Runa Laila - A Legend Forever

 

She was born in East Pakistan, was educated in Pakistan, settled down in Bangladesh after the creation of the state in 1971, has worked in India and travels the world with her shows. Where does she really belong? 

The colourful journey of her career has taken her all over the world. From Madison Square Garden to Sydney Opera House, from Europe to Africa – the veteran has stepped on proudly carrying the legacy of Bangladesh and mesmerized her audience in India and Pakistan. She has lent her melodious voice to over 10,000 recordings, in 18 languages.

In her decorated career, Runa Laila has achieved such height of fame and recognition that most artists can only dream of. She has voiced the magical lyrics of some of the globally renowned lyricists and performed the duet with singers at the similar altitudes of success.

She was born (17 th Nov 1952) in Sylhet to Syed Mohammed Imdad Ali, a civil servant posted in Karachi, and Amina Laila. In 1966, she made her breakthrough with the song Unki Nazron Sey Mohabbat Ka Jo Paigham Mila for the Urdu film Hum Dono. She used to perform on PTV In a show called Bazm E Laila.

Her tryst with Indian films came about after a chance meeting with music director Jaidev in Delhi, at a party hosted by businessman and music connoisseur Ashok Khanna. He gave her a chance to sing at the inauguration of Doordarshan. For a few years, she used to sing in Doordarshan. She became famous among viewers by her song Damadam Mast Kalandar. Her first recording was with Kalyanji-Anandji for the title song of Ek Se Badhkar Ek. She gained popularity in India with the songs O Mera Babu Chail Chabila and Dama Dam Mast Qalandar . After that, she sang two songs for Gharonda"Tumhe ho na ho" and "Do deewane shaher mein " composed by Jaidev.
She shares a close association with Bappi Lahiri too. In fact, Bappida recorded a pop album in her voice called Superuna in London. The singer remembers it all fondly. “We recorded at the Abbey Road Studios, made famous by The Beatles and I think we were the first people from the subcontinent to have done so. It was a spectacular experience. The songs are still popular and I perform them at my shows even now.” The songs were indeed so popular that Bappida used the hit single, De De Pyar De in the film Sharaabi (1984). 
Her name has been written on the Guinness World Records for recording 30 songs within 3 days. In 1982, she won Golden Disk Award as her album Superuna composed by Bappi Lahiri was sold over 1 lakh copies on the first day of its release.

Runa has also sung versions of Mehdi Hassan’s ghazals, which became quite famous. In October 2009, she released Kala Sha Kala, a collection of Punjabi wedding songs, in India. In 2012, Laila served as a judge on the show Sur Kshetra, an Indian television contest show for amateur singers. She described her relationship with fellow judge Asha Bhosle as that of sisters. In 2014, she collaborated with Sabina Yasmin on a song for a television play "Dalchhut Projapoti", the first time they worked on a song together.

Runa has sung in seventeen languages including her native Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gujarati, Pashto, Baluchi, Arabic, Persian, Malay, Nepalese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French and English.

Song of Ek Se Badkaar Ek 1976

Song of Gharonda 1977

Song of Yaadgaar (1984)

Mera Babu Chhail Chhabila Mai To Naachu re

Song of The Rain 1976  Bangaladesh

Ghazal  of Runa Laila

Superuna composed by Bappi Lahiri 

Chitragupt- A Forgotten Genius

 

Chitragupt (16 November 1917 – 14 January 1991) the forgotten music director of the Golden Era, gave us some of the most memorable songs. "Laagi Chhoote Na" sung by Mohammed Rafi & Lata Mangeshkar is one of these songs. He became a household name after the 1962 release of Main Chup Rahungi starring Meena Kumari and Sunil Dutt. 

