Nutan - The Heroine, not allowed to see her own film in a theatre

You will be surprised to know that Nutan who was the heroine of the film Nagina released in 1951 was not allowed to see her own film in Cinema Hall.  The hero of the film was Nasir Khan, the younger brother of Dilip Kumar.
 Interestingly, her first hit film Nagina (1951) was given an “A” certificate; she couldn’t see her own film as she wasn’t an adult!. She was only 15 at the time of release. Nutan started her career at the age of 14 in the 1950 film Hamari Beti, directed by her mother. 

Nutan-with-her-mother-and-younger-sisters-Tanuja-and-Chatura.

She worked in a few films until got adult. In fact, her mother sent her to Switzerland for further studies in 1953. She lived there for one year and came back. She was offered to play a challenging role of heroine opposite Balraj Sahni in Seema released in 1955. This role won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award.
She followed her success with a romantic comedy, Paying Guest,(1957) in which she co-starred with Dev Anand. After that in 1959, she acted opposite Raj Kapoor in Anari. This film was also a hit and brought her among top heroines of that time. In 1960, she starred opposite Raj Kapoor once again in Manmohan Desai's Chhalia. She received another Filmfare nomination for the role.
She formed a popular screen couple with co-star Dev Anand and the two acted in four films together – Paying Guest (1957), Baarish(1957), Manzil (1960) and Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963).

In 1963, Nutan starred in Bimal Roy's socio-realist Bandini as Kalyani, a young prisoner who was convicted after poisoning the wife of her lover (Ashok Kumar). Bandini was a major critical success, which was attributed by critics mostly to Nutan's portrayal, which is regarded as one of the finest performances in the history of Indian cinema. The film won the Filmfare Award for Best Movie and she received her third Best Actress Award. 
Her fourth Filmfare Award came for Milan (1967) starring with Sunil Dutt with whom she worked earlier in Sujata. She got her fifth Filmfare best actress award, at the age of 42 for the film Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). 
In the  1980s, she played roles in blockbuster films such as Meri Jung (1985), Naam (1986) and Karma (1986). Karma was notable for being the first time she was paired with actor Dilip Kumar. For Mere Jung, she won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her last film released while she was alive was Kanoon Apna Apna in 1989. She died in 1991 of cancer.

Song of Hamari Beti 1950

Song of Nagina 1951

Song of Seema 1955

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of Anari 1958

Song of Sujata, 1959

Song of Chhalia 1960

Song of Chhabili 1960 Nutan sings in her own voice

Song of Tere Ghar Ke Samne, 1963

Song of Bandini 1963

Song of Milan1967

Song of Saudagar(1973).

The Magic of Nargis-Raj Kapoor,

When you think of Raj Kapoor-Nargis, the first thought that comes to your mind is their evergreen songs that spoke of love in the rain (Pyar hua ikraar hua hai), of romance in the moonlit nights (Aaja sanam madhur chandni mein hum), of dreams and aspirations (Ghar aaya mera pardesi), of ecstasy (Dum bhar jo udhar moonh phere), of agony (Raja ki aayegi baraat)  
Nargis and Raj Kapoor together gave a new dimension to mainstream cinema, capturing the imagination of audiences not just in India but across the globe.  Nargis was the star, a bigger star than RK in terms of box-office popularity. 
Raj Kapoor wanted to sign Nargis for Aag. He knew Nargis was the bigger star attraction. She would pull in the crowds but Jaddan Bai( Nargis's mother) was not keen for her daughter to work in a three-heroine subject with Kamini Kaushal and Nigar Sultana sharing screen space with her. Raj Kapoor told Jaddan Bai that he would give the top billing to Nargis. Her brothers convinced their mother to let ‘Baby’ do the film (Nargis was fondly called ‘Baby’ by her friends and family). Ultimately she did get top billing in Aag, Raj Kapoor worked a lot on Nargis’ appearance in Aag. She got her hair shortened and got special makeup done on her face,
Aag signalled the beginning of what would become one of the most impactful screen pairings of all time for Hindi cinema. Barsaat followed a year later, rewriting the way romance would be portrayed on screen from now on.
The runaway success of Barsaat at the box-office, their on-screen chemistry had such an impact that Raj Kapoor used the famous still to modernize the R K Films logo.

