nargis again and it was the last film they worked together as Hero and Heroine. The film was a musical hit.Raj Kapoor played a Daku for the first time.

Anari (1959) 

Song of Anari (1959)

The film stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Motilal, and Lalita Pawar. This was among the few movies in which Lalita Pawar played a positive role and Motilal a role with shades of grey. The film was directed by Hrishikesh Mukharjee. Raj Kapoor got a Filmfare Award for this film.

Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960): 

Song of Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960)

Directed by Radhu Karmakar and produced by Raj Kapoor, the film was a hit at the Box Office. Raj played the role of a poor friendly orphan who ekes out a livelihood by crooning songs.

Mera Naam Joker (1970):

Song of Mera Naam Joker (1970)

It's an RK Film The film was made over six years and a huge portion of the money invested came from Raj's personal fortune. The film stars Kapoor as the eponymous character, with Simi Garewal, Kseniya Ryabinkina and Padmini in supporting roles.The film was partly made with the participation of Soviet actors and was partly shot in Moscow. The film was rejected by audiences and critics, putting Kapoor into a financial crisis,

Bobby (1973) .

Song of Bobby 1973

After the debacle of Joker, this was the film Raj Kapoor produced and directed It was a Teenager's love story having his son Rishi Kapoor and a newcomer Dimple Kapadiahe film became a trendsetter    The film became a blockbuster, the top-grossing Indian hit of 1973, the second-top-grossing hit of the 1970s at the Indian box office

Dilip Kumar and His Ten best Performances

Dilip Kumar( Born on 11th Dec 1922) is one of the greatest and most iconic Indian film actors. Acclaimed throughout his career span of 54 years. His performances have been regarded as the epitome of emoting in Indian Cinema. He was the first actor to receive a Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for most numbers of Filmfare Awards won for that category. 
Though he has done all kinds of films and a wide variety of roles. In this blog, I have selected his Ten best performances starting from his first film in 1944 to the last film in 1988.
Andaz (1949)

The film stars Dilip Kumar, Nargis and Raj Kapoor in a love triangle. It was the first blockbuster film of Dilip Kumar. It is to date regarded as the mother of all triangles of the Hindi Cinema. Dilip Kumar who played Dilip in this film continued his tragedian onslaughts and reigned supreme as the bitter suitor whose love goes unrequited.
Deedar 1951

 It is a story of unfulfilled love, where the hero's childhood love is separated from him due to class inequalities. It is one of the noted tragedies made in the early Hindi cinema. It became a popular film of the Golden era and further established Dilip Kumar as the "King of Tragedy. Dilip plays a blind singer who is cured by Ashok Kumar, a doctor. The twist in the tale is that they both love the same girl (Nargis). She’s his childhood sweetheart who doesn’t remember him, not even when he sings the song they crooned together as children. He vainly hopes that his restored vision would help restore her memories but sadly that doesn’t happen. Angered, he blinds himself in his grief.
Daag 1952

 The film stars Dilip Kumar, Nimmi and Lalita Pawar in lead roles. Dilip Kumar plays Shankar in this film 
To earn money he makes and sells mud toys. Being the lone breadwinner of the family, he is unable to meet the needs. His debt starts rising higher and higher when he gets addicted to alcohol. He is attracted to Parvati (Nimmi), who also lives a poor lifestyle along with her step-brother In this film he played the role of a drunkard.

Devdas (1955)

Dilip Kumar played a man driven by unrequited love into being a drunkard to perfection. His eyes are hazy throughout the film and his silences are eloquent. He got so much under the skin of the character that it’s said he had to go to London and consult Harley Street psychiatrists to overcome depression.

Naya Daur (1957)

For this film, Kumar won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the third time in a row, being his fourth overall. Dilip played the rustic tangewala to perfection, flirting outrageously with his firebrand heroine Vyjayanthimala. 

Madhumati (1958)

The film stars Dilip Kumar and Vyjayantimala in the lead roles. This Bimal Roy classic superbly employs the theme of reincarnation. You enjoy the film despite the clichés because of the atmosphere created by the director and excellent performances by both Dilip and Vyjayanthimala.

Mughal-E-Azam (1960)

Dilip Kumar plays the role of Salim wh0 falls in love with Anarkali. Salim pleads to marry Anarkali, but his father refuses and imprisons her. Despite her treatment, Anarkali refuses to reject Salim, as Akbar demands. Dilip Kumar, in keeping with the nature of a prince, was regally restrained and conveyed more through his eyes than others would with their facial expressions.

