Saturday, March 24, 2012
Prabhu Deva meets Super Star Rajesh Khanna
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Aradhana (1969)
Aradhana [1969]
Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Kab Aayegi Tu, sang Rajesh Khanna to Sharmila Tagore, even as his friend, Sujit Kumar, doubled up as a driver and a mouth organ player -- keeping pace with the toy train, on one hand while adding music to Khanna's love song on the other.
Thus began Aradhana, director Shakti Samanta's take of the Oscar-winning classic To Each His Own [1946].
The idyllic hilly terrain of Darjeeling provided a perfect beginning for this story of love, passion and penance.
The train had been used earlier in Nasir Hussain's Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961).
Aradhana shot Khanna to super stardom and also began his successful onscreen pairing with Tagore -- the duo went on to star in films like Safar, Amar Prem and Daag.
D Tour: The film won Sharmila Tagore her first and only Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 1947, Olivia de Havilland had won her first Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the same role in To Each His Own. However, unlike Tagore, Havilland won another Best Actress Oscar (The Heiress in 1950).
Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award for the sensuous ditty Roop Tera Mastana.
Published by :
http://www.fropki.com/dial-for-darjeeling-vt29797.html#p296086
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
200th Post: Monday Meme: Deepika, Kakaji, Amjad Khan and Big B
200th Post: Monday Meme: Deepika, Kakaji, Amjad Khan and Big B
by Sujoy on September 5, 2010
in Bolly
Good Morning Monday.
Published by :
http://www.oneknightstands.net/200th-post-monday-meme-deepika-kakaji-amjad-khan-and-big-b/#comments
Let’s kick your blue face in the face. And let’s start by spreading some Bollywood awesomeness. And how? Well, I know that the count of posts on this blog has been seeing a decline in its frequency. That’s because I have been busy doing a lot of side projects. And that’s primarily because, well, I am so bloody impatient. But anyway, before I get sidetracked again, let’s put down a few points.
1. This is the 200th post of OneKnightStands. So hurray to me, and to you, my lovely readers – to have had the endurance shakti to withstand the forces of awesomeness for so long. Jeeta reh!
2. I have been populating the blogosphere with a new Bollywood based tumblr blog called: Bollypop.in
Now, this tumblr is still in a experimental phase, trying to get more traffic, and more and more people to read and appreciate it. It is mostly some random pictures and memes that I have created with the help of my stupid brain. Some of my favourite examples -
Deepika Padukone Meme
Amjad Khan Meme
Bollywood Meme
Rajesh Khanna Meme
So, head over to Bollypop.in now and enjoy more of this madness.
3. Finally, I will be posting more of my regular stuff on OKS – such as insulting movie reviews for movies which waste 90 plus minutes of my life, awesome music playlists, my round up of Indian TV shows ( which I follow). Also if this tumblr thing doesn’t work out, I might think of shifting it to WordPress altogether. Yeah, but I’ll probably keep calm for a month and see how this all shapes up. Wish me luck!
Thoughts, suggestions, fan mails – I love em all. So send ‘em to me in the comments section below. Cheerio!
Published by :
http://www.oneknightstands.net/200th-post-monday-meme-deepika-kakaji-amjad-khan-and-big-b/#comments
Monday, March 12, 2012
D’s ‘The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna’
D’s ‘The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna’
thanks to Suhan for producing this piece here..
Suhan’s prefatory note
In the context of the issue of ‘era’, in the 1970s, a course in the Bombay University curriculum, ‘Communication Skills in English’ which included topics of contemporary interest, had a column from the September-October 1971 issue of the quarterly journal “Quest,” signed by “D” and titled “The Charisma of Rajesh Khanna”. D’s column on Rajesh Khanna was included in “The Best of Quest”, a collection of some of the most striking essays, poems and stories to have appeared in the pages of the magazine, edited by Laeeq Futehally, Achal Prabhala and Arshia Sattar that was recently published by Tranquebar Press. About “D”, the book’s Foreword notes: “D. was witty, acerbic, irreverent, bright…insightful. He wrote about movies and art and books and life. It was no surprise, actually when Dilip (Chitre) confessed to being D…Dilip passed away during the time it took to put this book together…Thanks to this volume, his column lives on…”.
