In the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, there is this song: Jhonka Hawa Ka where first we get the impression that it is Ajay Devgan that is the one singing, however, if we listen to the words carefully, he seems to be talking about things that Ajay Devgan did not share with Aish, but she did with Salman khan. For example, Hawa ka Jhonka is a play with words what Aish created with Salman khan earlier in the movie. What do you think and why?
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Dev Anand
Dharam Dev Anand Hindi:(born 26 September 1923), better known as Dev Anand Hindi: देव आनन्द, is an Indian Hindi Cinema actor, director and film producer. Dev is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His elder brother Chetan Anand was a film director, as was his younger brother, Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and English film director Shekhar Kapur. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
Early life
Dev was born Dharam Dev Anand in Shakargarh Tehsil of Gurdaspur district (now in Narowal District, Pakistan) in undivided Punjab, British India to advocate Kishorimal Anand. He graduated in English literature from the Government College, Lahore,(now in Pakistan).
Career
Dev Anand left his hometown for Mumbai. He began his career in the military censor office at Churchgate, Mumbai, for a salary of Rs.160.
He was soon offered a debut as an actor by Prabhat Talkies to star in their film Hum Ek Hain(1946). While shooting for the film in Pune, Dev struck a friendship with another fellow legendary actor Guru Dutt.
Dev was offered his first big break by Ashok Kumar. He spotted Dev hanging around in the studios and picked him as the hero for the Bombay Talkies production, Ziddi, costarring Kamini Kaushal (1948) which became a success. In 1949, Dev turned producer and launched his own company Navketan, which continues to produce movies even today.
Dev chose Guru Dutt as director for the crime thriller, Baazi (1951). The collaboration was a success at the box office. Dev also played a few characters with a negative shade, like in Jaal(1952). His films Rahee and Aandhiyan, were screened along with Raj Kapoor's Awaara. In the same year, Taxi Driver was declared a hit. Dev's heroine was Kalpana Kartik aka Mona Singha again, and the two decided to marry in a quiet ceremony. The couple had a son, Suneil Anand in 1956.
A rapid-fire style of dialogue delivery and a penchant for nodding while speaking became Dev's style in films like Munimji, C.I.D. and Paying Guest. His style was lapped up by the audience and was widely imitated. He starred in a string of box office successes for the remainder of the 1950s. In 1955 he also co-starred with Dilip Kumar in Insaniyat. With his acting in Kala Pani (1958), as the son who is willing to go to any lengths to clear his framed father's name, he won the Best Actor Award for the film.
He was romantically involved with singer-actress Suraiya and the two of them paired in six films together. She fell in love with him during the shooting of a song sequence in the film — a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. Her grandmother opposed the relationship as they were Muslims and so, Suraiya remained unmarried all her life.
His first color film, Guide with Waheeda Rehman was based on the novel of the same name by R. K. Narayan. Dev Anand himself was the impetus for making the film version of the book. He met and persuaded Narayan to give his assent to the project. Dev Anand tapped his friends in Hollywood to launch an Indo-US co-production that was shot in Hindi and English simultaneously and was released in 1965. Guide, directed by younger brother Vijay Anand, was an acclaimed movie. Dev played Raju, a voluble guide, who supports Rosy (Waheeda) in her bid for freedom. He is not above thoughtlessly exploiting her for personal gains. Combining style with substance, he gave an affecting performance as a man grappling with his emotions in his passage through love, shame and salvation.
He reunited with Vijay Anand for the Jewel Thief. Jewel Thief featured Vyjayanthimala, Tanuja, Anju Mahendru, Faryal and Helen. Their next collaboration, Johnny Mera Naam (1970) was a big hit.
His direction debut, the espionage drama Prem Pujari, was a flop, but he tasted success with his 1971 directorial effort, Hare Rama Hare Krishna which talked about the prevalent hippie culture. His find Zeenat Aman, who played the mini-skirt sporting, pot-smoking Janice, became an overnight sensation. Dev also became known as a filmmaker of trenchantly topical themes. This same year, he starred with Mumtaz in Tere Mere Sapne, an adaptation of A. J. Cronin's novel, The Citadel. The film was directed by Dev's brother, Vijay.
The presence of his 'discoveries' — the Zeenat and later, the Tina Munim (heroine of Dev's last recognized hit Des Pardes in 1978) — boosted Dev's image as the evergreen star even though he was well into his fifties.
Dev Anand has also been politically active. He led a group of film personalities who stood up against the Internal Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. He actively campaigned against her with his supporters in Indian parliamentary elections in 1977. He also formed a party called the National Party of India, which he later disbanded.
Since his 1978 hit Des Pardes, his subsequent films in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s failed to do well at the box office. His most recent film appearance was in Mr Prime Minister in 2005.
Dev Anand's films are well known for their hit songs. His association with music composers Shankar-Jaikishen, O. P. Nayyar, Kalyanji-Anandji, Sachin Dev Burman and his son Rahul Dev Burman, lyricists Hasrat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Neeraj, Shailendra, Anand Bakshi, and playback singers Mohammad Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar produced some very popular songs.
In September 2007, Dev's own autobiography "Romancing with Life" was released at a birthday party with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
Awards, honours and recognitions
Filmfare Awards
1955 - Nominated Best Actor for Munimji
1958 - Winner Best Actor for Kalapani
1959 - Nominated Best Actor for Love Marriage
1960 - Nominated Best Actor for Kala Bazar
1961 - Nominated Best Actor for Hum Dono
1966 - Winner Best Film for Guide
1991 - Winner Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
National honours and recognitions
1996 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
1997 - "Mumbai Academy of Moving Images Award" for his Outstanding Services to the Indian Film Industry.
1998 - "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Ujala Anandlok Film Awards Committee in Calcutta.
