MADHUBALA-Whose Life Was Just As Tragic As Anarkali’s

Madhubala (February 14, 1933 - February 23, 1969) the woman who was born on Valentine's Day and became India's sweetheart struggled to find true love all through her life is one of the most gorgeous actresses to have graced the screens of Bollywood.Madhubala is an epitome of beauty, who had an unbeatable charm. She is admired for her looks and work even by the present day generations.
At a tender age of 9, Madhubala, then known as Mumtaz Begum, was signed in for the film Basant in 1942. It was only a matter of time that Madhubala shot to fame and her work in the 1949 film Mahal got her the success she rightfully deserved. She was just 16.
Her life was full of struggle,when she was 9 as her father lost his job. She was one of five children in the family and her earnings helped the family to survive hard times.  Her first film as child artist was Basant (1942), was a box-office success.As a child actress she went on to play in several movies. Actress Devika Rani was impressed by her performance and potential, and advised her to assume the screen name 'Madhubala'.
By the time she turned 14, Madhubala was playing the leading lady (in ‘Neel Kamal’) with Raj Kapoor in 1947.

It was in 1954 when the gorgeous Madhubala was shooting for SS Vasan’s film Bahut Din Huwe and during the shooting, she vomited blood, reportedly, for the very first time. She resumed shooting soon after being treated and everybody presumed that she was perfectly alright until she fainted while shooting with Raj Kapoor for the 1957 film Chalack. 
It was diagnosed that she had a serious condition of cyanosis and poor oxygen perfusion, colloquially referred to as a “hole in the heart”. And it’s our collective loss that during that time, the medical community’s understanding of the condition was in its infancy and there was no available treatment.
On the one hand, she was fighting for her life and doing justice to her art, and on the other, she was traversing and struggling with her personal life. Madhubala was engaged to the legendary actor Dilip Kumar. However, their relationship reportedly went south because Madhubala’s father wasn't happy with it.

Madhubala left Dilip Sahab soon after and subsequently, married Kishore Kumar. Well, things were looking up for her but the doctors soon informed her that she won’t live for long. The tragedy only deepened with Kishore Kumar buying her a house in Mumbai, only to leave her alone.

In 1960, Madhubala was at the peak of her career and popularity with the release of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat. She did have intermittent releases in the early 1960s. Some of these, like Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962) and Sharabi (1964).Her last film released was Jwala in 1971.
Isn’t it ironical that the beautiful and charming leading heroine of Indian films, who was growing into a vibrant and serene actor, accumulating recognition around the world, was also slowly and simultaneously degenerating into a fragile being, who’s plight was only known to a few.
Another tragedy was that She acted in 70 films but most of her films were flops.Only 15 films were hit,still she was the most saught after heroine of her time.but another irony was that she spent her last days in depression and loneliness. What was once the most beautiful face to ever grace the silver screen, full of freshness, vibrancy and youth, was left alone to perish.
She succumbed to her illness on February 23rd, 1969, and passed away, leaving behind a timeless remembrance, full of beauty, grit and ‘feathers’.
Best Of Madhubala's Song

Song from Mahal 1949

Song from Amar 1954

Song from Mr. & Mrs. '55 1955

Song from Kala Pani 1958

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Song from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi 1958

Song from Barsaat Ki Raat 1960

Song from Mughal-e-Azam 1960

Remembering LALITA PAWAR-The Leading Actress of Silent Era of Bollywood

Born Amba Laxman Rao Sagun on 18 April 1916, into an orthodox family in Yeola in Nashik,Lalita Pawar started her acting career at age nine in the film, Raja Harishchandra (1928), and later went on to play lead roles in silent era and 1940's films.

