Stars and Songs

This post is dedicated to Raja Swaminathan and Archana Sapkota. These are some of the actresses dear to their hearts.  I have often teased them that the girls on this list are too 'nice'. All of them, except Mumtaz who had loads of pizzaz.

The list is in order of the 'seniority' of the actress.  The song chosen by me is the one that I particularly like featuring the actress.  Do check out the songs if you want the best of the Stars to be showcased in a song.

A special thank you to Pamir Harvey for preparing this lovely poster for me.

1. Madhubala:
Career duration: (1942-1964)
Debut film as heroine: Neel Kamal
Song: Mohe Panghat pe Nandlal Chhed gayo re.

An American friend of mine once said, "Madhubala is the most beautiful woman that God put on earth" More than fifty years have passed since her last film in 1964, yet Madhubala lives on the hearts of people.  Posters of her are still being sold.  Most people agree that Mughal-e-Azam is the grandest Hindi film ever made.  She was beautiful and talented as well. Of her performance in Mughal-e-Azam, Dr. Philip Lutgendorf says "Anarkali ...whose incandescent portrayal by Madhubala upstages both of the bombastic male leads."

When I saw Madhubala perform in 'Mohe panghat pe Nandlal chhed gayo re', my jaw dropped to the ground at the sight her her beauty.

2. Shakila
Career Duration: (1949-1963)
Debut film: Duniya
Song: Baar Baar Dekho

Shakila of the impish face and dark eyes is best known for films like CID, Aar Paar, China Town and Ustadon ke Ustad.  The 50's and 60's were such a golden period for good music, that the songs of the era have become immortal.  With them, they bring us a visual of beautiful actors who sang them onscreen.  Most of Shakila's films had beautiful songs, but for me this great club song from China Town is special.  Shakila charms the dashing crooner, Shammi Kapoor, into serenading her with this catchy number.

3. Nutan
Career Duration: (1950-1994)
Debut film: Hamari Beti
Song: Kali Ghata Chhaye

When Gautam Rajadhyaksha (the famous photographer) was asked to name a face that was perfectly photogenic, he chose Nutan.  He said she looked perfect from every angle.  Her career spans more than 40 years as she segued effortlessly from a leading actress to playing roles of a mother. In 1988 Nutan acted in Muzrim Hazir, a TV series on Doordarshan based on Bimal Mitra's novel Asami Hazir.

Nutan has worked in many landmark films. Bandini and Sujata spring to the mind immediately. The song, Kaali ghata chhaye is from Sujata and brings out Nutan's effervescence, her beauty, her lovely eyes perfectly.

4. Bina Rai
Career Duration: (1951-1968)
Debut film: Kali Ghata
Song: Yeh zindagi usi ki hai

Bina Rai was a celebrated beauty. She was moon-faced with bright eyes. Her best known movies are Anarkali, Taj Mahal and Ghunghat. Anarkali was not produced on a grand scale like the later Mughal-e-Azam, but it captured the imagination of the viewers.  The musical score by C.Ramchandra has kept the movie alive in the hearts of music lovers. Anarkali's lament "Yeh zindagi usi ki hai jo kisi ka ho gaya" is irrevocably linked to Bina Rai.

In Taj Mahal she plays Mumtaz Mahal and made it easy for us see why a pining Shah Jahan built Taj Mahal for her.

5. Ameeta
Career Duration (1954-1971)
Debut film: Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Song: Tere Sur aur mere geet

Ameeta personifies cuteness. She has a sweet round face, bright eyes and a pouty mouth that makes her look childlike and innocent. After a few forgettable films, she starred in Tumsa Nahi Dekha alongside Shammi Kapoor.  This movie was a turning point for Shammi Kapoor, catapulting him into boundless fame.  She worked in several films, but was never very successful. Munimji, Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Ham Sab Chor Hain, Ham Sab Ustaad Hain, Mere Mehboob were some of the movies which are still being watched.

In Goonj Uthi Shehnai she played a simple village girl who goes into a trance,Radha-like, when Rajendra Kumar plays his Shehnai.  Their love for each other perseveres though all odds. The song, Tere Sur Aur Mere Geet, was very popular in its time.  The Shehnai was played by none other than Ustaad Bismillah Khan.  It brings out playful innocence of Ameeta, I feel.

