Shamm Kapoor- Music and Rythum running in his veins.

When you think of Shammi Kapoor, music cannot be far behind. All his films had  songs and dance that were loud and energetic, joyous and boisterous, soft and romantic. In this blog on Shammi Kapoor,I have worked on the music interest of of Shammi Kapoor.
Few people know that Shammi Kapoor learnt classical music for five years along with his elder brother Raj Kapoor.Shammi  Kapoor became Pandit Jagannath Prasad's pupil. Later, as part of Prithvi Theatres, his music lessons continued. 
He entered the cinema world in 1948, as a junior artiste, at a salary of Rs. 50 per month, stayed with Prithvi Theatres for the next four years and collected his last pay check of Rs. 300, in 1952. He made his debut in Hindi Films in the year 1953, when the film Jeevan Jyoti was released. It was directed by Mahesh Kaul and Chand Usmani was Kapoor’s first heroine. 
He worked closely with the music directors and singers and musicians, and often sat in on recordings. He choreographed his own songs, his loose-limbed grace and innate sense of rhythm shaking every canon of 'dance' that Hindi films had hitherto seen on screen. And his obsession with music meant that, quite often, he often had an instrument with him. 
Shammi Kapoor once said in an interview that at recordings with Shankar-Jaikishen, he would observe the musicians performing, and get (music director) Jaikishen, a close friend, to teach him the nuances of each instrument.
Beside learning Indian Classical music he was also and  admirer of Western Music,Ramba, Samba, Western Classical, Gypsy Music, Jazz....He was a fan of Elvis Presley and later called as Elvis Presley of Bollywood. 
Shammi Kapoor played many instruments in various songs on screen, here I am posting few of those songs in which he is shown as playing the instrument.
Shammi Kapoor (21 October 1931– 14 August 2011) gave us hits like hits like Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Dil Deke Dekho, Singapore, Junglee, College Girl, Professor, China Town, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, Kashmir Ki Kali, Janwar, Teesri Manzil, An Evening in Paris, Bramhachari, Andaz and Sachaai. Shortly before his death, he made his last film appearance in Imtiaz Ali's 2011 directorial venture Rockstar co-starring his grand-nephew Ranbir Kapoor, the grandson of his brother Raj Kapoor. He died on 14 August 2011, 05:15 am IST, of chronic renal failure, aged 79.
Shammi Kapoor starred in over 50 films as lead actor, and over 20 films in supporting roles. He has won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor once, for his performance in the film Brahmachari (1968) and then in 1982 for Vidhaata. 

The first song in my list is from the film Hum Sab Chor Hain (1956).Here in this song Shammi is trying his best to impress Vimala (Nalini Jaywant). He is a theatre manager, she is hoping to be the lead actress.  But since he cannot sing or play any instrument, his assistant manager (Ram Avatar) is doing both from behind the door.

Song of Hum Sab Chor Hain 1956

The next song in the list is from the film Dil Deke Dekho, in this song Shammi Kapoor is playing drums.

Song of Dil Deke Dekho  1959

Song of China Town 1962

Song of Bluff Master1963

Song of Kashmir Ki Kali1964

Song of Teesri Manzil 1966

Song of Brahamchari 1968

Song of Brahamchari 1968

Song of  Jaane Anjane1971

50 Years of the film PRINCE

On the 1st Jan 1969 released Shammi Kapoor's hit film, Prince. It was produced by F. C. Mehra and directed by Lekh Tandon. The film stars Shammi Kapoor with Vyjayanthimala in the lead with Rajendranath, Ajit, Helen, etc. The film grossed around ₹4,00,00,000 with a net of ₹2,00,00,000, thus becoming the fourth highest grossing film of 1969 with a verdict of a hit at Box Office India.
The team of producer F. C. Mehra, director Lekh Tandon, actor Shammi Kapoor and musicians Shankar-Jaikishan had earlier worked together on the hit film Professor (1962). The songs of that film are some of the immortal songs of Mohammad Rafi.
This is a really fun film, and though Shammi is admittedly towards the end of his career as a hero, he is still the Shammi who made hearts go pitter-patter. The songs are classic Shanker-Jaikishan-Rafi-Shammi, with the dance-off between Helen and Vijayanthimala probably its most well-known feature. 

