Happy birthday to Meenakshi Sheshadri.

Happy birthday to Meenakhi Sheshadri.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Meenakshi Sheshadri on 16th November, 2009. She had been one of the leading actresses of bollywood films of the 80s.

She started her career in Subhash Ghai’s film Hero. Meenakshi acted opposite Jackie Shroff in the film who also started his career with the film Hero. After that Meenakshi acted opposite all the leading actors of bollywood films. She was very successful in the film Meri Jung opposite Anil Kapoor. In that film Anil Kapoor contested against Amrish Puri in a keenly contested case.

Meenakshi was successful opposite Big B in the film Shahenshah. Big B played the role of a police officer who did his duty during the day and attached criminals at night with the name of Shahenshah. Meenakshi acted in successful of Raj Kumar Santoshi one after the other.

She was at her best in the film Damini. In that film she had seen a girl being raped. When she went and testified before the court about the happening she was considered to be an insane person. But she did not care about the allegation and testified before the court about the happening. Sunny Deol and Rishi Kapoor also did extremely well in the film opposite her.

Sunny Deol and Meenakshi formed a deadly combination especially in the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Their other hit films included Ghayal and Ghatak which did fantastic business. In Ghayal Meenakshi played the role of a dare devil character, the journalist who did not fear to write the truth related to a corrupted businessman played by Amrish Puri. Sunny Deol was falsely implicated in a case and fled from the jail to kill Amrish Puri. Meenakshi also acted opposite other actors like Vinod Khanna.

Meenakshi also acted in South Indian films. She left films at a time when she was very matured. The viewers expect her to make a comeback in character roles in future.

Happy birthday to Sunny Deol.

Happy birthday to Sunny Deol.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to action star Sunny Deol on 19th October, 2009. He had been a sensation in bollywood films. Being the son of successful actor Dharmender, he had the pressure of proving his capability the early part of his career.

Although he started with romantic films like Betaab in the early 80s, within short period of time he built a macho body and acted in action films one after the other. He became the lead actor in most of the films of Raj Kumar Santoshi. Most of those films were anti-establishment films where his anti-establishment image amazed the viewers.

He received the filmfare best actor award for his brilliant performance in the film Ghayal. He took revenge against smuggling don Balwant Rai played by Amrish Puri. He got awarded for his brilliant performance in the film Damini opposite Meenakshi Sheshadri. He played the role of an upright lawyer who helped a lady like Meenakshi who was threatened by her inlaws against giving testimony in a rape case. The film became the greatest hit of the year.

Sunny’s film Gadar Ek Premkatha, based on hindu-muslim vengeance during partition broke the record of hit films in India. He went to Pakistan to bring his wife Amisha Patel and small son, and faced the resistance of orthodox muslims under the leadership of Amrish Puri. He fought his way out and brought his family to India.

His other hit films included Ghatak, Samandar, Darr, Joshilay, Tridev, Vishwaatma, to name a few. He was considered to be one of the best body-builders of the country in the 90s. Other than Sanjay Dutt, no other actor was as successful as Sunny Deol in action films.

The viewers expect him to continue the strong performance and contribute in bollywood films in future.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

Happy birthday to Amrish Puri.

The viewers of bollywood films provide their best wishes and wish happy birthday to Amrish Puri on 22nd June 2009. Amrish Puri died few years back and bollywood industry lost one of its indispensable actors ever.

His voice had an universal appeal and initially Amrish Puri was associated with realistic films directed by Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalini and others. His performance in the films Bhumika, Aakrosh, Ardh Satya, Vijeta, Suraj Ka Satwa Ghora, Sardari Begum brought him national and international awards. But he became an indispensable figure in the commercial film industry with his manly body and outstanding voice.

His role JK in Ramesh Sippy’s successful film Shakti, balanced the soft tune of acting of Dilip Kumar as police officer and loud acting of Amitabh Bacchan as a smuggler. He killed Rakhee at the end of the film and was murdered by Big B when he was about to leave India. His act of kidnapping of Big B at a young age led to creation of a barrier between Dilip Kumar and Big B, where Big B thought Dilip Kumar never liked his son, which was untrue. It took Big B the entire film to know that Dilip Kumar loved him just his any other father.

Amrish Puri balanced Dilip Kumar’s personality in Mashal. Dilip Kumar was a journalist in the film and Amrish Puri, an underworld don, evicted Dilip Kumar from his house when he published real news about him. Dilip Kumar’s wife Wahida Rehman died in the streets when they were evicted from their house. Dilip Kumar later became a smuggler and killed Amrish Puri when he tried to murder Anil Kapoor, a young journalist who again reported true events.

