Guru Dutt- An Institution.

Born on July 9, 1925, in Bangalore, Guru Dutt was the eldest of five children born to Vasanti and Shivkumar Padukone. He spent more than a decade in Bhawanipore in Calcutta, where Guru Dutt finished his schooling. Not surprisingly, Guru Dutt spoke fluent Bengali and carried a distinct stamp of Bengali culture in his work. As a child, Guru Dutt was fond of two things: dance and animals.it was his love for dance that laid the foundation of a career in cinema.
The 16-year-old Guru Dutt joined Shankar's dance academy in Almora on a scholarship of Rs 75.The dance troupe was disbanded during the Second World War because of financial problems, and Guru Dutt finally joined V. Shantaram's Prabhat Film Company, then a formidable film production house, in 1945. It was here that he met three of his close friends, actors Dev Anand and Rehman and director Raj Khosla, all on Prabhat rolls then.Dev anand in an interview said that we struck a deal over a glass of beer and then he said Dev..if I ever become a director you are my star and I said if I ever form a company and I invite a directory to direct a film you’re going to be the one.

So he brought him in for Baazi so that type of friendship. Then he made CID, he invited me to do a picture. Then he made Jaal and then he branched off on his own.. made his own pictures starred himself. Dev branched off. he brought in his brother Vijay Anand for Nau Do Gyarah..

Dev Anand-Guru Dutt repeated their magic at the box office with breezy crime-based thrillers like Jaal (1952) and CID (1956). Guru Dutt formed his own banner and made Baaz (1953), Aar Paar (1954) and Mr and Mrs 55 (1955). it was the entry of writer Abrar Alvi and cinematographer V.K. Murthy into Guru Dutt Films that changed the tenor of his cinema. 'Guru Dutt never repeated a writer till he joined him in Aar Paar. After that, he never hired another writer,' Together, they created some of India's most admired films ' Pyaasa (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). While Pyaasa and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam did well at the box office, it was the failure of Kaagaz Ke Phool, the semi-autobiographical story of a sensitive filmmaker who refuses to stand up to the pretentiousness of the tinsel world ' that broke Guru Dutt. Dutt could never accept the failure of Kaagaz ke Phool. He never directed another film. 

Though he produced his next film Chaudhvin ka Chand in 1960 directed by Abrar Alvi  and it was a smashing hit. Dutt also made Sahib Biwi aur Ghulam (1962) with Alvi, and there’ve been rumours about Dutt having ghost directed the movie. Sahib Biwi Ghulam was both commercially and critically successful but he was a broken man.What was running in his mind no body knows.Dev Anand in an interview said that 5 days before his death he met Guru Dutt,he wanted to make a film with him for which Dev agreed and asked him to show the script.He died on 10 th October

 He lives on in his works. Some of us will always – Hum aap ki aankhon mein, is dil ko basa de toh for him as he continues to live through his cinema.1964

Song from Pyaasa

Song from Pyaasa

Song from Chaudhvin Ka chaand

Song from Me & Mrs 55

Song from Bharosa

Song from Bharosa

Song from Sanjh Aur Savera

Song from Bahurani 1963

Dev Anand was a Special Yatri in the Bus To Lahore

Dev Anand who did his graduation from Government College Lahore in 1943, left Lahore the same year to join Bombay Film Industry.It took him 55 years to come back to Lahore.This time he was a special guest accompanied by the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The famous Lahore Bus was inaugurated by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Feb 1999. In fact 2 buses were sent to Lahore accompanied by many celebrities.
.Atal Bihari Vajpayee was his great admirer. Atalji wanted Devsaab to accompany him to Lahore, to which he readily agreed.he was in the same bus in which Atal ji travelled. The inaugural bus also carried Indian celebrities and dignitaries such as  Satish Gujral, Javed Akhtar, Kuldip Nayar, Kapil Dev, Shatrughan Sinha and Mallika Sarabhai.

The Wagah/Attari border looked like a glitzy wedding pandal and large crowds milled around on both sides of the metal gates. Viewing platforms had been erected for the media. The crowds enjoyed the tunes played alternately by the Pakistani Rangers and the Indian Border Security Force bands, some breaking into dance. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation and emotion. But the bonhomie did not please everyone.
Dev Anand in an interview to out look magazine said "At Wagah, we all jumped off the bus. The two prime ministers hugged each other as the elite of the two countries met. The people, their voices-all were the same. 'The PMs are shaking hands, I told the crowd. 'Make them shake their hands. At that instant, I caught Nawaz Sharif's eye. He had a look of recognition. We're from the same college, he told me. It struck a bond." Nawaz Sharief requested a picture with Devsaab, and posed to look 'alright' with Dev Anand.Nawaz Sharif was also a student of Lahore Government College but he was much junior.
Devsaab was accorded a hero's welcome at the Government College, Lahore. Young boys and girls mingled with Devsaab's old fans with the entire college staff standing in line to see and greet their alumnus.
'Where is the boundary?' he asked. 'Where is the animosity?' And the crowd went mad with 'We love you Devsaab' chants.

