This BLOG is about the Past of Hindi Films Specially Black and White Cinema We will refresh your memories by bringing out forgotten or unseen songs and clippings of film scenes We will try to give you as much information as we gather from our research.
This Blog was started as a one-man’s passion for film history but has now become an addiction for many music lovers who are equally passionate about Hindi films
This film is a classic entertainer, released on 24th November 1972, the film was a blockbuster. Inspired by Ram Aur Shyam the film has a strong script by Salim Javed. Hema Malini in a double role brings the film to life with her natural charm and beauty.
The story is about identical twins (played by Hema Malini) who are separated at birth and grow up with different temperaments. After they meet each other as adults, they swap places. The two sisters' partners in the movie are played by Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, while Manorama plays the villainous aunt.
Despite the presence of Dharmendra who was the reigning star of the time. and Sanjeev Kumar, it is an outright Hema Malini film. She got the Filmfare Award for best actress for that year.R.D. Burman's music is outstanding. All the songs are lovely, from the happily exciting "Oh Saathi Chal" to the catchy "Zindagi Hai Khel" to the ballad "Haan Ji Haan"
Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar, the two legendary actors of Bollywood were born on 9th July of 1925 and 1938 respectively. What a coincidence that both died prematurely. Both started their career early in their life. Guru Dutt got ajob under a three-year contract with the Prabhat Film Company in Pune when he was just nineteen years of age. Sanjeev Kumar also started his acting career as a stage actor, starting with IPTA in Bombay and later joining the Indian National Theatre. At the age of 22, he played an old man in a play, an adaptation of Arthur Miller'sAll My Sons. In the following year, in the play Damru directed by AK Hangal, he again played the role of a 60-year-old with six children.
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.. Sanjeev Kumar made his film debut with a small role in Hum Hindustani in 1960.
Even though Guru Dutt and Sanjeev Kumar never worked together, they do share a curious link – K Asif’s Love And God. The film had a long and troubled production history with shooting starting in 1963 with Guru Dutt as Kais and Nimmi as Laila. However Guru Dutt's sudden death in 1964 left the film incomplete and it was shelved. Then, Asif recast Sanjeev Kumar as Kais and resumed production of the film in 1970. Unfortunately, the director K. Asif died on 9 March 1971 at the age of 48/49 and the film was once again left incomplete. Fifteen years later, Asif's senior widow Akhtar Asif decided to release the incomplete film with the help of producer-director-distributor K. C. Bokadia. In a few months, they managed to salvage some usable portions of the incomplete film from three different studios and pieced them together. This cut-paste incomplete version was finally released on 27 May 1986. By the time of the film's release, several of the film's cast members had died, including its leading actor Sanjeev Kumar, who died in 1985.
Guru Dutt in Love & God
Sanjeev Kumar in Love & God
Another similarity both had was their love life, both had a troubled love affair. Though Guru Dutt was married to Geeta Roy but fell in love with Waheeda Rehman. Sanjeev Kumar proposed to Hema Malini in 1973 and they remained in touch even after he suffered his first heart attack in 1976. Later an actress Sulakshana Pandit started liking him and proposed for marriage, but both of them remained unmarried. Kumar refused to marry her, as a result of which Sulakshana vowed to never marry anyone.
Their turbulent, tragic, and unlucky-in-love personas haunted the two stars throughout their life, one went in depression and comitted suicide and the other died of heart attack.
This was the first song picturized on Sanjeev Kumar on his first film as a hero in Nishaan released in 1965. The song was sung by Mohammad Rafi and composed by Usha Khanna. The film went unnoticed but this song became popular.
He made his film debut with a small role in Hum Hindustani in 1960. His first film as a protagonist was in Nishan (1965). In 1968, he acted alongside the famous actor of that time, Dilip Kumar, in Sangharsh. Dilip Kumar was very much impressed with his acting. He appeared in the 1968 film Shikar, he got the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor He was praised for the 1970 film.Khilona(.
He started accepting the roles of an old man at every young age, recall him in Arjun Pandit, Sholay and Trishul,. His portrayal of the character Thakur, from Sholay, released in August 1975, was one of his stellar performances. In Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974), Sanjeev Kumar reprised the nine-role He also proved his ability to do comedy in films such as Manchali, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Angoor, Biwi-O-Biwi and Hero. His double role in the film Angoor was listed among the 25 best acting performances of Indian cinema
Khilona,produced by L.V. Prasad under the Prasad Productions Pvt. Ltd. banner and directed by Chander Vohra. It stars Jeetendra, Mumtaz, Sanjeev Kumarin lead roles was released on 8th April 1970. With this film, 3 prominent Stars of the future emerged in Bollywood. Mumtaz as a top heroine of the 70s, Sanjeev Kumar as Hero and Shatrughan Sinha as top Villain. Mumtaz, who had risen from the ranks to make a mark in “Do Raaste” just a year before gave a stunning performance. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for this film. Sanjeev Kumar, who did many films earlier had to wait for more than a decade to make his mark in “Khilona”. He was nominated as the Best Actor.Shatrughan Sinha — showing glimpses of the characteristics that were to become his trademark in later years.
