This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
Jagdeep(born 29 March 1939), the comedian of Golden Era started his film career as a child artist extra in B. R. Chopra's Afsana, then went on to do films as a child artist in films like Ab Dilli Door Nahin, K. A. Abbas's Munna, Guru Dutt's Aar Paar, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin and AVM's Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke. He was launched as a leading man by AVM in the films Bhabhi, Barkha and Bindaya, and went on to do a few more films as a leading man. We remember him today for some of the hit songs picturized on him like "Paas Baitho Tabiyat Bahal Jayegi" from Punarmilan, "In Pyar ki Rahon Mein" from the same film, "Chal Ud Ja Re Panchhi" and "Chali Chali Re Patang", from the superhit movie Bhabhi, where he is paired opposite Nanda, and "Aa Gaye Yaaro Jeene Ke Din" from Phir Wohi Raat. He was a hero of 5 films starring opposite Nanda, Azra, and Amita. He got success only as a comedian. He acted in more than 400 films. He is also known for his appearances in many horror movies, especially in projects of the Ramsay Brothers. He appeared in famous hits like Purana Mandir and 3D Saamri. He was a natural actor, believed in original acting by bringing out his own style. When people make his signature sound from his character Soorma Bhopali in Sholay, everybody knows it is Jagdeep’s style. In this blog, I am posting some of the memorable songs picturized on him.
Nanda(8 January 1939 – 25 March 2014) started her career in films as a child artist. It was her father who took her in his film Mandir (1948). While making the film her father expired, the film was completed by Dinakar Patil. After her father's untimely death, she decided to do films besides attending the school. First, she did Jaggu (1952) as a child artist in which Shyama was playing the heroine. In 1954 she did Jagadguru Shankaracharya. In the same year, she did Angaray directed by K.B. Lal that starred Nargis and Nasir Khan V Shantaram took her as a leading actress in her film Toofan Aur Diya released in 1956. But after that, she was offered roles of sister or side roles in many films. Dev Anand took her in his sister's role in Navketan's Kala Bazarin 1960 with a promise he would cast her heroine in his next film. It was in Hum Dono released in 1961, she was one of the heroines in that film. After Hum Donobig banners started approaching her with good offers.Nanda went on to rule the screen space from 1960 till 1973 with Nutan, Waheeda Rehman, and Sadhna. Some of her most memorable roles were in 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', 'Gumnaam' and 'Hum Dono'.She was once again one of the heroines in Dev Anand's Teen Deviyan. In 'Jab Jab Phool Khile', Nanda played her career's first westernized role and paired up with Shashi Kapoor with whom she went on to do eight films. She worked with Rajesh Khanna in 'The Train' when he was just starting out as an actor. She also worked with him in Ittefaq and Joru Ka Gulam. Manoj Kumar took her in Shor released in 1972. She made a brief return to acting in 1982 as a character actress where she played the onscreen mother of Padmini Kolhapure in 'Ahista Ahista', 'Mazdoor' R K Films Prem Rog Nanda was nominated for Filmfare Award five times for her performance in Bhabhi (1957), Aanchal (1960), Ittefaq (1969), Ahista Ahista (1981) and Prem Rog (1982). She won Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for 'Aanchal'
Madhubala (14th Feb1933 – 23 February 1969 ) started acting at the age of seven and made her first film for Bombay Talkies, where she had to sing a song – ‘Mere chhote se man me, chhoti si duniya re’. She was called Baby Mumtaz. She worked as Baby Mumtaz in many films such as Pujari, Phoolwari, and Rajputani. She was spotted by Kidar Sharma and paired her as heroine opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal(1947). She was barely 14 years old and he named her Madhubala. A couple of years later, Kamal Amrohi cast her opposite Ashok Kumar in Mahal and a star was born. She became everyone’s darling and the industry crowned her ‘Venus of the Indian Screen’, She was now the preferred heroine of Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand.
