Mac Mohan-The Sambha of Sholay

We all know him as Sambha of Sholay,We forget that he did 100 films before that.He came to Mumbai to become a cricketer, but joined theatre and became a Bollywood actor. He learned acting in the Filmalaya School of Acting in Mumbai.He  started his Hindi film career as an assistant with director Chetan Anand, before making his debut as an actor in his film, Haqeeqat in 1964.
Mac Mohan(24 April 1938 – 10 May 2010) acted in 218 films and remained popular as a rather sympathetic villain through the 1970s and 1980s with films such as Don, Karz, Satte Pe Satta, Zanjeer, Rafoo Chakkar, Shaan and Khoon Pasina,
He was Sunil Dutt's classmate in Lucknow, from where he hailed. Mac Mohan's wife Minny is an Ayurvedic Doctor. married  in 1986 and they had two daughters; Manjari Makijany, Vinati Makijany and a son Vikrant Makijany. He was the maternal uncle of actress Raveena Tandon.
He was particular about his clothes before getting into the industry. People would often call him ‘Kadak Ram’ because his clothes were always on point, well ironed and fitting perfectly. His sense of style was reflected on screen and he had a big contribution to his looks in his films.In all the films he appeared with the well trimmed beard 
He was known for his unique style and physique from his college days. It was during his training at the Filmalaya acting school that he got noticed. He was picked to do a cameo in Aao Pyar Karen (1964) and you can see him without his beard, dancing in the song ‘Jhuki Jhuki Nigahen’. It is one of the few films in which you will see him without a beard.

Song from Aao Pyar Karen.1964

It was phenomenal to see the dedication he had for all his films, whether it was Sholay (1975), Don (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979), Shaan (1980) or television, documentaries, shorts, or the international and regional films he worked in. He approached all his work with the same amount of dedication and freshness.

 | Kitney Aadmi They | Blockbuster Sholay Movie | 

BALRAJ SAHNI -A Journey from Shanti Niketan To Bollywood

Balraj Sahni had a Master’s degree in English literature and a Bachelor's degree in Hindi literature from Punjab University. He also taught for a while, along with wife Damayanti, at Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan in West Bengal before he became an actor. He also worked with BBC's Hindi wing and covered World War II in Europe. This stint brought him in touch with personalities such as George Orwell, TS Eliot, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Laurence Olivier.
He redefined the grammar of acting in Indian cinema. His natural portrayal of characters is a lesson for students of the art even now. Yet, the man was much more than simply an actor.He was the first Method Actor of Bollywood.
Balraj Sahni was born on 1st May 1913 in Rawalpindi now in Pakistan. He studied at Government College University (Lahore), Punjab, British India. After completing his master's degree in English Literature from Lahore, he went back to Rawalpindi and joined his family business. He also held a Bachelor's degree in Hindi, followed by a Masters in English from Punjab University.In the late 1930s, Sahni and his wife left Rawalpindi to join Tagore's Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan in Bengal as an English and a Hindi teacher. It is here that their son, Parikshit Sahni was born.Here he met Gandhi ji .He shifted from there to work with Gandhi ji  at Sewagram Ashram Wardha.With Gandhi ji's blessings,he went to England to join the BBC-London's Hindi service as a radio announcer.
In London  he developed a love for Russian cinema and befriended the likes of Harold Laski, TS Eliot and John Gielgud.He then returned to India, an avowed Marxist, to become a leading member of the IPTA. He returned to India in 1943.He joined IPTA and started acting in Plays.Incidentally, his wife Damayanti became well known as an IPTA actress much before Sahni made a name for himself in films.
He started his film career in Mumbai with the film Insaaf (1946), followed by Dharti Ke Lal directed by KA Abbas in 1946, Damayanti's first film, Door Chalein in 1946, and other films. But it was in 1953, with Bimal Roy's classic Do Bigha Zameen, that his true strength as an actor was first recognised. 
The 1950s saw  Balraj portraying  varied roles. He was associated with some silver jubilee or important films, like Seema (1954), Aulad (1954) Pardesi (1957), Sone ki Chidiya, Kathputli (1958), Choti behan and Satta Bazaar (1959). Pardesi, an Indo-Soviet film production anchored by K.A. Abbas, despite being in  colour and cinemascope, failed to impress the Indian audiences but had a good commercial run in Soviet Russia.
The decade of the 1960s was most the fruitful for him and he played character roles. Big and small films like Waqt, Ek Phool Do Maali, Ghar Sansaar, Hindustan Ki Kasam, Pavitra Paapi, Aman, Naunihal, Aaye Din Bahaar Ke, and two Punjabi films — Satluj De Kande and Nanak Dhukhiya Sab Sansaar. Anuradha, Kabuliwala and Garam Hawa are Indian cinema’s top-of-the shelf classics. He acted in a total of 93 films, including two which were released after his untimely death. As work in cinema tapered off, Balraj also took a backseat in life.
Balraj Sahni died on 13 April 1973 of a massive cardiac arrest, less than a month before his 60th birthday. He had been depressed for some time by the untimely death of his young daughter, Shabnam.