Chitragupt composed music for 150 films spanning from 1946 to 1998. Lata Mangeshkar sang many hit songs under his direction.He made Kishore Kumar sing the classical song "Payalwaali dekh na" and the popular song "Agar sun le koi nagma 

He was a very learned man, was a postgraduate in two subjects,  a master’s degree in Economics, following it up with an MA in Journalism. He was a professor in Patna University for some time. He also had a love for music besides academics. He had a good grounding in classical music, he used to play the Tabla and had good singing skills. He had  a secret desire of becoming a professional singer which was known to his friend only.

One day his friend Madan Sinha (who later became a well-known cinematographer and also directed the Vinod Khanna-starrer Imtihaan in 1974) suggested they go to Bombay to try their luck in the films, Chitragupta agreed. 

When they arrived in Bombay, Chitragupt managed an introduction to the legendary Nitin Bose who gave him a chance to sing in the chorus. One thing led to another and Chitragupta soon found himself as the assistant of composer S NTripathi.

He got his break as an independent Music director with Fighting Hero (1946). After that he gave music in many B grade movies but his first hit song was a duet by Shamshad Begum and Mohammad Rafi in Sindbad The Sailor (1952).

His first big banner was AVM Shiv Bhakta (1955), AVM’s backing also meant the music director finally got Lata Mangeshkar to sing for him. This was the beginning of a long and fruitful association for both.

Lata Mangeshkar sang “240 songs (no fewer than 151 solos)” under Chitragupta’s baton. Recall the songs of Mein Chup Rahongi(1962) and Bhabhi (1957). In fact, it was AVM films that made him popular as a composer.

He also gave music in Bhojpuri films. In fact. he gave music in the first Bhojpuri film Ganga Maiyya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo (1963). The Lyrics of this film were written by Shailendra, who lived near him and was his good friend. 

The lyricist Prem Dhawan, a frequent collaborator, was also a dear friend. “They would often drive off to Aarey Colony where they would find a place to sit down and that’s where they would make the songs.”

Chitragupta died on January 14, 1991, The music director duo Anand-Milind are his 2 sons, who gave the music of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, 

Songs of Chitragupt

Song of Bhabhi (1957)

Song of Barkha (1959)

Song of Kali Topi Lal Rumal (1959)

Song of Main Chup Rahungi (1962)

Song of Ganga Ki Lahren (1964)

Song of Oonche Log (1965)

Song of Vaasna (1968)

Bollywood.s Obsession of Festival Releases

 

It is a usual practice of all the big banners and big stars to release their films during festival seasons. They keep & announce the release dates well in advance. Sometimes we have seen a clash of their films on these dates. 

Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Independence Day or Republic Day are few of the festivals which are booked well in advance by these stars. It has been observed that Yash Raj and Shahrukh Khan release their films during Diwali season, Eid is favourite for Salman Khan and Christmas is fixed for Aamir Khan.

In this blog, I look into the release of films during Diwali Season and see their Box Office performance. It is surprising that not all films fared well, there were some disasters also. Perhaps this is the first Diwali season when no film is releasing in Big Screens.

The Bollywood Diwali release is rather more solidly rooted in the Yash Chopra films of the 1990s. Starting with Lamhe (1991), almost every major Chopra production, such as Dil Toh Pagal Hai(1997), Veer-Zaara (2004), and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012 —even those which were directed by his son, Aditya, and produced by him, such as DDLJ(1995) and Mohabbatein(2000)—were Diwali releases. 

Shah Rukh Khan is the name that comes to mind when we think of a Diwali release. And, indeed, blockbusters such as DDLJ, Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which established him as the “king of romance", were Diwali releases.

Let's look into the Diwali releases of Bollywood Films for the last 15 years

In 2006, there was a clash of 2 big films  Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar’s ‘Jaan-e-mann’ released alongside Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Don – The Chase Begins’, Don became a hit while Jaan e mann was a flop.

In 2007 also, there was a clash of 2 big films.Shah Rukh’s Om Shanti Om and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Saawariya’, which introduced us to Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Once again Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om was a hit while Saanwariya was a flop.

