50 Years of Bombay To Goa

 

Bombay To Goa completed 50 years, was released on 3rd March 1972. It was Amitabh Bachchan’s big break and the beginning of his illustrious career in the film industry over the span of 4 decades or more. The film was directed by S. Ramanathan, starring Mehmood, Amitabh Bachchan, and Aruna Irani, with Shatrughan Sinha in a supporting role.  Mehmood and brother Anwar Ali were the principal players in this comedy that gave Amitabh Bachchan his first big break as the hero of a movie.

 What makes Bombay to Goa memorable is, as the title itself suggests, the bus journey from Bombay to Goa in which the majority of the story actually takes place. This adventurous and comic journey introduces us to a totally mixed bunch of passengers from all over India, from different religions and cultures. Two significant characters are those of Rajesh, the bus driver, and Khanna, the conductor - two characters played by real-life brothers, Anwar Ali and the great Mehmood, respectively. The list of travelers includes, among others, a married couple named Amma and Appa with their fat son, a sleeping passenger (Keshto Mukherjee), a chubby and heavily made-up woman (the wonderful Manorama) sitting at the back of the bus with her daughter, and an elderly noisy woman named Kashibai (Lalita Pawar). The most surprising passenger was  Kishore Kumar's appearance as himself.

This movie will always be remembered for its catchy songs composed by R D Burman, giving us the hit song "Dekha Na".Another song is a medley of old rock-n-roll tunes, sung in English, by an Indian woman in a nightclub.  The same medley also included a portion of "Fever," of Boney M fame also sung in English.

Soundtrack

1. "Dekha Na Haye Re" - Kishore Kumar
2. "Tum Meri Zindagi Mein" - Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar
3. "Listen To The Pouring Rain" - Usha Uthup
4. "Dil Tera Hai Main Bhi Teri" - Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar
5. "Haye Haye Yeh Thanda Paani" - Asha Bhosle
6. "Yeh Mehki Mehki Thandi Hawa" - Kishore Kumar
7. 
   
8. Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

Songs of Bombay to Goa 1972

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50 Years of Piya Ka Ghar ( Released on 23 Feb 1972)

 

Piya Ka Ghar is a typical Basu Chatterjee kind of film produced by Rajshri Filma, In most of his movies and other television works, Basu Chatterjee has shown temperament of telling stories related to the common man. His plots are simple but directed with unmatched skill.Piya Ka Ghar falls in the same line. It portrays the difficulties of life in India's biggest city during the 1970s in the form of a comic family drama.

Piya ka Ghar gives us a glimpse of that life while also highlighting the problem of space and accommodation in Mumbai. Girdharilal Sharma is a middle-class man who is lucky enough to own a home in Bombay. But that home is not big enough for his family. It is a one-room apartment in a chawl and his house is forever busy with guests and neighbors. So even though his newlywed son and daughter-in-law crave some privacy, they struggle to find some. It's a funny yet sensitive take on a situation that still cripples many in the maximum city.

Jaya Bhaduri is the soul of the movie, playing her role close to perfection as the bewildered simple girl from a village who comes to a big city and adopts it gracefully. The rest of the cast, including Anil Dhawan who plays her husband Ram,

Worth mentioning is its music, composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal, and the song “Yeh Jeevan Hai” by Kishore Kumar, other songs  “Yeh zulf kaise hai” by Mohammad Rafi, and  “Piya Ka Ghar Hai Yeh” by Lata Mangeshkar –– are hummable.

 The content is meaningful even today. Many lower class Indian couples still face similar problems.If you have not seen this movie, its a must watch

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

Song of Piya Ka Ghar 1972

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Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna- BAPPI LAHIRI

 

 He began to play the tabla at the tender age of three. Even at that tender age, Bappi showed signs of greatness as he played the tabla with the proficiency of an experienced professional. He received his first opportunity in a Bengali film, Daadu (1972) at the age of 19 and the first Hindi film for which he composed music was Nanha Shikari (1973). The film which established him in Bollywood was Tahir Husain's Hindi film, Zakhmee (1975),

He shot to fame in the 80s and 90s with foot-tapping disco numbers. He introduced Vijay Benedict and Sharon Prabhakar to Bollywood and paved the path to fame for Alisha Chinai and Usha Uthup through his compositions. He popularized the use of synthesized disco music in Indian cinema with an Indian flavor.