Song from Do Bigha Zameen 1953

Song from Seema 1955

Song from Mai Baap1957

Song from Kaabuliwala1961

Song from Waqt 1965

Song from Neel Kamal 1968

DURGA KHOTE- Pioneer for liberated women in Indian cinema.

On her 112th Birth Anniversary today (14 January 1905), we look at how one of Indian cinema's strongest heroines shaped her career.In the begining of indian Cinema men used to play women in our cinema. When we got real women playing heroines in our films, they were not Indians. Anglo-Indian, Jew or Parsi women were cast. Acting was not a respectable career for women of the soil.She was a woman who came from an elite Maharashtrian family. Educated at Cathedral High School,V Shantaram decided to cast her in Ayodhyecha Raja, a bilingual remake of Phalke’s film in 1932. Incidentally, Khote was chosen to play Rani Taramati, the same role that Salunke(Male) played in India’s first film. The film was a big hit, and launched her career as a heroine.

Durga Khote debuted in a minor role in the obscure 1931 silent film Farebi Jaal, by the Prabhat Film Company, followed by Maya Machindra(1932).She broke away from the "studio system" and became one of the first "freelance" artistes of that era by working occasionally with the New Theatres, East India Film Co. (both at Calcutta), and Prakash Pictures.She gave a memorable performance in 1936 film Amar Jyoti.
In 1937, she produced and directed a film titled Saathi, making her one of the first women to step into this role in Indian cinema.The 40s opened for her in a big way, with award-winning performances in Aachary Atre's Payachi Dasi (Marathi) and Charnon Ki Dasi (Hindi) (1941) and Vijay Bhatt's classic Bharat Milap (1942), both of which got her the BFJA Best Actress Award for two consecutive years.

Durga Khote played a wide variety of roles over a career,during later years, she played several important character roles, such as the mother of the protagonist. Her portrayal of Jodhabai, the queen of Akbar torn between duty towards her husband and love towards her son in Mughal-e-Azam (1960) was well received. her other memorable roles as mother were in Charnon Ki Dasi (1941); Mirza Ghalib; Bobby (1973) and Bidaai (1974).  She also ranks among the top ten actresses in mother roles in Hindi cinema,One time she was popularly known as Dev Anand's mother.Her final memorable role was in Subhash Ghai's Karz (1980), where she played the role of the mother of Raj Kiran and later, mother to Rishi Kapoor, who played the role of Raj Kiran's reincarnation after the screen death of Raj Kiran in the movie.
She was an active participant of the Indian People’s Theater Association (IPTA), the left leaning group of writers and intellectuals, and acted in several plays.In 1983 when she was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema.
Durga Khote died on 22-09-1991 at age of 86 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. India.

Song from Amar Jyoti 1936

Song from Prithvi Vallabh 1943

A Tribute to Dada Muni on his 16th Death Anniversary

An actor who could capture all your attention in a single shot, a man who added glamour to Hindi film fraternity and promoted talents from all corners of the country, Ashok Kumar has ruled the silver screen and melted millions of hearts with his charismatic screen appearance and personality.He was the first superstar of Hindi cinema as well as the first lead actor to play an anti-hero. He also became the first star to reinvent himself, enjoying a long and hugely successful career as a character actor.

