Entertainment
How singer Mukesh 'helped' India win its first test series in England
New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) His spell as one of the Hindi films’ foremost playback singers is well-known, lending his unforgettable voice to at least three generations of heroes, but Mukesh’s impact was also seen in a landmark achievement beyond the film world — the Indian cricket team’s first test and series win in England.
The Ajit Wadekar-led team drew the first two tests in the 1971 series, but coasted easily to victory in the third at London’s Oval, courtesy of its legendary spin trio. Facing a 71-run deficit as England came to bat for the second time, the Indians dismissed their opponents for 101 with spinner B. S. Chandrasekhar running amuck, ending up with 6 for 38 and also accomplishing a run-out. India easily scored 173 to win.
And what was Chandrasekhar doing before pulling off his devastating spell? Indulging in his hobby of listening to Mukesh’s songs.
His teammates said that whenever they wanted to inspire him, humming a Mukesh song near him usually worked. Years later, Chandrasekhar, asked about what drew him to Mukesh, cited the “depth of feeling” the singer evoked and the “effect” he had on the listener.
That was the magic of Mukesh Chand Mathur, (1923-76), who was born on this day (July 22) in New Delhi.
Mukesh, as he came to be known, was by no means a technically perfect singer and had his limitations, but surmounted them due to the sincerity and direct relation with the listener that he could evoke in his sonorous voice. And then, there was the pathos he could portray – and would have made him an outstanding singer of the blues.
However, like many of his peers, his way to success was not straight or easy. Fond of music since his childhood – even sitting outside the room where one of his sisters was being taught music to absorb the lessons, he was slated for a professional career by his father but his heart was set on films. A chance came when during the wedding of one of his sisters in 1940, noted actor and distant relative Motilal, heard him sing, and offered to facilitate a film career.
With his patrician looks, Mukesh actually began as an actor-singer, as was the vogue in that era. However, both his initial ventures ‘Nirdosh’ (1941), opposite the petite Nalini Jaywant, and ‘Aadab Arz’ (1943) vanished without a trace, and he decided to concentrate on singing.
He got his first chance to sing for Motilal in ‘Pehli Nazar’ (1945) and the song ‘Dil jalta hai’ made his name.
The rendition was not easy. Mukesh couldn’t master the song’s intricacies during the rehearsals, earning the ire of composer Anil Biswas. The last straw came when he skipped a recording and took refuge in a bar. Biswas tracked him down and tried to restore him to sobriety. But when he sobbingly told Biswas that he could not evoke the necessary pain, the composer slapped him, saying this should be impetus enough. It did the trick.
However, Mukesh sang it in the style of his favourite K. L. Saigal and there is a story that a puzzled Saigal, made to listen to the record, remarked that he never remembered singing this song.
Mukesh could have ended up as another Saigal clone, but Biswas weaned him off his fixation, telling him that there is one Saigal only and there should be one Mukesh only. Music composer Naushad Ali was also instrumental in this, while also curbing his liquor habit, asking him that having matched Saigal in singing, was he trying to outdo his idol in drinking now.
While Naushad used Mukesh for Dilip Kumar in his initial days, with the likes of ‘Gaye ja geet milan ke’ (‘Mela’, 1948), it was as the voice of Raj Kapoor he came to prominence from ‘Awaara Hoon’ (‘Awaara’,1951) – though he had a song apiece in ‘Aag’ (1948) and ‘Barsaat’ (1949), and continuing down to ‘Jaane kahan gaye woh din’ (‘Mera Naam Joker’, 1970).
Raj Kapoor called him his “voice” and “soul” and while there is no doubt that most of Mukesh’s most famous songs were for the showman, both in RK films and outside, he was equally effective for Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Feroz Khan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Sanjeev Kumar, and many others.
Take ‘Zindagi khwab hai’ (‘Jagte Raho’, 1956) for Motilal, ‘Yeh mera diwanapan hai’ (‘Yahudi’, 1958) for Dilip Kumar, ‘Hum to tere aashiq hain’ (‘Farz’, 1967) for Jeetendra, ‘Sawan ka mahina’ (‘Milan’, 1968) for Sunil Dutt, ‘Ek pyar ka nagma hain’ (‘Shor’, 1973) for Manoj Kumar, ‘Jis gali mein teri ghar’ (‘Kati Patang’, 1970) for Rajesh Khanna, ‘Kai baar yuhi dekha hai’ (‘Rajnigandha’, 1974) for Amol Palekar, and ‘Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon’ (‘Kabhi Kabhie’, 1977) for Amitabh Bachchan.
(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
–IANS
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Entertainment
'Aashiqui' star Anu Aggarwal recalls how filmmakers would come to her without scripts
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Sonam Kapoor flaunts her ‘minimal, bold and effortlessly on point’ look
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Neetu Kapoor takes a trip down the memory lane with this cute picture
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Senior actress Neetu Kapoor on Thursday took a trip down the memory lane, as she shared a childhood picture of her daughter and fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni.
Neetu took to her Instagram Stories, where she has 2.1 million followers, and re-shared a post by her daughter Riddhima.
In the throwback photo shared by Riddhima on her Instagram Stories, we can see young Neetu holding her little baby girl. She captioned it as: “Oldie but goldie”.
Neetu wrote in the caption: “My ridz at 9 months”, followed by a heart emoji.
On the personal front, Neetu was married to late Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor. The duo had tied the knot in January 1980. They have two children–daughter Riddhima, and son and actor Ranbir Kapoor.
Ranbir is married to actress Alia Bhatt, and the couple have a daughter named Raha.
Neetu made her debut in the 1966 swashbuckler film ‘Suraj’. The Ruritanian romance film directed by T Prakash Rao, starred Rajendra Kumar and Vyjayanthimala, with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Lalita Pawar, Gajanan Jagirdar, David Abraham Cheulkar, Agha, Mukri, Mallika and Niranjan Sharma in the pivotal roles.
She played a dual role in the romantic comedy ‘Do Kaliyaan’.
Neetu’s transition to mature roles came with the vigilante film ‘Rickshawala’. She got her breakthrough with Nasir Hussain’s masala film ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’, where she appeared as a dancer.
She rose to fame with roles in the crime drama film ‘Deewaar’, the thriller film ‘Khel Khel Mein’, the musical film ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, the masala film ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, and the fantasy film ‘Dharam Veer’.
The 68-year-old actress has been a part of movies like — ‘Doosra Aadmi’, ‘Kasme Vaade’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Jaani Dushman’, ‘Choron Ki Baaraat’, ‘Ganga Meri Maa’, ‘Love Aaj Kal’.
She last appeared in family comedy drama ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’, directed by Raj Mehta and produced by Dharma Productions and Viacom18 Studios. The film starred Anil Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Manish Paul, and Prajakta Koli.
Neetu next has ‘Letters to Mr Khanna’ in the kitty.
–IANS
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