Shakti Samanta

 He was a director whose film launched Rajesh Khanna and Kishore Kumar around 1969. I saw the film and was captivated. By the hero and the music. Every song is a work of genius. 

Then came Amar Prem and Kati Patang, again with Rajesh Khanna and music by RD Burman. The songs were truly Amar- Chingari koi bhadke, Kuchh to log kahenge in Amar Prem, and Pyar deewana hota hai and Ye shaam mastani, (from whose second line this blog got its name).

Before that, Shammi Kapoor starrers An Evening in Paris, and Kashmir ki Kali were also great for their songs and picturisation, as was Howrah Bridge- Mera naam Chin chin choo was my favourite from that film.

Mumtaz and Her Films

 Her early films were probably forgettable, though she started pretty early. Acted as a heroine opposite Dara Singh in a few films too, but really came into her own when she starred opposite Shammi Kapoor in Bramhachari, where she had a great song- Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche kar zabaan par. It was om everybody's zabaan, for a long time. Also, another song in that period, Zindagi ittefaq hai, opposite Dharmendra and Feroz Khan was very popular.

Ater she teamed up with Rajesh Khanna, the pair had quite a few successful outings. Like Aap ki Kasam, Roti and Do Raaste. The song Bindiya chamkegi was a huge hit. Dushman also. 

And with Dev Anand, she starred in hare Rama Hare Krishna, the film in which Zeenat Aman made her debut as the hero's sister. 

Khilona opposite Sanjeev Kumar was another great role. 

I also liked her in Apradh, made by Feroz Khan, where she had two good duets, Tum mile pyar se, and Hamaare siwa, tumhaare aur kitne deewane hain? 

From Roti, her duet Gore rang pe na itna gumaan kar, ..main shama hoon tu hai parwaana, was memorable.

Jeetendra was another hero she teamed up with successfully, in a couple of hit films. Himmat was one of them. 

The link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPAUcrwAO6o&list=PLKDYJsLRnRIP2ZTxjvbWW9FfYtsA5ZjWy&index=4 has some info about her life and times, for those interested in more.

Learning From People

 I stick to my story that you can learn the most from kids. But if I had to learn from celebs (not sure why) I would try and learn how to 

1. Spread my arms wide from Shah Rukh Khan

2. How to smile from Madhubala

3. How to sing from Kishore Kumar

4. How to remain unflappable from Dev Anand

5. How to wiggle from Shammi Kapoor

6. How to be bindhaast, from Tanuja

7. How to look handsome from Rajesh Khanna

Ok, that's a handful.. now I will come back on what I intend learning from mere mortals.. soon.

Positive People

These, by my definition, are people who spread a positive vibe, most of the time. It has little to do with their condition at the time, or their financial status, or age etc..may be, kids are a great example, because most of them will give you positive vibes.

Not so adults. Why? Maybe we are obsessed with our work or home pressures, career progression, or an unsatisfying job (assuming we work for someone). But then, you see lots of people who are generally able to smile through anything, and even laugh at themselves and life.

No idea how they do it, but these kinds of people are a joy to behold and be with. In films too, my favourites were the happy-go-lucky people (yes, I know they were acting) who exhibited a devil-may-care attitude, or a mischievous demeanour, in a nice way. Dev Anand comes to mind (his autobiography is titled Romancing with Life), and so do Shammi Kapoor and Kishore Kumar. And Madhubala in many of her roles.

Shake it up baby..

Shammi Kapoor was the Sheikh of all Shakes. If you don't believe me, take a look at this song-

Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZWcaRlhGAs

Or this, Aaja aaja main hoon pyar tera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ZrN_pizyQ

or this,..Badan pe sitare lapete hue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcths9S_bLo

Another- Kisko pyar karun, kaise pyar karun (unusual dilemma).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT1-pc3VJpI

and of course, the junglee we all love..Yahoo..chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SIE55SFylI

 

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

Mohammad Rafi for Shammi Kapoor

Mohammad Rafi was one of our greatest singers. He sang for several heroes over the years. I particularly liked the joy he brought to his Shammi Kapoor songs. Shammi had this somewhat manic energy in his movements, and Rafi's singing brought that out very well. Here is a listing of some of them.

Film Bramhachari- This is a duet which gets your feet tapping automatically. Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har zubaan par sabko malum hai aur sabko khabar ho gayi..the music adds to the charm.

Badan pe sitare lapete hue ..o jaane tamanna kidhar ja rahi ho..zara paas aao to chain aa jaye..he sings to Vyjayantimala in Prince..a memorable song.

Yahoo..chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe, kehne do ji kehta rahe..was a superb song in the film Junglee.

Film Teesri Manzil. Unforgettable songs from him like O haseena zulfonwali jaane jahan, and Aaja aaja main hoon pya tera, allah allah inkaar tera.. matching steps with Helen in the first, and Asha Parekh in the second.

Aji aisa mauka phir kahan milega..aao tumko dikhlata hoon Paris ki ek rangeen shaam dekho dekho dekho dekho dekho An Evening in Paris, was my first introduction to Paris.

Jaane wale zara hoshiar yahan ke hum hain Rajkumar from the film called Rajkumar.

Baar baar dekho hazaar baar dekho, dekhne ki cheez hai hamara dilruba..in Chinatown was another great foot-tapping energetic number.

Dil in Hindi Film Songs

Expectedly, the word Dil figures often in Hindi film songs, as the songs are about matters of the heart, more often than not. Some of my favourites-

Dil aaj shaayar hai, gham aaj naghma hai, shab yeh ghazal hai sanam..from Gambler.

