Ventriloquism in Hindi Films

Last year Akshay Kumar was hosting a comedy show on TV. He was so impressed with a comedian-ventriloquist that the actor himself decided to master the art. We know Ramdas Padhye is India’s one and only Professional Ventriloquist, Puppeteer and Puppet maker who has performed his widely acclaimed ventriloquial and puppetry acts in India and abroad. He was seen in the Hindi film Mahaan released in 1983.

Speaking of ventriloquism as an art, our Hindi films have rarely shown appreciation for the art. Begunah would have been one of the very first films to have it in the core plot. it featured Kishore Kumar as the lead, in a never-before comic role. The film was said to be an exact copy of Paramount's international hit "Knock on Wood" (1954) starring Danny Kaye (a huge influence on Kishore da). The story of BEGUNAAH was written by I.S.Johar. The Directors who were Businessmen from Saurashtra, Gujarat were held Guilty on TWO COUNTS for Plagiarism & violation of Copyright. Within 2-3 days of the Movie’s release, Danny Kaye, Hero of the Hollywood Movie KNOCK ON WOOD’ had come to Bombay for some work & was informed about this Movie. He watched the Film and though he could not follow Hindi, Danny got an idea that much of the Movie has the same story as his Movie. He immediately contacted Paramount Picture in America. Next day their lawyers came to Bombay and with the help of local solicitors, they filed a case in the Court seeking a Ban on the Movie and destroying all Negatives & Prints. Much to the surprise of the Indian Film Industry and the local Lawyers, within a Month, the Verdict was announced.

Another Hindi film was Rajendra Kumar's 'Akeli Mat Jaiyo' had a cameo of a talking doll (performed by Yashwant Padhye, the father of ventriloquism in India). The highlight of the film was its song Chal Chal mere Dil. The picturisation of this song shows Rajendra Kumar with a puppet. Rajendra Kumar sings this song in Mukesh’s voice and the puppet too responds- in Johny Whisky’s voice. Majrooh Sultanpuri is the lyricist. Music is composed by Madan Mohan

In the mid-70s and 80s.Ramdas Padhye was very popular. In 1982 Amitabh Bachchan saw his performance and immediately got Ramdas Padhye on board for his forthcoming film Mahaan, as after watching the action, he wanted to perform the ventriloquism act on Screen and got "talking-doll" part incorporated in the plot of Mahaan. Apart from Padhye's, there was Master Madhu, a music director of silent & vintage era of Indian films, who used to perform with Talking dolls onscreen.

In 2002 a film Dil Hai Tumhaara  had a character of a Ventriloquist. It was directed by Kundan Shah starring Rekha, Preity Zinta, Mahima Chaudhry, Arjun Rampal, Jimmy Sheirgill and Alok Nath. 
Jimmy Sheirgil played a role of Ventriloquist who is accompanied by a puppet called "Rangeela", who was operated by renowned ventriloquist and puppeteer Ramdas Padhye.

Puppets have been part of many Indian films but this is different from Ventriloquism. The first song in my memory was from “Sargam” (1950), it was a comedy song. This song was picturised on Raj Kapoor, Rehaana and others.
Another famous and most popular use of puppets was in the song from Chori Chori 1956. This song begins as a puppet show where two puppets resembling the hero and heroine are seen dancing. Soon they are seen transforming into the real-life Hero and Heroine who sing this lovely duet. It is sung by Lata and Manna Dey. Shailendra is the lyricist whereas Shankar Jaikishan created the wonderful music.
 "Kathpulti" (1957), The film's story was about young Pushpa, an accomplished dancer and singer, who assists puppeteer Shivraj in his puppet show. Pushpa comes from a poor family and is a good dancer and singer. She would like to assist a puppeteer with his makeshift dolls and puppet act. Unfortunately, he meets with an accident and is hospitalized. Some of his puppets were also damaged during this accident. Pushpa approaches Loknath for work, and he gets her to work on stage. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Balraj Sahni in the lead. The film's music was composed by the Shankar Jaikishan duo, with the lyrics penned by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. The most famous song sung by Lata in this film "Bol Ri Kath Putli"
Here I would like to recall my viewers about a hit song sung by Kishore Kumar from the film Kasauti released in 1974. In this song, Pran uses Finger Puppets throughout the song.

