IRFAN KHAN- An Acting Powerhouse

This Acting Powerhouse was first spotted by Mira Nair when she cast him in Salaam Bombay in 1988 but he had to wait for 15 years till Tigmanshu Dhulia cast him in Haasil(2003). He won his first Filmfare Award for this film. The very next year he appeared in Maqbool(2004) with a powerful performance.

The successful drama Life in a... Metro (2007) marked a turning point in Khan's career, earning him praise and several awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. He rose to prominence with his portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar in the acclaimed biographical sports drama Paan Singh Tomar (2012), which garnered him the National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. His performance in the BAFTA Award-nominated romance The Lunchbox (2013) earned him universal acclaim by the critics and audiences. 

Internationally, he had worked in a number of international projects, such as The Warrior (2001), The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), New York, I Love You (2008), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016).

In 2014, Irfan Khan ( 7 January 1967 – 29 April 2020) appeared in Gunday, which was a moderate box office success. He also made guest appearances in the films The Xpose and Haider, playing an important role in the latter. In 2015, he played the lead role in the film Piku alongside Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan, he also appeared in the acclaimed thriller Talvar in which his performance was praised. He appeared in Jazbaa in October 2015 alongside Aishwarya Rai which was very well received by critics.

In 2017, Khan appeared in two films, Hindi Medium which was commercially and critically successful. Khan's portrayal as Raj Batra in Hindi Medium earned him several accolades, one of which was the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.

In 2018, Khan appeared in Karwan, he also appeared in Blackmail opposite Kirti Kulhari, the same year. His last film appearance was in Angrezi Medium, directed by Homi Adajania, which was released on 13 March 2020

He died at a young age of 53 on 29th April 2020

Laxmi Chhaya- Maar Diya Jaye Ke Chhod Diya Jaye

 

Most of us remember Laxmi Chhaya with this iconic song from the 1971 film 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh'but she first came into limelight with a dance number from 1965 film 'Gumnam' with a guest appearance as the masked dancer in the song Jaan Pehechan Ho. Her dance performance was appreciated and  gained a cult following internationally, receiving attention in both India and America, and has been deemed her signature performance.

Laxmi Chhaya (7 January 1948 – 9 May 2004)  began acting with an uncredited appearance as one of the schoolgirls in Talaq (1958), for a few years she appeared in many Bollywood as a guest appearance, a few of these were Raat Aur Din.(1967), Baharon Ke Sapne,(1967) ,Upkar(1967) and Ram Aur Shyam,  Naughty Boy(1962) as Bela, was her first role that wasn't a guest role.

In 1968, she starred in Duniya as Laxmi, a role named after her. In 1969, Chhaya next starred as Rita in the film Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969), where she starred in a supporting role once again with Asha Parekh. The movie was a commercial success. In the same year, she also starred in the film Pyar Ka Mausam (1969). In 1971, Chhaya starred as Munnibai, a young girl who works undercover for a dacoit, in Mera Gaon Mera Desh, her first role as Munnibai was a  part of the main cast.The film was a major and critical success at the time, and is considered to be one of Chhaya's best performances.Three songs were picturized on her, all of them were popular.

In 70s, she appeared in many films after the success of Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Raaste Kaa Patthar (1972), Do Chor (1972), Bindiya Aur Bandook (1973), Do Phool(1973) ,harafat Chod Di Maine (1976), and Haiwan(1977).are a few.

 After a series of commercially unsuccessful films, in 1987, she retired the film industry after a guest appearance in the film Parakh. In the years prior to her death, Chhaya went on to open her own dance school, where she taught dancing to indigent children.

After retiring from cinema, Chhaya taught dancing to indigent children. She died of cancer in Mumbai on May 9, 2004 at the age of 56.

Here are 10 memorable dances performed by Laxmi Chhaya in films.

Song of Gumnam 1965

Raat Aur Din (1967) 

Song of Upkar (1967)

Song of Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) Audio only

Song of Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969)

Song of Mera Gaon Mera Desh 1971

Song of Mera Gaon Mera Desh 1971

Song of Mera Gaon Mera Desh 1971

Song of Raaste Ka Patthar (1972)

Song of Sharafat Chhod Di Maine (1976)

Jaidev- He was Initially Signed for Guide

 

Jaidev was a disciple of  Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who took Jaidev as his music assistant when he composed music for Navketan's “Aandhiyan” and “Hum Safar”. After that, he became the assistant of S D Burman, he assisted him in almost all the Navketan films till Guide. In fact, he worked as his assistant even becoming an independent composer with Chetan Anand's Joru Ka Bhai(1955) and  Chetan Anand's next Anjali(1957).