5. Waheeda Rehman
Career Duration (1955 -  )
Debut Film (Hindi): CID
Song: Jaane kya tune kahi

This ageless beauty has seen decades whizz past her without any seeming effect on her face.  She appears in movies, on television, looking stately with her white hair still set in a widow's peak.  As far as I know she has not hung up her shoes yet.

Guru Dutt discovered her on a visit to Hyderbad and brought her to Mumbai to work in CID in a supporting role. Her next film was Pyaasa where she shared credits with Mala Sinha. Then we had the deeply emotional Kagaaz Ke Phool, Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam, Ray's Abhijaan, Guide, Mujhe Jeene Do, Reshma aur Shera. One fabulous movie on top of the other.  I have not even counted all the fun and romantic movies she did like Kala Bazaar, Ek Phool Char Kaante, Chaudvin ka Chand.

In Pyaasa she is introduced to the screen with this song. As a prostitute Gulabo, Waheeda is out looking to entice a man, but unknowingly traps the man who has written the song she is singing.

6. Sadhana
Career Duration (1960-1977)
Debut film as heroine: Love in Simla
Song: Gal gulabi kiske hain.

Slim as a reed with a face like an angel, Sadhana had a bombastic debut. Right after the superhit Love in Simla came Parakh, Ham Dono, Prem Patra, Asli Naqli, Mere Mehboob.  It was like her career went from one high to another.

Love in Simla was a very enjoyable romantic comedy.  Sonia is a dumpy looking teenager in glasses who falls for her sister's boyfriend.  She gets a makeover at the hands of her grandmother and makes a grand entrance into the club where the boyfriend, Joy Mukherjee is instantly smitten and dances to this fun song with her - Gal gulabi kiske hain.  One look at the song will make you fall instantly in love with Sadhana.

7. Tanuja
Career Duration (1961-   )
Debut film as heroine: Hamari Yaad Aayegi
Song: Koi keh de zamane se jaake
Tanuja came from the renowned Samarth family and was the younger sister of Nutan.  Cute, perky and bubbly are the words that describe her best.  She has enjoyed a long career.  She may not have reached the heights that her sister did, but then there were very few actresses who could match up to Nutan. Tanuja had her own niche during her heydays and has been working steadily.

In this song, Koi keh de zamane se jaake, you can see Tanuja's playfulness.

8. Mumtaz
Career Duration (1961-1990)
Debut film as heroine: Faulad
Song 1: Tune jo samjha hai mujhko
Song 2: Zindagi Ittefaq hai
With her cute eyes and a little nose, Mumtaz had a perfect face for a chocolate box.  One of the cutest actresses to grace our films, she lit up the screen every time she appeared on it.  She was a wonderful dancer, mostly party or club dancing, nothing classical like Waheeda.  She had to work in many many B or even C grade movies before inching her way upwards to reach the top.  She started early in bit roles and worked in several Dara Singh films as a heroine.  After 7 years, she was cast alongside Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam as the second lead after Waheeda Rehman. She worked in several movies as the second lead or a supporting role.  Do Raste catapulted her into the big league.  It was a huge hit and after that there was no stopping her.

I have chosen two songs for Mumtaz.  I love Tune jo samjha hai mujhko from Boxer. Mumtaz dons a frilly dress and top boots and dances with abandon.

At one point in the song 'Zindagi Ittefaq hai' Mumtaz kicks off her shoes and dances while Dharmendra and Feroze Khan watch a little dazedly.  Mumtaz never lost her cool, you feel as you watch this song.  You have to admire her chutzpah as she dances and later responds so beautifully to Dharmendra's singing.

9. Leena Chandavarkar
Career Duration (1970 - 1985)
Debut film: Man ka Meet
Song: Is zamane me, is mohabbat ne
Leena has to be, after Mumtaz, the cutest actress to hit the Hindi film scene. She debuted in Man ka Meet and had three more releases in 1970. At the end of it, she was one of the top heroines and worked with all the major actors of her time.  Her career was short, but bright.

