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Ek Fankaar

, any artist's life, filmography, Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh, S D Burman,

 
> Ek Fankaar, any artist's life, filmography, Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh, S D Burman,
rashmi mehta
post Mar 20 2009, 06:37 PM
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page no : 1
SURAIYAJI
S. D. BURMAN
MADHUBALA
SARASWATI RANE
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN
SHAUKAT DEHELAVI NAASHAD
DEVIKA RANI CHAUDHURY
SUDHA MALHOTRA
RAJKUMARI DUBEY
JATIN LALIT
BULO C RANI

page no : 2

SHARMILA TAGORE
INDEEVAR
SHAKTI SAMANTA
M E E N A K U M A R I
S A N J E E V K U M A R
SRI DEVI
GEETA BALI
MAJRU SULTANPURI
KAIFI AZMI
RAJA MEHDI ALI KHAN

page no : 3

RAJENDRA KRISHAN
TANUJA SAMARTH
MALA SINHA
AAMIR KHAN
KATRINA KAIF



suraiyaji


Born Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh
June 15, 1929 (1929-06-15) (age 79)
Gujranwala, Punjab, now Pakistan
Died January 31, 2004 (aged 75)

Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh (June 15, 1929 - January 31, 2004) was a singer and actress in Indian films, and was popularly known as Suraiya in the film industry. She became a superstar in the 1940s and 50s during the time when actors sang their own songs. IF SHANTA APTE brought spontaneity and refreshing directness in her singing and song-delivery style, Suraiya marked a completely dif­ferent but equally important breakaway from tradition. Born Suraiya Jamal Sheikh in Lahore, she introduced the typical 'adakari' of North Indian Muslims into Hindi films. Expertly combining gestures, music, speech and eloquent eyes, she paved the way for later hearthrobs like Rekha and Madhuri Dixit with her bewitching song delivery. Alhough Noorjehan and Khurshid also brought the same Muslim adakari onscreen with their films, it was Suraiya who shone out as the epitome of that style. Save for her arresting, almond-shaped eyes, Suraiya was not a classic beauty; nor did she trained in classical music. Suraiya , the lovely melody queen created aura with her popular numbers like 'tu mera chaand, main teri chandani' ,'dil-e-nadan, tujhe hua kya hai' and 'woh paas rahe ya door rahe' . Her sultry looks and al­luring eyes matched her melodious voice and distinc­tive style to make her one of the greatest feminine icons of her time, attracting a gen­eration of young women who sought to emulate her and young men who mooned for her.

Early life

Suraiya was born in Gujranwala, Punjab now in Pakistan and was the only child of her parents. She was a dark plain looking girl and was not trained in music, however she went on to become a successful actress and singer.

She had been educated in New Girls' High School in Bombay. Simultaneously she was given religious teachings in Persian at home.

Career

Like many leading ladies of the past, Suraiya's entry into the world of movies was more accidental, than otherwise

Suraiya made her debut as a child artist in Usne Kya Socha (1937). Her films as a child artist ran between 1937 and 1941. She got a break in films with the help of her uncle Zahoor, who was a popular villain of his time. In 1941 during a holiday from school, she accompanied her uncle to Mohan Studios to see the shooting of the film Taj Mahal (1941), a film by Nanubhai Vakil. Vakil noticed the 12-year old girl and chose her to play the role of a young Mumtaz Mahal as they had nobody else to play the role. During her school days she used to participate in "Children Program" on Radio along with Shammi and Rajkapoor. She could sing some popular songs of that time with melody and fidelity . Naushad had heard her voice on the All India Radio where she sang for a children's programme at the insistence of friend Raj Kapoor and neighbour Madan Mohan. From radio, Suraiya moved on to playback singing -- App.reciating her singing talent, a song "Boot karun mein polish" was recorded in her voice by Naushad Sahib in 1942 for the film "Nai-Dunia". In the same year she performed a role in film "Station Master" Other films of her playback singing with music by Naushad Sahib were "Sharda" (Punchi Ja- pechey raha hae bachpan mera), "Qanoon" and "Sanjog"Her singing career soon found a mentor in music maestro Naushad chose her to sing as a 13 year old for Mehtaab in Kardar's Sharda (1942). Suraiya had to stand on a stool to reach the mike to croon Panchi ja, picturised on the much-older heroine, Mehtaab.
She was effectively launched as a singing star in Bombay Talkies Humaari Baat (1943).

She initially started by playing secondary roles in films like K. Asif's Phool (1944) but She made her presence felt in perhaps India's first multi-starrer, played strong supporting second lead roles to Noorjehan in Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Munawar Sultana in Dard (1947). Suraiya had her moments with Socha Tha Kya, Main Dil Mein Dard Basa La Aayee and Man Leta Hai. She got the break as a heroine for the movie Tadbir (1945) at the recommendation of K. L. Saigal who liked her voice during a rehearsal. She went on to co-star with Saigal for two more films Omar Khayyam (1946) and Parwana (1947). More opportunities appeared for Suraiya after reigning actresses Noor Jehan and Khursheed Bano migrated to Pakistan during the 1947 partition. the last remembered for her haunting rendition of Jab Tumhi Nahin Apne.Her pairing with the then superstar Dev Anand was a huge hit and the two went on to star in many successful movies together - Afsar, Shayar and Jeet etal.

Nadira, who later costarred with Suraiya in Waris, says, "My father went repeatedly to the theatre to watch Suraiya sing Socha tha kya. He would walk out the moment the song ended."

Suraiya had an edge over her contemporaries Kamini Kaushal and Nargis because she could sing her own songs. The years 1948-49 were the best of her career - The 1948-49 phase saw her rise to her peak. After three hits Pyar Ki Jeet (1948), Badi Bahen and Dillagi (1949), she became the highest paid female star. At her peak, Suraiya generated hysteria comparable only to Rajesh Khanna in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Shop owners would down their shutters to see her starrers on the first day itself, crowds would throng outside her residence at Marine Drive in Bombay just to get a glimpse of her and actor Dharmendra recalls going to see Dillagi 40 times! Her songs from the above films Tere Nainon Ne Chori Kiya, O Door Jaanewaale (Pyar ki Jeet), Woh Paas Rahe Ya Door Rahe, O Likhnewaale Ne, Bigdi Bananewaale (Badi Bahen) and Tu Mera Chand, Murliwaale Murli Bajaa (Dillagi) were hummed in every nook and corner of the country. Her reign at the top was brief and her films started flopping in the 1950s. She made a comeback with Waaris and Mirza Ghalib (1954) in which she played the role of the married Ghalib's lover.She made a short-lived comeback with Waaris (1954) and Mirza Ghalib (1954). The latter saw her finest dramatic performance as she made alive and vivid the role of the married Ghalib's lover, a courtesan. Ghalib also saw some of her finest singing - Aah ko Chaihiye Ek Umar, Nuktacheen Hai Gham-e-Dil, Dil-e-Nadaan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai, Yeh Na Thi Humari Kismet etc. Her singing is till date regarded as the definitive Ghalib. In fact India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru paid her the ultimate compliment by telling her " Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki Rooh ko Zinda Kar Diya" (she had brought Mirza Ghalib to life). In Nitin Bose's Waris (1954), Suraiya costarred with singing star Talat Mehmood (incidentally, she played heroine opposite another singer who tried to be an actor, Mukesh, in 1953's Mashuqa, too). With the sonorous melody, Rahi matwale, Anil Biswas and Suraiya proved their continuing relevance in a new age. Her last film was Rustom Sohrab (1963) following which she kept away from films. A spate of indifferent films followed. Suraiya had grew bulkier but her songs were still exquisite --- Aap se pyar hua jaata hai in Shama (1961), or the serene duet with Talat, Man dheere dheere gaye re in Maalik (1958). In 1963, to the strains of Yeh kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayee hai, the Sajjad jewel from Rustom Sohrab, Suraiya bade farewell to the studios. Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh's legend has endured for over four decades after her retirement post Rustom Sohrab (1963). It is fuelled by her one-time Dev Anand association, her repertoire of lilting songs and an air of mystique.

She stayed at "Krishna Mahal", her Marine Drive residence in Mumbai til her death. The walls and mirrors of Krishna Mahal flat on Marine Drive, are the only objects that set their eyes on this star of yesteryears. But she broke her self-imposed exile when she made a rare appearance at the Screen Videocon awards when Sunil Dutt presented her the Lifetime Achievement award. Radiant in a white salwar kameez she carried herself with the grace of a much younger woman.

The gentle sway of her hips spoke of her delicate style of dancing. The only thing that had remained completely unchanged was her voice. Tremulous with emotion, Suraiya's voice was choked with emotion when she took her award. She spoke of her long association with the film world and she was deeply touched that audiences still remembered her. But when Javed Jaffery pressed her to sing or just hum -- she refused. As a star shestill remembers the meaning of letting a legend live. Heroines are captured forever on the silver screen and the public's memory must never be updated.

Personal life

But her luck did not hold out in her personal life and Suraiya faced her biggestdisappointment. She first met Dev Anand in 1948, when she was just 19 years old. They were co-starring in the film Vidya and on the second day itself cupid struck. During the shooting of a song, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. . And when he saved her from drowning during the filming of the song `Kinare Kinare Chale Jayenge', Suraiya was convinced that she had met her cosmic mate. She fell in love with him. Suraiya was romantically involved with actor Dev Anand and the two of them did six films together between 1948 and 1951. but her grandmother opposed the relationship. They were romantically linked and were all set to marry when her strict grandmother put her foot down and broke their relationship. She banned meeting, telephone calls and even talking on the sets. The entire affair was conducted in a clandestine manner with friends like Durga Khote and Kamini Kaushal going out of their way to engineer secret rendezvous. On the sets of the film Jeet, Dev Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000 -- a princely sum for a fledgling star. But even that memento was snatched away from her when her grandmother saw the ring and threw it away into the sea. She also burnt all of Dev Anand's letters in front of Suraiya's eyes. Her objection to the romance: (Dev Anand is a Hindu while Suraiya is a Muslim). A hunt for a Muslim husband began but marriagewas not in Suraiya's fate. In 1951, Dev Anand married Kalpana Kartik -- ending one of the silver screen's greatest romances. The heartbroken Suraiya never married though many leading men of her time were interested in her.Surraiya's idol was Gregory Peck and he visited her by surprise during a night of 1954 while in transit at Mumbai on his way to Srilanka for shooting. He was much impressed by her simplicity.Dev Anand molded himself in postures of Gregory Peck but after long awaiting he married Kaplna Kartak.Suraiya remained unmarried all her life.

