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.
Recently I was watching the movie Thappad of Tapsi Pannu in which Taapsee plays the role of an educated, upper-middle-class woman who is forced to take stock of her relationship after being slapped by her husband. The impact of the slap scene could leave the audience in shock. Our films are melodramatic, We love drama and emotions, whenever we have a dramatic scene that too ending with a slap, it resonates the entire cinema house. even the dialogues like ‘Jab Ye Dhai Kilo Ka Haath Padta Hai Na, to Aadmi Uthata Nahi Hai Uth Jata Hai’ have made the audiences whistle and clap. In 1942, as a part of a scene in the movie Jung-E-Azadi, actor Bhagwan Dada was to slap her hard. Being a new actor, he accidentally slapped her very hard, which resulted in facial paralysis and a burst left eye vein. Three years of treatment later, she was left with a defective left eye; thus she had to abandon lead roles, and switch to character roles, which won her much of her fame later in life Let's look into the most impressive slap scenes of Bollywood. In 1949 film Andaj, starring Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Nargis. There was a confrontation scene.In the scene, Raj Kapoor was supposed to slap Kumar. He lands a heavy slap across Kumar's face. Not content he whacks him with a tennis racket
A scene from Andaz 1949
The other onscreen slap that comes to my mind was from the 1951 film Awara. Bollywood superstar Raj Kapoor slapped Nargis in a scene not once but many times. This was his way of venting out his frustration of loving the unattainable
Clip of Awara
There was a story about a slap scene in the Navketan film Aandhiyan, directed by Chetan Anand. In the script, there was a scene where character actor Akhtar Hussain had to slap Dev Anand. This was not shot because Dev Anand refused to shoot for this scene and insisted to remove this from the script. Dev felt that this scene will spoil his film image, so this scene was never shot. In the 1952 film, Anhonee Raj Kapoor once again slapped Nargis. Nargis played a double role in the film. She was highly appreciated for enacting both the roles and her performance garnered critical acclaim.
Slap Scene from Anhonee 1952
There are many types of slaps. In Aar Paar (1954), A Parent slap, for example( Baap Ke Gusse wala slap), when Nikki’s (Shyama) father disapproves of her relationship with Kalu (Guru Dutt), he slaps her.
Slap scene from Aar Paar 1954
Sometimes the expressions are totally opposite but mean the same thing. The slap from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham showed the love of a father and how much he misses his son. Unable to express otherwise sometimes howsoever hard you try, feelings find a way to express themselves.
Slap of Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum
Recall the slap of Raj Kumar to Dilip Kumar in the 1959 film Paigam. This scene was so impactful that the audience still remembers.
A scene from Paigam 1959
There was a scene in which Salim was supposed to slap Anarkali. Kumar slapped Madhubala so hard that the latter had tears in her eyes.
A scene from Mughal e Azam 1960 In 1960 film Sarhad, starring Dev Anand and Suchitra Sen, there was a slap scene in which Dev Anand slaps Suchitra Sen
A scene from Sarhad 1960
Recall the scene of Guide when Rosie visits the site of Marcos she tells him that she has decided to dance, this makes Marcos angry and there is a long confrontation between them. Rosie slaps Marcos in a scene. A Scene from Guide
There was a scene in 1969 film Ram Aur Shyam where Pran asks Dilip Kumar to sign the papers thinking that he is Ram but he does not sign, he slaps Dilip Kumar who in return also slap him.
A Scene from Ram Aur Shyam 1969
During the film, Reshma Aur Shera where Amitabh Bachchan was playing the younger brother of Sunil Dutt Bachchan got a tight slap from Waheeda Rehman .
Recall the scene from Ketan Mehta's film Mirch Masala. Sonbai played by Smita Patil Slaps the newly arrived village subedar played by Naseeruddin Shah as he chases her across the river and woos her to agree to his proposition. Sonbai blatantly refuses his advances and slaps him hard!
A Scene from Mirch Masala
Shatrughan Sinha slaps Jaya Bachchan on the wedding night to take revenge in the 1973 film Gaai Aur Gori
A Scene from Gai Aur Gauri 1973
In the 1974 film Aap Ki Kasam, Rajesh Khanna slaps Sanjeev Kumar out of anger and sheer doubt
A Scene from Aap Ki Kasam 1974
There is a very intense scene from the Mafia Movie, Satya. In this movie, there is a scene in which Manoj Vajpayee comes to his home along with his friend, his wife confronts him, he slaps her.
A Scene from Satya
Another memorable slap was from Dilip Kumar to Amrish Puri in the 1984 film Mashal
A scene from Mashal 1984
Another memorable slap by Dilip Kumar in 1986 film Karma. this time to Dr Dang played by Anupam Kher
A scene from Karma 1986
In 2002 film Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, Shahrukh Khan starts doubting Salman Khan & Madhuri Dixit, due to which he overthinks things. He slaps Salman. This slap can be said Dosti Todne wala slap.