Madhubala as Baby Mumtaz
Her first film with Dilip Kumar was Tarana. They went on to do three more – Sangdil, Amar and Mughal-e-Azam. The latter was also her last film before she was bedridden. With Dev Anand, she worked in 6 films. The first film they did together was" Nirala "released in 1950, the other films were Aaram (1951), Naadan (1951), Kala Pani (1958),Jaali Note (1960), and Sharabi (1964) During the career span of 22 years, she appeared in around 73 Hindi films. She worked with all the leading heroes of their time. Madhubala's co-starsAshok Kumar,Raj Kapoor,Rehman,Pradeep Kumar,Shammi Kapoor,Dilip Kumar,Sunil Dutt,andDev Anandwere the most popular actors of that period. She also appeared with notable leading ladies such asKamini Kaushal,Suraiya,Geeta Bali,Nalini Jaywant,ShyamaandNimmi. The directors she worked with,Mehboob Khan(Amar),Guru Dutt(Mr. & Mrs. '55),Kamal Amrohi(Mahal) andK. Asif(Mughal-e-Azam), were amongst the most prolific and respected. Madhubala also became a producer and produced films likeNaata(1955) andMahlon Ke Khwab(1960) and acted in both the films. Madhubala gave a flamboyant performance in Guru Dutt's satire Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955). The film revolves around Anita, a wealthy heiress, and a struggling cartoonist, Pritam (Guru Dutt). Mr. & Mrs. '55 has hit songs, "Jaane Kahan Mera Jigar Gaya Jee" (a duet sung by Geeta Dutt and Mohammed Rafi) and "Thandi Hawa Kali Ghata" (sung by Geeta Dutt). Mr. & Mrs. 55 was the fifth highest-grossing film of that year. She also acted in costume dramas such as Shirin-Farhad (1956), Raj-Hath (1956) (both with Pradeep Kumar).]Dhake Ki Malmal was a romantic musical comedy directed by J.K. Nanda and produced under the Nanda Film banners. The film starred Madhubala and Kishore Kumar together for the first time. Both of them later acted in several popular "musical comedies" such as Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Jhumroo (1961) and Half Ticket (1962). The love with Dilip Kumar is well known but they couldn't marry. Madhubala met Kishore Kumar during the shooting of Dhake Ki Malmal (1956). In 1960, Madhubala married him when she was 27 years old. When Madhubala was ill in the late 1950s with the congenital heart disease, Kishore Kumar proposed to her and she decided to marry him after realizing that Dilip Kumar was not going to marry her. Madhubala had a ventricular septal defect (a hole in her heart) 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 23 February 1969, shortly after her 36th birthday. The cause of death was determined to be the prolonged lung and heart illness
Mere chhote se man me -sung by Madhubala as a child in Basant 1942
Jagdeep born on 29th March 1939 started as a child artist from B R Chopra's Afsana in 1951. As a child artist h appeared in films like Ab Dilli Door Nahin, K. A. Abbas's Munna, Guru Dutt's Aar Paar, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin and AVM's Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke. After Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke, he received various accolades and high praise for his roles. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru has gifted his personal scarf to Jagdeep for his stellar performance in Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke. He was launched as a leading man by AVM in the films Bhabhi, Barkha and Bindaya, and went on to do a few more films as a leading man. Many hit songs were picturisation on him as a leading actor.Later he switched to comedy and established himself a com median in many films.Today's generation remembers him as Soon a Bhopal of Sholay and Salman Khan's dad in Andaz Apna Apna (1994). He is also known for his appearances in many horror movies, especially in projects of the Ramsay Brothers. He appeared in famous hits like Purana Mandir and Saamri. In this blog I am posting some of the hit songs picturised on him
Nargis and Sunil Dutt came from very different backgrounds when they first met each other. Nargis was the daughter of Mohan Babu and Jaddanbai, and Sunil was the son of a Punjabi land-owning family. The two actors met on the sets of Do Bigha Zameen. At that time, Sunil Dutt was an aspiring actor and student while Nargis was already an established star. Sunil and Nargis Dutt crossed each other’s paths at many film gatherings but were officially introduced to each other on the sets of their film Mother India by filmmaker Mehboob Khan. Khan thought it was important for Nargis, who played the title role in the film, to befriend the other actors, particularly Sunil Dutt, who played her errant son Birju.
