Matinee Masala

The superhit song Humko tumse ho gaya hai pyaar… from the 1977 Manmohan Desai blockbuster- Amar Akbar Anthony composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and penned by Anand Bakshi is the only instance when all four legends- Lata, Mukesh, Kishore and Rafi came together. Earlier there were many music directors who tried this combination but somehow it didn’t work out.

It was also known that Kishore Kumar due his respect towards Lata always preferred to be paid a rupee less than her.

Chameli Ki Shadi was released on 21st February 1986. This Basu Chatterji comedy, one of the surprise hits of 1986 was presented by Prakash Mehra, produced by Ramesh Ningoo & Shashil Gaur and music by Kalyanji Anandji. It starred Anil Kapoor who tasted success in Meri Jung (1985) and Amrita Singh along with Pankaj Kapoor, Amjad Khan and Om Prakash.

Chameli Ki Shadi was a light hearted comedy about a small town romance between Charandas and Chameli played by Anil and Amrita respectively who belong to different castes. Basu Chatterjee along with co-writer Sharad Joshi successfully managed to capture the spirit of western UP in the film to make the result quite hilarious.

I remember Chameli Ki Shadi for unpleasant nostalgic reasons. Although the film released on the said date but I happen to see it on 18th April 1986 when India was playing Pakistan in the finals of the Australasia Cup at Sharjah. It was Javed Miandad who hit Chetan Sharma for a six of the last ball leaving every Indian shell-shocked and disappointed. I and my friends got the video cassette of Chameli Ki Shadi to change the mood but nothing could erase the disappointment which still lingers in my memory.

But now whenever I get a chance I do watch this film as it remains one of my favorite Basu Chatterji flicks. If you like simple comedies, CKS will surely tickle your funny bone and make you enjoy every bit of it.

Ever wondered how it would be writing lyrics for a song which have only film titles? Yes, you guessed it I am talking about the song from Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981). Mere Jeevan Saathi… was composed by Laxmikant- Pyarelal, sung by SP Balasubramanium and penned by Anand Bakshi. Composing a song with lyrics of Hindi film titles is something unimaginable but the combination of Laxmikant- Pyarelal and Anand Bakshi was so creative and experimental that they achieved the impossible within no time.

The song didn’t have any connection between words but still remain connected; totally it had 64 film titles to make it a unique number by itself till date.

Mere Jeevan Saathi, Pyar Kiye Jaa, Jawani Deewani, Khubsoorat, Ziddi, Padosan, Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Jhoota Kahin ka, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 420, Aawara, Dil Hi To Hai, Aashiq Hoon Bahaaron ka, Tere Mere Sapne, Tere Ghar Ke Samne, Shaadi ke Baad, Humare Tumhare, Munna, Guddi, Tinku, Mili, Shin Shinaki Babula Boo, Khel Khel Mein, Shor, Bhool Gaye, Johny Mera Naam, Chori Mera Kaam, Ram Aur Shyam, Bundalbaaz, Ladki, Milan, Geet Gata Chal, Pyar Ka Mausam, Besharam, Ishq Ishq Ishq, Naughty Boy, Bluff Master, Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, Chalte Chalte, Mere Humsafar, Dil Tera Deewana, Deewana, Mastana, Chalia, Anjaana, Aashiq, Begaana, Loafer, Anari, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Badhti Ka Naam Daadhi, Jab Pyaar Kisi se Hota Hai, Jab Yaad Kisi ki Aati Hai, Jaaneman, Sach, Bandhan, Kangan, Chandan, Jhoola, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Cham Chama Cham, Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne, Sargam.

19th February, 1971 saw the release of Dev Anand’s Gambler. Directed and produced by Amarjeet who had earlier directed Dev Anand in Hum Dono (1961) and Teen Deviyaan (1964) respectively.

Gambler was released when Dev Anand was at his peak and whatever he touched turned gold. Fresh from the success of Johny Mera Naam (1970), Amarjeet tried giving Dev Anand a role where he got unlucky in love.

Gambler was a story about how a young boy is abandoned by his mother for being illegal and how he gambles in life to get back his lost love by eventually escaping the clutches of death. Dev had great support cast in Zaheeda who was repeated after Prem Pujari (1970) as his leading lady, Kishore Sahu, Shatrughan Sinha, Zahira and Jeevan.