Dev Anand accepts his love for Suraiya

the unmarried Suraiya lives alone in her plush Marine Drive apartment. Rarely does one see a bejewelled Suraiya at a party. Even after her strict grandmother, who kept suitors at bay and producers at arm's length, passed away, Suraiya continued to be inaccessible to the hoi polloi.

Her decision to reside in an ivory tower has added to her mystique, while her resolve to shun character roles ensured that she is always remembered as a heroine. Most quaintly, Suraiya also chose not to sing any new film song in the last 40 years.

Death

She died in 2004 of old age at 75. In 2004, during the Sansui Awards, actress Jaya Bhaduri received the Lifetime Achievement Award and while she was on stage, she was disappointed that no one gave a tribute to the legendary actress Suraiya who had passed right around that time.

Suraiya's dastaan, ajeeb but fascinating, continues to thrive on lore, speculation and memories.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suraiya

http://www.chakpak.com/celebrity/suraiya/biography/8847

http://www.bollymood.com/biography/suraiya/

http://www.indianmelody.com/suraiyaarticle1.htm


Filmography

Actress:

* 1960s
* 1950s
* 1940s

1. Rustom Sohrab (1963) .... Shehzadi Tehmina
2. Shama (1961) .... Roshan Ara

3. Malik (1958)
4. Trolley Driver (1958)
5. Mr. Lambu (1956)
6. Inaam (1955)
7. Bilwamangal (1954)
8. Mirza Ghalib (1954) .... Chaudvin
9. Shama Parwana (1954) .... Sahebzadi Aalam
10. Waris (1954) .... Shobha ... aka Heir
11. Mashooka (1953)
12. Deewana (1952)
13. Goonj (1952)
14. Khubsurat (1952) ... aka Khubsoorat (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
15. Lal Kunwar (1952)
16. Moti Mahal (1952)
17. Do Sitare (1951)
18. Rajput (1951)
19. Sanam (1951)
20. Afsar (1950) .... Bimala ... aka Officer
21. Badi Bahen (1950) ... aka Elder Sister
22. Dastan (1950) .... Indira
23. Kamal Ke Phool (1950)
24. Khiladi (1950)
25. Nili (1950)
26. Shaan (1950)
27. Jeet (1949) .... Jeet
28. Amar Kahani (1949)
29. Badi Bahen (1949)
30. Balam (1949)
31. Bombay (1949)
32. Char Din (1949)
33. Dillagi (1949) .... Heer ... aka Mischief (International: English title)
34. Duniya (1949)
35. Lekh (1949)
36. Naach (1949)
37. Shair (1949) .... Rani
38. Shayar (1949)
39. Singaar (1949)
40. Aaj Ki Raat (1948)
41. Gajre (1948)
42. Kajal (1948) ... aka Eyes (International: English title)
43. Pyaar Ki Jeet (1948)
44. Rang Mahal (1948)
45. Shakti (1948)
46. Vidya (1948) .... Vidya
47. Bhatakti Maina (1947)
48. Dak Bangla (1947)
49. Dard (1947)
50. Do Dil (1947)
51. Do Naina (1947)
52. Naatak (1947)
53. Parwana (1947) .... Gopi
54. 1857 (1946) ... aka Eighteen Fifty-Seven
55. Anmol Ghadi (1946) .... Basanti ... aka Precious Time
56. Chehra (1946)
57. Jag Biti (1946)
58. Main Kya Karun (1945)
59. Phool (1945)... aka The Flower
60. Tadbir (1945) .... Saguna
61. Hamari Baat (1943)
62. Ishara (1943)
63. Station Master (1942) .... Usha
64. Tamanna (1942)
65. Taj Mahal (1941) .... Child Mumtaz

Music Department:

* 1960s
* 1950s
* 1940s

1. Do Dil (1965) (playback singer)
2. Rustom Sohrab (1963) (playback singer)
3. Shama (1961) (playback singer)
4. Malik (1958) (playback singer)
5. Taqdeer (1958) (playback singer)
6. Trolley Driver (1958) (playback singer)
7. Mr. Lambu (1956) (playback singer)
8. Bilwamangal (1954) (playback singer)
9. Mirza Ghalib (1954) (playback singer)
10. Waris (1954) (playback singer)
... aka Heir
11. Mashooka (1953) (playback singer)
12. Deewana (1952) (playback singer)
13. Goonj (1952) (playback singer)
14. Khubsurat (1952) (playback singer)... aka Khubsoorat (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
15. Lal Kunwar (1952) (playback singer)
16. Moti Mahal (1952) (playback singer)
17. Rajput (1951) (playback singer)
18. Sanam (1951) (playback singer)
19. Afsar (1950) (playback singer)... aka Officer
20. Badi Bahen (1950) (playback singer)... aka Elder Sister
21. Dastan (1950) (playback singer)
22. Kamal Ke Phool (1950) (playback singer)
23. Nili (1950) (playback singer)
24. Shaan (1950) (playback singer)
25. Jeet (1949) (playback singer)
26. Amar Kahani (1949) (playback singer)
27. Badi Bahen (1949) (playback singer)
28. Dillagi (1949) (playback singer)... aka Mischief (International: English title)
29. Duniya (1949) (playback singer)
30. Lekh (1949) (playback singer)
31. Naach (1949) (playback singer)
32. Shair (1949) (playback singer)
33. Singaar (1949) (playback singer)
34. Gajre (1948) (playback singer)
35. Rang Mahal (1948) (playback singer)
36. Shakti (1948) (playback singer)
37. Vidya (1948) (playback singer)
38. Dak Bangla (1947) (playback singer)
39. Dard (1947) (playback singer)
40. Do Dil (1947) (playback singer)
41. Naatak (1947) (playback singer)
42. Anmol Ghadi (1946) (playback singer)
... aka Precious Time
43. Jag Biti (1946) (playback singer)
44. Tadbir (1945) (playback singer)
45. Kanoon (1943) (playback singer)
... aka The Law (International: English title)
46. Sharda (1942) (playback singer)

Soundtrack:

1. Malik (1958) (performer: "Man Dhire Dhire Gaye Re Malum Nahin Kyon")
2. Mirza Ghalib (1954) (performer: "Dil-e-nadan Tujhe", "Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umar",

"Nukta Cheen Hai", "Jahan Koi Na Ho", "Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat")

Producer:

1. Shagoon (1964) (producer) (as Suraiya Mubin)

Thanks:

1. Lorie (1984) (grateful acknowledgment)


songs of suraiyaji movie details n lyrics

1] Anmol Ghadi (1946) starring Amir Banu, Anwari, Leela Mishra, Murad, Noor Jehan, Suraiya, Surendra & Zahoor.
Lyrics composed by Tanvir Naqvi.
Music composed by Naushad Ali.
This movie had some very popular songs sung by Noor Jahan and Suraiya. Here are the Suraiya songs:

[1]mai dil mei dard basaa laayi

lyrics for mai dil mein dard basa laayi, nainon se nain mila aayi, unko apne man ki baatein bina kahe samjha aayi.

[2]man leta hai angdayi jawani chhayi

lyrics for man letaa hai a.Nga.Daaii, jIvan pe javAnI chhaaI.

lyrics in Hindi for man letaa hai a.Nga.Daaii, jIvan pe javAnI chhaaI.

[3]sochaa thaa kyaa, kyaa ho gayaa

lyrics for sochaa thaa kyaa kyaa ho gayaa. apnaa jise samjhe the hum afsos vo apnaa na thaa.

lyrics in Hindi for sochaa thaa kyaa kyaa ho gayaa. apnaa jise samjhe the hum afsos vo apnaa na thaa.

2] Badi Bahan (1949) starring Suraiya, Geeta Bali, Rehman & Pran.
Lyrics composed by Rajinder Krishan.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]tum mujhko bhool jaao ab hum na mil

[2]wo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazron

lyrics for vo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazaron me.n samaaye rahte hain. itnaa to bataa de koii hame.n, kyaa pyaar isii ko kahate hain.

lyrics in Hindi for vo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazaron me.n samaaye rahte hain. itnaa to bataa de koii hame.n, kyaa pyaar isii ko kahate hain.

3] Bilwamangal (1954) starring Suraiya, Ulhas, Nirupa Roy & Asha Mathur.
Producer: Minal Movies
Director: D. N. Madhok
Lyrics: D. N. Madhok
Music Director: Bulo C. Rani

[1]hum ishq ke maaron ko do dil diye

[2]parwane se preet seekh li shamaa se

4] Dillagi (1949) starring Suraiya, Shyam, Amar, Amir Banu & Chanda Bai
Producer & Director: Kardar
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music Director: Naushad

[1]char din ki thi chandni phir andher

[2]duniyaa kyaa jaane meraa afsaanaa

3]le ke dil chupke se kiyaa majboor

[4]murliwale murli bajaa sun sun murli

[5]niraalaa mohabbat kaa dastoor dekha

[6]tera khayaal dil se bhulaya na jaye

5] Gajre (1948) starring Suraiya, Agha, Geeta Nizami, Maruti, Moti Lal & Sangeeta
Director: RD Mathur
Lyrics: G. S. Nepali
Music Director: Anil Biswas

[1]duur papiha bola raat adhi rah gayi

[2]jalne ke siwaa yahaan kya rakha hai

[3]reh reh kar teraa chaand rulata hai

6] Goonj (1952) starring Suraiya, Suresh, Bhagwan, Madan Puri, Manju, Randhir, Ravikant & Sapru.
Lyrics composed by D. N. Madhok.
Music composed by Sardul Kwatra

[1]chale ja rahe ho jo nazren churaaye

[2]dil me umangen sajan nainon me rang

7] Jeet (1949) starring Suraiya, Dev Anand, Bhagwan, Durga Khote, Habib, Kanhaiya Lal & Madan Puri
Director: Mohan Sinha
Producer: Raj Kirti Chitra
Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
Music Director: Anil Biswas

[1]ban jao hindustani ab kaisi manmani

[2]kaam karo bhai jag me apna naam kar

[3]kuch phool khile armaano ke par jee

[4]tum mann kee peedaa kyaa jaano

[5]tum meet mere tum shyam mere yug ke

8] Mirza Ghalib (1954) starring Suraiya and Bharat Bhushan.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
The movie was about the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib and his poems have been sung here.