Everyone is aware of their dramatic love story that was triggered by a fatal fire on the sets of Mother India in 1957, where Sunil Dutt sensing danger, jumped into raging flames without a thought for his own life to save Nargis and won her heart. She visited him every day at the hospital after shooting. She nursed Dutt back to health for two weeks. In that time, the two got very close, and she even opened up about her past to him. and a few weeks later, when Sunil Dutt proposed marriage to her, she agreed immediately. The two started dating, and wanted to get married, but they played mother and son on screen in Mother India, and the news of their relationship would be disastrous for the film, so they maintained a low profile. In 1958, they got married in a secret ceremony and didn't make the news public for nearly a year. Even after getting married, they stayed with their respective families. They'd meet late into the nights and communicate through letters and telegrams. In 1959, after making the news of their marriage public, they held a reception, and moved in together. Sunil Dutt was once asked about Raj Kapoor and Nargis' equation, to which he had said, "I never knew there was a romance. The only thing I knew was that she came into my life. I was not concerned about her past. I know these questions arise. But I am concerned about the person who comes in my life; what matters from that day on is how true the person is to me. The past is nothing to me." Nargis left films to look after Dutt saheb.The mother of 3 – Priya, Namrata and Sanjay Dutt, Nargis took up the full time job of being a mom and gave up stardom while she was at the peak of her career. She was the one with a modern approach and yet juggled her life amidst the work part, where she was involved in her husband’s production venture and also formed Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe.
Despite the threshold of responsibilities, she was very much active in her individual self which included swimming, watching movies, shopping, getting a massage and constantly being on the phone. She also ditched the burqa and would enjoy paani puri from the street vendors. Yes, she was very much like the young girl inside every woman.Nargis never followed the bandwagon of her contemporaries and was always in sync with global fashion trends. She sported a short haircut when others would go for their long tresses. She ditched jewellery and wore only cotton saris for which she was dubbed as the Lady in White.
Sunil Dutt was not the first love of Nargis, but their years of marriage never once fell in doubt about Dutt being her second love. Nargis and Sunil Dutt loved each other and supported each other during their marriage.Their lovewas pure and forever.
Years later, Nargis was detected with cancer, and went through a lot of treatments for many years. Sunil was always by her side during her struggle. He even took her to America for the treatment. However, she could not win her battle against cancer and died on May 3, 1981.
Veteran journalist Vinod Mehta wrote the biography of Meena Kumari in 1972.In this book he wrote about the exploitation of Meena Kumari whoever came close to her.She was first exploited by her family.Shestarted out as Baby Meena, a child artist and a breadwinner of the family. As a child she wasn't interested in a film career, and would rather attend school. In spite of this, her parents started peddling four-year-old Mahjabeen(Real Name of Meena Kumari) to film studios for work opportunities so she was deprived of her childhood..
One of the major blows in Meena Kumari's life was the death of her mother.She was only 14 then.In the film Industry also she struggled initially,though she was getting work but paid poorly.It was only after Baiju Bawra 1952 she got recognition. On May 21, 1951 Meena Kumari was involved in a motor car accident while returning from Mahabaleshwar to Bombay.She was admitted to Sasoon Hospital in Poona, injured around the left hand. Kumari went through bouts of depression.This accident left Meena Kumari with a banded left pinky which remained banded throughout her life, and she used to cover her left hand with a dupatta or saree during shoots. During this time Kamal Amrohi used to visit her in the hospital.For four months this hospital affair continued and love blossomed.
She married at the age of 18 Kamal Amrohi that time he was 34.It was his third marriage.After their marriage, Kamal Amrohi allowed Meena Kumari to continue her acting career, but on the conditions that she should not remit anyone in her makeup room but her makeup artist and return home in her own car by 6:30 every evening. Meena Kumari agreed to all terms, but with passing time she kept breaking them. Meena Kumari was a patient of chronicinsomnia and was on sleeping pills for a long time.As an alternative to sleeping pills she started drinking.She was interested in Urdu poetry,this brought her close to another poet Gulzar.Once she was slapped on the set of Pinjre ke Panchhi,by Kamal Amrohi's assistant, Baqar when she allowed Gulzar enter her makeup room.After this incident in 1964 they divorced. Dharmendra was the next person in her life.He signed Purnima as her Hero,he was a fan of Meena kumari,it was his dream to act opposite Meenaji.When he was introduced to her, she was warm and friendly and welcomed him with kind encouragement.Coincidentally, at this particular moment of her life, Meena Kumari required a stable and devoted man: big and strong, someone on whom she could literally rest her head, and someone who was not too famous.
Dharmendra was almost a daily visitor at Janki Kutir. Together they would open a bottle and spend a few hours. These were the good times.Meena Kumari insisted her Producers to take Dharmendra as his Hero,both of them worked in 7 films.Dharmendra established himself as a hero because of Meena Kumari.However, a much younger and already married Dharmendra had nothing to offer in terms of the love and security Meena was searching for.They were intimate for three years. Meena Kumari had a strong love for children,she wanted her own child here too she was deprived by her husband Kamal Amrohi. Songs Of Meena Kumari
