Showing posts with label BHagwan dada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BHagwan dada. Show all posts

Bhagwan Dada- A Most Unlikely Hero

 Not sure I know his full name. He was simply known as Bhagwan Dada. The only film of his that I remember is Albela. More so, the music in this film, by C. Ramchandra. There is a string of great songs, with Shola jo bhadke, dil mera dhadke being an example.

But this is more about him. In an era where heroes were fair, tall, and well built, he was none of these. Portly would describe him as well as a few other adjectives. But he carried himself with such confidence, that you forgot about your expectations of what a 'her' ought to look like. His dance steps were iconic, and copied later by big actors. His chemistry with Geeta Bali, his heroine in Albela, added another dimension to the enjoyment. 




Dadas of Indian Films- Bhagwan and Dada Kondke

 No, these are not mafia dons, nor are they the 'big brothers' of Bengal. They were two icons of films - Bhagwan Dada found fame in Hindi films, and Dada Kondke, in Marathi films. 

Both made superhit films and starred in them as heroes-unlikely ones. Not tall, fair or handsome as tradition required heroes to be then..think Dharmendra, or Dilip Kumar. Bhagwan Dada was actually portly, or rotund, and not what you would call handsome in the conventional sense. But he had a charm, and dancing technique and expressions that would put most actors/actresses to shame. He was and is a delight to watch, and it's tough to take your eyes off him in any of the songs from Albela- Geeta Bali (his heroine) adds to the charm in this case. Amitabh is said to have copied some of his dance steps, with success.

Dada Kondke holds the record, I believe, for nine silver jubilee films in a row. In Marathi. Pandu Havaldar onwards, he made a string of superhits, the envy of any film-maker. And starred in the, mostly wearing half-pants and looking like the Village Idiot. He revelled in double entendre, or double-meaning dialogue, and the audiences lapped them up. His songs were also on the same lines, as were the titles of many films. He forayed into Hindi films with Andheri Raat Mein, Diya Tere Haath mein, I think. That gives you the idea.

C Ramchandra AKA Chitalkar

This was a unique music director because he was also a singer. He was a big hit in the era of black and white Hindi films, and used a lot of rhythm, and a blend of Western and Indian styles. Many of his songs were superhits of his time, and aficianados like them even today. Check out some of these-

1. Mere piya gaye Rangoon, wahan se kiya hai telephoon. This is sung over a telephone, and is conversational in style. Bhagwan Dada is the male actor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbErQRZZNKY

2. Aana meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday. Fun lyrics and acting, and he's a singer too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQT_HmOUdRc

3. Shola jo bhadke dil mera dhadke..beautiful rhythm, and the female actress is the lively Geeta Bali, teaming up with Bhagwan Dada. The costume is inspired Hawaiian. This film Albela had many hit songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPBp45fKado

4. Gore gore o banke chhore kabhi meri gali aaya karo. Western, foot-tapping beats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co42dt6HY8Q

Hindi Film Dance Numbers

Choreography in Hindi films is very different from that in Western films, where different dance forms are used. We have dances steeped in our tradition, including classical, but also other forms adapted for Bollywood. Western forms have also been used by many music composers, with good results. Here is a list of some of my favourite dance numbers from Bollywood, starting with one of the latest.

  1. From Bajirao Mastani, the high-energy dance by Ranveer playing Bajirao..Malhari.
  2. Muqabla, muqabla,..Laila..from Humse Hai Muqabla, which I saw in its Telugu version titled Premikudu. AR Rehman's music is awesome, so is the dancing by Prabhu Deva.
  3. O haseena zulfonwali..from Teesri Manzil. Shammi Kapoor, Helen and RD Burman.
  4. Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zabaan par..again, Shammi, with Mumtaz this time. Bramhachari was the film.
  5. Rishi Kapoor in Bachna aye haseeno lo main aagaya..in Hum Kisise Kam Nahin.
  6. Lekar hum deewana dil, from Yadon ki Baraat..Tariq and Neetu Singh.
  7. She is very pretty, from the film Priya. Tanuja with Jalal Agha.
  8. Main sitaron ka tarana , from Chalti ka Naam Gaadi. Madhubala and Kishore Kumar
  9. Hum the woh thi aur samaa rangeen samajh gaye na..from Chalti ka Naam gaadi..Kishore Kumar with Mohan Choti and Anoop Kumar.
  10. Jaane-jaan, ..nisha from sanam Teri Kasam, with Kamalahasan and Reena Roy.
  11. Mauja hi Mauja from Jab We Met..Shahid and Kareena Kapoor.
  12. Jaan pehchaan ho, jeena  aasaan ho..from Gumnaam.
  13. Hum kale hain to kya hua dilwale hain.. Mehmood and Helen, again in Gumnaam.
  14. Mera naam chin-chin choo..from Howrah Bridge.
  15. Ek pal ka jeena from Kaho na Pya Hai..Hrithik Roshan, Lucky Ali's voice.
  16. Duniya haseenon ka mela..from Gupt, with Bobby Deol.
  17. Jeena bhi kya hai jeena..Mithun with Salma Agha, one of his best dance numbers..in Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki.
  18. Tu mujhe jaan se bhi pyara hai..from Wardaat, Mithun and Kalpana Iyer.
  19. Mast baharon ka main aashiq main jo chahe yaar karoon..Jeetendra in Farz.,,and 
  20. One of my all time favourites, Shola jo bhadke dil mera dhadke with an endearing pair- Geeta Bali and Bhagwan dada...here is the link if you haven't seen this cute number. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkXVfGi7QVg

Amazing Songs - C Ramchandra

There are quite a few amazing songs and artists from the years gone by. One is C. Ramchandra, also known as Chitalker, when he sang. Otherwise, a music director. A quick intro. Statutory warning- You may break out into a dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wAzFY7mQMU

Look at this live version of a classic Shola jo bhadke dil mera dhadke..with a lovely Kavita Krishnamurthy accompanying C. Ramchandra himself.

Then, see the movie version below with Bhagwan dada and Geeta Bali. Albela is the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9WA9e47kbQ

Another classic from C. Ramchandra, namely, Eena Meena Deeka by Kishore Kumar from the movie Asha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxJH9kXo_3o

To top it all, another foot-tapping one sung by Lata and Amirbai Karnataki, Gore gore, o banke chhore,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co42dt6HY8Q

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