MOTILAL-The Natural Actor

A Tribute to Moti Lal on his 107th Birth Anniversary
Moti Lal deserves to be re-introduced to the present generation of film goers. He  should to be studied in acting schools because he is one of the all-time greats of Indian cinema.He was a natural actor.Watching his film one never felt he was acting.He was the Chunni Babu of Bimal Roy's Devdas.Perhaps his finest and most underfeted performance came in the title role of Mr Sampat (1952)
He was born in Shimla on 4th Dec 1910.He  starred in over 60 films, with at least 30 in the lead.He was a character actor and also played villainy roles in Anari and Paigham (1959).He received  Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Devdas (1955) and Parakh (1960).He also directed the film Chhoti Chhoti Baatein (1965), but died before its release.
Motilal came from a distinguished family from Delhi.^[7] His father was a renowned educationist, who died when Motilal was one year old.,he did his schooling in Shimla and later graduated from Delhi.University.
After leaving college, Moti Lal came to Bombay to join the Navy but destiny wanted him to become actor. In 1934 (aged 24), he was offered the hero's role in Shaher Ka Jadoo (1934) by the Sagar Film Company. He later featured in several successful social dramas alongside Sabita Devi, including Dr. Madhurika(1935) and Kulvadhu (1937). He worked with Mehboob Khan in Jagirdar (1937) and Hum Tum Aur Woh (1938) under the Sagar Movietone banner, in Taqdeer (1943) for Mehboob Productions, and Kidar Sharma's Armaan (1942) and Kaliyan (1944). He also acted in S. S. Vasan's film Paigham (1959) (Gemini Studios), and Raj Kapoor's Jagte Raho (1956).
Motilal had a glorious record as filmdom’s smartest hero. For over two decades, he reigned supreme over the hearts of swooning fans. At the age of 55, cinema had to bid farewell to its most dapper hero. Motilal had a passion for horse-racing. He used to have a horse called Traitor, because the animal had the nasty habit of looking back at Motilal exactly at the time of reaching the winning post and losing the race in the effort!  In 1965, Motilal breathed his last.  He died penniless.
An Audio Song  from Shaadi (1941) sung by Moti Lal

Song from Shaadi (1941)

Song from Taqdeer 1943

Song from Mastana 1954

Song from Jagte Raho 1956

Song from Choti Choti Batein (1965) 

Dev Anand-The Original Style Icon of India

 

Fashion is a big industry today in India .An early trendsetter in fashion was Bollywood(Hindi cinema).If we look back we will find Dev Anand was the original Trend Setter. He was the style icon of 1950s and 1960s, scripted a fashion statement with his scarves, mufflers,hats Shirt collars and jackets and his singnature puff.
Dev saab created style "not only in reel but also in real life. His signature strip black trousers, cap wore on one side, bright cardigans and scarves tied around his neck created sensation." I will consider him as the father of fashion in the lead actors wardrobe. 
I think that era will never come back because right now people are too much influenced by outside world. Rather than creating their own style, many people are looking at the West. In the 50s there were no fashion designers,Dev Saheb  used to create his own style which later becomes a fashion
Thanks to his good looks, further enhanced by his stylish wardrobe and on-screen romantic image portrayed in songs like Abhi NA Jao Chodkar, Jia O and Khoya Khoya Chand, Dev Anand had girls swooning over him.
In an interview he was asked about fashion he said"I have always had the passion for clothes and what I wear should be perfect. If I like something, I do it. That's how everybody should, and the world should function. Dev Anand likes fashion. I look myself in the mirror everyday and say, "I look good" and don't care what everyone has to say about me as long as I like it. That's what fashion is all about. Fashion is what suits a man, his body, his physique, his appearance. You cannot follow a fashion designer but you can follow your own personality."

 Black Suit-His black coat after Kaala bazaar became a trend. His looks were compared to Gregory Pack- the great Hollywood star, his charisma, charm & child like smile was intoxicating & every generation admired, adored and appreciated him. He was asked not to wear black color in public as women would jump from buildings after seeing him dresses in black. Such was his charisma.