Mehboob Ki Mehendi was a muslim social, almost the last of its kind.  She was paired with the hottest actor of the time, Rajesh Khanna.  They make a lovely pair, Rajesh looked great in Achkans and was able to declaim Urdu very well.  Likewise Leena looks gorgeous in Shararas and fit her role as a damsel in distress to a T.  She looks lovely in this song, Is Zamane me, is mohabbat ne. It is easy to see why she shot right to the top.

10. Jaya Bachhan
Career Duration (1971 -    )
Debut film in Hindi: Guddi
Song: Gagan pe do taare takraye
Jaya Bhaduri debuted with no less than Satyajit Ray in Mahanagar.  She was the brightest star in FIIT, Pune.  She was all about talent.  She had a lovely face and refused to ever go glamourous. As a result, she was cast in Hrishikesh Mukherjee films, or was given a substantial role in mainstream films. She still works in films.

The song Gagan pe do taare takraye is from one of her early films, Shor.  She plays a young girl who is attracted to Manoj Kumar.  This is a song she sings after she overhears a plan to get her married to him.

11. Moushami Chatterji
Career Duration (1972 -    )
Debut film in Hindi: Anurag
Song: Mere Bachpan tu jaa
Moushmi had a fantastic debut in Bengali film Balika Badhu as a child bride who gradually learns what it is to be married. She was so successful that crossing over to Hindi was a cakewalk for her. She was beautiful and talented and was counted amongst the top actresses of her time.

Kachhe Dhage was an early film that Moushami starred it.  In the film, she catches the fancy of two rival dacoits who are smitten by her innocence and charm. In this song, she is seen as a young village girl on the brink of adulthood.

12. Vidya Sinha
Career Duration (1974-2011)
Debut film: Rajnigandha.
Song: Rajnigandha phool tumhare
Vidya Sinha was another girl-next-door type of an actress who escaped the Glamour Brigade like Jaya Bhaduri.  She starred mostly in small (but very effective) films by Basu Chatterjee, with whom she debuted in Rajnigandha.

The song is taken from Rajnigandha which she sings while she thinks about her boyfriend, Amol. He usually brings her a bunch of Rajnigandha flowers.  It is a beautiful song full of longing for love.

13. Swaroop Sampat
Career Duration (1989 -   )
Debut film: Doosra Kanoon
Song: Tumhari palkon ki chilmano me
Swaroop Sampat came to films after winning the Miss India crown - like Zeenat Aman before her. She was gorgeous and talented but did not work in many good films. Her best known films were Nakhuda and Naram Garam.  She became the small screen sweetheart of India with her immensely popular role in TV series "Yeh jo hai Zindagi".

I love this song a lot. It is written by Nida Fazli and set to music by Khayyan. Raj Kiran and Swaroop are like cherry on top of  the cake in this lovely song.

Here is a playlist of all the songs listed in this post.

Silsila 1981

I saw Yash Chopra's Silsila again last night. I saw the movie when it came to theatres in the early 80s years ago. It was interesting to see the movie again without the Rekha-Amitabh-Jaya hype that had dogged the movie then. At the time it was touted as a movie based loosely on the lives of these three actors.

Despite the hype, the movie did not do well. Rightly, I thought, as I watched the movie again last night. The movie was a bit dull and slow in pace. The theme was interesting very unlike most Hindi movies. While most movies (certainly during the 80s), stuck to tried and tested formulas, this movie a good look at adult relationships.

The movie starts with a lovely song 'Sar se sarke sar ki chunariya'. To me, it looks like the Punjabi festival of Teej is being celebrated in this song. During Teej, girls and young brides dress up to the nines, gets mehendi done and sing and dance amidst Jhoola's. We see Shekhar (Shashi Kapoor) and Shobha (Jaya Bhaduri) romancing together. They are a young couple in love. Shekhar is an Air Force Officer, and Shobha is a school teacher.

Shekhar's brother, Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) also lands up and the three have a great time together partying.