1999 - Sansui "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his 'Immense Contribution to Indian Cinema' in New Delhi.
2000 - Film Goers' "Mega Movie Maestro of the Millennium" Award in Mumbai.
2001 - Padma Bhushan Award (India's third highest civilian award from the Government of India).
2001 - "Special Screen Award" for his contribution to Indian cinema.
2001 - "Evergreen Star of the Millennium" Award at the Zee Gold Bollywood Awards
2002 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence
2003 - "Lifetime Achievement Award" for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema’ at IIFA Award in Johannesburg, South Africa.
2004 - "Legend of Indian Cinema" Award at Atlantic City (United States).
2004 - "Living Legend Award" by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.
2005 - "Sony Golden Glory Award"
2006 - "ANR Award" by the Akkineni International Foundation.
2006 - "Glory of India Award" by IIAF, London.
2007 - "Punjab Ratan" (Jewel of Punjab) Award by the World Punjabi Organisation (European Division) for his outstanding contribution in the field of art and entertainment.
2008 - "Lifetime Achievement Award" by Ramya Cultural Academy in association with Vinmusiclub
2008 - "Lifetime Achievement Award" by Rotary Club of Bombay
2008 - Awarded at the IIJS Solitaire Awards
2009 - Outstanding contribution to Indian cinema at the Max Stardust Awards
2010 - "Phalke Ratna Award" by Dadasaheb Phalke Academy.
He is also a recipient of the Rashtriya Gaurav Award
International honors and recognitions
In July 2000, in New York City, he was honoured by an Award at the hands of the then First Lady of the United States of America - Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton - for his 'Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema'.
In 2000, he was awarded the Indo-American Association "Star of the Millennium" Award in the Silicon Valley, California.
Donna Ferrar, Member New York State Assembly, honoured him with a "New York State Assembly Citation" for his 'Outstanding Contribution to the Cinematic Arts Worthy of the Esteem and Gratitude of the Great State of New York' on 1 May 2001.
In 2005, he was honoured with a "Special National Film Award" by the Government of Nepal at Nepal’s first NationIndian film festival in Stockholm.
In 2008 he was guest of honour at a dinner hosted by the Provost of Highland Council in Inverness, Scotland to celebrate 10 years since he first worked in the Scottish Highlands. He spent several days in the area, en route to Cannes, as a guest of the Highlands and Islands Film Commission.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Askok Kumar
was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He broke from the theatrical style then common in Indian film towards a more naturalistic method. Given his versatility and proven brilliance over five decades, he is considered by many to be the finest ever Indian actor. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 1998 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
Family
His father Kunjalal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family and the family was based in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. His brothers Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar also acted in films. Three brothers worked together in the comedies Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi and Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi. Ashok, though the eldest of the three by quite a margin, survived them both. In fact, he stopped celebrating his birthday after the youngest brother, Kishore, died on that day in 1987. His sister, Sati Devi, was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee of the Mukherjee-Samarth family.
Early career
Reverently called Dadamoni (affectionate term for elder brother), he was born in Bhagalpur and educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta (now Presidency University, Kolkata). He started his career in Bombay (Mumbai), albeit accidentally, with the Bombay Talkies production Jeevan Naiya in 1936. The male lead, Najam-ul-Hussain, went absconding with the heroine Devika Rani the director's wife who returned later. The director and studio head, Himanshu Rai, in retaliation dismissed the hero and called upon his laboratory assistant Ashok Kumar to take the part and thus began a six-decade-long acting career. However, it was his subsequent venture with Devika Rani in Achhut Kanya in the same year that set him up for the big league. The movie itself stands out as one of the heralding social dramas of pre-independence Indian film. It was the story of a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the so called untouchables in Indian society. It was a big hit and started the trend of socially committed films.
Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar did a string of films after this including Izzat 1937, Savitri 1937 and Nirmala 1938. But she was the bigger star and Ashok Kumar was definitely in her shadow. He came into his own with three films opposite Leela Chitnis: KanGan in 1939, Bandhan in 1940, Jhoola in 1941, singing his own songs as was the custom then. He acquitted himself creditably and came away with several hits including most famously Main Ban ka Panchhi. Traditional theatrical acting style and developed his own more natural style. He was also not afraid to take risks and was one of the first anti-heroes of Indian Cinema with his role in Kismet in 1943. This movie went on to create a record for the highest grossing film in India at the time of its release.
He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including the famous Mahal in 1949 in which he co-starred with Madhubala. In the 1950s, he played the suave cigarette-smoking criminal or police officer in several films of what was the Indian film-noir movement. In the late 1960s he switched to character roles playing the parent, grandparent, dirty old man and suave criminal, being careful never to be typecast. He paired up 20 times with the queen of tragedy, and one of the best actresses ever seen in Bollywood, Meena Kumari, in films such as Parineeta, Bahu Begum, Pakeezah, Ek Hi Raasta, Bandish, Aarti and many more. He was the father of g hols golawala.
He acted in fewer films in the 1980s and 1990s and occasionally appeared on television, most famously anchoring the first Indian soap opera Hum Log and appearing as the title character in the unforgettable Bahadur Shah Zafar. His last film role was in Aankhon Mein Tum Ho in 1997.
Besides acting, he was an avid painter and a practitioner of homeopathy. He died at the age of 90 in Mumbai. Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria. He died on 10 December 2001.
Awards and recognition
- 1959 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- 1962 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Rakhi
- 1963 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), 'Gumrah'
- 1966 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Afsana
- 1969 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Aashirwaad
- 1969 - National Film Awards for Best Actor, Aashirwaad
- 1969 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), Aashirwaad
- 1988 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence
- 1994 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1998 - Padma Bhushan
- 2001 - Awadh Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
- 2007 - "Special Award" by Star Screen Awards
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