The Magic of Geeta Dutt-Some of my Favourite songs

We all remember the song "Mera Sundar Sapna Beet Gaya" with this song Geeta Dutt became famous That was in 1947 with the release of Do Bhai music was given by S D Burman. Disc sales of the song rocketed to new heights. 1947-1949 saw Geeta Roy rule as the number one playback singer in the Mumbai film industry as she moved from strength to strength.

In 1949 released the film Mahal and its song  'Aayega Aane Wala' from Mahal soared to heights of till then unseen popularity. ( It remains an all time favourite even today ) The singer was Lata Mangeshkar. Lata went on to become the greatest playback singer the Indian screen has ever seen. Only two singers managed to survive the Lata onslaught in the 1950s Shamshad Begam and Geeta Dutt.Though relegated to the second spot, Geeta managed to hold her own against Lata for more than a decade and she and Lata were the premier two female playback singers of the 1950s.

The first thing that strikes one when you hear Geeta Dutt sing was that she never sang. She just glided through a tune. She was perfact in Bhajan as well as western songs.The sex appeal in her voice and the ease with which she went western was marvellous to behold.

She was at her best  when she sang under the baton of two music directors, S.D. Burman and O.P.Nayyar.

She was the only singer with whom Lata was really feared during her career   Raju Bharathan, Music critic in Filmfare February 1-15, 1985 wrote  "In training and technique Lata was way ahead but neither training nor technique was of much use when pitted against Geeta in the recording room........This put Lata on the defensive and I think she avoided singing with Geeta as far as possible. "

Mera sundar sapna beet gaya

Song from Do Bhai 1947

Khayalon mein kisike

Song from Baawre Nain 1950

Tadbir se bigdi hui taqdeer

Song from Baazi 1951

Yeh lo main hari piya

Song from Aar Paar 1954

Babuji dhire chalna

Song from Aar Paar 1954

Thandi hawa kali ghata

Song from Mr & Mrs 55 (1955)

Ae dil mujhe bata de

Song from Bhai Bhai 1956

Jaane kya tunhe kahi

Song from Pyaasa 1957

Mera naan chin chin choo

Song from Howrah Bridge 1958

Waqt ne kiya kya haseen sitam

Song from Kaagaz Ke Phool 1959

Hawa dhire aana

Song from Sujaata 1959

Na jaao saiyaan chudha ke baiyaan

Song from Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam 1962

Remembering RAJ KAPOOR on his 92nd Birth Anniversary

Raj Kapoor is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers and actors in the history of Indian cinema.He was born on 14th Dec 1924 at Dhakki Munawwar Shah near Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar,now in Pakistan.

His father was Prithviraj kapoor who was a famous Hero of his time. His brothers are actors Shashi Kapoor and the late Shammi Kapoor.He had three sons Randhir,Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor,all of them acted in Bollywood.

Raj Kapoor's big break came with the lead role in Neel Kamal (1947) opposite Madhubala in her first role as a leading lady.Though Raj kapoor appeared in film for the first time at the age of ten in  1935's Inquilab.He appeared as child artist in many more films after that.He got real recognition from 1949 film Andaz,he co-starred alongside Dilip Kumar and Nargis in that film.

 In 1948, at the age of twenty-four, he established his own studio, R. K. Films, and became the youngest film director of his time making his directorial debut with Aag starring himself, Nargis, Kamini Kaushal and Premnath.

. He had his first success as producer, director and star of Barsaat released in 1950.  He went on to produce and star in several hit films made under his R.K. Banner including Awaara (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956), Jagte Raho (1956) and Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960), the last was directed by Radhu Karmakar, his longtime cinematographer, and which won Filmfare Award for Best Film.In 1964, he produced, directed and starred in the romantic musical Sangam alongside Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayantimala which was his first film in colour. This was his last major success as a leading actor as his later films like Around the World (1966) and Sapnon Ka Saudagar (1968) with younger starlets Rajshree and Hema Malini were box office flops.
In 1970 he produced, directed and starred in his ambitious film Mera Naam Joker which took more than six years to complete. His son Rishi Kapoor made his debut in this film playing the younger version of his character. When released in 1970, it was a box office disaster and put Kapoor and his family into a financial crisis.

In 1971, he launched his eldest son Randhir Kapoor in the family drama Kal Aaj Aur Kal starring himself, his son Randhir, his father Prithviraj Kapoor as well as Randhir's would-be-wife Babita. He launched his second son Rishi Kapoor's career in 1973 when he produced and directed Bobby which was a huge box office success and introduced actress Dimple Kapadia.