The film is about how wealth and privilege do not guarantee happiness, Shammi Kapoor plays Prince Shamsher Singh, the jaded, bored, arrogant son of the Maharajah of Ramnagar (Ulhas). He is an irresponsible, alcoholic, and womanizing adult, who wants everyone to bow down before him and his princely rank. One priest refuses to do so, and Shamsher pummels him mercilessly, though in vain. Frustrated, he asks the priest what he should do with his mundane life, and the priest tells him that he should repent, sacrifice all his palatial pleasures, and live the life of a simple and ordinary man, and hence learn the true meaning of life, for at least six months. Shamsher agrees to do so and arranges an accident with his car, which plummets down a mountain, explodes and is blown to smithereens. Everyone in the palace believes that Shamsher is dead. He goes to a nearby village, and a blind woman there mistakes him for her long-lost son and starts calling him Sajjan Singh. Shamsher decides to play along as Sajjan.
Once two corrupt officials meet him, they find him to be similar to Shamsher so they conspire with him to pose as Shamsher for a hefty sum of money, to which Sajjan agrees. When he accompanies the officials back to the palace, he is shocked to find that his father has remarried a much younger woman, Ratna, and shortly after marrying her, has died, leaving the palace and its management to her and her greedy brother. Shamsher decides to reveal his true identity, but the officials threaten to expose him to his new-found blind mother, and Shamsher knows that he is trapped in the body of Sajjan Singh, forced to pose as none other than himself.

It is a typically a masala film, Shammi Kapoor's fans will enjoy this film. When the movie was released Vyjayantimala was 39 and Shammi Kapoor just 5 years her senior and so and PRINCE doesn’t belong to their prime. The most famous aspect of Prince, for many Indians, is the song “Badan pe Sitaare”. Even today, it is considered one of Shammi’s most popular songs. The story behind it is that Hasrat Jaipuri and Jaikishen went out to a nightclub on a trip to Paris. In the club, with all the glittering costumes around him, Jaikishen began writing the first few lines of this song (Badan pe Sitaare hue, o Jaane Tamanna Kidhar Ja Rahii ho, zara paas aao, to chain aa jaaye = Decked up so in glittering stars, where are you headed, my beloved…here, come to me, that I may get some solace). Hasrat Jaipuri then took it from there and they recorded the song when they got back to Bombay.

Song of Prince 1969

Song of Prince 1969

Song of Prince 1969

Song of Prince 1969

Song of Prince 1969

Song of Prince 1969

Shammi Kapoor - The hero who never needed a choreographer.

When you think of Shammi Kapoor, immediately an image of jumping and dancing Shammi Kapoor emerge in our mind. He created his own space in an era dominated by Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. The hands-out, flamboyant, westernised Shammi Kapoor was created by Naseer Hussain from the film Tumsa Nahin Dekha in 1957
On screen, he would hang from a helicopter with one hand, romp in the snow and yodel a 'yahoo', make a Shikara look like a love boat, sing a song about a "Lal Chhadi", and serenade his leading ladies — all very convincingly, such was his inherent style. He danced his way into the hearts of millions and broke several stereotypes along the way.
There used to be many more songs in the early films and hardly any dancing. Songs had a bit of dancing: the heroine moved her hands around a little, but the actresses as such were not required to be dancers. A hero dancing was very rare. Shammi Kapoor changed the image of the Hindi film hero from sad and brooding into one who revelled in singing and dancing
Though there were Choreographers in the 50s, the arrival of the choreographers Hiralal and Sohanlal brought about a very big change, and by the 1960s they had become firmly established. They were extremely good dancers themselves because they were trained in classical dancing. Most directors depended on them to picturise the songs and dances.
Shammi Kapoor was not a trained dancer.  In his teens, he had enrolled for Tango classes, but in a week's time, he realised that dance was not something anyone could teach him. Dancing was natural to him. He was a great fan of Elvis Presley he was inspired by him and made his own steps and style.
 Vijay Anand who directed him in Teesri Manzil once told that Shammi did not regard himself as a dancer, nor had he ever learnt dancing. But you played a song to him and tell him: “Go wild!” He would because he had such a tremendous sense of rhythm. He just got into the music and every fibre of his body would dance. The only thing you had to make sure was that he did not overdo it. 
Music fired his personal life, too. It helped him woo his wife Geeta Bali, who was a bigger star than him. Geeta Bali and Kapoor were shooting for Rangeen Ratein (1956) in Ranikhet, a hill station in North India, when they fell in love.
Composers who worked with him have said that Kapoor took his music very seriously. His songs were – and still are – a rage. Stories abound of how he would attend all his song recordings. Mohammed Rafi adjusted his voice to match the Shammi Kapoor persona – a more youthful, delinquent and livelier voice that would complement the energetic dance style of the Junglee star.
 In later years, the legend declared, “My whole career has been (about) singing. I have no pretensions of being a great actor. I have sung my songs from my heart. I do not know how to dance but I have given expressions to my songs.”
Shammi Kapoor who was born on 21st Oct 19 1931, passed away on August 14, 2011, his work remained as entertaining as ever.