Chalte Chalte (1976) was his earliest chartbuster movie,  its soundtrack was a hit & very popular in the 70s. Yes, the film is remembered today only for Kishore Kumar’s song 'Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna'. 

 Be it college farewells or corporate parties or even simply musical evenings in restaurants across the country, nothing is complete without this magical moment, a time when nostalgia overtakes us all. Kishore da’s long drawls, the whistling quality of his voice, its crystal clarity all shine through. The song was played in almost all programs where a tribute to the genius of Kishore Kumar was paid.

He is also known for soundtracks like Wardat, Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal, Dance Dance, Commando, Gang Leader, Sailaab and Sharaabi 

Song of Chalte Chalte 1976

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Pran - Noorjahan was his Heroine in his First Hindi Film

 

Pran, the greatest villain ever in the history of Indian cinema played hero roles from 1940–47. In the 1940s, romantic duets featuring him, like the songs "Tere Naaz Uthane Ko Jee Chahta Hai" from Grihasti, opposite Shardha, and 'Ud Ja Ud Ja Panchhi' from Khandaan (1942), with Noor Jehan, became very popular. He got his first role in Dalsukh M. Pancholi's Punjabi film Yamla Jat (1940). The film featured baby Noor Jehan. as a child artist, Both appeared in Khandan(1942) as romantic leads. It was Noorjehan's first film as an adult. The film was a great success, Noorjehan shifted to Bombay. She shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943).

Pran was working in Lahore, acted in 22 films from 1942 to 1946 in Lahore; 18 were released by 1947. Due to India's partition in 1947, his career had a brief break. His films from 1944 to 1947 were made in undivided India, but Taraash (1951) and Khanabadosh (1952) (both co-starring Manorama) were released only in Pakistan after Partition. He left Lahore and arrived in Bombay. For a few months, he looked for acting opportunities while doing other jobs. He worked in Delmar Hotel, Marine Drive for eight months, after which he got a chance to act in 1948.

This film was Ziddi released in 1948, He got this opportunity because of his friendship with writer Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam, The movie launched Pran's career in Bombay. Incidentally, it proved to be Dev Anand's big break as a hero. Within a week of Ziddi's success, he had signed three more films – S M Yusuf's Grihasti (1948), which became a diamond jubilee hit, Prabhat Films' Apradhi (1949) and Wali Mohammad's Putli (1949). By then, Wali Mohammad, who was responsible for Pran's first role, had come to Bombay and became a producer, setting up an office at Famous Studios, near Mahalaxmi Racecourse

Pran was among the highly successful & respected veteran actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was also one of the highest-paid actors of his time. He played hero roles from 1940–47, a villain from 1948–1991, and played supporting and character roles from 1967–2007. The decades of late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s were the peak periods of Pran's villainy, especially the 1950s & 1960s. Pran was the first true personification of "evil" on the Indian screen. He is the original badman of Indian cinema. The intensity of his portrayal of negative/villainous characters on the screen was effective enough to desist the Indian people from naming their children "Pran" in the 1950s & 60s & subsequently thereafter (when Pran was at the peak of his villainy).

He was given Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013

Song of Khandan 1942

Song of Grihasti 1948

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50 Years of Pakeezah

 

Pakeezah took 16 years to reach the celluloid. The film started on July 16, 1956, and was released on February 4, 1972. It was a dream project of Kamal Amrohi, he wanted his wife Meena Kumari to be Sahibjaan of Pakeezah. The mujra 'Inhin logon ne' was shot on July 16, 1956, interestingly at that time the script was not ready, nor the star cast was decided, even the hero was not decided, the next several years went in scouting for locations, deciding on a leading man, writing and rewriting various bits of the film.

Meena Kumari gave her best performance in this film despite her worsening health condition. She attended the premiere of the film at Maratha Mandir. The film was received lukewarm at the Box Office but when the news of Meena Kumari admitting to the hospital spread, it gained momentum.it was Meena Kumari's untimely death on 31 March 1972 which acted as an ultimate push and made it one of the top grosser of that year. Pakeezah was house-full for 33 weeks and even celebrated its silver jubilee in many cinema halls all over the country.