[1]aah ko chaahiye ek umar asar hone

[2]nuktachin hai gam-e-dil usko sunaye

[3]rahiye ab aisi jagah jaha koi na ho

[4]ye na thee hamaari kismat ki wisal

9] Mr. Lambu (1956) starring Suraiya, Minu Mumtaz, Helen, Bhagwan, N. A. Ansari & Sheikh Mukhtar
Director: NA Ansari
Producer : Sheikh Mukhtar Prod.
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar
Music Director: O. P. Nayyar

[1]yaad karun tori batiyaa ro ro bitau

10] Nayi Duniya (1942)starring Suraiya
Lyrics: Tanveer Naqvi
Music Director: Naushad Ali

[1]boot karun mai polish babu boot


11] Pyar Ki Jeet 1948) starring Suraiya & Rehman.
Lyrics composed by Rajinder Krishan.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]o duur jaanewaale wada na bhul jana

lyrics for o duur jaane vaale vaadaa na bhuul jaanaa. raate.n huI andherii tum chaa.Nd ban ke aanaa.

lyrics in Hindi for o duur jaane vaale vaadaa na bhuul jaanaa. raate.n huI andherii tum chaa.Nd ban ke aanaa.

[2]tere naino ne chori kiya mera chota

lyrics for tere naino.n ne chorI kiyA, morA chhoTA sA jiyA paradesiyA.

lyrics in Hindi for tere naino.n ne chorI kiyA, morA chhoTA sA jiyA paradesiyA.

[12] Rustom Sohrab (1963) starred Suraiya as the shehzadi. Prithviraj Kapoor portrayed her husband Rustom & Premnath portrayed her son Sohrab. Mumtaz was also in the movie.

This was Suraiya's last film. After this she retired.
Lyrics composed by Qamar Jalalabadi.
Music composed by Sajjad Hussain.

[1]ye kaisi ajab daastaan ho gayi hai

lyrics for ye kaisi ajab daastaan ho gayi hai, chhupaate chhupaate bayaan ho gayi hai.

13] Shaan (1950)starring Suraiya & Rehman
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Music Director: Hansraj Behl

[1]o pardesi balma ab na tadpa o zalim

[2]tadap ai dil tadapne se zara aarsam

[3]kaho ji kis ki sachchi shaan
majboor hoon mai nashaad hoon mai

14] duets Suraiya sang with Mohammad Rafi in the movie Shaan:

[1]dil ke dhoke mei na aanaa

[2]hum bhee akele tum bhee akele

[3]hum tum se wafa karte tum hum se wafa karte

15] Shama (1961) starring Suraiya, Nimmi, Kumud Tripathi, Leela Mishra & Vijay Dutt
Producer : Tasweeristan
Director: Lekhraj Bhakri
Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi
Music Director: Ghulam Mohammed

[1]mast ankhon mei shararat kabhi aisi

16]Shama Parwana (1954)starring Suraiya & Shammi Kapoor.
Lyrics composed by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]meraa dildaar naa milaayaa

[2]o jaan-e-tamannaa alvidaa alvidaa

17] Vidya (1948) starring Suraiya, Dev Anand, Amirbai Karnataki, Cuckoo & Madan Puri.
Director: G. Tridevi
Producer: Jeet Prod.
Music Director: S. D. Burman
Lyrics: Shanti Swaroop and Y. N. Joshi

[1]aaj meraa dil kisi pe aa gayaa

[2]jhoom rahi khushiyon ki naaow aaj

[3]kinare-2 chale jayenge jeewan naiya

[4]kise maalum tha 2 din me sawan beet

[5]o Krishna Kanhaai aashaon ki duniya

[6]laayi khushi ki duniyaa hanste hue

Suraiya was joined by Mukesh in the above song. One of the few duets they sang together.

18]Waris (1954) starring Suraiya, Talat Mahmood and Nadira.
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
Music Director: Anil Biswas

Suraiya and Talat Mahmood sang the songs both on and off screen. Please note that the duet version of this song is more popular and can be found at the Suraiya and Talat Mahmood duets page by using the following link.

[1]raahi matwaale tuu aa jaa ek baar

19] Dard (1947) starring Suraiya, Shyam, Badri Prasad, Husn Bano, Munawar Sultana & Nusrat.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Naushad.

[1]beech bhanvar mei aan phasa hai dil

lyrics for beech bhanvar mein aan phansa hai dil ka safeena shaah-e-madeenaa

[2]chale dil ki duniya jo barbad karke

[3]dil dhadke aankh mori phadke

lyrics for dil dhadke aankh mori phadke. chale jaana na dekho ji bichhad ke.

20] Dastan (1950)starring Suraiya, Raj Kapoor, Murad, Pratima Devi & Veena.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Naushad.

[1]aayaa mere dil mei tu ban ke dil ki

[2]ai shamma tu bata tera parwana kaun

The song 'ai shamma tu bata tera parwana kaun hai' is preceded by some dialogues. Raj Kapoor's voice seems to be heard here.

[3]mohabbat badhaa ke judaa ho gaye

[4]naam tera hai zubaan par yaad teri

[5]naino mei preet hai hothon pe geet

[6]ye mausam aur ye tanhaai

21]Maalik (1958) starring Talat Mehmood & Suraiya.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
Suraiya and Talat Mehmood sang the song and it was also filmed on them.

[1]mann dhire gaye re malum nahin kyon

lyrics for man dheere dheere gaaye re, maaloom nahi kyon. bin gaaye raha na jaaye re, maaloom nahi kyon.

22] Mirza Ghalib (1954) starring Suraiya and Bharat Bhushan.
Lyrics were composed by Mirza Ghalib in late 18th century.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
Suraiya sang her own songs and Talat Mehmood was playback singer for Bharat Bhushan.

[1]dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai akhir

lyrics for dil-e-naadaa.n tujhe huaa kyaa hai. aakhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai

lyrics in Hindi for dil-e-naadaa.n tujhe huaa kyaa hai. aakhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai

23] Waaris (1954) starring Talat Mehmood With Suraiya & Nadira.
Lyrics composed by Qamar Jalalabadi.
Music composed by Anil Biswas.
There was no playback singing since both Talat Mehmood & Suraiya sang for themselves.

[1]duur hote nahi jo dil me raha karte

[2]ghar tera apna ghar lage jaye kahan

[3]raahi matwaale tu ched ek baar mann

lyrics for raahii matavaale, tuu chhe.D ik baar, man kaa sitaar. jaane kab chorii-chorii aaii hai bahaar chhe.D man kaa sitaar.

lyrics in Hindi for raahii matavaale, tuu chhe.D ik baar, man kaa sitaar. jaane kab chorii-chorii aaii hai bahaar chhe.D man kaa sitaar.


[url=http://suraiya-songs.tripod.com/]http://suraiya-songs.tripod.com/

This post has been edited by rashmi mehta: Jun 1 2011, 08:24 AM


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rashmi mehta
post Apr 14 2009, 03:09 AM
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[color=red]Shakti Samanta

Shakti SamantaName: Shakti Samanta
Birthday: Wednesday, January 13, 1926
Star Sign : Capricorn
Father of Ashim S. Samanta

When he first arrived in Mumbai, Shakti Samanta was a lanky young man, who would follow filmmaker Phani Majumdar everywhere and do small roles in amateur Bengali plays at festival time. Low profile and shy, Shaktida as he later came to be known, also stood in when the prompter failed to turn up. He was simple in attitude, dress and style and this has remained with him till this day. He remains one of the most unassuming men in the Mumbai film industry today, one of the old guards who, never mind their fame and success, remain rooted to reality.

Born in Burdwan, now in West Bengal on January 13, 1925, Shakti Samanta grew up in Dehra Dun in his uncle’s place, thus gaining a command in Hindi and Urdu.

He graduated from Calcutta University in 1944 and went away to Maharashtra because becoming an actor was a childhood dream he never gave up. With little money and big dreams, he took up the job of a school teacher in Dapoli, about 200 kilometers from Mumbai.

He would make a weekly trip to Mumbai on Fridays, the weekly holiday in the Muslim-run institution he worked for. He made his rounds of the studios when Bombay Talkies was on top and as it turned out, Bombay Talkies at the time was overflowing with Bengalis.

“It was Ashok Kumar, then the top star at Bombay Talkies, who advised me to become an assistant director and not chase stardom,” he recalls.

There were three films on the floors at that time and he would visit the sets and watch the shooting every Friday. During summer vacations, he began to assist Gyan Mukherjee, Satish Nigam and Phani Majumdar not even dreaming that one day, he would reach far beyond the horizons his predecessors had earlier defined.

Shaktida had to wait for more than a decade to get his directorial break in 1955.

All this happened in neo-Independence ‘40s. But it was in 1955 that Shakti Samanta got his directorial break with Bahustarring Usha Kiron, Karan Dewan, Pran and Shashikala. But the film flopped.

But it was Inspector a thriller with Ashok Kumar in the title role co-starring Geeta Bali. It was a slickly made murder mystery, showing glimpses of Shakti-da’s flair for suspense thrillers and did fairly well at the box office as well. that was his first success.