Song of Tumsa Nahin Dekha 1957

Song of Dil Deke Dekho 1958

Song of Ujala 1959

Song of Junglee 1961

Song of  Dil Tera Diwana 1962

Song of Bluff Master1963

Song of Kashmir Ki Kali 1964

Song of Janwar 1965

Song of Teesri Manzil 1966

Song of Teesri Manzil 1966

Song of An Evening in Paris 1967

Song of Brahmachari 1968

Song of Jawan Mohabbat 1971

Shammi Kapoor - Who Sang his Songs from his Heart

Most Hindi movie buffs know that when we talk of romantic songs it was Shammi Kapoor, along with Dev Anand, who set the template for your typical Bollywood hero. There was a time when in Chitrahar and Chhayageet Four out of six songs used to be from Dev Anand or Shammi Kapoor's Films.

A lot has been written about how before Kapoor’s Tumsa Nahin Dekha, a 1957 musical hit, the Bollywood hero sang – but never danced. At least, not with as much gusto and rebellious freedom as Kapoor did. “Shammi Kapoor changed the image of the Hindi film hero from sad and brooding into one who revelled in singing and dancing.

Shammi Kapoor in a TV show informed that he used to like western music, once Nargis took him to a music shop in Fort, Bombay and pampered him with a gramophone player and 20 records of his choice. Thus began Kapoor’s fascination with English music. 

Shammi Kapoor also felt grateful to Dev Anand who refused to sign Tumsa Nahin Dekha and suggested his name to Nasir Hussain. This film made him Shammi Kapoor the star. Before that none of his films was even an average runner.

Shammi Kapoor (21 October 1931 – 14 August 2011) told that he had no pretensions of being a great actor. He was happy with his style of dancing. He didn't know how to dance but he had given expressions to his songs. He never had a choreographer but did all the dance steps himself. With a great sense of music and energetic dance moves

Initially, it was O P Nayyar who created songs for his films later it was Shankar Jaikishan who composed songs in most of his films. Mohammad Rafi became his voice.

Shammi Kapoor took his music very seriously. His songs were – and still are – a rage. Stories abound of how he would attend all his song recordings. Mohammed Rafi adjusted his voice to match the Shammi Kapoor persona – a more youthful, delinquent and livelier voice that would complement the energetic dance style of the Junglee star.

In 60s Shammi Kapoor gave many hit films and songs. Through his breezy and carefree roles, in which he indulged in all kinds of burlesque antics, Shammi Kapoor participated in the party song (the male item number, if you will) more than any other mainstream hero before or during his time. Some of his most memorable numbers, such as the Dil Deke Dekho title track, Baar Baar Dekho from China Town, Dekho Ab Toh from Janwar, the two Teesri Manzil club songs (O Haseena Zulfonwaali and Aaja Aaja) and Aaj Kal Tere Mere take place in the club or hotel space or on the occasion of a celebration.

He became a sensation, Bollywood's first youth icon. Soon he was playing characters named Rocky as in the thriller Teesri Manzil (a 1966 film once again Dev Anand opted out of), playing modern trades such as photography in the frothy Bluff Master (1963), and trying to convince smart singletons such as Sharmila Tagore in An Evening in Paris 1967.

Such was the great entertainer who made the audience forget all their troubles for three hours and gave them undiluted entertainment.

Song of Tumsa Nahin Dekha 1957

Song of Dil Deke Dekho 1959

Song of Ujala 1959

Song of Junglee 1961

Song of Dil Tera Diwana 1962

Song of Professor 1962

Song of Bluff Master 1963

Song of Kashmir Ki Kali 1964

Song of Janwar 1965

Song of Teesri Manzil 1966

Song of  An Evening in Paris1967

Song of  Brahmachari 1968

50 Years of BRAHMACHARI

Super Hit film Brahmachari completes 50 Years today. It was released on 27th April 1968.The film became a box office hit and won several awards, including Filmfare Best Movie Award.The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Rajshree, Pran, Mumtaz, Jagdeep, Sachin and Asit Sen. The music was by Shankar Jaikishan.They got theFilmfare Award for this film.In fact the best Lyricist gone to Shailendra and Mohammad Rafi got the Best Male Singer for the song."Dil Ke Jharoke Mein"Brahmachari” won six Filmfare awards out of the eight categories it was nominated for. 