Song from Prem Pujari 1970

Sahir and S D Burman - Ek Aur Ek Gyarah

S D Burman started his musical journey of Bollywood in 1946,got fame from 1947 film Do Bhai.Sahir Ludhinavi made his debut with four songs performed in the film Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949).  The very first film in which they were teamed became a musical hit. The film was Baazi. If you recall those memorable numbers of Geeta Dutt picturized on Geeta Bali, you will just wonder how Sahir could accomplish that much in his very first film.The combination of Sahir and S D Burman after that gave one immortal song after another.In this Blog I talk about their combined creations and thus pay tribute to both. 

After Baazi(1951) released Naujawaan (1951), with music by S.D. Burman, The song from that film ‘Thandi hawaein lehra kea yen’ has become an all-time great breezy number. Just see the depth in each word: ‘Thandi hawaen lehra ke ayen rut hai jawan, tum ko yahan, kaise bulayen… In the same year another song from Sazaa Tum Na Jane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye  was a super duper hit.The pair never looked back after 1951
 Some of the Burman-Sahir creations have become masterpieces of all time – unbeaten, unmatchable. You cannot forget those classics from Jaal (Sunja dil ki dastan), ‘Taxi Driver’ (Jayen to jayen kahan),’Munimjee(Jeevan je safar mein rahi,), Funtoosh (Dukhi man mere sun mera kehna) House Number 44 (Teri duniya mein jeene se to behtar hai ke mar jayen).
In 1955 released Bimal Roy's Devdas.The most popular song was of course Sahir’s Lata-rendered hit, ‘Jise tu qabool kar le vo ada kahan se laaoon, tere dil ko jo lubhae vo sada kahan se laaoon’ Lines such as, ‘Jo murad ban kar aye vo dua kahan se laaoon’. There was another dancing number, ‘Ab aagey teri marzi ho more saiyan bedardi aage teri marzi’. The public swung in ecstasy when these songs came to which Vyjantimala added the magic of her dancing talents.
Both of them worked together in 18 films and gave many musical gems but their climax reached with Guru Dutt's Pyaasa
Just consider the romantic duet, ‘Hum aap ki ankhon mein is dil ko chhipalen to..’ The variation in the tune and the pause on ‘to’ was fantastic. Without that music the lyrics might have sounded flat. Of course Geeta and Rafi also played a magnificent role in making the songs a success.Then there was that solo from Geeta, ‘Jaane kya tu ne kahi, jaane kya mai ne kahi, baat kuch ban hi gai’. How can one remain unaffected by these melodies ? And then just recall that romantic pang:, ‘Aj sajan mohe ang laga lo janam safal ho jaae, Hriday ki peerra deh ki agni sab sheetal ho jae’ How meaningful are the lines. Fantastically true. And when Geeta sings, ‘Prem sudha..more sanwariya.ya.y.a.ya sanwariya’ya’ya prem sudha itni barsa do jag jal-thal ho jae’. From where could Sahir get that fluency in Hindi to churn out such a beautiful romantic cry coming from the heart of a beloved ?
The real gems from the same film are Jaane vo kaise log thhe jin ke pyaar ko pyaar mila,Hum ne to jab kaliyan maangi katon ka haar mila…’and Ye mehlon ye takhton yeh tajon ki duniya, ye insaan ke dushman rivajon ki duniya, ye duniya agar mil bhi jaae to kya hai..’And in the end he raises his voice to say,Jala do ise phoonk daalo yeh duniya, mere saamne se hata lo ye duniya, Tumhari hai tum hi sambalo ye duniya,Ye duniya agar mil bhi jae to kya hai…’

Pyaasa was the last film both worked together.Both entered into a controversy with the poet saying the songs became hits because of the lyrics while the musical wizard claimed that his tunes had achieved wonders. It was on this issue that they parted company—never to work with each other again.It was a loss to music lovers that no more Gems would be available by this combination.

