50 Years of Bawarchi

 

One year after the release of Anand, this film 'Bawarchi' remains a special collaboration of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Rajesh Khanna. Both were at the peak of their career. The film rests on Khanna’s inherent charm and even feeds off of his manic energy that was on full display previously in Anand.

The movie opens with Bachchan saying that this story is set anywhere in India. He then introduces the Sharmas, who live in Shanti Niwas — the family home that should, as one of them jokes, actually be called Ashanti Niwas, given the amount of chaos and squabbling that takes place within its confines on a daily basis.

Produced under the banner of Rupam Chitra by N C Sippy, Romu Sippy, and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Based on a story by Tapan Sinha and inspired by his original “Galpa Halo Satyi” (1966) in Bengali

Shivnath (Harindranath Chattopadhyay) is the head of the Sharma family, who are so thoroughly argumentative that they employed. So when plucky young chef Raghu (Rajesh Khanna) shows up, nobody expects him to last long. To their surprise, however, he proves remarkably adept at satisfying everyone's independent needs. No sooner do they think him their savior than all the jewelry suddenly disappears.

A simple but profound, absorbing film with characteristic Mukherjee comic interludes, it had a somewhat, probably redone, unconvincing, simplistic climax. Scripted by the director himself with some very engaging, profound dialogue by Gulzar, the film had songs with  lyrics by Kaifi Azmi — “Bhor aai gaya Andhiyara” (Manna Dey, Kishore Kumar, Harindranath Chattopadhyay, Nirmala Devi, Lakshmi Shankar), “Kahe Kanha karat barjori” (Lakshmi Shankar), “Mast pawan dole re” and “More naina bhaven neer” (Lata Mangeshkar), “Pahle Chori Phir Seenajori” (Kumari Faiyaz) and “Tun bin Jeevan” (Manna Dey) set to hummable classical tunes by the much under-rated Madan Mohan.

The film won comedian Paintal his first Filmfare trophy and ranked 8th on the box office hit chart of the year. So if you have not seen it, go and enjoy the movie

Song of Bawarchi 1972

Song of Bawarchi 1972

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Caravan- Revisiting after 50 Years

 

The musical superhit film directed by Nasir Husain featured Asha Parekh, Jeetendra, and Aruna Irani completed 50 years on 5th Nov 2021 and was a super hit in India. You would be surprised to note that it was a super-duper hit in China when it was released eight years after its Indian release. In fact, Caravan, believe it or not, sold 19 million tickets in India – and 100 million tickets in China! One hundred million broke all records in China for a foreign film. One of the earliest Indian films to earn the big bucks in Chinese domestic markets was Raj Kapoor's 1951 Indian classic Awara. released in 1955.

Caravan‘s amazing success in China was matched only thirty years later by Nasir Husain's nephew, Amir Khan with his 3 Idiots.

The movie’s storyline was nothing great. A runaway heiress joins a passing caravan of gypsies, to escape the villain who murdered her father, then falls in love with the leading man, who eventually rescues her from the villain, etc, etc. The film's plot was loosely inspired by the 1953 film Girl on the Run, a little-known crime drama set against the backdrop of a carnival burlesque show, which was changed to a gypsy show in Caravan.

Aruna Irani has a significant role in this film.The traveling troupe featured Madan Puri as the manager and a young Aruna Irani as the star performer Nisha. In fact, Irani nearly stole the show from the film’s heroine with her animated performances in the songs 'Chadhti Jawaani Meri Chaal Mastani', 'Dilbar Dil Se Pyaare' and ‘Ab Joh Mile Hain Toh’.

The screenplay of the film was provided by Bhowmick, but the treatment of the film was all Husain, who turned it into the entertainer that it was. According to the film's star Asha Parekh in her biography The Hit Girl, Caravan happened accidentally.

The highlight of the film was its music, composed by R D Burman, and lyrics by Mazrooh Sultanpuri. In Caravan, there was a song for every mood. There was the soft romantic duet ‘Kitna Pyaara Waada’, the road song ‘Goriya Kahaan Tera Desh Re’, the goofy performance number ‘Daiya Yeh Main Kahaan Aa Phasi’, and, of course, the most famous of them all, the cabaret track, ‘Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja’ picturized on Helen, which brought singer Asha Bhosle her third Filmfare award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Even after 50 years, the film is still refreshing, if you have not seen the film,i recommend you to see it today.

