Hrishikesh Mukherjee- 'Anand 'was one of his Masterpieces

 Hrishikesh Mukherjee was a brilliant director. The films he directed could make you cry, they could make you laugh, and they could make you laugh even while you cried. Some of his most notable films include Anari(1959), Anuradha (1960), Asli Naqli(1962, Anupama(1966), Aashirwad(1968), Satyakam(1969))., Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Abhimaan (1973), Namak Haraam (1973), Mili (1975), Chupke Chupke (1975), Gol Maal (1979), Khubsoorat(1980) and Anand(1971)

This film Anand was in his mind for many years, he wanted to cast Raj Kapoor as Anand but it couldn't be materialized. He then thought of Kishore Kumar as Anand and Mehmood as Babu Moshai. The term "Babu Moshai" means "a great gentleman." Raj Kapoor often affectionately addressed Hrishikesh Mukherjee with this term, just as Anand addresses Banerjee in the film. There is also a story about how Kishore Kumar couldn't become Anand.

Hrishikesh Mukherjee went to sign Kishore Kumar for the film after discussing the project with him. On reaching Kishore Kumar's house his watchman did not allow Hrishi Da to enter the bungalow. As Kishore Kumar had instructed him not to allow a Bengali man inside the bungalow who would come to meet him. Kishore Kumar had done a musical concert for a Bengali organizer who did not pay him and they both had a fight. His watchman mistook Hrishikesh Mukherjee of being that Bengali man. When the shooting for the film started Kishore Kumar came to know about it and went to meet Hrishikesh Mukherjee and asked him why didn't he come to sign him when Hrishikesh Mukherjee told him the reason. Kishore Kumar went and blasted his watchman. The incident hurt Mukherjee and he decided not to work with Kishore Kumar. Consequently, Mehmood had to leave the film as well.  Rajesh Khanna.was offered the role, by that time he became a superstar. This film was shot in 28 days. Rajesh Kanna was a very busy actor by that time, even then he gave Hrishi Da the uninterrupted dates to him. Rajesh Khanna had great regards for him, he wanted to work with him. He worked with him in his subsequent films Bawarchi(1972) and Namak Haram(1973).

The film was successful and got the National Award as Best Film and also many Filmfare awards such as Best Film, Best Actor,(Rajesh Khanna), Best Supporting Actor(Amitabh Bachchan), Best Dialogue(Gulzar), Best Editor(Hrishikesh Mukharjee), and Best Story(Hrishikesh Da) Seldom do we come across films that get it all right and that is what makes Anand immortal, as Dr. Bhaskar says in the end after writing his book on his inspiration—Anand mara nahi, Anand marte nahi (Anand hasn’t died, people like Anand don’t die)

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anand 1971

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Mehmood- His Name was Sufficient to Sell a Film

 

He was a star of the Golden Era Of Bollywood. He was one of the few comedians who managed to deliver box-office hits with some films riding solely on his shoulders. His specialty was that he cracked a lot of impromptu jokes and that brought the audiences closer to him.

He was the only actor for whom the audience came to the theatre before the movie started. His huge fan following spoke of his dedication and talent. He was a superstar, his name helped producers sell their film in advance and his picture on the poster ensured that the crowd turned up at the theatres. Many heroes of his time were insecure about sharing screen space with him. 

A time came when he was so much “in demand” that producers approached him, offering him full-length comedy films. He teamed up with  Shubha Khote, I S Johar, and Kishore Kumar gave us some great comedy films.

He began acting as a (reluctant) child actor. After he grew up, he pursued several odd jobs -- including that of a car driver.  For a short while, he was a chauffeur for director P.L. Santoshi. As an adult actor, he first appeared in Guru Dutt’s suspense thriller – CID. After that, Guru Dutt gave him a small part in Pyaasa. After that, he got his first noticeable “break” in Parvarish (1958), in which he landed a role as the brother of the hero, Raj Kapoor. His first breakthrough film as a comedian was Sasural, a melodramatic mega-success. The movie also created one of the most successful comedy pairings of the sixties – Mehmood and Shubha Khote. Both did more than 15 films together and gave many hit songs. The most famous films are Saural 1961,Dil Tera Diwana (1962),Hamrahi (1963) ,Grihasti (1963) ,Ziddi (1964),Love In Tokyo (1966), and Pockit Maar (1974). Mehmood and Shubha Khote gave fans endless hours of a laugh riot,

He also produced and directed films. He gave RD Burman his first break with Chhote Nawab (1961)and worked with him regularly down the years until a misunderstanding with Burman in the 70s saw him introduce Rajesh Roshan with Kunwara Baap (1974). He is also responsible in a way for Amitabh Bachchan’s rise to fame as it is after seeing him in Mehmood’s Bombay to Goa (1972), Salim-Javed found in him the perfect angry young man for their stories!