Sheroo and Hill Station followed and then Shakti decided to launch his own banner - he set up his production house. “Two of my films had done well, so I wanted to make my own films,” says Samanta simply.

He made Howrah Bridge (1958) starring Madhubala, Ashok Kumar and Madan Puri. The film is remembered till date as one of the best crime thrillers on the Hindi screen. It also featured Helen in the famous cabaret number Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo sung by Geeta Dutt. The film established Shakti Samanta as a filmmaker with command over entertainment that packed in all the ingredients of success – good music, dynamic action, chilling suspense, and a tight-knit script. Howrah Bridge was an instant hit.

This was followed by Insan Jaag Utha, his first social as a producer, with Sunil Dutt and Madhubala was his first socially relevant film. It had a powerful storyline and beautiful songs such as MehenatKkar Insaan Jaag Utha and the cute Jaanu Naanu Ri. But the film was a flop.

While both films had Madan Puri - with whom Shakti was to have a long association, in important roles the second film was his first with S.D.Burman, with whom his association was to have momentous implications in the decades to come.

Shakti-da evolved his brand identity for wholesome, mainstream entertainment, churning out one hit after another.

If Shakti Samanta was ever criticised, it was for his penchant for shifting to the saleable hero of the season. And with Singapore (1958), the F.C.Mehra production, Samanta moved from Ashok Kumar to the hot-and-hit new hero, Shammi Kapoor.

But the association with Shammi Kapoor remained notable for various reasons: Singapore was the first film of the legendary Shammi Kapoor-Shankar Jaikishan association, China Town saw the first Indian song - Baar baar dekho - to be officially copied with permission by a West Indies pop group and Singapore and An Evening In Paris were both shot abroad, a rarity with Hindi films in the pre-’90s era.

China Town was also said to be the base for the script of the 1978 blockbuster Don.

Quips Shaktida, “Shammi Kapoor was a huge star and he whimsically told me, ‘I will work only in alternate films of yours!’” And so Samanta alternated China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris and Jaane Anjaane with Naughty Boy (Kishore Kumar), Sawan Ki Ghata (Manoj Kumar) and Aradhana (Rajesh Khanna)!

If Sharmila Tagore was his favourite actress, as fas as actors go, Shaktida is best remembered for his association with Shammi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna.

When asked about his experience of having worked with Shakti-da, Shammi Kapoor said, “he could be a very hard taskmaster but he was always ready to experiment with shots, with stories, with characters. Though he was strict, he did not instill fear in his team and we had a friendly relationship with him. I did some of the best films as hero in his films.

He was extremely versatile, offering something new with every film.

Singapore was a frothy comedy, China Town was a thriller while Kashmir Ki Kali was a soft musical romance.

An Evening in Paris was a travelling love story with suspense built into it. The music in all his films was just great and the songs would still top the charts if you put them there.

During his hey-days, Shakki was a complete filmmaker. An Evening in Paris was the first Hindi film with 90% of its footage shot widely abroad crossing Paris, Toronto, Beirut, everywhere complete with the technical team.”

here is song sequence in An Evening in Paris shot with Shammi Kapoor hanging out of a helicopter. It was unique in those days. The song was Aasman se Aaya Farishta.

It was unique in those days. The song was Aasman se Aaya Farishta.

Says Shammi Kapoor, “It was one of the scariest experiences of my life.

While the song was being recorded, I had a brainwave. I suggested to Shakki why don’t we shoot this song from a helicopter so that it would literally bring out the meaning of the song.

It was just a joke I forgot all about.

Then comes this telephone call from Shakki informing me that we were shooting that song with me hanging out from a helicopter! He had hired a helicopter and its pilot for shooting in Beirut.

I was so scared that my skin stood out in goose bumps. I had to down two glasses of brandy on the morning of the shoot to keep my spirits up.

But when I was high up on the air, hanging precariously off the helicopter, I could not hear the song I was supposed to lip sync to.

Shakki solved the problem. He looked up at me and sang out the lines. I followed his lip movements. The song is still a big hit among listeners but no one knows the inside story.

I jumped 200 feet from the helicopter right into the sea with no bones broken."

Kashmir Ki Kali introduced the svelte Sharmila Tagore. Few mentor-protege associations have proved as enduring, as variegated, as weighty and as successful as Shaktida’s professional relationship with La Tagore.

New mentor-protege associations have proved as enduring, as variegated, as weighty and as successful as Shaktida’s professional relationship with La Tagore Hindi film heroine.

“When I was casting for Kashmir Ki Kali, I wanted a new face and the requirement that she looked like a kali (bud). So I went to Kolkata and met Sharmila’s parents,” smiles the filmmaker.

The director – actress combination would go on to do films like Sawan ki Ghata, An Evening in Paris, Aradhana (1969), Amar Prem (1971), Charitraheen (1974), Amanush (1974) and Anand Ashram (1977).

The best phase in Shakti Samanta’s illustrious 50-year career began in 1969 with Aradhana.

Aradhana heralded the industry’s great superstar Rajesh Khanna playing a double role of a father and son.

It was the first pairing of Sahaktida and Rajesh Khanna marking the longest tenure between Shakti-da and his actor.

A long string of pairing between and among Rajesh Khanna, Shakti Samanta, Kishore Kumar, lyricist Anand Bakshi and the father-son music-composing duo SD Burman and Rahul Dev Burman followed.

Rajesh Khanna and Shaktida created magic with films like Aradhana (1969), Kati Patang (1970), possibly boasting of Asha Parekh’s greatest ever performance, Amar Prem (1971), Anuraag (1972), Ajnabee (1974) and Mehbooba (1976).

The team’s last film together was Rajesh Khanna’s home production Alag Alag (1985).

1969 was a year that changed the course of our films and film music, and Rajesh Khanna emerged as the first Superstar of Hindi films, slaloming to the top with 23 jubilees in less than 5 years. It was Aradhana, with Khanna in a dual role, that changed the course of romance in Hindi cinema, that also catapulted Kishore Kumar to the top as a playback singer just when he had reached his nadir as a saleable hero. “I knew Kishoreda since the time when Phani Majumdar made Andolan with him in 1951. We had become friends and would hang out together. I was very happy to be instrumental in his major breakthrough,” says Samanta.

Khanna of course became a hit team with Kishore Kumar and lyricist Anand Bakshi, and the team with Samanta was together till Khanna co-produced Alag Alag in 1985.

Most of their films together (Shakti’s own Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Anuraag and Awaaz and his brother Girija Samanta’s Ajnabee and Anurodh besides Mehbooba) had music by R.D.Burman, who completed the quintet. But S.D.Burman, who had scored Aradhana, composed Anuraag and one song in his son’s Amar Prem, and Laxmikant-Pyarelal came in for Anurodh.

Says Shakti, “Since I was good in Hindi and Urdu, I was very particular about my dialogues and lyrics. Anand Bakshi was more of a friend - we would spend so many nights together creating songs over food and drink, and he was very, very good at his work. We worked on so many films even when there were other heroes or composers, and after Amanush, I also liked to work sometimes with Indeewar.”

Shaktida’s professional liaison with other actors worked the best with Uttam Kumar who worked in two double-version hits under his direction, Amanush and Anand Ashram, both with Sharmila Tagore.

But his films with Amitabh Bachchan (The Great Gambler (1979), Barsaat ki Ek Raat (1981)) and Mithun Chakraborty did not jell.

The Bengali version of Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, namely Anusandhan did very well in West Bengal but the Hindi version could not strike the box office.

Geetanjali (1993) with Rekha doing a double role was Shaktida last directorial venture in Hindi but the film underscored the tragic fact that Shakti Samanta was really not able to flow with the changing ebb and tide in Hindi cinema.

He returned to filmmaking with the idea of shifting base to his home state.

He made Devdas (2002) with Prosenjeet, Arpital Pal and Indrani Haldar as the star-crossed lovers.

But “working in Tollygunge has taught me never ever to work in Bengal again because people are very lazy and unprofessional here. At my age, with my experience, I simply cannot cope,” he said. Devdas was a miserable flop.

Samanta Directed first feature film in 1954 and started his own production company, Shakti Films, in 1957.


In all, Samanta has directed 43 feature films: including 37 Hindi, and 6 Bengali films.

His best-nown films are: Howra Bridge, China Town, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Anuraag, Amanush, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat and Mehbooba.

Samanta is credited for starting the trend of making double version films in Hindi and Bengali with Amanush in 1974.

Samanta also made the first co-produced film between India and Bangladesh in 1984.

Some of his films have been shown at international festivals in Berlin, Tashkent, Moscow, Cairo and Beirut.

Samanta was President of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association for 5 years, Chairman of the Central Board Of Film Certification for 7 years and was Chairman of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata for 2 years.

Music always played a big, big part in trhe success of Shaktida’s films.

“I was very particular about my dialogues and lyrics which was easy because I was very good both in Hindi and Urdu.

I chose Anand Bakshi to do the lyrics for most of my films and I had great faith in his work also because we were very good friends on a personal level.

After Amanush, I worked with Indeevar too,” says Shaktida.

Shaktida’s films will be forever remembered for their rich music and lyrics.

Over his 50 films in 50 years, Shakti-da worked with OP Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishen, SD Burman, RD Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal to produce some of the best songs in the history of Hindi film music.

If Aradhana placed Kishore Kumar at the top among male playback voices, then the songs of Amar Prem remain archived in the music museum for lyrics, rendering and music. Kuch to Log Kahenge, Chingari Koi Bhadke or Yeh Kya Hua are hummable to this day.

SD sang Aradhana’s title song and it is an all-time hit. The Bade Achche Lagte Hain slow number in Balika Badhu beautifully brings out the romantic strains of first love.

Place this against Pyar Deewana Hota Hai in Kati Patang or Aayiye Mehrbaan in Howrah Bridge, Zara Haule Haule Chalo More Sajna from Sawan Ki Ghata and you get a collage of rich music in every musical genre in cinema.