This movie is one among the very few Indian movies, that would never fade away with the passage of time, nor would its spellbinding appeal ever diminish, even as the Indian cinema transforms into the abyss of artificially styled pop culture

The story is About Sahibjaan Who Was Brought Up By Brothel Madame Nawabjaan.... She Grows Up & Becomes Popular Dancer/Singer... Forest Ranger Salim is Enthralled By Her Beauty & Innocence, Convinces Her To Elope With Him But Trials And Tribulations Await As She is Recognized By Men Wherever She Goes With Salim... When He Renames Her Pakeezah (Pure) Takes Her To A Priest To Be Legally Married, She Refuses, Returns To The Brothel..The Story Moves Further...

 The music of the film was recorded by the end of 1959. It was composed by Gulam Muhammad. Kamal Amrohi wanted this film to be a musical so 15 songs were recorded earlier.The shooting of the film was halted in 1964 due to mutual differences between lead heroine Meena Kumari and her director-husband Amrohi. In 1968, the composer of the film passed away. So, when the film was revived in 1969, Naushad was roped in to complete the background music for the film. Many exhibitors suggested Kamal Amrohi change the music according to the then-popular trend and style. To this Amrohi said that he would have readily done this if only Ghulam Mohammed was still alive but now he cannot betray a man, who gave him such melodious songs, after his death. So he kept his music intact but used fewer songs as planned to keep up with the fast-changing trend.

The music and dancing are of the highest possible quality. You may notice in the first dance scene the director has all sorts of things occurring in the background: another girl dancing, a drunk falling downstairs.

Songs of Pakeezah 1972

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50 Years of Amar Prem

 

There are a few Hindi films that touch one more than Amar Prem. The film has completed 50 years, released on 29th Jan 1972. The film belongs to Sharmila Tagore as far as performances go. She preserves fully the dignity of the character even as she skillfully walks the audience through all the traumatic moments of the character´s life

The film was directed by Shakti Samanta. It was a remake of the Bengali film Nishi Padma (1970), directed by Arabinda Mukherjee, who wrote the screenplay for both the films based on the Bengali short story Hinger Kochuri by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The highlight of the film was its music, composed by R D Burman.

The movie is about a schoolboy, who is ill-treated by his stepmother, and becomes friends with a prostitute neighbor. The film stars Sharmila Tagore playing a prostitute with a heart of gold, with Rajesh Khanna in the role of a lonely businessman and Vinod Mehra as adult Nandu, the young child, who they both come to care for. The essence of the movie revolves around three characters –– Anand, Pushpa, and Nandu, a child who is tortured at home by a stepmother (Bindu). Nandu is showered with affection by Pushpa

The score and soundtrack for the film was composed by R.D.Burman, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. The soundtrack was melody-based, which gave Lata Mangeshkar her finest classical solo of the decade, Raina Beti Jaaye. How can we forget the immortal songs  like "Chingaari Koi Bhadke", "Kuchh Toh Log Kahenge", "Yeh Kya Hua" sung by Kishore Kumar

Songs of Amar Prem 1972

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O P Nayyar- The heady cocktail of OP-Asha captured the imagination of music lovers

 

O P Nayyar and Asha Bhonsle gave us some of the most memorable songs of Hindi Cinema. Songs like ‘Jaayiye aap kahan’ (Mere Sanam), ‘Raaton ko chori chori’ (Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi), ‘Zara haule haule’, ‘Meri jaan tumse sadke’ and ‘Aaj koi pyar se’ (all in Sawan Ki Ghata), ‘Aayiye Meherbaan’ (Howrah Bridge) and ‘Aankhon se jo utri hai dil mein’ (Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon) to sense the profound wavelength the two worked on. 

Born on 16th Jan 1926, he came to Bombay for giving music for films. initially, he was offered the background score for Kaneez (1949), and 1952's Aasmaan(produced by Dalsukh M. Pancholi), was his first film as music director. His real break came with Guru Dutt's Aar Paar in 1954. After that, he gave music for  Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) and C.I.D. (1956). The songs of all these three films established him among the top composers of that time.

The two met in 1952 at the music recording of a song for the film titled 'Chham Chhama Chham'.  the first solo song of both was AA PARDESI BALMA MORE ANGINA

O P Nayyar is often credited with helping Asha Bhosle develop a distinct style, very different from that of her older sister Lata, who dominated the scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Though Asha sang her first solo song back in 1949, she had to wait till films like CID (1957) and Naya Daur (1957) came along, giving her a taste of success with a style of her own-fearless, breezy and sensuous.