He never ever wanted to become an actor. He came to Bombay to become a director. Those days, actors were really looked down upon. They were believed to come from the lowest strata of society. So he joined Bombay Talkies as a technician. he worked in the camera department. Later, he was made a lab assistant." It was sheer fluke that he became an actor. 
 He got the lead role in Jeevan Naiya (1936), a Bombay Talkies production. His first big hit was Achhut Kanya (1936), where he again paired with Devika Rani. The film was about a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the 'untouchable' class. 
He  was the first anti-hero of Indian cinema. Gyan Mukherjee's Kismet (1943) presented Ashok as a pickpocket who falls in love. This was the first film in Indian cinema that grossed at one crore rupees. So technically, Ashok Kumar was the one to set up the 'crore club'.

His rise to fame however rattled his parents. In an interview he said "My mother was certain that since I'd joined films, I would fall into bad ways. So without letting me know, she arranged my marriage. I didn't even see my wife before the wedding. Meeting your bride before marriage wasn't the done thing then".

Post Kismet, Ashok Kumar became the most bankable star of the era, delivering a succession of box office successes with movies like Chal Chal Re Naujawan (1944), Shikari (1946), Sajan (1947), Mahal (1949), Sangram (1950) and Samadhi (1950).
He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including Ziddi (1948), which established the careers of Dev Anand and Pran,Later on he quit the Bombay Talkies and started Filmistan Studio with Shashdhar Mukharjee ,his desire to return to Bomaby Talkies was always there." He re bought Bombay Talkies in 1947. "Devika Rani had left by then. But the Talkies had fallen on bad days. The debts amounted to Rs 28 lakhs. We made movies like Majboor, Ziddi, Mahal and Mashal to repay the debts."

With the advent of the 1950s Ashok Kumar switched over to more mature roles, with the exception of the 1958 classic Howrah Bridge. Despite the arrival of a younger crop of stars like Dev Anand, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar remained one of the stars of the era with hits like Afsana (1951), Nau Bahar (1952), Parineeta (1953), Bandish (1955) and EK Hi Raasta (1956). His most successful film of that era was Deedar (1951), in which he played second fiddle to Dilip Kumar.

Ashok Kumar played an important role in several landmark movies in the 1960s and 1970s, including Jewel Thief (1967), Aashirwad (1968) (for which he won a Filmfare Award as well as National Award in 1969), Purab aur Pashchim (1970), Pakeezah (1972), Mili (1975), Chhoti Si Baat (1975) and Khoobsurat (1980).

Ashok Kumar's last film role was in the 1997 movie Aankhon Mein Tum Ho.

. Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria.He was honored in 1988 with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India and also received the Padma Bhushan in 1999 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

He died at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 of heart failure at his residence in Chembur. The then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described him as "an inspiration... for many generations of aspiring actors.

