Call Me ‘Dev’, Just ‘Dev’

These are the words of Dev Anand. In his autobiography 'Romancing With Life', he writes, "Those I am closest to, those who like and love me, I tell them, call me 'Dev', just 'Dev',"
Waheeda Rehman in an interview said  "My very first film in Hindi -- CID -- was with Dev Anand. I was a big fan of him. So you can imagine my excitement and nervousness at doing a film with him. On the very first day on the sets, when I called him 'Dev Saab' he turned around and said 'No no, call me Dev'.
"I couldn't bring myself to call him by his first name, that wasn't my upbringing. So I suggested I call him 'Anandji'. He glared at me and said, 'Do I look like a schoolteacher to you?' The next day when I called him 'Dev Saab' he looked around as though he didn't know whom I was addressing. I had to finally call him 'Dev' and 'Dev' he remained until the end."
Dev Anand was of the view that if any of his heroines call him Mr, Saab or Ji, it will be difficult for him to romance that heroine in that film. We all know how Dev Anand successfully worked as a romantic hero to the heroines much younger to him He is still called King of Romance.
Dev Anand in his biography wrote that his mother used to call him Dev so did his family members and the close circle of people around him. His father used to call him "Dev-aan. In Punjab "aan" being an additional pampered prolongation, very common calling somebody name.
When he was born "Dharam" was prefixed by their family purohit to Dev.to form his full name. This name continued all throughout his school and college days, in fact, many of his friends used to call him 'DD'. His full name was Dharam Dev Anand, Anand being his family Surname.
When he stepped out of that world and started to identify his identity, he decided to remove 'Dharam' thinking that the three-word name, 'Dharam Dev Anand' would be too heavy. He wanted to retain his surname so that if ever he attains any fame and glory his family should get its full credit for his achievements.
In his first film Hum Ek Hain released in 1946, he was introduced as Dev Anand. He continued to be Dev Anand in all future films. After a few years, people started to call him Dev Saab out of love and respect, maybe he started his company very early and became a boss.
In his biography he said that those I am close to, those who like and love me and I love them call me Dev, just 'Dev', short and sweet, just possessive

Song of Munimji 1955

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of Solva Saal 1958

Song of Love Marriage 1959

Song of Kala Bazar 1960

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Song of Asli Naqli 1962

Song of Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Song of Sharabi 1964

Song of Guide 1965

' 

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

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.

The Fans and Admirers of DevAnand

Dev Anand was among the few Bollywood Stars who was admired and inspiration to generations. His fan following is still intact. There are millions of his fans all across the globe. There are many fan clubs all over the world organize musical programmes and photo exhibitions on his Birth Anniversary or Death Anniversary. He is among the top Bollywood heroes having the maximum number of Groups or Pages in Social media.
Writing in the Preface of his Autobiography Dev Anand says that he used to receive a lot of fan mail every day. One of his fans wrote him 3720 letters in a hope of one-day receiving a reply from me. 

Dev Anand also had admirers in various fields of life, lawyers, doctors, judges, and politicians. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru was his admirer, V.K Krishna Menon, the first defense minister of India, was also his admirer, Atal Bihar Van payee ji L.K Advani and leaders cutting across all political parties Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray was also his admirer. Dev Anand knew the Shiv Sena Supremo, Balasaheb Thackeray when he was a junior cartoonist working with the Free Press Journal drawing a salary of hundred and fifty rupees and called him “Bal”. When Thackeray was at his peak,he invited him to his house  “Matoshri”. Dev was given a red carpet welcome with the entire Thackeray family present to welcome him. Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Prime Minister is also his admirer.

Some of the biggest stars of that era  were his unabashed fans. Stars like Sunil Dutt,Dharmendra Shammi Kapoor,Shashi Kapoor were his admirers. Jackie Shroff,Ranjeet,Amitabh Bachchan and Film maker Subhash Ghai are his admirer. 

Among the actresses who not only respected him but showed their reverence for him was Hema Malini who did six films with him, Waheeda Rehman who did seven films with him and Raakhee who did three. In fact, Hema and Raakhee used to visit temples and pray for Dev on his birthdays and especially on the days his new films were released. Tabu was the one female star of the new generation who looked up to Dev like her “godfather”.

Dev Anand was always down to earth. Style and simplicity ran parallel for him.Making the other person comfortable was his magic mantra. He always treated his fans with love and respect.His fans were his second love after movies.
One of his fan Yuvraj Shah of Pune dedicated a garden in his name which is situated on the campus of Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Pune. The name of the garden is Sadabhaar Dev Anand Udyan.