Hair Style-Dev Anand’s much-aped hair-style the Puff symbolized an urban chic fashion trend.This trend remained till Pyar Mohabbat released in 1966.From this film onwards he stopped making Puff,soon all the young generation changed their hair style.

His penchant for hats- Like every piece of accessory that defined his wardrobe,his hats became a rage. From the artistic beret to the classic cowboy hat to the sophisticated panama,the Jewel Thief cap very few Bollywood stars could carry a range of hats the way Dev saab did!

 His Walk: Mr. Anand was known for his trademark sloping walk, which added to his charisma. Watch the song Khoa Khoya Chand from Kaala Bazar for his walk.

His Sweaters and Jackets-He made the effortless way of wearing sweaters on shoulders a big rage during the 50s,60s and is still the only man you think of when we talk about retro style in Bollywood. Many many years past his hey day, He used a lot vibrant colours and psychedelic hues in his wardrobe when most people during that time didn’t prefer to experiment much. His understanding of colour-coding was phenomenal and personalised it to the hilt. In Guide he challenged all the existing norms with his big floral prints and buttoned up turtle-neck shirts. Dev Anand (inspired heavily by Gregory Peck) draped a sweater over his shoulders, a trend that was replicated years later by Shahrukh Khan in Mohabbatein. 

Scarfs and Muffler-He employed a variety of mufflers in  range of psychedelic hues quite effortlessly. He paired up those bold and outrageously colourful accessories with big and conspicuous floral motifs. It is said he popularized mufflers in India.

Dev  Anand’s style was highly individualistic. Though widely imitated, 

Song from Kala Bazar

Song from Tere Ghar Ke Samne

Song from Teen Deviyan

Song from Guide

Music Directors who were also Singers(Part 1)

PART 1
We all know that the Music Composers are also good singers but not all composers sang in films.In this blog I have taken those composers who sang in one or more films.In the 50s or60s the composers were very particular about the voice of the singer that suits the actor or not.Those days the composer would only sing songs that suited their voice. Today, more and more music directors are composing and singing many songs out of their albums be it AR Rahman, Amit Trivedi, Ram Sampath, Vishal Shekhar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Shankar Mahadevan, Sajid-Wajid and many others.
I start alphabetically the composers who sang for the films
Amirbai Karnataki.
Amirbai was a talented singer and actress who was fluent in Kannada (mother tongue) and Gujarati languages. .In 1943, with the release of Bombay Talkies' Kismet (1943 film) (1943), she achieved popularity: the songs of Kismetbecame a rage and Amirbai became famous. She was initially known as a singing star, but at the decline of her career she became a playback singer. She reached her career peak by 1947. Amirbai also composed music for Wahab Picturesf film Shehnaaz (1948).

Song from Shehnaaz (1948)

Shehnaaz (1948)

Song from  Kismet (1943)

 Anil Biswas
On the advise of his mentor,Hiren Bose, Anil Biswas came to Bombay in 1934. He worked in Eastern Film Company, Sagar film company National Studios and Bombay Talkies during 1942 to 1946, after which he became a Freelancer.He made his  debut as a music director with "Dharam ki Devi" (1935). He reached the height of his career with the success of "Kismet" (1943).  This film broke all records and ran in the theatres longer than any film in history.  (This record remained intact until roughly 1978 when "Sholay" surpassed it.)  Kismet was not his only success; other hits as well such as "Jwar Bhatta" (1944) and "Milan" (1946).
Here ia rare and unique song,Anil biswas singing for another Music composer

Song from Lala ji (1942)

Chale Bajaate Seeti & Tose Bichhad Ke Anil Biswas & Asha Bhonsle 

Song from  Zamana 1957

A R RAHMAN

Born A.S. Dileep Kumar on October 10th, 1966, in Madras, India, Allah Rakha Rahman was exposed to music from the time he was a child, entered in classical piano studies by his parents at the age of four. At 16, he quit school and was following in his father's footsteps He became famous in Bollywood with Roza in 1992.He  is a composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist.Among his awards are two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and sixteen Filmfare Awards South. He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 2010 by the Government of India.Rangeela, directed by Ram Gopal Varma, was Rahman's Bollywood debut. Successful scores and songs for Dil Se.. and the percussive Taal followed.