Gunga Jumna (1961)

 The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala and Nasir Khan (real-life brother of Dilip Kumar) in the lead rolesDililp Kumar was excellent as the rustic villager forced by circumstances to become a dacoit. Dilip Kumar's performance as Ganga is considered one of the finest acting performances in the history of Indian cinema.

Ram Aur Shyam (1967)

Dilip Kumar played a double role in the film. It was the story of twins separated at birth. Shyam grows up to be street smart man-about-town while Ram is a bumpkin much abused by his brother-in-law. Things are set right when the duo by chance exchange places. 

Shakti (1982)

A father-son story, the role of the father played by Dilip Kumar and the son played by Amitabh Bachchan. The end scene where Amitabh is dying in Dilip’s lap remains a masterpiece. You can feel a father’s anguish, his anger, and the momentary joy that though dying, his son has finally reconciled their differences.

Happy Birthday to the two of the most charismatic actors of Bollywood

Apart from sharing great chemistry in the films Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore also share their birthday 0n the 8th of Dec. The first film they worked together was Anupama in 1966 directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
The same director-actor trio joined together for a second time to give us Satyakam in 1969. The third time the same trio gave us the Hindi cinema's one of its all-time great comedy films Chupke Chupke in 1975.
They worked together as Hero and Heroine in films like Devar, Mere Humdam Mere Dost, Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka, and Yakeen.  Their last film together was Sunny in 1984 Directed by Raj Khosla, the film had Dharmendra playing father to his real-life son Sunny Deol while Sharmila played the prostitute giving birth to Sunny Deol 
Dharmendra, who was born on 8th Dec 1935, debuted with Arjun Hingorani's Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. He became a star with Phool Aur Patthar (1966), He formed a successful pairing with Meena Kumari and shared the screen in 7 films namely Main Bhi Ladki Hoon (1964), Kaajal (1965), Purnima (1965), Phool Aur Patthar (1966), Majhli Didi (1967), Chandan Ka Palna (1967) and Baharon Ki Manzil (1968). 
His most successful pairing was with Hema Malini, who went on to become his wife.^[The couple played together in many films including Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sharafat, Naya Zamana, Patthar Aur Payal, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, Jugnu, Dost, Charas, Maa, Chacha Bhatija, Azaad, and Sholay
Sharmila Tagore is 9 years younger to Dharmendra She is born on  8 th December 1944. She debuted in Bollywood with Shakti Samanta's Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964. Later she did many films with Shakti  Samanta. Samanta cast her in many more films, including An Evening in Paris (1967), in which she became the first Indian actress to appear in a bikini, Samanta later teamed up Sharmila with Rajesh Khanna for movies such as Aradhana (1969) and Amar Prem (1972). The pair of Khanna-Sharmila gave 7 box office hits like  – Aradhana, Safar, Amar Prem, Chhoti Bahu, Daag, "Raja Rani" and Avishkaar

Song of Anupama 1966

Song of Anupama 1966

Song of Devar 1966

Song of Mere Humdam Mere Dost, 1968

Song of Satyakam 1969

Song of Yakeen 1969

Choodi (Bangles) Songs of Bollywood

Choodi or Bangles have always been an inseparable part of Indian culture. It is the most important ornament that an Indian woman wears. For married women, bangles hold a special significance as they are a sign of their Suhaag. 
No wonder, bangles feature in so many of our films as well as folk songs. This topic came to my mind a few days back when I was watching the movie of Ashok Kumar, Achhut Kanya released in 1936. The movie has a song and dance by Mumtaz Ali, the father of legendry comedian Mehmood. In this song, he played a Choodi Wala. I have included this rare song in this Blog.
This song belongs to the time when things were looking up for Mumtaz Ali. It reflects in the easy grace with which he sings and dances to this song.

Song of Achhut Kanya 1937

Another popular Choodi song before Independence is from 1941 film Khajanchi. This song was sung by Shamshad Begam. The song is picturized on Manorama who teases her brother (played by S D Narang) in this song by singing this song about “Choodi”( glass bangles)

Song of Khajanchi 1941

This song is from the 1953 film Paapi, Raj Kapoor played a double role in this film. This Choodi song became very popular, sung by Mohammad Rafi for Raj Kapoor.

Song of Paapi 1953

The next song is from “Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyaan” (1967)  that was produced by Kishore Sahu to launch his daughter Naina Sahu.

Song of Hare Kaanch Ki Choodiyaan 1967

Song of Do Raste 1970

Song of Gambler 1971

Song of Jaani Dushman” 1979

Song of Chaandni (1989) 

Song of Aaj Ka Arjun 1990

Song of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)