Another great fan of Dev Anand is Anand Thirani of Kolkata.He met Dev Saab when he was studying in college many years ago, later he became a successful businessman and used to travel all over the world. He used to bring the signature scarves the star wore in many of his films.

Another fan the ex DGP of Maharashtra whom Dev treated as his son feels himself lucky to “did his duty” by performing last rites of the actor along with Dev Anand 's son by immersing his ashes in Godavari, Nashik.

Among all his fans Mr. Mohan Churiwala was his closest associate. Iin the last 15 years of the actor's life, streamlining his work, meetings with people, media management. All this for free. He accompanied him on his foreign trips. His exclusive pictures with Dev Saab were published in Filmfare September 2017 issue.

Gulzar - Humne DekhI Hai Un Aankhon Ki Mehakti Khushboo

Gulzar (Born on 18th August 1934) became popular as a lyricist in the unusually worded song from Khamoshi in 1969 "Humne dekhi hai un aankhon ki mehakti khushboo/Haath sey chhoo ke ise rishtoon ka koi naam na do". .Though he penned his first film song "Mora gora ang laiy ley mohe shaam rang daiye dey/chhup jaoongi raat he mein mohe pee ka sang daiye dey." from Bimal Roy's Bandini released in 1961.
Gulzar, who began as an apprentice with Bimal Roy, joined Hrishikesh Mukherjee after his death. He wrote for Kabuliwala, Sannaata, Do Dooni Chaar Biwi Aur Makan etc. With Mere Apne (1971), he turned director.The success of his Mere Apne encouraged Gulzar to experiment with novel subjects. Next in the line came films like Koshish, Parichay, Achanak, Kinara and Aandhi.
In Aandhi, Gulzar wove a story of estrangement between a couple (Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen) against the backdrop of politics. Gulzar is at his sublime best in the song "Tere bina zindagi se shiqwa to nahin."The lyrics 3 the agony and regret of the choices made.
However, Gulzar's most successful songs as a lyricist were to come out later, of his association with Rahul Dev Burman who he described later as an anchor in his life.Few of his songs with R D Burman are Beeti Na Bitai Raina, Parichay (1972), Tere Bina Zindagi Se, Aandhi (1975), Aaj Kal Paaon, Ghar (1978), Do Naina Aur Ek Kahani, Masoom (1983), Mera Kuch Samaan, Ijaazat (1988).

Song of Bandini 1963

Song of Khamoshii 1969

Song of Khamoshii 1969

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Aandhi1975

Song of Mausam 1976

Song of Kinara 1977

Song of Sadma 1983

Song of Masoom 1983

Song of Maachis 1996

Manoj Kumar -He sold patriotism at the box office

He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname Bharat Kumar.
It was Manoj Kumar who stirred this nationalism in public consciousness. He sold patriotism at the box office in a poetic fashion.
Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri after the 1965 war advised Manoj Kumar to make a film highlighting the ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ slogan. The idea of making Upkar initiated in that meeting with Shastri Ji. He produced and directed the film.
In it, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti", written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. Upkaar was a hit and won Kumar his first Filmfare Best Director Award.
The success of the film encouraged him to make more films on this subject.
Manoj returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed.
He made Roti Kapda Aur Makan (1974) which was a social commentary, featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Director for the film Roti Kapda Makan.
In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as to star in Kranti, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful Hindi film in his career. He also starred in the hit. 
After Kranti in 1981, Kumar's career began to decline, when the films he did with him in lead role like Kalyug Aur Ramayan in 1987 and later Clerk in 1989 failed at the box office. In 1989, he cast Pakistani actors Mohammad Aliand Zeba in his film Clerk. 
For him songs were always integral to the story and conveyed what dialogues could not. “Songs like ‘Kasme Vaade Pyaar Wafa’, ‘Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai’ or ‘Jab Koi Tumhara Hriday Tod De’ add depth to the narrative and this was possible because he himself was involved in the process. Kalyanji-Anandji always acknowledged his contribution. 
He was born on 24 July 1937 in Abbottabad, a town in the North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan.His family had to migrate from Jandiala Sher Khan to Delhi due to the Partition.After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.He made his début in Fashion in 1957.
He is remembered for his versatile performances in films like Hariyali Aur Raasta, Woh Kaun Thi?, Himalaya Ki God Mein, Do Badan, Upkar, Patthar Ke Sanam, Neel Kamal, Purab Aur Paschim, Beimaan, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Dus Numbri, Sanyasi and Kranti. 

Song of Upkar 1967

Song of Upkar 1967

Song of Purab Aur Paschim 1970

Song of Roti Kapda Aur Makan 1974

Song of Kranti 1981