Written by Kaushal Bharti, Gambler had lyrics by Neeraj and music by the Navketan regular SD Burman who composed hits like- Chudi nahin yeh mera, Dil aaj shaayar hai, Mera mann tera pyaasa…

Gambler didn’t go down well with the masses as people were expecting more from a Dev and Vijay Anand combination because Tere Mere Sapne (1971) was about to release followed by Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

Gambler will always go down as a Dev film where he had this funny moustache for the first time and for the immortal songs by Sachinda. Gambler is surely a must watch movie for Dev fans.

Listing out the ten longest duration films of Hindi cinema wasn’t a difficult task. Making a film stretching over three hours and keeping the audience glued to their seats is no mean feat. It was only Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker that had two intervals as it was the showman’s most ambitious project which unfortunately bombed. Respect to the box-office collections it has been a mixed bag for the ten lengthiest films mentioned below-

1. LOC: Kargil (2003)- 4hrs 15mins, Director- JP Dutta
2. Sangam (1963)- 3hrs 52mins, Director- Raj Kapoor
3. Mera Naam Joker (1970)- 3hrs 44mins, Director- Raj Kapoor
4. Lagaan (2001)- 3hrs 44mins, Director- Ashutosh Gowarikar
5. Salaam-E- Ishq (2007)- 3hrs 36mins, Director- Nikhil Advani
6. Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001)- 3hrs 30mins, Director- Karan Johar
7. Swades (2004)- 3hrs 30mins, Director- Ashutosh Gowarikar
8. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005)- 3hrs 28mins, Director- Shyam Benegal
9. Waqt (1965)- 3hrs 26mins, Director- Yash Chopra
10.Hum Aapke Hai Kaun (1994)- 3hrs 26mins, Director- Sooraj Barjatya

It was 16 February 1990 when Agneepath was released. I can’t forget that day as I and my brother got tickets to attend the premier of this Amitabh Bachchan flick at Nandan, Kolkatta. The premier was followed by dinner, but who cares about all that, all we wanted was to look at the Big B in flesh and blood and get a snap with him.

We somehow squeezed thru the maddening crowd outside the theatre to occupy our respective seats before the show could start. Soon we got to see someone announcing the star cast of Agneepath on stage. In came Mukul Anand with Yash Johar followed by Tinnu Anand, Archana Puransingh, Madhavi and Mithun Chakraborty. As we were waiting with baited breath for our favorite, his name was announced- ‘ladies and gentlemen please welcome Mr. Amitabh Bachchan…’, the crowd went berserk, my brother got as close as possible to the Big B who walked in with Jaya Bachchan, to click a few snaps.

We were yet to come to terms with what we saw was real as the movie started to unfold on the silver screen. Agneepath saw Amitabh Bachchan playing a don with a huskier voice which I was told was the undoing of the film. But nevertheless an Amitabh film was an Amitabh film and Agneepath happen to be the most eagerly awaited film of 1990. Produced by Yash Johar, directed by Mukul Anand and music was by Laxmikant Pyarelal. Agneepath got Amitabh his first National Award that year.

Inspired by Al Pacino’s Scarface, Agneepath had one of the biggest openings of all time at the booking counters. The audience couldn’t accept Amitabh’s heavy voice which was later replaced with the original after a few weeks.

All I still have with me are the autographs of the starcast of Agneepath and a few snaps taken during the premier of the film which I still show to my friends. Agneepath will always remain special and perhaps my best Amitabh film for all times to come. Have a look at it again to believe me.

Besides being a lyricist Anand Bakshi also acted in a film called Picnic in 1966 which had Manoj Kumar and Kalpana in lead roles. Anand Bakshi came to Bombay in the late 50’s to become a playback singer but as fate would have it he got a chance as a lyricist in Bhala Aadmi from where he never looked back. But he did some playback singing in Mohan Kumar’s Mome Ki Gudiya (1972) where he sang Baaghon mein bahaar aayee, the qawwali which was never picturised in Sholay (1975), Mahachor (1976), Charas (1976), Vidhaata (1982) and Jaan (1996).

Patience Cooper was the first Indian film actress to have graced the silver screen. Born in 1905 in an Anglo-Indian family in Calcutta, she became the lone actress to act in the silent as well as talkie era.