He has also worked with a variety of composers - Hemant Kumar, Ravi, Madan Mohan, Mukul Roy (Geeta Dutt’s brother), Chitragupta, Ravindra Jain, Annu Malik and Bappi Lahiri.

If Rajendra Kumar was a jubilee star, Shakti Samanta was jubilee director.

Almost all his films were either golden or silver jubilee hits.

Samanta was also called the star maker having survived over two 'star phases' unscathed.

With this failure, Shakti Samanta gave up direction.

His son Ashim took over the reins but he failed to work his magic too.

Disasters like Palay Khan, Aakhri Baazi, Ahankaar, Ankhon Mein Tum Ho followed one after another till he had to finally move to producing televisions serials.

His distribution at Naaz and production office at Natraj Studios has been closed down.


Shakti Samanta brought out some of the best from his music composers from O.P.Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan to the Burmans, though he also worked with composers as varied as Hemant Kumar, Ravi, Madan Mohan, Mukul Roy, Chitragupta, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Ravindra Jain, Anu Malik and Bappi Lahiri apart from Babul Bose in the Bengali Debdas. “Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan were both very good, but I tuned best with the two Burmans - while Dada’s music was sweet and soft, his son was a genius at orchestration,” says the filmmaker. “After they both passed away, I don’t miss just them but music itself!”

THE BENGALI PHASE

Shakti Samanta felt the need to go to his Bengali roots when he once met a group of Bengali journalists in Kolkata they wanted to know why he was not making Bengali films. “I then met the eminent writer Shaktipada Rajguru. I had already made the big change from crime dramas to love stories and socials with Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem and Anuraag and I started exploring subjects that could be made in both Hindi and Bengali as bilinguals. Amanush and Anand Ashram were my first two films in this capacity and both had Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore with Bengali stalwart Shyamal Mitra giving the music,” says Samanta.

After this came many other bilinguals, not all of which had successful runs, like Barsaat Ki Ek Raat/Anusandhan, Aar Paar/ Anaya Abhichaarm, Aakhri Baazi/Mustan, Dushmun/Andho Bichar and Ankhon Mein Tum Ho/Achena Atithi.

The change necessitated a hero familiar with both languages and popular both with Hindi and Bengali audiences and in the ‘80s and early ‘90s that meant Mithun Chakraborty. However, most of their films together did not work, including the films that Shakti’s son Ashim, who turned director with the 1982 Amne Saamne, directed.

From the early ‘70s, Shakti Samanta’s Hindi cinema definitely showed much more Bengali influences. His Amar Prem was based in Kolkata and on a Bengali story, as was Anurodh, and Samanta even remade the Bengali classic Balika Badhu, introducing Kishore Kumar’s son Amit Kumar as a singer with the hit song Bade acche lagte hain. While Samanta directed more than 12 outside films, this film remains the only Shakti Films’ production to be directed by neither Shakti nor his son - it was directed by Tarun Majumdar.

Moushumi Chaterjee, another name who had become a success in Bengali films like Sharmila Tagore, was introduced in Hindi films with Anuraag, though it was Raj Khosla who had signed her first.

During this phase, Shakti Samanta also faced allegations that he ditched Rajesh Khanna when the latter’s popularity nosedived. Admits the filmmaker, “Rajesh lost a bit of his goodness with too much success. But I was making films where he did not fit in, like Charitraheen and Ayyash (both with Sanjeev Kumar) or The Great Gambler (Amitabh Bachchan). And though I believe stars are very important, the story and music are more important!”

MUSIC AND LOYALTY

Shakti Samanta brought out some of the best from his music composers from O.P.Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan to the Burmans, though he also worked with composers as varied as Hemant Kumar, Ravi, Madan Mohan, Mukul Roy, Chitragupta, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Ravindra Jain, Anu Malik and Bappi Lahiri apart from Babul Bose in the Bengali Debdas. “Nayyar and Shankar-Jaikishan were both very good, but I tuned best with the two Burmans - while Dada’s music was sweet and soft, his son was a genius at orchestration,” says the filmmaker. “After they both passed away, I don’t miss just them but music itself!”

And for someone who was accused of changing loyalties to stars fast, the filmmaker was very loyal to his technicians - cameraman Alok Das Gupta, editor Govind Dalwadi, art director Shanti Das and writers like Vrajendra Gaur, Ramesh Pant, Sachin Bhaumick, Kamleshwar and others, besides his music team.

THE LATER YEARS

Shakti diplomatically calls all his films “equally beloved children”, but when asked which films were truly satisfying, he mentions Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem, Anuraag and Amanush. “But most of my films were liked and became hits!” he says humbly about his peak phase.

But it was in the ‘80s when trends changed that the filmmaker tried to flow with the tide and made flops galore as confusion and video piracy reigned. Geetanjali (1993), his last film in Hindi as a director, was about vendetta, and even his modern-day version of Sarat Chandra’s classic Debdas (2002), Samanta’s last film as a director, were non-starters. But enough work had been done by the filmmaker to earn a distinguished place in the Hindi film industry.

Besides his celluloid achievements, Samanta has been the President of the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association for 5 years, the Chairman of the Central Board Of Film Certification for 7 years and Chairman of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, Kolkata for 2 years.

Today, his son Ashim Samanta runs the office, keeps making films (“I told him Don Muthuswami would not work, but he wanted to make it and he likes to keep working!”) and the veteran filmmaker still attends office regularly. The company also runs the famous Aradhana Sound Service, a complete post-production set-up and recording studio, and for a 50-year-old banner, is remarkably in tune with the times with an efficient and friendly staff, a good website and a meticulous preservation of their films’ original negatives in temperature-controlled premises “at a great but worthwhile cost”.

The Golden Banner flies high even today.

Shakti Samanta won three Filmfare awards for Aradhana, Anuraag and Amanush topped by the Lifetime Achievement Award. He headed the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association for five years, was chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification for seven years and chaired the board of the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata for two years. His films have been screened at international film festivals in Berlin, Tashkent, Moscow, Cairo and Beirut. He handed over the reins of his production house to son Ashim Samanta.

CELEBRATION | SHAKTI SAMANTA


Great Gambler


Shakti Samanta celebrated his 79th birthday on January 13 this year. In a career spanning almost 50 golden years, the prolific producer-director has to his credit several unforgettable milestone movies like Howrah Bridge, Insaan Jaag Utha, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening In Paris, Aradhana, Kati Patang, Amar Prem and Amanush to name a few. He never shied away from experimenting with difficult subjects and new stars be they Sharmila Tagore, Rajesh Khanna or Moushumi Chatterjee. Some of the risks paid off...some didn’t. But Shaktida, as he is fondly known amongst the film fraternity, was never disheartened. Cinema has been his passion for close to eight decades and one afternoon, an unusually chilly one for Mumbai, the veteran filmmaker, over cups of hot chai, took a trip down memory lane. Excerpts:

BAADBAAN (’54): This Ashok Kumar-Dev Anand-Meena Kumari-Usha Kiran starrer was made for the Bombay Talkies workers co-operative society. I used to work with director Phani Mazumdar those days. Phanida used to write the dialogue in Bengali himself but needed someone who could translate the lines in Hindi without losing the essence of the words. Since I had been educated in Uttar Pradesh and was familiar with the language, he suggested I do the job for him. This was a common practice those days and got you credit as a writer (Smiles). I worked with Phanida in another film this year, Dhobhi Doctor starring Usha Kiron and Kishore Kumar.This film was made by Ranjit Studios.

BAHU (’55): My directorial debut happened quite by chance. Vrajendra Gaur was making Kasturi starring Nimmi and Sajjan for Sargam Pictures. I was assisting him on a salary of Rs 300 a month and the condition that the day I got a chance to make my own film I would quit the job. One day, a couple of young men, nephews of a prominent eye-specialist in Punjab, came across to the office. With a generous settlement from their uncle they had landed in Mumbai, bought 30 cars and put them on the roads. Each car was fetching them Rs 30 a day which amounted to a handsome Rs 900 a month. They wanted to make a film and wondered how much it would cost them. Those days you could shoot 3-4 days for as little as Rs 1000. Delighted, they asked Vrajendraji to direct the film for them. Since he was already committed to Kasturi and couldn’t take on any other project till it was released, he passed the offer to me. His only condition was that he’d write the story and dialogue. That’s how I came to direct my first social for PR Films. Considering that it starred Usha Kiron and Karan Dewan, the film didn’t fare too badly. Bahu ran for six weeks at Mumbai’s Liberty cinema.

INSPECTOR (’56): Soon after Ashit Behari who had penned the songs of Bahu came to me with the news that a prominent construction company in Malad, a western suburb in Mumbai, where he was staying was all set to foray into show business. “I’ll set up a meeting and when questioned on the budget don’t go above Rs 80,000. Once the film starts it won’t be difficult getting more from these rich contractors,” Bihari advised. Accordingly, a meeting was arranged but when the anticipated question was raised I blurted out that a film, the kind they had in mind, would cost them at least Rs 2.50 lakh. I had directed only one film and it had done just average business but I had a fair idea of production expenses. I pointed out however that costs could be trimmed by taking a reputed director and selling the film on announcement. I saw Bihari shaking his head over my folly when they got up to leave with a cryptic, “We’ll get back.” Bihari went to drop them off at the station and to my surprise returned a while later beaming. The tycoons impressed by my candor, had decided they’d take a risk with me. “Tune to kamaal kar diya,” Bihari raved. And I quipped, “Okay, write some good songs for me will you.” Inspector made for Pushpa Pictures starred Ashok Kumar and Geeta Bali. When I mentioned the title of my film to Vrajendraji and my colleagues at Bombay Talkies they laughed saying, “So you’re taking badla on us for all the inspector roles we thrust on you.” Those days, I was the first choice for every bit role of an inspector in a Bombay Talkies production. As I gave a chase my patent dialogue would be, “Follow car number XYZ.”