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All Songs of Caravan

50 Years of Bombay To Goa

 

Bombay To Goa completed 50 years, was released on 3rd March 1972. It was Amitabh Bachchan’s big break and the beginning of his illustrious career in the film industry over the span of 4 decades or more. The film was directed by S. Ramanathan, starring Mehmood, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aruna Irani, with Shatrughan Sinha in a supporting role.  Mehmood and brother Anwar Ali were the principal players in this comedy that gave Amitabh Bachchan his first big break as the hero of a movie.

 What makes Bombay to Goa memorable is, as the title itself suggests, the bus journey from Bombay to Goa in which the majority of the story actually takes place. This adventurous and comic journey introduces us to a totally mixed bunch of passengers from all over India, from different religions and cultures. Two significant characters are those of Rajesh, the bus driver, and Khanna, the conductor - two characters played by real-life brothers, Anwar Ali and the great Mehmood, respectively. The list of travelers includes, among others, a married couple named Amma and Appa with their fat son, a sleeping passenger (Keshto Mukherjee), a chubby and heavily made-up woman (the wonderful Manorama) sitting at the back of the bus with her daughter, and an elderly noisy woman named Kashibai (Lalita Pawar). The most surprising passenger was  Kishore Kumar's appearance as himself.

This movie will always be remembered for its catchy songs composed by R D Burman, giving us the hit song "Dekha Na".Another song is a medley of old rock-n-roll tunes, sung in English, by an Indian woman in a nightclub.  The same medley also included a portion of "Fever," of Boney M fame also sung in English.

Soundtrack

1. "Dekha Na Haye Re" - Kishore Kumar
2. "Tum Meri Zindagi Mein" - Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
3. "Listen To The Pouring Rain" - Usha Uthup
4. "Dil Tera Hai Main Bhi Teri" - Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar
5. "Haye Haye Yeh Thanda Paani" - Asha Bhosle
6. "Yeh Mehki Mehki Thandi Hawa" - Kishore Kumar
7. 
   
8. Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

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50 Years of Piya Ka Ghar ( Released on 23 Feb 1972)

 

Piya Ka Ghar is a typical Basu Chatterjee kind of film produced by Rajshri Filma, In most of his movies and other television works, Basu Chatterjee has shown temperament of telling stories related to the common man. His plots are simple but directed with unmatched skill.Piya Ka Ghar falls in the same line. It portrays the difficulties of life in India's biggest city during the 1970s in the form of a comic family drama.

Piya ka Ghar gives us a glimpse of that life while also highlighting the problem of space and accommodation in Mumbai. Girdharilal Sharma is a middle-class man who is lucky enough to own a home in Bombay. But that home is not big enough for his family. It is a one-room apartment in a chawl and his house is forever busy with guests and neighbors. So even though his newlywed son and daughter-in-law crave some privacy, they struggle to find some. It's a funny yet sensitive take on a situation that still cripples many in the maximum city.

Jaya Bhaduri is the soul of the movie, playing her role close to perfection as the bewildered simple girl from a village who comes to a big city and adopts it gracefully. The rest of the cast, including Anil Dhawan who plays her husband Ram,

Worth mentioning is its music, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, and the song “Yeh Jeevan Hai” by Kishore Kumar, other songs  “Yeh zulf kaise hai” by Mohammad Rafi, and  “Piya Ka Ghar Hai Yeh” by Lata Mangeshkar –– are hummable.

 The content is meaningful even today. Many lower class Indian couples still face similar problems.If you have not seen this movie, its a must watch

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

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50 Years of Pakeezah

 

Pakeezah took 16 years to reach the celluloid. The film started on July 16, 1956, and was released on February 4, 1972. It was a dream project of Kamal Amrohi, he wanted his wife Meena Kumari to be Sahibjaan of Pakeezah. The mujra 'Inhin logon ne' was shot on July 16, 1956, interestingly at that time the script was not ready, nor the star cast was decided, even the hero was not decided, the next several years went in scouting for locations, deciding on a leading man, writing and rewriting various bits of the film.

