Raj Kumar- A Towering Personality of the Golden Era

 

Raaj Kumar stood out for his unique manner of acting and dialogue delivery His screen presence was such that whenever he appeared with any hero, he will overshadow the person present in the frame. Most of the established heroes of that era avoided working with him.

He achieved prominence with his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India.in 1957, He was paired with Dilip Kumar in Paigham(1959), he played Dilip Kumar's elder brother who is a mill worker and loyal to the owner of the mill. In a small role, he overshadowed Dilip Kumar who was an established actor at that time. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for that film.

He was cast with Rajendra Kumar in Dil Ek Mandir(1963), Raaj Kumar played the role of a cancer patient for which he won the Filmfare Award in the Best supporting actor category. He appeared in Godaan in the same year, gave a memorable performance. 

He became known for his distinct style of dialogue delivery with the release of Waqt(1965). After this film, he was the most saleable actor. His other notable films included Hamraaz (1967), Heer Raanjha (1971), Maryada (1971), Lal Patthar (1971), and Pakeezah (1972). 

After a period of flops in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had notable successes as a supporting actor in Kudrat (1981), Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Marte Dam Tak (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987), and Jung Baaz (1989). In 1991, he reunited with fellow veteran actor Dilip Kumar after 32 years in Subhash Ghai's Saudagar. His last hit film was the 1992 film Tirangaa and his final film was 1995's God & Gun.

Raaj Kumar died at the age of 69 due to throat cancer on July 3, 1996

Song of Ujala 1959

Song of Heer Raanjha

Song of Neel Kamal

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Song of Lal Patthar

Song of Kaajal

Song of  Hamraaz

Song of  Hamraaz

Song of  Pakeezah

Song of  Saudagar

Jane Kahan Gaye Woh Din- The Tune of this Song taken from the Background music of Aah(1953)

 

This song was recorded 4 years before the film released in 1970. In fact, Mukesh sang a few stanzas of this song in front of a crowd of 2500 at the Shanmukhananda Hall Mumbai during the Filmfare Award function in June 1967.

The tune of this song was taken from background music in a scene of Aah released in 1953. This piece of music has also been used as a prelude to the song and appears in bits and pieces throughout the movie. Shankar Jaikishan had many times used a tune played in the earlier film and recreate it a new song. 

The writer of this song was Hasrat Jaipuri who wrote 7 stanzas of this song. Shankar Ji. was the original composer of this tune. Jaikishan later composed the full song in Raga Shivaranjani and Bhairavi, Some modifications were incorporated for Mukesh to make it simple.

The background music of Aah(1953)

Song of Mera Naam Jokeer 1970

The Bollywood Celebrities who married twice or more

 Love and loyalty are the inevitable traits that hold a marriage together. Bollywood has had its own share of famous marriages, shocking divorces, and breakups but some celebrities took the plunge more than twice by having multiple marriages of which some turned out successful and some didn't. In this blog, I have selected those celebrities who did not find happiness in their first marriage but were successful the second time around and apart from their personal life, have successful professional lives too.

I start with the Golden Era of Bollywood,

V. Shantaram

Shantaram with first wife Vimal 

V Shantaram and Jayshree (2nd wife)

V Shantaram with Sandhya (3rd wife)

Shantaram was born in Kolhapur to a Marathi Jain family and he married thrice. His first marriage was to Vimla, Shantaram then married actress Jayashree (née Kamulkar). His third wife, actress Sandhya (née Vijaya Deshmukh), was his co-star in Do Aankhen Barah Haath as well as the heroine of his films such as Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Navrang, Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli, and Sehra. Daughter Madhura (from his first marriage with Vimla) is married to Pandit Jasraj and is the mother of music director Shaarang Dev Pandit and TV presenter Durga Jasraj.
Actress Rajshree is his daughter from the second marriage. He introduced Rajshree and Jeetendra in the 1964 film Geet Gaya Patharon Ne. 

K. Asif

K Asif and Sitara Devi 

K Asif with Nigar Sultan (2nd wife)

 K Asif, better known as the man behind the magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam, first married actress Sitara Devi and later Nigar Sultan. Nigar Sultan was first married to SM Yusuf and after her divorce, she became K Asif’s better half.

Shobana Samarth

Shobhna and Kumar Sen Samarth

Shobhna and Motilal

She is better known as the mother of Nutan and Tanuja for my generation and grandmother of Kajol for today's generation. Her first marriage with Kumar Sen Samarth (filmmaker) was a disaster. After her divorce, she reportedly went for a live-in relationship with the legendary actor Motilal for 10 long years.