A R Qureshi
A R Qureshi composed music for some 38 Hindi moves. Most of these movies were small budget movies that did not leave much impact at the box office. His best known movies were “Sabak”(1950), “Bewafa”(1951) and “Khandaan”(1955).Here is a rare song from Maa  Baap 1944,A R Qureshi singing with Rajkumari

Song from Maa  Baap 1944

Bappi Lahiri 

Alokesh "Bappi" Lahiri (born 27 November 1952) is a music composer, music director, singer, actor, and record producer. He popularized the use of synthesized disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions.Very recently he sang for Vishal Shekher in Dirty Picture

Song from Disco Dancer 1982

Song from Dirty Picture 2011

Bhupendra Hazarika

He was a lyricist, music composer, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam.He is also acknowledged to have introduced the culture and folk music of Assam and Northeast India to Hindi cinema at the national level. He received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in 1975. Recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1987), Padmashri (1997), and Padmabhushan (2001), Hazarika was awarded with Dada Saheb Phalke Award(1992), India's highest award in cinema, by the Government of India .His first hindi film as Music composer was was Ek Pal released 1986.after that he gave music for  Rudaali (1993),Darmiyan 1997,.Saaz 1998 ,Gaja Gamini 2000 and,Daman(2001).

Song from Ek Pal 1986

Song from Rudaali 1993

Bulo C Rani

He assisted Khemchand in the movies like Tansen,Chandni, Sukh Dukh (1942) and Shahenshah Babar (1944). He sang his first playback song "Ruth Na Pyaar Mein" under Khemchand in the film Mehmaan (1942). His first film as a composer was Caravan (1944). The same year, he sang in a film Pagli Duniya. In that film, he changed his name temporarily to Bhola. But later on he sang many songs under this name till the end of his career.

Song from Dukh Sukh(1942)

Song from Pagli Duniya.  (1944)

C. Ramchandra

A a renowned music composer of the Golden Era, For his career as an occasional playback singer he used only his surname Chitalkar. Chitalkar sang some renowned and unforgettable duets with Lata such as Kitna haseen hai mausam in film Azad or Shola Jo bhadke in Albela.The highly popular patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo", which was sung by Lata Mangeshkar and penned by poet Pradeep, was a composition of Ramachandra.

He gave music for more than 100 films His biggest success as a music composer was the 1953 movie Anarkali and Albela 1951.The famous song Ena Meena Dika from ASHA was his composition.

Song from Albela 1951

Song from Azaad 1955

Hemant Kumar

He was a Bengali playback singer, music director and film producer, who sang in Bengali, Hindi and other Indian languages. He is also the greatest artist of Rabindra Sangeet. He won two National awards for the category best male playback singer. He is often credited as one of the greatest Indian singers of all time for his unparalleled manly voice.His first hindi film was Anandmath 1952.some of his famous films were Nagin,Jagriti,Bees Saal Baad,Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam,Anupama and Khamoshi

Song from Jaal 1952

Song from Khamoshi 1969

UDIT NARAYAN-The voice of 90s

Udit Narayan was born in Bhardah, in Saptari district in the Terai plains of Nepal on 1st Dec 1955.He began his career by singing in Nepali, Maithili and Bhojpuri .He sang folk songs for Radio Nepal throughout the early 1970s. In 1978, he moved to Mumbai on a music scholarship. 
He got his first break in 1980, when noted music director (composer) Rajesh Roshan asked him to do a song for the Hindi film Unees Bees, in which he got opportunity to sing with his inspiration, Mohammed Rafi.The actual success story of his career began in 1988 with the successful Bollywood movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.The song "Papa Kehte Hain Bada Naam Karega"made him one of the leading playback singers in the Indian film industry,he became the voice of Aamir Khan.The song "Pehla Nasha " gave him the superstardom.

