A Tribute to HRISHIKESH MUKHARJI on his 94th Birth Anniversary

Poularly Known as Hrishi Da,born on 30 September 1922 at Calcutta.He was  a Bollywood well known Director known for a number of films, 

He started his film career as a cameraman, and then film editor, in B. N. Sircar's New Theatres Calcutta in the late 1940s, where he learned his skills from Subodh Mitter ('Kenchida'), a well known editor of his times.He then worked with Bimal Roy in Mumbai as film editor and assistant director from 1951, participating in the landmark Roy films Do Bigha Zamin and Devdas.

His debut directorial venture, Musafir (1957), was not a success, but he persisted and received acclaim for his second film Anari in 1959.
Some of his most notable films include: Anuradha (1960), Asli-Naqli (1962), Anand (1971), Anupama (1966), Aashirwad(1968), Satyakam (1969), Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Abhimaan (1973), Namak Haraam (1973), Mili (1975), Chupke Chupke (1975), Gol Maal (1979), Khubsoorat(1980) and Bemisal (1982).His last film was Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate released in 1998.
Beside Directing he was also an Editor of many films.Some of the fims in which he was only the Editor were Parineeta,1953,Devdas1955, Garam Coat 1955,Madhumati 1958,Dastak 1970 and Coolie 1983.
Ill-health has increasingly curtailed his activities.  He was admitted to Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai early on Tuesday, 6 June 2006 after he complained of uneasiness. Mukherjee died ten weeks later on 27 August 2006.He has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award,

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was a brilliant director. The films he directed could make you cry, they could make you laugh, and they could make you laugh even while you cried.Here I have selected  Ten masterpieces from the treasure trove that Mukherjee left behind for his fans.
Anari 1959

Anari was a 1959 film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Nutan, Motilal and Lalita Pawar. The music was by Shankar Jaikishan and the lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri as well as Shailendra. Among the few movies that Lalita Pawar played a positive role and Motilal a role with shades of grey.

The film got 5 major Filmfare Awards.Best Hero to Raj Kapoor,Best Music to Shankar Jaikishan
,Best Lyrics to Shailendra,Best Male Playback Singer to Mukesh and Best Supporting Actress 
to Lalita Pawar.This film got the President's Silver Medal for Best Film.
Asli Naqli

Asli-Naqli  was a 1962 Hindi movie produced by L.B Lachman and L.B Thakur. The film is directed byHrishikesh Mukherjee and stars Dev Anand, Sadhana Shivdasani, Leela Chitnis, Anwar Hussain, Sandhya Roy and Keshto Mukherjee. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri. The film became a box office hit.The film is refreshing with brilliant acting by all the cast and is very competently directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.All the songs were well picturised and were very popular.

Anupama 1966

Anupama was a 1966 Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The movie stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Shashikala, Deven Verma and Durga Khote. 

The film was critically acclaimed and was nominated for several Filmfare Awards and did 'Above Average' business at the Indian Box Office.The music for the movie was composed by Hemant Kumar and the lyrics were written by Kaifi Azmi. The movie includes most popular song such as Dheere Dheere Machalpicturised on Surekha & Tarun Bose, sung by Lata Mangeshkar and composed by Hemant Kumar.

Satyakam 1969

Satyakam is a 1969 Indian Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on a Bengali novel of the same name byNarayan Sanyal. The film stars Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjeev Kumar, and Ashok Kumar. The music for this film is given by Laxmikant Pyarelal.This is considered to be Dharmendra's finest acting performance of his career.

This film was made in 1969. By this time, disillusionment with post-independence expectations had begun to take root across India. Unemployment, continual poverty and rampant corruption were severely undermining institutions all around. In a way, the film underlines a gradual disappearance of the followers of absolutism.

It won 1971 Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for Rajinder Singh Bedi. The movie also won National Film Award For Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Anand 1971

Anand  was a 1971 Indian drama film co-written and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It stars Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles, with Khanna playing the title role. The dialogues were written by Gulzar. The film won several awards including the Filmfare award for best film in 1972.Rajesh Khanna got Best Hero Award for this film.

Anand was originally supposed to star actors Kishore Kumar and Mehmood in lead roles.The character Babu Moshai was to be played by Mehmood. Mukherjee was asked to meet Kishore Kumar to discuss the project. However, when he went to Kishore Kumar's residence, he was driven away by the gatekeeper due to a misunderstanding.The incident hurt Mukherjee and he decided not to work with Kumar.

The film got National Award for Best Film.

Bawarchi 1972

Bawarchi was a 1972 Indian film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee starring Rajesh Khanna and Jaya Badhuri with Asrani, A.K. Hangal, Usha Kiran and Durga Khote in supporting roles.The movie was inspired by the Bengali film Galpa Holeo Satyi (1966) by Tapan Sinha.

