Kishore Kumar - A Reluctant Actor

Kishore Kumar started his cinema career as a chorus singer at Bombay Talkies, where his brother Ashok Kumar worked. Kumar's first film appearance was in Shikari (1946), in which his brother, Ashok played the lead role.He played the role of a Police Inspector in his 2nd film Shehnai in 1947.
In 1949, he settled in Mumbai. Kishore,  Kumar played the lead in the Bombay Talkies film Andolan (1951), directed by Phani Majumdar. Although he got some acting assignments with the help of his brother, he was more interested in becoming a singer.
Between 1946 and 1955, Kumar appeared in 22 films of which 16 were flops and since he was disinterested in taking up acting as a career, he would find ways to be in the bad books of the director or producer, so that they throw him from their films. It was only after the success of films such as Ladki, Naukari, Miss Malaysia, Char Paise and Baap Re Baap that Kumar developed interest in acting seriously, which resulted in him having successful films as the lead actor between 1955 and 1966.Some of his other successful films as an actor are Paisa Hi Paisa (1956), New Delhi (1956), Naya Andaz (1956), Bhagam Bhaag (1956), Bhai Bhai (1956), Aasha(1957), Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Dilli Ka Thug (1958), Jaalsaaz (1959), Bombay Ka Chor (1962), Chacha Zindabad (1959), Man-Mauji(1962), Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962), Mr. X in Bombay (1964), Shreeman Funtoosh (1965), Ek Raaz (1963), Ganga Ki Lahren (1964), Hum Sab Ustaad Hai (1965), Haal E Dil, Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966) and Padosan (1968).
A devout fan of K.L.Saigal, Kishore Kumar deeply respected Rabindranath Tagore and was an ardent admirer of Hollywood actor-singer Danny Kaye. He hung the portraits of all these three personalities at his Gaurikunj residence and would bow respectfully before them everyday as a rule. Interestingly, the singer considered the trees in his garden his closest friends and even had names for them!
Kishore Kumar also produced 14 films, and wrote the story for these films. Six of these films were not completed. ^[1] He is also credited with writing the screenplays of five films, two of which remained incomplete. He also directed 12 films, four of which were abandoned.  Kishore Kumar acted in 88 Hindi films.
Here are some songs picturised on Kishore Kumar

Song of Andolan 1951

Song of Tamasha 1952

Song of Ladki 1953

Song of Naukri 1954

Song of Baap Re Baapi 1955

Song of Bhai Bhai 1956

Song of Mem Sahib 1956

Song of Asha 1957

Song of Chalti Ka Naam Gadi1958

Song of Dilli Ka Thug1958

Song of Bewaqoof 1960

Song of Manmauji 1962

Song of Half Ticket1962

Song of Half Ticket1962

Song of Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Main 1964

Song of Pyar Kiye Jaa 1966

Song of Padosan 1968

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

Rajesh Khanna- Dev Anand was his Inspiration

Rajesh Khanna in an interview said that he was an ardent admirer of Dev Anand from his teens.When I joined films in 1967, I was highly inspired by his acting style. He was amongst the first to view Aradhana and compliment me genuinely. As I rose in stature as an actor in the early 70s, I received healthy and clean competition from Anand, who was still going strong with a super hit like Johny Mera Naam. 
He allowed Kishore Kumar to sing for me in Aradhana without a second thought. The songs of Aradhana made him the super star.
Rajesh Khanna was first taken by Chetan Anand in Aakhri Khat.It was during the muhurat he met ehis idol Dev Anand. Before that he used to come to see the shooting of Jewel Thief.

Rajesh Khanna, Yash Chopra's with Dev Anand

There were talks of Amit Khanna producing a film in which both were to have acted together. The film never went on floors. In fact, when Khanna’s films started flopping in the late 70s, Anand was the first to encourage him by saying, “Why are you losing confidence? You are a brilliant actor. Look at me and my ups and downs. You termed me the leap year hero. Have confidence in yourself and march forward keeping in mind that the coming days are yours.”