HILL STATION (’57): Inspector did quite well and established the banner of Pushpa Pictures. I got another chance to work with the Nadiadwalas and chose to remake a Bengali film I’d seen years ago. I think it was made by PC Barua and adapted from a famous novel. Hill Station was a beautiful story but difficult for the artistes, Bina Rai, Pradeep Kumar and Shyama. Fortunately, it worked at the box-office.

SHEROO (’57): This Ashok Kumar-Nalini Jaywant social that I directed for SP Pictures was also released in ’57. I remember I had just purchased a car and was driving it myself. One day I met with a major accident. Three of my ribs were broken and I was in hospital for almost two weeks. During the time I wasn’t allowed to see too many visitors. In a bid to kill time I started toying with story ideas. One idea grabbed me and when Ranjan Bose, a writer-friend, dropped by to visit, I sketched it out for him. He liked it and I requested him to develop it for me. The film was Howrah Bridge, Shri Shakti Films’ first production.

HOWRAH BRIDGE (’58): I knew I wanted Ashok Kumar and Madhubala for this film. I called Dadamoni as soon as I got out of hospital. We’d already made a couple of films together and he was easily wooed. But I didn’t know Madubala at all and requested Dadamoni to intercede with her father on my behalf. Soon after, one day,I dropped by on her set and fixed up a meeting for a story narration. Fortunately, the kahaani appealed to her too. And Howrah Bridge was made. The film is remembered even today for that sensuous club number picturised on Madhubala, ‘Aaiye meherbaan...’. At the time she was dividing her time between my film. that was being shot here at Natraj then called Modern Studio and Mohan Studio where K Asif was filming Mughal-E-Azam. Even as she swayed to ’Aaye meherbaan
’ in a short dress she would be doing a ‘Pyar kiya to darna kya...’ at Badshah Akbar’s court later in the day.

DETECTIVE (’58): I was young then and used to work day and night. Someone only had to ask me to direct a film and I’d agree in a jiffy. Along with Howrah Bridge I also hit the theatres with Detective in ’58. The film was produced by Amiya Chakravorty. The music director was Mukul Roy, the brother of Guru Dutt’s wife Geeta and a good friend of mine. A suspense thriller, the film starred Pradeep Kumar and Mala Sinha. Groomed at Bombay Talkies I had a lot of success with this genre but I was also inclined towards emotional subjects that New Theatres excelled in. That’s how I came to make my next film, Insan Jaag Utha.

INSAN JAAG UTHA (’59): This was Shakti Films’ second production. A very different subject it had sparked writer Nabendu Ghosh’s interest immediately. Choprasahab (BR Chopra) was making Naya Daur at the time. There were constant comparisons with this film because while Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala were building a road in Naya Daur, Sunil Dutt and Madhubala were erecting a dam in my film. Both the films had very good music but while Naya Daur was a runaway hit, my film wasn’t very successful.

SINGAPORE (’60): I returned to a lighter genre with Singapore, a musical starring Shammi Kapoor and Padmini that I directed for FC Mehra’s Eagle Films. It had very good music by Shankar-Jaikishan. ‘Jeevan mein ek baar aana Singapore...’ is still hummed. We went to Singapore to shoot the film. I’ve been there 3-4 times since, once on my way to Japan. In those days the audience quite liked the idea of watching their favourite matinee idols prancing around in a foreign land speaking shudh Hindi. The novelty wore off after a while as more and more filmmakers took them around the world.

JAALI NOTE (’60): I made the film in partnership with SP Pictures. I’d made Sheroo with them earlier. It was an interesting subject and with big stars like Dev Anand and Madhubala, Jaali Note did quite well too. However, when it came to sharing the profits, my partner moaned that he had made some huge losses in earlier films. Why didn’t I just forgo my share? Since we had no written agreement I lost out on the money. The title of the film lived up to its name (Laughs).

ISI KA NAAM DUNIYA HAI (’62): After a barren ’61 I had three releases in ’62. Isi Ka Naam Duniya Hai was for JP Productions and starred Ashok Kumar and Shyama. I don’t recall the film, I only know it didn’t work well. If the story had been memorable it would have done well.

NAUGHTY BOY (’62): After Insan Jaag Utha I had decided to make a film on a coal mine, Barood with Madhubala. Kishore Kumar who was in love with Madhubala then insisted he wanted to do the film with her. I pointed out that the subject wouldn’t suit him. “So make another film that I can fit into?” he retorted. “Madhu is not well, she’ll not be able to shoot in a coal mine anyway.” Kishore was very persuasive. I shelved Barood and launched Naughty Boy, a comedy, with the pair. I was still a loser because after about 10-11 reels had been shot, Madhubala took to bed. The doctors wouldn’t allow her to complete the film. She was too ill. I had to re-shoot the entire film with Kishore and Kalpana. In the process it got delayed.

CHINA TOWN (’62) : Another production of Shakti Films starring Shammi Kapor and Shakila. However, despite its title, China Town was not shot abroad but in Kolkata’s famous China Town. I was a frequent visitor to this part of the City Of Joy that boasted of some famous Chinese eating joints. I had made a lot of friends with the waiters at these restaurants and when I needed extras for my film, I called them. They were real Chinese guys and gave my film an authentic look.

EK RAAZ (’63): Gaffarbhai Nadiadwala launched his banner, AG Films with this Kishore Kumar-Jamuna starrer. Once again, it made money and further cemented my association with the Nadiadwalas.

KASHMIR KI KALI (’64): A Shakti Films production and one of my biggest hits. Most of the heroines of the time were real beauties but for Kashmir Ki Kali I needed a really young and delicate-looking girl. I had seen Sharmila (Tagore) in one of her Bengali films. She’d worked with Satyajit Ray in Apur Sansar and Devi but she had no ego about being a Ray discovery. Though she didn’t really look like a Kashmiri girl, I instinctively felt she would suit the subject and approached her.She was unsure. “Will I be able to do a Hindi film?” she wondered. “Why not?” I assured her. “So many girls from other regions have made it big here. I think you should consider my offer.” Sharmila was eventually persuaded and made a hit pair with Shammi Kapoor who though very fat had a way with songs. Shammi never worked with any dance director. He was an old friend and I let him choreograph his songs the way he wanted and the result is ‘Yeh jheel si neeli aankhen..’ and ‘Isharon mein...’.

SAAWAN KI GHATA: Two years later I repeated Sharmila in another home production. But this was a different Sharmila one saw. She was very good in Saawan Ki Ghata and so was Manoj Kumar. We shot the film in Ooty, in a real tea garden.

AN EVENING IN PARIS (’67): I brought back my Kashmir Ki Kali team but in the three years since my protege had become very glamorous. She was all set to wear a bikini for the film. But I didn’t want to get into trouble with the Censors and have to re-shoot. There was no way I was going to be able to match the colour of the Mediterranean in India or ferry the French extras over without going over-budget. So I suggested a more conservative, one-piece swim-suit. Sharmila wasn’t too happy but she eventually gave in. I’m glad I was prudent because even with this alteration, the song is still clipped out during a screening on Doordarshan. Once, when I questioned a DD official about the editing, I was told, “It’s vulgar!” The answer silenced me. Imagine a film that was passed in ’67 with a ‘U’ certificate being considered “vulgar” almost four decades later. Recently, a gentleman met me. He wants to shoot An Evening In Paris in French after all these years. He says that despite living in France all his life he has not been able to exploit it the way I have in the film. He wants Sharmila, Shammi and me to make a special appearances in his film. Can you believe that?

ARADHANA (’69): Rajesh Khanna was still relatively unknown then but I’d seen his work in Baharon Ke Sapne and thought he might be accepted by the audience when he calls the girl his lookalike father had once wooed ardently his “ma”. Sharmila also fit the double bill of lover and mother. It was an inspired bit of casting. I got both the subject and the title from my publicist. He wanted to make the film himself but I convinced him to entrust me with both. I was cheated. Fortunately, the matter came to light before it was too late. I was sitting with Gulshan Nanda and a well-known Marathi film writer at my office in Famous Studio one evening when Surinder Kapoor dropped by. He was going to view the last 3-4 reels of his new film in the projection theatre next door and invited us to accompany him. After the one-hour screening I was left holding my head in my hands. The story of my film whose sets were in the process of being erected, and Kapoor’s film was the same. What was I to do? Since Gulshanji was with me I requested him to help. On the drive back home he narrated a story. I loved it and told him immediately that I was buying it. He demurred saying he had already narrated it to Gaffarbhai and he was committed to him. “I’ll request Gaffarbhai to let me make this film under my banner. We go back a long way. He won’t say ‘no’ to me,” I told Gulshanji. That story was later made into Kati Patang. As for Aradhana, Gulshanji and I incorporated some significant changes in the original story. The man who was to rape Sharmila became her mentor. The film was a superhit and Rajesh Khanna was the ‘Phenomenon’ of the ’70s! If Kaka had chosen his films with more care as I had advised and not signed every project that came his way, he would have enjoyed a longer reign.

KATI PATANG (’70): It was a risky subjct but I was convinced that the audience would realise from the very beginning that Asha Parekh was not really a widow and would thereby accept Rajesh Khanna’s fumbling attempts to woo her. By the time we started the film the novel was out and Asha Parekh had read it. She was able to understand the subtle nuances in the character. I had been confident I’d be able to extract a convincing performance from her but she wasn’t my first choice for the role. I had offered it to Sharmila first. But she was married by then and carrying. So she had to refuse.

PAGLA KAHIN KA (’70): Ajit Chakraborty was a good friend. I had made a commitment that I’d direct a film for him. It starred my old friend Shammi Kapoor and Asha Parekh, my Kati Patang heroine.

JAANE ANJAANE (’71):I started the film with Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali. But after Geeta died suddenly I had to scrap the 7-8 reels that had been canned and re-shoot the film with Leena Chandavarkar. The Bengali actress Sandhya Roy also acted in it along with Vinod Khanna.I knew deep down that this film wouldn’t work. But there are times in life when you have this urge to experiment...

