It was Devika Rani who gave Kohinoor to Bollywood

Devika Rani who is also known as The First Lady of Bollywood gave us a Kohinoor in the form of Dalip Kumar. It happened when Dilip Kumar aka Yusuf Khan first arrived from Poona in Bombay looking for a job, he met Dr Masani at Churchgate station. The psychologist knew Khan from a lecture he had delivered at Wilson College where the young man had been a student.
Dr Masani introduced Yusuf Khan to Devika Rani who was the owner of Bombay Talkies. Devika Rani asked him if he knew Urdu; Khan did, as he was born and brought up in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province. Devika Rani then offered him an opportunity to become an actor with the studio for a princely monthly salary of Rs1,250. It was Devika Rani who christened Dilip Kumar. The first film of Dilip Saheb was Jwar Bhata released in 1944 was directed by Amiya Chakrabarti.

Still from Jwar Bhata 1944

Besides grooming him for a career in front of the camera, Devika Rani also helped shape Dilip Kumar's acting and performances, encouraging him to watch Hollywood and foreign films and look for inspiration within himself to improve with each film that he did.
Unfortunately, Jwar Bhata did not fare well at the box office. Yet his talent did not go unnoticed and following India’s independence and partition, Dilip Kumar would go onto make his mark in Hindi cinema. 

Still from Jugnu 1947

However, it was the actor’s fourth film, Jugnu (1947), starring Noor Jehan and Shashikala in important roles, that became his first major hit, and got him noticed. The actor received many movies after this film.  

Dilip Kumar in Andaz.1949

One of the films which elevated him to superstardom was Mehboob Khan’s Andaz (1949) with Raj Kapoor.A story revolving around a love triangle, interspersed with drama and tragedy The film saw him paired opposite Nargis. The film became an instant hit at the box office and enabled Dilip Kumar to establish himself as one of the reigning figures of the Indian film industry.
He had a number of big films in the 1950s. Among his most notable films were Hulchul (1951), Deedar (1951), Daag (1952) and Devdas (1955). Dilip Kumar became the first actor to win the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Daag. He went on to win the award seven times.  His performance as the heartbroken Devdas in Devdas, among other roles, sealed his image as the Tragedy King of Indian cinema. However, he tried to shed this image by taking up lighter roles in films such as Aan (1952), Azaad (1955), Naya Daur (1957), Madhumati (1958), Mughal e Azam (1960) and Kohinoor (1960).
In 1961, Kumar produced and starred in Ganga Jamuna opposite his frequent leading lady Vyjayanthimala and his brother Nasir Khan, this was the only film he produced.His next film Leader (1964) was a below average grosser at the box office.He was the co-director alongside Abdul Rashid Kardar of his next release Dil Diya Dard Liya in 1966 but was uncredited as director. In 1967, Kumar played a dual role of twins separated at birth in the hit film Ram Aur Shyam. In 1968, he starred alongside Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman in Aadmi. That same year he starred in Sangharsh with Sanjeev Kumar.
His career slumped in the 1970s with films like Dastaan (1972) failing at the box office. He starred alongside his real-life wife Saira Banu in Gopi (1970) which was a success. But again in 1974 his film Sagina and Bairag in 1976 failed as a hero.
In 1976, Dilip Kumar took a five-year break from film performances and returned with a character role in the film Kranti (1981) and continued his career playing leading roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila (1998).He has won ten Filmfare Awards and is the first recipient of the Filmfare Best Actor Award (1954). He was given Dada Saheb falke award in 1994. The Government of India honoured Kumar with the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. The Government of Pakistan conferred Kumar with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award in Pakistan, in 1998.
My Fav Dilip Kumar's Songs

Song of Mela 1948

Song of Andaz, 1949

Song of Arzoo 1950

Song of Deedar 1951

Song of Sangdil 1952

Song of Footpath 1953

Song of Azaad 1955

Song of Naya Daur, 1957

Song of Madhumati, 1958

Song of Kohinoor, 1960

Song of Ganga Jamuna, 1961

Song of Leader, 1964

Let's look into the Philosphy of Dev Anand

Dev Anand was not just the man of success & talent but also a man who had the ability to think. He used to sound like a philosopher. He was well educated and a creative man. His temperament and attitude to face life are extraordinary that made him such a great person. We all talk about his films and songs but in this Blog, I look at the intellect and philosophy of this great hero of Bollywood
In his Auto Biography, he says about becoming an actor "I knew I had that quality, for my mirror always told me, as it lit my reflection in it every time I looked into it, with a chorus of angelic voices, wow! Let the world see you"

On Life.
a philosophy which Dev Anand, a non-smoker, was said to live by. “Har Fikr ko dhue mein udhata chala gaya,” which roughly translates as: “I puff away the worries with the smoke.”