He has sung 25,000 songs in over 36 languages.He has won three National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. He is the only male singer in the history of the Filmfare Awards to have won over three decades (winning in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s). 21 of his tracks feature in BBC's "Top 40 Bollywood Soundtracks of all time"
He was paired with Alka Yagnik to sing duet for QSQT,their duets became so popular that he sang most of his duets with her throughout his career.Their  duets were not only chart busters but most melodious and romantic songs ever created by maestros like Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind and Anu Malik who also have won many awards. 

The first Song from Unees-Bees 1980 A duet with Rafi

The First Duet with Alka Yagnik from  Sannata 1981

The First Duet with Lata from Bade Dil Wala 1983

The First Duet with Kishore Kumar from Kehdo Pyar Hai 1983

The first hit from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak 1988

Song from Dil 1990

Song from Beta 1992

Song from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar 1992

Song from Darr 1993

Song from Mohra 1994

Song from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge 1995

Song from  Raja Hindustani 1996

Song from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 1999

Song from  Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai 2000

Song from  Gadar 2001

Song from  Lagaan  2001

Song from  Swades  2004

Happy Birthday VANI JAYARAM- Meera of Modern India

Vani Jayaram  with her crystal clear voice took the Hindi Films audience to a different world by rendering superhit Hindi numbers such as “Humko Manki Shakthi Dena…” and “Bole Re Papihara…’, both from Jaya Bhadurai-starrer ‘Guddi’.
Vani Jayaram was born(30th Nov 1945) in Vellore in Tamil Nadu, in a family of musicians.She was considered to be a child prodigy,She recognized the different ragas of Indian classical music before the age of five. Her voice was first heard on All India Radio, Madras, at the age of eight.
Vani Jayaram studied Carnatic music under the tutelage of Kadalur Srinivasa Iyengar, T. R. Balasubramanian and R. S. Mani. Her Hindustani classical music guru was Ustad Abdul Rahman Khan.
After her marriage to Jayaram she settled in Mumbai, where she realized her dream.
She got her break in Hindi Films by  music director Vasant Desai in Guddi.She recorded three songs for Guddi, and "Bol Re Papi Hara," a song based on the Hindustani raga "Miyan Malhar", instantly made her an household name in India. For that song she was awarded the Tansen Samman (for best classical-based song in a Hindi film),
She went on to sing a few songs each for music directors of Hindi cinema, including Chitragupt, Naushad (a classical song in Pakeezah and a duet with Asha Bhosle in Aaina), Madan Mohan (a duet with Kishore Kumar in the film Ek Mutthi Aasmaan), O.P. Nayyar (several songs from the film Khoon Ka Badla Khoon including duets with Mohammed Rafi and also with Uttara Kelkar and Pushpa Pagdhare), R. D. Burman (a duet with Mukesh in Chhalia), Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal, and Jaidev (a duet with Manna Dey in Parinay and a solo in Solwa Saawan). Her songs in Meera (1979), composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar, won her the Filmfare Award.
Besides Hindi and Tamil, Vani Jayaram has recordings in other languages of India. These include some songs in Gujarati, Marathi, Marwari, Haryanvi, Bengali and Tulu, and a huge repertoire in Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Oriya. For her work in some of these languages, she has been awarded many prestigious awards. Vani won the National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer three times.

Song from Guddi 1971

Song from Guddi 1971

A Classical Song from Pakeezah (1972)

A Duet with Kishore Kumar  from Ek Mutthi Aasmaan (1973)

A Duet with Mukesh  from  Chhalia (1973)

A lovely Duet with Manna De from Parinay (1974)

The Award Winning Song from Meera (1979)