AMAR PREM (’71): Sharmila couldn’t do Kati Patang but she wouldn’t be cut out of Amar Prem. When I narrated the story to her, she immediately reacted thus, “It’s a difficult film but I’ll do it.” That was Rajesh’s (Khanna) response too. Amar Prem had been made in Bengali before which is why it was not in the reckoning for any awards even though I had made a lot of changes from the original starting with song in the beginning. The film had some great songs too and it’s interesting that most of them were lipped by Rajesh. The end was unconventional but appropriate. After all what Sharmila’s character had gone through it was only right that she get some happiness in the end. She had always yearned for a child I thought rather than unite her and Rajesh as miya-biwi, let me bring her and her adopted beta together. And it had to be Rajesh who cemented this union because he had only wanted her to be happy. You remember that famous line, “Pushpa, I hate tears...”

ANURAG (’72): When I narrated the story to Ashok Kumar his immediate reaction was, “You are looking for awards or what?” Did that mean he hadn’t liked the story, I wondered. “The story is good,” he admitted. “So we’ll make it. I have a feeling it’ll be liked,” I insisted. Dadamoni was game. I then signed Nutan who was extraordinary. Rajesh Khanna was memorable too in a special appearance. Master Satyajit, as the school boy stricken with Cancer, did a good job and Vinod Mehra, as always, was competent. Moushumi was the one who had me worried. “Come on time, absorb the story and make sure you have a slight smile playing on your lips and don’t burst into your usual giggles,” I told her sternly. “I understand,” she quipped back cheekily. “You want to tell me anything else.” She was wonderful! (Smiles fondly)

CHARITRAHEEN (’74): I directed this film for Debashish Ghosh. It was adapted from one of Saratchandra Chatterjee’s stories. It was a powerful story and Sharmila acted very well as the prostitute. Sanjeev Kumar was a fine artiste too.

AJNABI (’74): I made Ajnabi starring Rajesh Khanna and Zeenat Aman for my brother who produced it in partnership with my wife Girija Samanta. I was inspired by Bombay Talkies’ Kismet that ran at Kolkata’s Roxy cinema for three years. I was going to make the same film but then it struck me that there wasn’t possibly anyone left in the City of Joy who hadn’t seen Kismet. I decided then to change the story but I don’t think I worked too sincerely on the changes. As a result the film didn’t turn out too well. Had I worked more on the story, may be it would have been a different story at the box-office.

AMANUSH (’75): Amanush was a blockbuster in Bengal. I remember after the first show I was mobbed and when I pleaded to be allowed out of the theatre, I was lifted on the shoulders of cheering fans and carried down the stairs. Uttam Kumar was fondly called “Guru” by his fans in Bengal. After Amanush I became “Guru” too. And there were two “Gurus” in Kolkata. Uttam Kumar was a very fine person. He was around 42 when he did Amanush. I was certain that only he could do justice to this complex role and he far-surpassed my expectations. I was sure after Amanush he would have made a place for himself in Hindi cinema. (Sighs) If he had only picked and chosen his roles with more care.I had advised him to be very selective. He was the reigning superstar of Bengal and didn’t need to accept every Hindi film that came his way. He agreed with me but the actress with whom he was living believe differently. She thought he should make hay while the sun shone. The films he signed weren’t worthy of him.

BALIKA BADHU (’76): Tarun Mazumdar had made the film earlier in Bengali with Moushumi. It was a big hit. I persuaded him to direct it in Hindi for me with Sachin and Rajni Sharma in the lead. Rajni was a very innocent looking girl then but she was more interested in making money. Sachin was an experienced actor which is why he has outlasted her by almost two decades. I introduced Amit Kumar as a singer with ‘Bade achche lagte hain...’. I had known his father for a very long time. Kishore Kumar’s first film was with Phani Majumdar and I had written the Hindi dialogue. I liked Amit’s voice. I knew instantly the boy had inherited his father’s talent. ‘Bade achche lagte hain...’ aaj bhi logon ko achcha lagta hai.

MEHBOOBA (’76): My friend, Vrajendra Gaur had lost his first wife during the birth of their second child. Soon after, he was pressurized by his in-laws to marry his wife’s younger sister. I would often drop in on the Guars and after a while, on occasions, Vragendraji’s second wife would suddenly break into convulsions as her sister possessed her body. After that I’d find myself being drawn into a conversation over her husband, children and simple day-to-day happenings with a woman who was no longer alive. After a while I’d point out to the spirit gently that her sister was in a lot of pain. She’d withdraw reluctantly saying that she enjoyed being around people close to her and chatting with them. This other-worldly experience had made a deep impression on me so when Mushir-Riaz approached me with this story of reincarnation that they were keen to make, I was immediately interested. In fact I told Gulshan Nanda, the writer of the film, to incorporate the incident with Gaur’s first wife in the script believing it would make the plot that much more convincing. Since I’d seen it with my own eyes, I was convinced about the existence of ghosts but the subject didn’t find universal acceptance. Mehbooba was memorable for Hema Malini. She looked lovely and got an opportunity to showcase her talent as a trained classical dancer.

ANURODH (’77): This was another film I made for my brother and wife. After his death I gave both Ajnabiee and Anurodh to his son to exploit as he thought fit. Anurodh was an interesting story but may be people couldn’t accept the idea of a brother-in-law (Rajesh Khanna) wooing his own real-life saali (Simple Kapadia).

ANAND ASHRAM (’77): The Hindi version did just average business but the Bengali version was a blockbuster. Once again I got an opportunity to work with “Guru”, Uttam Kumar. Sharmila was opposite him. The film also starred Dadamoni (Ashok Kumar), Rakesh Roshan and Moushumi. By then Moushumi was doing quite well in Hindi films and she would always report late for work. One day, exasperated, I took her to task and warned her that if she didn’t come on time I was going to throw her out. (Smiles) After that Moushumi was always punctual.

THE GREAT GAMBLER (’79): CVK Shastry had lost a lot of money in a couple of films. He came to me hoping for a hit. I had read this story and felt it had the potential to do well at the box-office. He gave me a free hand. This was the first time I was working with Amitabh Bachchan. He was superb...very sincere. If I told him to report at 7 a.m. he would be there, never mind if no one else was. Amitabh played a double role. The Great Gambler had CVK Shastry laughing all the way to the bank. The film had a very successful music score too. The sensuous Asha Bhosle’s love song, ‘Do labzon ki hai dil ki kahani...’ became very popular. I shot the film in a gondola on a canal in Venice. I shot the song myself. My cameraman, Aloke Dasgupta was used to my request everytime we were shooting a song. I knew exactly what I wanted...Close-ups here, a long shot from this angle and a mid-shot next...

KHWAB (’80): I produced the film myself. It starred Mithun and Ranjeeta. They were a hit pair those days. But Khwab didn’t work. I don’t want to get into a post-mortem. Sometimes things just don’t gell. The film also starred Yogeeta Bali. I think her romance with Mithun was kindled on the sets of the film. They got married soon after.

ANUSANDHAN/BARSAAT KI EK RAAT (’81): Another Bengali-Hindi bi-lingual that I produced and directed. This time both versions did very well. It starred Amitabh Bachchan, Utpal Dutt and Raakhee. I’d known Raakhee for years but we had never got the opportunity to work together before. She was playing a blind girl and as with Moushumi, I wanted a slight smile playing on her lips all the time. I had observed that blind people were always smiling. There was a Durga pooja song in this film that became very popular. Even though the film had been shot in Darjeeling this song, ‘Kaliram ka baj gaya dhol...’ was picturised at Film City. It was around the time of Durga pooja and I had an idol sculpted for the community pooja I organise in Mumbai every year. The idol was transported to the studio for the song.

AYAASH (’82): I produced and directed this Sanjeev Kumar, Rati Agnihotri and Anil Govil starrer too but it didn’t run. It was a remake of a Bengali film that had been very successful. It was a zamindaron ki kahani. May be people here weren’t able to identify with the oppression of the rich landlords.

MAIN AWARA HOON (’83): Even though Ayaash didn’t work well I repeated Rati. She was cast opposite Sanjay Dutt. Raj Babbar and Jaya Prada made up the rest of the cast along with Shakti Kapor and Madan Puri. Main Awara Hoon was directed by my son Ashim. I produced it for him. All through my career I have never shied away from experimenting with unsual subjects. Sometimes the gamble paid off...sometimes it didn’t. I was never disheartened and nor were my distributors because they never lost money.

AWAAZ (’84): I reunited with my old favourite Rajesh Khanna repeating Jaya Prada opposite him. I was the chief of the Censor Board at the time and the film sparked off a not-needed controversy. Some of my detractors insisted it was too violent and I had used my powers as Chairman of the CBFC to get it passed. Nothing could be further away from the truth. During my seven year tenure with the CBFC I have never tried to pressurise members for my personal benefit. I never even watched the film with them. It was their decision entirely.

ANYAY ABICHAR (’85): It was an Indo-Bangladesh co-production. My films are very popular across the border. In fact, I’ve been told that my fans in Bangladesh would get hold of pirated VCDs from Dubai or the Emirates and see the film even before it was released in India. When the Bangladesh film industry proposed a collaboration I was game. Anyay Abichar was a tale of oppression and starred Mithun and some well-known Bangladeshi artistes. The film celebrated a golden jubilee in Kolkata.

AAR PAAR (’85): Another Mithun starrer produced under my banner and with me at the helm. It didn’t do too well. I’ve even forgotten the story.

ALAG ALAG (’85): 1985 was a prolific year for me with three releases. I made Alag Alag for Rajesh Khanna and Jimmy Nirula. I had warned Kaka that the film wouldn’t run and had sugested some changes in the script. Alag Alag was a remake of a Pakistani film and even the original had not worked. I wanted Kaka to play the role of the doctor that was eventually done by Shashi Kapoor. But he and Tina Munim were madly in love and he insisted on being cast opposite her.

