ONE OF A KIND : AMITABH BACHCHAN

ONE OF A KIND: AMITABH BACHCHAN

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and  SUNEEL V. GAUR
 EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

                                                  

 Amitabh Bachchan who turns 72 on 11th October once said, "Everyone must accept that we will age and age is not always flattering."
Though he mouthed the words himself, his very success contradicts the very notion. Amitabh Bachchan may be growing old but he has shown no signs of slowing down and has indeed been the perfect example of 'aging gracefully'. In an era starkly different from his time, the seventies and eighties Bachchan still holds a firm place in the industry and commands a sense of power and respect that is unmatched till date.

Amitabh Bachchan, despite his unconventional looks managed to make a mark for himself and stand out in the glamour world of Bollywood, on the basis of his immense talent and the need he fulfilled in the changing society of his times. Though Amitabh is the favourite of the majority of cinegoers , Amitabh has often said " my favourite actors remain Dilip Kumar and Waheeda Rehman".

                        Writer Vrajendra Gaur and Amitabh Bachchan         

 It was in 1973 that Prakash Mehra, after being rejected by the top actors of that time like Dev Anand, Raaj Kumar, etc. went to Amitabh Bachchan and offered him the role of Inspector Vijay for the film Zanjeer. This revenge saga, came like a blast of fresh air in the midst of the popular romantic films and established Amitabh as the ‘Angry Young Man’. One can see a certain grace about that character. So many other actors have tried to ape Amitabh, but they've failed.

 It has been 40 years since the film released and Amitabh has not looked back since then and is still a force to reckon with. In the ensuing period he gave film lovers great hits like Don, Trishul, Sholay, Majboor, Mr.Natwarlal, Naseeb, Coolie, The Great Gambler, Amar Akbar Anthony, etc.etc. Though some of his films may not have done well Amitabh has never failed as an actor.

                                              

 With Kabhie Kushi kabhie Gham, Amitabh was freed from the shackles of playing the lead actor. Amitabh took on different shades of characters in movies like Aks and Black .Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali gave him a complex character in Black. The nuances of the character were so well brought out by Amitabh that it turned out to be an award winning performance. He was also greatly appreciated in films like Baabul in 2006, Cheeni Kum in 2007 Paa in 2009.

The hallmark of this actor lies in his consistency of churning out one great performance after another. Amitabh is also involved in a lot of humanitarian activities and does a lot of charity work. On the personal front he has been a great son, a loving husband a doting grand father and an inspirational father. Reams and Reams can be written about Amitabh but it would still not do justice to the man’s great talent and humility.

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V. GAUR

 

 

CHETESHWAR PUJARA ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN MUMBAI NEWSTIME ON 8TH TO 14TH  DECEMBER 2013.

 

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V.  GAUR

 

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

 

IAN BISHOP INTERVIEW PUBLISHED IN MID BOMBAY.

IAN BISHOP INTERVIEW PUBLISHED IN MID BOMBAY ON  17TH DECEMBER 1998.

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR  and  SUNEEL V. GAUR

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

VIVIAN RICHARDS ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN MID BOMBAY

VIVIAN RICHARDS INTERVIEW PUBLISHED IN MID BOMBAY  ON 7TH  JANUARY 1999.

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR  and  SUNEEL V. GAUR

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com                                                       
                                                         
                                                    

 

SACHIN TENDULKAR ARTICLE: CRICKETER NO 1. PUBLISHED IN MID BOMBAY PAPER.

 

SACHIN TENDULKAR ARTICLE

 IN MID BOMBAY PAPER " CRICKETER NO 1"PUBLISHED ON 21ST JANUARY 1999.

 

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V. GAUR

 

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

 

THE DIGNIFIED AND TALENTED ACTOR KUNDAN MALLIK

 

THE DIGNIFIED AND TALENTED ACTOR KUNDAN MALLIK

                   WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and RAJEEV  V. GAUR

 EMAIL:  sunrise607@rediffmail.com

                                                       

Kundan Mallik may not have been a big star but he was a very competent actor who acted in about 60 Hindi films. Born on August 8th 1932 in Sargodha, then a part of India, the acting bug had bitten Kundan at a very young age. He used to save money and run away from school to watch films starring his favourite stars. These films and film stars made him dream of a career on the silver screen, so much so, that he even ran away from home at a young age to try his luck in films but was caught and handed over to his parents, by a relative. His father did not just give him a verbal lashing but also a physical bashing.                                                                
                                                   

