Golden Era of Bollywood

Saturday, 26 May 2018

NAVKETAN FILMS-A Studio That Always Looked Forward

Dev Anand's Fans and Hindi-movie buffs have many reasons to be grateful for the production house Navketan, founded in 1949 by the Anand brothers Chetan and Dev Anand.In the 1950s most of the studios were making historical or involved the village in some form or the other,Navketan was making Urban based movies.True to its name Navketan,which is a Sanskrit word that means Newness,the banner made films with new subjects and introduced new talent and technology.
The Kapoors are often referred to as the first family of Bollywood, but not many realize that the Anand brothers — Chetan, Dev and Vijay — formed a creative combination with an equally rich legacy.The Anands have, however, proved to be far more prolific, produc ing 35 motion pictures under Navketan as compared to the 20 films made by the Kapoor clan.
It was under the Navketan roof that directors Guru Dutt, Raj Khosla and Vijay Anand, music directors S D Burman and R D Burman, cinematographer Fali Mistry and V Ratra did some of their best work.
Unlike R K Film Studio or Mehboob Studio, Navketan does not possess a shooting floor. So all of his (Dev Anand’s) films were shot in Mehboob Studio.
Dev Anand had bought the 19,000 sq ft Pali Hill property in the early ‘50s and established Anand Recording Studio in 1986 to mix and dub all the films produced by Navketan Films. When it was running, the studio specialised in voice overs, dubbing and surround mixes in all formats.It is perhaps the most technically advanced studio in the country, with great expertise in all fields.Over 10,000 films such as Taare Zameen Par (2007) and Ghajini (2008) have been mixed here.Shah Rukh, Aamir and Salman Khan come regularly to dub their films
In 2009, it was decided that the studio will make way for a 12-storeyed swanky tower. At the time, Dev Anand wished for a penthouse to be built for him and his family in the plot

AFSAR
The first film of Navketan Banner was AFSAR released in 1950,a romantic comedy film directed by Chetan Anand. It was produced by and starred Dev Anand. It co-starred Suraiya, who also recorded the playback singing for the film. The film was based on Nikolai Gogol's play The Government Inspector. The film was an average in Box office.

Song from Afsar 1950

Baazi

The second film of Navketan was Baazi released in 1951.The movie stars Dev Anand with Geeta Bali and Kalpana Kartik. It is a crime thriller and had very popular music composed by S.D. Burman.This film was the game changer for Dev Anand and Navketan.It was very successful at the box office.Had it not been hit we would have not seen the great films of Guru Dutt and Navketan Films.

Song from Baazi 1951

Aandhiyan

It is a 1952 Hindi drama, written and directed by Chetan Anand. It starred Dev Anand, Nimmi and Kalpana Kartik in lead roles.The music of the film was from a classical musician Ali Akbar Khan.The background score of the film was also done by Ali Akbar Khan along with other Hindustani classical musicians Pandit Ravi Shankar and Pannalal Ghosh.

Song from Aandhiyan 1952

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver is a 1954 Hindi movie produced by Navketan Films. The film was directed by Chetan Anand and stars his brother Dev Anand, Dev's wife-to-be Kalpana Kartik and Johnny Walker. The film was written by Chetan himself, along with his wife Uma Anandand his other brother Vijay Anand. The film's music director was S. D. Burman and the lyrics were written by Sahir Ludhianvi.The film was a super hit and it was the film that started outdoor shooting of Bollywood films.

Dev Anand's taxi in the movie was the British made Hillman Minx, a black car with the number 1111. Such became the popularity following the film, that the British made Hillman Minx became a vehicle of choice as a taxi in Bombay until the 1970s

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

House No. 44

House No. 44 is a 1955 Hindi film directed by M. K. Burman and produced by Dev Anand for his banner Navketan Films. The movie stars Dev Anand and Kalpana Kartik in a lead role.^[1] The film is also noted for its popular songs with music by Sachin Dev Burman, with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, including "Teri Duniya Mein Jeene Se" and "Chup Hai Dharti Chup Hain Chand Sitaare", sung by Hemant Kumar

Song from House No. 44 1955

Funtoosh

Funtoosh is a 1956 Bollywood film directed by Chetan Anand. The film stars Dev Anand, Sheila Ramani and K.N. Singh. It was the ninth highest grossing film of 1956, and was declared a "Hit". The music of the movie was an instant hit and songs such as "Dukhi Mann Mere" were topping Binaca Geet Mala. Other hits were "Woh Dekhen To Unki Inayat", "Humne Kisi Pe Dore Dalne Hai", "Ae Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa" and "Denewala Jab bhi deta Poora Chappad Phad Ke Deta". The Songs cemented the bond of SD Burman, Dev Anand and Kishore Kumar.

