Noor Jehan-The Malika-e-Tarannum

Remembering Noor Jehan today on her 92nd Birth Anniversary in my this Blog I bring some memorable moments of her life. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of all time especially throughout South Asia and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum (the queen of melody) in Pakistan.

Pran and Noorjehan

Noor Jehan was first cast as a heroine in Khandan (1942) opposite Pran as the hero.The songs of Khandan (1942) compsed by Ghulam Haider became instant hits and established her as the leading singer of films in India. Its success saw her immigrating to Bombay where she shared melodies with the singing star Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). After that she gave 3 hits in a row.She became the darling of the masses.

The year 1945 was a turning point for Noor Jehan. The year brought Noor Jehan her first superhit in Bombay, Zeenat (1945). It was her inimitable rendition of "Bulbulo Mat Ro Yahan" that gained her the title Malka-e-Tarranum, Queen of Melody. In Master Vinayak's Badi Maa (1945) she played lead with "Baby Lata Mangeshkar" and "Baby Asha Mangeshkar" in supporting roles.
In 1946 Noor Jehan acted in the enduring classic Anmol Ghadi (1946) The superhit songs like 'Awaz De Kahan Hai', 'Jawan Hai Mohabbat', 'Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi', 'Aaja Meri Barbad Mohabbat' and 'Kya Mil Gaya Bhagwan' composed by Naushad to make her the undisputed queen of films.

In Jugnu (1947) she starred with Dilip Kumar, then a rising star. The duet 'Yahan Badla Wafa Ka Bewafai Ke Siva Kya Hai' catapulted the then struggling Mohammed Rafi, who also made a special guest appearance in the song 'Woh Apne Yaad Dilane Ko'. 

Noor Jehan's last film in India was Mirza Sahiban (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's (Father of Raj, Shashi and Shammi Kapoor, Grandfather of Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, Great-Grandfather of Karisma Kapoor) brother Trilok Kapoor. Many of the songs were hits like 'Aaja Tujhe Afsana Judaai Ka Sunaye' and the duet with G M Durrani 'Haath Seene Pe Jo Rakh Do To Qarar Aaye'.
During partition in 1947, Noor Jehan decided to migrate to Lahore in the newly created Pakistan.After the holocaust of partition as things settled down, the film industry in Pakistan picked up the pieces and made a beginning with whatever was available. Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chanwey (1951) opposite Santosh, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat Hussain and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first lady director. The film was a runaway hit. Most of the songs rendered by Noor Jehan in the film became instant hits, not only in Pakistan but also in India, songs like 'Tere Mukhde Tey Kala Kala Til Ve' composed by Feroze Nizami.

Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dupetta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chanwey (1951). Such was the popularity of the musical score that no song based programme on Radio Pakistan, All India Radio or the newly introduced Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon, seemed complete without one or two of the film's numbers, which included songs such as 'Chandni Raatein', 'Tum Zindagi Ko Gham Ka' and 'Sanwariya Tohe Koi Pukare'. Dupetta (1952) was also actress Yasmin's first Pakistani movie. Yasmin later became Shaukat Hussain Rizvi's second wife.
Jehan bade farewell to film acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930–1963),she  made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu and four in Punjabi as a film actress.
After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut exclusively as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback singing for a Pakistani film was for the 1951 film Chann Wey, for which she was the film director herself. She received many awards, including the Pride of Performance in 1965 by the Pakistani Government. She sang a large number of duets with Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mujeeb Aalam.
Jehan suffered from chest pains in 1986 on a tour of North America and was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent bypass surgery. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On 23 December 2000 She died as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi 

Song from Khandan (1942) 

Song from Zeenat (1945)

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from Jugnu (1947) 