Cooper started her acting career as a dancer who later joined Jamsetji Framji Madan’s theatre group as an actress. Theatre led to her getting a break in the film Vishnuavtar in 1921. She was often seen enacting roles of a sexually troubled but innocent woman, always at the centre of moral dilemmas, often caused by the men in her lives. Cooper was the first Indian actress to play double roles in films, like Patni Pratap (1923) and Kashmiri Sundari (1924).

Her distinct Anglo-Indian appearance was a major aspect of her star image. Her dark, sharp eyes and skin tone allowed technicians to experiment with the imported convention of eye-level lighting in a string of successful films like - Nala Damayanti (1920), Ratnavali (1922) and Noorjehan (1923).

Cooper went on to act in over 40 films, until she retired in 1944 after acting in her last film, Iraada (1944). She died an unknown death in 1983.

Patience Cooper’s Memorable Films

Nala Damayanti (1920), Pati Bhakti (1922), Noorjehan (1923), Patni Pratap (1923), Kashmiri Sundari (1924), Kapal Kundala (1929), Zehari Saap (1933), Madhur Murli (1933), Nakli Doctor (1933), Kanya Vikraya (1934), Khyber Pass (1934), Asmat Ka Moti (1935), Noor-e-Wahadat (1936), Fakhre Islam (1937), Rani (1943), Iraada (1944).

Many might have not heard of the name Kanan Devi, who enthralled listeners with her voice in the 30’s and 40’s. She was one of the early singing stars who was instrumental in giving some of the biggest hits of Indian cinema.

Born by the name of Kananbala in Howrah, Bengal 1916, she belonged to a poor family where she lost her father at an early age. She and her mother worked hard for a living but as luck would have it Kanan Devi got her first break as a child artist in Joydev (1926) at the age of ten.

After a few years she happened to get work as a singer at Megaphone Gramaphone Co. where she got trained under Bhishmadev Chatterjee and learnt Rabindra Sangeet. She missed out on working in P.C. Barua’s Devdas (1935) as Paro but eventually played the lead in his Mukti (1937).

Mukti (1937) turned out to be the turning point of her career in which she gave perhaps her finest performance, making her the studio’s top star. The films of New Theatres established her as a superhit singer. It was her association with K.C. Dey whom people enjoyed the most. Kanan Devi remained the top star of New Theatres till she resigned in 1941 and began to freelance in Bengali and Hindi films. M.P. Productions’ Jawaab, saw perhaps her biggest hit. Her song Yeh Duniya Hai Toofan Mai… rocked the entire nation that year. She repeated the same feast in Hospital (1943), Banphool (1945), and Rajlakshmi (1946).

Kanan Devi turned producer with Shrimati Pictures in 1949 and later launched the Sabyasachi Collective with the film Ananya (1949). Her own productions were mainly based on the stories of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Kanan Devi worked as the president of Mahila Shilpi Mahal, an organization that helps aged and needy female artistes of the yesteryears and for the upliftment of Bengali cinema. Kanan Devi, the first lady of the Bengali screen was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her contribution to Indian cinema, in 1976. She passed away on July 17, 1992 in Calcutta at the age of 76 years.

Kanan Devi’s Memorable Films

Manmoyee’s Girlschool (1935), Mukti (1937), Vidyapati (1937), Street Singer (1938), Jawaani ki Reet (1939), Lagan (1941), Jawab (1942), Hospital (1943), Chandrasekhar (1948), Ananya (1949), Mejdidi (1950)

The all time hit pair of Amitabh- Shashi delivered yet another hit with Do aur Do Paanch. Released on 14th February 1980, Do aur Do Paanch was a hilarious entertainer directed by the Amitabh loyalist Rakesh Kumar who was riding high after the success of Mr. Natwarlal (1979). Do aur Do Paanch consolidated the successful chemistry of the Amitabh-Shashi combo at the box-office.

Do aur Do Paanch was a simple story of a billionaire’s son who studies in a boarding school and some crooks plan to kidnap the kid in order to demand ransom from the kid’s father.

Some scenes are hilarious as Amitabh and Shashi are always trying to outdo each other. The remaining cast included Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, Sreeram Lagu, Sajjan and Kader Khan. Written by Gyandev Agnihotri, Sachin Bhowmick and Kader Khan, produced by Devar Films and music by Rajesh Roshan. The songs that became popular were Tune abhi dekha nahin, Yeh zulfon ki, Meri zindagi ne…etc.

Do aur Do Paanch is a must watch for all Amitabh and Shashi fans.