Majrooh Sultanpuri and the Burmans

Majrooh Sultanpuri, a poet who didn't aspire to be a lyricist, became the most sought after versifier of Bollywood. You will be surprised to know that he was a practising Hakim in Sultanpur UP but also interest in writing poetry.
He started attending mushairas, and at one such mushaira in 1941, Jigar Moradabadi, the greatest traditional Shayar of Ghazals of the 20th century introduced him to the urban audiences. In 1945, Majrooh accompanied Jigar Saab for a mushaira in Bombay, where producer-director A R Kardar approached him to write songs for his films. Majrooh was reluctant but Jigar Saab insisted he accepts the offer. Majrooh wrote a few songs for the film Shahjehan (1946). And those songs composed by Naushad were sung by the all-time classic actor-singer K L Saigal.

Majrooh worked with all the ace producer-directors, Mehboob Khan, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Dev Anand, Vijay Anand, Nasir Hussain, and leading composers as well, Naushad, O P Nayyar, Khayyam, S D Burman, R D Burman, Roshan and Madan Mohan.
His associations with SD Burman and RD Burman stand out, particularly his work with the latter in the frothy Nasir Hussain musicals like Teesri Manzil (1966), Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973) and Hum Kissi Se Kum Nahin (1977). With SD Burman, his work in films like Paying Guest (1957), Nau Do Gyarah(1957), Kala Pani (1958), Solva Saal (1958), Sujata (1959), Bambai ka Babu (1960), Jewel Thief (1967) and Abhiman is unforgettable! The list of hit songs he has written is huge as all these films had some extremely finely composed songs set to his writing. Few could match Majrooh Saab and SD Burman in frothy light chhed-chhad playful romantic songs like Chhod Do Anchal, Aankhon Mein Kya Ji, Achha Ji Main Hari Chalo Maan Jaao Na and Deewana Mastana Hua Dil.
Majrooh Sultanpuri and Dada Burman were both born October 1, 13 years apart. Dada was born in 1906 and Majrooh in 1919. Destined to come together and create magic for music lovers in Hindi cinema, they partnered in 20 films from 1957 to 1976, leaving behind unforgettable gems that continue to shine brighter as the years pass by.
Majrooh did 74 films with RD Burman and the duo gave great hits like Kitna pyara vada, Chadti jawani meri chaal mastani (Lata-Rafi) in Caarvan, Piya tu ab to aaja, Monica, O my darling (Asha-RD Burman); in Buddha Mil Gaya, Raat kali ek khawab mein aayi; in Yadon Ki Baraat (1974), Chura liya hai tumne (Asha-Rafi), and Lekar hum deewana dil, Aap ke kamre mein koi rehta hai (Asha-Kishore).

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of Nau Do Gyarah(1957)

Song of Kala Pani (1958)

Song of Solva Saal (1958),

Song of Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958

Song of Sujata (1959)

Song of Bambai ka Babu (1960)

Song of Teesri Manzil (1966),

Song of Jewel Thief (1967)

Song of Abhiman 1973

Song of Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973) 

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

Jaiksihan ‘s forte was romantic and western tunes

The association of Raj Kapoor, Shankar Jaikishen, Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri which started with Barsaat continued till the end. The Shankar Jaikishan were among the top music directors of Golden Era of Bollywood. They created the music appealing both to the common man (rickshaw puller) as well as purists. The eight-minute Awaara song “ Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi” is a milestone in Hindi Film music. A lovely duet by Lata  Rafi and chorus.
Shankar was elder to Jaikishan but he always respected Jaikishan. Shankar was master of instruments. He would play at ease Harmonium, Sitar or Tabla and normally conducted orchestra irrespective of who composed the song. Shankar used to decide on the theme Raag for each movie well in advance. Most of the dance based and classical based tunes were by Shankar.  Jaikishan's forte was romantic and western tunes.SJ composed their best not only for Raj Kapoor home productions but also in all the movies in which Raj Kapoor had starred 
Jaikishan was one of the most stylishly dressed, handsome personalities. His wardrobe was the best in the world. His personal letter to his wife Pallavi Jaikishen became the lyrics of another romantic evergreen song sung by Rafi Saab in Sangam. This song also was responsible for the breakup of the duo, as Jaikishen told the media for the first time, that the song was his own creation.
Jaikishan introduced the music of all countries in their compositions. From the  Jazz to Arabian music, from Rock to Indian classical and romantic as well as Ghazals. They were good in every type of song. Till then Bollywood  music was classical for the purists 
70% of Shailendra songs were composed by Shankar. Similarly, most of the songs of Hasrat Jaipuri was composed by Jaikishen. Until the split, it is difficult to find out who composed what as they worked together as a team.
Jaikishan was also the best in giving Background Music. It was Jaikishan who used to work on background music of SJ movies as per their mutually agreed division of work, it may be an over-simplification to presume that therefore, whatever went in background scores was solely Jaikishan's creation. Since SJ had a common pool of tunes in their stock, made by either of them during their numerous music sessions/sittings (Riyaz), it was perfectly legitimate and natural for Jaikishan to have used tunes created by Shankar also wherever needed. This is also one of the reasons why he was able to finish this job in a few days' time. It is understood that in RK films, Shankar and Jaikishan both used to work on the background scores. On the other hand, both Shankar and Jaikishan were equally proficient in scoring western music based songs.
During their career, S-J won Filmfare Best Music Director Awards nine times. The last three awards were won in three successive years, thereby making S-J the first composers to score a hat-trick of these awards.
Jaikishan died in 1971 due to cirrhosis of liver, a disease caused by excessive consumption of alcohol. At the time of his death, the duo enjoyed an unparalleled popularity which was underlined by a massive turnout at his funeral procession.

