Sunday 11 March 2018

Bollywood's Connection with Goa


It is said that Goa is a Darling of Bollywood.The magic that Goa has and Bollywood's Love for it has given us many memorable films and artists.Its sea.its sand,its people and its culture always fascinated Bollywood.  It won’t be too much to say that every director won’t mind or hesitate to capture some parts of Goa in their movie to enhance their films.Many films were made with Goa in its story. 
Goans played a major role in Bollywood music until the 1980s,Initially only Goans, having trained in Western music, knew how to compose music for orchestras, with a multitude of instruments playing in harmony.The biggest connection with Goa is Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle who are from Goa.
Farar

In 1955 a film Faraar starring Dev Anand and Geeta Bali has Goa Connection.The film is about revolutionaries fighting against British Rulers.
Johar Mehmood in Goa

It is a 1965 Bollywood comedy film directed by I. S. Johar with he himself, along with Mehmood and Simi Garewal playing the lead roles.The film is about a lady  Mary who gives birth to twins but leaves them on the doorsteps of two Goan households, one Muslim and another Hindu. Twenty four years later, India is a free country, while Goa is under the rule of the Portuguese. Ram and Rahim grow up to be members of underground resistance movement. Mary is the Mother Superior and Peter, who is still alive, is the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Goa, who is entrusted the task of catching Ram and Rahim who plan and execute series of anti-state activities
Saat Hindustani

Another movie for Goa Liberation from Portugal Govt was made in 1967 K A Abbas's Saat Hindustani.The first movie of Amitabh Bachchan.The story revolves arround seven people from different part of the country coming together to fight for liberation of Goa from the Portuguese.
Bombay To Goa

1972  adventure-comedy film directed by S. Ramanathan, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Aruna Irani in lead roles, Shatrughan Sinha as the main antagonist and Mehmood. The film is on a bus journey,adventurous with the passengers, a totally mixed bunch, from all over India, different religions, cultures, and faiths, all thrown together for this journey. The bus is in the "control" of driver Rajesh (Anwar Ali), and conductor, Khanna (Mehmood).
Bobby

A 1973 film a teen age love story between two Mumbai teenagers of different classes — Raj Nath (Rishi Kapoor), the son of a rich businessman Mr. Nath (played by Pran), and Bobby Braganza (Dimple Kapadia), the daughter of a poor Goan Christian fisherman Jack Braganza (played by Prem Nath).
 Pukar

a 1983 Bollywood film, directed by Ramesh Behl, starring Amitabh BachchanRandhir KapoorZeenat Aman and Tina Munim. It is a movie about freedom fighters trying to liberate Goa from the Portuguese.
Trikal

A 1985 film written and directed by Shyam Benegal, set in Goa during the early 1960s (pre liberation) Period.The movie revolves around the life and tribulations of a fictional Goan Christian family called "Souza Soares". 
Sagar

A 1985 film with a story of Mona (Dimple Kapadia) runs a small restaurant in Goa. Raja (Kamal Hassan), who lives close by, is a good friend. He is in love with her but is unable to profess his feelings. Ravi (Rishi Kapoor) is from a rich industrialist family who moves to Goa from the US. Mona and Ravi fall in love of which Raja knows nothing. Ravi's grandmother is opposed to their love because of class differences.
Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa 

 A 1994 Indian Hindi romantic coming-of-age comedy film directed by Kundan Shah, and starring Shah Rukh KhanSuchitra Krishnamurthy, and Deepak Tijori. The film is based on Goan characters in Goa backdrop.
Khamoshi: The Musical

A 1996 film,The story is about Joseph (Nana Patekar) and Flavy Braganza (Seema Biswas), a deaf and mute couple in Goa.They have a baby girl, Annie and a boy named Sam, A few years later, after the tragic death of Sam, Annie's (Manisha Koirala) life is shattered and music and singing fades away. When Annie grows up she gets in touch with music once again — with Raj (Salman Khan) whom she falls in love with.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd

A 2007 film, plot revolves around six newly wed couples of different age groups who are celebrating their honeymoon in Goa. Directed by Reema Kagti, the film explores  themes such as homosexuality and superheroes. Majority of the film is set in Goa and includes famous location such as the Fort Aguada, Dona Paula, Our Lady of Mount Chapel and the Corjuem Fort.
Dum Maaro Dum

A 2011 film which is a crime film set in Goa and is directed by Rohan Sippy. It follows the story of a corrupt police officer who is entrusted with the duty of busting drug rackets. With an effort to keep the film as real as possible, Rohan Sippy shot a sequence at the Arpora market with an actual crowd of around 20 to 30 thousand people.
Go Goa Gone 