PALAY KHAN (’86): Ashim directed the film. We shot it in a place around Afghanistan. We were far above the ground and since it was hard to breathe, shooting was very difficult. Even the horses got tired in the high altitude and had to be rested after every shot before they could run again. We completed the film with great difficulty.

AAKHRI BAAZI (’89): After three years I returned to the theatres with another home production directed by Ashim. Moushumi was cast opposite Shatrughan Sinha. Aakhri Baazi also starred Govinda, Kunal Goswami (Manoj Kumar’s son) and Mandakini. The baazi didn’t pay off.

GEETANJALI (’93): I had signed Rekha for a film a long time ago but the project was shelved. She came to me after all these years saying we should work together. I had this story of two sisters. Rekha was keen to play the double role but despite my urging, she wasn’t able to differentiate between the two sisters, one of whom was rich and the other poor. Both looked wealthy and glamorous.

AANKHO MEIN TUM HO (’97): Ashim failed again even though it was an interesting story. Maybe he doesn’t work as hard as I would like him too. Maybe he was let down by the lack of star value. The romantic team of Suman Ranganathan, Rohit Roy and Sharad Kapoor was not very saleable. Now Ashim is busy with a serial, Kaalchakra. It’s another difficult subject. Hopefully this venture will work.

DEVDAS (2002): Devdas was a mistake. Sanjay Leela Bhansali was also making a Devdas in Hindi at the time with big names—Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai—, lavish sets and had taken a lot of creative liberties with the story. I stayed faithful to Sarat Chandra Chatterjee’s original novel and maintained the distinction between the rich and the poor in my film. Prasonjit was Bengali cinema’s biggest matinee idol. He was the inevitable choice for the title role. But even he couldn’t bring in an audience for my Bengali Devdas. The Hindi version released soon after was more successful. I am almost 80-years-old but my passion for cinema has not dimmed. It’s been three years and I want to be back on the sets. There’s a Sarat Chandra story that I’ve been reading. It was filmed earlier in Bengali and even in Hindi, years ago by Bombay Talkies. Will it work again? I don’t know. It’s difficult to predict what will appeal to the audience today. May be I’ll make it...May be I won’t... There was talk of a Indo-Chinese co-production too. But the deal fell through when I was told that I would not be able to shoot on the Great Wall of China. The argument was that even Chinese films weren’t picturised against this great wonder. Well, in that case I wasn’t interested in an Indo-Chinese collaboration!

A former president of Indian Motion Picture Association of India, Shaktida passed away in Mumbai on April 9, 2009. He had not been keeping well for some time.

Filmography

Director:

* 2000s
* 1990s
* 1980s
* 1970s
* 1960s
* 1950s

1. Devdas (2002/II)... aka Debdas (India: Bengali title: alternative transliteration)

2. Geetanjali (1993/I)

3. Dushman (1990)

4. Alag Alag (1985)

5. Aar Paar (1985) ... aka Anyay Abhchar (India: Bengali title: dubbed version)

6. Anyay Abichar (1985)

7. Awaaz (1984)

8. Ayaash (1982)

9. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) .. aka Anusandhan (India: Bengali title)

10. Khwab (1980)

11. The Great Gambler (1979)

12. Anand Ashram (1977/I)

13. Anand Ashram (1977/II)

14. Anurodh (1977)

15. Mehbooba (1976)

16. Amanush (1975/I)

17. Amanush (1975/II)

18. Ajanabee (1974)

19. Charitraheen (1974)

20. Anuraag (1972)

21. Jaane-Anjaane (1971)

22. Amar Prem (1971)... aka Immortal Love

23. Kati Patang (1970)

24. Pagla Kahin Ka (1970)

25. Aradhana (1969)

26. An Evening in Paris (1967)... aka Paris Ki Ek Shyam (India: Hindi title)

27. Sawan Ki Ghata (1966)

28. Kashmir Ki Kali (1964)

29. Ek Raaz (1963)

30. China Town (1962)

31. Isi Ka Naam Duniya Hai (1962)

32. Naughty Boy (1962)

33. Jaali Note (1960)

34. Singapore (1960)

35. Insan Jaag Utha (1959)

36. Detective (1958)

37. Howrah Bridge (1958)

38. Hill Station (1957)

39. Sheroo (1957)

40. Inspector (1956)

41. Bahu (1955)

Producer:

* 2000s
* 1990s
* 1980s
* 1970s
* 1960s
* 1950s

1. Devdas (2002/II) (producer) ... aka Debdas (India: Bengali title: alternative transliteration)

2. Ankhon Mein Tum Ho (1997) (producer)

3. Geetanjali (1993/I) (producer)

4. Aakhri Baazi (1989) (producer)

5. Palay Khan (1986) (producer)

6. Aar Paar (1985) (producer)... aka Anyay Abhchar (India: Bengali title: dubbed version)
7. Main Awara Hoon (1983) (producer)

8. Aamne Samne (1982) (producer)

9. Ayaash (1982) (producer)

10. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) (producer) ... aka Anusandhan (India: Bengali title)

11. Anand Ashram (1977/I) (producer)

12. Balika Badhu (1976) (producer)... aka The Young Wife (International: English title)

13. Amanush (1975/I) (producer)

14. Anuraag (1972) (producer)

15. Jaane-Anjaane (1971) (producer)

16. Amar Prem (1971) (producer)... aka Immortal Love

17. Kati Patang (1970) (producer)

18. Aradhana (1969) (producer)

19. An Evening in Paris (1967) (producer)... aka Paris Ki Ek Shyam (India: Hindi title)

20. Sawan Ki Ghata (1966) (producer)

21. Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) (producer)

22. China Town (1962) (producer)

23. Naughty Boy (1962) (producer)

Writer:

* 1980s
* 1970s
* 1950s

1. Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1981) (screenplay)... aka Anusandhan (India: Bengali title)

2. The Great Gambler (1979) (scenario)

3. Amanush (1975/I) (screenplay)

4. Baadbaan (1954) (dialogue) (screenplay)

Miscellaneous Crew:

1. Ajanabee (1974) (presenter)

Thanks:

* 2000s
* 1990s
* 1980s

1. Le Chal Apne Sang (2000) (grateful thanks) (as Shri Shakti Samanta)

2. Andaz Apna Apna (1994) (acknowledgment) (as Shri Shakti Samanta)

3. Rudaali (1993) (acknowledgment: member N.F.D.C.) (as Shri Shakti Samanta) ... aka The Mourner (India: English title)

4. Lakhon Ki Baat (1984) (acknowledgment) (as Shri Shakti Samanta)... aka Rare Talk

Self:

1. Taccuino indiano (2006) (TV) .... Himself

*Shakti Samanta was among the directors who worked with Shammi Kapoor from the late 50s to mid 60s when he was a star. Kapoor was then ditched for Rajesh Khanna with whom he gave a number of hits. In fact they were so successful together that they hade launched a distribution office called Shakti Raj films.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759662/
http://bollywoodzone.wetpaint.com/page/Shakti+Samanta?t=anon
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0759662/bio
http://www.screenindia.com/news/Golden-banner/333458/
http://www.upperstall.com/people/shakti-samanta
http://www.screenindia.com/old/fullstory.php?content_id=9854
http://buzz18.in.com/features/movies/top-1...-of-job/80211/0







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hildebrand   Bulo C Rani was really great composer. Not much ...   Mar 31 2009, 12:51 AM
rashmi mehta   respected hildebrand, thanks for ur all guidence ...   Mar 30 2009, 04:22 PM
hildebrand   respected hildebrand, thanks for ur all guidence...   Mar 31 2009, 12:48 AM
rashmi mehta   Sharmila tagore Being Sharmila Sharmila Tagore, ...   Apr 10 2009, 04:35 AM
rashmi mehta   Indeevar Indeevar: Indian lyricist, poet Real Nam...   Apr 10 2009, 05:18 AM
rashmi mehta   Shakti Samanta Shakti SamantaName: Shakti Samanta...   Apr 14 2009, 03:09 AM
rashmi mehta   M E E N A K U M A R I Puuchhate ho to suno kaise ...   Apr 14 2009, 03:24 AM
rashmi mehta   S A N J E E V K U M A R Biography for Sanjeev Kum...   Apr 14 2009, 03:37 AM
rashmi mehta   j: o chaaNdani, tu meri chaaNdani sh: ouch! j:...   Apr 14 2009, 03:46 AM
rashmi mehta   GEETA BALI Geeta Bali was a special actress. She ...   Apr 14 2009, 03:55 AM
rashmi mehta   majruh sultanpuri (c. 1919 - May 24, 2000), Majr...   Jul 3 2009, 08:13 PM
rashmi mehta   à€žà€Ÿà€°à€Ÿà€‚à€¶: à€Șà„à€°à€žà„à€€à„à€€ à€čà„...   Jul 3 2009, 08:38 PM
rashmi mehta   KAIFI AZMI Birthplace: Azamgarh, U.P. Profession...   Jul 3 2009, 08:49 PM
rashmi mehta   raja mahendi ali khan http://www.bollywoodblitz.c...   Jul 17 2009, 02:07 AM
rashmi mehta   raja mahendi ali khan http://www.bollywoodblitz.c...   Jul 17 2009, 02:09 AM
rashmi mehta   http://www.screenindia.com/old/jan14/music1.htm h...   Jul 17 2009, 02:11 AM
rashmi mehta   Tanuja Samarth (Marathi: ????? ?????), popularly k...   Jul 17 2009, 02:12 AM
rashmi mehta   Mala Sinha (Nepali: ???? ??????) (born November 11...   Jul 17 2009, 02:51 AM
madsur   Rashmiji, I ran into your post by accident. Absol...   Jul 17 2009, 05:03 AM
rashmi mehta   Thanks Sureshji I had seen your message today. ...   May 7 2010, 01:58 PM
rashmi mehta   AAMIR KHAN Date of Birth 14 March 1965, Mumbai, I...   May 6 2011, 10:30 PM
rashmi mehta   [b]Katrina Kaif Date of Birth 16 July 1984, Hong...   May 7 2011, 09:56 PM


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