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

Mahesh Bhatt-The Launching Pad of Actors and Actresses

Happy 69th Birthday to Mahesh Bhatt(born on 20th Sept 1948).The great director, producer and screenwriter known for his works exclusively in Hindi cinema. The maker of Arth and Saransh started his film career from 1974 film  Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain ..He came to limelight in 1979 with  Lahu Ke Do Rang, starring Shabana Azmi and Vinod Khanna in lead roles., He is notable for launching the careers of Anupam Kher in Saaransh (1984), Rahul Roy, Anu Agarwal and Deepak Tijori in Aashiqui (1990), daughter Pooja Bhatt in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin and Sadak (1991), Atul Agnihotri in Sir (1993), Sonali Bendre in Naaraaz (1994), Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu in Raaz (2002), Emraan Hashmi in Footpath and Murder (2004), Mallika Sherawat in Murder (2004)Kangana Ranaut in Gangster 
Bhatt had one of his biggest releases with musical romance film Aashiqui (1990),He launched his daughter Pooja Bhatt as a lead actress opposite Aamir Khan in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991). The film was a commercial success and hugely acclaimed for its soundtrack. Bhatt's directorial Saathi (1991) was the only major success for Aditya Pancholi as a lead actor, thus giving a boost to his career. It was the biggest hit of the actor's career.
Bhatt has also given breakthrough to many stars, bringing turning point in their careers. These names include Sanjay Dutt and Kumar Gaurav in Naam (1986), Aditya Pancholi in Saathi (1991), Aamir Khan in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991), Juhi Chawla in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), which also fetched her Filmfare Award for Best Actress and Paresh Rawal in Sir (1993).He has Directed more than 40 films,the last film he Directed was Kartoos in 1999.
Bhatt is also known for his choice of music.One of the highlight of his films is its music. Many composers had their first mainstream success in Bollywood while working with him. Nadeem Sharwan and Anu Malik are few of them. Pakistani singer Atif Aslam got his first break in Bollywood when his songs "Woh Lamhe" Kunal Ganjawala for Murder " Bheege Honth Tere",Singer K K for "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai"of Gangster.

Song from Arth 1982

Song from Naam 1986

Song from Daddy 1989

Song from Aashiqui 1990

Song from Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin 1991

Song from Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke1993

Song from Murder 2004

Song from Gangster 2006

Major Fire Gutted the Iconic R K STUDIO

A major fire on 16th Sept 2017  gutted the iconic RK Studio, founded by Indian film legend Raj Kapoor.The Studio was founded in 1945 and the first film was released in 1948.What an Irony that the studio's first film was Aag got gutted withAag(Fire).

The films made under the R K banner include "Aag", "Barsaat", "Awaara", "Shri 420", "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai", "Mera Naam Joker", "Bobby", "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", "Ram Teri Ganga Maili", among others. The last film made under the banner was "Aa Ab Laut Chalen".As per Rishi Kapoor the the iconic Stage where the song Om Shanti Om of Karz was  shot is completely gutted.Several Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra films have also been shot at the same set. Some costumes of RK Studio were burnt in the fire."

No one was present on the set while the studio caught fire. There is no casualty or injuries whatsoever. Cost of damage is not ascertained yet,The blaze has gutted one of the main shooting venues – the set of dance reality TV show ‘Super Dancer Season 2’, but the shooting was not underway. 

Five Memorable Roles of SHABANA AZMI

Shabana Azmi is the only actor to win the National Award for Best Actor five times. She won it for her first release, Ankur, in 1974. She went on to win the National Award for three consecutive years, from 1983 to 1985, for her notable work in the films Arth, Khandhar, and Paar.Today on her 67th Birthday(born on 18 September 1950) I wish her a Happy Birthday and discuss her 5 Memorable Roles.
 The daughter of poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi, she is the alumna of Film and Television Institute of India of Pune. Azmi made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of Parallel Cinema.Her first release, however, was Shyam Benegal's directorial debut Ankur (1974).though she signed K A Abbas film Faasla and began work on Kanti Lal Rathod's Parinay as well. 
She was a graduate in psychology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, before her acting stint. She watched Jaya Bhaduri in a film and was so enthralled by the actor’s performance that she decided to enroll herself in the Film and Television Institute of India (FTTI), Pune. She topped the list of successful candidates of 1972.
She has acted in more than one hundred Hindi films, both in the mainstream as well as in Parallel Cinema. Several of her films have received attention in the international arena and Scandinavian countries, including at the Norwegian Film Institute, the Smithsonian Institution and the American Film Institute. She has appeared in a number of foreign films, 
Five memorable roles

Mahesh Bhatt's `Arth' wher she plays the role of Puja whose husband falls in love with another woman and leaves her.that  role of her  I cherished the most
Khandahar 

In this film she played the role of Jaimini For this role she was given National Award.