It is a 2013 Indian zombie comedy film directed by Raj and D.K.. The film features Saif Ali KhanKunal KhemuVir DasPuja Gupta and Anand Tiwari.Hardik (Kunal Khemu) and Luv (Vir Das) are two dope-heads, living with their roommate/friend Bunny (Anand Tiwari). After Hardik loses his job and Luv gets dumped by his girlfriend, both decide to tag along with Bunny to Goa to relax. In Goa, Luv falls for Luna (Puja Gupta), and she invites the guys to a rave party, organised by the Russian mafia, which is being held on a secluded island
Finding Fanny

It is one of the few recent films(2014) that managed to portray the true essence of Goa. Directed by Homi Adjania, the film portrays Goan characters settled in a fictional village in Goa. Adjania diverted from the cliche locations in Goa and instead opted for the lesser known side of Goa. The film is shot across Parra, Cortalim, Aldona, Assagao, Saligao and Socorro.

.Songs on Goa
Song from Bobby 1973


Song from Saagar 1985


Song from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na


                               Remo Fernandes and Alisha Chinai - Panch Vorsam


Song from Go Goa Gone


Song from Josh

Song from Finding Fanny




Friday 9 March 2018

Bollywood Actors with Forceful Voice and Dialogue Delivery



Bollywood had many Actors with a powerful voice and great dialogue delivery.As per my knowledge these people may or may not be equally big stars but their voice had an impact.In the present scenario Amitabh Bachchan remains the No one actor with a powerful voice and powerful dialogue delivery.A strange thing is that his voice was rejected by All India Radio for the Job of Announcer before joining Bollywood.In fact he made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film Bhuvan Shome.
Among the earlier actors Sohrab Modi, Prithviraj Kapoor,Murad,Jayant, Ajit and Raj Kumar were the actors with a powerful voice. Raj Kumar became popular for his dialogue delivery.
Sohrab Modi
He launched Minerva Movietone in 1936.He  became famous for its trilogy of historical spectaculars that were to follow - Pukar (1939), Sikandar (1941) and Prithvi Vallabh (1943), wherein Modi made the most of his gift for grandiloquence to evoke historical grandeur.In Prithvi Vallabh he was paired with Durga Khote Both of them many confrontation scenes with very powerful dialogues.
Scene from Prithvi Vallabh 1943

Prithviraj Kapoor
Most of us remember him with his powerful performance in Mughal e Azam but his most powerful performance was in 1941 film Sikandar. It was a Sohrab Modi film. Undoubtedly Modi's dream of making Sikandar would have remained unfulfilled had he not roped in another actor with equally powerful voice,Prithviraj Kapoor,to play the role of Alexander .His body language,modulation of voice and dialogue delivery made his role immortal.Prithviraj Kapoor used his booming voice to great effect that is extremely impressive,and continues to haunt film lovers.

Scene from Sikandar 1941

Murad
He  was an Indian character actor who appeared in more than 100 Bollywood films from the early 1940s through to the end of the 1980s playing character roles of a father, police officer, judge and an emperor. His son Raza Murad is also an actor in the Bollywood industry who is known for playing mostly villain roles and also have a powerful voice.His career began in the early 1940s when he made his acting debut in the 1943 film Najma which was directed by Mehboob Khan. The film featured him playing the father of Ashok Kumar despite being only a year older than him. He became a regular with director Mehboob Khan's films such as Anmol Ghadi (1946), Andaz (1949), Aan (1952) and Amar (1954). His other notable film roles included Do Bigha Zamin (1953) as a cruel landowner, Devdas (1955) as Devdas's father
 
Murad as King in'Yahudi'1958 with great Sohrab Modi,Dilip Kumar and Meena kumari

Jayant
His real name was Zakaria Khan.He was tall and had a deep voice.  He played lead role in many movies like Bombay Mail (1935), Challenge (1936), His Highness (1937) and State Express (1938)Tody's generation will better know him the father of Amjad Khan(Gabbar Singh of Sholay).Some of his well known films were Amar(1954),Insaniyat (1955) as Zangoora, Madhumati (1958) as Pawan Raja (Madhumati's Father) and Haqeeqat (1964) as Indian Army Commanding Officer

                               Angry Madhubala has an argument with Jayant in  Amar(1954)


Jayant (Zakaria Khan) the father & Amjad Khan the son sing Pashto songs in Hindi movie

Ajit
 He acted in over two hundred movies in almost four decades.Initially he played the lead roles in  movies such as NastikBada BhaiMilanBara Dari, and later as a second lead in Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur. In the middle of 1960s he switched over to play the villain. His first movie as a villain was Suraj, followed by films such as Zanjeer and Yaadon Ki Baaraat.His famous dialogues included the "Mona darling" bit in Yaadon Ki Baraat, "Lily don't be silly" in Zanjeer and the one about a "Lion" in Kallicharan.