Meena Kumari gave her best performance in this film despite her worsening health condition. She attended the premiere of the film at Maratha Mandir. The film was received lukewarm at the Box Office but when the news of Meena Kumari admitting to the hospital spread, it gained momentum.it was Meena Kumari's untimely death on 31 March 1972 which acted as an ultimate push and made it one of the top grosser of that year. Pakeezah was house-full for 33 weeks and even celebrated its silver jubilee in many cinema halls all over the country.

This movie is one among the very few Indian movies, that would never fade away with the passage of time, nor would its spellbinding appeal ever diminish, even as the Indian cinema transforms into the abyss of artificially styled pop culture

The story is About Sahibjaan Who Was Brought Up By Brothel Madame Nawabjaan.... She Grows Up & Becomes Popular Dancer/Singer... Forest Ranger Salim is Enthralled By Her Beauty & Innocence, Convinces Her To Elope With Him But Trials And Tribulations Await As She is Recognized By Men Wherever She Goes With Salim... When He Renames Her Pakeezah (Pure) Takes Her To A Priest To Be Legally Married, She Refuses, Returns To The Brothel..The Story Moves Further...

 The music of the film was recorded by the end of 1959. It was composed by Gulam Muhammad. Kamal Amrohi wanted this film to be a musical so 15 songs were recorded earlier.The shooting of the film was halted in 1964 due to mutual differences between lead heroine Meena Kumari and her director-husband Amrohi. In 1968, the composer of the film passed away. So, when the film was revived in 1969, Naushad was roped in to complete the background music for the film. Many exhibitors suggested Kamal Amrohi change the music according to the then-popular trend and style. To this Amrohi said that he would have readily done this if only Ghulam Mohammed was still alive but now he cannot betray a man, who gave him such melodious songs, after his death. So he kept his music intact but used fewer songs as planned to keep up with the fast-changing trend.

The music and dancing are of the highest possible quality. You may notice in the first dance scene the director has all sorts of things occurring in the background: another girl dancing, a drunk falling downstairs.

Songs of Pakeezah 1972

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50 Years of Amar Prem

 

There are a few Hindi films that touch one more than Amar Prem. The film has completed 50 years, released on 29th Jan 1972. The film belongs to Sharmila Tagore as far as performances go. She preserves fully the dignity of the character even as she skillfully walks the audience through all the traumatic moments of the character´s life

The film was directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a remake of the Bengali film Nishi Padma (1970), directed by Arabinda Mukherjee, who wrote the screenplay for both the films based on the Bengali short story Hinger Kochuri by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The highlight of the film was its music, composed by R D Burman.

The movie is about a schoolboy, who is ill-treated by his stepmother, and becomes friends with a prostitute neighbor. The film stars Sharmila Tagore playing a prostitute with a heart of gold, with Rajesh Khanna in the role of a lonely businessman and Vinod Mehra as adult Nandu, the young child, who they both come to care for. The essence of the movie revolves around three characters –– Anand, Pushpa, and Nandu, a child who is tortured at home by a stepmother (Bindu). Nandu is showered with affection by Pushpa

The score and soundtrack for the film was composed by R.D.Burman, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack was melody-based, which gave Lata Mangeshkar her finest classical solo of the decade, Raina Beti Jaaye. How can we forget the immortal songs  like "Chingaari Koi Bhadke", "Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge", "Yeh Kya Hua" sung by Kishore Kumar

Songs of Amar Prem 1972

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'Kal Aaj Aur Kal ' completes 50 Years

 

Released on 1st July 1971 wast the first film of Randhir Kapoor as Actor & Director. This was the last film of Shanker-Jaikishan for R.K.Films.Jaikishan had already completed the recording music for this film before he died.

Babita was the heroine of the film who later married Randhir Kapoor. The highlight of the film was the presence of Raj Kapoor, Prithviraj Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor, the three generation of Kapoors in a film. This film came after the colossal disaster of “Mera Naam Joker”.

 The movie was based on how three generations live under one roof but with different opinions. The movie is a time-pass. The grandfather and grandson always had difference in thoughts while the father always tries to makeup between them. In the end, the grandfather dies giving the message that it is KAL AAJ AUR KAL.

Randhir Kapoor does not show much of promise as a director He was no way near to Raj Kapoor’s classic touch. He directed a few films after this but none of the film clicked at the box office.