THE PIECE
“It is rumoured that his disarming smile costs Rs. 1.4 million. Young women devour him with hungry eyes in the afternoon darkness of cinema halls. Mothers witness his filmic deaths with helpless pangs of frustrated protectiveness. Young adult males project themselves into his limelit presence on the screen and later yearn to recreate themselves in his image. Millions of Indians queue up for long hours to see him break into his smile, get drunk, become furious, whisper love-words or burst forth into a husky, vibrant played-back song. If there is one person in India today who surpasses the Prime Minister’s charisma, he is Rajesh Khanna. The multimillion rupee Hindi film industry which prolifically produces stereotyped dreams unanimously regards him as the only authentic super-star it has so far produced. He is what makes a sure-fire box-office hit. Even films with all the essential ingredients for making a sure flop have run for weeks just because he starred in them. His success is so phenomenal that it challenges anyone who pretends to understand mass behaviour.
He is of medium height and build. He has mannerisms of his own which show through whatever character he plays—or perhaps that is unfair to him. His producers and directors want him to play no other character but his own unique self. He has a rare plasticity: that which makes a natural actor, something which James Dean had impressed upon movie-addicts during his meteoric Hollywood career. For he gives the sense that he lives his assumed role, however crudely it is scripted and directed. Yet he will not get an Elia Kazan or a George Stevens to direct him. And his hurt-youth image, which is a factor in his success, will gradually age.
The best script and director he got so far was in the film Anand, directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee who is one of the better directors in the world of commercial Hindi cinema. His worst role was the one in Haathi Mere Saathi in which he plays a sort of elephant-boy and in which one of the three corners of the conventional love triangle is occupied, of all animals, by elephants.
Curiously, Rajesh Khanna is considered a hero worth killing—which is amazing since in Hindi films it is a taboo to kill the hero. Curiously too, he has to die of cancer. He died of cancer in Safar and again in Anand. In Safar he is the leukaemic lover of a would-be doctor. In Anand, he is a cancer patient who spends his limited spell of life to make people around him happy. In Andaz he dies in a motor-bike accident for a change. Is it, one wonders, the expression of a mass death-wish? Some fifteen years ago, Dilip Kumar, the matinee idol then, specialized in dying as a hero. However, Dilip Kumar’s screen deaths brought no shock to the audience since he moved and spoke, from the start, as if he were his own pall-bearer. Rajesh’s screen deaths have some novelty: he is a warm, ebullient, vivacious, blithe young man. Even if he is destined to die, it seems unfair and too early. One has seen teenage girls sob witnessing him die. Or heaving unmistakably erotic sighs when he sings a love song (with the inimitable Kishore Kumar play-back singing for him). For the first time in the history of commercial Hindi cinema a single person has acquired such a following.
What has Rajesh Khanna got that others haven’t? He does have acting talent. But there are others who are much better. He is good-looking. But that is neither here nor there. He is certainly not very handsome. What is it then?”
One hypothesis about his charisma is that Rajesh Khanna has all the quintessential characteristics of the sort of romantic hero contemporary Indian masses would like to dote on. Here, even within the hackneyed formulae of the commercial Hindi cinema, the new generation audiences had been looking for some positive new content. In the fifties, the triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand dominated the scene. The first was a tragic hero who was the product of middle-class pessimism and sentimentality. The second was a comic actor appealing to the masses through his mask of a little fellow. The third one was a slick, urban westernised Indian. All three box-office draws. The sixties saw the emergence of Guru Dutt who added new values to the Saigal-Dilip Kumar image of a tragic hero by investing greater sensitivity into his existing joint-stock image. The handsome buffoon image which Dev Anand was a pioneer, was extended in the form of Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukerji and a number of others who danced and leaped energetically singing duets with their assorted heroines. Then came Dharmendra, who looks like a capable middle-aged elder son and also Shashi Kapoor, the shy boy-lover of aggressively inclined heroines. In the meantime, despite his blank face, Rajendra Kumar emerged as a substitute Dilip Kumar being to the elder hero what saccharine is to sugar. Sunil Dutt tried to introduce a little different hero-concept, but had only limited success. Trials continued. Errors went on being committed. And then came Rajesh Khanna like a deluge.
Rajesh is close to the teenager because he shares some of their norms of group behaviour and mannerisms. His actions have a suggestion of a devil-may-care anarchistic element. However, as in Do Raaste, he can even play successfully the younger brother in a Hindu joint family rising to rescue it at a time of crisis. He also has a very infectious warmth and a very charming smile. What is interesting about Rajesh is that unlike other leading male actors he seldom shows off his histrionic talent by exaggeration. His acting is always an understatement of emotion. This is something he shares with the younger mass audience in India. They don’t dig melodramatic acting any more (which is the reason why Sharmila Tagore and Tanuja, for instance, are liked by them according to a recent survey: and of course, Waheda Rehman whom the late Guru Dutt introduced).