In the late 1970s, Mehmood's popularity began to decline as other comedy actors like Jagdeep, Asrani, Paintal, Deven Verma and Kader Khan shot to prominence. Between 1989 and 1999, he made a handful of movies, but most of them were either shelved or made no impression. He acted as Johnny in Rajkumar Santoshi's Andaz Apna Apna (1994)– his last known film as an actor.

In the 90s his health did not allow him to work. He died in his sleep on 23 July 2004 in the American state of Pennsylvania, where he had gone for treatment of cardiovascular heart disease after suffering from poor health over several years.  

Great songs of Mehmood and Shubha Khote

Song of Hamrahi 1963

Song of Grahsthi 1963

Song of Chhoti Bahen 1959

Song of Beti Beta 1964

Song of Sasural 1961

Song of Sasural 1961

Song of Ziddi 1964

Yash Chopra - How Switzerland Reciprocated Love To Him

 

Yash Chopra visited Switzerland for the first time on his honeymoon and was smitten by its beauty, his love affair with Switzerland continued till the very end Though he was not the first Bollywood filmmaker to shoot in Switzerland, decades before him Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, and Shakti Samant had shot their films here.

Yash Chopra loved this country and shot several films here to capture its beauty on the silver screen but only after 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' it became a hot destination of Indian tourists. For many Indians, that’s what sparked their wanderlust to see its mesmerizing beauty for real. Tour operators started tours of the DDLJ shooting location tours for the Indian Tourists.

The Swiss tourism industry recognized the potential of Indians tourists, the Government. has bestowed its love on Yash Chopra. The legendary director was honored with the title of Ambassador of Interlaken in 2011. There is also a train named after him by Jungfrau Railways and a five-star resort in Interlaken also has a suite named after Yash Chopra. 

A Bronze statue of Yash Chopra was installed at the heart of Interlaken, inside the Kursaal area, near the Congress Centre which is a prime, popular spot with tourists. The statue was inaugurated by Chopra's wife Pamela and daughter-in-law Rani Mukherjee​ in 2016, 

The shooting locations of DDLJ have now become an Indian tourist location. …The railway station where Kajol misses her train was shot at the Zweisimmen Railway Station, while When they finally make peace, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol wait at the railway station in Saanen for the next train to Zurich

.…The scene, in which SRK apologies to Kajol was shot in the town of Interlaken.

  “Jara Sa Jhoom Loo Main” song was shot in the town of Gstaad. You can also see the famous Candy store “Early Beck” in the song.

Song from Dil Wale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1995

…In the song “Mere Khwabon Me Jo Aaye”, Shah Rukh Khan is running behind a plane. That scene was shot at Sannen Airport

Song from Dil Wale Dulhania Le Jayenge 1995

This song featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Minissha Lamba screams Switzerland in every shot. From riding a Vespa on Swiss roads to having fun on its snow-capped mountains to dancing in its streets against the beautiful backdrop of Swiss houses and cafes. Watch it to relive these moments.

Song of Bachna Ae Haseeno

This song opens with a beautiful shot of Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai in an embrace atop a mountain in Switzerland. And from here onwards you see some of the most stunning locations of this country. We bet you’d want to go to Switzerland after watching this video.

Song of Mohabbaten

The Cinema & Songs of Gulzar

 

In an interview, Gulzar Saheb said that songwriting is my profession while writing poetry is my statement of life. Since his childhood, he was writing poems, He was also writing when he worked as a mechanic in a car garage in Bombay. It was during his interactions in the PWA Sunday meetings that lyricist Shailendra and Bimal Roy encouraged him to join films. Initially, he joined Bimal Ray as his assistant and later got a chance to write a song in Bandini (1963)under the composer S D Burman, the song that brought him to notice was 'Mera Gora Rung Le Le' from Bandini.

 Gulzar’s first venture as a filmmaker was Mere Apne (1971), It was produced by N C Sippy and directed by him. The film stars Meena Kumari, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha in lead roles, In fact, it was the first film of Vinod Khanna as a hero. Before ventured into the direction he wrote dialogues for Biwi Aur Makan(1966), Aashirwad(1968), Khamoshi, and Anand(1969) all directed by Hrishikesh Mukharjee. He also wrote the story, dialogue and screenplay of Guddi, once again directed by Hrishikesh Mukharjee.

His second venture as director was Parichay in 1972.It stars Jeetendra, Jaya Bhaduri; while Sanjeev Kumar, Vinod Khanna, has given special appearances and the music was composed by Rahul Dev Burman. The film was reported to be based on the Bengali novel Rangeen Uttarain by Raj Kumar Maitra and partially inspired by the 1965 movie The Sound of Music.

His third film was Koshish released in Dec 1972. It was inspired by the 1961 Japanese film Happiness of Us Alone. The film was highly acclaimed. he got a National Award for its screenplay and nominated the Filmfare Best Director Award. 