Song from Baazi 1951

Song from Naujawaan1951

Song from Sazaa 1951

Song from Jaal 1952

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Munimji (1955) 

Song from House No. 44 (1955) 

Song from Devdas (1955)

Song from Funtoosh (1956) 

Song from Pyaasa (1957)

Song from Pyaasa (1957)

The Other Voices of Raj Kapoor

When you think of Raj Kapur,the name of Mukesh automatically comes in our mind as the voice of Raj Kapoor.  Raj was convinced that only the voice of Mukesh suited him, so in all the films that he produced or directed, he used to try using Mukesh for his songs. However,as a true Professional, if he were to work for some other producer or under a different Director, he followed the policy of strict Non-interference. So, in such films, we see other singers giving playback to Raj Kapoor, depending on the choice of the producer or director.
After Mukesh, Manna Dey was the alternate voice of Raj Kapoor. Remember the songs Pyaar hua ekraar hua, Ye raat bheegi bheegi, A ja sanam madhur chandni mein hum and many more songs.Manna Dey later sang for Raj Kapur in Parvarish (Masti bhara hai sama), Dil Hi To Hai (Laga chunari mein daag), Mera Naam Joker (Ae bhai zara dekh ke chalo). It is creditable that all the Manna Dey songs, though few in number, acquired iconic status.
Mohammad Rafi also sang for Raj Kapoor. I have come across at least five films in which the songs on Raj Kapur are in the voice of Rafi. You will be surprised to know that in Andaz (1949) Mukesh sang for Dilip Kumar and Rafi sang for Raj Kapoor the duet Milnewale kahin ulfat mein juda hote hain. is one of them.Next film was Dastan released in 1950  in which Surraiya starred with Raj Kapoor the famous song Tara Ri Aara Ri  was sung by Rafi.
There was a film Amber (1952) starring Raj Kapur and Nargis music was given by Ghulam Mohammad  a beautiful duet with Lata, which would rank among the best of Ghulam Mohammad and the best of Rafi-Lata duets. The song is" Hum Tum Yeh Bahar" Another film was Paapi released in 1953 remember the song "tera kaam hai jalna parvane".There was a film  Do Ustaad (1959)starring Raj Kapur, Madhubala and Music by OP Nayyar "Dil Ka Makaan"

Song from Andaz (1949)

Song from Dastan (1950)

Song from Amber (1952)

Song from Paapi  (1953)

Song from Do Ustaad (1959)

Song from Do Ustaad (1959)

 Talat sang a total of ten songs for Raj Kapoor in 4 films, as following-

S No.	Song	Movie (Year)	Director	Music Director
1.	Armaan bhare dil ki lagan hai	Jaan Pehchan(1950)	Fali Mistry	Khemchand Prakash
2.	Main hoon dil ek armaan bhara	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
3.	Mere dil ki dhadkan kya bole	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
4.	Sama ke dil mein hamaare	Anhonee(1952)	K A Abbas	Roshan
5.	Main paagal mera manawa paagal	Ashiana(1952)	B. Trilochan	Madan Mohan
6.	Mera qaraar le jaa	Ashiana(1952)	B. Trilochan	Madan Mohan
7.	Dil matwala lakh sambhala	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
8.	Kaam hathon ka hai	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
9.	Tu aaye na aaye	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi
10.	Tum ko fursat ho meri jaan	Bewafa(1952)	M L Anand	A R Qureshi

One can see from the above list that 7 out of the 10 Talat songs had been Hits-that is 70%- in those days and they are Talat lovers’ favourites even today. 

Song from Jaan Pehchan(1950)

Song from Anhonee(1952)

Song from Anhonee(1952)

Song from Ashiana(1952)

Song from Bewafa(1952)

Kishore Kumar has also sung for Raj Kapur. The only film having this distinction is Pyar (1950), lyrics by Rajendra Krishna and composed by who else but SD Burman. Though there were many  songs of Kishore Kumar for Raj Kapoor in the film, only audio is available.

Song from Pyar (1950),

  

Taxi Driver -The Film Very Closed To Dev Anand's Heart

After the debacle of “Aandhiyan” and “Humsafar”, Navketan was in deep financial crisis. To save the company from doldrums, Uma Anand, the wife of Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand, the youngest of the Anand brothers wrote a script which was an ideal quickie. Dev Anand produced the film on a shoe-string budget shooting almost the entire film on the streets of Mumbai. Chetan Anand wrote memorable scenes for “Taxi Driver” and introduced newcomer Sheila Ramani as Silvy, the pub singer.
Dev Anand in an interview said “Taxi Driver remains very close to my heart as it was an objective film with subtle nuances and because the entire Anand family worked in it. I got married to the film’s female protagonist, Kalpana Kartik during the shooting of Taxi Driver.”

The film was released in 1954 and was one of the biggest hit of that year.It was the first Hindi film that was shot outside the studio.After this film the trend of outdoor shooting started.A camera was strapped to the bonnet of a car to shoot the film.