Ankur' 

Her first released movie where she plays the role of Laxmi She got her National Award for this film

Fire, 

a Deepa Mehta's Film in which she portrayed Radha,It was one of the first mainstream Bollywood films to explicitly show homosexual relations. 
Morning Raga

She played the role of  Swarnalata who is a classically trained Carnatic singer who lost her son and best friend, Vaishnavi in a bus accident. Shabana Azmi trained intensively in Carnatic music before she was allowed to sing during the film.

She has been a committed social activist, In 1989, along with Swami Agnivesh and Asghar Ali Engineer, she undertook a four-day march for communal harmony from New Delhi to Meerut. 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.

Tum Mujhe Yun Bhula Na Paoge-A Tribute to HASRAT JAIPURI

"Tum Mujhe Yun Bhula Na Paoge"This Super Hit song of the late 60s written by Hasrat Jaipuri still is in our mind and heart.Though Hasrat Jaipuri died in 1999 but his lyrics and shayari is still living with us.Today on his 18th Death Anniversaty I pay my tribute to him with some of his Immortal songs.
The epic combination of Hasrat Jaipuri and Shankar Jaikishan started from Barsaat 1949. The first 2 songs written by him became super hit namely “jiya beqarar hai” and “chhor gaye balam”.Hasrat Jaipuri contributed in Raj Kapoor’s blockbusters like Awaara, Shree 420, Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, Sangam, etc,
In the film Sangam Hasrat Jaipuri’s words “yeh mera prempatra par kar” sung by Rafi and picturised on Rajender Kumar had remained immortal. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote it at the age of 20 fora neighborhood  girl whom he fell in love The girl named Radha. Raj Kapoor kept the name of Vaijayatimala Radha in the film Sangam. The association with Raj Kapoor continued till 1971. “After Jaikishan's death and the failures of Mera Naam Joker and Kal Aaj Aur Kal, Rajsaab changed his music team.
He wrote Lyrics for 350 films and 2000 recorded songs, Hasrat Jaipuri's last releases were Saazish with Jatin-Lalit .Some of his immortal songs are  "Zindagi ek safar hai suhana" (Andaz), "Teri pyari pyari soorat ko" (Sasural), "Pankh hote to ud aati re" (Sehra), "Tere khayalon meinhum" (Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne), " Tu kahan yeh bataa" (Tere Ghar KeSaamne), "Muhabbat aisi dhadkan hai" (Anarkali), "Tu mere saamne hai,teri zulfein hai khuli" (Suhagan), "Nain se nain" (Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje), "Ehsan tera hoga mujh par" (Junglee), "Teri zulfon se" (Jab PyarKisise Hota Hai) and "Tum mujhe yoon bhula na paaoge" (Pagla Kahin Ka) and add a whole range of songs like "Sayonara sayonara" (Love In Tokyo)," Aao twist karen" (Bhoot Bungla)." Ajhoon na aaye baalma" (Sanjh AurSavera) and "Duniya bananewale" (from his friend and closest associate Shailendra's production Teesri Kasam)

Song from Barsat 1949

 Song from Awara 1951

Jhanak Jhanak Paayal Baaje

Song from Sasural 1961

Song from Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai 1961

Song from Junglee 1961

Song from Tere Ghar Ke Samne 1963

Song from Sangam 1964

Song from Sanjh Aur Savera 1964

Song from Suraj 1966

Song from Teesri Kasam 1966

Song from Andaz 1971

A Tribute to M S Subbulakshmi on her 101st Birth Anniversary

M S Subbulakshmi  was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.She  was born on September 16, 1916 in Madurai, Born into a community of devadasis (women who danced and sang with devotion in temples), she was surrounded by music, from her violinist grandmother to her veena playing mother She started learning Carnatic music at an early age and trained in Carnatic music under the tutelage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and subsequently in Hindustani music under Pandit Narayanrao Vyas.
Apart from her mother tongue Kannada, M.S Subbulakshmi sang in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali, Gujarati, etc.She also did her stint as an actress and one of the most memorable films was Bhakta Meera (1945). The Hindi version of Meera was released in 1947. The versatile singer sang all famous Meera bhajans in her melodious voice and these bhajans are enjoyed by people even today. She attained much acclaim and success in films, but that did not appeal to her. She quit films after some time and continued to give public performances and concerts.  