The next film he directed was Achanak in 1973, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and starring Vinod Khanna. Gulzar received a Filmfare nomination as Best Director for this film. Even though Gulzar is an accomplished lyricist, this film did not have any songs in it.The entire film production was completed in 28 days

In 1975, three films under his directions were released. the first released was Aandhi in Feb 1975. The film was an Indian political drama film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen and directed by Gulzar. At the time it was alleged that the film was based on the life of the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her relationship with her estranged husband, The film got the Filmfare Award of Best Film and Best Actor award to Sanjeev Kumar.

Khushboo was the next film released in March 1975.it was produced by Prasan Kapoor under the Tirupati Pictures banner, presented by Jeetendra and directed by Gulzar. It stars Jeetendra, Hema Malini, and music composed by R. D. Burman.  It was praised as a beautiful film with good acting by Sharmila Tagore, Hema Malini, Asrani and Jeetendra

Mausam was the third film of that year released on 29th Dec 1975. The film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Sharmila Tagore, and directed by Gulzar. It is loosely based on the novel, The Judas Tree, by A.J. Cronin. Sharmila Tagore for her acting received The Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd National Film Festival and the movie was honored by presenting an award for 2nd Best Feature Film. The film received two of eight nominations at the 24th Filmfare Awards. The film also won many other accolades as well.

In 1977 he entered into production also, two films Kitaab and Kinara both produced and directed by him were released, Meera was the third film under his direction released in 1977, all the films couldn't receive well in Box office. Though Meera received critical acclaim.

Angoor was the film released in 1982, in between two insignificant films released under his direction in 1980. Angoor was based on Shakespeare's play The Comedy of Errors. The film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in dual roles, and directed by Gulzar. The film was appreciated by all. Deven Verma got the Filmfare Best Comedian Award.

Machis(1996) was an important film of Gulzar, after the death of R D Burman he made the film with Vishal Bhardwaj as music director for the first time. The film was produced by R. V. Pandit.  It stars Chandrachur Singh, Om Puri, Tabu and Jimmy Sheirgill in the lead roles. The film portrays the circumstances surrounding the rise of the Sikh insurgency in Punjab Maachis was a critical and commercial success. Gulzar's direction and the music of Vishal Bhardwaj were strong points. 

Song of Kabuliwala 1961

Song of Bandini 1963

Song of Aashirwad 1968

Song of Khamoshi 1969

Song of Anand 1971

Song of Anubhav 1971

Song of Parichay1972

Song of Aandhi 1975

Song of Mausam 1975

Song of Masoom (1983)

Song of Ijazat (1987)

Song of Bunty aur Babli  2005

Song of Omkara 2006

Song of Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Prakash Mehra- Who Gave Hindi Cinema a New Definition .

Prakash Mehra(13 July 1939 – 17 May 2009)  was a true entertainer. He changed mainstream Hindi cinema with his sense of drama, Indian emotion, and above all his ear for great music. His songs are still thriving, despite being decades-old. He started off his career with Haseena Maan Jayegi starring Shashi Kapoor and Babita, followed by Mela, and Samadhi which were the perfect formula for a commercial hit. 
With Zanjeer, he started his own banner.  His combination with Amitabh Bachchan proved lethal at the box office. After Zanzeer seven films of this combination ruled the Box office.
He seemed to know the magic of Amitabh the actor which he successfully used in films like 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', 'Laawaaris', 'Namak Halaal' and 'Sharaabi', all of them major hits, one bigger than the other. 
Amitabh Bachchan once told that he was a dreamer and was never afraid of taking risks. He wanted to make big things in life. He had a film in his mind to cast the boxing legend, Mohammad Ali, with him. He even scheduled a meeting with him and Ali, at the sports icon's US home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
He was the first filmmaker to name Amitabh as Vijay in 'Zanjeer'. Amitabh was Vijay in more than twenty films, some of them made by Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra.
Music was the strong point of all his films. He always had the veteran music directors Kalyanji- Anandji to score the music for his films but had Bappi Lahiri in two of his most successful films 'Namaak Halaal' and 'Sharaabi' He himself used to write poems, In fact in many of the songs of his films, he wrote the first few lines which formed the themes of the songs and left the rest of the lines to be written by Anjaan, In his first film Haseena Maan Jayegi, he wrote the hit song "O Dilbar Janiye" sung by Mohammad Rafi.
Prakash Mehra also directed & produced Zindagi Ek Jua with actor Anil Kapoor in 1991, which was not a commercial success. In 1996, he introduced veteran actor Raaj Kumar's son Puru Raajkumar in Bal Bramhachari which was also unsuccessful. This was the last film he directed.
 He died on 17 May 2009 in Mumbai of pneumonia and multiple organ failure. 

Song of Haseena Maan Jayegi 1968

Song of Zanzeer 1973

Song of Ek Kunwari Ek Kunwara (1973)

Song of Haath Ki Safai (1974)

Song of Hera Pheri (1976)

Song of Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978)

Song of Laawaris (1981)

Song of Namak Halaal (1982)

Song of Sharaabi (1984)