Friday 9 March 2018

Bollywood Actors with Forceful Voice and Dialogue Delivery



Bollywood had many Actors with a powerful voice and great dialogue delivery.As per my knowledge these people may or may not be equally big stars but their voice had an impact.In the present scenario Amitabh Bachchan remains the No one actor with a powerful voice and powerful dialogue delivery.A strange thing is that his voice was rejected by All India Radio for the Job of Announcer before joining Bollywood.In fact he made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film Bhuvan Shome.
Among the earlier actors Sohrab Modi, Prithviraj Kapoor,Murad,Jayant, Ajit and Raj Kumar were the actors with a powerful voice. Raj Kumar became popular for his dialogue delivery.
Sohrab Modi
He launched Minerva Movietone in 1936.He  became famous for its trilogy of historical spectaculars that were to follow - Pukar (1939), Sikandar (1941) and Prithvi Vallabh (1943), wherein Modi made the most of his gift for grandiloquence to evoke historical grandeur.In Prithvi Vallabh he was paired with Durga Khote Both of them many confrontation scenes with very powerful dialogues.
Scene from Prithvi Vallabh 1943

Prithviraj Kapoor
Most of us remember him with his powerful performance in Mughal e Azam but his most powerful performance was in 1941 film Sikandar. It was a Sohrab Modi film. Undoubtedly Modi's dream of making Sikandar would have remained unfulfilled had he not roped in another actor with equally powerful voice,Prithviraj Kapoor,to play the role of Alexander .His body language,modulation of voice and dialogue delivery made his role immortal.Prithviraj Kapoor used his booming voice to great effect that is extremely impressive,and continues to haunt film lovers.

Scene from Sikandar 1941

Murad
He  was an Indian character actor who appeared in more than 100 Bollywood films from the early 1940s through to the end of the 1980s playing character roles of a father, police officer, judge and an emperor. His son Raza Murad is also an actor in the Bollywood industry who is known for playing mostly villain roles and also have a powerful voice.His career began in the early 1940s when he made his acting debut in the 1943 film Najma which was directed by Mehboob Khan. The film featured him playing the father of Ashok Kumar despite being only a year older than him. He became a regular with director Mehboob Khan's films such as Anmol Ghadi (1946), Andaz (1949), Aan (1952) and Amar (1954). His other notable film roles included Do Bigha Zamin (1953) as a cruel landowner, Devdas (1955) as Devdas's father
 
Murad as King in'Yahudi'1958 with great Sohrab Modi,Dilip Kumar and Meena kumari

Jayant
His real name was Zakaria Khan.He was tall and had a deep voice.  He played lead role in many movies like Bombay Mail (1935), Challenge (1936), His Highness (1937) and State Express (1938)Tody's generation will better know him the father of Amjad Khan(Gabbar Singh of Sholay).Some of his well known films were Amar(1954),Insaniyat (1955) as Zangoora, Madhumati (1958) as Pawan Raja (Madhumati's Father) and Haqeeqat (1964) as Indian Army Commanding Officer

                               Angry Madhubala has an argument with Jayant in  Amar(1954)


Jayant (Zakaria Khan) the father & Amjad Khan the son sing Pashto songs in Hindi movie

Ajit
 He acted in over two hundred movies in almost four decades.Initially he played the lead roles in  movies such as NastikBada BhaiMilanBara Dari, and later as a second lead in Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur. In the middle of 1960s he switched over to play the villain. His first movie as a villain was Suraj, followed by films such as Zanjeer and Yaadon Ki Baaraat.His famous dialogues included the "Mona darling" bit in Yaadon Ki Baraat, "Lily don't be silly" in Zanjeer and the one about a "Lion" in Kallicharan.

                            Kalicharan - Sara Shehar Mujhe Lion Ke Naam Se Janta Hai


Raj Kumar
Raaj Kumar made his acting debut in the 1952 film Rangili and appeared in films like AabsharGhamand and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi’s Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957) that he became famous. In 1957, he achieved prominence with his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India. He followed this with the unglamorous role of a mill worker in Paigham (1959) alongside Dilip Kumar. In Sridhar’s 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 was cast with Sunil DuttShashi Kapoor and Balraj Sahni in Yash Chopra’s family drama Waqt in 1965.  He became known for his distinct style of dialogue delivery.