In the latter half of the 1970s and early 1980s he produced and directed films that focused on the female protagonists: Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) with Zeenat Aman, Prem Rog (1982) with Padmini Kolhapure and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) which introduced Mandakini.
Outside of his home productions Raj Kapoor also acted in other banners also. His other notable films as a leading actor included Anhonee (1952), Aah (1953), Anari (1959), Chhalia(1960) and Dil Hi To Hai (1963).Teesri Kasam (1966)
Raj Kapoor had received many awards throughout his career, including 3 National Film Awards, 11 Filmfare Awards and 21 nominations. His films Awaara (1951) and Boot Polish(1954) were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His acting in the former was rated as one of the "Top-Ten Performances of all time", by the Time Magazine.His film Jagte Raho (1956) also won the Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987 – the highest award for cinematic excellence in India. Shortly after he was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Raj Kapoor died, on June 2, 1988, after suffering from complications linked to asthma.
Raj Kapoor’s importance in Indian cinema is unique because of his multiple successes as actor, director and producer, and the social analysis his films offered, particularly in the first half of his career as filmmaker.

 I am posting some of my Favourite Raj Kapoor's Songs

Song from Barsaat 1949

Song from Bawre Nain 1950

Song from  Awaara 1951

Song from Aah  1953

Song from Shree 420 (1955)

Song from Shree 420 (1955)

Song from Chori Chori (1956)

Song from Parvarish (1958)

Song from Kanhaiya (1959)

Song from Anari (1959)

Song from Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai (1960)

Song from Chhalia (1960)

Song from Dil Hi To Hai (1963)

Song from Sangam (1964)

Song from Teesri Kasam (1966)

Song from Mera Naam Joker (1970)

Raj kapoor singing in a live show

Happy Birthday DILIP KUMAR - the Tragedy King of Indian cinema,

Dilip Kumar (born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922) is an Indian film actor also known as Tragedy King,he was born in Peshawar now in Pakistan. He debuted as an actor in the film Jwar Bhata in 1944 produced by Bombay Talkies.In fact it was Devika Rani who sugested to change his name from Yousuf to Dilip Kumar.

Initial films of Dilip Kumar went un noticed, it was Jugnu (1947) in which he starred alongside Noor Jehan that became his first major hit at the box office. His next major hit was the 1948 film Shaheed. He got his breakthrough role with Mehboob Khan's Andaz(1949) in which he starred alongside Raj Kapoor and Nargis in a love triangle story. Shabnam also released that year was also a hit.
He went on to have success in the 1950s with playing leading roles in romantic films like Jogan (1950), Tarana (1951) Hulchul (1951) Deedar (1951), Aan (1952) Daag (1952), Uran Khatola, Devdas (1955), Yahudi (1958) and Madhumati (1958). These films established his screen image as the "Tragedy King". 

 He was the first actor to receive a Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category. In fact he is the winner of 9 Filmfare Awards and still holds the record for the most number of Filmfare awards won for that category with 8 wins.

 Throughout the 1950s he was one of the biggest stars of Bollywood along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Dev Anand, who had 3 flops from 1946-47, became a star when Ziddi became a hit in 1948 and Raj Kapoor's fortune as an actor changed when Andaz became a hit in 1949.Thus among the trio, first to become a star was Dilip Kumar and then second was Dev Anand and then Raj Kapoor. 
 His career has spanned over six decades and with over 60 films.The period of 1949-1961 is considered the peak period of Dilip Kumar's career as a hero. From late 1960s roles dried up for Kumar as films starring Dev Anand, Rajendra Kumar and Shammi Kapoor were more successful from 1961-1969 and also Dilip's films from 1966 to 1976 were box office flops like Dil Diya Dard Liya, Sunghursh, Aadmi, Dastaan, Gopi, Sagina and Bairaag and after 1976 he left films for a five year break.
In 1981 Dilip returned with a character role at insistence of Manoj Kumar in the blockbuster film Kranti and continued his career playing central character roles in multi-hero films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986), Vidhaata, Mazdoor, Mashaal, Duniya, Dharm Adhikari, Kanoon Apna Apna, Izzatdaar, Saudagar (1991), Qila. But his only films to be successful from 1981 at box office were Kranti, Vidhaata, Karma, Dharm Adhikari, Kanoon Apna Apna and Saudagar. He has retired from the Indian Film Industry in 1998.He is best remembered for his variety of roles in 'Andaz', 'Aan', 'Devdas', 'Azaad', 'Mughal-e-Azam', 'Ganga Jamuna' and Naya Daur.