She changed her name to Lalita and in the 1930s acted in a series of successful daredevil silent films like Himmat-e-Mard ("A Brave Man"), Chevorlet and Captain Kishore..
LALITA PAWAR played the squint-eyed, scheming and vitriolic mother- in-law to perfection in scores of Indian films in an acting career that spanned nearly 60 years in Bollywood appearing in over 700 films.She was not a born squint in fact she became squint eyed in an accident while shooting in a film.
In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie Jung-E-Azadi, actor Master Bhagwan was to slap her hard. Being a new actor, he accidentally slapped her very hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left eye vein. Three years of treatment later, she was left with a defective left eye; thus she had to abandon lead roles

,
She later became famous as a character actress, in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati cinema.Her other memorable roles were in film, Anari (1959), Shri 420 and Mr & Mrs 55, and the role of Manthara, in Ramanand Sagar's television epic serial, Ramayan
She was given Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award for Anari 1959,She was also given the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Acting in 1961.She was a powerful performer met a sad and lonesome end.Her death was unnoticed for two days when her family was in Mumbai for her husband's throat surgery.She died on 24 February 1998 in Aundh, Pune, where she had been staying, for a while.

Song from Gharana

Scene from Anari

Scene from Shri 420

Scene from Mr & Mrs 55

Remembering MADHUBALA-The Venus of Indian Cinema on her 84th Birth Anniversary

Madhubala (February 14, 1933 - February 23, 1969) the woman who was born on Valentine's Day and became India's sweetheart struggled to find true love all through her life is one of the most gorgeous actresses to have graced the screens of Bollywood.Madhubala is an epitome of beauty, who had an unbeatable charm. She is admired for her looks and work even by the present day generations.
Born as Mumtaz, Madhubala joined the Bombay film industry when she was 9 as her father lost his job. She was one of five children in the family and her earnings helped the family to survive hard times. By the time she turned 14, Madhubala was playing the leading lady (in ‘Neel Kamal’) with Raj Kapoor in 1947.Her first film as child artist was Basant (1942), was a box-office success.As a child actress she went on to play in several movies. Actress Devika Rani was impressed by her performance and potential, and advised her to assume the screen name 'Madhubala'.

She acted in 70 films but most of her films were flops.Only 15 films were hit,still she was the most saught after heroine of her time.
It was the movie Mahal (1949) which made Madhubala a household name. The song Aayega Aanewala made both Madhubala and Lata Mangeshkar superstars.

Following the success of Mahal, Madhubala appeared in the box office 
hits Dulari (1949), Beqasoor (1950), Tarana (1951) and Badal (1951).Her 1950 film Hanste Aansoo was the first ever Hindi film to get an "A" – adults only – rating from the Central Board of Film Certification.
 In the mid-1950s, her films including the major ones like Mehboob Khan's Amar (1954) did not do well commercially. However, she bounced back between 1958 and 1960 when she starred in a series of hit films. These include Howrah Bridge, opposite Ashok Kumar where she played the role of an Anglo-Indian Cabaret singer involved in Calcutta's Chinatown underworld. In the song Aaiye Meherebaan from this film, she lip-synced a torch song dubbed by Asha Bhosle which has remained popular to this day. Among other successful films, she played opposite Bharat Bhushan in Phagun; Dev Anand in Kala Pani; Kishore Kumar in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi; and Bharat Bushan again in Barsaat Ki Raat (1960). Then in 1960, she appeared in the magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam.It was the film Mughal-e-Azam that marked what many consider to be Madhubala's greatest and definitive characterization, as the doomed courtesan, Anarkali.

She co-starred with all the popular heroes of that time including Ashok Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Rehman, Pradeep Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Dev Anand. She also worked with many top directors including Mehboob Khan (Amar), Guru Dutt (Mr & Mrs '55), Kamal Amrohi (Mahal) and K Asif (Mughal-e-Azam). She also ventured into production and made the film Naata (1955).
In 1960, Madhubala was at the peak of her career and popularity with the release of Mughal-e-Azam and Barsaat Ki Raat. She did have intermittent releases in the early 1960s. Some of these, like Jhumroo (1961), Half Ticket (1962) and Sharabi (1964).Her last film released was Jwala in 1971.
Madhubala married Kishore Kumar in 1960 after Kishore Kumar converted to Islam and took up the name Karim Abdul, and according to Leena Chandavarkar (Kishore's fourth wife): "When she realized Dilip was not going to marry her, on the rebound and just to prove to him that she could get whomsoever she wanted, she went and married a man she did not even know properly.
Madhubala had ventricular septal defect (a hole in her heart) which was detected while she was shooting for Bahut Din Huwe in Madras in 1954.By 1960, her condition aggravated, and her sister explains that "due to her ailment, her body would produce extra blood. So it would spill out from the nose and mouth.
When acting was no longer an option Madhubala turned her attention to film direction. 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 February 23, 1969, shortly after her 36th birthday.
My Tribute to her
Song from Neel Kamal the first film as a leading lady,Raj Kapoor also made his debute with this film