Looking Back on Past

"For me, today is exciting. This moment is exciting. This film I am making is exciting. The past is only where I came from. The present counts.”

On dreams

"You are dead the moment you stop dreaming"

On beauty
I get turned on by anything I find beautiful my greatest necessity is to be activated all the times my strength is my inborn optimism.

On Looks and Style

“There’s no Dev Anand style. If you like yourself, you are going to conquer. That’s self-confidence.”

About a star

A star is a man who is known. That’s all, people look forward to seeing him, listening to him or viewing him. A star is not necessarily a 25, 26, 36-year-old young lad with youth giving him good looks, which will fade away. The first important thing is personality, personality stays.

On his dialogue delivery (Why he spoke so fast). 
“Life is too short,  I don’t have time to speak slowly. My life is without full stop”

What keeps you moving

 It’s the mind which is ticking all the time, if the mind is alert and mind is moving, your mind never gets tired, your body does. My mind is the mind of a creator. One never grows old, one just grows, matures and dies.

On his mannerism

“I speak fast and so I spoke my dialogues fast. I have a stoop and that explains the way I held my body. I walk fast and that explains my movement.”

On Fear

I don’t have any fear... even death... if it comes, I will take it. 

How he finds a story for a film

 Stories are all around us. In newspapers, in trains, in markets… "Wherever there are people, there are stories. 

About discovering Talent

"Dev Anand doesn’t discover anybody. They find Dev Anand". 

On his Flop films

To my mind they are all hits, monetarily, they have not earned big money but that does not mean they are bad pictures.

After a debacle of Ishq Ishq Ishq

"A broken nose sometimes makes a great boxer"

On  youthful spirit
 “My life is the same and I am at a beautiful stage at 88. I am as excited as I was in my 20s.”

On his 88th Birthday
“I am always in a rush because time is slipping away and I am chasing it, chasing it. I have so many stories to tell but where is the time. I wish I am born again as Dev Anand and people will see a young star 25 years later. That will give me some time to finish what I want to do,”

Dev Anand also gave us a most profound philosophy : “Zindagi Ek Khayal Hai Jaise Ki Maut Bhi Ek Khayal Hai, Na Sukh Hai Na Dukh Hai; Na Deen Hai Na Duniya; Na Insaan Na Bhagwan ...Sirf Main Main Main..You have to detach yourself to go further...”.
Let's Watch Some Of the Philosophical Songs from his films

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Song of Munimji 1955

Song of Guide 1965

Song of Guide 1965

Song of Bambai Ka Babu 1960

Song of Nau Do Gyarah 1957

Song of Solva Saal 1958

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of  Baat Ek Raat Ki 1962

Song of Gambler 1971

Song of Joshila 1973

Sohrab Modi - His films always carried Social or National Message

Sohrab Modi (born 2 November 1897) a great filmmaker of the 1930s 1940s.and 1950s. He launched Minerva Movietone in 1936. His early films at Minerva dealt with contemporary social issues such as alcoholism in Meetha Zaher (1938) and the right of Hindu women to divorce in Talaq(1938). His greatest film was Sikander(1941), which immortalized Prithviraj Kapoor playing the title role.

He started his career as a Parsi theatre actor with some experience in silent films. He earned quite a reputation as a Shakespearean actor, travelling throughout India with his brother's theatrical company and enjoying the tremendous sense of fulfilment every time the curtain came down and the audience applauded.

Sohrab Modi was also known for making Historical films. He made  Pukar (1939),it was based on Mughal Emperor Jehangir. The charisma of its stars, Chandra Mohan and Naseem Bano, and Kamaal Amrohi's oration, with its literary flourish and innate grace, ensured the film's popularity. Following Pukar came Sikander in 1941. The film, due to its underlying theme of nationalism at a time when India was still some years away from freedom, proved a hit among the masses, wherein it was later banned from some theatres.
Prithvi Vallabh was his next film released in 1943, it was based on K.M. Munshi's novel of the same name. The film's major highlights were the confrontations between Modi and Durga Khote, the haughty queen Mrinalvati, who tries to humiliate him publicly but then falls in love with him.
In 1945 he made Ek Din Ka Sultan. The film was a "minor historical" using a small incident from the time of Emperor Humayun's reign. Gangar cites that Ek Din Ka Sultan was hailed as a "well-directed" film with "some beautiful production values.
In 1950, when Sohrab Modi's Sheesh Mahal was being screened at Minerva Theatre in Bombay, the actor was present at the hall. Mr. Modi noticed a man sitting in the front row with closed eyes. Upset with such a reaction, he asked an attendant to let the viewer out and to return his money. The employee came back to say that the person was blind but had come just to hear Sohrab Modi's lines.