From this film, both came closer, the romance of reel life had shifted to real life. Raj Kapoor was married and was already a father made things more complicated. The Kapoor family, including the patriarch Prithviraj Kapoor, did not take kindly to his relationship with Nargis.
By this time they became the heartthrob of the nation. Coincidentally, 1949 also saw Mehboob Khan’s Andaaz, mounted on a grand scale stage a casting coup with the Dilip Kumar-Nargis-Raj Kapoor combine. Mehboob Khan had handled the triangle very deftly. Raj Kapoor played the role of a lover had a far-reaching impact on the audience.
Their romance was at its peak during the making of Awara. The film was released in 1951 which was a super hit. Raj Kapoor and Nargis had caught the fascination of the youth in a way no other screen couple had done before. Young men and women imitated their style, attitude and dress sense and hummed their songs. 
Raj Kapoor and Nargis did 16 films together, etching out an indelible saga of love and romance on screen. Jagte Raho (1956) remains their last film together. The spectacular impact that Nargis makes with her appearance in the final part with ‘Jaago, Mohan Pyare Jaago’, is unparalleled. 

Song of Aag 1948

Song of Barsaat 1949

Song of Andaz 1949

Song of Awara 1951

Song of Aah 1953

Song of Shree 420 1955

Song of Chori Chori (1956)

Raj Khosla- A director with a fantastic ear for music

Raj Khosla ( 31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) who came to Bombay to become a singer but he became an ace Director of the Golden Era. In his autobiography, Romancing With Life, Dev Anand mentions meeting a wannabe singer, Raj Khosla at a coffee joint around Mumbai's Flora Fountain. Dev Anand helped him and gave him a job of an assistant to Guru Dutt for the Navketan film Baazi 1951. It was to be the beginning of a very productive film career. He assisted Guru Dutt in his subsequent films. 
Khosla would soon make his debut with Milap (1955). Contrary to his training, his first film was a story about a country bumpkin (Dev Anand, naturally) who comes into a fortune and does not know what to do with it. While the film was a flop, it had glimpses of Khosla's craftsmanship and a fine ear for music. One he would put to great use over his next films.

Guru Dutt who was producing CID (1956), had the confidence of Raj Khosla's capabilities gave Raj Khosla another chance of directing the film. The film starring Dev Anand was a hit After this came  Kala Pani (1958), Solva Saal (1958), Bombai Ka Babu (1960). Of these, C.I.D. is the perfect example of the template that would become Khosla's signature style.
His early background in classical music ensured that most of his films excelled in music. Art of picturising a song he learned from Guru Dutt. In most of his films, he would have at least a song based on folk tune e.g. C.I.D., Bambai Ka Babu, Solva Saal, Mera Saaya, Do Raaste, Mera Gaon Mera Desh to name a few. 
Despite his traditionality in sticking to the formulaic tropes of the noir genre, Khosla added a uniquely Indian touch to it through music. A director with a fantastic ear for music, his films are remembered for their memorable musical scores. SD Burman, OP Nayyar, even RD Burman (who played the harmonica in 'Hai Apna Dil Toh Awara' in Solva Saal) benefitted with the nuanced picturisation of their songs by Khosla.

After Bombai Ka Babu(1960) he directed Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962).It was a musical film which was again a hit. After that, he directed suspense thrillers (Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), Mera Saaya (1966), Anita (1967) – his mystery trilogy with actress Sadhana), melodramas (Do Badan (1966), Do Raaste(1969)) or dacoit dramas (Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) .He also had hits like Prem Kahani (1975) starring the then hottest pair of the day Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz, Nehle Pe Dehla (1976) andMain Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). One common factor of all these films was its hit music 
After enjoying big hits like Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) and Dostana (1980) with Amitabh Bachchan, Zeenat Aman and Shatrughan Sinha, Khosla ran into some rough weather as his other films started flopping. A dispirited Khosla took refuge in alcohol and died in Mumbai on 9 June 1991, totally disillusioned with the film industry.

Song of Milap 1955

Song of CID (1956)

Song of Kala Pani (1958)

Song of Solva Saal (1958)

Song of Bombai Ka Babu (1960)

Song of Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962)

Song of Woh Kaun Thi? (1964)

Song of Mera Saaya (1966)

Song of Do Badan (1966)

Song of Do Raaste(1969)

Song of Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)

When Dilip Kumar Sang his own Song

Not many of us know that Dilip Kumar was a very good singer. Many die-hard fans of the maestro still might not have the information about the one instance wherein he actually rendered a classical song in an unbelievable manner in the late 50s. It was a duet with Lata Mangeshkar that too in semi-classical.
It was Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s first film( Musafir 1957) as a director after working with Bimal Roy as an editor and also the first Hindi film for the comedian Keshto Mukherjee. Besides it had a fabulously talented team working together, with Salil Choudhary as the music director, Ritwik Ghatak as a scriptwriter (along with Hrishi Da), dialogues by Rajendra Singh Bedi and lyrics by Shailendra. Written (story), produced and directed by Hrishi Da the film had Suchitra Sen, Durga Khote, Nirupa Roy, Kishore Kumar, Nazir Hussain, David and more playing the key roles.