The story is centered around the squabbling Sharma family, headed by their eccentric Daduji (Harindranath Chattopadhyay), which has a dubious reputation of the inability to retain a cook for more than a few months due to their ill treatment of their servants. The family's disrepute spreads to such an extent that no person wants to be employed as a cook in their home, ironically named Shanti Niwas.

Then one day a young man named Raghu (Rajesh Khanna) offers to work as a cook, and is hired. Raghu, however, lives up to this challenge & becomes the apple in the eye of every inmate of Shanti Niwas. 

Abhiman 1973

Abhimaan was a 1973 Bollywood musical drama film starring Amitabh Bachchan; his real-life wife, Jaya Bachchan; Asrani; and Bindu. It was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
The film is perhaps best remembered for its songs, composed and arranged by the late S. D. Burman, written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, and sung by playback singers Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, and Kishore Kumar. Film was declared Hit by Trade Guide,

The film was also a turning point for Bindu, who, for the first time, played a sympathetic character. Previously, she was known for playing vamps/cabaret dancers, such as in Amitabh's star-making hit Zanjeer (1973).This film was very popular in Sri Lanka more than in India and was screened continuously for 590 days in the same cinema, Empire, Colombo.
Chupke Chupke 1975

Chupke Chupke  was a 1975  comedy film starring Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Om Prakash, Usha Kiran, David Abraham Cheulkar, Asrani and Keshto Mukherjee. The movie, a remake of the Bengali movie Chhadmabeshi, was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee based on Upendranath Ganguly's Bengali story Chhadobeshi. with music composed by S.D. Burman. This film is highly remembered for Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan's comic act which came in the same year when all time blockbuster Sholay was released.

 “Chupke Chupke” is a classic example of a film where you smile almost all the way through. Nobody drops his pyjamas. Nobody slips over a banana peel. Nobody indulges in innuendos. It is that kind which has humour as its lifeline. Its Hindi-English contests are the stuff of a masterpiece, its one-liners have a timelessness written over them.

Gol Maal 1979

Gol Maal was a 1979 Bollywood comedy movie directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It was produced by Mukherjee andN.C.Sippy with music by Rahul Dev Burman.Along with getting high accolades and praise from several critics, the film became a "Blockbuster" at the box office and gained huge popularity among the masses. Gol Maal, becoming a "Mega Hit" reached the top spot in 1979 in box office collections. It remains popular and is regarded a cult favorite among audiences and also regarded as one of the finest comedies of Indian cinema.

The film highlights the directorial excellence of Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He was a complete filmmaker, who gave tear-jerkers like “Anand” and “Mili” and also sterling comedies like “Chupke Chupke”, “Guddi”, “Khubsoorat” and “Bawarchi”. The background score by Rahul Dev Burman, and of course the four songs, stand out in ‘Gol Maal”, the best being “Aane Wala Pal Jaane Wala Hai”, a glowing tribute to Gulzar, who won the best lyricist award for this lingering Kishore Kumar number. It is an Amol Palekar movie all the way with Utpal Dutt brilliant as ever. It remains a film worth watching many a time!

Hrishikesh Mukherjee had first selected Rekha to enact the heroine's part but felt that he would be wasting a talented actress in film where the hero was the mainstay. He replaced her with Bindya Goswami. The very next year he made Khubsoorat, with Rekha in a pivotal role.

Khubsoorat 1980

Khubsoorat was a 1980  Hindi film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, whose direction together with dialogues by Gulzar.

In Khoobsurat, Rekha played Manju, who shows up at her elder sister Anju's home in Pune soon after Anju is married. Anju's mother-in-law is Nirmala Gupta (Pathak), a stern and no-nonsense lady who makes sure the house runs with clockwork precision. The Gupta household is made up of Nirmala, her husband Dwarka Prasad (Ashok Kumar) and their four sons, of whom two are married and two are unmarried. One of the bachelors is Inder (Rakesh Roshan) and the other is the rock music-loving Jagan (Ranjit Chowdhry).

The film won the 1981 Filmfare Best Movie Award. The lead actress, Rekha, won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role as Manju Dayal .

Remembering Mehmood on his 84th Birth Anniversary

Mehmood ( 29 September 1932- July 23 2004 )  was an Indian actor, director as well as a producer in the Indian film industry i.e. Bollywood and has worked in more than 300 films in a career spanning over three decades. However, his fans remember him as one of the most hilarious comedian of all time.
He started his career as a child artist. He worked in Bombay films like Kismet. He also did small roles in many films which went unnoticed.Few of such films were Do Bigha Zameen and Pyaasa.