Later, Amit attends a Sikh friend's wedding and runs into the beautiful and feisty Chandni (Rekha) at Sangeet. Sparks fly between them and they sing a lovely number together "Pehli pehli baar dekha aisa jalwa". Amit woos Chandni and there is love and happiness all around. The brothers are set marry lovely women and lead a happy life together.

Right then, tragedy strikes and Shekhar dies. Shobha is distraught. She is pregnant with Shekhar's child and does not know what to do. Amit marries Jaya in a bid to protect the child of his brother. Chandni, ditched royally by Amit, marries Anand (Sanjeev Kumar).

A chance meeting with Chandni reignites Amit's feelings for her. He pursues Chandni and explains the reasons for his sudden marriage. Chandni softens towards him they are pulled together by their impulses and seek every opportunity to get close.

It is at this time that the story gets a bit slow, lingering on their clandestine meetings. It does give rise to an amazingly beautiful song "Yeh kahan aa gayeham", which is interspersed with some lovely poetry recited by Amitabh. A little more passion and emotion at this stage onwards would have helped.

The movie is acted out very well. Jaya was simply superb as a wife who has to stand on the sidelines and watch her husband flirt with another woman. Sanjeev Kumar was topnotch as the husband who has to watch his wife slipping away from him. Rekha puts in a powerhouse performance as a woman torn between her husband and her lover. She brings oodles of glamour to her role. She is beautiful, and she knows how to seduce the camera to bring out the maximum effect of her personality. It is hard to fault Amitabh in acting. I did think he looked a wee puffy here. 

I do think the women steal the show in this movie. Both Jaya and Rekha essay their complex roles with ease. Sanjeev is a scene grabber, but his role was quite slim. If only the movie did not have such an episodic feel to it. If only there was more cohesion and drama to it.

What comes up is a spoiler. The movie is an old one and there is hardly an aficionado of the movies of this kind who has not seen the film yet. But in case you do not want a spoiler, do not read on.

I liked the fact that the aspects of adultery were well depicted here. The adulterous couple, Amit and Chandni have to wrestle with the internal and external problems. They are forever afraid of bumping into someone they know. Also, they have to wrestle with their sense of right and wrong. However, once their impulses get the better of them, they decide to take off.

Amit tells Shobha about his love for Chandni and tells Shobha he is leaving her. Chandni does not confront Anand directly, but he implies that he knows her heart is engaged elsewhere. As he leaves for a conference in Bombay, he says he hopes he will find her home when he returns.

Amit's friends are generally un-supportive of his move and tell him so in no uncertain terms. Chandni and Amit go to the anniversary celebrations of his Sikh friend. At the paath, they find they have to sit apart because they are not married. While doing the aarti, Amit is reminded of the holy vows he took with his wife. This ignites a different emotion in him.

Just then, Shobha calls to say that Anand has been in an accident. When Amit tells Chandni about the accident, she is reminded of her ties with her husband and is eager to get back to him.

Thus their little post-marital obsession with each other ends. The sudden melodrama of the burning planes and helicopter rides at the fag end rankles. It does not fit in with the slow pace of emotional journey that the characters are going through till now.

Spoiler ends

The adultery was more in the mind. Although in the song "Yeh kahan aa gaye ham" Amit does fantasise about a complete relationship with his beloved, they just seem to be going around spending time with each other. Nothing wrong with it. If a person is emotionally pulled towards another person, it is adultery as well, one does not need physical relations to break one's vows. Amit and Chandani feel they are in love with each other and not with their spouses. That is a good reason enough to break their marriages.

I find myself curiously engaged by this movie. It is too slow paced, I feel. Yet I am charmed by the theme of love and how it transcends other ties at times.

The music is very classy. The songs are beautifully written by Javed Akhtar and the lovely score composed by Shiv Hari. They are very well filmed as well. Amitabh's version of Neela Aasmaan was not particularly appealing. The tulips of Amsterdam are well utilised in "Dekha ek khawab to". Ever since yesterday's viewing, I am really taken by "Yeh kahan aagaye ham". It is such a lovely song. "Jo tum todo piya" is very beautiful too, and Jaya emotes it very well. There is no need to say anything more about "Rang Barse", which has turned into a Holi staple now.This song was written by Harivansh Rai Bachchan.   "Pehli pehli baar" is a another song that will never die away. "Sar se sarke" is a song steeped in Punjabiyat that Chopra was so fond of flaunting in his movies. So are the paath's that are put in thanks to the Sikh wedding and anniversary celebrations.