Since 50s Mohammad Rafi had become the screen voice of Dilip Kumar but Salil Chaudhary wanted someone else to sing this particular song  “Laagi Naahin Chhootey, Chahey Jiya Jaaye” .One day Salil Chaudhary heard Dilip Kumar humming something in his own mood, Salil Da liked it and decided that this song be recorded in Dilip's own voice. It was a Raga based song and a duet with none other than Lata Mangeshkar, Dilip Kumar was reluctant to give his voice but agreed because of the respect felt for the maestro Salil Da.

It is said that Lata Mangeshkar was initially not agreeable, she wanted some professional singer to sing with her but Salil Da insisted that Dilip Kumar would sing this song.

Dilip Kumar performed the song confidently and the rendition really came out to be a truly touching one with great depth and feel, as if it had been sung by a trained classical exponent with perfection.

It is quite astonishing that Dilip Kumar never sang for himself for subsequent films. His singing voice is so soft and mellifluous – somewhere between Talat Mehmood & K.L. Saigal Saab, In fact, you would feel that Mohammad Rafi is singing. Later in 80s, he sang a few lines in Sagina with Kishore Kumar and In Karma.

Song of Musafir 1957

The Story behind the song "Jalte Hain Jiske Liye" from Sujata

This song was written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by S D Burman, was picturised on Sunil Dutt and Nutan for the film Sujata 1959. It is a “phone” song, where Sunil Dutt rings up Nutan and sings this song on phone. Well, there were very few phones in 1959 ( exactly sixty years ago) and singing a song on phone was not good for one’s telephone bills those days unless one was doing it for very important reasons. 
Bimal Roy, the producer-director of the film wanted this song to be sung by Mohammad Rafi but Burman Da was not in favour, then the name of Manna Dey was suggested but Burman Da was looking for someone else.
SD Burman was always very particular about the voice of his singer to be matched with his composition. For this song, he asked Rafi, Manna Dey to sing back the tune to him over the phone. He was not satisfied with the texture he wanted for this song.
It is said that it was Jaidev who was his assistant in that film suggested the name of Talat Mahmood for this song. Burman Da agreed and asked Talat to sing the tune over the Telephone. On listening to the tune on the phone Burman da immediately decided that this song will be sung by Talat only.
And indeed, the soft silken voice of Talat sounds so wonderful in this song that made the song immortal
The beauty of this song is not only: its music, its words but also its picturization, Talat’s incomparable singing, Nutan’s acting—and, though often overlooked, also Sunil Dutt’s acting. 
Watch in the first verse, for instance, the earnestness in his face as he sings: as if he’s trying to be absolutely word-perfect, not one note out of place, focusing on his song and yet also addressing that girl he loves, who’s listening at the other end of the line. Then, as the song progresses, he begins to relax—not just physically stretching out, but also smiling more easily, letting himself feel more comfortable, more confident that she’s liking his song…

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) 

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?

Talat Mahmood - A Great Fan of K L Saigal

Like most of the singers of the 40s and 50s Talat Mahmood was also influenced by singing superstar Kundanlal Saigal. He would sing Saigal songs for hours on his harmonium, he never tried to emulate his style. Later, at a function when he sang a ghazal of Mirza Ghalib, Nuktacheen Hai Gham-e-Dil, that had also been sung by Saigal, he got an offer to sing on AIR Lucknow. After listening to his voice, PK Sen of HMV offered him a one-year contract for 30 rupees. Talat left for Calcutta and recorded his first song in 1941, Sab din ek saman nahi tha, penned by Fayyaz Hashmi and composed by Kamal Dasgupta.
Pankaj Mullick who was also present there liked his voice, and he invited Talat to join New Theatres. Talat couldn't have accepted the offer since he was bound by the HMV contract, and also recorded private geet and ghazals for HMV.

His first encounter with Saigal happened when Saigal was recording a song for the film, My Sister, Do naina matware tihare hum per zulam karein, composed by Pankaj Mullick. Talat was spellbound seeing his idol singing.  In his own words, "Lag raha tha jaise noor ki barrish ho rahi hai (It felt as if there was a shower of bright light)."

Talat made his debut in PC Barua's film Rajlaxmi in 1945 and sang two songs in the movie. And, one song, Jago musafir jago, was picturised on him. Thereafter, Talat also performed in two films, Samapti and Swayamsiddha, as an actor-singer. During his stay in Calcutta, he recorded several popular songs in Bangla with the pseudo name Tapan Kumar and his debut rendition in Bangla, Duti pakhi duti teere majhe naadi bohe dhire dhire, broke all the records.