Song from Funtoosh 1956

Nau Do Gyarah

It was a 1957 Hindi film produced by Dev Anand. This was his brother, Vijay Anand's directorial debut.^[ The film stars Dev Anand, Kalpana Kartik, Madan Puri, Shashikala and Jeevan. The film's music is by S. D. Burman and the lyrics are by Majrooh Sultanpuri

Song from Nau Do Gyarah 1957

Kala Pani

Kala Pani was a 1958 Hindi movie, produced by Dev Anand for Navketan Films and directed by Raj Khosla.The film stars Dev Anand, Madhubala, Nalini Jaywant, Bir Sakuja and Agha. The film's music is by Sachin Dev Burman, and the lyrics are by Majrooh Sultanpuri.

The movie won two Filmfare awards including Filmfare Best Actor Award and Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Song from Kala Paani 1958

Kala Bazar

Another Super hit film from Navketan in 1960.Written and directed by Dev's younger brother Vijay Anand, the film starred Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Vijay Anand, Chetan Anand, Nanda, S.D. Burman composed the music, while the lyrics were penned by Shailendra.

It was noted for having several of Bollywood's stars in a cameo at the film premiere of Mother India (1957), and it was also the only film to star the three Anand brothers together. It became a Superhit at the box office.

Song from Kala Bazar 1960

Hum Dono

Hum Dono was a 1961 Hindi film produced by Dev Anand and Navketan films.The film stars Dev Anand in a double role, and also has Nanda, Sadhana The film is also known for its music by Jaidev and became a box office hit

Song from Hum Dono 1961

Tere Ghar Ke Samne

It is a 1963 super hit film.The film, produced by Dev Anand and written and directed by his brother Vijay Anand.The film's music is by S. D. Burman, while the lyrics have been penned by Hasrat Jaipuri.

Song from Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Guide

It is a 1965 romantic drama film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the novel The Guide, by R. K. Narayan.The movie proved memorable for its award-winning performances by the lead actors and memorable music by S. D. Burman. The film was a box office hit upon release and considered as the Top five Classic of Bollywood.

Song from Guide 1965

Jewel Thief

It is a 1967 Hindi spy thriller film directed by Vijay Anand. The film stars Dev Anand, Vyjayantimala and Ashok Kumar in the lead roles.The film became a box office hit.The music for all the songs were composed by S. D. Burman and The lyrics for this film were by Majrooh Sultanpuri

Song from Jewel Thief 1967

Prem Pujari

This was the first film directed by Dev Anand.It was released in 1970 with a great hype but it did not fare well in Box Office.The movie stars Dev Anand, Waheeda Rehman, Shatrughan Sinha, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri and a then-unknown Amrish Puri. It has several popular songs composed by S. D. Burman.

Song from Prem Pujari 1970

Tere Mere Sapne

It was a 1971 film produced by Dev Anand, and written and directed by his brother Vijay Anand for Navketan Films. The movie stars Dev, Vijay, Mumtaz and Hema Malini. The film's music is by S. D. Burman

Song from Tere Mere Sapne 1971

Hare Rama Hare Krishna

It was a 1971 Indian film once again directed by Dev Anand starring himself, Mumtaz and Zeenat Aman. The film was a hit^[1] and a star-making vehicle for Zeenat Aman, who played a westernized hippie, and won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. It aimed to have an anti-drug message,hippie Culture and also depicts some problems associated with Westernization such as divorce.

Song from Hare Rama Hare Krishna 1971

Shareef Budmaash

It was a 1973 Bollywood action thriller film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha and Ajit in pivotal roles.The film was an average at the Box Office.