Amrish Puri was sublime in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s film Ghayal. His character Balwant Rai was memorized by even children of India. He killed Raj Babbar and created false case against Sunny Deol. Sunny along with Sudesh Berry and others escaped from the jail and took revenge against Amrish Puri’s men inspite of Om Puri giving protection in the role of Police Officer Desouza. The entire action revolved around Amrish Puri.

Amrish Puri’s character Mogambo in Shekhar Kapoor’s Mr. India gave a new dimension to the character of villains. He dominated the film inspite of Anil Kapoor’s brilliance in using a scientific gazette to remain invisible. Amrish Puri never stuck to one style of acting and never got type-casted like other villains including Jeevan, Prem Chopra or Ajit.

He showed his comedy instincts in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Jhoot Bole Cowa Kate opposite Anil Kapoor and also David Dhawan’s Mujshe Shaadi Karogi opposite Salman Khan. Amrish Puri’s character role in films like China Gate, Chachi 420, still haunts viewers. He made viewers cry with his performance in the film Ghatak as father of Sunny Deol. He had cancer and died at the end of the film.

Amrish Puri acted in almost 400 films within a span of 25 years which include blockbusters like Big B’s Andha Kanoon, Aaj Ka Arjun, Dilip Kumar’s Duniya, Sunny Deol’s Damini, Ghatak, Gadar Ek Prem Katha, Sanjay Dutt’s Vijeta, Mahanta, to name a few. Critics argue that no other actor other than Om Puri and Naseeruddin Shah had shown the dynamism that Amrish Puri had shown over the years. His films should be restored and preserved for the new generation.

Salman Khan and comedy films.

Salman Khan and comedy films.

Salman Khan had been considered as one of the most popular macho heroes of bollywood films. In fact most of the youngstars of the 90s started building their bodies and joining gymnasiums after Salman Khan’s body on silver screen. In that respect his action films should have been very successful.

But excepting few of his films like Tere Naam, Auzaar, Tumko Na Bhul Payenge, Jeet, none of his action films did notable business. In fact his image as an action hero never grew like Sunny Deol with super hit films like Damini, Ghayal, Ghatak, etc., or Sanjay Dutt with super hit films like Sadak, Vastav, Daag- the fire, etc. Instead his comedy films did fantastic business over the last 5 years.

His film No Entry, became super hit few years back. Although other established actors and actresses like Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Lara Datta, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol had notable contribution in the success of the film, Salman Khan’s presence in the film counted a lot. He in fact inspired his friends like Fardeen Khan and Anil Kapoor to tell lies to their wives and carried on his extra-marital relationship with other girls. He in fact saved them from separation after their wives filed divorce suits against them due to involvement with Bipasha Basu, a bar dancer in the film.

His comedy film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya was perhaps the launching pad of Katrina Kaif. The comedy film had other popular performers like Arshad Warsi, Sushmita Sen, Sohail Khan, Isha Kopikaar, but again Salman Khan’s on-screen chemistry with Katrina Kaif did the magic. After that Katrina went on giving one hit or the other including Welcome, Namaste London, Singh is Kinng, etc.

In Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, Salman Khan went on telling lies to Katrina Kaif about his wife and asked Sushmita Sen to pretend as his wife. To conceal on lie he had say more lies and ultimately Sushmita Sen got attached with Salman Khan. Katrina Kaif asked him to get married to Sushmita Sen because she was the ideal wife of Salman Khan. The successful songs in the film including “just chill chill” and “ saajan”, entered the viewers as well.

Similar type of comedy film with Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra titled Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, became super hit. Akshay Kumar was the old friend of Salman Khan and played a dram in relation to his relationship with Priyanka Chopra. Salman Khan made one mistake after the other and most of his acts harmed Amrish Puri, the father of Priyanka Chopra. He ultimately could disclose his love for Priyanka Chopra in a cricket stadium where India’s cricket match was going. Again the successful songs in the film like Sonu Nigam’s “jeene ke hai char din”, “mujhse shaadi karogi”, entertained the viewers.

Salman Khan had other hit comedy films within his list including Biwi No. 1 with Karishma Kapoor and Sushmita Sen, Partner with Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai with Twinkle Khanna, to name a few. Only last year’s film God Tussi Great Ho with Priyanka Chopra and Sohail Khan did moderate business.

The producers and directors of bollywood films should involve Salman Khan in more comedy films in future after going through his past record.