Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai

 What's it about the titles of films? There was a producer-director who insisted on starting his titles with an A. No, he did not direct Awara, but many other films later- Aap ki Kasam was one I think, Aasha another, and several others.

Rakesh Roshan liked K better, so he made Koyla, Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Krrish, and so on.

Then there was another K fan who was also a Dharmendra fan, and made Khel Khiladi Ka, and so on. I think his name was Arjun Hingorani. Rekha sang Maine Ais to nahi kaha tha, to Dharmendra's Rafta Rafta where they are hanging on a JCB a few hundred metres from earth.

Not sure if there were any fans of B, C, D or E. But B.R. Chopra seemed to like one word titles- Hamraaz and Gumraah being examples. Both also had Ravi as their music director, and great songs by Mahendra Kapoor. Neele gagan ke tale and Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaayen hum are my favourites. He also made Dhund, and Ittefaq, and Kanoon, I think.

Mahendra Kapoor- the Unsung Hero of Singing

In the era that was dominated by Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Lata and Asha (still termed the Golden Era of Hindi film music by many), there were a few other singers who were pretty good. One such was Mahendra Kapoor. Though he may not have had the range of Kishore and Rafi, he had a few great songs, which I am a fan of.

I think one of his best was from Gumraah- Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaayen hum..beautiful lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi and great music by Ravi added to the overall effect. Check it out here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzbO1mjFPOM

Another song from Hamraaz had the same effect, and was a big hit- Neele gagan ke tale, dharti ka pyar pale- it has a tranquil quality that is rare in love songs. It was well-picturised too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoityCJ22hs

Lakhon hain yahaan dilwale, aur pyaar nahin milta, from Kismet, filmed on Biswajeet, is another favourite of mine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrqMT9rbyUI

Some of his duets with Asha Bhosle were big hits too. One was this Mumtaz-Dharmendra song from Aadmi aur Insaan- Zindagi ittefaq hai, kal bhi ittefaq thi, aaj bhi ittefaq hai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsl8QOj2tHA

My Name is Anthony Gonsalves

No, of course, it isn't. I am simple trying to recall some songs which made an impact when I first saw them on screen. Some like this one, were fun, with Amitabh emerging out of an Egg..egdum jhakaas. Some others-

O manchali, kahaan chali..the music, and the masti in the picturisation caught my attention.

Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zabaan par and from another movie, Badan pe sitare lapete hue..Shammi Kappor's unique dance style.

Hum kaale hain to kya hua dilwale hain..unique lyrics, and Mehmood. Aa ri aaja, nindiya tu lekar kahin udankhatole mein..is a moving lullaby also sung on screen by Mehmood.

Ek chatur naar karke singaar,..by Mehmood and Sunil Dutt on screen.

Zindagi ittefaq hai, kal bhi ittefaq thi, aaj bhi ittefaq hai..Mumtaz does a great job of bringing Asha Bhosle's singing to life on screen.

Mehbooba, mehbooba,..Helen sets the screen on fire. This was popular even before the film released.

Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaayein hum dono- the power of lyrics (by Sahir Ludhianvi) to mesmerise..Mahendra Kapoor's silken voice..

Remembering Mahabharat- by BR Chopra

The TV series made a great impression on me when I first saw it. Its beauty (to me) lies in the fact that it shows a realistic world fuelled by desire for power, crooked uncles (Shakuni is a great character, played effortlessly by Gufi Paintal), casteism, idealism (Bhishma) gone wrong, the good, the bad and the in-between, indecisiveness, a mother's power over sons (in asking them to share a wife), and so much more.

I particularly liked the way Krishna was portrayed by Nitish Bharadwaj- I still remember the smiling visage, as a friend of the Pandavas, and his exasperation at some of their oaths. He asks them to think before they utter some of the more consequential ones, at one point.

Mahendra Kapoor's soulful song which rounded off each episode also was memorable. Draupadi played by Roopa Ganguly was also a powerful character. Mukesh Khanna had a role of a lifetime, and so did many of the Pandavas, and Duryodhana and Karna. Later, I read Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, which tells the story from Draupadi's point of view. That was great too.

Music to My Ears

Here are some people who are music to my ears, no matter when I hear their creations or voices-

Kishore Kumar Khandwewale (he was from Khandwa), who has magic in his voice. A sure cure for the blues is any song from Padosan or Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi starring him. Or in his voice from countless films. I used to like his yodelling a lot when growing up, but now I like any mood that he chooses to bring alive. Even his sombre songs are strangely uplifting!

SD Burman- I deliberately put him ahead of his peers and his son, because he was as original as anyone I heard composing tunes in Hindi films. In fact, many songs that I originally thought were tuned by RD Burman are in fact his creations-youthful, zesty, and a great combo of folk music plus creative use of instruments. Jewel Thief was a masterpiece, along with Teen Deviyan, Aradhana, ...

Rajesh Roshan- very soft tunes, always touching your heart-strings. Many of his songs as composer feature on my list of favourites- from the lilting Chhookar mere man ko kiya tune kya ishara (Yaarana), to the boisterous (by his standards) Tu pee aur jee (Des Pardes), to the lusty Jab chhaye mera jadu (Lootmaar).His Julie tunes were also outstanding.

Mahendra Kapoor- Some of my top favourites are sung by him. For instance, Lakhon hain yahan dilwale (Kismat), Tum agar sath dene ka wada karo (Humraaz), and Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jaaye hum dono (Gumraah).

RD Burman- His body of work brings out a positive feeling anytime you listen to it. For instance, any song from Teesri Manzil, Yadon Ki Barat, Kati Patang, Mere Jeevan Sathi, Jawani Diwani, Ghar, Amar Prem, Aandhi, Parichay, Namak Haram, and so on. He formed a great team with Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle (Dum Maro Dum still gives me goosebumps after so may years!)