Hum Dono(1961) was the first film he worked for Navketan as an independent composer. After Hum Dono’s success, a promise was made by Dev Anand that every alternate film of Navketan will have music by SD Burman and Jaidev. Accordingly, SD Burman was entrusted the baton of “Kala Bazaar” and Jaidev ‘signed’ for the music of “Guide” for which he is believed to have composed a couple of tunes too (‘Tere mere sapne ab ek rang hain’, and ‘Din dhal jaaye haye raat na jaaye); however, the film was made and released finally with music by S D Burman, his career-best. 

Probably, for the first time, Jaidev felt exploited and stifled at Navketan and “Guide” marked the end of his long and fruitful musical association with both Dev Anand and SD Burman. Navketan, too, never called him back, which was the unkindest cut of all. Though the hurt feeling lurked in his mind for long, his respect and reverence for SD Burman remained the same till his last. Besieged by a chain of misfortunes, Jaidev made “Jo kho gaya main usko bhulata chala gaya” the mantra of his life with his spiritual character to ‘guide’ him.

It is said that Dev Anand insisted Jaidev to work as S.D. Burman’s assistant in Guide but he didn't. Jaidev was never again invited by Navketan to compose songs. Dev Anand used both the Jaidev songs in his film Guide. It is said that those two songs were ‘Din Dhal Jaaye Haye Raat Na Jaye’ and ‘Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hai’ sung by Mohammad Rafi. Being cast out of Guide was a very big setback in Jaidev’s film music career. He never really recovered from the shock. Jaidev used to frequently narrate such incidents to his friends, wracked by inconsolable grief.

Jaidev had a unique capability to mix traditional and folk music into Hindi film situations, giving him a unique advantage to other music directors of his times. He is also known for his non-film album of the couplets of Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan's classic work Madhushala set to music and sung by singer Manna Dey.

Jaidev never married. He remained close to his sister's family who later settled in the United Kingdom. He died on 6 January 1987 at the age of 68. His last work was for the television series Ramayan.

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Song of Hum Dono 1961

Mukri - A Unique Comedian of Bollywood

 

What made Mukri(5 January 1922 – 4 September 2000)  different from other comedians was that he used to laugh in every scene that had comedy dialogues. He stole scenes regularly and he was hilarious in every film whether he is playing a servant or a gardener or even a show organiser in many films. Once his pairing with Sheikh Mukhtar was very popular, one was very tall and he a very short, they were called as Laurel and Hardy of Bollywood.

He made his debut in the 1945 film Pritam. The hero of this film was Dilip Kumar, He with his toothless smile, diminutive stature and perfect humour timing amused the audiences in more than 600 films, in over six decades in Bollywood.

After Pratima, Mukti acted in Dada(1949) along with Shaikh Mukhtar who was the rage of the day as far as stunt films were concerned. “Shyam and Munawar Sultana had played the lead in Dada.”

He appeared with Johny Walker and Mehmood in comic roles in many films. With Johny Walker, he appeared in 15 films. Shabnam(1964) was a film in which Mukri appeared with Mahmood along with Sheikh Mukhtar. His career went to new heights with Manmohan Desai’s Amar Akbar Anthony (1977). In this film, he played the role of Tyeb Ali, a strict father. The song “Tyeb Ali pyar ka dushman…” picturised on him and Rishi Kapoor became very popular, and Mukri a household name. 

There was hardly any side character Mukri did not play as the comic sidekick. He performed these roles with great élan. Nathulal is one such character imprinted in the minds of cine buffs. His character “Nathu Lal” in Sharaabi became so popular, that years later when Manmohan desai cast him in Jaadugar (1989), he named his character Nathu Lal to bank on its popularity. 

He was one of the more frequent faces appearing in hindi films in the late 50s and early 60s. Some of his notable roles were in films like Mother India (1957), Kalaapani (1958), Anari (1959), Kohinoor (1960) and Asli Naqli (1962)
 The other successful films Mukri include  Chori Chori, Aankhe, Mother India, Ram Aur Shyam, Aan and Ashique. 

Here are Rare Songs of Rafi for Mukri

Song of Pardes 1950

Song of Madmast 1953

Song of Shabnam 1964

Song of Madhavi 1969

Song from Amar Akbar Anthony 1977

 

Piya Tu Ab To Aja- One of the Gems of R D Burman

 

Music and Song sequences can make a film hit and memorable. This song from the 1971 film from Caravan is one such example. This song was written by Mazrooh Sultanpuri, composed by R D Burman and sung by Asha Bhonsle. The song was performed by Helen, who is known for doing item numbers in Bollywood .

 Music scholar Nilanjana Bhattacharjya identified "Piya Tu Ab To Aja" as one of the culturally important Hindi film songs. The song has also been called "the catalyst" that made "Asha  Bhonsle the queen of cabaret numbers". R D Burman was nominated for the Filmfare Best Music Director and Asha Bhonsle was awarded the Best Female Playback Singer for this song.