He made Jhansi Ki Rani in 1953. It was  India's first technicolour film, Modi had technicians flown in from Hollywood. Mehtab starred as the young queen of Jhansi who took up arms against the British during the Mutiny of 1857 with Modi playing the role of the Rajguru, her chief advisor. The film was notable for its authenticity in creating the right period and delineating historical events, its spectacular battle scenes and Mehtab's stirring performance though she was far too old for the role. 

Next year released his another film Mirza Ghalib. The film, based on the life of the great Indian poet who lived during the reign of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last of the Mughal Emperors, won the President's Gold Medal for Best Feature Film of 1954. 

Modi's later films did not reach the heights of his earlier work though Kundan (1955), Nausherwan-e-Adil and Jailor (1958) had their moments. The last he made was Mera Ghar Mere Bachhe released in 1969 but he was acting here and there in very selected films till 1983. he last appeared in Kamal Amrohi's Razia Sultan.

Sohrab Modi received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1980. He was the tenth recipient of the award. He suffered from cancer of the bone marrow and succumbed to the disease on 28 January 1984.

Song of Sikandar 1941

Song of Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)

Song of Mirza Ghalib (1954)

Song of Mirza Ghalib (1954)

The Top Sad Songs of Dev Anand

We all know Dev Anand for his light-hearted songs, especially his being totally at home with his heroines in duets, but, he was also outstanding in melancholic roles. In this blog, my effort is to give you not just the best sad songs of Dev Anand but also some philosophical songs also. In 1956 his film Funtoosh was released. the film had many funny songs in it but the most popular song was Dukhi Mun Mere,Sun Mera Kehna sung by Kishore Kumar was a sad song.
The first sad song of Dev Anand was Marne Ki Duwayen Kyun Mangu from 1948 film Ziddi which was Kishore Kumar,s First film song.Another sad song was sung by Mukesh for him in the 1948 film Vidya "Bahe Na Kabhi Nain Se Nir " I am posting this song especially for Dev Anand's fans who have not heard Mukesh singing for him.
In the 1963 movie Sharabi (Drunkard), Dev Anand excelled himself in a melancholic role.The movie had some of the saddest songs of Dev Anand; eg, ‘Mujhe le chalo phir aaj us gali mein’, ‘sawan ke mahine mein’ and this number: Kabhi Na Kabhi, Kahin Na Kahin, Koi Na Koi To Aayega’. Lyrics are by Rajinder Krishan who wrote the maximum lyrics for Madan Mohan and music is by the latter. 

Song of  Sharabi 1963

Song of  Sharabi 1963

The first sad song of Dev Anand was Marne Ki Duwayen Kyun Mangu from 1948 film Ziddi which was Kishore Kumar,s First film song.

Song of Ziddi 1948

Another sad song was sung by Mukesh for him in the 1948 film Vidya "Bahe Na Kabhi Nain Se Nir " I am posting this song especially for Dev Anand's fans who have not heard Mukesh singing for him.

Song of Vidya 1948

The great sad song was sung by Talat Mahmood for Dev Anand in Taxi Driver 1954.Jaayen to Jaayen Kahan Kis ko Kahen Apna Yahan.This song brought first Filmfare Award to S D Burman

Song of Taxi Driver 1954

The next year in 1955 another sad song became popular from House No 44, the song was sung by Hemant Kumar. When you are a fan of senior Burman dada, Hemant da and Dev saab then this song is pure heaven.

Song of  House No 44 1955

This song from 1956 film Funtoosh was talked earlier. It is one of the best sad songs of Kishore Kumar The  song is  ‘Dard hamara koi na jaane, Apni garaj ke sab hai deevaane, Kisake aage rona roye, des praaya log baigaane Dukhi man mere sun mera kehana 

Song of  Funtoosh 1956

Kala Paani was released in 1958, it gave Dev Anand the first Filmfare Award for Best Actor Its  song Hum Bekhudi Mein Tumko Pukare sung by Rafi is a great song.

Song of  Kala Paani 1958

Bombai Ka Babu was released in 1960 the song Chal Ri Sajni Ab Kya Soche sung by Mukesh is one of the best sad songs of Mukesh but this song was played in the background so I am not including this The other sad song of this film is Saathi Na Koi Manzil sung by Rafi. A master voice and what a beautiful composition by SD Burman....hats off.