Music scholar and film expert Rajesh Subramanian  wrote an interesting incident that the song "Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche" was a rejected tune, which a depressed Jaikishan played to Shammi Kapoor at Hotel Gaylord. Kapoor found the tune very catchy and suggested to director Bhappi Sonie to include the song in Brahmachari. The song became one of the highlights of the film. 
“Brahmachari”  is perhaps one of the few films where Shammi Kapoor gives a restrained and sombre performance, in contrast to his usually exuberant and boisterous “Yahoo” persona that he created for the Bollywood screen.

The film is about an enterprising photographer Brahmachari (Shammi Kapoor) who looks after a dozen orphan children in a rented accommodation as he himself had been abandoned on streets and has no clue about his parentage. One day, looking for an exclusive picture, he saves beautiful Sheetal (Rajshri) from near suicide which she wishes to undertake since she has been spurned by her fiancée Ravi (Pran). He not only saves her but also employs her as a maid for his “foster children” and their kinship soon evolves into deep bonds of affection.
The find of this film was Jr Mehmood.Remember the hilarious dance act on 'Hum kaale hain toh kya hua dilwale hain...' from the movie 'Brahmachari'? The little naughty boy who imitated comic style of the great comedian Mehmood Ali is still fresh in everyone's mind. 

Yet in the ultimate analysis, the film belongs to Shammi's ‘voice', Rafi, who along with S-J's music and Shailendra-Hasrat lyrics, brings forth some unforgettable melodies that helped shape Brahmachari into a cult figure for eternity.

Songs from Brahmachari

Bollywood Films Based on Bhagat Singh

 Martyrs’ Day, also known as Shaheed Diwas is observed on March 23.On this day in 1931. Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, and Rajguru  sacrificed their lives for India’s independence.The lives of these freedom fighters have not only inspired India’s independence movement but also Bollywood.The first film based on the life of Bhagat Singh was released in 1954. The role of Bhagat Singh was played by Jairaj..The next film released in 1963 Shaheed Bhagat Singh this role was played by Shammi Kapoor.After this in 1965 came Manoj Kumar's "Shaheed" After 35 years Sonu Sood played this role in 2002 film"Shaheed e Azam".
Ajay Devgan also played the role in The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002),same year another film released "23rd March 1931: Shaheed" (2002) in this film Bobby Deol played the role of Bhagat Singh.
Beside this Som Dutt,the younger brother of Sunil Dutt played the role of Bhagat Singh in 1974 film "Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh" made in Punjabi and Hindi.
‘Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh

 The first film based on the life of Bhagat Singh. Directed by Jagdish Gautam, the film features Prem Abeed, Jairaj, Smriti Biswas and Ashita Mazumdar in lead roles. The film also has the classic patriotic song ‘Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab humare dil main hain..’ in Mohammed Rafi’s melodious voice.

Song from Song from Shaheed-e-Azad Bhagat Singh 1954

Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)

 Directed by KN Bansal, the film features Shammi Kapoor essaying the role of Bhagat Singh. Besides Shammi Kapoor, the film stars Shakeela, Premnath, Ulhas and Achla Sachdev.  

Song from Shaheed Bhagat Singh (1963)

Shaheed (1965)

 it was produced by Kewal Kashyap and directed by S. Ram Sharma and stars Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Pran, Iftekhar, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and Anwar Hussain in lead roles.Shaheed was the first of Manoj Kumar's series of patriotic films,

Song from Shaheed  (1965)

Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh 1974

 Directed by Omi Bedi. With Rajni Bala, Som Dutt, Achala Sachdev, Dara Singh. ... Also Known As: Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh The film was made in Punjabi and hindi released in 1974.

Song from Amar Shaheed Bhagat Singh 1974

Shaheed-E-Azam (2002)

It is a 2002 Hindi film directed by Sukumar Nair. The film, based upon the life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, caused some controversy as the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued a notice to the producers calling for a ban of the movie.It was released in 2002.

Song from Shaheed-E-Azam (2002)

The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)

It is a 2002 Indian historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh,. It was directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starred Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh, and D. Santosh. At the 50th National Film Awards, The Legend of Bhagat Singh won the Best Feature Film in Hindi and Devgn received the Best Actor award.

Song from the legend of bhagat singh (2002)

23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002)

It is a 2002 Indian Hindi historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh, directed by Guddu Dhanoa which depicts the events leading up to the hanging of Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and his companions Rajguru and Sukhdev .The film stars Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh, his elder brother Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad 

Song from 23rd march 1931 shaheed (2002)

Rang De Basanti (2006)

The movie revolves around the life of a group of friends who work together on a documentary film on the revolutionaries.The film features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Siddharth Narayan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten.