View allAll Photos Tagged Saathi
💗Head: TD Baby Mesh Head #Bento - ALICE
💗Body: ~ToddleeDoo - Baby
💗Hair: Ayashi Akami Hair
💗Outfit:(Sw) outfit saathi black pink
@ The Cove Experience & Event
💗Toys: Jester.Inc Cooloring Bookks
.
.
Listening to this ^ number side-by-side ... one of my faves .. and dont ask how many times Ive seen this film ... probably hundreds ;)
The shot was taken at Cirencester: one of the most beautiful towns in UK I've seen so far. Not far from London. And utterly classy and beautiful.
If you get a chance ... do visit ;-)
Quaid-e-Tehreek Altaf Hussain Founder & Leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement ( MQM ) Is The Third Largest Political Party of Pakistan.
Raahon ko raahi batayenge saathi hum, aisa hoga safar.
Ki ujla hi ujla shehar hoga jismein, hum tum banayenge ghar.
These beautiful lyrics are from a hindi composition by Piyush Mishra called ghar which means home. And I think they go perfectly in sync with the photograph which has Delhi’s most iconic specimen of architecture in the background. Delhi may be a lot of things, we’ve already named it many names, but it’s still our city, it’s still our home, ghar. This was clicked at the Qutub Minar Complex, New Delhi, India.
© Ratul Upadhyay. All Rights Reserved..
o saathi re din dube na
[O my love, hope the sun never sets]
aa chal din ko roke
[come on, let's stop this day from ending]
dhup ke peeche daude
[lets run after the sunlight]
chaanv chhue na
[the shadows do not not touch us]
o saathi re
[O beloved]...
Sharing first image from a recent shoot with Preenam and Vivek. What an awesome, fun filled couple! Vivek was icy cool even in the month of June and I don't remember not seeing Preenam laughing, for a single second, in Vivek's company...
If you are interested in my services, feel free to reach out to me at: www.shutterink.in | www.facebook.com/shutterink.in
panthi hoon main us path ka
ant nahi jisaka
aas meri hai jisaki disha
aadhaar mere man ka
sangi saathi mere
andhiyaare ujiyaare
mujhako raah dikhaayen
palachhin ke phulajhaare
pathik mere path ke sab taare
aur neela aakaash
panthi ...
is path par dekhe kitane
sukh dukh ke mele
phool chune kabhi khushiyon ke
kabhi kaaton se khele
jaane kab tak chalana hai
mujhe is jeevan ke saath
panthi ...
Haathi Mere Saathi (Elephants my Friends) is an Indian film and a favourite with children in the early 1970s.
I love elephants (Haathi in Hindi) since I am a child, they are my favorite animals, maybe because of Kipling's "Jungle Book" or Disney's cartoon "Dumbo".
Nowadays Lord Ganesha stays around my neck in order to protect me.
This was shot in Jaipur's Amber Fort in Rajasthan where elephants carry people from the village down the hill to the palace.
That morning there were so many of them that I never saw as many in my whole life, it was an unforgettable moment of happiness...
Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography
© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.
Surmayee ankhiyon main nanha munna ek sapana de jaa re
nindiya ke udate paakhi re, ankhiyon maon aaja saathi re
raa rii raa ram o raaree ram
sachcha koi sapanaa dejaa
mujhako ko apana dejaa
anajaana sa magar kuchh pahachaana sa
halka phulka shabanami
resham se bhi reshami
suramai ...
raat ke rath par jaane vaale
neend ka ras barasaane vaale
itana kar de ke meri ankhain bhar de
ankhon main basata rahe, sapana ye hansata rahe
sapana yoonN chalata rahe
ankhiyon main basata rahe
suramai ...
The evening sky, in the west, burns fiery red with a neon orange mix. The evening sun seems to be fading into a long deep sleep. As the colorful sun drifts into the horizon, like a large golden curtain coming down after a spectacular birds fly past the sunset and sing a beautiful song, a lullaby to the colorful, setting sun.
Death is not the end.
Death can never be the end.
Death is the road.
Life is the traveler.
The soul is the guide.
Panthi Hoon Main Us Path Ka, Ant Nahi Jisaka
Aas Meri Hai Jisaki Disha, Aadhaar Mere Man Ka
Sangi Saathi Mere, Andhiyaare Ujiyaare
Mujhako Raah Dikhaayen, Palachhin Ke Phulajhaare
Pathik Mere Path Ke Sab Taare, Aur Neela Aakaash
Panthi Hoon Main Us Path Ka
Panthi Hoon Main Us Path Ka, Ant Nahi Jisaka
Aas Meri Hai Jisaki Disha, Aadhaar Mere Man Ka
Ameesha Patel #Bollywood #Actress #Ameesha #Patel
Ameesha Patel’s original name was Amisha Amit Patel and the actress was born on June 9th 1975 and she was a model and an actress who became popular in Indian cinema. The actress is a Gujarati and is born for Amit Patel and Asha Patel. She was born in Mumbai and her brother Ashmit Patel is a famous actor. She has been trained in Bharatanatyam when she was five years old. She studied economics abroad after which she aspired to become a model and an actress. Ameesha Patel made her debut with Kaho Naa Pyar Hai beside Hrithik Roshan who made his debut the same film. Kaho Naa Pyar Hai ended as a massive hit and both Hrithik, Ameesha Patel became overnight stars.
She has done films like Badri, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar, Kranti, Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Humraaz, Yeh Hai Jalwa, Pudhiya Geethai, Parwana, Suno Sasurjee, Shart: The Challenge, Naani, Vaada, Elaan, Zameer: The Fire Within, Narasimhudu, Mangal Pandey: The Rising, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Humko Tumse Pyaar Hai, Teesri Aankh: The Hidden Camera, Tathastu, Ankahee, Aap Ki Khatir, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, Heyy Babyy, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Om Shanti Om, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, Parama Veera Chakra, Chatur Singh Two Star, Race 2, Shortcut Romeo, Bhaiyyaji Superhit, Desi Magic and Run Bhola Run.
Ameesha Patel won gold medal in economics and she obtained biogenetic engineering degree from USA. She happened to be the granddaughter of politician Rajni Patel. She graduated from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and she studied Economics. She was offered the female lead’s role in Jism but Ameesha Patel turned down the offer. She has been casted beside Salman Khan in Tere Naam but the actress walked out of the project as she could not accommodate her dates. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Chandni, Umrao Jaan and Pretty Woman are her favourite films.
Ameesha Patel has been initially approached for the role Chameli which was later offered to Kareena Kapoor and the movie was a smashing it all over. Ameesha Patel is very close to Sanjay Dutt and his family. Ameesha Patel has been active in many charity activities and she supports NGOs such as PETA and Planet Read. She has been interested in stage plays and Neelam was one of the famous plays among her acts. Her mother Asha Patel is also an actress.
Ameesha Patel who has been decent during her initial movies later did glamorous roles and she has been showcased in a bikini several times. She even did number of intimate scenes and as her career advanced she received tough competition from the young actresses and Ameesha Patel increased her glamour quotient during this time. She has even been offered female lead’s role in many Hollywood films but she rejected them as she was not interested in Hollywood films. She was in a relationship with director Vikram Bhatt and she broke up after five years. Ameesha Patel is one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema. goo.gl/gfRi8N
haati mere saathi
Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XL4oaUqq1k
eating sugarcane
see throurgh elephant mouth
tongue, tusk, kids, icefruit candy ice, cane
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena_Kumari
Meena Kumari or Mahjabeen Bano (August 1, 1932 - March 31, 1972), was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema. During a career spanning 30 years from her childhood to her death, she starred in more than ninety films, many of which have achieved classic and cult status today.
Kumari gained a reputation for playing grief-stricken and tragic roles, and her performances have been praised and reminisced throughout the years. Like one of her best-known roles, Chhoti Bahu, in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kumari became addicted to alcohol. Her life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972.
Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story.[1][2]
Mahjabeen Bano was the third daughter of Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum; Khursheed and Madhu were her two elder sisters. At the time of her birth, her parents were unable to pay the fees of Dr. Gadre, who had delivered her, so her father left her at a Muslim orphanage, however, he picked her up after a few hours.
Her father, a Sunni Muslim, was a veteran of Parsi theater, played harmonium, taught music, and wrote Urdu poetry. He played small roles in films like Id Ka Chand and composed music for films like Shahi Lutere.
Her mother, Prabhwati Devi, was the second wife of Ali Baksh. Before meeting and then marrying Ali Baksh, she was a stage actress and dancer, under the stage name, Kamini. After marriage, she converted from Hinduism to Islam, and changed her name to Iqbal Begum.
(It is said that Prabhwati Devi's mother, Hem Sundari, had been married into the Tagore family, but she was disowned by that family after being widowed.)
[edit] Career
[edit] Early work
When Mahjabeen was born, Ali Bakhsh aspired to get roles as an actor in Rooptara Studios. At the urging of his wife, he got Mahjabeen too into movies despite her protestations of wanting to go to school. Young Mahjabeen is said to have said, "I do not want to work in movies; I want to go to school, and learn like other children."
As Mahjabeen embarked on her acting career at the age of 7, she was renamed Baby Meena. Farzand-e-Watan or Leatherface (1939) was her first movie, which was directed for Prakash Studios by Vijay Bhatt. She became practically the sole breadwinner of her family during the 1940s. Her early adult acting, under the name Meena Kumari, was mainly in mythological movies like Veer Ghatotkach (1949), Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950), and fantasy movies like Alladin and The Wonderful Lamp (1952).
[edit] Breakthrough
Meena Kumari, (here with Rehman), performed a landmark role, as Choti Bahu, in Abrar Alvi's, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, 1962
Meena Kumari gained fame with her role as a heroine in Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952). This heroine always negated herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loved and was even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for this performance.
Meena Kumari highly successfully played the roles of a suffering woman in Parineeta (1953), Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957), and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960). Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960).
One of her best-known roles was in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), which was produced by Guru Dutt. Kumari played Chhoti Bahu, an alcoholic wife. The film was a major critical and commercial success, which was attributed by critics to Kumari's performance, which is regarded as one of the best performances of Hindi Cinema.[3] The role was famous for its uncanny similarity to Meena Kumari's own life. At that time, she herself was on a road to gradual ruin in her own personal life. Like her character, she began to drink heavily, though she carried on. In 1962, she made history by getting all the three nominations for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for her roles in Aarti, Main Chup Rahungi, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. She won the award for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Upperstall.com wrote about her performance,
While each of the performances are spot on, if there is one person who is the heart and soul of the film, it is Meena Kumari. Her portrayal of Chhoti Bahu is perhaps the greatest performance ever seen on the Indian Screen. The sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman's expectations and sexual desire. And later on when she has become a desperate alcoholic, you cannot help but cry with her in the sequence where she pleads with her husband to stay with her and then angrily turns on him to tell him how she has prostituted her basic values and morals to please him. However the common factors between the actress's life and Chhoti Bahu are too dramatic to be merely coincidental - The estranged marital relationship, the taking of alcohol, turning towards younger male company, the craving to be understood and loved - all elements evident in Meena Kumari's own life.[4]
[edit] Later work
For four more years, Kumari performed successfully in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965), and Phool Aur Patthar (1966), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations, with Kaajal garnering her a fourth and last win of the Best Actress award. However, after divorcing her husband in 1964, her addiction to alcohol became stronger, and she often dulled her senses with liquor. She also relied more and more on intimate relationships with younger men like Dharmendra. Her subsequent releases, including Chandan Ka Palna and Majhli Didi did not do well.[1]
Kumari's heavy drinking had badly damaged her liver, and in 1968 she fell seriously ill.[1][5] She was taken to London and Switzerland for treatment. Back home, she started settling her debts and made peace with her estranged sister, Madhu, whom she had not spoken to for two years.[5] Because of her heavy drinking, she increasingly lost her good looks, and when she returned, she began playing character roles in movies like Jawab (1970) and Dushmun (1972).[1]
She developed an attachment to writer-lyricist Gulzar and acted in his directorial debut Mere Apne (1971). Kumari presented an acclaimed portrayal of an elderly woman who got caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth and got killed, her death making the youth realise the futility of violence.
Pakeezah, starring Kumari and directed by her ex-husband Kamal Amrohi, took 14 years to reach the silver screen. First planned by Amrohi in 1958, the film went on the studio floors in 1964, but the shooting came to a standstill after their separation in March 1964, when it was more than halfway complete.[5] In 1969, Sunil Dutt and Nargis previewed some reels of the shelved film and convinced the estranged Amrohi and Kumari to complete it.[1] Hindustan Times described the meeting which Dutt had organised between the two:
“ Not much was said, but streams of tears were shed... Amrohi greeted her with a token payment of a gold guinea and the promise that he’d make her look as beautiful as the day she had started the film.[5] ”
Gravelly ill, Kumari was determined to complete the film and, well aware of the limited time left for her to live, went out of her way to complete it at the earliest. Despite her rapidly deteriorating health, she gave the finishing touches to her performance. Initially, after its release in February 1972, Pakeezah opened to a lukewarm response from the public; however, after Meena Kumari's death less than two months later, people flocked to see it, making it a major box-office success. The film has since gained a cult and classic status, and Kumari's performance as a golden-hearted Lucknow prostitute drew major praise. She posthumously received her twelfth and last Filmfare nomination.
Throughout her life, Kumari had a love-hate relationship with movies, and besides being a top-notch actress, she was a talented poetess, and recorded a disc of her Urdu poems, I write, I recite with music by Khayyam.