2008 again had two films clashing during the Diwali Day and for the first time in a very long time, both films did well at the box office.  Madhur Bhandarkar released his film ‘Fashion’ starring Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut, Golmaal Returns was the other film, both the films were hit.

2009 saw as many as 3 films releasing on the same day. 'All The Best', 'Blue' and 'Main Aur Mrs Khanna' clashed during this period.None of them was a hit.

2010 witnessed yet another big clash. Akshay Kumar's Action Replay and Ajay Devgn's Golmal 3, of these two Golmal 3 was a blockbuster while Action Replay was a flop.

In 2011, Shah Rukh Khan was back to his Diwali releases after a gap of 4 years. It was the hugely-hyped 'Ra One',A big flop.

The 2012 Diwali weekend was filled with controversies. This year saw Yash Chopra’s last directorial venture ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ featuring his favourite Shah Rukh Khan, releasing on the same day as Ajay Devgn’s home production ‘Son Of Sardaar’. Both the films were hit

In 2013, only one film 'Krrish 3,' released, it was a blockbuster.

2014 saw Shah Rukh’s 5th Diwali release in 9 years.'Happy New Year' a blockbuster

2015 – After quite a long time we saw Salman Khan getting a Diwali release.; Sooraj Barjatya's Prem Rattan Dhan Payo' a blockbuster.

In 2016 there was once again a clash of 2 films s Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil takes on Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay. and both emerge victorious at the box office.

In 2017 once again 2 films released both were hit. Rohit Shetty's multi-starrer 'Golmal Again' and 'Secret Superstar' a low budget film by Aamir Khan. Secret Superstar had an average opening but went on to collect Rs 62.63 crore at the domestic box-office

In 2018, Yash Raj Films' Thugs of Hindostan got released. The film broke all the records of the first-day collection because of its star cast Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan. The film was a disaster overall.

In 2019 two films released, Akshay starter Houseful 4 and a small budget film Saand Ki Aankh both the films did average business.

In 2020, no film released on Cinema screen due to Corona Virus. There is a release on OTT platform Akshay Kumar;s 'Laxmi Bomb'

The Bollywood Songs on Letters/Chitthi

Writing a letter used to be an art. In the present age of SMS and email, this art of writing letters is almost lost. There was a time when a diary writing or letter writing was the best way of expressing your emotions or feelings but this is being done with Emojis or tweets
Many great leaders wrote letters, these letters are still being preserved. Many great books were published having the collection of these letters, recall the book on Nehru’s letters to his daughter 
Letters have played an important part in several of our films, in many films, a letter found in the end changes the climax, the letters were intercepted by villains and replaced by a fake letter for some devious purpose. Similarly, letters remain a part of many of our film songs. Many hit songs were based on this theme.

The first immortal song in my list is from 1947 film Dard, picturized on Munawar Sultana. This song was written by Shakeel Badayuni, composed by Naushad and sung by Uma Devi who was known as Tun Tun.  It was a big musical hit which catapulted Naushad to great heights.

Song of Dard 1947

Here is a song from a movie called “Ardhangini ” (1959).This song featuring Meena Kumari is a happy enough song. It is sung by Lata. Written by Majrooh Sultanpuri and composed by Vasant Desai.

Song of“Ardhangini ” (1959) 

The next immortal song is from Sangam(1964), written by Hasrat Jaipuri, composed by Shankar Jaikoshan, picturized on Rajendra Kumar

Song of Sangam 1964

Here is a song from Haqeeqat(1964) written by Kaifi Azmi and composed by Madan Mohan sung by Mohammad Rafi and others

Song of Haqeeqat 1964

The song is sung by Asha Bhosle, written by Anand Bakshi and music is given by Laxmikant-Pyarelal, It is a dance song picturized on Asha Parekh

Song of Aaye Din Bahar Ke 1966 

This melodious superhit song is written by Neeraj, composed by Shankar Jaikishan and is sung by Mohammed Rafi from 1968 film Kanyadan It features Shashi Kapoor and Asha Parekh. 