 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.
Speaking about the script of the film, Vijay Anand said, “I never was able to write another screenplay like “Taxi Driver” which was original and portrayed the working class of Mumbai with real dignity.” Uma Anand, Chetan’s wife who collaborated with Vijay for the script says: “The film set various trends. It was humorous as well as an emotionally satisfying venture. For the first time the impact of the mafia on the film industry was shown in Taxi Driver.”
The music of the film was super hit.In fact S D Burman got his first Filmfare Award for the best music director award.

Mohan Churiwala, Dev’s close associate, remembers the song 'Jaayen to jaayen kahan' recorded separately by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mehmood. “Talat saab was an unusual choice for Dev saab, but Dada (SD Burman) insisted on recording the male version with him and the song won him the Filmfare Award for Best Playback (Male).

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

Song from Taxi Driver 1954

70s - The Decade Of Masala Movies

Bollywood has long been synonymous with all-singing, all-dancing, melodrama and masala. Masala means a spice mix of everything from action to romance, drama, comedy, and pathos thrown in one film.In Bollywood every decade has some thing special so the 70's was a decade of Action packed films.This was the decade when Amitabh Bachchan emerged as the King of Bollywood.This was the decade of blockbusters like Sholay, Amar Akbar Anthony, Deewaar,Zanzeer,Don and Yaadon ki Baaraat.
It was a time of some of the most fantastic Stories and Screen plays,over the top costumes (not to mention set design, makeup, art direction, and more), and a cinema that was, in every way, much larger than life. There was loads of action, lots of dhishoom-dhishoom. 
The first half of this decade(upto 1974) was about love and Romance but after Zanzeer the action took over the romance.In 1969 after the release of Aradhana Rajesh Khanna emerged as Super star and became the new heart-throb. From1970 to 1972 was his Peak time,he gave one hit after another. In 1973 emerged Amitabh Bachchan with the release of Zanzeer. This year Bobby also released.The film began the phase of Teenage romance which was over shadowed by the action after the release of Deewar and Sholay in 1975.
In this period Indian film industry was introduced by the angry young man The Great Amitabh Bachchan who became a Living Legend. • While Dev Anand , Rajesh khanna,Jitendra and Dharmendra continued to bask in the glory of back to back hits , the actresses were not far behind.Right from the time of,Vyajanti Mala,Nargis,Sharmila Tagore to Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman,Sridevi, Rekha, Smita Patil became the main attraction of Indian film industry.
Dharmendra was another actor who gave many action films in this decade.Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971),Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973),Jugnu (1973),Sholay (1975),Charas (1976) and Dharamveer 1978 were few of the hit action films in this decade.
This decade saw the rise of Manmohan Desai who was known for his family-centered, action-song-and-dance films which catered to the tastes of the Indian masses and through which he achieved great success. His movies defined a new genre called masala films. A common theme in his films were the lost and found plot where family members would be separated and reunited. He was one of the directors who had a special working relationship with Amitabh Bachchan, He had a string of hits with Amitabh Bachchan in the 70s and early 80s which helped cement Bachchan's status as a superstar of Indian cinema. He worked with Amitabh on Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Suhaag, Naseeb, Desh Premee, Coolie, Mard and Ganga Jamuna Saraswati; all but the last were box office successes.
The decade had such stalwarts like Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Manoj Kumar and Shashi Kapoor operating at their peak while Rishi Kapoor and Amol Palekar but this decade was of Amitabh Bachchan who single-handedly bulldozed his way to the top. So final and enduring was his domination that he was dubbed “one man industry.”
Since the masala genre burst onto the scene in the 70s, it has evolved a great deal. The various elements portrayed in a masala film have enthralled audiences from various movie genres. Every age group in India has taken a liking to Masala films, and that’s the reason filmmakers love to get creative with this genre.
 The success rate of masala movies has been exceptional. Many movies that belong to this genre have become blockbusters and superhits. This trend continued in 80s and even in 21st century Masala Movies like Dabang, Dhoom and many more like these films rule the Box Office.
While there has been criticism of masala movies being a mishmash of too many genres, the masses in India have enjoyed watching the variety of masala flicks over the years.