Songs from Ashok Kumar's Films

Koi Hamdam Na Raha from Jeewan Naiya 1936

Song from Achhut Kanya 1936

Original Ek Chatur Naar from Jhula 1941

Song from Kismet 1943

Naani ki naao chali  from Aashirwad

Song from Aashirwad 1968

MOTILAL-The Natural Actor

A Tribute to Moti Lal on his 107th Birth Anniversary
Moti Lal deserves to be re-introduced to the present generation of film goers. He  should to be studied in acting schools because he is one of the all-time greats of Indian cinema.He was a natural actor.Watching his film one never felt he was acting.He was the Chunni Babu of Bimal Roy's Devdas.Perhaps his finest and most underfeted performance came in the title role of Mr Sampat (1952)
He was born in Shimla on 4th Dec 1910.He  starred in over 60 films, with at least 30 in the lead.He was a character actor and also played villainy roles in Anari and Paigham (1959).He received  Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Devdas (1955) and Parakh (1960).He also directed the film Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), but died before its release.
Motilal came from a distinguished family from Delhi.^[7] His father was a renowned educationist, who died when Motilal was one year old.,he did his schooling in Shimla and later graduated from Delhi.University.
After leaving college, Moti Lal came to Bombay to join the Navy but destiny wanted him to become actor. In 1934 (aged 24), he was offered the hero's role in Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934) by the Sagar Film Company. He later featured in several successful social dramas alongside Sabita Devi, including Dr. Madhurika(1935) and Kulvadhu (1937). He worked with Mehboob Khan in Jagirdar (1937) and Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner, in Taqdeer (1943) for Mehboob Productions, and Kidar Sharma's Armaan (1942) and Kaliyan (1944). He also acted in S. S. Vasan's film Paigham (1959) (Gemini Studios), and Raj Kapoor's Jagte Raho (1956).
Motilal had a glorious record as filmdom’s smartest hero. For over two decades, he reigned supreme over the hearts of swooning fans. At the age of 55, cinema had to bid farewell to its most dapper hero. Motilal had a passion for horse-racing. He used to have a horse called Traitor, because the animal had the nasty habit of looking back at Motilal exactly at the time of reaching the winning post and losing the race in the effort!  In 1965, Motilal breathed his last.  He died penniless.
An Audio Song  from Shaadi (1941) sung by Moti Lal

Song from Shaadi (1941)

Song from Taqdeer 1943

Song from Mastana 1954

Song from Jagte Raho 1956

Song from Choti Choti Batein (1965) 

Remembering AMJAD KHAN on his 77th Birth Anniversary

Born on 12th Nov 1940 Amjad Khan was an actor who made the character of Gabbar Singh an Immortal.He played many good roles in Bollywood as well, but is still popularly known as the most dreaded villain.On the birth anniversary of the iconic actor, here are some of his famous dialogue that make him the best Bollywood villain till date.

Gabbar Singh's dialogue from sholay

                             Jo Daar Gya Samjho Mar Gya- Gabbar Singh Dialogue

                           Yeh Haath Humko Dede Thakur | Film - Sholay | Gabbar & Thakur

Scene from Kaalia

Song from Yaarana

Bollywood’s own cowboy star-FEROZ KHAN

On the 78th Birth Anniversary of Bollywood’s own cowboy star Feroz Khan I pay my tribute to this handsome bollywood actor.  When Feroz Khan put on those shiny leather boots and rode the rough country flaunting his revolver and attitude in equal measure, he typified debonair super cool.He is known as the "Clint Eastwood of Bollywood" He  made a successful journey from a hero of C-grade crime thrillers and fantasy yarns to become a top gun producer-director.

Feroz Khan made his debut in Homi Wadia’s low-budget flop, Reporter Raju (1962), With no godfathers to back him, Feroz worked in a bunch of low-brow flicks through the mid-1960s to survive. That included playing second fiddle to Dara Singh in Samson.In his quest for upward cinematic mobility, Feroz even accepted supporting roles with bigger banners. In 1967 released CID 909 who can forget the scene where Mumtaz seduces him serenading, Chahe to jaan le lo (music: OP Nayyar) ? – always knew he was just one hit away from stardom.
In side roles he always managed to hold his own against more famous co-stars: Raj Kumar (Oonche Log, a moderate success), Rajendra Kumar (Arzoo), Rajesh Khanna (Safar), Dharmendra (Aadmi aur Insaan, for which he got Filmfare’s Best Supporting Actor award) and Sunil Dutt (Pyaasi Shaam).
As a cowboy his film Khote Sikkay(1974) released which became a box-office smash. The same year, weird crime drama Geeta Mera Naam (directed by heroine Sadhana) made the cash counters jingle. Finally, Feroz had become his own man.
Over the next decade, he acted in a slew of mediocre  westerns (Kaala Sona, Kachche Heere, Chunaoti), pure dacoit dramas (Shankar Shambhu), even supernatural thrillers (Jaadu Tona, Darinda) with mixed results.