Song from Neelkamal 1947

Song from Mahal 1949

Song from Dulari 1949

Song from Tarana 1951

Song from Mr &Mrs 55 1955

Song from Phagun 1958

Song from Kala Paani 1958

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Song from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi  1958

Song from Jaali Note  1960

Song from Barsaat Ki Raat  1960

Song from Mughal-e-Azam  1960

Song from  Jhumroo 1961

Remembering JOHNNY WALKER on his 13th Death Anniversary

Johnny Walker (11 Nov 1920 – 29 July 2003)

He was born as Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi in Indore,the son of a mill worker. Looking after his 15-member family was tough; five of the family died young. Johnny Walker tried his hand at almost everything, including working in the Bombay Electric Supply Transport buses as a conductor. He was posted at the Dadar bus depot but worked on several routes.
Comedians like Noor Mohammad and Charlie were his idols. Johnnysaab had always wanted to be a comedian; he believed it was his God-given duty to make people laugh.

Scene from Baazi(1951)

Scene from Taxi Driver

scene from Pyaasa

song from Taxi Driver

song from CID

He did his first bit role in the early 1950s and had enacted similar snippets in about 20 films but the real break was given by Guru Dutt in Baazi(1951),his new screen name Johnny Walker was given by Guru Dutt.Thereafter he was doing all the films of Guru Dutt.Films like Taxi Driver(1954) CID,Pyaasa,Madhumati,Naya Daur and Mere Mehboob made him a star.He was sought by the best banners and the best directors and was equal to the task of acting with the best of the stars. 

Comedy Scene from Mere Mehboob

Comedy Scene from CID

Comedy Scene from Aar Paar

He was offered many films(around 12) as a hero such as JOHNNY WALKER ,Mr Cartoon, These, of course, had comic themes but were embellished with wonderful music and did well at the box office. 
His Golden Period was 50s and 60s when he gave memorable and great performances.
He was a natural comedian, his comedy was never crude or vulgar. But, 1970 onwards, comedy began to change. Some of the comedians indulged in lewd gestures and relied on double-entendre.Johnny Walker never tried that type of comedy,In an interview he said that though he acted more than 300 films and the Censor Board never cut even one line of his character.

He was the comedian for whom famous music directors like S D Burman and O P Nayyar tuned some of their most memorable hits. Remember Tael maalish, champee or Yeh hain Bombay meri jaan? His drawing power at the box office was such that Distributors insisted the Producers and Directors to have atleast one song to be done with him.His song sequences in Doordarshan'sChitrahaar or cable television are highly appreciated. 

song from Mr & Mrs 55

song from Khota Paisa

song from Chaudhavin Ka Chaand

                                                                                      song from Chori Chori

song from Mere Mehboob

song from Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi

During the mid-eighties, Johnny Walker tried to produce a film but was quickly disillusioned by the attitude of the industry people, particularly the stars.His last movie was Chachi 420(1997) did after the gap of 14 years.
He was given his first Filmfare award as the Best Supporting Actor in Madhumati(1958) and later the best Comedian award for Shikar(1968)

Comedy scene from SHIKAR(1968)

Johny Walker died at the age of 79 on 29th July 2003.He is survived by his wife,3 sons and 3 daughters.His actor son Nasir was on his side when he breathed his last at 1.10 P M

To Give Him Tribute,I am posting here some of his best comedy scenes from his movies

Comedy scene from Mr & Mrs 55

Comedy scene from Paigham(1959)

Comedy scene from Anand

Comedy scene from Baat Ek Raat Ki

Comedy scene from Kaagaz Ke Phool(1959)

Comedy scene from Chupke Chupke

Comedy scene from Chori Chori

Comedy scene from Sanjog(1971)

comedy scene from Chaudhavin Ka Chaand

comedy scene from Barati

comedy scene from Mr Cartoon M A