Song of Aradhana 1969

Guru Dutt-The Maker of Commercial Films with Artistic Flvour

Guru Dutt was a part of the exclusive school of Indian cinema -- the likes of Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan and Bimal Roy, which were always a healthy blend of artistic and commercial elements between mid '50s and '60s.
He is most famous for making brilliant lyrical and artistic films within the context of popular Indian cinema of the 1950s, and expanding its commercial conventions, starting with his 1957 masterpiece, Pyaasa. Several of his later works have a cult following. He was one of the pillars of the a Golden Era of Bollywood. 
Guru Dutt (9th July 1925) was born Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone in Bangalore to Shivashankar Rao Padukone and Vasanthi Padukone
Guru Dutt had a tough childhood with financial difficulties, and a strained relationship between his parents.He was a good student, but never went to college, partly because of financial troubles at home. Instead, he joined the performing arts troupe of Uday Shankar.
He joined his parents in Mumbai in 1944. Dutt's uncle found him a job under a three-year contract with the Prabhat Film Company in Pune the same year. It is here that Guru Dutt met two people who would remain his good friends -- actors Rehman and Dev Anand.y
Guru Dutt acted in a small role as Sri Krishna in Chand in 1944. In 1945, he acted as well as assisted director Vishram Bedekar in Lakhrani, and in 1946 he worked as an assistant director and choreographed dances for P.L. Santoshi's film, Hum Ek Hain.

Guru Dutt developed a flair for writing in English, and wrote short stories for The Illustrated Weekly of India, a local weekly English magazine.
It is during this time that he is supposed to have written the script for the almost autobiographical Pyaasa.
After Prabhat failed in 1947, Dutt moved to Bombay, where he worked with two leading directors of the time, with Amiya Chakravarty in Girl's School, and with Gyan Mukherjee in the Bombay Talkies film Sangram. Then, Dev Anand offered him a job as a director in his new company, Navketan, after the first movie had flopped.
Thus, Guru Dutt's first film, Navketan's Baazi, was released in 1951.

He made the quintessential 1950-'60s classics such as Kaagaz Ke Phool, Pyaasa, Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam and Chaudhvi Ka Chaand.

His movies go full house when re-released; especially in Germany, France and Japan. Today, no world cinema class is complete without inclusion of Guru Dutt. Pyaasa was rated as one of the best 100 films of all time by the Time Magazine.

Dutt's Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) was an intense disappointment. He had invested a great deal of love, money, and energy in this film, which was a self-absorbed tale of a famous director (played by Guru Dutt) who falls in love with an actress (played by Waheeda Rehman, Dutt's real-life love interest). Kaagaz Ke Phool failed at the box office and Dutt was devastated. Though he produced 2 films after that Chaudhvi Ka Chand and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, both the films recovered his loses but he never recovered from his mental state.he was not on good terms with his wife, Geeta Dutt; Waheeda Rehman had distanced with him. There was sleeping trouble that had him taking sleeping aid, and he was drinking since 5 pm that evening. Suicide or a lethal dose -- it was a loss to Indian cinema industry? 

On October 10, 1964, Guru Dutt was found dead in his bed in his rented apartment at Pedder Road in Bombay. He is said to have been mixing alcohol and sleeping pills. His death may have been suicide, or just an accidental overdose.

Song of Jaal 1952

Song of Baazi 1951

Song of Aar Paar1954

Song of C I D 1956

Song of Pyaasa 1957

Song of Kagaz ke Phool 1958

Song of Chaudhvi Ka Chand 1960

Song of Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam  1963

Dev Anand - The Karma Yogi of Indian Cinema

Dev Anand played the lead role in 110 movies – more than any other Hindi film star.  Not only that, of the total of 114 Hindi films he appeared in, 82 were box office hits – a success rate of 72%. It is hard to imagine any other actor, then or now, with such a high success rate.
His rapid-fire dialogue delivery, his legendary style, the hats, scarves, his very long career in the Hindi film industry, his discovery of new stars, the wonderful music in his films, and above all, a singular dedication to films and film-making.  
He never bothered about the commercial success of the film,  he continued to make films which no one really watched.  He did not make them for others, but for his own sheer joy of making those films.  This is a love for his art that is way out of the ordinary and truly epitomizes the “karma yogi” of the Bhagavad Gita.