Last word, though it does not quite make the cut as a must watch romantic drama, it is an above average more than a decent watch.

Bawarchi -

“Squabbling Sharma family has a dubious reputation of not having any cook last there for more than a few months. Word spreads out about this family to such an extent that no person wants to be employed as a cook in this household, ironically named Shanti Nivas. Then one day a young man named Raghu offers to work as a cook, and he is hired. Raghu quickly gets a grip on his job and on each of the family members, and soon the squabbles and arguments come to an end. And then the Sharmas find the family jewels and Raghu missing. Written by rAjOo (gunwanti@hotmail.com)   “ www.imdb.com


This is how the plot of the 1972 film Bawarchi is described on IMDB.  


The recent death of Rajesh Khanna has people talking about many of his films, Aradhana, Namak Haram, Anand, Do Raste and many others.  Everyone wanted to point out how well he managed his emotional and romantic scenes, how well he performed while ‘singing’ songs on screen, how great his dialogue delivery was.  All course, these are all the superlative qualities of the much loved superstar, and deserve to be highlighted.


I felt a little sad about the unwitting neglect of a lovely movie that Rajesh Khanna starred in, at the height of his stardom.  This is the kind of a movie a superstar would usually hesitate to do.  He is the central character in the movie, to be sure.  In fact he is almost ‘god-like’ here, a perfect man who has a solution to every problem.  The problem is, he is not ‘star-like’; that is to say,  he gets no girl, sings no romantic songs and fights no villains.  Yet the movie is a beautiful gem.


Rajesh Khanna as Raghu the bawarchi, fixes all that needs to be fixed in a joint family that is beset with jealousies, quarrels, selfishness and NEGLECT. The people who live in the house neglect the old and the helpless, the old man Shivnath (Harindranath Chattopadhyay) and the young orphan Krishna (Jaya Bhaduri).  They neglect their own duties, simple tasks like cleaning and cooking.  They neglect to respect each other.  Their neglect is turning ‘Shanti Niwas’ into ‘Ashanti Niwas’.  Raghu knows each member of the family very well, and seems to know exactly how to deal with them.


One scene in the movie stands out in my mind, the only one that I am going to discuss here.  On the first day of Raghu's employment, he finds that the floor outside the kitchen is slippery.  All morning the members of the family have been slipping on it, and cursing loudly every time they do.  Raghu asks for a scrubber and some other thing that he claims will be enough to clean it for good. The people of the family are aghast when he offers to clean the floor.  For them cleaning is to be done by minions, not by ‘Kings’ or ‘Queens’ of the household, not even by the high caste bawarchies.  But Raghu says ‘This is my house, why should I be ashamed of cleaning it’  He gets a scraper, and cleans the slippery floor in no time.  This was the best lesson of all in this movie replete with allegorical allusions and homilies.  If there is something that can be fixed with a quick action by you, just do it.

In playing out the floor scrubbing scene, in a way, Rajesh Khanna also displayed his own attitude to acting.  “If there a role that is worth doing, I don't mind stripping myself of my starry trappings to do it”, this is what he seems to be saying.


Rajesh Khanna played Raghu with the same dedication with which he played Flt Lt. Arun and Suraj that brought him such fame.  In this movie he wears a pair of brown shorts and a shirt, like a simple bawarchi, yet his wonderful acting makes him look just as lovable as Arun in his dapper pilot’s uniform.  It is laudable that Rajesh chose to act in this ‘un-star’ like movie at the peak of his career.
The movie is a subtle indictment of people who are willing to carp about issues, but not lend a hand, or do anything constructive for the state that their own homes, their community, their city, and their nation is in.  They would rather 'slip' repeatedly in muck and loudly blame others than clean it up themselves. The movie deserves to be seen again and again, and understood fully, and its simple lessons followed.

Here is a song full of pathos sung by Manna Dey and lip-synched to by Rajesh to such great effect in this movie.