                      Humko Mita Sake - Raaj Kumar Most Famous & Cult Dialogue


Amitabh Bachchan
Referred to as the Shahenshah of BollywoodStar of the Millennium, or Big B, he has since appeared in over 190 Indian films in a career spanning almost five decades.[Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema as well as world cinema.He is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer, and presenter for numerous programmes.He is the only actor who gave his voice as Sutradhar in more than 15 films.Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice that he decided to use Bachchan as the narrator in his 1977 film Shatranj Ke Khilari 

                            Best of Amitabh Bachchan dialogues


Shatrughan Sinha
He started as Villain in Bollywood,he was most popular as villain in the initial career in films.He was one of the most unconventional actors in Hindi cinema (the others being Ajay DevganAmitabh BachchanIrfan KhanRajinikanthShahrukh Khan, and Sunil Shetty He is known for his superb performances and punch dialogues in Mere Apne,Loha, Dost, Dostana, Naseeb, Khilona, Kalicharan, Rakhta Charitra 2, Vishwanath, Shaan, Bombay to Goa,

                                                  Shatrughan Sinha's Best Dialogues


Danny Denzogpa
 His film career spans more than 4 decades.His best known villainous roles are in Dhund36 GhanteBandish (film)(1980), Jeeo Aur Jeene DoDharm Aur Qanoon and Agneepath and is remembered for his performances in positive roles such as in FakiraChor Machaye ShorDevata (1978 film)KalicharanBulundi and Adhikar (1986 film). He got his major break in Gulzar's Mere Apne (1971), where he had a positive role. His most applauded negative characters are in Bandish (film) (1980) as Kapil Kumar, Phir Wahi Raat as "Ashok", Dharm Aur Qanoon (1984), as SP "Karan", Kanoon Kya Karega (1984), as "Raghuvir Singh", Andar Baahar (1984), as "Shera", Oonche Log (1985), as "Thakur Maan Singh", Aandhi Toofan (1986), as "Balbir" Bhagwaan Dada (1986), as "Gangwaa", Agneepath (1990), as "Kancha Cheena", Hum (1991), as "Bakhtawar", Ghatak: Lethal, as "Kaatya", Krantiveer (1994), as "Chatur Singh", Pukar, (2000) as "Abhrush" and Indian, as "Shankar Singhania". He was pitted against Pran in the film Sanam Bewafa and 1942:A Love Story

Raaj Kumar & Danny Denzongpa Face Off - Hit Bollywood Movie Scene - Bulandia


Amrish Puri
 He is the most remembered for his role as Mogambo in Shekhar Kapur's Hindi film Mr. India (1987),. He was noticed in the 1980 super-hit movie Hum Paanch in which he played the main villain. After that, he started getting cast as the main villain in other movies. In 1982, Puri played the main villain, Jagavar Choudhary in the Subhash Ghai super-hit film Vidhaata. That same year, he again played the main villain, JK in the movie Shakti starring two legends- Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan. Next, in 1983, Subhash Ghai again cast him as the main villain, Pasha in the superhit movie Hero. Puri regularly featured in subsequent Subhash Ghai films.Before coming to films he was a voice over artist.He had a magnificent voice, as you or anybody who has heard him would know. His articulation was excellent. 