Here are some of the great Romantic Songs of Shankar Jaikishan

Song of Barsat 1949

Song of Shri 420 (1955)

Song of Chori Chori (1956)

Song of Love Marriage (1959)

Song of Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961)

Song of Junglee(1961)

Song of Sasuraal (1961)

Song of Asli-Naqli (1962)

Song of Dil Tera Diwana (1962)

Song of Professor (1962)

Song of Dil Ek Mandir  (1963)

Song of Sangam (1964)

Song of Aarzoo (1965)

Song of An Evening In Paris (1967)

Song of Brahmachari  (1968)

Rajesh Khanna-The heartthrob of the young generation of 1970s,

Rajesh Khanna (29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was the first Super Star of Bollywood.He was a craze among women.Women  would wait for hours to have a glimpse of him, marry his photographs and even name their sons after him.Sharmila Tagore said in interview to Indian Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they would marry his photographs,they would pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection when he was in public. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name.
 The hysteria he generated was unlike anything seen before and after. As hit followed hit, and women all over the country swooned over him, Rajesh Khanna admitted feeling “next to god”He was the Box Office Badshah at one point of time.He had 15 consecutive super hits between 1969 to 1971, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.His greatest acting glory could be marked in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s “Anand”, in which Rajesh Khanna enacts the role of a cancer-patient who knows that his days are being numbered.
He shared a close relationship with R.D. Burman and Kishore Kumar. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag

He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat.but became Super Star only after the release of Aradhna in 1969.He received the Filmfare Best Actor Award three times and the BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) four times.He was also a Lok Sabha member of the Indian National Congress from New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) from 1992 to 1996
During his career, Khanna played the lead in 74 films that were shown in cinemas for more than 50 continuous weeks (Golden Jubilee Hits) which includes 48 films which ran for 75 weeks (Platinum Jubilee hits) and 22 films that were shown for more than 25(Silver Jubilee hits), but less than 50 weeks.

Khanna died on 18 July 2012, after a period of illness. Khanna has been posthumously awarded India's third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan.He has also been honored with a stamp and statue in his likeness, and a road being renamed after him.

Song from Aradhana 1969

Song from  Khamoshi 1969

Song from  Kati Patang (1970)

Song from  Andaz (1971)

Song from  Amar Prem (1972) 

Song from  Mere Jeevan Saathi (1972).

Song from Dushman 1972

Song from  Aap Ki Kasam (1974)

Song from Prem Nagar 1974

Song from Kudrat 1981

Song from Agar Tum Na Hote 1983

Sunil Dutt-Much More Than an Actor

Life for him was one crisis after the other — his early struggles as an actor, bankruptcy as a producer, the death of Nargis, his wife, battle against son Sanjay’s drug addiction and, later, TADA arrest.He bounced back time and again from personal tragedies which would have pulled down a lesser man. In public life, Dutt  symbolises the never-say-die spirit.
 With an ear to the ground and a hand on the pulse of the people, Sunil Dutt lived by his convictions and led from the front.He  arrived in Bombay at the age of 18 with two pairs of clothes and Rs 25 in his pocket, determined to bring back the good times for his family which had lost everything during Partition. Holding a clerical job with the Bombay Bus Service and sharing a room with six others, which often necessitated sleeping out, Dutt studied in Jai Hind College and made some extra money by anchoring cultural shows. He interviewed film stars over Radio Ceylon. His good looks and deep voice prompted producer Ramesh Saigal to offer him the hero’s role in the film Railway Platform.
 The turning point came in 1956 when producer Mehboob Khan signed him to play the son of leading lady Nargis in Mother India. For Nargis, it was the role of a lifetime.As we all know that he rescued his leading lady from a fire in the sets, they discovered they were in love and got married. Three children followed.

He was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Khandan (1965) and Padosan (1967). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra proved to be successful in films such as Gumraah (1963), Waqt (1965) and Hamraaz (1967). 
He admired Jawaharlal Nehru, who had suggested that the film industry should do something for the jawans. Dutt and Nargis formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe and, roping in leading actors and singers from the film industry, held stage shows at border areas.The Dutts donated Rs 1 lakh to the National Defence Fund and grew closer to the Nehru family. Nehru enjoyed watching Sujata, which dealt with untouchability. The Dutts bonded well with Indira Gandhi too. Nargis was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1980, and was urged by Indira to take up the cause of spastic children. The former actress became the chairperson of the Spastics Society of India.