[edit] Death
Three weeks after the release of Pakeezah, Meena Kumari became seriously ill, and died on March 31, 1972 of cirrhosis of the liver. At her death, she was in more or less the same financial circumstance as her parents at the time of her birth: It is said that when she died in a nursing home, there was no money to pay her hospital bills.
[edit] Relationship with Kamal Amrohi
In 1952, on the sets of one of her films, Meena Kumari fell in love with and married film director, Kamal Amrohi, who was fifteen years elder than her and was already married. She wrote about Amrohi:
Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya
When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him
Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called Daera (1953), which was based on their love story. They also planned another film, Pakeezah. However, it took sixteen years (1956 to 1972) before Pakeezah reached the silver screen. (The scenes in Pakeezah's popular song, Inhi logon ne, were originally filmed in black and white, and were later reshot in color.)
It is said that Amrohi did not want children with Meena Kumari because she was not a Syed. They raised Kamal Amrohi's son, Tajdaar, who was greatly attached to his chhoti ammi (younger mother).
Due to their strong personalities, however, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started to develop conflicts, both professionally and in their married life. Their conflicts, separation in 1960, and ultimate divorce in 1964 highly impacted Meena Kumari, who, once a happy woman, became depressed and found solace in heavy drinking.They remarried, but Meena Kumari had become an alcoholic by then.
She expressed her sorrows prominently in her poetry. About Kamal Amrohi she wrote:
Tum kya karoge sunkar mujhse meri kahani
Belutf zindagi ke kisse hain pheeke pheeke
Why do you want to listen to my story:
Colourless tales of a joyless life
At the time of the divorce, she wrote:
Talaak to de rahe ho Nazare kahar ke saath
Jawani bhi mere lauta do Mehar ke saath
You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes
Return to me, also, my youth along with the bridal-price!
[edit] Filmography
1) Gomti Ke Kinare (1972) .... Ganga
2) Pakeezah (1972) .... Nargis/Sahibjaan
3) Dushmun (1971) .... Malti R. Din
4) Mere Apne (1971) .... Anandi Devi/Auaji (Aunt)
5) Jawab (1970) .... Vidya
6) Saat Phere (1970)
7) Abhilasha (1968) .... Mrs. Meena Singh
8) Baharon Ki Manzil (1968) .... Nanda S. Roy/Radha Shukla
9) Bahu Begum (1967) .... Zeenat Jahan Begum
10) Chandan Ka Palna (1967) .... Shobha Rai
11) Majhli Didi (1967) .... Hemangini 'Hema'
12) Noorjehan (1967)
13) Phool Aur Patthar (1966) .... Shanti Devi
14) Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966) .... Heena Sharma
15) Bheegi Raat (1965)
16) Jadui Angoothi (1965)
17) Kaajal (1965) .... Madhavi
18) Purnima (1965) .... Purnima V. Lal
19) Maain Bhi Ladki Hun (1964) .... Rajni
20) Benazir (1964) .... Benazir
21) Chitralekha (1964) .... Chitralekha
22) Gazal (1964) .... Naaz Ara Begum
23) Sanjh Aur Savera (1964) .... Gauri
24) Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) Seema
25) Dil Ek Mandir (1963) .... Sita
26) Kinare Kinare (1963)
27) Aarti (1962) .... Aarti Gupta
28) Main Chup Rahungi (1962) .... Gayetri
29) Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) .... Chhoti Bahu
30) Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961) .... Geeta, Shyam's wife
31) Pyaar Ka Saagar (1961) .... Radha/Rani B. Gupta
32) Zindagi Aur Khwab (1961) .... Shanti
33) Bahaana (1960)
34) Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) .... Karuna
35) Kohinoor (1960)
36) Ardhangini (1959) .... Chhaya
37) Chand (1959)
38) Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) .... Chavli
39) Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) .... Ratna
40) Jagir (1959)
41) Madhu (1959)
42) Satta Bazaar (1959) .... Jamuna
43) Shararat (1959)
44) Farishta (1958)
45) Sahara (1958) .... Leela
46) Savera (1958)
47) Yahudi (1958) .... Hannah
48) Miss Mary (1957) .... Miss Mary/Laxmi
49) Sharada (1957) .... Sharada Ram Sharan
50) Bandhan (1956)
51) Ek-Hi-Rasta (1956) .... Malti
52) Halaku (1956) .... Niloufer Nadir
53) Mem Sahib (1956) .... Meena
54) Naya Andaz (1956)
55) Shatranj (1956)
56) Adil-E-Jahangir (1955)
57) Azaad (1955) .... Shobha
58) Bandish (1955) .... Usha Sen
59) Rukhsana (1955)
60) Baadbaan (1954)
61) Chandni Chowk (1954) .... Zarina
62) Ilzam (1954)
63) Daera (1953) .... Sheetal
64) Dana Paani (1953)
65) Do Bigha Zamin (1953) .... Thakurain
66) Foot Path (1953) .... Mala
67) Naulakha Haar (1953) .... Bijma
68) Parineeta (1953) .... Lalita
69) Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952)
70) Baiju Bawra (1952) .... Gauri
71) Tamasha (1952) .... Kiran
72) Hanumaan Pataal Vijay (1951)
73) Lakshmi Narayan (1951)
74) Madhosh (1951) .... Soni
75) Sanam (1951)
76) Anmol Ratan (1950)
77) Hamara Ghar (1950)
78) Magroor (1950)
79) Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950)
80) Veer Ghatotkach (1949) .... Surekha
81) Bichchade Balam (1948)
82) Piya Ghar Aaja (1947)
83) Bachchon Ka Khel (1946)
84) Duniya Ek Sarai (1946)
85) Lal Haveli (1944)
86) Pratiggya (1943)
87) Garib (1942)
88) Bahen (1941) (as Baby Meena) .... Bina
89) Kasauti (1941)
90) Nai Roshni (1941)
91) Ek Hi Bhool (1940)
92) Pooja (1940)
93) Leatherface (1939)
After I have said the Faitiah at my parents graves I say Fatiah at the grave of Nawab Kashmiri, Meena Kumari, Kamal Amrohi Jalal Agha and Joe Ansari..
Alia Bhatt Hot Dance Stage Performance on LUX Golden Rose Awards 2018 Video URL ▶️▶️ youtu.be/NSzjMpboelM #AliaBhatt #dzigger Lux Golden Rose Awards 2017 were held in Mumbai today and the winners are just out. The night, held to celebrated the most beautiful women in Bollywood, was hosted by none other than Shah Rukh Khan. Joining him was the gorgeous Bhumi Pednekar. While the night is all about beauty, style and glamour, it also brings to fore the bold and beautiful work that some of these ladies, who are youth icons and all set to become legends tomorrow, have done on and off screen. It is the celebration of more than just physical beauty. Iconic Look of the Year – Deepika Padukone International Face of the Year – Priyanka Chopra The Legend Award – Sharmila Tagore Best Debutante of the Year – Pooja Hegde Glamour Diva of the Year – Kareena Kapoor Khan Woman of Essence – Anushka Sharma Desirable Diva of the year – Katrina Kaif Rising Star of the Year – Taapsee Pannu Most Lovable Character of the Year – Alia Bhatt [Source: goo.gl/M4dLRy ] 🇹🇻 WATCH MORE 🇹🇻 Jacqueline Fernandez Dance Performance on Miss India 2018 goo.gl/Z8Q52Y 1.Ayushmann Khurrana Best Perfromance On FBB Femina Miss India 2018 goo.gl/tVevwC 2.Kareena Kapoor Khan Best Dance Performance On FBB Femina Miss India 2018 goo.gl/jywg1P 3.Dame Tu Cosita Ringtone Downoad Now goo.gl/pUvqUz 4.Most Strongest BOOBS In the World || Woman Smashes Things With Her Breasts || Dzigger goo.gl/okBhZ9 5.BECKY G & NATTI NATASHA - Sin Pijama [ Harp Version ] goo.gl/W9kWBt 6.7 Indian Fitness Hotties You Will Want to Follow goo.gl/7ByYmN 8.O Saathi - Baaghi 2 [ Ringtone ] Download Now goo.gl/FA8zKf 9.DILBAR - Ringtone 2018 | Satyameva Jayate | Nora Fatehi, Tanishk Bagchi, Neha Kakkar | Dzigger goo.gl/5kSW5t 10.Top 5 Best EDM Ringtone 2018 Download Now goo.gl/sv18Eb 11.DJ Snake - Magenta Riddim || Ringtone 2018 goo.gl/tNNfKb ====================================================== ******* ALL CREDIT GOES TO OWNER OF THIS ******** ====================================================== Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. ====================================================== Alia Bhatt,bollywood,alia bhatt and ranbir kapoor,Alia Bhatt Hot Dance Stage Performance on LUX Golden Rose Awards 2018,Alia Bhatt Hot Dance,Alia Bhatt Hot Dance Stage Performance,LUX Golden Rose Awards,LUX,LUX Golden Rose Awards 2018,golden rose awards,lux golden rose awards 2017,award show,alia bhatt dance,alia bhatt stage dance,alia bhatt dance performance 2018,dzigger,bollywood dance performance,kareena kapoor,deepika padukone lux golden rose awards 2017, lux golden rose awards 2017 inside photos, inside photos, lux golden rose awards 2017 full show, lux golden rose awards 2017 full episode, lux golden rose awards 2017 kareena, shahrukh khan, kareena kapoor, kareena kapoor khan, katrina kaif, lux golden rose awards 2017 promo, lux golden rose awards 2017 performances, lux golden rose awards 2017 kareena kapoor, lux golden rose awards 2017 full show online, lux golden rose awards, lux
238,033 items / 1,997,510 views
Last I met Sir when Bala asked me to come to Lilavati Hospital 1103 and he called me close to him as he could barely talk and asked Mr Akshay Kumar to see that he too patronizes me.. and I burst into tears I was reprimanded by Dimpleji but poets have nothing but tears and so my claypot of a heart burst and now it is overflowing today I shall miss him and so will both my grand daughters Marziya Shakir 4 year old and Nerjis Asif Shakir 1 year old.
We will miss Ashirwad .. we will miss his Blessings..
May His Soul Rest In Peace.
Goodbye Sir...
From Wikipedia
Rajesh Khanna pronunciation (help·info); (born Jatin Khanna) ( 29 December 1942 - 18 July 2012) is an Indian actor of Hindi films,[1] who has also been a film producer and a politician.
He appeared in 163 feature films of which 128 as the lead protagonist including 106 as the solo lead hero films and 22 two hero projects and did 17 short films.[2] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the maximum BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) – four times[3] and nominated 25 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Khanna is referred to as the "First Superstar" of Hindi cinema.[4][5][6][7] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performances in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq and Aradhana'
Early life
Khanna was born in Amritsar on 29 December 1942. He was adopted and raised by foster parents who were relatives of his biological parents. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon. Khanna attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School in Girgaum, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Their mothers were friends.[8] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of stage and theater plays in his school[9] and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[10] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[11] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC).[12] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored him. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife call him Kaka.[13]
[edit]Adult life
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[14] They were in the relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the breakup.[15] Later Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in March 1973, six months before Dimple's debut film Bobby released[16] and has two daughters from the marriage.[17] Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated in 1984 as his schedule kept him away much of the time and Dimple became interested in pursuing an acting career,[18] and thereafter lived separately, but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[19] In the eighties Tina Munim was romantically involved with Khanna till the time she decided to leave the industry to pursue her higher studies.[20] Years of separation brought about mutual understanding between Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.[15] Reporter Dinesh Raheja stated that “the bitterness between Rajesh and Dimple washed away", noting that they are seen together at parties and that Dimple campaigned for Khanna's election and also worked in his film Jai Shiv Shankar.[21] Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[22] while their younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[23] is married to a London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[24]
[edit]Early career (1966–1975)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten thousand contestants.[25] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[26] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.[27] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[28] Aakhri Khat was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Oscar Academy Awards in 1967.[29] Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[30] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[31] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq. Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[32] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[33][34] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[35] Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also became the biggest grosser ever till then. Khanna is also credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[36] Javed Akhthar accepted in an interview "One day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film's script was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."[37]
Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[38] They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates, and would party a lot."
During the peak of his career he would be mobbed during public appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in their blood.[39] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna'. Even today, he remains the favourite of mimicry artists, who copy his trademark style and dialogue delivery. During the filming of Amar Prem there was a scene that needed to be filmed at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realized that if the public found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[40] Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers “Girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria.”[41]
Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar in the 1970s were based on Rajesh Khanna. During the filming of the song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was shooting for a Satyajit Ray film and director Shakti Samanta had to shoot their scenes separately and then join the scenes together.In the seventies, his chemistry with Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Zeenat Aman and Hema Malini were also popular with audiences.[42]
The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[43] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Bombay University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[44]
Sharmila Tagore said in interview to Indian Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they would marry his photographs, they would pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this before and since.”[45]
Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.
Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 to 1971, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[46] In calculation of the 15 films, 2 hero films like Maryada,Andaz and films with box office result as hits were excluded -Mere Jeevan Saathi, Choti Bahu and Shehzada.
Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his idols.Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[30]
[edit]1976–1978
Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in 4 box office hits and in nine films that were not commercially successful. Seven of the unsuccessful films were critically acclaimed and have achieved strong cult status over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[47] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janata Havaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meeraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[48] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[49][50] The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption becoming successes. Actor Joy Mukherjee made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[51] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[52] However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social sober household meaningful films during this era and played a variety of characters in films of various genres. During this phase too he had box office hits like Maha Chor,[53] Chhailla Babu,[54] Anurodh and Karm.
[edit]1979–1991
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[55][56] such as Amardeep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[57] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Ashanti (1982 film), Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[58] Naya Kadam,[59] Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[60] Shatru,[61] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar (1986),Amrit, Awam (film) (from 1979–1991). Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[62] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[63] But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the original.[64]
Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar(1986).[65] Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and "Adhikar", both with Khanna.[66] His on screen pair with Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil,Padmini Kolhapuri and Poonam Dhillon was also popular in the eighties[67]He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[68] He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna delivered multi-starrer superhits like Rajput, Dharm Aur Qanoon,[69] Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai, Zamana (1985), Dil-E-Nadan and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[70] Nishaan and Maqsad.[71] In the year 1984, his film Maqsad became the 2nd highest box office superhit film earning 8.5 crores.[72]Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his role in the film.[73] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag. Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and eight of these became hits and in addition had two films with him in special appearance.[74] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg as his most favorite directorial venture and said in an interview " Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the sets."[75]
He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu as a rickshaw puller, thriller in Redrose as a psycopath, political adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat and Angarey, suspense in Chakravyuha and Iteefaq, comedy in Hum Dono and Masterji, action in Ashanti, family dramas like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote, variety of social films like Avtaar, Naya Kadam, Akhir Kyun and with different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, patriotism in Prem Kahani, immature young love theme handled in different ways in films like Anokha Rishta, Nazrana and Dil E Nadan and did college romance in Bandish. He has played variety of characters as the lead hero – as a postman in Palkon Ki Chaon Mein, as a lawyer who proves that his senior has committed a rape 25 years earlier in Kudrat, as a politician in Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar, as a young musician forced by fate to marry two women in Asha Jyoti, as professional advocate in Awaaz, fisherman in Prem Bandhan, a revolutionary patriot who is torn apart by love and policeman like in Prem Kahanai, as a righteous farmer in Bandhan etc.
He shared a close relationship with R.D. Burman[76] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were friends and have worked together in thirty two films.[77] Work of Pancham with Khanna is regarded as legendary and far superior than any other actor-music director combinations.[78] The king of playback singing Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[79][80] In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[81] Rajesh and Pancham worked together even after the death of Kishore in the films Jai Shiv Shankar, the unreleased film Police Ke Peechhe Police (both produced by Khanna ) and Sautela Bhai. Khanna even helped Leena Gangully and Amit Kumar in completing Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, the last film directed by Kishore who died before the completion of the film.
Pyarelal quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 Amrit, we gave hits together both as films and as music scores.... When we went on our first overseas concert tour in 1984, he came and danced to three songs. He was very particular about his music and would take a tape home if he could not assess a song. He would then give his feedback after a day or two. But if he liked a song at the sitting, he would loudly shout “Wah! Wah!” in appreciation…. It was God’s blessing that we came up with such a vast range of hit songs for him, including in his home productions Roti and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Bewafai. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too.[38] He had great interest in music and a terrific sense of melody too. His music is dominated by Pancham (R.D. Burman) and us and we accepted Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh only because Rajesh Khanna had some misunderstanding with Pancham then and did not want to work with him."[38] Khanna would always request music directors to fit in Kishore Kumar wherever possible. In fact, Kishoreda was very reluctant to sing "Waada Tera Waada" in Dushman and suggested Laxmikant Pyarelal to get it sung by Rafi. Then Laxmikant made Kishoreda meet Rajesh Khanna and Khanna winked at Laxmikant and told Kishoreda that in that case the song should be scrapped. On hearing this Kishore immediately agreed to sing it by himself for Khanna.[38]
Actors who were part of the cast of most of his films include Ashok Kumar, Sujit Kumar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, Asrani, Bindu, Vijay Arora, Roopesh Kumar, Dina Pathak and A. K. Hangal, who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[82][83] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash and Jeetendra.
Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to see Khanna.[84] The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.[85] Shahrukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[86] Actor Tom Alter confessed “I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero – romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real – he was my hero; the reason I came into films and he still is.”[87] Actor Irrfan Khan accepted in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality."[88] Rajesh Khanna was the last superstar to set fashion trends.[89] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[90]
Khanna was awarded Filmfare Special Award in 1991 for having starred in 101 films as the solo lead hero and just 21 two hero films in short span of 25 years. Khanna gave 35 Golden Jubilee Hits in period 1967-1975 and 3 in 1976-78 and 35 more in 1979-1991 and gave 22 Silver Jubilee Hits in period 1966-1991.By 2011, he held record for the Hindi actor with most number of author backed lead hero films - 106 solo hero films and having done only 22 two hero films.[91]
[edit]Later career (1992-present)
From the early nineties onwards he stopped acting and served as M.P. of New Delhi Constituency from 1991 to 1996. During that period, he returned to acting, playing the lead in Khudai(1994), which was about a father and son both falling in love for the same woman. After 1992, he appeared in only 10 films and declined most film offers. He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen(1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa(2002) and played the solo lead in films Sautela Bhai in 1996, Pyar Zindagi Hai in 2001 and Wafaa in 2008.He did 4 television serials in period 2000-2009.
[edit]Television
He is a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[92] He is the Guest Faculty of 'Specialized Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies'. On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad as a tribute to Pancham.[93] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro)[94] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[95] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment.[96] He also endorsed Star se Superstar tak – a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, K for Kishore aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with Creative Eye Banner (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a TV serial, Bhabhima, with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009.[97] Khanna cited the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films as the reason for him not appearing much in films after 2001. He said in an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials, "The reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film".[98] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[99] In May 2012, Havells, the fan making company endorsed Khanna as Brand Ambassador for their new ad campaign featuring him in solo advertisements.[100]
[edit]Political and business career
Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.[101] When Khanna was M.P he worked full time as a politician and did not accept new acting assignements.[102] He has since been a political activist for the Congress Party and campaigned for Congress in Punjab for 2012 elections.[103]
Khanna and a group of foreign investors have bought land in Shirdi on which they plan to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[104]
[edit]Health
In June, 2012, it was reported that Rajesh Khanna's health had been deterorating for some time,[105] [106] On 23 June 2012 he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital due to some health complications. He was discharged on 8 July 2012 from the hospital and was reported to be fine.[107] [108][109][110] On 14th July 2012, Rajesh Khanna was readmitted in city's Lilavati hospital. He was admitted due to weakness and low blood pressure," Mr Khanna's estranged wife, Dimple Kapadia said. [11
Bollywood veteran Rajesh Khanna was at his dramatic best when he received the lifetime achievement trophy at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau from his "Anand" co-star Amitabh Bachchan late on Saturday (June 13) night.
Khanna, who featured in hits like "Aradhana", "Kati Patang" and "Amar Prem" in his four-decade long career, kept referring to Big B as "babumoshai", in the manner in which he addressed Bachchan in their 1971 heartwarming hit "Anand".
It took me 40 years and 180 films to get this IIFA Life time Achievement award-along journey I must say I am very grateful to IIFA, (event organisers) Wizcraft, committee members and babumoshai. Babumoshai, thank you very very much," Khanna said in his acceptance speech.
“It is after 16 years later that we are together on a stage. I thank him from the bottom of my heart," he added.
Khanna, 66, also belted dialogues from his famous films to entertain the audience. And he even appreciated Bachchan's successful journey in his professional life.
Life should be big, not necessarily long, and my babumoshai is living life big - living life king size. (Look) from where to where he has reached in so many years. We started with ’Anand' and today we are on this platform. He is very dear to me, he is my babumoshai," he said.
Khanna received a standing ovation from industry members as well as the audience.
Whatever I am, I am because of you, my audience. My audience members, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian - everyone was responsible to make me an actor to a star to a superstar to what I am today. Thank you all," he said.
www.masala.com/12738-thank-you-babumoshai-rajesh-khanna-t...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajesh Khanna pronunciation (help·info); (born Jatin Khanna on 29 December 1942) is an Indian actor of Hindi films,[1] and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician.
He appeared in 163 films of which 106 had him as the solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects.[2] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the maximum BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi) – four times and nominated 25 times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Khanna is referred to as the “First Superstar” of Hindi cinema.[3][4][5][6] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performances in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Ittefaq and Aradhana.
Khanna was born in Amritsar on 29 December 1942. He was adopted and raised by foster parents who were relatives of his biological parents. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon. Khanna attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School in Girgaum, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Their mothers were friends.[7] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a of stage and theater plays in his school[8] and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[9] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[10] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC).[11] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored him. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife call him Kaka.[12]
[edit]Adult life
See also: Dimple Kapadia, Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, Jeetendra, and Simple Kapadia
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[13] They were in the relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the breakup.[14] Later Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in 1973 and has two daughters from the marriage.[15] Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated in 1984 as his schedule kept him away much of the time and Dimple became interested in pursuing an acting career,[16] and thereafter lived separately, but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[17] In the eighties Tina Munim was romantically involved with Khanna till the time she decided to leave the industry to pursue her higher studies.[18] Years of separation brought about mutual understanding between Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.[14] Reporter Dinesh Raheja stated that “the bitterness between Rajesh and Dimple washed away", noting that they are seen together at parties and that Dimple campaigned for Khanna's election and also worked in his film Jai Shiv Shankar.[19] Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[20] while their younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[21] is married to a London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[22]
[edit]Early career (1966–1975)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten thousand contestants.[23] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[24] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.[25] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[26] Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[27] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[28] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq. Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[29] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[30][31] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[32] Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also became the biggest grosser ever till then.Khanna is also credited with giving Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[33] Javed Akhthar accpeted in an interview "One day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film's script was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."[34]
Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[35] They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates, and would party a lot."
During the peak of his career he would be mobbed during public appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in their blood.[36] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna'. Even today, he remains the favourite of mimicry artists, who copy his trademark style and dialogue delivery. During the filming of Amar Prem there was a scene that needed to be filmed at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realized that if the public found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[37] Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers “Girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria.”[38]
Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar in the 1970s were based on Rajesh Khanna. During the filming of the song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was shooting for a Satyajit Ray film and director Shakti Samanta had to shoot their scenes separately and then join the scenes together.
The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[39] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Bombay University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[40]
Sharmila Tagore said in interview to India Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they would marry his photographs, they would pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this before and since.”[41]
Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.
Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 to 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[42] The commercial success of his films declined during 1976–78.In calculation of the 15 films, 2 hero films like Maryada,Andaz and films with box office result as hits were excluded -Mere Jeevan Saathi, Choti Bahu and Shehzada.
Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his idols.Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[27]
[edit]1976–1978
Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in nine films that were not commercially successful. Seven of these were rated highly by critics upon their release and have achieved strong cult status over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[43] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janata Havaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meeraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[44] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[45][46] K. Balachander then remade his film Arangetram in Hindi as Aaina with Mumtaz in the lead and Khanna in a cameo appearance in 1977. This film was also unsuccessful. The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption becoming success.[47] Actor Joy Mukherjee made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[48] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[49] However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social sober household meaningful films during this era and played a variety of characters in films of various genres. During this phase too he had box office hits like Maha Chor,[50] Chhailla Babu,[51] Anurodh and Karm.
[edit]Later career (1979–present)
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[52][53] such as Amardeep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[54] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[55] Naya Kadam,[56] Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[57] Shatru,[58] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar (1986) and Amrit(from 1979–1991). Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[59] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[60] But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the original.[61]
Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar(1986).[62] Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and "Adhikar", both with Khanna.[63] He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[64] He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna delivered multi-starrer superhits like Rajput, Dharam Aur Kanoon,[65] Zamana, Dil-E-Nadan, Ashanti, Awam (film) and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[66] Nishaan and Maqsad.[67] Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his role in the film.[68] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag. Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and seven of these became hits and in addition had two films with him in special appearance.[69] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg as his most favorite directorial venture and said in an interview " Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the sets."[70]
He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu as a rickshaw puller, thriller in Redrose as a psycopath, political adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat and Angarey, suspense in Chakravyuha and Iteefaq, comedy in Hum Dono and Masterji, action in Ashanti, family dramas like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote, variety of social films like Avtaar, Naya Kadam, Akhir Kyun and with different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, patriotism in Prem Kahani, immature young love theme handled in different ways in films like Anokha Rishta, Nazrana and Dil E Nadan and did college romance in Bandish. He has played variety of characters as the lead hero – as a postman in Palkon Ki Chaon Mein, as a lawyer who proves that his senior has committed a rape 25 years earlier in Kudrat, as a politician in Aaj Ka MLA Ram Avtaar, as a young musician forced by fate to marry two women in Asha Jyoti, as professional advocate in Awaaz, fisherman in Prem Bandhan, a revolutionary patriot who is torn apart by love and policeman like in Prem Kahanai, as a righteous farmer in Bandhan etc.
He shared a very close relationship with R.D. Burman[71] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were very close friends and have worked together in more than thirty films.[72] Work of Pancham with Khanna is regarded as legendary and far superior than any other actor-music director combinations.[73] The king of playback singing Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[74][75] In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[76] Rajesh and Pancham worked together even after the death of Kishore in the films Jai Shiv Shankar, the unreleased film Police Ke Peechhe Police (both produced by Khanna ) and Sautela Bhai. Khanna even helped Leena Gangully and Amit Kumar in completing Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, the last film directed by Kishore who died before the completion of the film.
Actors who were part of the cast of most of his films include Ashok Kumar, Sujit Kumar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, Asrani, Bindu, Vijay Arora, Roopesh Kumar, Dina Pathak and A. K. Hangal, who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[77][78] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash and Jeetendra.
Pyarelal quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 Amrit, we gave hits together both as films and as music scores.... When we went on our first overseas concert tour in 1984, he came and danced to three songs. He was very particular about his music and would take a tape home if he could not assess a song. He would then give his feedback after a day or two. But if he liked a song at the sitting, he would loudly shout “Wah! Wah!” in appreciation…. It was God’s blessing that we came up with such a vast range of hit songs for him, including in his home productions Roti and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Bewafai. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too.[35]
Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to see Khanna.[79] The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.[80] Shahrukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[81] Actor Tom Alter confessed “I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero – romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real – he was my hero; the reason I came into films and he still is.”[82] Actor Irrfan Khan accepted in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality."[83] Rajesh Khanna was the last superstar to set fashion trends.[84] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[85]
From the early nineties onwards he stopped acting and served as M.P. of New Delhi Constituency from 1991 to 1996. During that period, he returned to acting, appearing in Khudai(1994). He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen(1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa(2002). In September 2007, he officially announced his planned return to the big screen, signing a contract for several new films, including some television serials.
[edit]Television
He is a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[86] He is the Guest Faculty of 'Specialized Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies'. On 10 April 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad as a tribute to Pancham.[87] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro)[88] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[89] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment, and is currently in the process of creating his own music channel "R.K. Music Channel".[90] He also endorsed Star se Superstar tak – a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, K for Kishore aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with Creative Eye Banner (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a TV serial, Bhabhima, with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009.[91] Khanna cites the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films these days. He said in an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials, "The reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film".[92] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[93]
[edit]Political and business career
Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.[94] He has since been a political activist for the Congress Party.
Khanna and a group of foreign investors have bought land in Shirdi on which they plan to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[95]
[edit]Awards, honours and recognitions
Main article: List of Rajesh Khanna's awards, honours and recognitions
[edit]Filmography
[edit]Actor
Main article: Rajesh Khanna filmography
[edit]Producer
YearFilm
1985Alag Alag
1989Police Ke Peeche Police
1990Jai Shiv Shankar
[edit]Co-Producer
YearFilm
1971Mehboob Ki Mehndi
1974Roti
1995Barsaat
[edit]Playback Singer
Baharon Ke Sapne (1967)
Safar (1970)
Raja Rani (1973)
Shehzada (1972)
Amar Prem (1972)
Daag (1973)
Ajnabee
Souten (1983)
193,839 items / 1,565,756 views
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rajesh Khanna (Hindi: राजेश खन्ना About this sound pronunciation (help·info); Punjabi: ਰਾਜੇਸ਼ ਖੰਨਾ, Urdu: راجيش کھنہ) (born Jatin Khanna on 29 December 1942) is a multiple Filmfare and BFJA award-winning Indian actor from Hindi films,[1] and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician.
During his career, he appeared in over 160 films of which 96 had him as the solo hero and 17 were two hero projects.[2] He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He received the maximmmum BFJA Awards for Best Actor (Hindi)- four times and was nominated for the same 27 times.He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Khanna is referred to as the “First Superstar” of Indian cinema.[3][4][5] He had "the biggest and the maddest fan following, especially his female fans," which, according to Entertainment One India, has not been duplicated since he rose to fame in the 1970s.[6] He made his debut in 1966 with Aakhri Khat and rose to prominence with his performance in films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Doli, Ittefaq and with Aradhana became the first superstar.These successes from late sixties put him among the most successful actors in the Indian film industry and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema. In addition to acting, Khanna has worked as a playback singer and film producer and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament served a five year tenure as MP from 1991 to 1996.
Early life
Khanna was born in Amritsar on 29 December 1942. He was raised by foster parents (relatives of his biological parents) who were childless. Khanna lived in Thakurdwar near Girgaon. Khanna attended St. Sebastian’s Goan High School in Girgaum, along with his friend Ravi Kapoor, who later took the stage name Jeetendra. Their mothers were kirtan[clarification needed] pals.[7] Khanna gradually started taking interest in theatre and did a lot of plays in his school and college days and won many prizes in the inter college drama competitions.[8] Khanna became a rare newcomer who struggled in his own MG sports car to get work in theatre and films in the early sixties.[9] Both friends later studied in Kishinchand Chellaram College(KC).[10] When Jeetendra went for his first film audition, it was Khanna who tutored him. Khanna's uncle changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when Khanna decided to join films. His friends and his wife call him Kaka.[11]
Adult life
See also: Simple Kapadia, Kishore Kumar, R.D.Burman, and Jeetendra
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Khanna fell in love with the then fashion designer and actress Anju Mahendru.[12] They were in the relationship for seven years. Mahendru states that the couple did not speak to each other for 17 years after the breakup.[13] Later Khanna married Dimple Kapadia in 1973 and has two daughters from the marriage.[14] Khanna and Dimple Kapadia separated in 1984 as his schedule kept him away much of the time and Dimple became interested in pursuing an acting career,[15] and thereafter lived separately, but did not complete the divorce proceedings.[16] In the eighties Tina Munim was romantically involved with Khanna till the time she decided to leave the industry to pursue her higher studies.[17] Years of separation brought about mutual understanding between Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia.[13] Reporter Dinesh Raheja stated that “the bitterness between Rajesh and Dimple washed away", noting that they are seen together at parties and that Dimple campaigned for Khanna's election and also worked in his film.[18] Their elder daughter Twinkle Khanna, an interior decorator and a former film actress, is married to actor Akshay Kumar[19] while their younger daughter Rinke Khanna, also a former Hindi film actress,[20] is married to London-based investment banker Samir Saran.[21]
Early career (1966–1975)
Rajesh Khanna was one of eight finalists in the 1965 All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare from more than ten thousand contestants.[22] Subsequently Khanna won the contest.[23] He made his film debut in the 1966 film Aakhri Khat directed by Chetan Anand, followed by Raaz directed by Ravindra Dave both of which were a part of his predetermined prize for winning the All-India United Producers’ Talent Competition.[24] G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain were the first to sign Rajesh Khanna after he won the contest.[25] Khanna in an interview to Hindu newspaper said,"Though “Aakhri Khat” is my first film, I received my first break as a leading actor in Ravindra Dave's, “Raaz” in 1967. My heroine was Babita, already a popular actress then. Though I had lots of confidence, I was shy in facing the camera initially. In my first three shots, I had to perform with stress on my body language and dialogue delivery. Though I was right with my dialogues, my movements were not up to the mark. Ravindra Dave explained me my scenes and movements very clearly correcting my way of walking".[26] Being under contract with United Producers, he got projects like Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq.[27] He was then noticed for his performances in films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat (1967), Doli, Aradhana and Ittefaq. Later Waheeda Rehman suggested Asit Sen to take Khanna for the lead role in Khamoshi.[28] Through Aradhana he rose to "instant national fame" and film critics referred to him as the first superstar of India.[29][30] In that film, Rajesh Khanna was cast in a double role (father and son) opposite Sharmila Tagore and Farida Jalal. The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Rajesh Khanna. The Kishore Kumar-Rajesh Khanna combination worked miracles and it was almost impossible to see them as separate identities. They became a singer-actor duo and together they gave many songs till 1991.[31] Then in year 1971, Haathi Mere Saathi became the biggest hit and also became the biggest grosser ever till then.Khanna is also credited with giving Salim Akhtar and Javed Akhtar their first chance to become screenplay writers by offering them work in Haathi Mere Saathi.[32] Javed Akhthar accpeted in an interview "One day, he went to Salimsaab and said that Mr. Devar had given him a huge signing amount with which he could complete the payment for his bungalow Aashirwad. But the film's script was far from being satisfactory. He told us that if we could set right the script, he would make sure we got both money and credit."[33]
He formed popular on screen pairs with actresses Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Mumtaz, Hema Malini, Zeenat Aman, Tina Munim, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Poonam Dhillon.[34][35]
In films like "Anand", "Namak Haram", "Bawarchi" and "Naukri" directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Khanna always had author-backed roles and for this reason Khanna charged only half of his market rate while doing these films.[36] Indiatimes ranked Anand amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films.[37]
Rajesh acted alongside Mumtaz in eight successful films.[38] They were neighbours and got along very well, and as a result they shared a great on-screen chemistry. After Khanna married, Mumtaz decided to marry millionaire Mayur Madhwani in 1974. At the time, she was doing three films Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani with Khanna. She decided to quit movies only after completing these films. When she left films Khanna felt very lost. In one of her interviews, Mumtaz was quoted saying "I would pull his leg and tease him about his fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight. As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well. He was very generous with his associates, and would party a lot."
During the peak of his career he would be mobbed during public appearances. Fans kissed his car, which would be covered with lipstick marks, and lined the road, cheering and chanting his name. Female fans sent him letters written in their blood.[39] There used to be a line of cars of his producers and hysterical fans outside his bungalow every day. Actor Mehmood parodied him in Bombay to Goa where the driver and conductor of the bus were called 'Rajesh' and 'Khanna'. Even today, he remains the favourite of mimicry artists, who copy his trademark style and dialogue delivery. During the filming of Amar Prem there was a scene that needed to be filmed at Howrah Bridge with a boat carrying Khanna with Sharmila moving under the bridge. The authorities ruled this scene out as they realized that if the public found out that the hero of the film would be there, it may create problems on the bridge itself, and that it might collapse due to the amount of people trying to get a glimpse of their favourite actor.[40] Film critic Monojit Lahiri remembers “Girls married themselves to photographs of Rajesh Khanna, cutting their fingers and applying the blood as sindoor. Rajesh was God, there has never been such hysteria.”[41]
Several songs sung by Kishore Kumar in the 1970s were based on Rajesh Khanna. During the filming of the song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in Aradhana, Sharmila Tagore was shooting for a Satyajit Ray film and director Shakti Samanta had to shoot their scenes separately and then join the scenes together.
The BBC made a film on him, titled Bombay Superstar, in 1974, the shooting for which began the same time when he got married and his film Daag premiered.[42] In the video it can be noticed that Khanna was shooting for Aap Ki Kasam. A textbook prescribed by the Bombay University contained an essay, 'The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna!'.[43]
Sharmila Tagore said in interview to India Express, “Women came out in droves to see Kaka (Khanna). They would stand in queues outside the studios to catch a glimpse, they would marry his photographs, they would pull at his clothes. Delhi girls were crazier for him than Mumbai girls. He needed police protection when he was in public. I have never seen anything like this before and since.”[44]
Music remained one of the biggest attractions of all Rajesh Khanna films throughout his career. Many of the musical scores for Khanna's films were composed by Sachin Dev Burman, R.D. Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The trio of Rajesh Khanna, Kishore Kumar and R.D. Burman went on to make a number of popular films, including Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Shehzada, Apna Desh, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Aap Ki Kasam, Ajnabee, Namak Haraam, Maha Chor, Karm, Phir Wohi Raat, Aanchal, Kudrat, Ashanti, Agar Tum Na Hote, Awaaz, Hum Dono and Alag Alag.
Rajesh Khanna had 15 consecutive hits between 1969 to 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.[45] The commercial success of his films declined during 1976–78.
Khanna considered Guru Dutt, Meena Kumari and Geeta Bali as his idols.Khanna dislosed in an interview," My inspirations include, Dilip Kumar's dedication and intensity, Raj Kapoor's spontaneity, Dev Anand's style and Shammi Kapoor's rhythm."[26]
1976–1978
Between 1976 and 1978, Khanna acted in nine films that were not commercially successful. Seven of these were rated highly by critics upon their release and have achieved strong cult status over the years among the viewers and these films included Mehbooba,[46] Bundal Baaz, Tyaag, Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein, Naukri, Chakravyuha and Janata Havaldar which were directed by Shakti Samanta, Shammi Kapoor, Din Dayal Sharma, Meeraj, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterjee and Mehmood Ali, respectively. Khanna persuaded Samanta to cast his sister-in-law Simple Kapadia opposite him in Anurodh.[47] Films starring Rajesh Khanna and directed by Shakti Samanta tended to be commercially successful, but Mehbooba was an exception.[48][49] K. Balachander then remade his film Arangetram in Hindi as Aaina with Mumtaz in the lead and Khanna in a cameo appearance in 1977. This film was also unsuccessful. The change from romantic and social movies to action oriented multi-starrers caused the decline of Khanna's career in terms of box office ratings to some extent. The declaration of emergency in India had angered the masses and this helped films having the lead character revolting against corruption becoming success.[50] Actor Joy Mukherjee made Chhailla Babu, a suspense thriller in 1977, which became the only successful film of his as a director[51] and the unexpected success of the Chhailla Babu gave a boost to the career of Khanna.[52] However, Khanna continued basically in solo hero social sober household meaningful films during this era and played a variety of characters in films of various genres. During this phase too he had box office hits like Maha Chor,[53] Chhailla Babu,[54] Anurodh and Karm.
Later career (1979–present)
After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed commercially successful films[55] such as Amardeep, Phir Wohi Raat, Bandish,[56] Thodisi Bewafaii, Dard, Kudrat, Dhanwan, Avtaar, Agar Tum Na Hote, Souten, Jaanwar, Asha Jyoti, Awaaz,[57] Naya Kadam,[58]Hum Dono, Babu, Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar,[59] Shatru,[60] Insaaf Main Karoonga, Anokha Rishta, Nazrana, Angaarey, Adhikar (1986) and Amrit. Director Bharathiraja decided to remake his 1978 Tamil box office hit film "Sigappu Rojakkal" in Hindi with Khanna playing the role of a psychopath.[61] Kamal Haasan who played the same role in Tamil won South Filmfare Best Actor Award for his portrayal.[62] But the Hindi movie was seen as controversial by traditional and orthodox Hindi moviegoers and was not a commercial success, although Khanna's performance has been rated later higher by critics than the original.[63]
Tina Munim and Rajesh Khanna became the leading on and off screen couple of the 80’s with hits like Fiffty Fiffty, Suraag, Souten, Aakhir Kyun, Bewafai, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar(1986).[64] Ram Awatar Agnihotri wrote that Tina Munim showed the first sparks of the dedicated actress she would become in the films "Alag Alag" and "Adhikar", both with Khanna.[65] He also acted in the Marathi hit film "Sundara Satarkar" in 1981.[66] He has performed in the least number of multi-starrer films in comparison to his contemporaries and portrayed the central character in the few multistarrers he acted. Khanna delivered multi-starrer superhits like Rajput, Dharam Aur Kanoon,[67] Zamana, Dil-E-Nadan, Ashanti, Awam (film) and Ghar Ka Chiraag. He did three potboiler movies with Jeetendra, which were blockbusters-Dharam Kanta,[68] Nishaan and Maqsad.[69] Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar is one of the memorable political films of Rajesh Khanna. Khanna played the character of a corrupt politician in this film. Viewers praised his role in the film.[70] The year 1985 saw him turn a producer with Alag Alag. Eleven films, with Khanna in the lead, released in 1985 and seven of these became hits[clarification needed] and in addition had three films with him in special appearance.[71] Before joining politics one of his last films as the lead hero was Swarg released in 1990. David Dhawan regards Swarg as his most favorite directorial venture and said in an interview " Swarg did well. Though a serious film, people even today talk about it as it struck a chord. I was working with Rajesh Khanna for the first time. I shared a good rapport with him. He never threw tantrums on the sets."[72]
He experimented with films of different genres like tragedy in Babu, thriller in Redrose, political adventure in Awam, negative roles in Dhanwan and Redrose, fantasy in Bundalbaaz and Jaanwar, crime in Phir Wohi Raat, comedy in Hum Dono and Masterji, family drama like Aanchal and Amrit and Agar Tum Na Hote, social film like Avtaar, Akhir Kyun and with different themes like reincarnation theme in Kudrat, patriotism in Prem Kahani, college romance in Bandish and professionalism in Awaaz.
He shared a very close relationship with R.D. Burman[73] and Kishore Kumar. The trio were very close friends and have worked together in more than thirty films.[74] Work of Pancham with Khanna is regarded as legendary and far superior than any other actor-music director combinations.[75] The king of playback singing Kishore Kumar had even credited Rajesh Khanna for his resurgence, so much so that he sang for Alag Alag, the first film produced by Rajesh Khanna without charging anything.[76][77] In 1985 Pancham found himself being sidelined after failure of few films but Rajesh Khanna was among the few who continued to stand by him.[78] Rajesh and Pancham worked together even after the death of Kishore in the films Jai Shiv Shankar, the unreleased film Police Ke Peechhe Police (both produced by Khanna ) and Sautela Bhai. Khanna even helped Leena Gangully and Amit Kumar in completing Mamta Ki Chhaon Mein, the last film directed by Kishore who died before the completion of the film.
Actors who were part of the cast of most of his films include Ashok Kumar, Sujit Kumar, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, Asrani, Bindu, Vijay Arora, Roopesh Kumar, Dina Pathak and A. K. Hangal, who remained part of his " working team" since the start until the late eighties. The lyricist whom he preferred for his movies was Anand Bakshi. Films by Shakti Samanta with Khanna in the lead, music by Pancham and lyrics by Anand Bakshi had people swooning over. The films Samanta directed without Khanna in the eighties were duds.[79][80] His other close friends from the film industry include Raj Babbar, J. Om Prakash and Jeetendra.
Pyarelal quoted in an interview that “Rajesh Khanna was lucky for us and we were lucky for him too. From the 1969 Do Raaste to the 1986 Amrit, we gave hits together both as films and as music scores.... When we went on our first overseas concert tour in 1984, he came and danced to three songs. He was very particular about his music and would take a tape home if he could not assess a song. He would then give his feedback after a day or two. But if he liked a song at the sitting, he would loudly shout “Wah! Wah!” in appreciation…. It was God’s blessing that we came up with such a vast range of hit songs for him, including in his home productions Roti and films like Chhailla Babu, Chakravyuha, Fiffty Fiffty, Amar Deep and Bewafai. Incidentally, he had a stake in Mehboob Ki Mehndi too. He had great interest in music and a terrific sense of melody too. His music is dominated by Pancham (R.D. Burman) and us and we accepted Shakti Samanta’s Anurodh only because Rajesh Khanna had some misunderstanding with Pancham then and did not want to work with him.”[38] Khanna would always request music directors to fit in Kishore Kumar wherever possible. In fact, Kishoreda was very reluctant to sing "Waada Tera Waada" in Dushman and suggested Laxmikant Pyarelal to get it sung by Rafi. Then Laxmikant made Kishoreda meet Rajesh Khanna and Khanna winked at Laxmikant and told Kishoreda that in that case the song should be scrapped. On hearing this Kishore immediately agreed to sing it by himself for Khanna.[38]
Celebrities of the post-2000 era, like Madhur Bhandarkar, say that they take at least three or four turns in Carter Road even today only to see Khanna.[81] The younger generation stars like Imran Khan still regard Rajesh Khanna as someone who would take the top slot as the most romantic hero of all time.[82] Sharukh Khan idolises Rajesh Khanna and has opined,"Rajesh Khanna you can’t touch".[83] Actor Tom Alter confessed “I still dream of being Rajesh Khanna. For me, in the early 1970s, he was the only hero — romantic to the core, not larger than life, so Indian and real — he was my hero; the reason I came into films and he still is.”[84] Actor Irrfan Khan accepted in an interview, "The kind of craze witnessed by Rajesh Khanna has not been duplicated by anyone. He was the biggest and the most real star Bollywood has produced. I'd say stardom is that feeling of being possessed by your idol; you are so overwhelmed with euphoria you lose touch with reality."[85] Rajesh Khanna was the last superstar to set fashion trends.[86] The trend of wearing guru kurtas and belt on shirts became famous in seventies and eighties because of Khanna.[87]
Akshay Kumar was a fan of Khanna since his childhood and later when he became Khanna's son-in-law, he told "Look at what destiny had in store for me. I married my idol's daughter! I still can't believe it. Who wasn't his fan in the 1970s? I remember queuing up for hours to watch Aradhana, Amar Prem, Kati Patang. These are among my favourite films of all times."[88] When Action Replayy, a film starring Akshay in the lead released in 2010, Akshay ensured that Rajesh Khanna was the first person to watch the film in theaters. On the eve of the film's release Akshay said "The film is set in the era that belongs to my father-in-law. I am proud of being part of the family now. Mr Khanna will be the first person to watch the film. I'm determined about that."[89] Action Replayy was a film which paid homage to the decade when Rajesh Khanna ruled.[90] Amitabh Bachchan, while presenting the lifetime achievement award to Khanna at the IIFA awards of 2009 acknowledged, "The word superstar in the Indian film industry was for the first time coined for him".[91]
From the early nineties onwards he stopped acting and served as M.P. of New Delhi Constituency from 1991 to 1996. During that period, he returned to acting, appearing in Khudai(1994). He made a comeback as a NRI in Aa Ab Laut Chalen(1999), and Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa(2002). In September 2007, he officially announced his planned return to the big screen, signing a contract for several new films, including some television serials.
Television
He is a life member of the International Film And Television Research Centre, the International Film And Television Club and the Asian Academy of Film & Television.[92] He is the Guest Faculty of 'Specialized Cinema Courses At Asian School Of Media Studies'. On April 10, 1999 Khanna inaugurated the live concert of S.P. Balasubramanyam held at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Hyderabad as a tribute to Pancham.[93] In 2001 and 2002, Rajesh played the lead in two television serials: Aapne Parai (B4U & DD Metro) [94] and Ittefaq (Zee TV).[95] He performed in a video album based on Tagore's songs (Rabindra Sangeet) without payment, and is currently in the process of creating his own music channel "R.K. Music Channel".[96] He also endorsed Star se Superstar tak - a talent hunt programme in 2007 and donated a Gold Trophy of Rs.1 crore. In its Silver Jubilee Episode on 14–15 March 2008, K for Kishore aired a Rajesh Khanna special. He signed on to star in a TV serial with Creative Eye Banner (Dhiraj Kumar) in 2007, and in 2008 performed in a TV serial, Bhabhima, with Leena Ganguly as his co-star. His successful TV serial Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi began in November 2008 and ended in September 2009.[97] Khanna cites the lack of good roles for actors like him in the films these days. He said in an interview on being queried about his decision to do TV serials, "The reach of TV is much more than cinema today and one episode of my serial is likely to be watched by more people than a super-hit film".[98] In 2009, on his 67th birthday, Shemaroo Entertainment released his films and a song collection titled Screen Legends-Rajesh Khanna-the Original Superstar.[99]
Political and business career
Rajesh Khanna was a member of Parliament for the Congress Party, from the New Delhi constituency, where he won the 1992 by-election, retaining his seat until the 1996 election.[100] He has since been a political activist for the Congress Party.
Khanna and a group of foreign investors have bought land in Shirdi on which they plan to build a religious resort for disciples of Sai Baba of Shirdi.[101]
135,539 items / 1,037,639 views
I am told by the caretaker Bahadur who died recently that one of her fans built this Mausoleum and would come and place flowers and pray.. but than I dont know the truth, and when you die you add wings to the stories that attach to you and make you more legendary than you are...and the Shia grave yard is a hard bed of incomplete stories of Lifes Drama a sudden curtain call.. a bow in vain..
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meena Kumari or Mahjabeen Bano (1 August 1932 - 31 March 1972), was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema. During a career spanning 30 years from her childhood to her death, she starred in more than ninety films, many of which have achieved classic and cult status today.
Kumari gained a reputation for playing grief-stricken and tragic roles, and her performances have been praised and reminisced throughout the years. Like one of her best-known roles, Chhoti Bahu, in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kumari became addicted to alcohol. Her life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972.
Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story.[1][2]
Mahjabeen Bano was the third daughter of Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum; Khursheed and Madhu were her two elder sisters. At the time of her birth, her parents were unable to pay the fees of Dr. Gadre, who had delivered her, so her father left her at a Muslim orphanage, however, he picked her up after a few hours.
Her father, a Shia Muslim, was a veteran of Parsi theater, played harmonium, taught music, and wrote Urdu poetry. He played small roles in films like Id Ka Chand and composed music for films like Shahi Lutere.
Her mother, Prabhwati Devi, was the second wife of Ali Baksh. Before meeting and then marrying Ali Baksh, she was a stage actress and dancer, under the stage name, Kamini. After marriage, she converted from Hinduism to Islam, and changed her name to Iqbal Begum.
(It is said that Prabhwati Devi's mother, Hem Sundari, had been married into the Tagore family, but she was disowned by that family after being widowed.)
[edit] Career
[edit] Early work
When Mahjabeen was born, Ali Bakhsh aspired to get roles as an actor in Rooptara Studios. At the urging of his wife, he got Mahjabeen too into movies despite her protestations of wanting to go to school. Young Mahjabeen is said to have said, "I do not want to work in movies; I want to go to school, and learn like other children."
As Mahjabeen embarked on her acting career at the age of 7, she was renamed Baby Meena. Farzand-e-Watan or Leatherface (1939) was her first movie, which was directed for Prakash Studios by Vijay Bhatt. She became practically the sole breadwinner of her family during the 1940s. Her early adult acting, under the name Meena Kumari, was mainly in mythological movies like Veer Ghatotkach (1949), Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950), and fantasy movies like Alladin and The Wonderful Lamp (1952).
[edit] Breakthrough
Meena Kumari, (here with Rehman), performed a landmark role, as Choti Bahu, in Abrar Alvi's, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, 1962
Meena Kumari gained fame with her role as a heroine in Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952). This heroine always negated herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loved and was even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for this performance.
Meena Kumari highly successfully played the roles of a suffering woman in Parineeta (1953), Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957), and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960). Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960).
One of her best-known roles was in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), which was produced by Guru Dutt. Kumari played Chhoti Bahu, an alcoholic wife. The film was a major critical and commercial success, which was attributed by critics to Kumari's performance, which is regarded as one of the best performances of Hindi Cinema.[3] The role was famous for its uncanny similarity to Meena Kumari's own life. At that time, she herself was on a road to gradual ruin in her own personal life. Like her character, she began to drink heavily, though she carried on. In 1962, she made history by getting all the three nominations for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for her roles in Aarti, Main Chup Rahungi, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. She won the award for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Upperstall.com wrote about her performance,
While each of the performances are spot on, if there is one person who is the heart and soul of the film, it is Meena Kumari. Her portrayal of Chhoti Bahu is perhaps the greatest performance ever seen on the Indian Screen. The sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman's expectations and sexual desire. And later on when she has become a desperate alcoholic, you cannot help but cry with her in the sequence where she pleads with her husband to stay with her and then angrily turns on him to tell him how she has prostituted her basic values and morals to please him. However the common factors between the actress's life and Chhoti Bahu are too dramatic to be merely coincidental - The estranged marital relationship, the taking of alcohol, turning towards younger male company, the craving to be understood and loved - all elements evident in Meena Kumari's own life.[4]
[edit] Later work
For four more years, Kumari performed successfully in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965), and Phool Aur Patthar (1966), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations, with Kaajal garnering her a fourth and last win of the Best Actress award. However, after divorcing her husband in 1964, her addiction to alcohol became stronger, and she often dulled her senses with liquor. She also relied more and more on intimate relationships with younger men like Dharmendra. Her subsequent releases, including Chandan Ka Palna and Majhli Didi did not do well.[1]
Kumari's heavy drinking had badly damaged her liver, and in 1968 she fell seriously ill.[1][5] She was taken to London and Switzerland for treatment. Back home, she started settling her debts and made peace with her estranged sister, Madhu, whom she had not spoken to for two years.[5] Because of her heavy drinking, she increasingly lost her good looks, and when she returned, she began playing character roles in movies like Jawab (1970) and Dushmun (1972).[1]
She developed an attachment to writer-lyricist Gulzar and acted in his directorial debut Mere Apne (1971). Kumari presented an acclaimed portrayal of an elderly woman who got caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth and got killed, her death making the youth realise the futility of violence.
Pakeezah, starring Kumari and directed by her ex-husband Kamal Amrohi, took 14 years to reach the silver screen. First planned by Amrohi in 1958, the film went on the studio floors in 1964, but the shooting came to a standstill after their separation in March 1964, when it was more than halfway complete.[5] In 1969, Sunil Dutt and Nargis previewed some reels of the shelved film and convinced the estranged Amrohi and Kumari to complete it.[1] Hindustan Times described the meeting which Dutt had organised between the two:
“ Not much was said, but streams of tears were shed... Amrohi greeted her with a token payment of a gold guinea and the promise that he’d make her look as beautiful as the day she had started the film.[5] ”
Gravelly ill, Kumari was determined to complete the film and, well aware of the limited time left for her to live, went out of her way to complete it at the earliest. Despite her rapidly deteriorating health, she gave the finishing touches to her performance. Initially, after its release in February 1972, Pakeezah opened to a lukewarm response from the public; however, after Meena Kumari's death less than two months later, people flocked to see it, making it a major box-office success. The film has since gained a cult and classic status, and Kumari's performance as a golden-hearted Lucknow prostitute drew major praise. She posthumously received her twelfth and last Filmfare nomination.
Throughout her life, Kumari had a love-hate relationship with movies, and besides being a top-notch actress, she was a talented poetess, and recorded a disc of her Urdu poems, I write, I recite with music by Khayyam.
[edit] Death
Three weeks after the release of Pakeezah, Meena Kumari became seriously ill, and died on 31 March 1972 of cirrhosis of the liver. At her death, she was in more or less the same financial circumstance as her parents at the time of her birth: It is said that when she died in a nursing home, there was no money to pay her hospital bills.
[edit] Relationship with Kamal Amrohi
In 1952, on the sets of one of her films, Meena Kumari fell in love with and married film director, Kamal Amrohi, who was fifteen years elder than her and was already married. She wrote about Amrohi:
Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya
When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him
Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called Daera (1953), which was based on their love story. They also planned another film, Pakeezah. However, it took sixteen years (1956 to 1972) before Pakeezah reached the silver screen. (The scenes in Pakeezah's popular song, Inhi logon ne, were originally filmed in black and white, and were later reshot in color.)
It is said that Amrohi did not want children with Meena Kumari because she was not a Syed. They raised Kamal Amrohi's son, Tajdaar, who was greatly attached to his chhoti ammi (younger mother).
Due to their strong personalities, however, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started to develop conflicts, both professionally and in their married life. Their conflicts led to separation in 1960, and ultimately divorce in 1964. Highly affected Meena Kumari, who, once a happy woman, became depressed and found solace in heavy drinking.They remarried, but Meena Kumari had become an alcoholic by then.
She expressed her sorrows prominently in her poetry. About Kamal Amrohi she wrote:
Tum kya karoge sunkar mujhse meri kahani
Belutf zindagi ke kisse hain pheeke pheeke
Why do you want to listen to my story:
Colourless tales of a joyless life
At the time of the divorce, she wrote:
Talaak to de rahe ho Nazar-e-kahar ke saath
Jawani bhi mere lauta do Mehar ke saath
You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes
Return to me, also, my youth along with the bridal-price!
[edit] Filmography
1) Gomti Ke Kinare (1972) .... Ganga
2) Pakeezah (1972) .... Nargis/Sahibjaan
3) Dushmun (1971) .... Malti R. Din
4) Mere Apne (1971) .... Anandi Devi/Auaji (Aunt)
5) Jawab (1970) .... Vidya
6) Saat Phere (1970)
7) Abhilasha (1968) .... Mrs. Meena Singh
8) Baharon Ki Manzil (1968) .... Nanda S. Roy/Radha Shukla
9) Bahu Begum (1967) .... Zeenat Jahan Begum
10) Chandan Ka Palna (1967) .... Shobha Rai
11) Majhli Didi (1967) .... Hemangini 'Hema'
12) Noorjehan (1967)
13) Phool Aur Patthar (1966) .... Shanti Devi
14) Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966) .... Heena Sharma
15) Bheegi Raat (1965)
16) Jadui Angoothi (1965)
17) Kaajal (1965) .... Madhavi
18) Purnima (1965) .... Purnima V. Lal
19) Maain Bhi Ladki Hun (1964) .... Rajni
20) Benazir (1964) .... Benazir
21) Chitralekha (1964) .... Chitralekha
22) Gazal (1964) .... Naaz Ara Begum
23) Sanjh Aur Savera (1964) .... Gauri
24) Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) Seema
25) Dil Ek Mandir (1963) .... Sita
26) Kinare Kinare (1963)
27) Aarti (1962) .... Aarti Gupta
28) Main Chup Rahungi (1962) .... Gayetri
29) Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) .... Chhoti Bahu
30) Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961) .... Geeta, Shyam's wife
31) Pyaar Ka Saagar (1961) .... Radha/Rani B. Gupta
32) Zindagi Aur Khwab (1961) .... Shanti
33) Bahaana (1960)
34) Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) .... Karuna
35) Kohinoor (1960)
36) Ardhangini (1959) .... Chhaya
37) Chand (1959)
38) Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) .... Chavli
39) Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) .... Ratna
40) Jagir (1959)
41) Madhu (1959)
42) Satta Bazaar (1959) .... Jamuna
43) Shararat (1959)
44) Farishta (1958)
45) Sahara (1958) .... Leela
46) Savera (1958)
47) Yahudi (1958) .... Hannah
48) Miss Mary (1957) .... Miss Mary/Laxmi
49) Sharada (1957) .... Sharada Ram Sharan
50) Bandhan (1956)
51) Ek-Hi-Rasta (1956) .... Malti
52) Halaku (1956) .... Niloufer Nadir
53) Mem Sahib (1956) .... Meena
54) Naya Andaz (1956)
55) Shatranj (1956)
56) Adil-E-Jahangir (1955)
57) Azaad (1955) .... Shobha
58) Bandish (1955) .... Usha Sen
59) Rukhsana (1955)
60) Baadbaan (1954)
61) Chandni Chowk (1954) .... Zarina
62) Ilzam (1954)
63) Daera (1953) .... Sheetal
64) Dana Paani (1953)
65) Do Bigha Zamin (1953) .... Thakurain
66) Foot Path (1953) .... Mala
67) Naulakha Haar (1953) .... Bijma
68) Parineeta (1953) .... Lalita
69) Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952)
70) Baiju Bawra (1952) .... Gauri
71) Tamasha (1952) .... Kiran
72) Hanumaan Pataal Vijay (1951)
73) Lakshmi Narayan (1951)
74) Madhosh (1951) .... Soni
75) Sanam (1951)
76) Anmol Ratan (1950)
77) Hamara Ghar (1950)
78) Magroor (1950)
79) Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950)
80) Veer Ghatotkach (1949) .... Surekha
81) Bichchade Balam (1948)
82) Piya Ghar Aaja (1947)
83) Bachchon Ka Khel (1946)
84) Duniya Ek Sarai (1946)
85) Lal Haveli (1944)
86) Pratiggya (1943)
87) Garib (1942)
88) Bahen (1941) (as Baby Meena) .... Bina
89) Kasauti (1941)
90) Nai Roshni (1941)
91) Ek Hi Bhool (1940)
92) Pooja (1940)
93) Leatherface (1939)
[edit] Filmfare Awards
Awards won
* 1954 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Baiju Bawra
* 1955 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Parineeta
* 1963 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam
* 1966 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Kaajal
Awards nominated
* 1956 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Azaad
* 1959 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Sahara
* 1960 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan
* 1963 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Aarti
* 1963 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Main Chup Rahungi
* 1964 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Dil Ek Mandir
* 1967 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Phool Aur Patthar
* 1973 Filmfare Best Actress Award - Pakeezah (posthumous nomination)[6]
[edit] Biography
One of the first biographies of Meena Kumari was written just after her death by Vinod Mehta in the year 1972. It was simply titled Meena Kumari.
Prem Chopra (Devanagari: प्रेम चोपड़ा) (born September 23, 1935)is an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in 320 films over a span of over 50 years. He has a soft spoken diction despite being a villain in most films.
Prem Chopra, the third of six children of Ranbirlal and Rooprani Chopra,a Punjabi Hindu family, was born on 23 September 1935, in Lahore.[1][2] He was third of six children. After the partition of India, his family moved to Shimla, where he was brought up.[1] His father desired that Prem be a doctor or an Indian Administrative Services officer.[3]
Prem Chopra completed his schooling and college from Shimla after his father who was a government servant got transferred to there.[4]He graduated from Punjab University.[2] He took part in college dramatics enthusiastically.At his father's insistence he completed his graduation and then came to Mumbai.[3]Soon after he did his debut film, his mother was detected with mouth cancer and she died leaving his then nine-year-old sister Anju to be looked after by his father and his four other brothers.The brothers had given warning to their respective wives that only if their sister is happy would they be happy and Prem considers his sister as his first daughter.[5] Noted writer-director Lekh Tandon brought the proposal of Uma for mairrage to Prem. Uma was the younger sister of the siblings Krishna Kapoor, Prem Nath and Rajendranath.[3] The couple have three daughters, Rakita, Punita and Prerna Chopra.[6] Rakita, is married to film publicity designer Rahul Nanda. Punita owns a pre-school called Wind Chimes in Bandra, suburban Mumbai, and is married to singer and television actor, Vikas Bhalla.Prerna, is married to Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi.[7]He currently resides in a duplex apartment in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai.[3]
His relation with two of his 4 brothers got estranged in late 1980's.Prem Chopra had bought a bunglow in 1980 in Delhi, which was jointly owned by him and his father and where his father and his one brothers used to stay there.Prem had got his brother a job in Delhi and made him stay at this bunglow. But his father, a day before his death, was made to sign a will favouring one of his brothers, taking away Prem's rights in the bunglow.[5]Later an income tax raid happened in that same house and his brother said in the raid that Prem had gifted them the bunglow and so the house still is in name of Prem Chopra.[5] Prem had two other houses in Mumbai also, which were sold off cheaply by his other brothers without telling him as they needed the money.[5]
Early Career 1961-67[edit]
It was in Shimla that Prem Chopra developed an interest in acting as he had begun to take part in quite a few plays in his college days. Despite facing stiff opposition from his parents, he managed to come to Mumbai to pursue his dream of acting in Bollywood films.[4] In his initial days he stayed he stayed at various guest-houses in Colaba, Mumbai.[3]He started visiting film studios to display his portfolio and the response was not encouraging.[8] While Prem was in Times of India, he looked after circulation of paper in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar and was required to tour 20 days a month. Prem used to cut his touring time by calling the agents to come and meet him at the station itself so that he could quickly return and this way a tour that would normally take 20 days would get completed in 12 and he would spend the rest of the time going from one studio to the other.[5] While travelling by the suburban train one day, a stranger accosted him and asked if he was interested in joining films. Chopra nodded in agreement and went with that stranger to Ranjit Studios where the producers of Chaudhari Karnail Singh were in search of a hero.[8] Jagjit Sethi, a Punjabi producer, gave him the break as Jabeen's hero in Chaudhary Karnail Singh, a Punjabli film. His debut film was a Hindu-Muslim romantic love story set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak partition and it turned out to be a big hit and the film even won the National award.[3] He was paid Rs 2500 for his debut film.[8] The movie took almost three years to complete. In order to survive in the fast life of Mumbai, he took up a job with The Times of India while trying to gain a foothold in the film industry. During his stint with the Times of India, he worked in Punjabi films including Sapani and Hindi films such as Woh Kaun Thi, Shaheed, Main Shaadi Karne Chala and Teesri Manzil.[2]Prem did not consider acting as a full time profession in the early 60's and he kept trying to get roles for him in films due to his passion for acting.Among his early films he played Sukhdev in Shaheed, one of his rare positive leading roles. Prem had done 4 movies before Woh Kaun Thi, a box-office hit of 1964, had released.It was on sets of Woh Kaun Thi which had Manoj Kumar as lead hero where Prem met Manoj for the very first time. Manoj offered Prem a positive role in Shaheed, for which Manoj was the presenter. It was during the shooting of Main Shadi Karne Chala that someone suggested that he become a villain.[8] He continued working with TOI, when already he was part of box-office hits like Nishan,Sikandar E Azam in 1965 and Sagaai, Mera Saaya in 1966. After Teesri Manzil and Upkaar, he was flooded with films as a villain. After Upkaar in 1967, he left The Times of India to concentrate solely on acting.[1]
1969-1994[edit]
He has since 1967 been a leading villain in Hindi films and his peak period as main villain in Hindi films was from 1967-1994. In 70's he got plum roles as a villain often with Sujith Kumar and Ranjeet. In few films he played secondary villain to villainous characters of Ajit, Madan Puri, Pran, Jeevan in 70's and 80;s and to Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan's in the late 80's. In the critically acclaimed comedy film Hulchul (1971), played the lead hero in this suspense thriller and was not a villain. He played the main lead in 1970 box-office hit small budget comedy film Samaj Ko Badal Dalo as lead hero and was paired opposite Tamil actresses Kanchana and Shardha. The song sung by Rafi and picturised on Prem Chopra -Tum Apni Saheli Ko Itna Bata Do Ki Usse Koi Pyar Karne Laga Hai from this 1970 film and the song Rah Mein Kaliya - a song sung by Kishore Kumar and performed on-screen by Prem Chopra in the film Nafrat(1973), a box-office flop in 1973, continues to be popular. The dialogue " Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" (My name is Prem, Prem Chopra) from the film Bobby has been very popular. Another famous Prem Chopra dialogue is from film Souten - "Main wo bala hoon jo sheshay se pathar ko todtee hai" which closely translates to "I am that trouble which crushes stones with glass".He was the regular in villanious role in the films with Rajesh Khanna in the lead role from 1969-1991 from Doli(1969) till Ghar Parivaar(1991). The duo of Prem and Rajesh Khanna acted in 19 films together and had 15 of them as box office hits and were very close friends in real life till Khanna's death. Prem quoted in an interview "Rajesh Khanna and I were considered a lucky pair and distributors used to tell Rajesh Khanna that we don't care who your heroine is, all we want to know is whether Prem Chopra is in the film."[9] He also mouthed dialogues in the song Aaj Pila Dey Saathi Apni sung by Mahnedra Kapoor from the film Doli(1969).He also mouthed dialogs in the song Lo Mera Pyar Lelo from Nafrat in 1973 with Asha Bhosle and Kab Se Ye Dil Hai Pyaasa from Mera Muqaddar in 1988.
1995-present[edit]
After 1995, he appeared as a villain in very few films. He took up positive character roles from 1996 and started getting more positive roles from 2005.His screen space got reduced in the films after 2005.
He had a good career spanning 50 years and was popular for villain roles in Bollywood.Prem Chopra regards his best roles were in Shaheed (1965), Upkaar (1967), Purab Aur Pashchim, Do Raaste (1969), Kati Patang (1970),Do Anjaane (1976),Jaadu Tona (1977), Kala Sona, Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981), Phool Bane Angaarey (1991),Bewaffa Se Waffa.[10][9][11][12]He regards his best performances in positive roles came in Sikander-e-Azam, Kunwari, Shaheed, Jaadu Tona, Prem Pratiggya,Chori Chori Chupke Chupke.[9] He quoted in an interview "Although I came to be a hero, my films as a leading man flopped. Which was good in a way because a whole new world opened in front of me. There were so many more roles I could do. When I established myself as a villain it could continue for years."[9]
Awards[edit]
1976 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Do Anjaane
2004 - Legend of Indian Cinema Award at Atlantic City [13][dead link]
Amongst other awards won the Giants[clarification needed] honoured him with the "Lifetime Achievement Award". His talent won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award in 1998, and has also been a recipient of the "Lions Club Award", "Ashoka Award", "Ashirwad Award" and the "Punjabi Kala Sangam Award."[14]
Filmography[edit]
Selected Bollywood filmography[edit]
Heart Land (Completed) (2012)
Power Cut (Punjabi) (2012)
Challo Driver (2012)
Delhi Safari (Voice) (2012)
Agent Vinod (2012)
Loot (2011)
Double Dhamaal (2011)
Love U...Mr. Kalakaar! (2011)
Dharti (Punjabi) (2011)
Patiala House (2011)
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (2011)
Golmaal 3 (2010)
Mirch (2010)
World Cupp 2011 (2009)
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year (2009)
Daddy Cool (2009)
Delhi-6 (2009)
Money Hai Toh Honey Hai (2008)
Khushboo (2008)
Humsey Hai Jahaan (2008)
Dhamaal (2007)
Buddha Mar Gaya (2007)
Undertrial (2007)
Broken Thread (2007)
Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007)
Saawan... The Love Season (2006)
Umar (2006)
Bold (2006)
Mr Prime Minister (2005)
Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005)
Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005)
Viruddh... Family Comes First (2005)
Ssukh (2005)
Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen (2005)
Hum Kaun Hai ? (2004)
Shikaar (2004)
Woh Tera Naam Tha (2004)
Dil Pardesi Ho Gayaa (2003)
Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)
Dhund: The Fog (2003)
Pyaar Ki Dhun (2002)
Tera Mera Saath Rahen (2001)
C.I.D. (2001 TV Series)
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001)
Meri Adaalat (2001)
Beti No. 1 (2000)
Agniputra (2000)
Baadshah (1999)
Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999)
Hote Hote Pyar Hogaya (1999)
Jai Hind (1999)
Anari No.1 (1999)
Lal Baadshah (1999)
Lo Main Aa Gaya (1999)
Zulm-O-Sitam (1998)
Maharaja (1998)
Iski Topi Uske Sarr (1998)
Dulhe Raja (1998)
Military Raaj (1998)
Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge! (1998)
Udaan (1997)
Jodidar (1997)
Bhai Bhai (1997)
Kaun Rokega Mujhe (1997)
Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997)
Sapoot (1996)
Hum Hain Premi (1996)
Daanveer (1996)
Sikander (1996 Video)
Prem Granth (1996)
Namak (1996)
Return of Jewel Thief (1996)
Mera Hindustan (1996)
Diya Aur Toofan (1995)
Zamaana Deewana (1995)
Saajan Ki Baahon Mein (1995)
The Don (1995)
God and Gun (1995)
Aazmayish (1995)
Jawab (1995)
Andaz (1995 TV Series)
Aashique Mastane (1995)
Raghuveer (1995)
Jallaad (1995)
Ahankaar (1995)
Ab Insaf Hoga (1995)
Aao Pyaar Karen (1994)
Yaar Gaddar (1994)
Brahma (1994)
Prem Yog (1994)
Betaaj Badshah (1994)
The Law (1994)
Laadla (1994)
Insaniyat (1994)
Raja Babu (1994)
Gopalaa (1994)
Karan (1994)
Cheetah (1994)
Santaan (1993)
15 August (1993)
Aaja Meri Jaan (1993)
Izzat Ki Roti (1993)
Phool Aur Angaar (1993)
Kshatriya (1993)
Jaagruti (1993)
Aasoo Bane Angaarey (1993)
Ghar Jamai (1992)
Aaj Ka Goonda Raj (1992)
Tahalka (1992)
Khiladi (1992)
Tyagi (1992)
Bewaffa Se Waffa (1992)
Virodhi (1992)
Prem Deewane (1992)
Mere Sajana Saath Nibhana (1992)
Khel (1992)
Insaaf Ka Khoon (1991)
Ghar Parivaar (1991)
Phool Bane Angaarey (1991)
Mast Kalandar (1991)
Veerta (1991)
Doodh Ka Karz (1990)
Paap Ki Kamaee (1990)
Police Public (1990)
Atishbaz (1990)
Azaad Desh Ke Gulam (1990)
Aag Ka Gola (1990)
Kali Ganga (1990)
Sikka (1989)
Daata (1989)
Dana Paani (1989)
Jung Baaz (1989)
Abhimanyu (1989)
Garibon Ka Daata (1989)
Rakhwala (1989)
Clerk (1989)
Santosh (1989)
Sachché Ká Bol-Bálá (1989)
Joshilaay (1989)
Indira (1989)
Dav Pech (1989)
Aakhri Badla (1989)
Kaanoon Ki Awaaz (1989)
Kanoon Ka Harz (1989)
Mitti Aur Sona (1989)
Gharana (1989)
Majboor (1989)
Mahaveera (1988)
Charnon Ki Saugandh (1988)
Shukriyaa (1988)
Shahenshah (1988)
Mera Muqaddar (1988)
Mera Shikar (1988)
Gunahon Ka Faisla (1988)
Sagar Sangam (1988)
Insaf Ki Pukar (1987)
Hiraasat (1987)
Hawalaat (1987)
Majaal (1987)
Kalyug Aur Ramayan (1987)
Hukumat (1987)
Mard Ki Zabaan (1987)
Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987)
Avinash (1986)
Preeti (1986)
Ilzaam (1986)
Swarag Se Sunder (1986)
Waapsi (1986)
Shatru (1986)
Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986)
Nagina (1986)
Bhavani Junction (1985)
Oonche Log (1985)
Mard (1985)
Telephone (1985)
Sitamgar (1985)
Arjun (1985)
Sarfarosh (1985)
Ram Tere Kitne Nam (1985)
Bond 303 (1985)
Kali Basti (1985)
3D Saamri (1985)
Haqeeqat (1985)
Aaj Ka Daur (1985)
Awaaz (1984)
Manzil Manzil (1984)
Duniya (1984)
Ram Tera Desh (1984)
Maqsad (1984)
Ghar Ek Mandir (1984)
Teri Bahon Mein (1984)
Mawaali (1983)
Bandhan Kuchchey Dhaagon Ka (1983)
Betaab (1983)
Souten (1983)
Prem Tapasya (1983)
Jaanwar (1983)
Daulat Ke Dushman (1983)
Pukar (1983)
Andha Kanoon (1983)
Sawaal (1982)
Desh Premee (1982)
Gopichand Jasoos (1982)
Haathkadi (1982)
Do Dishayen (1982)
Khud-Daar (1982)
Ek Aur Ek Gyarah (1981)
Shakka (1981)
Naseeb (1981)
Kranti (1981)
Aas Paas (1981)
Sansani: The Sensation (1981)
Raksha (1981)
Dostana (1980)
Aanchal (1980)
Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1980)
Lootmaar (1980)
Saboot (1980)
Dhan Daulat (1980)
Nishana (1980)
Ram Balram (1980)
Kaala Patthar (1979)
Jhoota Kahin Ka (1979)
The Great Gambler (1979)
Bebus (1979)
Dil Aur Deewar (1978)
Phandebaaz (1978)
Des Pardes (1978)
Azaad (1978)
Do Musafir (1978)
Trishul (1978)
Tyaag (1977)
Immaan Dharam (1977)
Kasum Khoon Ki (1977)
Jagriti (1977)
Adha Din Adhi Raat (1977)
Adha (1977)
Darling Darling (1977)
Thief of Baghdad (1977)
Jadu Tona (1977)
Dream Girl (1977)
Dildaar (1977)
Paapi (1977)
Mehbooba (1976)
Lagaaam (1976)
Bairaag (1976)
Barood (1976)
Maha Chor (1976)
Do Anjaane (1976)
Kala Sona (1975)
Do Jhoot (1975)
Do Jasoos (1975)
Raaja (1975)
Sanyasi (1975)
Benaam (1974)
Ajanabee (1974)
Jab Andhera Hota Hai (1974)
Prem Nagar (1974)
Vachan (1974)
Pocket Maar (1974)
Bobby (1973)
Jugnu (1973)
Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973)
Gehri Chaal (1973)
Chhupa Rustam (1973)
Nafrat (1973)
Keemat (1973)
Daag: A Poem of Love (1973)
Dastaan (1972)
Raja Jani (1972)
Gora Aur Kala (1972)
Apradh (1972)
Be-Imaan (1972)
Raaste Kaa Patthar (1972)
Haré Raama Haré Krishna (1971)
Pyar Ki Kahani (1971)
Lagan (1971)
Hulchul (1971)
Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee (1971)
Prem Pujari (1970)
Samaj Ko Badal Dalo (1970)
Pagla Kahin Ka (1970)
Purab Aur Paschim (1970)
Himmat (1970)
Jawab (1970)
Yaadgaar (1970)
Kati Patang (1970)
Do Raaste (1969)
Ek Shriman Ek Shrimati (1969)
Anjaana (1969)
Waris (1969)
Doli (1969)
Duniya (1968)
Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968)
Haye Mera Dil (1968)
Latt Saheb (1967)
Aamne - Saamne (1967)
Upkar (1967)
Around the World (1967)
Kunwari (1966)
Sagaai (1966)
Teesri Manzil (1966)
Mera Saaya (1966)
Shaheed (1965)
Sikandar E Azam (1965)
Nishan (1965)
Poonam Ki Raat (1965)
Woh Kaun Thi ? (1964)
Main Shadi Karne Chala (1962)
Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh (1960)
Chaudhary Karnail Singh (1960)
Hum Hindustani (1960)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meena Kumari (1 August 1932 – 31 March 1972), born Mahjabeen Bano, was an Indian movie actress and poetess. She is regarded as one of the most prominent actresses to have appeared on the screens of Hindi Cinema. During a career spanning 30 years from her childhood to her death, she starred in more than ninety films, many of which have achieved classic and cult status today.