Next time you see Rajesh Khanna on the screen, therefore, please note that his behaviour on celluloid is going to lay down a norm for most of the male teenagers around you and a number of people even up to their middle thirties. He is the sort of boy with whom four out of five urban female college students would be thrilled to elope. In short, he is one of the top-selling consumer products in India today. And the packaging, here too, is the product.”
Part 1 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/30061153@N07/6336622141/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Part 2 – http://www.flickr.com/photos/30061153@N07/6337378398/sizes/l/in/photostream/ Published by :
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Mumtaz
......Her rivalry with Sharmila was the most talked about…
“The difference between us was that Sharmila gave flops with Rajesh Khanna while I gave none! I was always secure with Rajesh Khanna. Nobody could replace me. Though Sharmila did give a couple of hits with him, it didn’t really bother me. No actress, not even Sharmila could threaten me. When I gave up films, Rajesh and I were the top most pair. He felt very lost when I quit films ”
What was her association with the superstar like?
“Just because you do a lot of films together and vibe well, that doesn’t mean you are having an affair,” exclaims Mumtaz. “I am sure Juhi and Shah Rukh have nothing to do with each other but there are rumours of an involvement, which I don’t think are true. Similarly, my friendship with Rajesh Khanna was also misunderstood. He was my neighbour and we got along very well. I would pull his leg and tease him about his female fan following. Whenever Rajesh entered a hotel in Madras, there was a queue of 600 girls waiting to see him at midnight! As a result, even I would get some importance, as people would ask for my autograph as well,” laughs Mumtaz.
Isn’t that a modest statement considering she was no less of a superstar at the time?
“I was not a patch on Rajesh Khanna. He was a phenomenon and I was like his chamchi,” giggles Mumtaz. “I teased him a lot and he always called me ‘moti’, as I was generally on the plump side. I attended his wedding too. After their marriage, Dimple accompanied him to Kashmir where we were shooting for Roti. Exactly a year after his marriage, I got married. At that time, I was doing Aap Ki Kasam, Roti and Prem Kahani. I completed these films and then got married. I didn’t leave any of my producers in the lurch.”......
Published by :
http://cineplot.com/mumtaz-interview/
Friday, March 9, 2012
Tom Alter talks to reader Kruti Dalal about his journey as an artiste
“That film reminded me of my own personal journey. It’s very close to my heart. But unfortunately, it got lost among all these big budget movies,” he shrugged. Alter has another film on Banaras in the offing. “I am a total movie buff. In fact, I took up acting because I was so enamoured my Rajesh Khanna.
I still am a big fan of his… For me, no film in Hindi cinema comes close to Anand,” said the Film and Television Institute of India graduate.
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=82&contentid=20111016201110160235101618fa8
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Monday, March 5, 2012
theBollywoodFan: Haathi Mere Saathi and the World of Love
theBollywoodFan: Haathi Mere Saathi and the World of Love: Pyaar Ki Duniya (World of Love) was the name of a zoo that changed the lives of the protagonists of a film in which elephants Damu, Ramu, Ma...
Friday, March 2, 2012
R.D.BURMAN The BOSS: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in...
R.D.BURMAN The BOSS: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in...: Article by Actor Rajesh Khanna about R D Burman in Aajkaal Ravibaasar on 25th March,1990 translated by Kaushik Bandyopadhyay MY NIGHT-COMPA...
Sridevi: Masterji (1985)
Sridevi: Masterji (1985): Sridevi with Rajesh Khanna in Masterji (1985). Even in the 80s glister and glitter fest, Sridevi looks stunning. Rajesh Khanna... er......
Thursday, March 1, 2012
On the wane - Super Star Rajesh Khanna
Instead of taking a bow while the going's good, Khanna preferred to embarrass himself in titillating fare like Masterji or obnoxious horror like Woh Phir Aayegi.
Eventually relegated to supporting roles in David Dhawan's Swarg and Rishi Kapoor's directorial debut, Aa Ab Laut Chalein, Khanna preferred to dabble with politics.
The star made an indifferent presence as Member of Parliament from the New Delhi constituency (1991-96). His stint for television with Aapne Parai and Ittefaq, too, didn't find any takers.
Image: A poster of Swarg
Published by:
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
Sizzling pair - Tina Munium & Super Star Rajesh Khanna
The jaded star now appeared silly doing the same antics he was once hailed for around pretty young things like Poonam Dhillon, Tina Munim and Padmini Kolhapure.
Though down and out, Khanna hadn't quite lost his winning touch. It might be recalled his off-screen liaison with Munim was a hot subject for gossip-friendly glossies.