Kishore Kumar

 Kishore Kumar, indeed he holds the record of four marriages with beautiful women in Bollywood. First Kishore da married Ruma Devi (Amit Kumar’s mother), then Madhubala (he lost her due to her untimely death), then Yogita Bali, and finally Leena Chandavarkar, whose first husband Siddharth Bandekar, son of then chief minister of Goa, died after one year of their marriage.

Chetan Anand

Chetan Anand with wife and brother Dev Anand

Priya Rajvansh

 The elder brother to Hindi film actor-directors, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand a well-known producer-director.He married  Uma Anand,in 1943.he had a long-term relationship with the actress Priya Rajvansh. She was the heroine of his film Haqeeqatand all films after that. He had a relationship with her till his death

I. S. Johar

I S Johar with his first wife Ramma Bains

The late comedian, producer and director married five times.He first married Ramma Bains in 1943 in Lahore, and had a son and a daughter from her. Later, he divorced her and had four more marriages after that at different periods of his life.

Dharmendra

Dharmendra with his first wife Prakash Kaur

Dharmendra with Hema Malini

Dharmendra's first marriage was to Parkash Kaur at the age of 19 in 1954. From his first marriage, he has two sons, Sunny and Bobby, successful actors, and two daughters, Vijeeta and Ajeeta.

Dharmendra married Hema Malini after converting to Islam to stay married to his previous wife without having to get a divorce,he has 2 daughters with Hema Malini  Esha Deol, and Ahana Deol.

Vinod Mehra

The actor who was a lead in many successful ’70s and 80’s films married thrice. His first marriage was an arranged one to Meena Broca which was reportedly not consummated. Thereafter, reportedly he had an affair with Rekha which didn’t last long as he married his frequent leading lady Bindiya Goswami. His marriage to Bindiya too didn’t last long as it ended in a divorce. The couple didn't have any issues. His third marriage was with Kiran in 1988, which lasted until his death in 1990. The couple had a son and a daughter. 

Vinod Khanna

Khanna met his first wife Gitanjali in college. Khanna married Gitanjali in 1971 and had two sons with her, Rahul and Akshaye; both became Bollywood actors. In 1975, he became a disciple of Osho and in the early 1980s, moved to Rajneeshpuram. Khanna and Gitanjali settled for a divorce in 1985. In 1990, upon returning to India, Khanna married Kavita Daftary, daughter of industrialist Sharayu Daftary. They had a son, Sakshi (born 1991), and a daughter, Shraddha

Mithun Chakraborty

He had a relationship with model-actress Helena Luke, who he married in 1979, but the marriage ended shortly thereafter. He then married actress Yogeeta Bali, who he met in 1979. During the 1980s, Chakraborty had a love affair with popular actress Sridevi there was a rumor that they both married which Mithun Chakraborty later admitted to the press after a fan magazine published their marriage certificate. After his marriage with Sridevi had ended, he returned to his previous wife Yogeeta Bali. Chakraborty has four children: three sons and a daughter

Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt's first wife was actress Richa Sharma in 1987, the couple had a daughter named Trishala Dutt. After Richa's death in 1996, Sanjay had his second marriage to Rhea Pillai in 1998. After a period of seven years, the couple divorced without having any issues. He got married for the third time in 2008 to a lesser-known Bollywood actress, Manyata Dutt

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan's first marriage was to Reena Dutta. He got married before the release of Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak.  The two lived opposite each other’s building and their windows opened out to each other...Their love story lasted for almost 16 years, sadly, the two went their separate ways due to differences. With this marriage, he had 2 children. He got divorced in 2002.  He married Kiran Rao in 2005. He has a son with this marriage.

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan was married to Amrita Singh for 12 years, and the couple has two children, Sara and Ibrahim. Saif married actress Kareena Kapoor on 12th Oct 2012. They have a son with this marriage.

Asha Parekh- The Heroine with Hit Films & Hit Songs

 

Asha Parekh was one of the most successful heroines of the 60s. Every year she gave a big hit Her films were essentially cheerful, lighthearted entertainers These may not count as classics but may be remembered for their songs.