Song of Begunah 1957

Song of Akeli Mat Jaiyo 1963

Song of Sargam (1950)

Song of Chori Chori) (1956)

Song of Kathputli (1957)

Song of Kasauti (1974)

The Great Cycle Songs Of Bollywood

Bollywood and bicycle move together like the wheel and the spokes. From the Black & White era till know many romantic songs have been picturized. When we think of the Golden Era immediately the song Mana janab ne pukara nahin  from Paying Guest comes in our mind.Dev Anand showed us how a cycle helps you to chase your playfully-angry girl, the song Ae maine kasam li   from 1971 film Tere Mere Sapne, Dev Anand and his ladylove Mumtaz riding through the sunflower dotted streets and singing.
The earliest cycle song was Sawan Ke Nazare Hain of 1941 film Khajanchi.The film starts with this song picturised on S D Narang, Ramola and their friends who are cycling on the road. It is said that there were some uncredited actors in this song who later became well known actors. I could only identify Madan Puri ( on the cycle next to S D Narang playing mouth organ) though Pran was in the film as a friend of S D Narang. The film ends with a part of this song being replayed while S D Narang and Ramola are on their cycle rides after their marriage.

Song of Khajanchi 1941

In the 50s many films have Bicycle songs One of the greatest hit was Maana Janaab Ne Pukara from Paying Guest

Song of Paying Guest 1957

Song of Adalat (1958)

Song of Anari (1959)

Bicycle Songs of the 60s

Song of Bewaquof (1960)

Song of Apna Ghar (1960)

Song of Ishara (1964) 

Song of Ghunghat (1960)

Song of Baat Ek Raat Ki 1962

Song of Baharein Phir Bhi Aayengi 1966

Song of Padosan (1968)

Bicycle Songs of the 70s

Song of Tere Mere Sapne 1971

Song of Adhikar 1971

Song of Ganga Tera Pani Amrit 1971

Song of Aarop (1974)

Song of Shaan 1981

Song of Bhabhi 1991

Song of Armaan (2003)

The Most Funny Songs of Dev Anand

We all remember Dev Anand for the Romantic Songs he sang in films but he also sang many Funny songs in many of his films. In this Blog, I have selected some of his funniest and hilarious songs.

Song of  Baazi 1951

Song of  Tamasha 1952

Song of  Taxi Driver 1954

Song of Munimji 1955

Song of Funtoosh 1956

Song of Funtoosh 1956

Song of Funtoosh 1956

song of Love Marriage 1959

Song of Love Marriage 1959

Song of Ek Ke Baad Ek 1960

Song of Pyar Mohabbat 1966

Song of Chhupa Rustam (1973)

Song of  Darling Darling 1977

The Great Bollywood Songs based on Folk Music

India is a diverse country, Every region, every state has its own music. From the rural part of these areas originated the music which had been one of the indispensable sources of music for Bollywood. The leading composers of Bollywood films had used the folk songs in successful films and popularized them.
The first Marwari song in Hindi film was taken in early talkie era – ‘Baala Joban’ from 1934. 
S D Burman was one of the composers of Golden Era who created many great songs based on Folk Music.The major folk songs used by SD Burman in bollywood films include “jane kya tune kaha” sung by Geeta Dutt in Pyasa, “dil ka bhanwar kare pukar” sung by Rafi in the film Tere Ghar Ke Samne, “o janewale ho sake to”, sung by Mukesh in the film Bandini, “mitwa” sung by Talat Mehmood, in the film Devdas. In this Blog, I have selected such songs based on Folk by various Music Directors.

Bichhudo Ri Ghaali Peehar Chaali Saa, Aali Jaa

Song of Baala Joban 1934

Song of Pyaasa 1957

Song of Bombai Ka Babu 1960

Allah Megh De Paani De

This song “Allah Megh De paani de” is based on a East Bengal folk song. This song is sung by S D Burman and the song plays in the background in the movie.

Shailendra is the lyricist. Music is composed by S D Burman.

Song of Guide 1965

daiya re daiya re jangal papi bichua”

Salil Choudhury had merged Assamese Bihu folk music with westernized folks.

