Asha Parekh's comment on Dilip Kumar.

Asha Parekh’s comment on Dilip Kumar.

Renowned actress Asha Parekh made a very strange comment on Dilip Kumar. Her comment was reported in Times Of India on 29th November, 2009.

Asha Parekh was interviewed and asked that why did she never featured in any of the roles opposite Dilip Kumar during the 60s and 70s. She answered that she never acted opposite actors whom she did not like. She never liked Dilip Kumar and that was why she never acted opposite him. It can be mentioned that she acted opposite Shammi Kapoor in Dil Deke Dekho, Teesri Manzil, Jawan Muhobbat, etc., opposite Joy Mukherjee in Love In Tokyo, Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, etc., opposite Biswajeet in Mere Sanam, opposite Dharmender in Aya Sawan Jhumke and other films, opposite Manoj Kumar in Upkar, opposite Sunil Dutt in Hindustani, Chirag, Zakhmee, etc., opposite Jeetender in Carwan, opposite Rajesh Khanna in Kati Patang, Baharon Ki Sapne,etc. In that respect the statement sounded very strange and arbitrary. It either signified that Dilip Kumar was inferior to most of the actors mentioned above, or as personality he had traits which were not liked by heroines.

If we look back at the career of Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, we will agree that he had acted opposite almost all the leading actresses from the 40s to 70s. Other than Raj Kapoor no other actor survived for such a long period of time and acted opposite different actresses. Dilip Kumar acted opposite Madhubala in Sangdil, Amar, Mughal-i-Azam, etc., opposite Nimmi in Uran Khatola, opposite Nargis in Babul, Andaz, etc., opposite Meena Kumari in Footpath, Azad, Yahudi, Kohinoor, etc., opposite Vaijayantimala in Naya Daur, Madhumati, Paigaam, Ganga Jumna, Leader, Sunghursh, etc., opposite Wahida Rehman in Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi and Dil Diya Dard Liya, etc., opposite Usha Kiran in Musafir, opposite Suchitra Sen in Devdas. The list can go on and even junior actresses like Leena Chandravarkar featured opposite Dilip Kumar in Bairaag, Sharmila Tagore featured opposite Dilip Kumar in Dastaan, his wife Saira Banu acted in Sagina, Gopi, etc. None of the actresses ever complained about Dilip Kumar’s character.

Dilip Kumar had remained an institution by himself. Actors ranging from Manoj Kumar, Rajender Kumar to Anil Kapoor and Sharukh Khan are absolute admirers of the legendary actor. Even Big B in an interview in DD India said he could not match Dilip Kumar’s personality in Shakti where both the giant actors faced each other. So as far as Dilip Kumar’s legacy in bollywood there is no shadow of doubt and any actor of any contemporary period had referred the style of dialogue throwing of Dilip Kumar while featuring in tragic sequences.

So Asha Parekh’s comment sounds absolutely baseless and full of prejudice. Viewers feel that Asha Parekh could have learned acting if she got a scope of acting opposite Dilip Kumar. The comment should be ignored and does not make any difference in the brand image of Dilip Kumar who is the only recipient of Nishan –i-Imtiaz award given by Pakistan other than Ex-Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh.

Happy birthday to Asha Parekh.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Asha Parekh on 2nd October, 2009. She had been a dancing legend of the 60s. Bollywood industry is indebted to her for her brilliant performance in various films.

She started her career opposite Shammi Kapoor in the film Dil Deke Dekho in 1959. After that she acted in musical blockbusters most of which were directed by Nasir Hussain. She was sublime in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai opposite Dev Anand. The songs in the film composed by Shankar Jaikishan like “sau saal pehle”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “teri zulfon ki”, “jiya ho” became rich assets of history.

Asha Parekh had a fantastic combination with Joy Mukherjee. Her films Ziddi, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon and Love in Tokyo became superhit. The songs in most of these films composed by OP Nayyar and Shankar Jaikishan stormed box-office. The most famous songs included “banda parwar”, “raton ka sila”, “nazneen bara rangin hai wada tera”, “japan, love in Tokyo”, “hume tum mil gaye humdum”, etc. Similarly Asha Parekh’s combination with Biswajeet and Shammi Kapoor was very grand. Her film Mere Sanam with Biswajeet was another musical blockbuster. All the songs of the film like “pukarta chala hoon mai”, “humdum mere maan bhi jayo”, “hue hai tumpe aashiq hum bhala mano bura mano” sung by Rafi stormed box-office in the mid-60s.

Asha Parekh played many serious roles in films like Chirag opposite Sunil Dutt, Kati Patang opposite Rajesh Khanna, Upkaar opposite Manoj Kumar, etc. Asha Parekh dancing skills gave her a separate recognition during an age when actresses like Vaijayantimala, Rajashree, Mumtaz, Padmini were already created sensation in bollywood.

Asha Parekh’s performance in the film Carwan opposite Jeetender requires special mention. The viewers expect her to continue the great work in character roles in the years to come.

Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar.

Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar.