Song of  Kanyadan 1968

This song from the movie Saraswatichandra (1968) is sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh and is picturized on Nutan and Manish.

Song of Saraswatichandra (1968)

This superhit song from Prem Pujari (1970) was written by Neeraj, composed by S D Burman and sung by Kishore Kumar. picturized on Dev Anand

 Song of Prem Pujari 1970

This is a duet of Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar from Rampur Ka Laxman 1972, picturized on Randhir Kapoor and Rekha.

Song of Rampur Ka Laxman 1972

Quite a moving song, sung so beautifully by Kishore Kumar. Written by Gulzar and composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal for Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein.In this song, a bicycle riding postman carries posts in a village. The song describes the feelings of those who eagerly look forward to the postman

Song of  Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein. 1977

This beautiful Ghazal of Pankaj Udhas from 1986 film Naam. picturized on him , perhaps one of the best Ghazals of him.

Song of Naam 1986

This song is sung by Sonu Nigam & Roop Kumar Rathod from 1997 film Border is about the letters sent to the soldiers by their near and dear ones.

Song of Border 1997

It is really surprising to see a song recently in Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) where letters become the mode of communication for the reclusive writer played by Ayushmann Khurrana, and his fan, played by Kriti Sanon. The song was sung by Anshuman Khurana .

Song of Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) 

50 Years of Johny Mera Naam

 

Released on 11th Nov 1970, Johny Mera Naam was the Biggest Hit of Dev Anand's career. The movie, a thriller all the way, had the stamp of quality from director Vijay ‘Goldie’ Anand. He and Dev Anand had begun their association with “Nau Do Gyarah” in 1957 and went a long way to give Indian cinema classics like “Guide”, “Kala Bazaar” and “Tere Ghar Ke Samne”. 

With Johny Mera Naam began a Decade of Action cinema. Though Dev Anand was known for Romance his versatility lay in his desire to experiment. It was the first film of Hema Malini with Dev Anand It was also the first Superhit film of her career. Hema Malini is at her best when romancing with the hero especially in ‘Pal Bhar Ke Liye Koi Hame Pyaar Karle’, a song where the Dev Anand keeps popping up from countless windows in a rest house.

 Dev Anand and Pran play the roles of brothers separated in childhood. Years later, Sohan (Dev Anand) goes on to become a CID officer called Sohan Kumar who solves his cases taking up different guises. He takes the identity of Johny, a petty thief and gets himself in jail, befriends Heera (Jeevan), solves a case wooing Rekha (Hema Malini) and finds the criminal.

Despite being fifty years old, the film does not look outdated, thanks to Vijay Anand. This is also testimony to his skills that despite a run time of around 2 hours 45 minutes, unusually long for a thriller but a norm for Indian movies, you never feel the length

Johny Mera Naam marked some of the best music composed by the duo Kalyanji Anandji.

#	Song	Singer(s)	Picturized On	Duration
1	Title Music (Johny Mera Naam)	Instrumental	Credit Title Sequence	01:59
2	"Vaada Toh Nibhaaya"	Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle	Dev Anand and Hema Malini	05:05
3	"Pal Bhar Ke Liye"	Kishore Kumar, Usha Khanna	Dev Anand and Hema Malini	05:05
4	"Mose Mora Shyam Rootha"	Lata Mangeshkar	Hema Malini	05:38
5	"Babul Pyare"	Lata Mangeshkar	Hema Malini	06:19
6	"Nafrat Karne Walon Ke"	Kishore Kumar	Dev Anand and Hema Malini	03:55
7	"Husn Ke Lakhon Rang"	Asha Bhosle	Premnath and Padma Khanna	05:19
8	Music Instrumental	Instrumental		02:00

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970

Song of Johny Mera Naam 1970