Fifteen Immortal Songs of Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar is a ‘voice of the nation’, an avatar of Goddess Saraswati who has sung over 25,000 songs. Many of these songs are immortal and it is very difficult to select fifteen songs out of countless immortal songs. Here I would like to point out some of her best songs, which are extremely melodious and immortal, sung with various music directors.
The first song in my list is Aayega Aane Wala from Mahal 
The year was 1949. The film was Mahal; the composer Khemchand Prakash and the singer ­Lata Mangeshkar. It was an unforget­table, haunting audiovisual odyssey. An odyssey that marked the birth of a new era. The earlier era belonged to robust, rustic Punjabi voices like Shamshad Begum, Zohrabai Ambale­wali, Amirbai Karnataki, and Noor Je­han. Yet somehow composers like Shyamsunder, Husnlal-Bhagatram, Anil Biswas and Naushad started discovering something new, something different in Lata’s voice. With this song began an Era of Lata Mangeshkar which ended only when she left singing for films.

Song of Mahal 1949

The same year in 1949 another solo song of Lata Mangeshkar became popular. The music of this hit song was composed by Shankar-Jaikishan and the lyrics were penned by Ramesh Shastry. The song is Hawa Mein Udta Jaye Mora Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka from R K Films Barsaat.

Song of Barsaat(1949}

The next song in my list from the 1951 film Sazaa starring Dev Anand and Nimmi.the song is Tum Na Jaane Kis Jahan Mein Kho Gaye written by Rajendra Krishan and composed by S D Burman.

Song of  Sazaa 1951

The same year(1951) another song of Lata became very popular. from the film, Naujawan. The music was composed by S.D. Burman and Sahir Ludhianvi wrote the lyrics. The movie is remembered for the hauntingly melodious song "Thandi Hawayein" by Lata Mangeshkar

Song of  Naujawan 1951

This song “Ye zindagi usi ki hai jo kisi ka ho gaya” must be one of the most popular lines among all the Bollywood songs ever written. And kudos to Rajinder Krishan who penned these immortal lines. It was composed by C Ramchandra for 1954 film Anarkali. This song has two versions that play on different occasions in the movie. They can also be called happy and sad versions of the song

Song of  Anarkali(1954)

Man Dole Mera Tan Dole is from the film  Nagin(1955). The song was composed by Hemant Kumar and written by Rajendra Krishan.

Song of  Nagin(1955)

Another immortal song from Lata is Aaja Re Pardesi from Madhumati. The soundtrack of Madhumati became the best-selling Bollywood soundtrack of 1958. Salil Chowdhury won his first Filmfare Award for Best Music Director

Song of  Madhumati(1958)

 This song was composed by Naushad, written by Shakeel Badayuni, and sung by Lata Mangeshkar with a chorus. The song, when the film was first released, was in black and white. It is shot in a set inspired by the Sheesh Mahal of the AmberFort.of Jaipur. It was the most expensive Indian song up until then and remained the most expensive for decades

Song of  Mughal-E-Azam(1960)

This immortal song "O Sajana Barkha Bahaar Aai".is from the 1960 film Parakh.Composed by Salil Chaudhary and written by Shailendra

Song of  Parakh(1960)

Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil is another immortal song of Lata. The film Bees Saal Baad became very popular for the song "Kahin Deep Jale", sung by Lata Mangeshkar and written by Shakeel Badayuni for which they won Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer and Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist respectively. Hemant Kumar composed the music

Song of  Bees Sal Baad(1962)