He turned Producer Director from Apradh in 1972.which was average success in box office,after that he focused on making his own films. The movie where he really he put his heart and soul was Dharmatma (1975), which was inspired by Godfather and shot in pre-Taliban Afghanistan.The real success as Producer and Director came with  Qurbani (1980) that Feroz hit the jackpot. The action-thriller rode on a bunch of chart busting tracks notably Aap Jaisa Koi (singer: Nazia Hassan, composer: Biddu), the floor-scorcher of the year. Zeenat Aman’s  bikini too surely would have also helped the film’s cause.
His subsequent productions —  Dayawaan, Jaanbaz, Yalgaar and Jaanasheen — were equally stylish and often laced with ladies in minimal attire and also big star cast were not able to set the box-office aflame.
He appeared in over 51 films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons His last film as an actor was "Welcome"was  a roaring hit in 2007. He died from lung cancer on 27 April 2009 at the age of 69.He was buried in Bangalore near to his mother's grave at Hosur Road Shia Kabristan

Some of The Popular Songs From Feroz Khan Films

Song from CID 909 1967

Song from Safar1970

Song from Apradh 1972

Song from Khote Sikkey 1973

Song from Dharmatma 1974

Song from Geeta Mera Naam 1974

Song from Qurbani 1980

Song from Jaanbaz 1986

PREM CHOPRA-The Villain of 1960s and 70s

One of Bollywood’s most iconic actors, Prem Chopra(Born on 23rd Sept 1935) redefined the big screen bad guy – a sneering, leering villain who commanded as much screen presence as the highly glorified heroes of his time.In this blog I bring to you a list of few of the most entertaining dialogues said by him.The most famous is "Prem naam hai mera… Prem Chopra" from Bobby and "Main woh balaa hoon, jo sheeshey se patthar ko todta hoon." from Sauten released in 1983.

Clip from bobby 1973

Prem Chopra came into prominence from  Woh Kaun Thi?, Shaheed, Main Shaadi Karne Chala and Teesri Manzil. After Teesri Manzil and Upkaar, he was flooded with films as a villain. His peak period as main villain was from 1967 to 1974.After Sholay Amjad Khan became the No 1 Villain,Even after that he got plum roles as villains often with Amjad Khan and Ranjeet. 

                                            Prem Chopra in Shaheed 1965
 In the critically acclaimed comedy film Hulchul (1971), a remake of Anubhavam Pudhumai, he played the lead hero in this suspense thriller. He played the main lead in the 1970 box office hit small budget comedy film Samaj Ko Badal Dalo as lead hero,
His first famous dialogue was from 1970 film Kati Patang  "Main jo aag lagata hoon use boojhana bhi jaanta hoon" In 1973 Bobby released in which he did a guest appearance having the dialogue  " Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" (My name is Prem, Prem Chopra) from the film Bobby became very popular. Another dialogue from Souten was - "Jinke Ghar Sheeshe Ke Hote Hain Woh Batti Bhujakar Kapde Badalte Hai"
 Some of his famous dialogues from the 1990s include - "Sharafat aur imaandaari ka certificate ye duniya sirf unhe deti hai jinke paas daulat hoti hai" from Aag Ka Gola (1990), "Bhains poonch uthayegi to gaana to nahi gayegi, gobar hi degi" from Aaj Ka Arjun (1990), "Tu Madhuri se thodi kum aur Mandakini se thodi zyada hai" from Aaj Ka Goonda Raj (1992), "Rajneeti ki bhains ke liye daulat ki lathi ki zaroorat hoti hai" from Khiladi (1992), "Kar bhala to ho bhala" from Raja Babu (1994) and "Nanga nahayega kya aur nichodega kya" from Dulhe Raja(1998).

Prem Chopra in Do Raaste

Beside Negative Characters he played few positive roles also.He considers that his best performances in positive roles came in Sikander-e-Azam, Kunwari, Shaheed, Jaadu Tona and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.He had a great chemistry with Rajesh Khanna In an interview he said that his films with Rajesh Khanna were very special to him. Right from Doli , Do Raaste, Kati Patang, Daag, Ajnabee, Prem Nagar, Maha Chor, Mehbooba, Tyaag, Bebus, Aanchal, Jaanwar, Souten, Maqsad, Awaaz, Shatru, Oonche Log, Waapsi and Ghar Parivaar. 15 of 17 released were hits.
Famous dialogues of Prem Chopra

Dialogue from Bobby 1973

Famoud Dialogues from Various films

Few Songs Picturised on Prem Chopra

Song from Shaheed 1965

Song from Samaj Ko Badal Dalo 1970

Song from Nafrat 1973