The film was a super hit. The film received six nominations at the 18th Filmfare Awards in 1971, of which it won the Filmfare Best Movie Award and Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mumtaz. Other nominations were for Best Actor (Sanjeev Kumar), Best Comic (Jagdeep), Best Story (Gulshan Nanda) and Best Male Playback Singer (Mohammed Rafi). Sanjeev Kumar who plays Vijay Kamal is a son of a rich Thakur, who lost his mind. because his lover Sapna marries his neighbor Bihari (Shatrughan Sinha) and then she commits suicide on the night of the Diwali party hosted by Bihari. This incident puts Vijay in shock. Thakur believes that if Vijay gets married, his mental health would improve. He hence approaches a tawaif, Chand (Mumtaz) to pretend to be Vijay's wife and thus help him get better. which she accepts. Once, in a fit of madness, Vijay sexually assaults Chand. But later, Chand becomes very friendly with Vijay and that starts improving his condition. Bihari had an eye for Chand, he wants to have an affair with her. He makes a plan for that but Chand does not let Bihari's plan work.
Jeetendra has a small role, he plays Mohan, the younger brother of Sanjeev Kumar also loves Chand but is heartbroken when he finds out that she is pregnant (owing to the assault) and is carrying Vijay's child. Dejected, he leaves home without notice. Vijay whose mental condition was improving day by day once had a fight with Bihari, In this fight, Bihari falls off the terrace and this shocks Vijay, curing him of his mental ailment. His memory returns but now he doesn't recognize Chand. She is nowis thrown out of the house by the other members of the family who were opposed to her since the beginning.
Jeetendra now steps in and accuses everyone of treating her like a toy and only using her when needed. He reveals how she saved Radha(Their sister) from Bihari's evil pursuits. It is also revealed that Chand was actually born in a noble family and was only raised as a tawaif as she was found alone after a train accident. The family thus accepts Chand and all ends well. The film had first-rate music, with some blockbuster songs, including “Sanam Tu Bewafa ke naam se”, sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and the two Rafi numbers, “Khush Rahe Tu Sada” and “Khilona Jaankar Tum”
Released in 1970, Dastak is a celluloid adaptation of the Urdu play by Rajendra Singh Bedi, Naql-e-Makani he penned during his All India Radio stint in pre-Independence Lahore and chronicles a blameless married couple’s humiliation and horror over ugly prejudices. The film is known for its performances by its leading cast, Sanjeev Kumar, and the newcomer, Rehana Sultan, and for its memorable songs by Madan Mohan. A MUST WATCH film.
The film was known for its unusual storyline set in a red light area. A newlywed couple, Hamid (Sanjeev Kumar) and Salma (Rehana Sultan), unwittingly rent a flat, and thus begins their daily turmoil at the knocks (dastak) on their door. The previous occupant was Shamshad Begum (Shakeela), a famous Mujrewali (nautch girl).
The music of Dastak stood out for its allegiance to the classical traditions of raga-based melodies by its music director Madan Mohan, who managed to get from Lata Mangeshkar, ostensibly her best performance as a playback singer.
Madan Mohan won his first National Film Award for it and the lyrics of Majrooh Sultanpuri. Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the famous film director-turned-editor of this black-and-white film and won a Filmfare Award, his second after Madhumati in 1958.
Corruption and Honesty was the relevant subject 50 years ago. Unemployment, continual poverty and rampant corruption are severely undermining institutions all around. This subject is more relevant today but no film on this subject is being made today. Satyakam is a classic movie on this subject released in 1969. This film was produced by Dharmendra and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on a Bengali novel of the same name by Narayan Sanyal. The film stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar, and Ashok Kumar. The film was scored by Laxmikant Pyarelal. This is considered to be Dharmendra's finest acting performance of his career. This film also won the National Film Award For Best Feature Film in Hindi. Today we may laugh at the sarcasm contained in Rajinder Singh Bedi's acrid dialogue in the film: "Yeh aadmi (about dharmendra) bahut hi badmaash aur paaji hai. Rishvat vagerah nahin khaata
The film opens with Sanjeev Kumar's voiceover describing the plight of the mythical Satyakamjabala who takes on his mother's name because of his questionable fatherhood. While the drama begins in 1946, the narrative actually takes place in post-Independence India. Satyapriya (Dharmendra) is raised in an ashram by his grandfather, Satyadarshan Acharya (Ashok Kumar), a staunch nationalist and a Sanskrit scholar. He studies engineering gets a job in United Paper Mill in a princely state soon after Independence but is disillusioned when repeatedly asked to compromise his ideals.