Song of Madhumati 1958

Nain Lad Jaye  Ho To Manwa Ma

Naushad used Bihari & Eastern UP folk in Ganga Jamuna 1961

Song of Ganga Jamuna 1961

Mohe Panghat pe Nandlal chhod gayo re

This is from the Folk of UP very well composed by Naushad

Song of Mughal e Azam 1960

Are Ja Re Hat Natkhat

C Ramchandra composed this song on Gujarati Folk in V Shantaram's Navrang

Song of Navrang 1959

Uden Jab Jab Zulfen Teri

This song is based on Punjabi Folk composed by Naushad for Naya Daur

Song of Naya Daur 1957

Ganga Aaye Kahaan Se

This song is based on Bengal  Folk composed by Salil Chaudhary

Song of Kabuliwala 1961

Chalet Musafir”

Shankar Jaikishan had used folk songs and blended western music in many films This song is from Teesri Kasam

Song of Teesri Kasam 1965

Govinda Aala Re Aala

This super hit song from Bluff master is based on Marathi Folk

Song of Bluff Master 1963

Hey Naam Re Sabse Bada Tera Naam O Sheronwali This song is on Gujarati folk composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal for Suhag

Song of Suhag 1979

Nimboda Nimboda

This song is based on Rajasthani Folk

Song of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam 1999

Bumbro Bumbro

This song from Mission Kashmir is based on Kashmiri Folk

Song of Mission Kashmir 2000

Pinga Ga Pori

This Bajirao Mastani song is based on Marathi Folk

Song of Bajirao Mastani

The Hindi Films where Hero plays a photographer.

Today on World Photography Day I recall the Bollywood Films where the Hero or Heroine played a character of a Photographer. The first such film comes to my mind is Heera Panna where Dev Anand is a fashion photographer and can be seen using multiple cameras- Nikon, Nikomat, Pentax and Hasselblad medium format one where he changes the film roll(120 formats) also. I think in one scene he uses a macro lens where he takes an extreme close up of the face of Zeenat Aman.
Another important film was Jane Bhi Do Yaron In this movie, the lead actors Naseerudin Shah & Ravi Vasvani start a photography studio. Glamour photography is on their mind but they also do street photography to participate in a photography contest to get the prize-winning money to sustain. They are hired by a newspaper editor to expose corruption in the Land & Building Department and nexus between builders and officials.

Another film is Ram Gopal Verma's Nishabdh where Amitabh Bachchan plays a character of a photographer. Though the film is not about the photography but about the relationship with the friend of his daughter.

Three Idiot was a film in which one of the characters played by Madhavan. A passionate wildlife photographer who is forced to study Engineering by his strict father. After graduation, he pursues his passion, assists a well known International wildlife photographer and after a few years publishes many photo books on nature & wildlife. 

Ijazat was another film made by Gulzar, Naseeruddin Shah is shown as a freelance advertisement photographer( he travels for campaigns) who has his own dark room and is shown making prints under red light with an apron.

Madras Cafe is a 2013 Indian political action drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar and starring John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, In this film  she plays a war correspondent Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakhri) 

In Wake, Up Sidh plays a role of a photographer..He starts working as an intern in a magazine where is girlfriend is also working. He takes a lot of her photographs and they take selfies also using a DSLR,