Song of  Bambai ka Babu 1960

. Here is one with my favourite singer Hemant Kumar in Manzil (1960).  One cannot but mention the classic song ‘Yaad aa gayin woh nashili nigahen’, sung by Hemant Kumar, composed by maestro S D Burman and penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri. "Main in zakhmon ko seeke, Kya karun hosh mein jeeke: Yaaro tham lena tham lena meri baahen Yaad aa gayin vo nasheeli nigaahen." 

Song of Manzil 1960

Hum Dono has released in 1961 It had the music of Jaidev all the songs of this film were super hit but this sad song is worth mentioning

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Watch this hindi sad song Aye Dil Kaha Teri Manzil from the superhit bollywood classic movie Maya (1961) starring Mala Sinha, Dev Anand, Lalita Pawar & Amjad Khan. Directed by D.D Kashyap. Music by Salil Choudhury. This song is sung by Dwijen Mukherjee.

Song of Maya 1961

I shall do grave injustice if I don’t choose this number in the top sad songs of Dev Anand from 1963 movie Kinare Kinare in which Dev Anand acted opposite Meena Kumari.   This song is sung by Manna De. Though there is a very beautiful song .jab gam-e ishq satata hai to has leta hoon’. sung by Mukesh. This song was not picturised on Dev Anand instead Chetan Anand lip-synched this song

Song of Kinare Kinare 1963

The 1965 movie Guide is regarded as a classic, the best of Dev Anand. It was directed by Vijay Anand and starred Waheeda Rehman opposite Dev Anand. Din Dhal Jaye and  Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya are two beautiful songs by Rafi I am including Din Dhal Jaye

Song of Guide 1965

What a mesmerising lyrics by Neeraj,. What a touchy voice of Kishore Kumar and above all Music Composer by S D Burman Ji This song of Gambler 1971 is a sad song of Dev Saab

Song of Gambler 1971

As late as in 1973, Dev Anand sang on the same theme in Joshila. The movie was directed by Yash Chopra. In this film Dev Anand is imprisoned for a murder that he didn’t commit but it was pinned on him by the evidence of the same witness whose life and honour he had tried to save. The movie, therefore, opens with this song by Dev Anand in the prison. The combination of Sahir, SD Burman and Kishore was the most abiding combination for Dev Anand. Enjoy the song: Kiska rasta dekhe ai dil ai saudaayi, Meelon hai khaamoshi, barson hai tanhaayi…

Song of Joshila 1973

 

Kishore Da was the natural voice of Dev Saab.

 In his autobiography, ‘Romancing With Life’, Dev Anand says “Ziddi was a milestone in my career, since it was the first film It brought me very close to Ashok Kumar and his youngest brother, Kishore Kumar, who had just arrived from his hometown Khandwa, clad in his kurta-pajamas, with a phenomenal singing voice that years later was going to hypnotize the world with its resonance. The very first song of his career was sung by me on screen in Ziddi 1948
The song became a hit, and people started associating Kishore’s voice with mine, and his playback singing with my acting on screen. We complemented each other. He further says "Before recording, he used to ask me if I want him to sing in any particular way to match my mannerisms. So I used to tell him to keep me in mind while singing and I  used to perform on his style, great synchronisation. I truly miss him,” 
 In the Fifties and the Sixties Kishore Kumar gave playback for Dev Anand in the following prominent movies: Baazi (1951); Jaal (1952); Munimji (1955); Funtoosh (1956); Nau Do Gyarah (1957); Paying Guest (1957); Guide, Teen Deviyaan (1965); Jewel Thief (1967);Mahal (1969) and Johnny Mera Naam(1971)
During this period he sang only for himself and Dev Saab there are few exceptions when he sang for other actors. It is said when he was asked to sing few songs for Rajesh Khanna in Aradhana (1969), he approached Dev Anand for his permission to sing for Rajesh Khanna. After this, his voice became the voice of Rajesh Khanna too.
In this Blog I am selecting the 15 Solo songs of Kishore Kumar sung for Dev Anand.

The first song of Kishore for Dev Anand 

Song of Ziddi 1948

10 songs sung by other singers for kishore kumar

https://youtu.be/1hkzAK9X1wk

Song of Munimji 1955

Song of Funtoosh 1956

Song of Nau Do Gyarah 1957

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of Teen Deviyan 1965

Song of Jewel Thief 1967

Song of Mahal 1969

Song of Prem Pujari 1970

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Hare Rama Hare Krishna 1971

Song of Gambler 1971

Song of Shareef Budmaash 1973

Song of Amir Garib 1974

Song of Warrant 1975

Watch this Video Click the link Below

https://youtu.be/1hkzAK9X1wk