A K HANGAL- A Class Actor,who was a Freedom Fighter

 

A K Hangal (1 February 1914 – 26 August 2012), was a freedom fighter, he spent 3 years in jail during the freedom struggle He was a stage actor till 1966. and later became a character actor in Hindi language films from 1966 to 2005. He has acted in around 225 Hindi films. He had the rare ability to imbue the smallest and the most ordinary of roles with quality and dignity

We all remember him as Imaam Saab of Sholay (1975). He started his Hindi film career at the age of 52 with Basu Bhattacharya's Teesri Kasam in 1966. He mostly played the roles of a father, uncle, or school teacher in many films. He was a member of IPTA was a friend of Chetan Anand who cast him in Heer Ranjha in 1970. His most notable roles are as Ram Shastri in Aaina (1977), as the Inder Sen in Shaukeen, as Bipinlal Pandey in Namak Haraam, as Anokhelal in Manzil.

Young AK Hangal

AK Hangal in Sholay

 He was cast in roles that demanded piety, playing characters that carried the burden of their virtuous poverty with quiet and kindly dignity. Shaukeen was the film in which he played, along with Ashok Kumar and Utpal Dutt, a lecherous old man. 

A K Hangal in Shaukeen

He did a number of films with Rajesh Khanna (16 films) a few significant ones with the Amitabh Bachchans and many others. The best performances in his later years were in Shararat (2002) his character roles in Tere Mere Sapne (1997) and Lagaan. 

Shambhu-Kaka. of Lagaan

 After 2007, Hangal had been suffering from an illness and could not afford the treatment. Hangal made his last appearance in the television series Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon in May 2012, in which he had a cameo. Madhubala – Ek Ishq Ek Junoon was a tribute to 100 years of Indian cinema. He also gave his voice for the character of King Ugrasen in the animation film Krishna Aur Kans which was released on 3 August 2012. This was final work in his career before his death. He died on 26th Aug 2012 in Mumbai. The government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Hindi Cinema in 2006.

A Scene from Sara Akash

A Scene from Sholay

A Scene of AK Hangal

Song of Shaukeen

Saira Banu - A Devoted Wife

 

Saira Banu in an interview once said" I  was all in love with Dilip Kumar right from the age of 12 after watching 'Aan' I was not just another girl smitten by Dilip Kumar. For me, it was no castle in the air because I had given my dream the strong foundation of faith- faith in myself and faith in God.”

She was only 16, had gone for the show, hoping to get a glimpse of her favorite hero in person. But she was heartbroken as Dilip Kumar was unable to come to the premiere. She still remembers her first encounter with Dilip Kumar “When he smiled at me and remarked that I was a pretty girl, I could feel my whole being taking wing and flying rapturously. I knew somewhere deep within me that I was going to be his wife.”

After the release of Junglee, her first film in 1961, she became a big star, she was offered heroine roles with all the big stars of that time. Dilip Kumar in his biography told that a few films were offered to him with Saira but he refused because he felt to be her too young as his heroine.

It is said that it was Naseem Banu, her mother played the role of the cupid between Dilip and Saira. She got them closer, thanks to which love blossomed between the two. Dilip Kumar mentioned in his biography that when he fell in love with Saira. It was during a party thrown to celebrate her birthday. The actor revealed, "When I alighted from my car and entered the beautiful garden that leads to the house, I can still recall my eyes falling on Saira standing in the foyer of her new house looking breathtakingly beautiful in a brocade sari. I was taken aback because she was no longer the young girl She had indeed grown to full womanhood and was, in reality, more beautiful than I thought she was. 

It was one day when Saira Banu was shooting for the film'Jhuk Gaya Aasman' Dilip Kumar proposed Saira. He simply stepped forward and shook her hand and proposed. Dilip Saab said, "Saira, you are not the kind of girl I want to drive around with or be seen around with... I would like to marry you... Will you be my wife?" Promptly came the response from Saira, "And how many girls have you said this to?" She, however, said yes.

They married on 12th Oct 1966 and celebrated the Golden Jubilee of their marriage in 2016. She remained her pillar of strength throughout all these years. There was a time when Dilip Kumar married another lady but Saira continued to look after him. The second marriage lasted for two years since then the two have stood beside each other like a rock, considering one another to be the greatest gift of God. 

Saira Banu continued to work in films after the marriage, in fact, Dilip Kumar encouraged her to do films but she restrained herself to one or two films a year. Aman (1967), opposite Rajendra Kumar, was her first release after marriage to the thespian. She acted in three films with Manoj Kumar, Shaadi, Purab Aur Paschim, and Balidan. Cult film Padosan, in 1968, opposite Sunil Dutt, catapulted her to the top league and she continued to play the heroine for several years after that. Victoria No. 203 with Navin Nischol is her biggest hit. She acted in three films with her husband: Gopi. Sagina and Bairaag. Only Gopi was successful at the box office. She acted in three films with Manoj Kumar, Shaadi, Purab Aur Paschim, and Balidan and six with Dharmendra: Jwar Bhata, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Resham Ki Dori, Pocket Maar, International Crook and Chaitali.

She worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan in Zameer and Hera Pheri. Nehle Pe Dehla. She never worked with Rajesh Khanna though once she was offered the role in Chhoti Bahu in 1971 but couldn't do it due to illness. 

Dilip Kumar told in an interview that she was signed for the role that Mumtaz did in Ram Aur Shyam but he himself asked her not to do that role. She appeared in a cameo opposite her husband in Duniya (1984), wherein the song "Teri meri Zindagi" became very popular. Faisla which was eventually released in 1988 and is officially her last film.

Song of Junglee (1961)

Song of Bluff Master(1963)

Song of Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964)

Song of Pyaar Mohabbat (1966)

Song of Shagird 1967

Song of Padosan (1968)

Song of Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968)

Song of Purab Aur Paschim (1970)

Song of Victoria No 203 (1972)

Song of Jwar Bhata 1973

Song of  Gopi 1973

The Great Ghazals of Khayyam

 

Khayyam came to limelight with the Ghazal "Shaam-e-Gham Ki Kasam" sung by Talat Mehmood from the film Footpath(1953). He gained greater recognition from the film Phir Subha Hogi (1958), in which all the songs were written by Sahir Ludhyanvi. Since then, he preferred to work with poets rather than film lyricists. That is the reason one finds poetry playing an equal role in Khayyam's compositions as the music or the singer.

Khayyam's music had the touch of ghazal but was rooted in Indian classical music. In a career spanning over four decades, he gave Hindi cinema some of its most memorable movie soundtracks with films like Umrao Jaan, Kabhi Kabhie, Raziya Sultan, Bazar, and many others. 

I am posting a few of my favorite Ghazals of Khayyam

Song of Footpath 1953

Song of Phir Subha Hogi 1958

Song of Shola Aur Shabnam (1961)

Song of Shagoon (1964)

Song of Kabhi Kabhie (1976)

Song of Thodi Si Bewafaai (1980)

Song of  Ahista Ahista (1981)

Song of  Umrao Jaan (1981)

Song of  Umrao Jaan (1981)

Song of  Bazaar (1982)

Song of  Bazaar (1982)

Song of Razia Sultan (1983)

Song of Anjuman (1986)

The Cinema & Songs of Gulzar

 

In an interview, Gulzar Saheb said that songwriting is my profession while writing poetry is my statement of life. Since his childhood, he was writing poems, He was also writing when he worked as a mechanic in a car garage in Bombay. It was during his interactions in the PWA Sunday meetings that lyricist Shailendra and Bimal Roy encouraged him to join films. Initially, he joined Bimal Ray as his assistant and later got a chance to write a song in Bandini (1963)under the composer S D Burman, the song that brought him to notice was 'Mera Gora Rung Le Le' from Bandini.

 Gulzar’s first venture as a filmmaker was Mere Apne (1971), It was produced by N C Sippy and directed by him. The film stars Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha in lead roles, In fact, it was the first film of Vinod Khanna as a hero. Before ventured into the direction he wrote dialogues for Biwi Aur Makan(1966), Aashirwad(1968), Khamoshi, and Anand(1969) all directed by Hrishikesh Mukharjee. He also wrote the story, dialogue and screenplay of Guddi, once again directed by Hrishikesh Mukharjee.

His second venture as director was Parichay in 1972.It stars Jeetendra, Jaya Bhaduri; while Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Khanna, has given special appearances and the music was composed by Rahul Dev Burman. The film was reported to be based on the Bengali novel Rangeen Uttarain by Raj Kumar Maitra and partially inspired by the 1965 movie The Sound of Music.

His third film was Koshish released in Dec 1972. It was inspired by the 1961 Japanese film Happiness of Us Alone. The film was highly acclaimed. he got a National Award for its screenplay and nominated the Filmfare Best Director Award. 

The next film he directed was Achanak in 1973, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and starring Vinod Khanna. Gulzar received a Filmfare nomination as Best Director for this film. Even though Gulzar is an accomplished lyricist, this film did not have any songs in it.The entire film production was completed in 28 days

In 1975, three films under his directions were released. the first released was Aandhi in Feb 1975. The film was an Indian political drama film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen and directed by Gulzar. At the time it was alleged that the film was based on the life of the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her relationship with her estranged husband, The film got the Filmfare Award of Best Film and Best Actor award to Sanjeev Kumar.