In 1949, Talat moved to Bombay to try his luck in Hindi films. Initially, many composers told him that he had a tremolo in his voice but composers wanted to change his singing style. It was Anil da who told Talat that this tremble in his voice was his strength, his USP. He composed a ghazal for Talat in film, Aarzoo (1950), Aye dil mujhe aisi jagah le chal, penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri. This was the beginning of the Talat Mahmood era.

Naushad took Talat for Dilip Kumar in Babul and he sang hits like Khushi ke saath duniya mein, Husnwalon ko na dil do, and duets with Shamshad Begum, Duniya badal gayee meri duniya badal gayee and Milte hi nazar dil hua deewana kisi ka.

In 1951, Anil da recorded Talat's classic number, Shukriya hai pyaar tera. Talat made his debut with SD Burman with the song, Aye zindagi ke rahi in Bahar, followed by Burman Da's Buzhdil, Ek Nazar, Sazaa.and the best was to come in Taxi Driver 1954, Jayen To Jayen Kahan. In Devdas 1955, he sang heart-rendring numbers, Kis ko khabar thi kisko yakeein tha and Mitwa lagi re ye kaisi anbujh aag. Even in Sujata, he was reluctant to take Talat to sing his evergreen number, Jalate hain jiske liye in Sujata.

By the mid-1950s, Talat became the most sought after playback singer. He was every composer's first choice, giving playback for Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Bharat Bhushan, as also for Guru Dutt in his debut film Baaz as an actor: Mujhe Dekho Hasrat ki Tasveer hoon main composed by OP Nayyar. Later, he also sang his immortal number, Pyaar par bas to nahin hai for Nayyar in Sone Ki Chidiya. 

Talat sang for Khayyam Saab his masterpiece ghazal in film Footpath, Shaam-e-Gham ki Kasam, and a beautiful romantic number in the film, Lala Rukh is worth mentioning.

Talat Mehmood passed away after a cardiac arrest on 9th May 1998.

Song of Arzoo 1950

Song of Tarana 1951

Song of Daag 1952

Song of Patita 1953

Song of Footpath 1953

Song of Taxi Driver 1954

Song of  Dekh Kabira Roya 1957

Song of Sone Ki Chidiya.1958

Song of  Sujata 1959

The Golden Combination of Naushad and Rafi

Naushad (26 December 1919 – 5 May 2006 ) began his career in 1940 with Prem Nagar, but took off in 1944 with Ratan, where he created his own style. His greatest contribution was to bring Indian classical music into the film medium. Many of his compositions were inspired by ragas. His association with Mohammad Rafi had marked the most golden combination which galvanized the outstanding music composed during the golden age in Indian music, the 50s and 60s.
 His composition in the film Dulari, 1947, for Mohammad Rafi titled “Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki” makes a music lover addicted and it has an appeal even after 60 years of its composition. This combination was at its peak in 1952 with the release of Baiju Bawra.
 Naushad’s composition in Son of India, “dil torneewale”, a duet for Rafi and Lata, shows the effective use of instruments in that age when the recording was not developed to that extent. In Dilip Kumar’s Kohinoor, 1960, Rafi’s songs “Madhuban Mei Radhika Nachere”, “Do Sitaron Ka Zameen par hai Milan Aaj Ki Raat” marks Naushad’s control over bhajans and songs with chorus effects. In Rajender Kumar’s Mere Mehboob, 1963, Naushad had explained the transformation of nasams into ghazals. His songs “Mere Mehboob Tujhe meri Mohabbat ki Kasam”, “tumse izhaar-e-haal kar baithe”, “ai husn zara jag tujhe isq dikhaye” enchanted the listeners. Naushad’s compositions were as outstanding as Shakeel Badayani’s lyrics and Rafi’s golden voice.
 Naushad had used folk songs to a great extent where the subjects in the films required them. For example, in the film, Ganga Jumna, 1961, his composition for Rafi including “nain lar jaihe” was created with Bhojpuri effect, and Rafi had succeeded in pronouncing it in the manner expected from him. Rafi’s songs in Rajender Kumar’s Palki, Ganwar, composed by Naushad were also outstanding.
It is tragic that the film industry, could not utilise Naushad’s talent in the 1970s and 80s, 
He gave  35 silver jubilee hits, 12 golden jubilees and 3 diamond jubilee mega-successes. Naushad was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan in 1982 and 1992 respectively for his contribution to the Bollywood film industry.
Some of the Immortal songs of Naushad and Rafi 

                                                              Song from Dulari, 1947

Song from Deedar 1951

Song from Baiju Bawra 1952

Song from  Uran Khatola 1955

Song of Kohinoor 1960

Song from  Mughal-e-Azam 1960

Song from Gunga Jumna 1961

Song of Son of India 1962

Song from Mere Mehboob 1963