Song from Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971),

Song from Yaadon Ki Baraat 1973

Song from Bobby 1973

Song from Jugnu (1973)

Song from Sholay (1975)

Song from Amar Akbar Anthony 1977

Song from Parvarish 1977

Song from Suhaag 1979

For Dev Anand,flirtation was an innocent pastime

Dev Anand was the heartthrob of millions. Women swooned over his toothy smile, rakish charm and incredible sex appeal.In this blog I will discuss the girls whom Dev Anand loved or had an Affair. In his autobiography Romancing with life unhesitatingly he reveals his affairs. According to him, he was not a skirt chaser in real life. It was the women who took the initiative and Dev simply responded.
One of his earliest loves was the daughter of a History professor of the collage where he was studying.. Though he deeply admired her, he never dared to propose to her and let his crush remain untold. After completing graduation with Honours in English from Government College, Lahore, he decided to move to Bombay to pursue a career in films.
There was a beautiful young girl named Usha who frantically ran onto the Lahore railway platform trying to board the Frontier Mail that was taking Dev Anand to Bombay on his journey of no return. “Hold my hand! Hold my hand! I want to come with you!”, she was shouting in vain as the train moved faster and faster, leaving behind the hapless girl crying. Then there was one Florence in Gurdaspur who one evening literally chased Dev and thrust a passionate kiss on his lips. He then, as also later, was too shy in expressing his love; he blushed and ran into her mother’s kitchen for a hot meal. They were not the only heartbroken girls whom Dev left behind; there were many more yearning for him. 
After reaching Bombay he struggled for 3 years to get his first film.In between he took a job in a govt office Bombay which provided Dev Anand a much larger canvas to fine-tune his art of flirtation. There were more women than men in the Censor office in Bombay where Dev Anand had found a temporary job as a clerk during World War II. There too, he practiced his art of flirtation albeit with greater finesse and received instant response from his female colleagues. For Dev, flirtation was an innocent pastime, nothing more and nothing less; a playful game sans any serious intention.

His first break was a Prabhat Studios production P.L. Santoshi's Hum Ek Hain, a film on Hindu/Muslim ties. The film was being shot in Pune. Since he was based in Bombay, he often travelled by train to reach Pune. During one of the journeys at night, he had a memorable encounter. He was alone in his compartment. At one station, an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, along with a fair-skinned man, entered the compartment. Both of them climbed the upper berth and became intimate. Soon the man left but the woman stayed on. She then seduced Dev.

The first Real Love of Dev Anand was with Suraiya. He had made his mark as a romantic lover-boy with his affair with Suraiya.The duo acted together in seven films in the following three years; all the pictures were big hits. In the year 1949 alone, they had co-starred in three movies. With each movie, the two came closer and closer despite the watchful and suspicious eye of Suraiya’s granny. However, due to the staunch opposition from her orthodox family, the affair soon came to an end and Dev was left heart-broken. Not for long though. While casting for his next film, he met Kalpana Kartik and the pair signed up for several films together. Soon they started dating. Kalpana was smitten by Dev and made him forget the pain caused by his relationship with Suraiya. She was a very playful girl and turned out to be just as romantic as Dev, so the two got along very well.

Dev in his Romancing with Life says "Mona (Kalpna Kartik) became an important part of my life. She started conquering me, and I willingly let myself be conquered,”.They starred together in a few successful pictures, and finally after the roaring success of “Taxi Driver”, the two tied the nuptial knot in a secret marriage in 1954.
 He even had an on-off relationship with an Irish student at Cambridge while she worked as a cleaner in his Swiss hotel.

 While filming Hare Rama Hare Krishna he was besotted by Zeenat Aman. Dev confesses to developing feelings for her as well. When the newspapers reported their link-up, he didn’t seem to mind it! “Whenever and wherever she was talked about glowingly, I loved it; and whenever and wherever I was discussed in the same vein, she was jubilant. In the subconscious, we had become emotionally attached to each other," Dev Anand wrote in his autobiography. He further stated, “Suddenly, one day I felt I was desperately in love with Zeenat and wanted to say so to her! To make an honest confession, at a very special, exclusive place meant for romance.” Apparently Dev wanted to propose to his gorgeous co-star and asked her on a date. 
Zeenat, however, did not want to be tied down either professionally or romantically. She ditched Dev for Raj Kapoor and made “Satyam Shivam Sundaram” under his banner. Dev Anand was once again heartbroken and desolate, his self-esteem severely dented.
But Dev Anand being Dev Anand, he continued with his flirtatious games both in India and abroad whenever he found an opportunity. He unabashedly flirted with Allena, a Czech interpreter in Prague. Later in his hotel room, Mona confronted him about her. 
My 10 Favourite Romantic Songs Of Dev Anand

Song from Hum Dono 1961

Song from Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Song from Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai 1961

Song from Kala Bazar 1960

Song from Maya 1961

Song from Paying Guest (1957)

Song from Asli Naqli 1962

Song from Asli Naqli 1962

Song from Guide 1965

Song from Kala Pani 1959