The picturisation of this song is typical of the item numbers of the era portraying a "vamp" character who dances seductively for a nightclub audience. The audience used to get crazy when this dance number starts. I was a teenager when this film was released was also mesmerized with this song and dance number. Almost 50 years have passed, this song still makes people dance.

In Aug 2020, A video of two elderly women dancing to the tunes of Asha Bhosle’s hit 1971 song Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja, from the film Caravan, has gone viral on social media. The saree-clad women launched a dance party in the middle of a street. Watch this viral video here.

Two elderly women dancing 

This song boosted the career of Asha Bhonsle, getting the maximum number of cabaret or item songs. This song also stamped the 'Jodi' of R D Burman and Asha Bhosle. They gave us many peppy and immortal songs after this.

Asha Bhosle recorded a new version in 2003 for the Kronos Quartet album You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood.  It also appears on the compilation album The Very Best of Asha Bhosle, The Queen of Bollywood. Composer Lesle Lewis released a remix of the song on his 2003 album Special Appointment Club Hits. This number is also referenced briefly during the song "Dhoom Tanaa" from Om Shanti Om when Deepika Padukone, dressed in a gold bikini ensemble, dances in a cage.

Song of Caravan 1971

Haqeeqat-

 

'Haqeeqat' is a 1964 war film set against the Indo-China conflict. It was the first Indian motion film to be shot in Ladakh. The film was not only a representation of war, but a dramatic retelling of the impact war has on the common soldier. Chetan Anand dedicated the film to Jawaharlal Nehru and the soldiers in Ladakh. 

The film was made with the government and army assistance. Even the main star Balraj Sahni worked for this film free of charge. The film was released in 1964 after the death of Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru. The film received the National Award for Best Film and Art Direction. The film was the first realistic portrayal of war in Hindi cinema. 

The film offered the Indian perspective of feeling stabbed in the back by a seeming friend, China. He used documentary footage and demonstrated the way in which China's Premier Chou En-lai was welcomed with open arms during his visit to India. In a rousing speech to the troops, Brigadier Singh emphasizes that despite the respect bestowed upon China, Chinese troops have sneakily attacked a peace-loving nation like India. 

The film stars Dharmendra, Balraj Sahni, Priya Rajvansh, Sudhir, Sanjay Khan and Vijay Anand in significant roles. The acting of all major actors was outstanding. Another highlight of the film was its music. The music was composed by Madan Mohan and all of the songs are written by Kaifi Azmi. The music begins with lively romantic tunes and moves to more epic war, sad and celebratory tunes. The song "Ab Tumhare Hawaale Watan Saathiyon" sung by Mohammed Rafi has become synonymous with patriotism in India. Another song "Ho Ke Majboor Mujhe Usne Bhulaya Hoga" is a gem of a song.

There were classic war films made earlier like Dr Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani or Hum Dono in 1961, many more war films made after this but this remains the best.

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

Bollywood songs that celebrate New Year!

 

2020 was the year to forget, we look forward to better days ahead. This reminds me of a Bollywood song from the 1960 film 'Hum Hindustani' Chhodo Kal Ki Batein, Kal Ki Baat Purani'.though this isn’t really a New Year song, but does a good job of nudging us to shed the baggage of the past and make ambitious plans for the future. 

Not many songs are written for the New Year in Hindi films but there are a few songs written in the 50s. The first song that comes to my mind is from the 1954 film 'Samrat' written by Rajendra Krishan, composed by Hemant Kumar. This song was very fast-paced and racy, that will definitely set your feet tapping on the floor. The singing voice is of Asha Bhonsle.

Song of Samrat 1954

The same year in 1954 another song on New Year from the film 'Toote Khilone' became popular. This was sung by Shamshad Begum and Trilok Kapoor. It was written by Anjum Jaipuri, a lesser-heard name, composed by Chitragupt.

Song of Toote Khilone 1954

This song was composed by Shankar – Jaikishan and written by Shailendra for Anari, this Manna Dey – Lata Mangeshkar duet welcoming the year 1959 The film was released in 1959.

Song of Anari 1959

Happy new year to you This song is sung by Shailendra Singh and chorus. Hasrat Jaipuri and Raveendra Jain The song is picturised on Shailendra Singh, Moolchand, Kamal Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar etc.The film is Do Jasoos released in 1975

Song of Do Jasoos 1975

Song of Nazrana Pyar Ka (1980)

Song from Raksha 1981

Song of Aap Ke Saath 1986

Song of Teri Talash Mein (1990)

Song of Happy New Year 2014