Dev Anand entered into direction with Prem Pujari in 1970, it was not a successful film but he never got disturbed by its failure, he immediately went on to make Hare Rama Hare Krishna with an unusual subject of Hippies. The film released in 1972 and it was a hit.

The next film he produced and directed was Heera Panna released in 1973. The film starred Zeenat Aman and Rakhi opposite Dev. It was a moderately successful film. Immediately after this released Ishq Ishq Ishq in 1974 which was a flop. It is said that Dev Anand was very upset with the outcome of this film but he decided to make another film. This time he took a new heroine Tina Munim in Des Pardes, released in 1978. Dev Anand chose comparatively new music director Rajesh Roshan for this film, who did full justice to his selection as most of the songs became quite popular. The film was successful. 
After the success of Dev Anand started Lootmar with the same team. It was released in 1980, it was an average at the Box Office.

 In 1984, he introduced his son Suneil Anand as Hero with Anand Aur Anand. The film flopped but he continued to make films.
After that, he made nine films but none of his film clicked at Box Office. the last film he made was Chargesheet released in 2011. Starring himself, Jackie Shroff, Naseeruddin Shah and Divya Dutta in lead roles, while Riya Sen appears in an item number.
After Lashkar, Dev Anand has not had a single hit. His films have come and gone unnoticed, but he continued to make films. On his flops, he said  “My films may have flopped. But that does not indicate I flopped too!Otherwise, how can I carry on making films?

Feroz Khan- A Successful Journey from Third Grade films to Top Banners

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 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).
In his role as the wayward younger brother of Raj Kumar, he was noticed in the black and white  film Oonche Log (1965), Feroz Khan comes across as a young, vulnerable and charming youth in Mohammed Rafi numbers “Haye re tere chanchal nainwa , kuchh baat karein ruk jaayein” and “Jaag Dil-e-Deewana, Rut jaagi wasl-e-yaar ki”.

After this film came Arzoo, in which he had a chunky role, one could see Feroz Khan at his romantic and emotional best. He had some beautiful scenes in Kashmir opposite the exceptionally pretty heroine, Sadhana.  With this, Khan started to receive A-list second leads. With the film Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), Khan won his first Filmfare award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
In 1970 released Safar, in this film the Hero was Rajesh Khanna but Feroz Khan played an important role in this film. In 1971 he appeared in 2 films as the 2nd lead to his younger brother Sanjay Khan( Mela and Upasana).

To improve his career opportunities as a leading man he started his own Production Company.He became a successful producer and director with the 1972 film Apradh, Mumtaaz was his co-star in this film. Apradh was the first Indian movie showing auto racing in Germany,it was a moderate success at the box office. After that, he produced, directed and starred in the 1975 film Dharmatma, which was the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan and was also his first blockbuster hit as a producer, director and star and marked the appearance of actress Hema Malini in a glamorous avatar. This movie was inspired by the Hollywood film The Godfather. 

Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he was a leading Bollywood star, directing and starring in many of his films. He also starred in the Punjabi film Bhagat Dhanna Jat (1974). The 1980 film Qurbani, with Zeenat Aman, was the biggest hit of his career and launched the singing career of iconic Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan, with her memorable track "Aap Jaisa Koi". In 1986, he directed and starred in Janbaaz, a box office hit, In 1988, he directed and starred in Dayavan, which was a remake of an Indian Tamil film titled Nayakan. After directing and starring in Yalgaar (1992),
He launched his son Fardeen Khan's career with the 1998 film Prem Aggan, which, however, was a box office bomb.  he took a long break from acting for 11 years.
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.
He appeared in over 51 films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons 

Song of Unche Log

Song from CID 909 1967

Song from Safar1970

Song from Apradh 1972

Song from Khote Sikkey 1973

Song from Dharmatma 1974

Song from Qurbani 1980

Song from Jaanbaz 1986