Asha lived under the shadow of her older sister, whose rare finesse, softness, and subtlety of expression, ruled the roost then. She had to contend playing second fiddle for most parts. It is often said that it was OP Nayyar who convinced her that she was individualistic enough to strike out on her own. Under his guidance, Asha developed her carefree and fanciful style. She also mastered cabaret-style singing bringing sensuality into her music. Her duets with Mohammad Rafi, composed by Nayyar, were all chartbusters in their time. Songs from films like Kashmir Ki Kali and Tumsa Nahin Dekha remain immensely popular to this day.

After long years of a professional association, the two parted ways on a rather bitter note in 1972, never to work together again. The last song they created was the Filmfare Award-winning song  'Chein se humko kabhie'  in Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaaye (1974). 

Song of 'Chham Chhama Chham' 1952

Song from  Jaali Note 1960

Song from Phagun (1958)

Song of Howrah Bridge (1958)

Song from Kismat (1968)

Song from Kismat (1968)

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Neeraj- Karwan Guzar Gaya Ghubaar Dekhte Rahe.

 

Gopal Das Neeraj was a poet first then a lyricist. He started writing poetry and sharing stage, at times with stalwarts who were mesmerized with the poems of this young man. There are incidents where he used to write poems with another pseudonym, ‘Bhavuk Etahvi’. But once he reached the stage of Kavi Sammelan, there was no looking back for this greatest Hindi poet of all genres.

This Ghazal was aired. on the radio in 1955,  it was included in the film Nayi Umar ki Nayi Fasal in 1966 in fact this film was inspired by this Ghazal. He wrote a few songs for two films Cha Cha Cha and Chanda Aur Bijli before Dev Anand introduced him to S D Burman to write songs for his film Prem Pujari.

He was born in the village of Puravali, near Mahewa in Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh, India on 4 January 1925. He wrote under the pen name "Neeraj"

When Neeraj entered the scene of poetry, Harivansh Rai Bachchan was already an established name on the stage. However, Neeraj carved his way and touched people’s hearts. “His poems gave new life to romanticism which was coupled with spiritualism.  He had an influence of Sri Aurbindo and it flows in his poetry. 

Besides writing, he earned his living teaching in a college and was a Professor of Hindi Literature in Dharma Samaj College, Aligarh. He knew Urdu well and cultivated his own style. He used words even from Sanskrit and touched the softness of the Hindi Khadi Boli. The poems were rendered with such eloquence that they were immediately on everyone’s lips. Neeraj’s simplicity was evident in his lifestyle. “He lived a simple life, he understood common people, their sufferings and he lived as if he was one of them, playing cards with them, smoking beedi and wearing simple clothes. Anybody was welcome in his home.

Despite the tremendous recognition he got from film songs, Neeraj considered himself unlucky. This was the reason why he stopped writing songs for films. He started writing only poems and literature. Disclosing this in an interview, he had said that two-three famous Bollywood musicians for whom he had written film songs had passed away. He had said that Jaikishan and SD Burman of the Shankar-Jaikishan duo should also die and he wrote very famous songs for both of them. 

Neeraj had penned several immortal songs for Bollywood movies. There were incidents where Neeraj himself recited his songs so that musicians may easily develop the tune. Just sample this — Phoolo ke rang se/dil ki qalam se/tujhko likh roz paati/kaise bataun/kis kis tarah se/pal pal mujhe tu satati — for the film Prem Pujari, anyone can easily identify and attribute it to Neeraj due to its rhythm class.

He mentioned the death of Jaikishan of the Music Duo Shankar-Jaikishan as well as of Sachin Dev Burman, for both of whom he had penned highly popular film songs. The deaths of these Music Directors when they, along with Gopaldas Neeraj were at the peak of their fame left him very dejected and he made a decision to quit the film industry.
His friendship with Dev Anand continued he wrote songs for the last film of Dev Anand "Charge sheet"

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1991 and Padma Bhushan in 2007. He died on July 19, 2018

Neeraj used to say" People talk of my five years in film industry. They tend to forget my 65 years of contribution to literature".

The first released song of Neeraj

      Song from Cha Cha Cha (1964)

Song from Nayi Umar Ki Nayi Fasal 1965

Song from Prem Pujari (1970)

Song from Pehchan (1970)

Song from Sharmilee (1971)

Song from Tere Mere Sapne (1971)

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