She was applauded by not just Indians, but foreigners as well. The way she sang, her devotion, her tone, her pitch, her perfect pronunciation is inimitable and flawless.People who did not even understand the language she was singing in said that she is a divine manifestation. Her fan list included Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, among other elite people. Mahatma Gandhi commented that he would rather hear Subbulakshmi speak the songs rather than hear someone else sing it. 

The decade of 1960 was important to Subbulakshmi in terms of her career in Carnatic music. She not just took the music overseas but performed at significant musical festivals including Edinburg International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963 and at the Carnegie Hall in New York at the United Nations General Assembly in 1966. She ended the decade by singing several songs in front of each idol in the Rameshwaram temple in 1969,
In the decade of 1980s, Subbulakshmi carried the legacy of Carnatic music forward by performing at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1982 and Festival of India in Moscow in 1987.After her husband’s death in 1997, she stopped giving public performances.
Subbalakshmi died on 11th December 2004, leaving behind her large repertoire of classical, bhajan and film recordings.

Ganesha Pancharatnam

The first Song Recorded

Bollywood Connection with Japan

 The 2 days visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in India suddenly stirred my mind of Japanese connection with Bollywood .Let me recollect the FIRST word in Japanese language that I have learnt in my life was Sayonara…. Well, I clearly remember that I was around 12 years old  when the 1966 hit, bollywood movie LOVE IN TOKYO released. The song SAYONARA SAYONARA introduced the first word for me, “Sayonara” which is the Japanese word for farewell. After that not more than 3-4 films were shot in Japan,In this blog I am trying to explore the Bollywood Connection with Japan in these 50 years.

Song from Love In Tokyo 1966

Song from Love In Tokyo 1966

In the last 10 years there were few films that had Japan connection.Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Tamasha have a Japan connection, and both films end in Japan.In Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Surinder fights with a Sumo wrestler, and wins tickets to visit Japan. In the end, they visit Japan, and we witness one of the best ending credits in a film, when Surinder describes his pictures from Japan. In Tamasha, Ved and Tara went on their first date to a Japanese restaurant. The waitress had offered them different varieties of water. "What a brand, Japan. Companies are the latest countries, and countries hare the latest companies," said Ved. In the end, Ved and Tara meet in Japan at a tea conference where the building's board says Oracle. Japan—a place known for its robotic mechanization, and efficiency. Perhaps, that has something to do with it. While Surinder fights a Japanese wrestler to prove his love, Ved fights his inner demons. In both cases, they are at peace in Japan and have found love in Tokyo. 

Song from Youngistan  2014

In 2014 released film Youngistan the song ‘Tanki hai Hum’ from was shot in Japan. It was shot on the streets of Japan in a guerilla fashion, with no formal equipment setting, lights, sets or locations. as you can see from the video, not many Japanese were really aware whether a shoot was actually happening on their streets.  

In January 2017 an Indo-Japan collaborative film project Love in Tokyo launched, a cross-culture romance, themed on relationship transcending linguistic barrier, will have an Indian male protagonist and a Japanese heroine. The movie, to be shot almost entirely in Japan, will be co-produced by filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s Window Seat Films and Japan’s entertainment conglomerate Shochiku with the director’s brother Arif Ali at the helm.

Lets come back to the Bollywood's first Japan connection,The 1966 film Love In Tokyo which was great hit starring Joy Mukharji and Asha Parekh.The film was shot primarily in Japan at locations including Tokyo, Ueno, Ginza, Tokyo Tower, Tokyo International Airport and Hiroshima.

 Song from Aman  1967

In Aman starring Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu the 1957 film had Japan Connection.Meloda (Saira Banu) who was educated in India, speaks Hindi; though she is Japanese. Dr. Gautamdas (Rajendra Kumar) is a UK trained doctor who volunteers to go to Japan to help deal with the horror of the radiation aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They meet in Japan and the inevitable happens when hero meets heroine.A majority of the shoot sequences are in Japan