                                                
                         KUNDAN AND KISHORE KUMAR IN 'NAUGHTY BOY'          
 
      Though born in an affluent family, nothing could stop Kundan from dreaming of an acting career. He used to write fan mail to his favourite actors and even sent his photos to them. When he got a reply from the likes of Motilal his joy knew no bounds and he became delirious with happiness. His family shifted to Lucknow from Sargodha and he acted in the local Ram Leela stage programmes every now and then. This was perhaps his only experience in acting before landing in Bombay. It so happened that his father suffered a paralytic stroke and he being the eldest in the family came to Bombay to try his luck in films and earn a livelihood for himself.
                                                              

                                    Shakti Samanta and Kundan                                     

 Kun dan landed a role in the Sajjan and Nimmi starrer “Kasturi” (1954) and even changed his name for the screen and became Nakul Mallik. At the premiere of “Kasturi” he met his idol Motilal ji and touched his feet with reverence. Motilal was pleasantly surprised and smiled “Ama tu Bombay aa gaya, Tu to mujhko chittiyan likhta tha apni photos ke saath Lucknow se. Yahi umeed karta hoon ki jo sapne tu dekh kar yahan aaya hai woh pure hon”. Kundan told Motilal ji that needed his good wishes and blessings.

                                                

After Kasturi he went back to his original name Kundan, and signed some more films like Shakti Samanta’s “Howrah Bridge” (1958), “Jaali Note” (1960), “Naughty Boy” (1962), “Baarish” (1957), “Manzil” (1960), “Insaan Jaag Utha” (1959), “Post Box 999” (1958), “Isi Ka Naam Duniya Hai” (1962), “Aadhi Raat Ke Baad” (1965), etc. He also acted in a Hollywood film called “Nine Hours To Rama”. Things were looking rosy and he called his family comprising of his Mother and siblings to Mumbai. His dad had in the meanwhile succumbed to his illness in Lucknow. He struck a great friendship with actor Mehmood a struggler then, and the two became inseparable pals with Mehmood spending most of his time at Kundan’s home. Kundan’s mother used to even give them money to sustain themselves during their struggling days. But somehow despite good performances and films coming his way Kundan could not attain the heights of stardom.

                                                          

Kundan and Om Prakash in "Eent Ka Jawab Paththar"

Kundan acted in many films in the ensuing years. Films like “Pagla Kahin Ka” (1970), “Amar Prem” (1972), “Sharmeelee” (1971), “Do Yaar”, “Kati Patang” (1970), “Shankar Shambhu” (1976), “Khoon Aur Paani” (1981), “Balam Pardesiya” {Bhojpuri], “Yaarana” (1981), etc. His dialogue  ‘Kachcha Papad Pakka Papad’ from the film “Yaarana”  is popular to this day.

                                                     

The industry believes in ‘maska’ and sweet talks, but Kundan being a self respecting man never begged for roles and the work that came his way started reducing. Its surprising that Kundan and Mehmood though friends, never worked together. When Mehmood made it big and started making his own films he conveniently forgot his old buddy Kundan and  he was sadly never seen in a Mehmood made film. Kundan remained friends with Mehmood but never ever asked him for work as he thought it to be below his dignity to do so.                                              
                                        

Ashok Kumar and Kundan in "Aadhi Raat Ke Baad"

                                                                               
Kundan eventually retired from films while still active and passed away suddenly on 25th November 2007 at the age of 75 Kundan’a passing away came as a surprise as he led a healthy lifestyle and did not have any any ailment. . Amongst his very good friends in the industry were Ram Mohan, Subhiraj, director Chand, Madan Puri, Chandrashekhar and Mehmood, who stood by him through thick and thin and vice versa . Even, today, film buffs remember his performances and dignified and decent lifestyle.

WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and RAJEEV V. GAUR

Email: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

 

RAJESH V. GAUR                                    RAJEEV

    

                                                           

DILIP KUMAR'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY LAUNCHED

 

                                      photograph by: suneel gaur

DILIP KUMAR'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY LAUNCHED

WRITTEN BY: SUNEEL V. GAUR and RAJESH V. GAUR

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Zeenat Aman,  Priyanka Chopra, Dharamendra, Salim and Javed, Udaya Tara Nayar [writer of the book],  and filmmaker Karan Johar attended the launch of the thespian  actor Dilip Kumar’s autobiography  'Substance and the Shadow' held in Mumbai on 9th June 2014 at a suburban 5 star hotel.  Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu were present and looked as elegent as ever.
Dharamendra, Amitabh and Aamir Khan  also took to the stage to sing praises  about the achievements  of the legendary actor. Vyjantimala  expressed her admiration for the star, on stage.