Song from Shareef Budmaash 1973

Heera Panna

It was a 1973 Hindi film. Written, produced and directed by Dev Anand for Navketan films, the film stars Dev Anand, Zeenat Aman, Raakhee, Rehman, Jeevan, A.K. Hangal, Paintal and Dheeraj Kumar. The film's music was composed by R. D. Burman.

Song from Heera Panna 1973

Des Pardes

It was a 1978 Hindi film, produced and directed by Dev Anand. This family drama stars Dev Anandand Tina Munim (in her debut film), with Ajit Khan, Pran, Amjad Khan, Shreeram Lagoo, Tom Alter, Bindu, Prem Chopra, A. K. Hangal, Sujit Kumar, Mehmoodand Paintal in the supporting cast. For the first time, 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.

Song from Des Pardes 1978

Friday, 25 May 2018

Sunil Dutt-Much More Than an Actor

Life for him was one crisis after the other — his early struggles as an actor, bankruptcy as a producer, the death of Nargis, his wife, battle against son Sanjay’s drug addiction and, later, TADA arrest.He bounced back time and again from personal tragedies which would have pulled down a lesser man. In public life, Dutt symbolises the never-say-die spirit.
With an ear to the ground and a hand on the pulse of the people, Sunil Dutt lived by his convictions and led from the front.He arrived in Bombay at the age of 18 with two pairs of clothes and Rs 25 in his pocket, determined to bring back the good times for his family which had lost everything during Partition. Holding a clerical job with the Bombay Bus Service and sharing a room with six others, which often necessitated sleeping out, Dutt studied in Jai Hind College and made some extra money by anchoring cultural shows. He interviewed film stars over Radio Ceylon. His good looks and deep voice prompted producer Ramesh Saigal to offer him the hero’s role in the film Railway Platform.
The turning point came in 1956 when producer Mehboob Khan signed him to play the son of leading lady Nargis in Mother India. For Nargis, it was the role of a lifetime.As we all know that he rescued his leading lady from a fire in the sets, they discovered they were in love and got married. Three children followed.

He was one of the major stars of Hindi cinema in the late 1950s and 1960s and continued to star in many successful films which included Sadhna (1958), Sujata (1959), Mujhe Jeene Do (1963), Khandan (1965) and Padosan (1967). His collaboration with B.R. Chopra proved to be successful in films such as Gumraah (1963), Waqt (1965) and Hamraaz (1967).
He admired Jawaharlal Nehru, who had suggested that the film industry should do something for the jawans. Dutt and Nargis formed the Ajanta Arts Cultural Troupe and, roping in leading actors and singers from the film industry, held stage shows at border areas.The Dutts donated Rs 1 lakh to the National Defence Fund and grew closer to the Nehru family. Nehru enjoyed watching Sujata, which dealt with untouchability. The Dutts bonded well with Indira Gandhi too. Nargis was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1980, and was urged by Indira to take up the cause of spastic children. The former actress became the chairperson of the Spastics Society of India.

He was appointed the Sheriff of Bombay in 1981, Dutt was persuaded by the Gandhi family to enter politics and contest the Lok Sabha elections from Bombay Northwest. His reputation and clean image helped him win successive Lok Sabha elections, defeating formidable opponents like famous criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Shiv Sena stalwarts such as Madhukar Sarpotdar.
In 1982, he set up the Nargis Dutt Memorial Cancer Foundation in New York which began to collect funds for cancer equipment in Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital. In 1984 he was elected on a Congress ticket from Mumbai North-west to the 8th Lok Sabha.

Thereafter, barring one election, he contested from the same constituency and won convincingly, Shocked by the violence in Punjab, Dutt turned into a padyatri with no political agenda. During his 76-day, 2500-km walk from Bombay to the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1987, Dutt overcame terrible heat, a bout of jaundice and blistered feet to address more than 500 roadside meetings. He stressed that violence would not help any cause. The police warned him that he was a target for terrorists but he shunned security and marched to the Golden Temple, where he was accorded a rousing reception.