Khushboo was the next film released in March 1975.it was produced by Prasan Kapoor under the Tirupati Pictures banner, presented by Jeetendra and directed by Gulzar. It stars Jeetendra, Hema Malini, and music composed by R. D. Burman.  It was praised as a beautiful film with good acting by Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Asrani and Jeetendra

Mausam was the third film of that year released on 29th Dec 1975. The film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, and directed by Gulzar. It is loosely based on the novel, The Judas Tree, by A.J. Cronin. Sharmila Tagore for her acting received The Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd National Film Festival and the movie was honored by presenting an award for 2nd Best Feature Film. The film received two of eight nominations at the 24th Filmfare Awards. The film also won many other accolades as well.

In 1977 he entered into production also, two films Kitaab and Kinara both produced and directed by him were released, Meera was the third film under his direction released in 1977, all the films couldn't receive well in Box office. Though Meera received critical acclaim.

Angoor was the film released in 1982, in between two insignificant films released under his direction in 1980. Angoor was based on Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors. The film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in dual roles, and directed by Gulzar. The film was appreciated by all. Deven Verma got the Filmfare Best Comedian Award.

Machis(1996) was an important film of Gulzar, after the death of R D Burman he made the film with Vishal Bhardwaj as music director for the first time. The film was produced by R. V. Pandit.  It stars Chandrachur Singh, Om Puri, Tabu and Jimmy Sheirgill in the lead roles. The film portrays the circumstances surrounding the rise of the Sikh insurgency in Punjab Maachis was a critical and commercial success. Gulzar's direction and the music of Vishal Bhardwaj were strong points. 

Song of Kabuliwala 1961

Song of Bandini 1963

Song of Aashirwad 1968

Song of Khamoshi 1969

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anubhav 1971

Song of Parichay1972

Song of Aandhi 1975

Song of Mausam 1975

Song of Masoom (1983)

Song of Ijazat (1987)

Song of Bunty aur Babli  2005

Song of Omkara 2006

Song of Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

The First English Song and Kiss in a Hindi Film

The first English song in a Hindi film was sung by Devika Rani in 1933 film Karma, starring Devika Rani and Himanshu Rai. The film was among the first Talkie Film in India to feature an on-screen kiss. The four-minute-long scene between Devika Rani and Rai, her husband in real life, is also known to being the longest such scene in Indian cinema.
 The song, ‘Now The Moon Her Light Has Shed’ is a proper western tune composed by German composer Ornest Broadhurst and song. The style is typical of the high pitched English songs The next English song was sung by Shanta Apte, composed by Keshav Bhole in Duniya Na Mane (1937) with the lyrics around poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem A Psalm of Life. 
The story is about a princess (played by Devika Rani) who falls in love with a neighboring prince ( Himanshu Rai) much to the disapproval of the latter's father. The film opens with a very cute scene of the Prince telling a squirrel how much he loves the Maharani, who is hiding behind a rock and replies on behalf of the squirrel.
Maharaja, the prince father who knew that his son is in love with the princess, consults with his holy man on what to do about his recalcitrant son’s ongoing romance. The priest wisely counsels him not to interfere, but to allow them to marry and then control her through the alliance.
English language Song by Devika Rani 

Song of Karma 1933

Song of Duniya Na Mane 1937

                   First Lip Lock In Indian Cinema - KARMA (1933)

Films Released on the Independence Day(15 Aug 1947)

 It was Friday on 15th August 1947. Two films were released in Bombay on the Independence Day itself, 'Shehnai' at Novelty on Grant Road and 'Mera Geet' at Swastik on Lamington Road around the corner. 'Mera Geet' starring Sushil Kumar and Naseem Jr must have sunk like a stone since there seems to be no record of it anywhere but Shehnai was one of the biggest hits of the year. In fact, it became the first roaring hit of free India.  

Shehnai was produced by Filmistan Studio and Directed by PL Santoshi. Nasir Khan, the brother of Dilip Kumar was the hero and Rehana was the heroine. The music of the film was composed by C Ramchandra. Its song 'Aana Meri Jaan Meri Jaan Sunday Ke' was a super hit. The film had a straight-up. silver jubilee run in cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur, and Karachi.

A Still from Shehnai 1947

Starring Rehana, Nasir Khan, and Indumati, Shehnai's story run around four sisters and their respective suitors. The ensemble drama also features acclaimed performers of the era like comedy great VH Desai, Mumtaz Ali (actor Mehmood's father), Dulari, and Leela Misha among others. Desai plays a struggling entertainer trying to keep his dance company afloat with the help of his four daughters. However, his wife (Mishra) is worried about the disrepute the profession is bringing the girls and diminishing their chances of marriage. Rehana plays the second eldest sibling, Kamla, a gutsy girl who clashes with Pramila (Indumati) – the snobbish, college-educated daughter of the zamindar. When Pramila humiliates Kamla's family, the latter gets even by tricking Pramila's soon-to-be fiancé Rajesh (Khan) into believing that she is his betrothed but ends up falling for him. The mix up goes a step further when Pramila mistakes her father's adversary for Rajesh and falls in love with him.