A scene from Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam 2002
A similar slap was seen in Dil Chahta Hai. This slap changed the relationship of friends. It came in the movie when the audiences were not expecting a high-end drama. Akshay Khanna slaps Amir Khan who is a friend
Slap scene from Dil Chahta Hai
Raanjhana, a 2013 film Sonam Kapoor slaps the hero Dhanush 16 times separately in the film
Jagdeep(29 March 1939-8 July 2020) the comedian of Golden Era started his film career as a child artist extra in B. R. Chopra's Afsana, then went on to do films as a child artist in films like Ab Dilli Door Nahin, K. A. Abbas's Munna, Guru Dutt's Aar Paar, Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zamin and AVM's Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke. After Hum Panchi Ek Dal Ke, he received various accolades and high praise for his roles. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru has gifted his personal staff to Jagdeep for his stellar performance in Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke. His most memorable character is Soorma Bhopali in Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. His catchphrase in the film “Mera Naam Soorma Bhopali Aise Hi Nahin Hai” is still remembered by fans. Recall the famous scene of Sholay in which our heroes, Jai and Veeru, come upon Soorma Bhopali telling a bunch of spellbound listeners of how he beat the two with a stick, and how he’s found out: his paan-stained teeth, that Bhopali lilt and comfort in a role meant strictly for laughs, made his Soorma unforgettable. It was a small guest appearance but became immortal. In a span of 6 decades, he performed nearly 400 roles, this role became so popular that even after 45 years, people still remember that role. His son Naved was so inspired by his father that he produced a film with the same title 'Soorma Bhopali' in 1988. It was not a box office success but did relatively better in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This film was a hit in the city of Bhopal and the surrounding regions. Jagdeep’s last on-screen appearance was in the 2017 movie Masti Nahi Sasti co-starring Kader Khan, Johnny Lever, Shakti Kapoor, Ravi Kishan, and others in the lead roles.
Neetu Singh(8th July 1958) was only 21 when she took retirement from Bollywood. She was 15 when her first film as a Heroine opposite Randhir Kapoor was released. She appeared next in Yadon Ki Barat in the same year in the song 'Lekar Hum Diwana Dil' as a guest performance. Her second film as a heroine was in the 1974 film 'Hawas' opposite Anil Dhawan. The same year she appeared with Rishi Kapoor as Heroine in.' Zehreela Insaan'. Their next film was 'Rafoochakkar' released in 1975 was a hit, this team repeated the success in 'Khel Khel Mein' The hit pair were further fortified by, Kabhi Kabhie(1976) and Amar Akbar Anthony(1977).
Hugely popular with the public and within the industry, the bubbly Neetu Singh signed many films opposite the heroes like Amitabh Bachchan (Adalat, Parvarish, The Great Gambler, Yaarana), Rajesh Khanna (Chakravyuh), Vinod Khanna (Yuvraj), Randhir Kapoor (Kasme Vaade), Shatrughan Sinha (Kaala Patthar) and Jeetendra (Dharamveer, Priyatama). Within 3 years she was among the top heroines of that time like Hema Malini, Rekha. and Zeenat Aman.
Rishi Kapoor in his biography said that he went abroad to shoot for his film Barood, a sense of loneliness gripped him. It was then that he realized the true essence of Neetu Singh in his life and poured his heart out in a telegram. Neetu Singh was elated and they began dating. They dated for five years before tying the knot. At the time of marriage, Neetu Singh was at the peak of her acting career and was nominated for a Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress for Kaala Patthar (1979). But she decided to bid adieu to the film industry, raising murmurs about restrictions in the Kapoor family. She dismissed all the allegations, stating that it was her independent choice. They got married on Jan. 22, 1980, The decision of quitting acting was her own, in 1979, when they decided to get married, she stopped accepting offers for more films. She decided to complete all the projects in hand. Even after marriage, she worked in a few films left uncompleted. Her last film released was 'Ganga Meri Ma' released in 1983 opposite Shatrughan Sinha.
She was seen in a guest appearance after a gap of 26 years in the 2009 film Love Aaj Kal, later in Do Dooni Chaar(2010) Neetu Singh started acting at the age of 8 under the name Baby Sonia,and made her acting debut in 1966 with the film Suraj. Her other early roles included starring in the films Dus Lakh (1966), starring in a double role in the film Do Kaliyaan (1968), as well as appearing in Waris (1969) and Pavitra Paapi (1970).
In one of my earlier blog-posts, I had explored the Raga ‘Pahadi & Thumri in Hindi Film songs. In this post, I am looking for the songs based on this one of the most popular ragas among our music composers. As per the classical text, Bhimpalasi is a rag that is very much associated with a hot Indian afternoon. It evokes a feeling of deep-rooted love and yearning for the lover. Usually, it is sung in the late-afternoons when the harshness of the sun rays recedes. It has five notes ascending and seven notes descending.This Raaga is also used in Carnatic Music where it is called 'Abheri'. It is more used in South Indian languages. This raga is one of the favorite ragas of A R Rehman. The scale of Bhimpalasi is equivalent to the Western scale Blue scale. Many western Pop songs look similar to this raga. If you listen carefully to the very popular song of Ed Sheeran 'Shape Of You'. This song is influenced by Bhimpalasi.