She made her debut in Nasir Hussain's Dil Deke Dekho in 1959, she was a teenager then. She was soon cast opposite Dev Anand (Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai), Rajendra Kumar (Gharana), and Joy Mukherji (Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon). She soon started giving one hit after another. some of these films were Gharana (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Bharosa (1963) , Ziddi (1964), Mere Sanam (1965), The year 1966 was  a great year for her, this year four of her filmsTeesri Manzil (1966), Love in Tokyo (1966), Do Badan (1966) , Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), became hit. Upkar (1967) , Shikar (1968), Kanyadaan (1968), Mahal (1969), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), Kati Patang (1971), Caravan (1971), and Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)

She got her first Filmfare award for Kati Patang and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contribution to the field of cinema. She took on supporting roles as bhabhi (sister-in-law) and mother, but she called this the "awkward phase" of her career. So she stopped acting in films, and her friends recommended that she become a television director. She took their advice and became a television director in the early 1990s with the Gujarati serial Jyoti. She formed a production company, Akruti, and produced serials like Palash ke Phool, Baaje Payal, Kora Kagaz and a comedy, Dal Mein Kaala. She was the president of the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994 to 2000. Parekh was the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) of India.

She was born on 2nd Oct 1942 and has remained unmarried. Today, Parekh concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan and the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, named in her honour because of her many humanitarian contributions.

Asha Parekh's Hit Songs

Song of  Dil Deke  Dekho 1959

Song of Ghunghat (1960)

Song of Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961)

Song of Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963)

Song of Bharosa (1963) 

Song of Ziddi (1964)

Song of Mere Sanam(1964)

Song of Teesri Manzil (1966)

Song of Love In Tokyo(1966)

Song of Baharon Ke Sapne (1967)

Song of Shikar (1968)

Song of Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969)

Song of Aan Milo Sajna (1970) 

Song of Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971)

Song of Caravan (1971)

Sunn Mere Bandhu Re- The Take Was Completed Before the Song was Recorded

 

This immortal song from Sujata(1959) was written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed and sung by the great S D Burman. Both born on 1st Oct. This song was a background song.

 The director of the film Bimal Roy gave a rough outline to Sachin Da for a song situation to be sung by a commoner. He wanted a song to sound as if it was straying off-tune, in spite of being in tune. Many singers were tried but ultimately Sachin Da himself finally recorded in his own voice. This was his second song in Hindi films sung after a gap of 12 years.

The situation was that the hero wanted to express his love for the heroine and also wanted to know her feelings. She being shy couldn't express her feeling in words, so to express her feelings Dada suggested a song in the Background.

Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote beautiful lyrics for this situation. The Hero and Heroine are in love They are on a riverfront and a boatman singing in the background expressing their love for each other. Their emotions are caressed by the gentle breeze. The unclear, dispersed light of late evening gives this 'Bhatiyali' song a perfect background. The excellent picturization. Their lips seem to be moving but the sound is mooted, the lyrics in the background expressing their feelings.

Surprisingly the scenes were shot well before the song was ready, in fact, the lyrics were written at the time the scene was being shot. Song recording was done after a few days. It was S D Burman singing solo after 12 years, 

Song of Sujata 1959

This song was used in many films after Sujata. In the 1963 film Bandini , the first two lines were hummed by SD Burman himself. In the 1973 film Abhiman, a few lines were used in the background in a scene

A Scene from Abhiman 1973

It was again used in the background by Gulzar in his film Achanak(1973), one line in a female voice of Lily Chakravarti along with Dada's voice

A Scene from Achanak 1973

In the 1974 film Dil Diwana the opening lines of this song were sung by Asha Bhosle in the song ' Mein Ladki Tu Ladka' composed by RD Burman

In the 1983 film Pukar, R D Burman gave his tribute to this tune in his own voice by changing the lyric as Sun Mere Lamboo Re in a song sung by Amitabh Bachchan 'Tu Maike Mat Jaiyo'

Song of Pukar 1983

Hrishikesh Mukherjee- 'Anand 'was one of his Masterpieces

 Hrishikesh Mukherjee was a brilliant director. The films he directed could make you cry, they could make you laugh, and they could make you laugh even while you cried. Some of his most notable films include Anari(1959), Anuradha (1960), Asli Naqli(1962, Anupama(1966), Aashirwad(1968), Satyakam(1969))., Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Abhimaan (1973), Namak Haraam (1973), Mili (1975), Chupke Chupke (1975), Gol Maal (1979), Khubsoorat(1980) and Anand(1971)