                                    

The ceremonial lamp was lighted by Vyjantimala , Madhuri and Priyanka Chopra and thus started the glittering event.
The event was concluded by the unveiling of the book on the great life of the actor, written by Udaya Tara Nayar.
The master of the ceremony was Karan Johar.

 

  

Rajesh Gaur and Amitabh Bachchan at the Dilip Kumar book launch on 9th June 2014 at a suburban 5 star hotel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE COMPLETE ARTIST: KISHORE KUMAR

THE COMPLETE ARTIST: KISHORE KUMAR

WRITTEN BY : RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V. GAUR

EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com

 

 

                      Writer Vrajendra Gaur with dear friend Kishore Kumar

 How do you gauge a genius whose talent is immeasurable? What do you call a man who can sing and dance; act and mimic; write and compose; make you laugh and cry all at one time? How do you define a person who lives by defying norms?  We have tried  to unravel the enigma that Kishore Kumar was.

There has been only one such great in the film industry, the multifaceted Kishore Kumar – a man who lived for his one love – music. The real Kishore Kumar, always remained an enigma even to his own family and close friends, Born in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, Abhas Kumar Ganguly better known as Kishore Kumar, nurtured dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol K.L.Saigal. He visited his by then famous star brother Ashok Kumar, in Mumbai frequently, in the hope that he would introduce him to K.L. Saigal. But destiny willed otherwise. He was forced into acting and hated every moment of it.                                              
                                                

New Delhi (1956), Chalti Ka Naam Gadi (1958), Jhumroo (1961), Naughty Boy [1962],  became successful and that managed to tie down Kishore to a busy acting schedule, so much so, that for a song in Sharaarat, Mohd Rafi, actually had to provide playback for him.
Kishore’s ambition of becoming a playback singer was no cakewalk. And then came the chance to sing ‘Marne ki duayen kyon mangu‘ for Dev Anand in Ziddi 1948. His first sad song was from the film Kafila [1952] “Who meri taraf yoon chale aa rahe hain …” penned by Vrajendra Gaur and composed by Husanlal Bhagatram which became a chartbuster. Vrajendra Gaur also wroote his films like Jhumroo, Naughty Boy, Jaalsaaz and Muqaddar. Gaur was also writing Kishore's Pyar Ajnabi Hai, before it got shelved due to the sad demise of Kishore.   
                                                       

                        
            KISHORE KUMAR AND KUNDAN IN 'NAUGHTY BOY'

S.D. Burman who was always confident about the potential of Kishore made him the voice of Dev Anand in Guide, Gambler, Teen Deviyaan Jewel Thief, and Paying Guest and fine tuned his talent . This much before Rajesh Khanna came on the scene.

Kishore Kumar was unstinting in crediting his popularity to the Burmans – father and son. It was S.D. Burman who made Kishore, the superstar singer of the seventies, when he chose him to sing the superhit songs of Aradhana for Rajesh Khanna. The chartblazing songs of Aradhana made both, Rajesh Khanna a superstar and Kishore Kumar the number one singer, overnight. This also marked the begining of the end of another popular singer Mohd Rafi .                                                                                                    
                                                  

     

                                                         
Another composer who placed great faith in Kishore was S.D. Burman’s son, R.D. Burman. His ability to mimic combined with his voice flexibility, expression and voice quality, tremendous range gave him great speed and power. . R.D. Burman found these qualities greatly lacking in other singers . Which is why after the decline of Rajesh Khanna, music directors like R.D. Burman , Kalyanji Anandji and other composers were able to successfully exploit Kishore Kumar’s voice for the new superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Rajesh Khanna always spoke with unrestrained fondness, of the manner in which Kishore so beautifully reflected his persona’s character. Rajesh would say ‘ We are like two lives in one body’. He could keep in step with the debonair Dev in ‘Maana janab ne pukara nahin‘, drench his voice in the excitement and nervousness of the mad, passionate Rajesh Khanna in ‘Roop tera‘ and clown around for Amitabh in ‘My name is Anthony Gonsalves
                                                 
                                                     

 

Kishore ji apni pyari Maa ke saath aur Bete ke saath.