The music of the film was given by Shankar Jaikishan but Nothing compared to “Barsaat”, “Awara” and “Shree 420”. There are some hummable tunes like “Aap Yahan Aye” and “Tik Tik Tik Tik” though. Kishore Kumar became the voice of Randhir Kapoor.

Soundtrack

#	Title	Singer(s)
1	"Aap Yahan Aaye Kisliye"	Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
2	"Bhanware Ki Gunjan"	Kishore Kumar
3	"Hum Jab Honge Saath Saal Ke"	Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
4	"Tick Tick Tick Chalti Jaye Ghadi"	Mukesh, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle
5	"Ek Paon Chal Raha Alag Alag"	Manna Dey
6	"Kisi Ke Dil Ko Sanam"	Sharda

Songs of Kal Aaj Aur Kal 1971

50 Years of Mela

 

Released on 30 June 1971, Mela was a hit film of that year. This was the first time the two Khan brothers, Feroz Khan and Sanjay Khan appeared together in a film. Mumtaz was the heroine of the film. This film was the second directorial venture of Prakash Mehra after Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968).

The film is a lost and found story, a very popular subject of the 70s. It was based on a rural background where a Shahri Babu(Sanjay Khan) comes and falls in love with a village girl(Mumtaz). There is a dacoit Shakti Singh(Feroz Khan who does not permit anyone to plow his land as he believes that his evil paternal uncle(Randhir) forged documents to make him the owner, and he blames himself for losing his brother, Kishan, during a Mela 20 years ago. Kanhaiya buys the land from his uncle in the city who dies soon after out of shock upon receiving such a large sum of money.,Now Kanhaiya comes with his foster mom to reside at the Uncle s home in the village.

The music of the film was given by R D Burman and the lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Few of the songs were popular but none of the songs is great.

  

Soundtrack

#	Title	Singer(s)
1	"Dekho Re Hua Lahoo Se Lahoo Kaise Judaa"	Manna Dey
2	"Ek Baar Rakh De Kadam Zara Jhoom Ke"	Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
3	"Gori Ke Haath Mein Jaise Ye Challa"	Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
4	"Kya Soch Raha Re"	Lata Mangeshkar
5	"Meri Sakhiyo Bolo"	Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle
6	"Rut Hai Milan Ki Sathi Mera Aa Re"	Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi

Songs of Mela 1971

50 Years of Mera Gaon Mera Desh

 

A super hit movie of 1971 starting Dharmendra, Asha Parekh, and Vinod Khanna shot in Rajasthan is sheer eye candy. It has its romance, its moments of comedy, and its melodrama, but ( Vinod Khanna) Jabbar Singh vs. Ajit(Dharmendra) is, eventually, the focus of the film.  it has a lot of the tropes and motifs of the Clint Eastwood films. The film was a huge blockbuster at the box office cementing Vinod Khanna's place as a top actor.

Dharmendra plays Ajit, an orphan, who is reformed by an ex-soldier Jayant. The village is repeatedly looted and savaged by Jabbar’s gang and Ajit stands up to wage a lone fight.

Asha Parekh is the heroine of the film but has nothing to do except singing one or two songs. 

Worth mentioning is Laxmi Chhaya. She gets to lip-sync to three of the film’s most famous songs—Maar diya jaaye ya chhod diya jaaye, Aaya aaya atariya pe koi chor and Apni prem kahaaniyaan—and dances up a storm in each of them. 

Music is the strong point of the film. All the songs were popular but the background score by Laxmikant Pyarelal adds to the ferocity that Jabbar comes to signify. 

Vinod Khanna as Jabbar Singh shall live for all times to come.  I recommend every one who has seen this movie or not ; please watch it again and get mesmerized.

Soundtrack

#
Title
Singer(s)
1
"Aaya Aaya Atariya Pe Koi Chor"
Lata Mangeshkar
2
"Apni Prem Kahaniyaan"
Lata Mangeshkar
3
"Kuchh Kehta Hai Ye Saawan"
Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi
4
"Sona Lai Ja Re"
Lata Mangeshkar
5
"Maar Diya Jaye"
Lata Mangeshkar

Songs of Mera Gaon Mera Desh 1971