Song of  Aarti 1962

Song of  Wo Kaun Thi 1964

Song of  Guide 1965

Song of  Bahu Begam 1967

Song of Pakeeza 1972

Yash Chopra - He Made Films with his Heart

Yash Chopra who made many love stories, also known as the King of Romance, once said that he doesn't make films with a calculator on his hand or eyes on the Box Office collection but put all his heart into telling love stories and was never constrained by budgets. 
His wife Palmela Chopra in an interview said that there was a child inside him, he was always restless. He made great Romantic films but he was not romantic in real life. He was a very practical man. He always thought of films. There was always a story revolving on his mind. He was a master storyteller, No one told a love story quite as bravely and boldly as Yash Chopra did.
Yash Chopra is undoubtedly India's most successful film-maker. With a career spanning over five decades, he has been associated with almost 35 films, most of which have created box-office history. Born on 27th September 1932, in Jalandhar (Punjab), is the younger brother of B R Chopra another Legend of Bollywood.
He started out as an assistant to his brother and went on to direct 5 very successful films for his brother’s banner - B.R.Films. These were Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Dharmputra (1961), Waqt (1965), Ittefaq (1969) & Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969}..Yash  Chopra founded his own production company, Yash Raj Films, in 1971launched with Daag: A Poem of Love (1973), Starring Rajesh Khanna and Rakhi. In 1976 Yashraj Films Kabhie Kabhie was released. It was an instant hit.
After Kabhie Kabhie he made another love story Noorie in 1979 then Silsila in 1981 with Amitabh Bachhan, Rekha and Jaya Bhaduri. The movie is said to be loosely inspired by the famous triangle between the three stars Amitabh-Jaya-Rekha, which was the most popular affair back then. 
Chandni another Love Story released in 1989, starring Sridevi, Rishi Kapoor and Vinod Khanna in the lead roles, the film is considered one of the biggest successes of all time. The story revolves around Rohit (Kapoor) and Chandni (Sridevi) who are in love and are about to be married.
Lamhe was the next film which was released in 1991, starring Sridevi and Anil Kapoor in the lead roles, the film is hailed as a classic and one of his finest films of all time. This has also been cited as Chopra's personal favorite, as well. Though the film was not a hit.
Yash Chopra directed three more romantic films, all starring Khan; Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Veer-Zaara(2004), and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), before he announced his retirement from directing in 2012.

Romantic Songs from Yash Chopra's Films

Songs of Daag 1973

Songs of Kabhie Kabhie 1976

Songs of Noorie 1979

Songs of Silsila 1981

Songs of Chandni 1989

Songs of Lamhe 1991

Songs of Dil To Pagal Hai 1997

Songs of Veer Zara 2004

Songs of Jab Tak hai Jaan 2012

Chhed Chhad (Teasing) Songs of Dev Anand

The literary meaning of "Chhed Chhad" in English is. teasing each other. It has roots in ancient Indian culture. We all know the stories of Lord Krishna teasing the Gopis. The Chhed Chhad of Jija Saali is acceptable in our culture. Similarly in our Hindi films, many songs are picturized in this genre. From Dev Anand to Kishore Kumar, Raj Kapoor to Shammi Kapoor and other heroes teasing heroines and sang songs in the films, Chhed Chhad has been an integral part of our culture. Within the Indian family structure, parents doing some leg-pulling of their children, or the siblings engaging in chhed chhad is not uncommon. 
Dev Anand in the fifties had light touch within the storyline and darkness of criminal laces around the films. In almost every film there were songs picturized on Dev Anand which could be described as Chhed Chhad song. I think a maximum number of this type of songs were picturized on Dev Anand than any other hero. Think of Dev Anand wooing Nutan with ‘Maana janaab ne pukara nahin’, in  Paying Guest or Jeevan Ke Safar Mein Rahi from Munimji Dev Anand had performed in a large number of such songs, I present few of such chhed chhad songs.
The first song on my list is from 1951 film Sanam

Song of Sanam 1951

Song of Baazi 1951

Song of Jaal 1952

Song of House No. 44 (1955)

Song of Munimji (1955)

Song of Funtoosh (1956)

Song of Pocket Maar (1956)

Song of Paying Guest (1957)

Song of Nau Do Gyarah (1957)

Song of Paying Guest (1957)

Song of Solva Saal 1958

Song of Bombai Ka Babu (1960)

Song of Jaali Note (1960)

Song of Asli Naqli (1963)

Song of Teen Devian (1965)

Song of Pyar Mohabbat (1966)

Song of Pyar Mohabbat (1966)

Song of Jewel Thief (1967)

Song of Duniya 1968

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Banarsi Babu (1973)

Song of Shareef Badmaash (1973)

Song of Amir Garib (1974)

Song of Warrant (1975)

Rajendra Krishan - A Great Lyricist

After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Krishan wrote a song Suno Suno Aye Duniyawalon, Bapu Ki Yeh Amar Kahani. The song was sung by Mohammed Rafi He also wrote "Jahan daal daal par sone ki" for Sikandar-E-Azam.
He is  is known for his association with the composer C. Ramchandra. He worked with several other music directors including Shankar-Jaikishan, Ravi, Rajesh Roshan, Madan Mohan.
In the mid-1940s, Krishan shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai) to become a screenwriter in the Hindi film industry. His first screenplay was Janta (1947). His first film as a lyricist was Zanjeer (1947). He was first noted for the script and lyrics of the Motilal-Suraiya starrer Aaj Ki Raat (1948). His first success as a lyricist came with the films Badi Bahen (1949) and Lahore (1949).
The 1951 movie Albela was the film in which Rajinder Krishan paired with C Ramchandra to make some very memorable songs.
In 1953, he wrote 4 songs for Anarkali. Ananrkali was his second movie with C Ramchandra. 
He won Filmfare Award for best lyricist for the movie Khandan (1965) for the song "Tumhi mere mandir, tumhi meri pooja".
He died on 23 September 1987 in Mumbai.