The film CID released in 1956,in that film he had slightly noticable role that brought him to limelight.
Sasural (1961), a three-hankie melodramatic mega-success, was Mehmood's big breakthrough film as a comedian. What's more, Sasural created one of the most successful comedy teams of the sixties -- Mehmood and Shubha Khote. The plump and genial Shubha went on to partner Mehmood in most of his mad capers till the mid-sixties -- including Grihasti, Bharosa, Ziddi and Love In Tokyo

Scene from Ziddi

At the turn of the 1960s, Mehmood even played the hero in small films opposite starlets like Chitra, Naaz and Ameeta. Mehmood cast Ameeta as the heroine in his first production Chhote Nawab (1961), where he gave a break to his friend-cum-composer, R D Burman.After that he produced and Directed Bhoot Bangla(1965)

Scene from Bhoot Bangla

By the late sixties, he was heralded as the monarch of madness, with successes like Patthar Ke Sanam, Do Kaliyan, Neel Kamal, Aankhen and Aulaad releasing one after the other. Mehmood was a master at playing the hero's friend, who would help him out of sticky situations with his street-smart ways.

Mehmood dominated commercial Hindi cinema during his peak years, to the extent that it was said that some lead actors were unwilling to act with him as he tended to overshadow them.His name in the star cast and face on the film poster ensured that scores turned up at the theatres. One song for him in the film was mandatory in that era.At the insistence of distributors, a song picturised on Mehmood became a must in most films of the sixties. Manna Dey, a recognised classical singer, was singled out for singing many of Mehmood's naughty numbers.He was among the rare few who even went to have films named after him - Johar Mehmood in Goa and Johar Mehmood in Hongkong.

Mehmood with fellow Comedians

Some famous Bollywood songs for which people still remember Mehmood are 'Ek chatur naar' from film Padosan, 'Aao Twist Karen' from Bhoot Bangla, 'Yeh do deewane dil ke' from Johar Mehmood in Goa, 'Hum kaale hai to kyaa huaa dilwaale hain' from Gumnaam and so on. He received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Dil Tera Diwana(1963) and Filmfare Best Comedian Award 4 times for films Pyar Kiye Jaa(1967),Waris(1970),Paras(1972) and for Vardaan(1975).

Mehmood in Pyaar Kiye Ja

By the time the 90s set in, Mehmood had played his entire hand -- as actor, director, storywriter and producer. But, he was now keeping indifferent health. He made one last attempt at a comeback, with a film called Dushman Duniya Ka (1996). By now, there was a new generation of filmgoers in the theatres -- and new stars in Bollywood’s firmaments. Mehmood managed to get the brightest new star into his movie. Shah Rukh Khan – a self-confessed Mehmood admirer – played the role of the “young” Mehmood in the film, 

actor mehmood's funeral

On 23rd July 2004, Mehmood died in his sleep in Pennsylvania, US, where he had gone for treatment of heart disease after suffering poor health for several years

Mehmood will forever be remembered as he appeared in his heydays – as the King of Comedy. He taught a nation how to laugh! Thank you for the laughter!

Best of Mehmood's Songs

Song from Parvarish 1958

Song from Chhoti Behen 1959

Song from Manzil 1960

Song from Chhote Nawab

Song from Beti Beten 1964

Song from Aarti 1962

Song from Grasti 1963

Song from Bhoot Bangla 1963

Song from Ziddi 1964

Gori Chalo Na Hans Ki Chaal from Beti Bete 1964

Song from Zindagi 1964

Song from Johar mehmood in Goa 1965

Song from Gumnaam 1965

Song from Meharbaan 1967

Song from Patthar Ke Sanam 1967

Song from Neelkamal 1968

Song from Saadhu Aur Shaitan

Song from Do Phool

Song from Padosan

Song from Main Sundar hoon

Song from Lakhon Me Ek 1971

Song from Sab Se Bada Rupaiya 1974

JODI HAMARI JAMEGA KAISE from Aulad 1968

Happy Birthday LATA MANGESHKAR on 87th Birthday

The nightingale of India turns 87
Legendary singer and Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar was born on 28th September 1929  at the princely state of Indore, part of the Central India Agency (now part of Madhya Pradesh). Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar was a classical singer and theater actor.She  was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays,BhaawBandhan.
 At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (Sangeet Natak in Marathi). On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school.

Lata Mangeshkar was 13 when her father died of heart disease. She being the eldest among brother and sisters, the responsibility of earning bread and butter came to her shoulder. The owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them. He helped Lata get started in a career as a singer and actress.

first song sung by Lata Mangeshkar

 She sang the song "Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari" which was composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi movie Kiti Hasaal (1942), but the song was dropped from the final cut. Vinayak gave her a small role in Navyug Chitrapat's Marathi movie Pahili Mangalaa-gaur (1942), in which she sang "Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai" which was composed by Dada Chandekar. Her first Hindi song was "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi film,Gajaabhaau (1943).
When Master Vinayak's company moved its headquarters to Bombay in 1945 Lata also moved to Mumbai with her family.She started taking lessons in Hindustani classical music from UstadAmanat Ali Khan . Lata  and her sister Asha played minor roles in Vinayak's first Hindi-language movie, Badi Maa (1945). In that movie, Lata also sang a bhajan, "Maata Tere Charnon Mein." She was introduced to music director Vasant Desai during the recording of Vinayak's second Hindi-language movie, Subhadra (1946).She sang “Paa Lagoon Kar Jori” for Vasant Joglekar's Hindi-language movie Aap Ki Seva Mein (1946),which was composed by Datta Davjekar. 

Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhora from Majboor 1948

Once again Lata got another setback in 1948 when Master Vinayak died.She was once again jobless.But this time  music director Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer. Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song "Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhora"—lyrics by Nazim Panipati—from the movie Majboor (1948), which became her first big breakthrough film hit. In an interview on her 84th birthday, in September 2013, Lata herself declared, "Ghulam Haider is truly my Godfather. He was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent

Aayega Aanewaala from Mahal 1949

She became the Star from the song  "Aayega Aanewaala," from the movie Mahal (1949), composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.After this song she was the leading voice of all heroines and ruled bollywood with her Sweet voice.

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honours, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan(1969),Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997), NTR National Award(1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

Lata with her Brother & Sisters

Some Un Known Facts of Lata Ji 

-Initially, Lata Mangeshkar is said to have imitated the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, but later she developed her own style of singing.

-Actor Dilip Kumar once made a mildly disapproving remark about Mangeshkar's Maharashtrian accent while singing Hindi/Urdu songs; so for a period of time, Lata took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.

-.Music Director Ghulam Haider introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie Shaheed (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin".An annoyed Haider responded that in coming years producers and directors would "fall at Lata's feet" and "beg her" to sing in their movies. 

-In the early 1962 she was given slow poison. The doctor was called. He came with an x-ray machine to check her, and gave her an injection to render her unconscious, because She was in pain. For three days, She had a close brush with death. After ten days, she began to recover. The doctor told her that somebody gave her slow poison. The slow poison incident rendered her very weak. She was bed-ridden for nearly 3 months. The most surprising thing was that soon after the incident, the cook who used to work at Lataji's home, suddenly vanished without taking his wages. The cook had earlier worked with some Bollywood people. Bollywood lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri used to regularly visit Lataji at her home daily at 6 pm. Majrooh used to first taste the food and then allow Lata to eat. He used to recite poems and stories to keep Lata in good humour.

-Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for Marathi movie Ram Ram Pavhane. Later in the 1960s, she composed music for 5 Marathi movies under the pseudonym of Anand Ghan.

The Song Sung and Composed by Lata

-Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:,One was in Marathi "Vaadal" in 1953,Jhaanjhar (Hindi),1953,Kanchan (Hindi)1955 and  Lekin(Hindi)1990.
-The Guinness Book of Records—in 1991—listed her as the most recorded artist in the world with not less than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed songs recorded in 20 Indian languages between 1948 and 1987. Today the number might have crossed 50,000.

Song from Lekin

She is the blessed one - she is blessed by God,I wish her a very long life and many more years to bless us with her wonderful songs.

RARE & UNRELEASED FILM SONGS OF LATA JI

Jiya Jaye Piya aaja - Naujawan 1951

Dilip Kumar Sings with Lata ji.from Ram Musafir 1957

  

Tere Sab Gham Mile Mujhko Lata Mangeshkar Film Hamdard (1953)

Mukh Mod Na Lena Sajna Lata Mangeshkar Film Aashiana (1952)

Ae Dil Kahan Teri Manzil Lata Mangeshkar Film Maya (1961)

Jiya Kho Gaya Lata Mangeshkar Film Railway Platform (1955) 

Tootegi Na Pyar Ki Dor Lata Mangeshkar Film Amber

Thandi Hawayen Lata Mangeshkar Film Naujawan 

MACHALTI AARZOO KHAREE BAAHEIN PASAARE from Usne Kaha Tha

Aaye Nainon Mein Balam - Jitne Door Utne Paas (Unreleased)

Dil Beqarar Sa Hai from Ishara 1964

Hey Abdullah Nagin Wala  from Ishara 1964

A Rare  Duet of Lata and Suman Kalyanpur

Kabhi aaj kabhi kal kabhi parson (Chand 1959)

Duet with Geeta Dutt

Ham panchhi mastaane (Dekh Kabira Roya)(1957) 

Non Film Ghazal by Lata

a

Har ek baat pe kehte ho tum ke tu kya hai 

Bhiga Bhiga Mausam from Suraag 1980

Unreleased Song | Film Majnoon | Rajesh Khanna | Rakhee | Kamal Amrohi | Khayyam | Lata Mangeshkar

Un released song from Pakeezah (1972)

Pee Ke Chale Hum Hai Sharabi-Rare Song-Lata Mangeshkar