Finally, the early 1980s provided some relief with runaway hits like Souten, Agar Tum Na Hote and a hard-hitting turn in and as Avataar.
Image: A scene from Alag Alag
Published by:
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
The decline - Super Star Rajesh Khanna
Unlike today's stars who make an extra effort to stay in perfect shape, Khanna indulged himself and piled on oodles of weight. A plump romantic hero doesn't sound good, does it?
Not to mention his much-talked about marriage and break up to/with Dimple Kapadia with whom he has two daughters -- Twinkle and Rinkie.
Known to be famously moody and eccentric off-screen, Khanna's puffed up ego, courtesy a never-ending shadow of sycophants, had a hard time enduring the blows after biggies like Mehbooba and Aashiq Hoon Bahaaron Ka fizzled at the box-office.
Image: A scene from Mehbooba
Published by:
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
Awesome twosome - Amitabh Bachchan & Super Star Rajesh Khanna
In Bollywood, everything's transient. Even superstardom.
Enter Amitabh Bachchan's rising popularity as the 'angry young man' on the prowl changed the dynamics of filmmaking. Viewers related to Big B's fury much more than Khanna's flirtatious overtures.
Babumoshai, as Khanna had affectionately nick-named him in Anand was not just another competition as everyone later discovered. The two heavy-weights worked again on Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Namak Haraam.
The critically-lauded drama fetched AB a Filmfare trophy for Best Supporting Actor while Khanna went back to romancing Mumtaz and Hema Malini in musical money-spinners like Aap Ki Kasam and Prem Nagar.
Image: A scene from Anand
Published by :
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
The golden phase - Super Star Rajesh Khanna
A seemingly-invincible Kaka, as he was fondly addressed by the industrywallahs, reciprocated with terrific hits like Sachaa Jhutha, Aan Milo Sajna, Mehboob Ki Mehndi, Haathi Mere Saathi, Mere Jeevan Saathi, Kati Patang, Daag and Dushman.
The late 1960s and early 1970s was a golden phase of Khanna's career marking some of his definitive performances proving there's more to him than a romantic hero.
Be it as a dying patient's undying zest for life in Anand, a philosophical yet sympathetic do-gooder in Amar Prem, a melancholic painter diagnosed with a fatal disease in Safar or a furious killer on the run in Ittefaq.
Though he enjoyed a solid position and a narcissistic image as a leading man, Khanna was happy to play the ethical, supporting pillar in quite a few woman-oriented movies like Khamoshi, Kati Patang, Daag: A Poem of Love, Amar Prem and Aaina.
Image: A scene from Kati Patang
Published by :
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
Favourite heartthrob - Super Star Rajesh Khanna
Around the same time, he was signed up to play a double role in Shakti Samanta's Aradhana opposite the dainty Sharmila Tagore. Despite its heroine-centric theme, Khanna hold his own effortlessly with suave and charming persona essaying both father and son.
The film's golden-jubilee success, followed by another super-hit with Mumtaz, Do Raaste, ensured the actor was here for the long haul.
Such was the impact of his characteristic head-shake, playful gestures and undeniable charisma that fans were willing to go any extent to catch a glimpse of their favourite heartthrob.
Especially those of the fairer sex, from writing letters in blood to smothering his four-wheeler with kisses to screaming his name in passion to marrying his photograph, you name it, they did it.
He came. He saw. He conquered.- Super Star Rajesh Khanna
He came. He saw. He conquered. He fell. And how.
Rajesh Khanna's rise and fall of fortunes is stuff sigh-inspiring stories are made of. From evoking mass-hysteria, the once upon a time superstar is slipping into an invisible existence only to re-surface in projects that degrade him and everything he stood for.
There are rumours that the actor will be a wild card entry into Bigg Boss, a television reality show known for its many controversies.
But Rajesh Khanna was quite a story. Like most strugglers with big dreams, Rajesh, born Jatin, Khanna, strived to be a force to reckon with in Hindi cinema. Only this adopted son of a rather affluent family preferred to drive in his own car while approaching filmmakers for work.
Winning a talent show came in handy and he bagged Chetan Anand's Aakhri Khat followed by films like Raaz, Baharon Ke Sapne, Khamoshi and Aurat. But lady luck wasn't in a generous mood. Not just yet.
Image: Rajesh Khanna poses with his Lifetime Achievement award at the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Macau, China
Photographs: Bobby Yip/Reuters
Published by:
http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/nov/04/slide-show-1-the-rise-and-fall-of-rajesh-khanna.htm
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