Song of Albela 1951

Song of Anarkali 1953

Song of Nagin 1954

Song of Dekh Kabira Roya 1957

Song of Adalat 1958 

Song of Chhaya 1961

 Song of Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (1963

Song of Bharosa1963

Song of Sharabi 1964

Song of Jahan Ara 1964

Song of Khandan 1965

Song of Blackmail 1973

Shabana Azmi - An Actress Par Excellence

Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) made her big-screen debut with Shyam Benegal’s first film Ankur in 1974. With this film started a trend of Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema in Bollywood. The film went on to become a major critical success, and Shabana Azmi won her first National Film Award for Best Actress for this film. The very next film of her was Dev Anand's Ishk Ishk Ishk in which she had a small role but in the next year in 1975 she appeared in Nishant which was again an Art film, her acting was appreciated in this film.

Since then she appeared in both commercial cinema as well as Art cinema. She has acted in more than one hundred Hindi films. Real-life portrayals continued in almost all of her movies. Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1975), Junoon (1978), Susman (1986), and Antarnaad (1992); Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players); Mrinal Sen's Khandhar, Genesis, Ek Din Achanak; Saeed Mirza's Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai; Sai Paranjpye's Sparsh and Disha; Gautam Ghose's Paar; Aparna Sen's Picnic and Sati; Mahesh Bhatt's Arth; and Vinay Shukla's Godmother are some of her notable films. 

Shabana Azmi ruled Indian 'Parallel Cinema' for 30-years. She hit her peak during the ’80s, wowing the audience with memorable performances in Sparsh (1980), Arth (1982), Masoom (1983) and Mandi (1983), playing difficult characters with consummate ease.

She has been a committed social activist, active in supporting child survival and fighting AIDS and injustice in real life Azmi has voiced her opinion on a variety of issues. Initially, her activism drew skepticism and was dubbed by some as a publicity gimmick. However, she proved her critics wrong and used her celebrity status to emerge as a high-profile social activist.

 Since 1989, she has been a member of the National Integration Council headed by the Prime Minister of India; a member of National AIDS Commission (of India); and was nominated (in 1997) as a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. In 1998, the United Nations Population Fund appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India.

 In appreciation of Shabana Azmi's life and works, the President of India gave her a nominated (unelected) membership of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.

She is the daughter of great poet Kaifi Azmi and married to Javed Akhtar who is also a great name in Bollywood.

Some of the songs from Shabana's Films

Song of Fakira 1976

Song of Amar Akbar Anthony 1977

Song of Parvarish 1977

Song of Swami 1977

Song of Thodi Si Bewafai 1980

Song of Arth 1982

Song of Masoom 1983

The Story Behind the song "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala"

Very few  of us know that the famous Amitabh Bachchan's film song "Khaike Paan Banaras Wala"was not originally created for the film "Don" but it was composed for Dev Anand for the film Banarsi Babu released in 1973.
The music directors for both the films were Kalyanji Anandji. The song was written by Anjaan and  composed by Kalyanji Anandji. When this song was discussed with Dev Anand, he disliked it saying that this will not go with his image, so the song was not included in that film.The song remained in the collection of Kalyanji-Anandji. 
The song was not even kept in Don earlier originally. The film shooting was completed and the film was under post production. It so happened that when the Director of the film Chandra Barot showed the film to his mentor Manoj Kumar to gather his advice. Manoj Kumar advised him that the film is going too fast, it needs some space to breathe, a song should be placed after the interval.
The music director Kalyanji-Anandji were called and were asked to compose one more song for the film urgently , they already had this song in their collection so they suggested this song to the Director. It was agreed by the producer and the director to get it recorded immediately.
When Kishore Kumar was contacted for singing this song he initially  refused to sing Khaike Paan Banarasiwala. The legendary singer said. 'I don't think I can sing this, please find another singer.'

"We pleaded with him. We said he was the best singer to sing it. Finally, he relented on one condition: He would sing it only once."

"If we liked it, good, otherwise, we would have to find another singer. It was agreed on Kishore Kumar's terrms. Kishore Kumar demanded paan while recording the song in the studio. He chewed the paan and spat it on the sheet spread on the floor. All the spitting and chewing that is heard in the song is all real.

We all know that this song became the USP of the film.