Thursday 8 March 2018

Sahir Ludhianvi – The People’s Poet,


Sahir Ludhianvi who was born on March 8th, 1921 got fame and recognition in 1951 with the release of two films Naujawan and Baazi. The song  "Thandi hawaayen lehraa ke aayen" from Naujawan made him instantly popular among people.He  had a long and successful career as a lyricist and worked with most music directors in the 50s and 60s including RoshanMadan MohanKhaiyyamRavi, S. D. Burman  and N. Dutta
In this blog I have selected few of my most favorite songs of Sahir
Song from Naujawan 1951


Song from Baazi 1951


Song from Pyaasa 1957


Song from Hum Dono 1961


Song from Taxi Driver 1954


Song from Devdas 1955


Song from Sone Ki Chidiya 1958


Song from Phir Subah Hogi 1958


Song from Funtoosh 1956


Song from House No 44 (1955)

Song from Taj Mahal 1963


Song from Sadhna 1959


Song from Didi 1959




Song from Jaal 1952


Song from Shagun 1964


Song from Kabhie Kabhie 1976

Wednesday 7 March 2018

Woman Filmmakers Of Bollywood


International Women's Day falls on March 8 every year,for this occasion we look at the Women power behind the camera specially as a Director. The credit of becoming the first woman director goes to Fatma Begum.She launched her own production house, Fatma Films, and Directed" Bulbul-e-Paristan" in 1926 .She became a pioneer for fantasy cinema where she used trick photography to have early special effects. Since then the Hindi Film industry has seen the emergence of some critically and commercially appreciated female directors.
Devika Rani

The next woman comes in mind is Devika Rani who is acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema,she married Himanshu Rai  who started his studio Bombay Talkies.Following Rai's death in 1940, Devika Rani took control of the studio and produced some more films in partnership with her late husband's associates, namely Sashadhar Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar. 

Shobhana Samarth 

She was an Indian film actress, director and producer of Marathi ethnicity, who began her career in the early days of talkie movies in the Hindi film industry, and continued in lead roles into the 1950s.She is best remembered for her portrayal of Sita in Ram Rajya (1943). She later produced and directed a pair of movies that launched the careers of her daughters, Nutan and Tanuja.She produced and directed a film Hamari Beti to launch her eldest daughter Nutan in 1950.

Leela Chitnis

She was an actress in the Hindi Film Industry, active from 1930s to 1980s. Leela played the lead role in a series of comedies and tragedies and even founded her own repertory.  For 22 years, Chitnis played the mother of the later leading men including Dilip Kumar, often playing an ailing mother or a mother going through hardships and struggling to bring up her offspring. In 1955 she produced and directed a film Aaj Ki Baat.

Aparna Sen

She is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinemaShe is the winner of three National Film Awards and nine international film festival awards for her direction in films.She has also been directing films since 1981, starting with 36 Chowringhee Lane for which she won National Film Award (India) for Best Director. She went on to achieve further success in direction with films ParomaSatiYugantParomitar Ek DinMr. and Mrs. Iyer15 Park AvenueThe Japanese WifeIti MrinaliniGoynar Baksho. She won her second National Film Award as a director for Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. 

Sai Pranjape

 She is the director of the award-winning movies SparshKathaChasme Buddoor and Disha. She has written and directed many Marathi plays such as Jaswandi, Sakkhe Shejari, and Albel.Paranjpye worked for many years as a director or a producer with Doordarshan Television in Delhi. Her first made-for-TV movie – The Little Tea Shop (1972), won the Asian Broadcasting Union Award at Teheran,

Tanuja Chandra

Chandra began her career in 1995 and made her directorial debut with the TV series Zameen Aasmaan.In 1997, she wrote the screenplay for Yash Chopra's Dil To Pagal Hai, which was a commercial success.She went on to collaborate often with Mahesh Bhatt and wrote the screenplay for his critically acclaimed picture, Zakhm (1998). She also made her cinematic directorial debut with his Dushman in the same year. The movie, starring Kajol in the lead role, received critical praise and performed moderately well at the box office.Her next film, Sangharsh (1999), was also produced by Mahesh Bhatt and starred Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta in pivotal roles.Tanuja's latest released film is Qarib Qarib Singlle starring Irrfan Khan and Parvathy.