Joy Mukherjee gave hits after hits during 60s films and became extremely popular in an age when inspite of domination of Showman Raj Kapoor and Tragedy King Dilip Kumar, stars of various capabilities displayed their individual skills which include Rajender Kumar, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Shammi Kapoor and others. The music of the films of Joy Mukherjee played a very significant role in their success and in that context OP Nayyar’s name comes without hesitation.

Joy Mukherjee’s film Ek Musafir Ek Hasina did brilliant business in the early 60s. Raj Khosla’s musical thriller addressed every section of the society with romantic performance of Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna. All the songs of Rafi and Asha picturized on Joy Mukherjee and Sadhna became super hit. It includes songs like “aap yuhin agar humse milte rahe”, “mujhe dekhkar aapka muskurana”, “phir tere shahar me”, “mai pyar ka rahi hoon”, “bahut shukhriya, bari meherbani”, “humko tumhari isqh ne”, to name a few. OP Nayyar was probably at his best in the film and his blend of eastern and western music created the romantic mood for the film.

Joy Mukherjee, Rafi and OP Nayyar’s magical combination continued in the film Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon. Most part of the film was shot at picturesque locations of Jammu & Kashmir and the landscape was as romantic as the songs sung by Rafi and Asha in the film. The prominent songs included “banda parwar, thamlo jigar”, “lakho hai nigahon me”, “nazneen bara rangeen hai wada tera”, “aanchal me sajalena kaliyan”, “zulf ke chayon me chehere ka ujala lekar”, to name a few. Asha Parekh showed her dancing skills to perfection in the film. Rajender Nath played the role of the relief character in the film. In fact OP Nayyar maintained the same standard of music in Shammi Kapoor’s film Kashmir Ki Kali and Biswajeet’s film Mere Sanam which were made after Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon.

Joy Mukherjee’s combination with OP Nayyar continued in the film Humsaya. In that film Sharmila Tagore got the lead role opposite Joy Mukherjee. By that time due to emergence on new actors and actresses in bollywood films, Joy Mukherjee’s popularity declined and the film also did moderate business. In respect of the songs, Rafi’s song “dil ki awaaz bhi sun” became hit. But OP Nayyar gave a number of songs to Mahendra Kapoor was well which did not strike gold in the box –office.

In the 70s, with the advent of action films led by Big B, Vinod Khanna and others, Joy Mukherjee faded away from the film arena. Even OP Nayyar’s music in films like Ek Baar Muskurado did not create storms the way it did in the 60s. The films of Joy Mukherjee and OP Nayyar should be preserved for their immense musical value.

Rajashree - the classical dancer of the 60s.

Rajashree – the classical dancer of the 60s.

Rajashree, daughter of famous director V. Shantaram and classical dancer Sandhya, made a notable contribution in bollywood films in the 60s. She faced very strong competition from Vaijayantimala, Sadhna, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu, and yet maintained her stardom in hit films opposite leading stars of bollywood films.

She was extremely successful opposite Shammi Kapoor, in the film Janwar. Shammi Kapoor brought westernized mannerisms in bollywood films in the 60s, and his style was enhanced by fantastic music composed by Shankar Jaikishan, and colourful locations where the films were picturised. The same thing happened in the film Janwar.

Most part of the film was picturised in Jammu & Kashmir, and the songs of Rafi like “lal chadi”, “tumse accha kaun hai”, etc., became super hit. Rajashree had adequate classical training for exhibiting her dancing skills which she showed in the song “mere sang ga gunguna”.

The second part of the film dealt with the conspiracy committed against Shammi Kapoor, and her marriage with Shammi Kapoor got stuck due to those reasons. Over all her performance was very impressive and the film became super hit.

The same combination was again successful in the film Brahmchari. Shammi Kapoor ran an orphan house where the children were brought by him and he did not marry to help out the orphan children in the film. Rajashree intereacted with Shammi Kapoor in the film and for different reasons, Shammi Kapoor taught her to be modern and arranged her marriage with Pran.

After knowing that Pran had a very bad reputation in society and was also involved with Mumtaz, the marriage was cancelled and Rajashree was saved at the end of the film. Again the scintillating music of Shankar Jaikishan amused the viewers. All the songs of Rafi including “aajkal tere mere pyar ke charche”, “chakke pe chakka”, “dil ke jharoke me tujhko bithakar”, “mai gayun tum so jayo”, became landmark hits in the late 60s.

Rajashree was extremely successful opposite Raj Kapoor in the film Around the World. Raj Kapoor played the role of an innocent person who had to travel all across the world, first as a worker in a ship and then after joining different forms of employments. He was attached with Rajashree during his travel to different places. The fantastic location of West Indies, United States, etc., was balanced by classic music of Shankar Jaikishan once again. Mukesh’s songs “kitna akela hoon mai”, “duniya ka sair kar lo”, “chale jana” became landmark hits in the late 60s.

Rajashree acted in successful films opposite the other leading stars of bollywood films in the 60s, including Biswajeet, Joy Mukherjee, Jeetender, to name a few. Most of those films including Sehnai, became successful. Rajashree faded out from the industry in the 70s. Her films should be restored for the next generations.