He was appointed the Sheriff of Bombay in 1981, Dutt was persuaded by the Gandhi family to enter politics and contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bombay Northwest. His reputation and clean image helped him win successive Lok Sabha elections, defeating formidable opponents like famous criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Shiv Sena stalwarts such as Madhukar Sarpotdar.
In 1982, he set up the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation in New York which began to collect funds for cancer equipment in Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital. In 1984 he was elected on a Congress ticket from Mumbai North-west to the 8th Lok Sabha.

Thereafter, barring one election, he contested from the same constituency and won convincingly, Shocked by the violence in Punjab, Dutt turned into a padyatri with no political agenda. During his 76-day, 2500-km walk from Bombay to the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1987, Dutt overcame terrible heat, a bout of jaundice and blistered feet to address more than 500 roadside meetings. He stressed that violence would not help any cause. The police warned him that he was a target for terrorists but he shunned security and marched to the Golden Temple, where he was accorded a rousing reception.

The padyatra was repeated some time later, when protesting against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Dutt Saab marched from Hiroshima to Nagasaki, demanding a ban on nukes. "Did God create the world for it to be destroyed by his own children?" he asked. "Each one of us should do our bit to fight nuclear proliferation.

Sunil Dutt was a recipient of numerous awards, including the Padmashree in 1968, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Award for National Integration and Communal Harmony in 1997, the Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Award for International Peace, Communal Harmony, Unity and National Integration in 1997 and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award in 1998.

 In Congress politics, even while keeping away from different groups, he remained a trusted aide of Sonia Gandhi and was among the first ones to receive a ticket for the Lok Sabha poll.

Dutt’s popularity cuts across party lines. He is equally at home with people from all sections of society, be they slum dwellers, glamorous film stars, professionals, Rotarians or the Page-three crowd. His appointment as Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports has been well received.He was a minister when he died on 25th May 2005 at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.

Songs from Sunil Dutt's Films

Song from Mother India (1957)

Song from Sujata (1959)

Song from Hum Hindustani (1960)

Song from Chhaya (1961)

Song from Milan (1967)

The Great Ghazals Of TALAT MAHMOOD

Talat Mahmood is known as The King Of Ghazal a title  he consolidated over the period of years to become the greatest name in ghazals He began his music career at the young age of 16 when he began singing the ghazals of Ghalib, Dagh, Mir and Jigar on All India Radio, Lucknow. His  first disc was released in 1941, "Sab din ek samaan nahin tha, ban jaoonga kya se kya main, iska to kuch dhyan nahin tha"
In 1944 came the smash hit "Tasveer teri dil mera behela na sakegi". It took the country by storm. It's popularity was so phenomenal and unrivalled that even today it remains one of the biggest non-film hits! This disc brought Talat fame throughout India and soon he was beckoned by the Calcutta Film Industry, which was then the premiere hub of film production in the 40's. 
He came to Bombay in 1949,His name and fame had already preceded him and people in the Mumbai Film Industry were already aware of this handsome and talented young singer and soon he was offered the song "Ae dil mujhe aisi jagha le chal jahan koi na ho" composed by the then reigning music director Anil Biswas and picturised  on the great Dilip Kumar. The song was a great hit,it layed the fpoundation of a new trend of Ghazal in Bollywood.The mellowness, sweetness and pathos in his voice set him apart from all the other singers. Here was a voice that was fresh !  The style absolutely new !!  He was unanimously hailed as "The King Of Ghazals"
Towards the late 60's the filmi ghazals and good romantic songs gave way to the electronic rhythms of the disco generation. Disliking the new trend towards loud meaningless music, Talat decided to cut down his film singing assignments but continued his non-film ghazal recordings. 
 His last soundtrack recording, in 1985, is the song "Mere Shareek-e-Safar", a duet sung with Miss Hemlata, from the movie "Wali-e-Azam" composed by Chitragupt and written by Ahmed Wasi.He  influenced a whole generation of young singers who succeeded him; including legendary ghazal singers Jagjit Singh and Pankaj Udhas (who always honors him with the title of Shahenshah-E-Ghazal), singer Sajjad Ali and playback singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya.
My Favourite Ghazals Of TALAT

Song from Aarzoo (1949) Aye Dil Mujhe Aisi Jaga Le Chal

Song from Baabul (1950) Milte Hi AAnkhen Dil Hua Deewana

Song from Madhosh (1951) Meri yaad me tum na

Song from Daag (1952) Aye mere dil kahin aur chal 

Song from Foothpath (1953) Sham-E-Gham ki qassam

Song from Dil-e-Nadaan (1953) Zindagi dene wale sun

Song from Taxi Driver (1954) Jayen to jayen kahan 

Song from  Mirza Ghalib (1955) Dil-E-Nadaan tujhe hua kya hai

Song from  Sujata (1959) Jalte hain jiske liye