 He married actress Saira Banu, who was 22 years younger than him, in 1966. He married a second time in 1980 to Asma but the marriage ended soon after.Dilip Kumar undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2013 along with his Saira.
The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1991, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan in 2015 for his contributions towards Indian cinema and nominated him to Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian Parliament for a term.

My Favourite Dilip kumar's Songs

Yahan Badla Wafa Ka Bewafai from Jugnu 1947

Gaaye Ja Geet Milan Ke from Mela 1948

Tu Kahe Agar Jeevan Bhar from Andaz 1949

Hue Ham Jinke liye from Deedar 1951

Ae Mere Dil Kahin Aur Chal from Daag 1952

Song  from Aan 1952

Yeh Hawa Yeh Raat Yeh Chandni from Sangdil 1952

Shaame-E-Ghum Ki Kasam from Footpath 1953

Song from Naya Daur 1957

Song from Madhumati 1958

Song from Madhumati 1958

Song from Ganga Jamuna 1961

Tere Husn Ki Kya Taarif Karon from Leeder 1964

Song from Ram Aur Shyam 1967

Song from Sangharsh 1968

Song from Sagina 1974

Happy Birthday SHATRUGHAN SINHA

Shatrughan Sinha (born Shatrughan Prasad Sinha on 9 December 1945) is an Indian film actor turned politician.He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India Pune.He got his first break in Bollywood by Dev Anand in Prem Pujari where he played a very small role of a  a Pakistani military officer ,Subsequently, he got a small role as a police inspector in Mohan Sehgal’s Sajan in 1969.This film released first so we can say that his first released film was Sajan in 1969.
Shatrughan Sinha had started making his presence felt in the film circuit within a year of his entry into the films. He was a bit loud-mouthed but his fellow actors were understanding his personality gradually. He became good friends with Mumtaz and Sanjeev Kumar. Mumtaz empathized with the newcomer Sinha and recommended him for a role in Khilona (1970). She helped him to boost his confidence during his early days. If the superhit Khilona brought him the much-needed recognition, Gulzar’s Mere Apne (1971) raised him to the pedestal of a star. He played the role of a street don who has bitter enmity with his rival Vinod Khanna. He was able to make that much-needed impact with this role and his co-star Meena Kumari was all praise for him.

Initially he played supporting roles in many films  and was appreciated as villain,His dialogues and style were highly appreciated by cinema lovers.He got the distinction of getting claps by the audiance when he beats the Hero of the film.

He became a hero later on and started playing negative as well as positive roles.His film Kaalicharan (1976)established him as hero. The movie proved decisive in his career and he started doing more hero roles after this. His heroine in the movie, Reena Roy, went on to star with him in many more films. The Ghai-Sinha-Roy trio delivered another hit right after Kalicharan in the form of Vishwanath(1976). Sinha then worked with the best directors of those times: Prakash Mehra (Jwalamukhi, 1980), Manmohan Desai (Naseeb, 1971), Ramesh Sippy (Shaan, 1980), Raj Khosla (Dostana, 1980) and Yash Chopra (Kaala Patthar, 1979). In Kaala Patthar, Dostanaand Naseed, Sinha and Amitabh Bachchan brought the best out of each other.

Shatrughan Sinha is a born Orator and was always a Peoples' Person - He reached the pinnacle of success as an Actor in a very short time. In the year 1974, Shatrughan came into meaningful contact with Lok Nayak Shri Jaiprakash Narayan Ji and experienced his Peoples' Movement.

This was a major turning point in his life, especially since Shatrughan always wanted to contribute to Society in whichever humble way he could. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and has been their biggest Star Campaigner for their Central as well as State Elections, using his charismatic persona & oratorical skills to the hilt.

Shatrughan Sinha is the First Member of the Indian Film Industry to become a Union Cabinet Minister, Government of India. He is also the only Non-Medical Practioner in the World to become a Health Minister - All thanks to his ardent commitment to the Social Causes of Anti-Tobaco and Anti-Drug Campaigns along with Cancer Awareness and Eye Donation Movements

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He won the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar during the Indian general elections, 2009. He defeated another cinema celebrity Shekhar Suman. Out of a total of 552,293 votes polled, Sinha received 316,472 votes. He won the seat in the subsequent Indian general elections, 2014, as well.

Song from Sabak 1973

Song from Blackmail 1973

Song from Gulam Begum Badshah 1973

Song from Gai Aur Gori 1973

Song from Dost 1974

Song from Badla 1974

Song from Aadmi Sadak Ka 1977

Shatrughan singing in his own voice

Song from Dostaana 1980