Kumari gained a reputation for playing grief-stricken and tragic roles, and her performances have been praised and reminisced throughout the years. Like one of her best-known roles, Chhoti Bahu, in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), Kumari became addicted to alcohol. Her life and prosperous career were marred by heavy drinking, troubled relationships, an ensuing deteriorating health, and her death from liver cirrhosis in 1972.
Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story.[1][2][3]
Early life
Meena Kumari was the third daughter of Ali Baksh and Iqbal Begum; Khursheed and Madhu were her two elder sisters. At the time of her birth, her parents were unable to pay the fees of Dr. Gadre, who had delivered her, so her father left her at a Muslim orphanage, however, he picked her up after a few hours.
Her father, a Shia Muslim, was a veteran of Parsi theater, played harmonium, taught music, and wrote Urdu poetry. He played small roles in films like Id Ka Chand and composed music for films like Shahi Lutere.
Her mother was the second wife of Ali Baksh. Before meeting and then marrying Ali Baksh, she was a stage actress and dancer, under the stage name, Kamini.
Career
Early work
When Mahjabeen was born, Ali Bakhsh aspired to get roles as an actor in Rooptara Studios. At the urging of his wife, he got Mahjabeen too into movies despite her protestations of wanting to go to school. Young Mahjabeen is said to have said, "I do not want to work in movies; I want to go to school, and learn like other children."
As Mahjabeen embarked on her acting career at the age of 7, she was renamed Baby Meena. Farzand-e-Watan or Leatherface (1939) was her first movie, which was directed for Prakash Studios by Vijay Bhatt. She became practically the sole breadwinner of her family during the 1940s. Her early adult acting, under the name Meena Kumari, was mainly in mythological movies like Veer Ghatotkach (1949), Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950), and fantasy movies like Alladin and The Wonderful Lamp (1952).
Breakthrough
Meena Kumari gained fame with her role as a heroine in Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952). This heroine always negated herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loved and was even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for this performance.
Meena Kumari highly successfully played the roles of a suffering woman in Parineeta (1953), Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957), and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960). Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960).
One of her best-known roles was in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962), which was produced by Guru Dutt. Kumari played Chhoti Bahu, an alcoholic wife. The film was a major critical and commercial success, which was attributed by critics to Kumari's performance, which is regarded as one of the best performances of Hindi Cinema.[4] The role was famous for its uncanny similarity to Meena Kumari's own life. At that time, she herself was on a road to gradual ruin in her own personal life. Like her character, she began to drink heavily, though she carried on. In 1962, she made history by getting all the three nominations for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for her roles in Aarti, Main Chup Rahungi, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. She won the award for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Upperstall.com wrote about her performance,
"While each of the performances are spot on, if there is one person who is the heart and soul of the film, it is Meena Kumari. Her portrayal of Chhoti Bahu is perhaps the greatest performance ever seen on the Indian Screen. The sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman's expectations and sexual desire. And later on when she has become a desperate alcoholic, you cannot help but cry with her in the sequence where she pleads with her husband to stay with her and then angrily turns on him to tell him how she has prostituted her basic values and morals to please him. However the common factors between the actress's life and Chhoti Bahu are too dramatic to be merely coincidental - The estranged marital relationship, the taking of alcohol, turning towards younger male company, the craving to be understood and loved - all elements evident in Meena Kumari's own life."[5]
Later work
For four more years, Kumari performed successfully in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965), and Phool Aur Patthar (1966), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations, with Kaajal garnering her a fourth and last win of the Best Actress award. However, after divorcing her husband in 1964, her addiction to alcohol became stronger, and she often dulled her senses with liquor. She also relied more and more on intimate relationships with younger men like Dharmendra. Her subsequent releases, including Chandan Ka Palna and Majhli Didi did not do well.[1]
Kumari's heavy drinking had badly damaged her liver, and in 1968 she fell seriously ill.[1][6] She was taken to London and Switzerland for treatment. Back home, she started settling her debts and made peace with her estranged sister, Madhu, whom she had not spoken to for two years.[6] Because of her heavy drinking, she increasingly lost her good looks, and when she returned, she began playing character roles in movies like Jawab (1970) and Dushmun (1972).[1]
She developed an attachment to writer-lyricist Gulzar and acted in his directorial debut Mere Apne (1971). Kumari presented an acclaimed portrayal of an elderly woman who got caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth and got killed, her death making the youth realise the futility of violence.
Pakeezah, starring Kumari and directed by her ex-husband Kamal Amrohi, took 14 years to reach the silver screen. First planned by Amrohi in 1958, the film went on the studio floors in 1964, but the shooting came to a standstill after their separation in March 1964, when it was more than halfway complete.[6] In 1969, Sunil Dutt and Nargis previewed some reels of the shelved film and convinced the estranged Amrohi and Kumari to complete it.[1] Hindustan Times described the meeting which Dutt had organised between the two:
"Not much was said, but streams of tears were shed... Amrohi greeted her with a token payment of a gold guinea and the promise that he’d make her look as beautiful as the day she had started the film."[6]
Gravelly ill, Kumari was determined to complete the film and, well aware of the limited time left for her to live, went out of her way to complete it at the earliest. Despite her rapidly deteriorating health, she gave the finishing touches to her performance. Initially, after its release in February 1972, Pakeezah opened to a lukewarm response from the public; however, after Meena Kumari's death less than two months later, people flocked to see it, making it a major box-office success. The film has since gained a cult and classic status, and Kumari's performance as a golden-hearted Lucknow prostitute drew major praise. She posthumously received her twelfth and last Filmfare nomination.
Throughout her life, Kumari had a love-hate relationship with movies, and besides being a top-notch actress, she was a talented poetess, and recorded a disc of her Urdu poems, I write, I recite with music by Khayyam.
Death
Three weeks after the release of Pakeezah, Meena Kumari became seriously ill, and died on 31 March 1972 of liver cirrhosis. At her death, she was in more or less the same financial circumstance as her parents at the time of her birth: It is said that when she died in a nursing home, there was no money to pay her hospital bills. She was buried at Rahematabad Qabristan located at Narialwadi, Mazgaon, Mumbai.
Relationship with Kamal Amrohi
In 1952, on the sets of one of her films, Meena Kumari fell in love with and married film director, Kamal Amrohi, who was fifteen years elder than her and was already married. She wrote about Amrohi:
"Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya"
(When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him)
Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called Daera (1953), which was based on their love story. They also planned another film, Pakeezah. However, it took sixteen years (1956 to 1972) before Pakeezah reached the silver screen. (The scenes in Pakeezah's popular song, Inhi logon ne, were originally filmed in black and white, and were later reshot in color.)
It is said that Amrohi did not want children with Meena Kumari because she was not a Syed. They raised Kamal Amrohi's son, Tajdaar, who was greatly attached to his chhoti ammi (younger mother).
Due to their strong personalities, however, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started to develop conflicts, both professionally and in their married life. Their conflicts led to separation in 1960, and ultimately divorce in 1964. Highly affected Meena Kumari, who, once a happy woman, became depressed and found solace in heavy drinking. They remarried, but Meena Kumari had become an alcoholic by then.
She expressed her sorrows prominently in her poetry. About Kamal Amrohi she wrote:
"Tum kya karo ge sun kar mujh se meri kahani
Bay lutf zindagi ke qissay hain pheekay pheekay"
(Why do you want to listen to my story:
Colourless tales of a joyless life)
At the time of the divorce, she wrote:
"Talaaq to day rahay ho Nazar-e-qehar ke saath
Jawani bhi meri lauta do Mehar ke saath"
(You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes
Return to me, also, my youth along with the alimony!)
Filmography
Gomti Ke Kinare (1972) .... Ganga
Pakeezah (1972) .... Nargis/Sahibjaan
Dushmun (1971) .... Malti R. Din
Mere Apne (1971) .... Anandi Devi/Auaji (Aunt)
Jawab (1970) .... Vidya
Saat Phere (1970)
Abhilasha (1968) .... Mrs. Meena Singh
Baharon Ki Manzil (1968) .... Nanda S. Roy/Radha Shukla
Bahu Begum (1967) .... Zeenat Jahan Begum
Chandan Ka Palna (1967) .... Shobha Rai
Majhli Didi (1967) .... Hemangini 'Hema'
Noorjehan (1967)
Phool Aur Patthar (1966) .... Shanti Devi
Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966) .... Heena Sharma
Bheegi Raat (1965)
Jadui Angoothi (1965)
Kaajal (1965) .... Madhavi
Purnima (1965) .... Purnima V. Lal
Maain Bhi Ladki Hun (1964) .... Rajni
Benazir (1964) .... Benazir
Chitralekha (1964) .... Chitralekha
Gazal (1964) .... Naaz Ara Begum
Sanjh Aur Savera (1964) .... Gauri
Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) Seema
Dil Ek Mandir (1963) .... Sita
Kinare Kinare (1963)
Aarti (film) (1962) .... Aarti Gupta
Main Chup Rahungi (1962) .... Gayetri
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) .... Chhoti Bahu
Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961) .... Geeta, Shyam's wife
Pyaar Ka Saagar (1961) .... Radha/Rani B. Gupta
Zindagi Aur Khwab (1961) .... Shanti
Bahaana (1960)
Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) .... Karuna
Kohinoor (1960)
Ardhangini (1959) .... Chhaya
Chand (1959)
Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) .... Chavli
Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) .... Ratna
Jagir (1959)
Madhu (1959)
Satta Bazaar (1959) .... Jamuna
Shararat (1959)
Farishta (1958)
Sahara (1958) .... Leela
Savera (1958)
Yahudi (1958) .... Hannah
Miss Mary (1957) .... Miss Mary/Laxmi
Sharada (1957) .... Sharada Ram Sharan
Bandhan (1956)
Ek-Hi-Rasta (1956) .... Malti
Halaku (1956) .... Niloufer Nadir
Mem Sahib (1956) .... Meena
Naya Andaz (1956)
Shatranj (1956)
Adl-E-Jahangir (1955)
Azaad (1955) .... Shobha
Bandish (1955) .... Usha Sen
Rukhsana (1955)
Baadbaan (1954)
Chandni Chowk (1954) .... Zarina
Ilzam (1954)
Daera (1953) .... Sheetal
Dana Paani (1953)
Do Bigha Zamin (1953) .... Thakurain
Foot Path (1953) .... Mala
Naulakha Haar (1953) .... Bijma
Parineeta (1953) .... Lalita
Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952)
Baiju Bawra (1952) .... Gauri
Tamasha (1952) .... Kiran
Hanumaan Pataal Vijay (1951)
Lakshmi Narayan (1951)
Madhosh (1951) .... Soni
Sanam (1951)
Anmol Ratan (1950)
Hamara Ghar (1950)
Magroor (1950)
Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950)
Veer Ghatotkach (1949) .... Surekha
Bichchade Balam (1948)
Piya Ghar Aaja (1947)
Bachchon Ka Khel (1946)
Duniya Ek Sarai (1946)
Lal Haveli (1944)
Pratiggya (1943)
Garib (1942)
Bahen (1941) (as Baby Meena) .... Bina
Kasauti (1941)
Nai Roshni (1941)
Ek Hi Bhool (1940)
Pooja (1940)
Leatherface (1939)
Filmfare Awards
Filmfare Best Actress Award – Won
1953 Parineeta – Lalita
1954 Baiju Bawra – Gauri
1963 Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam – Chhoti Bahu
1966 Kaajal – Madhavi
Filmfare Best Actress Award – Nominated
1956 Azaad – Shobha
1959 Sahara – Leela
1960 Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan – Ratna
1963 Aarti – Aarti Gupta
1963 Main Chup Rahungi – Gayetri
1964 Dil Ek Mandir – Sita
1967 Phool Aur Patthar – Shanti Devi
1973 Pakeezah – Nargis / Sahibjaan (posthumous nomination)[7]
Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards
Meena Kumari has won several awards at the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards (BFJA)
1963 Best Actress (Hindi): Aarti
1965 Best Actress (Hindi): Dil Ek Mandir
Special Award: Pakeezah[8]
Biography
One of the first biographies of Meena Kumari was written just after her death by Vinod Mehta in the year 1972. It was simply titled Meena Kumari.
Bhai Sahib Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala,Damdami Taksal,Dr.Gurjinder Singh,Pardhaan-SYF-Bhindranwala Atay Saathi Singhs.
Aata hai yaad mujh ko guzra hua zamana
Wo baagh ki baharein, wo sab ka chai chahana
Aazaadian kahan wo ab apne ghonsle ki Apni khushi se aana apni khushi se jaana
Lagti hai chot dil par aata hai yaad jis dam
Shabnam ke aaansooaon par kalyaon ka muskuraana
Wo pyari pyari surat wo kaamni si murat
Aabaad jis ke dam se tha mera aashiyaana
Aati nahi aawaazein uski mere pinjre me Hoti meri rehaayee kaash mere bas me
Kya badnaseeb hoon mai ghar ko taras raha hoon
Saathi to hai watan me mai khaid me pada hoon
Aayee bahar, kalyan phoolaon ke hans rahi hai Mai is andhere ghar me kismat ko ro raha hoon
Is khaid ka Elaahi dukhda kis ko sunaaoon Darr hai ke yehi pinjre me gham se na mar jaaoon
Jab se chaman choota ye haal ho gaya hai
Dil gham ko kha raha hai gham dil ko kha raha hai
Gaana is ko samajh kar khush ho na sunne waale
Dhukhe huye dil ki faryaad ye saada hai
Azaad mujh ko karde o khaid karne waale Mai be zubaan hoon khaidi, tu chod kar du'a le
Iqbal Lahori