Yeh dil diwana hai, dil to diwana hai, deewana dil hai yeh dil deewaana (emphasis as per spelling on the word deewana)..from an old movie that I don't remember..Ishq Par Zor Nahin?

Phoolon ke rang se, dil ki kalam se..Prem Pujari classic sung inimitably by Dev Anand on screen.

Chupke se dil dede nai te shor mach jayega from Maryada.

Dil tera deewana hai sanam,..mohabbat ki kasam, mohabbat ki kasam..old Shammi Kapoor film.

Yaad kiya dil ne kahan ho tum, a classic Hemant Kumar- Lata Mangeshkar duet from an old Dev Anand- Usha Kiron starrer Patita. Watch it here. What a melody!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YY2pZa22Io

Chand mera dil, followed by Aa dil kya, mehfil hai tere qadmom mein , and then Tum kya jano, mohabbat kya hai, dil ki mefil sanam ...in Hum Kisi se Kum Nahin, the Nasir Husain potboiler with its garish sets that set up a dance competition between Rishi Kapoor and a handsome Tariq..fabulous entertainment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5INCEEMc3MA

Dancing Dudes and Divas

Bollywood has produced many great lyricists and music composers. But it has also given us a number of good dances, in movies across decades. Some actors, actresses and dance numbers stay with you years after the movie. Here is an attempt to list some of my favourites. I am excluding Helen, because she was a legend, and would have to be in a whole post by herself.

Kalpana Iyer with Mithun, in Wardaat. And Koi yahaan naache naache in Disco Dancer.

Karisma with Govinda- What is mobile number, what is your style number? Techno-cool song.

Bindu- Mera naam hai shabnam..in Kati Patang..musicless, almost.

Simple Kapadia- Jab chhaye, mera Jaadu..in Lootmaar

Kamal Hasan and Reena Roy---ahaha..ahaha..nisha, in Sanam Teri Kasam

Disco Deewane..not a film song (originally), but swinging song, by Nazia Hasan.

Zeenat Aman in Laila main Laila, Qurbani

Rishi Kapoor- Hum Kisise Kam Nahin - the competition song, and Bachna ai haseeno

Tariq- Yaadon Ki baarat. He was fab. Lekar hum deewana dil..

Aruna Irani in Bobby- a, a, a, a, phasaa.

Raveena in Tu cheez badi hai mast mast, with Akshay and Paresh Rawal..Mohra

Raveena and Govinda in - Kisi Disco mein jaaye..was it Bade Miya Chhote Miya?

Mumtaz..Zindagi, ittefaq hai, in Admi aur Insaan

Mumtaz in Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche, with Shammi Kapoor in Brahmachari

Shammi Kapoor- aaja aaja, main hoon pyaar tera, in Teesri Manzil, with Asha Parekh

Padma Khanna- the seduction song in Johny Mera Naam- Husn ke laakhon rang, kaunsa rang dekhoge

Shilpa Shetty- Chura ke dil mera, goriya chali, in Tu Anari Main Khiladi, with Akshay Kumar

Kishore Kumar- Meri pyaari Bindu in Padosan, with a gang of comedians (and Paanch rupaiya baara aana in Chalti ka naam gaadi, with Madhubala)

Saif - Jab bhi koi ladki dekhun mera dil diwana bole ole ole..

And my favourite..Prabhu Deva in Mukkala muqabla, with Naghma, (Hindi version of movie called Humse Hai Muqabla, Telugu version called Premikudu and Tamil original was Kaathalan)

Chinatown Starring Shammi Kapoor

A large part of its story has been used later in Don, I realised after watching this classic Shakti Samanta film in Black and White. It has an ebullient Shammi Kapoor in a double role, a pretty Shakila as his love interest and the beautiful Helen in the role of his love interest in the Don Avatar. Madan Puri is the Chinese Wong, the villain from Calcutta's Chinatown.

The story is presented slightly differently, the obvious difference being the missing Pran and his two kids (difference between Chandra Barot/Bacchhan's Don and Chinatown). There are also a few very good songs, the best being Baar Baar Dekho Hazaar Baar Dekho, Ke Dekhne Ki Cheez Hai Hamara Dilruba...but another two or three good ones- Yumma yumma tu Parwana Mai Shama, Hum Se Na Poocho Hum Kahan Chale. Music is by Ravi, though it sounds a lot like O.P. Nayyar's style.

Don added a twist in that the inspector who recruits the fake Don gets killed, thereby making it tough to prove that he is not the actual Don when the cops catch him. Here, he remains till the end, and helps catch the Don's boss. Quite a treat to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Shammi Kapoor and The Art of Being Independent

Shammi Kapoor passing away at this point may have a message. He was probably the first Indian hero to do his own thing. Particularly with his body contorting in unbelievable ways, gyrating to the rhythm of an OP Nayyar or Shankar Jaikishan or RD Burman. I used to as a teenager, love his films, and one of my favorites was his song Badan Pe Sitaare Lapete Hue, from 'Prince'. There were many others, too, like the Teesri Manzil songs, or Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyaar ke charche har zabaan par, probably one of the top 5 dance numbers from Indian movies. Rocking was an appropriate term for this guy, who seemed to epitomise the art of being happy. His son says in an interview day before yesterday that he advised his family to keep laughing and singing, never mind his condition! What an attitude.

What being independent means is probably just that. Being happy, whether you are on the street or in a palace. Freedom may be the better word. Freedom from what happens. Whatever happens, you are free, and happy. There was a story called 'Man's Search for Meaning' written by a guy, Viktor Frankl, who survived Hitler's concentration camp through sheer positive thinking and little else. Don't worry, be happy. And spread happiness.