 

Kishore Kumar’s eccentricities were probably his way of defending himself from a cruel, confused world through laughter and humor which were his his support system. Kishore’s dislikes were telephone calls, tax problems, cigarette smoke, alcohol and the studio routine which were well known in the film world.
When he finally found true love in his fourth marriage to Leena Chandravarkar fate intervened and before long took him away forever in 1987. There have been clones of many popular singers but none of Kishore Kumar, which goes to prove that it is no easy task imitating a genius.
Like Lata ji once said – Kishore was a 'Sampoorna Kalakaar' [The Complete Artist.]
                                  

          WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and  SUNEEL V. GAUR

                                            

RAJESH KHANNA TURNED ROMANCE INTO FINE ART

    Writer Vrajendra Gaur [Kati Patang and Anuraag],
    with  Rajesh Khanna.

RAJESH KHANNA TURNED ROMANCE INTO FINE ART  WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V. GAUR EMAIL: sunrise607@rediffmail.com  The star who turned romance, into high art was Bollywood’s first real superstar Rajesh Khanna. Born on 29th December, Rajesh Khanna, created a romance that was both adult and modern. Rajesh Khanna was made less by the characters he played than his mannerisms — the drawls, the pauses, the sudden sparkle in his eyes, the fresh and easy smile, and the playful tilt of the head. The actor alluded to the role in the film Anand in which he tries to spread cheer in spite of knowing that he would not live for long.                                                                                                                                                                  To understand what Rajesh Khanna was or how he altered the persona of the film hero, it is important to stress what he was not. He was not a loveable tramp , nor a tragedy king and rarely, if ever, played the hero with shades of grey as Dev Anand liked to do. He was the stuff of soft romance, his characters often earnest and virtuous, his performances enhanced by a face that was a fortune and a style of acting that used eyes, lips, hands, and vocal chords to great effect. Romance took on a new meaning: crinkling one’s eyes, the tilt of the head and a gesture of the hand. Women, who were driven to distraction by his carefree and non-threatening charm, swooned over him in droves. The hysteria around his stardom reached a feverish pitch with women marrying his photographs. It was with Aradhana, that a star was born. The mix of S.D. Burman’s mesmerising music and Kishore Kumar’s voice, brought Rajesh Khanna into his own. He went on to forge a successful partnership with heroines like Sharmila, Mumtaz and Hema .                                           Affectionately called Kaka, he charmed and yodelled his way through a series of films such as Do Raaste, Kati Patang, Anuraag, Roti, and Anand. His success was all the more remarkable as it came at a time when the industry was still singing praises of popular stars of the time like Dharamendra , Shashi Kapoor, Jeetendra, etc. But with a record 15 consecutive superhits, there was no questioning his quick and undisputed ascent to superstardom.                                      (from left to right)  Rajesh Khanna, Writer Vrajendra Gaur, Sharmila, [sitting] Shakti and Asit Sen.   Rajesh Khanna always owed a portion of his success to Kishore Kumar’s songs such as “Roop tera mastana” , “ Yeh jo Mohabbat hai”, and “Yeh shaam mastani” etc. Khanna’s decline came as rapidly as his rise. After five years of ruling the box office, his position was usurped by Amitabh Bachchan who had acted with him in Anand. Rajesh Khanna became careless. He became fat, took success for granted, chose scripts which did not suit his talent and listened more to his sycophants than his well wishers. Slowly, the gentle romantic hero was replaced by the angry, young man.                                                                             But Rajesh Khanna gave us hits even in the era of Amitabh with Avtar, Soutan, Amardeep and Thodi si Bewafai but success eluded him. His personal life, was chequered. And unlike Bachchan, he was unable to reinvent himself to remain relevant in Bollywood once he reached middle age. Plagued with ill health an infirm Rajesh Khanna bravely did an advertisement for a popular brand of fan and was greatly appreciated for it. Though Rajesh Khanna's fans will like to remember a younger Rajesh Khanna, as the man who was at the height of his powers, the charmer who successfully romanced the best actresses on screen, Rajesh Khanna found it difficult to accept that stardom, like life itself, is a transient thing. WRITTEN BY: RAJESH V. GAUR and SUNEEL V. GAUR