Aana Meri Jaan Sunday Ke Sunday

The music was the highlight of this film, it was composed by C Ramchandra. It had 9 songs, all the songs were written by P L Santoshi, who was the director of this film also. The song' Aana Meri Jaan Meri Jaan Sunday Ke Sunday' became a rage.It was the first song of Bollywood based on western beats, It was the first time western instruments were used in any Hindi song. It was C Ramchandra who brought music from many other countries in Bollywood music, In 1950 he brought Burmese music in the song 'Gore Gore Banke Chhore' in the film Samadhi, and ' Mein Hun Ek Khalasi' in Sargam(1950)

Nasir-Khan -Brother of Dilip Kumar in Shehnai 1947

 There were five major film production centers, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Lahore, and to a lesser extent Poona till 1947. Bombay was the main center,  In Bombay alone, 114 films were made and released that year. Six films, 'Shehnai, Elan Jugnu, Do Bhai, Dard, and Mirza Sahiban' were super hit. The other hit film was Parwana of K L Saigal, which was released after his death on 18th Jan 1947. 

In March, we had Kidar Sharma’s Neel Kamal with Raj Kapoor and Madhubala in their first lead roles. He was twenty-three and she was just sixteen.

Songs of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Song of Shehnai 1947

Shammi Kapoor- A Natural Dancer

 

Shammi Kapoor in his Biography said"The sound of any music evoked in me a strong urge to dance. The rhythm didn't take time to seep into me and seek expression in dance. The urge to dance was always there in him. His brother Raj Kapoor was a good dancer but Shammi was different.

He never had a dance director or a choreographer for his dance songs in any film. He danced to his own style and created his own steps and movements. The first time he got the chance of expressing himself in dance songs was in Tumsa Nahin Dekha, this film redefined him and shot him to bigtime stardom.

In his Biography, he tells "From a very early stage, he wanted to learn dancing but there were no professional dancing schools in Bombay at that time. There used to be a hotel in Dadar, whose owner used to teach Tango dance He took a few lessons from him.

Shammi Kapoor said that it was lucky that he got good songs." I think I tried to give physical expressions to music. My choreography was always done here( pointing towards his heart) and I brought it out on the floor. Telling about the picturization of the song' Yahoo' he said "everybody was satisfied with the song Yahoo recorded after the hard work of Rafi saheb and music director Shankar Jaikishan, now it was my turn to make this song an immortal. This song was picturized in Kufri, not in Kashmir. The setting looked ideal with 12 feet deep snow and the breathtakingly beautiful sight around Everybody was in a fix what will I do?, how will I do?

Shammi further said that he was also not made in his mind about how to do it. Yes it was sure that he had to slide on the snow, The next day in the morning at 7 AM the whole unit collected at the spot from where he had to slide, But just when the camera was to roll, the sun disappeared, they couldn't shoot that day due to poor sunlight. This happened for six days, the song couldn't be picturized Finally on the Seventh-day the song was picturized. Shammi Kapoor said that there was no choreographer, no preparation by himself, whatever he did was spontaneous.

After Junglee every producer and director wanted Shammi to perform the song as per his wish. He said in the book" I used to tell my directors to keep the camera flexible, don't freeze the field, play the music, and let me do the act. That is what he did in most of his songs.

He said for the song Aasman Se Aya Farishta of An Evening in Paris, it was his idea to perform on a helicopter.

His biggest hit Teesri Manzil (1966) broke all kinds of records at the box office — thanks to its music. Composed by R.D. Burman, songs of this movie are considered some of his best works and Shammi’s best dance performances. O Mere Sona Re, O Haseena Zulfonwali Jaane Jahan, and Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera are still regularly seen on playlists and heard on the radio.

Looking at just one decade of Shammi’s career, it is clear about the kind of stupendous impact that he has had on Bollywood and its audience. He left a mark like no other and even though many have managed to make a name as great dancers, nobody has come close to him — much like the original Elvis Presley.

Song of Tumsa Nahin Dekha 1957

Song of Dil Deke Dekho 1959

Song of Junglee 1961

Song of Dil Tera Deewana 1962

Song of Professor 1962

Song of Kashmir Ki Kali 1964

Song of An Evening in Paris 1966

Song of Teesri Manzil 1967

Song of Brahmachari 1968