                            Kalicharan - Sara Shehar Mujhe Lion Ke Naam Se Janta Hai


Raj Kumar
Raaj Kumar made his acting debut in the 1952 film Rangili and appeared in films like AabsharGhamand and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi’s Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957) that he became famous. In 1957, he achieved prominence with his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India. He followed this with the unglamorous role of a mill worker in Paigham (1959) alongside Dilip Kumar. In Sridhar’s Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Raaj Kumar played the role of a cancer patient for which he won the Filmfare Award in the Best supporting actor category.He was cast with Sunil DuttShashi Kapoor and Balraj Sahni in Yash Chopra’s family drama Waqt in 1965.  He became known for his distinct style of dialogue delivery.

                      Humko Mita Sake - Raaj Kumar Most Famous & Cult Dialogue


Amitabh Bachchan
Referred to as the Shahenshah of BollywoodStar of the Millennium, or Big B, he has since appeared in over 190 Indian films in a career spanning almost five decades.[Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema as well as world cinema.He is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer, and presenter for numerous programmes.He is the only actor who gave his voice as Sutradhar in more than 15 films.Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice that he decided to use Bachchan as the narrator in his 1977 film Shatranj Ke Khilari 

                            Best of Amitabh Bachchan dialogues


Shatrughan Sinha
He started as Villain in Bollywood,he was most popular as villain in the initial career in films.He was one of the most unconventional actors in Hindi cinema (the others being Ajay DevganAmitabh BachchanIrfan KhanRajinikanthShahrukh Khan, and Sunil Shetty He is known for his superb performances and punch dialogues in Mere Apne,Loha, Dost, Dostana, Naseeb, Khilona, Kalicharan, Rakhta Charitra 2, Vishwanath, Shaan, Bombay to Goa,

                                                  Shatrughan Sinha's Best Dialogues


Danny Denzogpa
 His film career spans more than 4 decades.His best known villainous roles are in Dhund36 GhanteBandish (film)(1980), Jeeo Aur Jeene DoDharm Aur Qanoon and Agneepath and is remembered for his performances in positive roles such as in FakiraChor Machaye ShorDevata (1978 film)KalicharanBulundi and Adhikar (1986 film). He got his major break in Gulzar's Mere Apne (1971), where he had a positive role. His most applauded negative characters are in Bandish (film) (1980) as Kapil Kumar, Phir Wahi Raat as "Ashok", Dharm Aur Qanoon (1984), as SP "Karan", Kanoon Kya Karega (1984), as "Raghuvir Singh", Andar Baahar (1984), as "Shera", Oonche Log (1985), as "Thakur Maan Singh", Aandhi Toofan (1986), as "Balbir" Bhagwaan Dada (1986), as "Gangwaa", Agneepath (1990), as "Kancha Cheena", Hum (1991), as "Bakhtawar", Ghatak: Lethal, as "Kaatya", Krantiveer (1994), as "Chatur Singh", Pukar, (2000) as "Abhrush" and Indian, as "Shankar Singhania". He was pitted against Pran in the film Sanam Bewafa and 1942:A Love Story

Raaj Kumar & Danny Denzongpa Face Off - Hit Bollywood Movie Scene - Bulandia


Amrish Puri
 He is the most remembered for his role as Mogambo in Shekhar Kapur's Hindi film Mr. India (1987),. He was noticed in the 1980 super-hit movie Hum Paanch in which he played the main villain. After that, he started getting cast as the main villain in other movies. In 1982, Puri played the main villain, Jagavar Choudhary in the Subhash Ghai super-hit film Vidhaata. That same year, he again played the main villain, JK in the movie Shakti starring two legends- Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. Next, in 1983, Subhash Ghai again cast him as the main villain, Pasha in the superhit movie Hero. Puri regularly featured in subsequent Subhash Ghai films.Before coming to films he was a voice over artist.He had a magnificent voice, as you or anybody who has heard him would know. His articulation was excellent. 




Thursday 8 March 2018

Sahir Ludhianvi – The People’s Poet,


Sahir Ludhianvi who was born on March 8th, 1921 got fame and recognition in 1951 with the release of two films Naujawan and Baazi. The song  "Thandi hawaayen lehraa ke aayen" from Naujawan made him instantly popular among people.He  had a long and successful career as a lyricist and worked with most music directors in the 50s and 60s including RoshanMadan MohanKhaiyyamRavi, S. D. Burman  and N. Dutta
In this blog I have selected few of my most favorite songs of Sahir
Song from Naujawan 1951


Song from Baazi 1951


Song from Pyaasa 1957


Song from Hum Dono 1961


Song from Taxi Driver 1954


Song from Devdas 1955


Song from Sone Ki Chidiya 1958


Song from Phir Subah Hogi 1958


Song from Funtoosh 1956


Song from House No 44 (1955)

Song from Taj Mahal 1963


Song from Sadhna 1959


Song from Didi 1959




Song from Jaal 1952


Song from Shagun 1964


Song from Kabhie Kabhie 1976