Song of Heera Panna

Song of Namak Haraam 1973

The Songs of Gulzar

Gulzar, originally Sampoorna Singh Kalra started to work as a garage mechanic in Worli while writing poetry in his spare time. Gulzar, as any other dreamer who comes to Bombay for the first time, was bitten by the film bug. It is said that Gulzar's first song was Mora Gora Rang Le Le from 1963 film Bandini. that's not a true the first song written by him was from Kabuliwala 1961, "Ganga Aye Kahan Se" the Hindi translation of a Bengali song.sung by Hemant Kumar. After that Bimal Roy asked him to write songs for Prem Patra 1962 film.
He then began writing for films for directors like Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Asit Sen. Some of the films that Gulzar has written include Anand (1970), Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972) and Namak Haram (1973) for Hrishida and Do Dooni Char (1968), Khamoshi (1969) and Safar (1970) for Asit Sen.
With Mere Apne in 1971, he donned the role of a filmmaker. Gulzar went on to make Parichay (1972) and Koshish (1972). With Sanjeev Kumar, he made Aandhi (1975), Mausam (1975), Angoor (1981) and Namkeen (1982) He also made film with Jeetendra (Parichay, Khushboo (1975), Kinara (1977), with Vinod Khanna: Achanak (1973), Meera (1979) and Lekin (1990) and Hema Malini: Khushboo (1975), Kinara (1977), Meera (1979)
As a lyricist, Gulzar had a close association with the music director Rahul Dev Burman. Both of them gave some gems of the songs. Later he is associated with Vishal Bhardwaj  in Maachis (1996), Omkara (2006) and Kaminey (2009); A. R. Rahman in Dil Se.. (1998), Guru (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Raavan (2010) 
 Rahman and Gulzar won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Jai Ho" at the 81st Academy Awards. The song received international acclaim and won him a Grammy Award (shared with Rahman) in the category of Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Gulzar has written lyrics and dialogues for several Doordarshan TV series including Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Hello Zindagi, Guchche and Potli Baba Ki with Vishal Bhardwaj. 
Gulzar is married to actress Raakhee. The couple has a daughter, Meghna Gulzar (Bosky). Meghna Gulzar grew up with her mother and father and, after completing her graduation in filmmaking from New York University, went on to become a director of films such as Filhaal, Just Married, Dus Kahaniyaan and Raazi
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2004 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002. He has won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. He was also given Baba Saheb Phalke Award.

Song of Kabuliwala 1961

Song of Prem Patra 1962

Song of Bandhini 1963

Song of Khamoshi (1970)

Song of Do Dooni Chaar (1970)

Song of  Mere Apne (1971)

Song of Guddi (1971)

Song of Anand (1971)

Song of Parichay (1972)

Song of Anubhav (1972)

Song of Aandhi (1975)

Song of Mausam (1976)

Song of Kinara (1977)

Song of  Gharaonda (1977)

Song of Masoom (1983) 

Song of Maachis (1996)

Song of Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

Chetan Anand was a role model for Dev Anand

It was 75 years ago before coming to Bombay Dev Anand visited the famous Doon School at Dehra Dun to spend time with his elder brother, whom he idolised. The elder brother was a teacher of history, English theatre and tennis at this prestigious institution, which was then just eight years old.
Dev hero-worshipped Chetan, who was a tennis player (he had played at Wimbledon), swimmer, appeared for the ICS (now IAS) exams at England and spoke fluent flawless English. "I had always looked up to my brother. He was a model of everything I admired, handsome, intellectual, fashionable, England-returned, and now teaching in one of the most elite schools of the country," he writes in his biography.
Dev Anand admits that it was Chetan who inspired a style in him. The Doon School and Chetan together taught him many a thing about personality, and with it he evolved his own unique style that he was perhaps known for as much as he was celebrated for his acting. 
During his visits to the school, Dev came to learn "the manners of a proper Englishman". He writes that Chetan taught him table manners as "he put me amongst the affluent, pick-of-the-upper class students at Doon School, with their spick - and span-manners - breakfasting and dining on tables laid out for them by uniformed khansamas.
He would wear his brother's big leather boots, imported from London, as well as his woollen check-shirt, black and maroon, typically English, both of which he loved to flaunt.
Chetan Anand, the elder brother of Dev worked at the Doon School from 1940 to 1944. In 1944, he resigned from the job and started his journey towards becoming a writer, actor and director. His first film as a director - "Neecha Nagar" went on to win the Golden Palm in the very first year of the Cannes Film Festival!
Chetan's erudite, polished and sophisticated personality, which one can see in films like Haqeeqat and Hindustan ki Kasam, greatly inspired young Dev
The two brothers worked as a team under their Navketan banner, doing films like Afsar, Andhiyan, Taxi Driver and Funtoosh. They then parted ways with Chetan forming his own company. Dev retained the Navketan banner. The brother whom he held in high regard went another way, professionally.
Chetan Anand appeared in Humsafar made in 1957. In 1957 he directed two movies Arpan and Anjali, in which he played lead roles too. He went on to act in Kala Bazar, Kinare-Kinare, Aman, Kanch Aur Heera and Hindustan Ki Kasam, which he directed too.

Song of Neecha Nagar 1946

Song of Afsar 1950

Song of Taxi Driver 1954

Song of Aandhiyan 1952

Song of Funtoosh 1956

Song of Kinare Kinare 1963

Song of Janeman 1976

Song of Saheb Bahadur 1977