While struggling between his principles and conscience he meets Ranjana (Sharmila Tagore), daughter of a prostitute, who is pregnant after a criminal assault. Satyapriya marries the hapless girl, and soon a son is born. This relationship was not acceptable to his graHe moved He moved from one town to another, from one job to another because of his unwillingness to compromise his honesty. Destiny lands him a job where he has to work under Narendra's supervision. Narendra(Sanjeev Kumar) was his class fellow in engineering. Narendra's philosophy of life was that to succeed and survive one has to make adjustments. Satyapriya and Ranjana also have their share of marital conflicts. She tries to lead a normal life and longs to forget her past. Satyapriya is constantly reminded of his failure and appears to make up for it by increasing rigidity about applying his principles in real life.
Struggling professionally, he is struck by an incurable and fatal illness. In the end, hospitalised and unable to even speak, Satyapriya is pursued by an unscrupulous contractor seeking approval for a badly executed civil project, in lieu of which the contractor would give him a substantial sum that would take care of Satyapriya's wife Ranjana and their child after his death. One moment he thought of accepting the offer but Ranjana, his wife does not want to see him falter at the end stage of his life. She tears apart the documents and finds him smiling at her. Although unable to speak, Satyapriya is clearly happy that he was able to convert at least one person to his idealist worldview. On learning of Satyapriya's condition, his grandfather "Daddaji" comes visiting him.After his passing, the grandfather makes some excuses about not feeling responsible for Satyapriya's widow and child, and is about to leave for his Gurukula. At that moment, Satyapriya and Ranjana's child (Sarika) publicly speaks out saying the real reason is that the grandfather is unsure of his, i.e. Satyapriya and Ranjana's child's paternity. Sanjeev Kumar shows all signs of an actor on the rise. He plays the sutradhaar, whose voiceover carries the entire movie till the end. Ashok Kumar in a strong cameo heightens the drama and brings justice to the irony of the climax.
The film was one of the best films of Hrishikesh Mukharjee, the only drawback of the film was it's music. The film didn't do well on the Box Office.Like a torch bearer of truth in the darkness of the present age, Satyakam will live on as long as the validity of truth will exist.
Five decades ago, another superstar took on the part of a thug in director Harnam Singh Rawail’s rather successful venture, Sunghursh (1968). That was Dilip Kumar, he gives a stirring performance, the real delight is when he breaks into a folk dance “Mere Pairon Mein Ghungroo Bandh De Aur Phir Meri Chaal Dekh Le”.
The movie was released on 01 July 1968. The movie is directed by Harnam Singh Rawail and featured Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala and Balraj Sahni as lead characters. A most surprising find of the movie was Sanjeev Kumar. His performance of negative role shot to fame. He was commended for his role while a newcomer as compared with established actors like Dilip Kumar and Balraj Sahni
Set in Varanasi, this fast-paced film talks of thugs, the expert killers who were a terror in Northern India in the 19th Century. They used to rob the pilgrims by hook or crook. Adapted from a Mahasweta Devi work, director H.S. Rawail addresses the loot that goes on at pilgrim centres in the name of faith. How the practice of sacrifice is misused for personal gains and how men compromise love for spiritual virtues – issues that are a relevant event today…issues that our films generally talk of only in hushed tones. It is said H S Rawail the director of the film wanted Sadhna to be the heroine in this film but she was not available because of her illness. Eventually, Rawail signed Vyjayanthimala for the role. Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala who had worked together for Naya Daur (1957) and Ganga Jamuna were then said to have a romantic affair. The actors parted after Vyjayanthimala worked with Raj Kapoor in the 1964 Hindi film Sangam. Thus, most of the scenes between the two actors for Sungharsh were shot separately.Sungharsh was the last film where Kumar and Vyjayanthimala worked together.
The music for all the songs is composed by Naushad and the lyrics are written by Shakeel Badayuni. The film's soundtrack has seven songs sung by Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar with one song sung by Asha Bhosle. All are solo songs where Naushad used the music from the regions of Awadh and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
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