Song of Don 1978

Before ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman actually appeared together in a Hollywood Film

The die-hard fans of the Evergreen Dev Anand might know about this rare fact but for many young friends here,that Dev Anand also featured in an American film along with Zeenat Aman and Kieu Chinh, a leading lady from Vietnem in the year 1970. In fact, Zeenat Aman was signed for ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ 1971), after Dev Anand chose her to feature in this English film as one of his leading ladies. So before the cult movie ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman actually appeared together on the screen in this Hollywood venture "The Evil Within".

The full movie is uploaded in this blog,you can watch this movie by visiting my blog.
The movie’s cast and crew includes several other familiar Indian faces, including Prem Nath, Iftekhar, MB Shetty and even Jagdish Raaj. Renowned cinematographer Fali Mistry, who lensed such Indian classics as ‘Amrapali’, ‘Nagin’ and ‘Guide’, shot ‘The Evil Within’.

Dev Anand plays special agent Dev Varma, who teams up with Rod Stevens (American actor Rod Perry) to finish off an opium syndicate. In the opening scenes, an assassin called Fat Man (enthusiastically played by Allen Fitzpatrick) slays the enemies of the syndicate’s head, the grandly named Princess Kamar Souria, played by Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh.
Other gang members, especially Hanif (played by Iftekhar), want to wrest control from the princess. The roster of shady characters includes the India-hating Rita (Zeenat Aman), who is on Hanif’s payroll, and who is the daughter of a judge named Krishna (Prem Nath).
Karan Johar’s father, Yash Johar, who later set up Dharma Productions, served as a production controller for The Evil Within.The Cinematography was done by Fali Mistry who was the cinematographer of Guide and many Navketan's films.Major portions of the movie were shot in and around Udaipur
The film is not released in India,it was dubbed in phlilpino got released in Philippines
Below I  am giving the Link for this movie

https://youtu.be/vJCfjGqfUas

Bollywood in Australia

Last month I was in Melbourne that time India Film Festival Melbourne was being held. Bollywood celebs Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Tabu to Sriram Raghavan, Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor and others attended the Indian Film Festival Of Melbourne 2019 (IIFM). 
This made me curious to research the Bollywood connection with Australia. As we know that many Hindi films were shot in foreign locations starting from mid 60s in England,Switzerland, France, USA etc Australia became popular in 90s.
The first film shot in Australia was Tamil and Hindi film "INDIAN" starring Kamal Hassan and Urmila Matondkar in 1995. Major Saab was the next film shot in 1997. Starring Ajay Devgan and Sonali Bendre.
 Major Saab is a movie that was shot in Queensland, Australia.The song Pyaar Kiya Toh Nibhana was shot near the Milla Milla Falls in Queensland.
Prem Agan released in 1998 a film produced and directed by Feroz Khan for his son Fardre Khan was also shot here. The final section of the film was shot in Sydney.
Soldier – This movie (Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta) was shot extensively in Sydney.... not just one song like major saab. Almost 3/4 of the movie was based in Sydney. It was released in Oct 1998.
Salaam Namaste was the first Indian film fully shot in Australia, using various locations in Melbourne and regional Victoria, including the Great Ocean Road. Starring Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan, 
Dil Chahta Hai released in 2001 was also shot here,The song Jaaney Kyun was shot near the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Tanhayee”, another heart-breaking, yet soulful song of the film was shot at Milsons Point Railway Station, Waverley Cemetery and Macquaire Lighthouse in Sydney.
Chak De India was shot in Melbourne, at the Webb Bridge, State Netball Hockey Centre, Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and the Sydney Olympic Park, these scenic locations only added to the movie watching experience.
Hey Babyy 2007 film starring Ritesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan and Boman Irani was also shot here.In this film Akshay Kumar lives a fairly wealthy lifestyle in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with roommates Tanmay Joglekar (Ritesh Deshmukh) and Ali Haider (Fardeen Khan).The filmmakers have used a number of Sydney landmarks as locations, including the historic St Stephen's Church in Newtown and the central business district.
Singh Is King Large parts of Singhh is Kingg were shot in Brisbane and Gold Coast
Bachna Ae Haseeno A large part of the film has been shot in Sydney, especially near the picturesque Sydney Opera House and the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park; one of the Sydney’s oldest and most popular parks.
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a biopic based on the life of ace sprinter Milkha Singh. The song Ghul Mil Launda was shot at the beautiful beaches of Melbourne, where Farhan Akhtar serenades the gorgeous Rebecca Breeds.
Shaadi ke Side Effects starring Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan has also been shot in Australia. Romantic songs from the film have been shot in Queensland.

Song of Hindustani 1996

Song of Major Saab 1998

Song of Dil Chahta Hai

Song of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag 2013

Song of Bachna Ae Haseeno

Song of Singh Is Kingg