Kalpna Lajmi

Lajmi is an independent filmmaker working more on realistic, low-budget films, which are known in India as parallel cinema. Her films are often woman-oriented films. She is a  niece of filmmaker Guru Dutt, debuted as an assistant director under the veteran film director Shyam Benegal who was also her relative of the Padukone family. She later went on to work as an assistant costume designer in Shyam Benegal's Bhumika: The Role. She made her directorial début with the documentary film D.G. Movie Pioneer in 1978 and went on to direct more documentaries like A Work Study in Tea Plucking (1979) and Along the Brahmaputra (1981). She debuted as a feature film director in 1986 with Ek Pal (A Moment), starring Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. She produced the film, took part in the film writing and had written the screenplay for the film along with Gulzar.She made Rudaali in 1993  starring Dimple Kapadia. Kapadia won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance and Lajmi also won accolades for directing the film.

Deepa Mehta

She is an Indo-Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements TrilogyFire(1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005).Mehta directed several English-language films set in Canada, including The Republic of Love (2003) and Heaven on Earth (2008) which deals with domestic violence and has Preity Zinta playing the female lead. It premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.In 2015, Mehta wrote and directed the crime thriller Beeba Boys (2015), a film starring Randeep Hooda as Jeet Johar, a proud observant Sikh and a ruthless gangster.

Mira Nair

 An Indian American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spheres. Among her best known films are Mississippi MasalaThe Namesake, the Golden Lion-winning Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay!, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.In 2007, Nair was asked to direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but turned it down to work on The Namesake.

Pooja Bhatt

She is the eldest child of Indian film director, Mahesh Bhatt.and elder sister of actress Alia Bhatt.She made her acting debut at age 17, in 1989 with Daddy, a TV film directed by her father Mahesh Bhatt.Her biggest solo hit and her big screen debut came with the musical hit Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991),Her most well-known films in the 1990s included Sadak opposite Sanjay Dutt (1991), Junoon opposite Rahul Roy She entered into production with the 1998 film Dushman,since then she produced 8 films and directed 5 films."Jism 2 "released in 2012 was directed by her.

Farah Khan

She is best known for her choreographic dance work in numerous Bollywood films. She has choreographed dance routines for more than a hundred songs in over 80 Hindi films, winning six Filmfare Awards for Best Choreography and the National Film Award for Best Choreography. She then went on to direct her first film Main Hoon Na Starring Shah Rukh Khan which was produced by Red Chillies Entertainment. Khan became the second female director to be nominated for Filmfare Best Director Award.As a director, her second movie Om Shanti Om Starring Shah Rukh Khan and debutant Deepika Padukone became the highest grossing Hindi film of all time at its time of release. Tees Maar Khan was her next directorial release. In 2012 after that she directed Happy New Year in 2014.

Zoya Akhtar

She has directed movies such as Luck by Chance (2009), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and Sheila Ki Jawani, a segment of Bombay Talkies (2013). She has co-written Talaash (2012) alongside Reema Kagti. She then went on to direct Dil Dhadakne Do (2015).She is the daughter of legendry poet screen play writer Javed Akhtar and sister of Farhan Akhtar.

Gauri Shinde

Shinde has made her directional debut with the highly acclaimed English Vinglish (2012), which marked the comeback of actress Sridevi.Her second film was Hello Zindagi starring Shahrukh khan and Alia Bhatt.She is married to R Balki.

Reema Kagti

She is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who works in Bollywood. She made her debut as director with critically acclaimed Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007), which was followed by neo-noirTalaash (2012).She has worked as an assistant director with many leading directors including Farhan Akhtar (Dil Chahta HaiLakshya), Ashutosh Gowariker (Lagaan), Honey Irani (Armaan), and Mira Nair (Vanity Fair).Corrently she is Directing  Gold, a film about India's first Olympic gold medal after its independence. The film stars Akshay KumarFarhan Akhtar and Kunal Kapoor.

Kiran Rao

She is the second wife of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan.She started her career as an assistant director in the epic film Lagaan directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, whom she also assisted later on Swades: We, the People.She scripted and directed the film Dhobi Ghat, which was released in January 2011 under Aamir Khan Productions.She ha been a producer of Delhi Belly,Talaash,Dangal and recently released Secret Super Star (2017)