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Directed by: Amiya Chakraborty Music: Madan Mohan Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan Starring: Anoop Kumar, Daljeet, Jawahar Kaul, Ameeta, Anita Guha, Shubha Khote, Sundar, Shivraj, Praveen Paul |
Come in, sit down, converse...
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Directed by: Amiya Chakraborty Music: Madan Mohan Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan Starring: Anoop Kumar, Daljeet, Jawahar Kaul, Ameeta, Anita Guha, Shubha Khote, Sundar, Shivraj, Praveen Paul |
Writing
a biography of any eminent personality is an enormous task. To do so without
turning it into hagiography is a task that defeats most who attempt the task.
When faced with a 554-page volume that purports to be ‘The Ultimate Biography’,
one is left to wonder at the audacity of any biographer to claim that theirs
is, in fact, the ‘ultimate’ anything. However, authors Anirudha Bhattacharjee
and Parthiv Dhar, explain why they chose that title, and the explanation is
disarming.
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by Anirudha Bhattacharjee, a long-time online friend, two years ago. For various reasons, I didn’t read the book until very recently. That too, after Anirudha messaged me to find out if I’d even read it!
Kerala, where I am at present, is sweltering in unseasonal heat with temperatures soaring up to 38o C with a real feel of 40oC. While, my hometown in Northeast US is shivering at -3oC with a real feel of -9oC; wind chill not counting. Mother Nature has a crazy sense of humour.
Once I got on to the romantic bandwagon, I decided to plunge headlong into romance during the month of February. I have already posted two lists of romantic songs, both solos and duets, featuring Shammi Kapoor who, for a generation, personified romance on screen. But he was scarcely the only one. The history of Hindi films is replete with love stories; but, even if the films were not particularly focused on love, romance was still an integral part of their narratives. So, indeed, was music. And thank heavens for that!
It was the moment Shammi had been waiting for, for many years. Grabbing the opportunity, he burst onto the scene with unbridled enthusiasm. He positioned himself as the youthful rebel, whose trademark bonhomie and loose-limbed grace became his calling card. He romanced his heroines through hills and valleys, fought villains who would try to claim his beloveds and/or his inheritance, and became the aspirational hero for the new generation.
When listing songs for my post on Rafi’s love songs, I found that my initial list had so many songs picturised on Shammi Kapoor. I had to diligently weed them out to get songs featuring other heroes on the list. But they were too good to not post, so I decided to myself that I would eventually write a post on Shammi Kapoor in various romantic moods. Friend and long-time blog reader, Madhulika of Dustedoff, gave me the impetus by enthusiastically seconding the idea.
Years
ago, I’d posted a list of Dev Anand’s romantic moods. Though he did not play a
pure romantic hero in most of his films, Dev could – and did – charm many a
heroine on screen. Shammi Kapoor, however, was the quintessential romantic
hero. He chased, wooed, and charmed his heroines across the hills and valleys
of different hill stations. And in his prime, there was an animal grace and
magnetism about the man that had women swooning over him, both onscreen and
off.
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Source: Hindustan Times |
It was these programmes – Manoranjan, Aap ki Farmaaish (Fauji bhaaiyon ke liye), Bhoole Bisre Geet and Jayamala (with Sunday afternoons bringing Vishesh Jayamala) and their ilk – that introduced me to Hindi film music, and to Ameen Sayani, the late host of the long-running (nearly 51 years – with a hiatus in between – and over 2200 programmes) Binaca Geetmala. These programmes also introduced me to ‘Jhumri Thalaiyaa’ – a place whose residents seemed obsessed with Hindi film songs. At least, it appeared so. Every song I listened to seemed to have been requested by a resident of that place. (For those interested, Jhumri Thalaiyya is in present-day Jharkhand.)
Perhaps it’s nostalgia, but I’ve been thinking of writing a post on ‘radio songs’ for some time now. Typically, the context for such songs in films is that either the hero or the heroine is a singer. If it is a joyous song, it is usually to introduce the character. When the lovers separate, as lovers do in Hindi cinema, the radio becomes the means for them to get back together. Since the person listening to the song cannot see the singer on a radio, such radio songs were almost always ‘studio’ songs – the picturisation would inevitably show the singer in the studio and the listener with a radio prominently displayed. It always intrigued me how the separated lover puts the radio on at just the right moment and manages to get a clear reception with no static whatsoever.
Some time ago, I wrote a post on Hindi films that I wanted to revise. Every revision I tried for Muqaddar ka Sikandar ended with everyone but Zohra Bai dying. Blog reader Subodh was appalled that I believed in mass slaughter. In my defence, I did watch the film again. This time, with my partner-in-crime, Shalini. Read on to find out if we changed our opinions.
Warning: Do expect long comments.