This film Anand was in his mind for many years, he wanted to cast Raj Kapoor as Anand but it couldn't be materialized. He then thought of Kishore Kumar as Anand and Mehmood as Babu Moshai. The term "Babu Moshai" means "a great gentleman." Raj Kapoor often affectionately addressed Hrishikesh Mukherjee with this term, just as Anand addresses Banerjee in the film. There is also a story about how Kishore Kumar couldn't become Anand.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee went to sign Kishore Kumar for the film after discussing the project with him. On reaching Kishore Kumar's house his watchman did not allow Hrishi Da to enter the bungalow. As Kishore Kumar had instructed him not to allow a Bengali man inside the bungalow who would come to meet him. Kishore Kumar had done a musical concert for a Bengali organizer who did not pay him and they both had a fight. His watchman mistook Hrishikesh Mukherjee of being that Bengali man. When the shooting for the film started Kishore Kumar came to know about it and went to meet Hrishikesh Mukherjee and asked him why didn't he come to sign him when Hrishikesh Mukherjee told him the reason. Kishore Kumar went and blasted his watchman. The incident hurt Mukherjee and he decided not to work with Kishore Kumar. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well.  Rajesh Khanna.was offered the role, by that time he became a superstar. This film was shot in 28 days. Rajesh Kanna was a very busy actor by that time, even then he gave Hrishi Da the uninterrupted dates to him. Rajesh Khanna had great regards for him, he wanted to work with him. He worked with him in his subsequent films Bawarchi(1972) and Namak Haram(1973).

The film was successful and got the National Award as Best Film and also many Filmfare awards such as Best Film, Best Actor,(Rajesh Khanna), Best Supporting Actor(Amitabh Bachchan), Best Dialogue(Gulzar), Best Editor(Hrishikesh Mukharjee), and Best Story(Hrishikesh Da) Seldom do we come across films that get it all right and that is what makes Anand immortal, as Dr. Bhaskar says in the end after writing his book on his inspiration—Anand mara nahi, Anand marte nahi (Anand hasn’t died, people like Anand don’t die)

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anand 1971

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Mehmood- His Name was Sufficient to Sell a Film

 

He was a star of the Golden Era Of Bollywood. He was one of the few comedians who managed to deliver box-office hits with some films riding solely on his shoulders. His specialty was that he cracked a lot of impromptu jokes and that brought the audiences closer to him.

He was the only actor for whom the audience came to the theatre before the movie started. His huge fan following spoke of his dedication and talent. He was a superstar, his name helped producers sell their film in advance and his picture on the poster ensured that the crowd turned up at the theatres. Many heroes of his time were insecure about sharing screen space with him. 

A time came when he was so much “in demand” that producers approached him, offering him full-length comedy films. He teamed up with  Shubha Khote, I S Johar, and Kishore Kumar gave us some great comedy films.

He began acting as a (reluctant) child actor. After he grew up, he pursued several odd jobs -- including that of a car driver.  For a short while, he was a chauffeur for director P.L. Santoshi. As an adult actor, he first appeared in Guru Dutt’s suspense thriller – CID. After that, Guru Dutt gave him a small part in Pyaasa. After that, he got his first noticeable “break” in Parvarish (1958), in which he landed a role as the brother of the hero, Raj Kapoor. His first breakthrough film as a comedian was Sasural, a melodramatic mega-success. The movie also created one of the most successful comedy pairings of the sixties – Mehmood and Shubha Khote. Both did more than 15 films together and gave many hit songs. The most famous films are Saural 1961,Dil Tera Diwana (1962),Hamrahi (1963) ,Grihasti (1963) ,Ziddi (1964),Love In Tokyo (1966), and Pockit Maar (1974). Mehmood and Shubha Khote gave fans endless hours of a laugh riot,

He also produced and directed films. He gave RD Burman his first break with Chhote Nawab (1961)and worked with him regularly down the years until a misunderstanding with Burman in the 70s saw him introduce Rajesh Roshan with Kunwara Baap (1974). He is also responsible in a way for Amitabh Bachchan’s rise to fame as it is after seeing him in Mehmood’s Bombay to Goa (1972), Salim-Javed found in him the perfect angry young man for their stories!

In the late 1970s, Mehmood's popularity began to decline as other comedy actors like Jagdeep, Asrani, Paintal, Deven Verma and Kader Khan shot to prominence. Between 1989 and 1999, he made a handful of movies, but most of them were either shelved or made no impression. He acted as Johnny in Rajkumar Santoshi's Andaz Apna Apna (1994)– his last known film as an actor.

In the 90s his health did not allow him to work. He died in his sleep on 23 July 2004 in the American state of Pennsylvania, where he had gone for treatment of cardiovascular heart disease after suffering from poor health over several years.  

Great songs of Mehmood and Shubha Khote

Song of Hamrahi 1963

Song of Grahsthi 1963

Song of Chhoti Bahen 1959

Song of Beti Beta 1964

Song of Sasural 1961

Song of Sasural 1961

Song of Ziddi 1964