The padyatra was repeated some time later, when protesting against the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Dutt Saab marched from Hiroshima to Nagasaki, demanding a ban on nukes. "Did God create the world for it to be destroyed by his own children?" he asked. "Each one of us should do our bit to fight nuclear proliferation.

Sunil Dutt was a recipient of numerous awards, including the Padmashree in 1968, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Award for National Integration and Communal Harmony in 1997, the Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Award for International Peace, Communal Harmony, Unity and National Integration in 1997 and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award in 1998.

In Congress politics, even while keeping away from different groups, he remained a trusted aide of Sonia Gandhi and was among the first ones to receive a ticket for the Lok Sabha poll.

Dutt’s popularity cuts across party lines. He is equally at home with people from all sections of society, be they slum dwellers, glamorous film stars, professionals, Rotarians or the Page-three crowd. His appointment as Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports has been well received.He was a minister when he died on 25th May 2005 at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.

Songs from Sunil Dutt's Films

Song from Mother India (1957)

Song from Sujata (1959)

Song from Hum Hindustani (1960)

Song from Chhaya (1961)

Song from Milan (1967)

Thursday, 24 May 2018

Majrooh Sultanpuri-Who wrote songs for heroes from Saigal to Aamir Khan

Majrooh Sultanpuri was the most versatile lyricist in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning half a century, he is the only lyricist who wrote songs for heroes ranging from Saigal to Aamir Khan and leading ladies from Nargis to Madhuri Dixit.
He could write any kind of lyrics tailor-made for the situation in the film. Be it the peppy “Hum hain rahi pyar ke” (Nau Doh Gyarah) or the nonsense lyrics of “C-A-T cat, cat maane billi” (Dilli Ka Thug) to “Aaj main upar aasman neeche” (Khamoshi – The Musical), Majrooh became the undisputed king of the “situational song.He got his first break as a lyricist in A R Kardar’s Shah Jahan in 1945, penning the last classic by K L Saigal “Jab dil hi toot gaya”.
Majrooh Sultanpuri was born Asrar Hussain Khan in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a police constable on October 1,1919. After studying Persian in Aligarh, He then joined Lucknow’s Takmeel-ut-Tib College of the Unani (Greek) System of Medicine. He was an established ‘Hakim’ when he happened to recite one of his ghazals at a mushaira in Sultanpur. The ghazal was extremely well received with the audience and Majrooh decided to drop his prosperous medical practice and begin writing poetry seriously.
When he came to Bombay he got the break in 1946 film Shahajehan starring K L Saigal and the immortal song he wrote in that film was Jab Dil hi Toot Gaya..He subsequently did films like Natak (1947), Doli (1947) and Anjuman (1948) but his major breakthrough was Mehboob Khan’s immortal love triangle, Andaz (1949), with hit songs like Tu Kahe Agar, Jhoom Jhoom ke Naacho Aaj, Hum Aaj Kahin Dil Kho Baithe, Toote na Dil Toote na and Uthaye Ja Unke Situm.
Majrooh Sultanpuri worked with all the top music directors of the day – Anil Biswas, Naushad, Madan Mohan, OP Nayyar, Roshan and Laxmikant Pyarelal, his associations with SD Burman and later were with RD Burman stand out.In fact he introduced R D Burman to Nasir Hussain for Teesri Manzil.
He was part of the formidable quartet of lyricists that ruled Hindi Cinema in the 1950s and early 60s, the others being Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakeel Badayuni and Shailendra. Majrooh Saab’s career, spanning over five decades, saw him writing wonderful lyrics for well over 300 films, many of them extremely successful at the box office.

Majrooh Saab was the first film lyricist to be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for his invaluable contribution to Indian Cinema. He has also been a recipient of the Iqbal Samman from the Madhya Pradhesh Government, the Sant Gyaneshwar Puraskar of the Maharashtra Government and an award from the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy for Ghazal, his collection of Urdu Ghazals. But perhaps the biggest injustice to his writing came from Filmfare which awarded him the Best Lyricist Award just once – for Dosti (1964)!He passed away in Mumbai on May 24, 2000. Among the last films he wrote for was the Shah Rukh Khan starrer One Two ka Four released after his death in 2001.

My Fav Songs of Majrooh Sultanpuri