Remembering Dilip Kumar: His top 10 songs

Muhammad Yusuf Khan aka Dilip Kumar along with Lata Mangeshkar is the only surviving warrior in Bollywood. In a career spanning across 6 decades, it won't be an exaggeration to put him at the pinnacle of screen acting in India. Starting his career in 1944 with Amiya Chakravarty's Jwar Bhata, he never looked back. India's first method actor, India's first superstar, an inspiration to generations of budding actors, Yusuf defined Indian cinema. He has seen Bollywood grow with him. All his companions, competitors, co-stars, musicians, singers left us, but he has survived the tide.

In his career, he was part of some of the best music created and being very deeply aware of the musical nuances, he was someone who just wouldn't call a song a song unless it was a good one (Let's not talk about songs from Quila here). People do go senile, ask Dev Sahab for that matter. Anyways here I am going to talk about top 10 songs picturised on Dilip Sahab. It's not the list of best songs, its the list of my favourite songs on him.

So let's start

1) Yahan badla wafa ka bewafai ke siwa kya hai
Film: Jugnu (1947)
MD: Firoz Nizami

This was a duet with legendary Noorjehan before she migrated to Pakistan. It is one of the few songs where Rafi has this nasal tone about the voice. This song doesnt cary much trivia or weight as such besides the fact that it was one of the first collaboration between Rafi saab and Yusuf saab. The song became a superhit and Rafi and Noorjehan were propelled to unmatched heights

2) Watan ki raah mein watan ke naujawan
Film: Shaheed (1948)
MD: Ghulam Haider

One of the earliest patriotic songs post independence - 'watan ki raah' was a monumental song in every aspect. Penned brilliantly by Raja Mehndi Ali Khan and picturised on Dilip Kumar and Kamini Kaushal, this is the song that inspired Dharmender to get into acting. This was another song that pushed Rafi up the ladder during those trying times for singers. The other voice in the song is Khan Mastana. Dilip Sahab's characterisation got him universal applause for the film and this song in general as well.

3) Hue hum jinke liye barbaad
Film: Deedar (1951)
MD: Naushad

This sad yet melancholic song about the lost childhood love is the highlight of the 1951 blockbuster Deedar. Rendered effortlessly yet brilliantly by Mohammad Rafi saab and picturised on an ever sad Dilip saab, this song and the film overall, helped in cementing the label of tragedy king. The lyrics were penned by Shaqeel Badayuni as expected. This was just the beginning of Dilip-Rafi-Naushad-Shaqeel partnership that lasted almost 2 decades

4) Ae mere dil kahin aur chal
Film: Daag (1952)
MD: Shankar Jaikishan

Yes Dilip sahab was not all about Rafi, not all about Naushad saab. This brilliant song is composed by magical duo Shankar-Jaikishan and sung by Talat Mehmood. One of the finest compositions of 1952, Daag had some brilliant songs like Koi nahi mera is duniya me, preet ye kaisi bol ri duniya and hum dard ke maaron ka itna hi fasana hai. How Dilip sahab used to do lyp-sync to the sad songs without going overboard and without being melodramatic is something for every actor to learn

5) O door ke musafir
Film: Udan Khatola (1955)
MD: Naushad

If it wasn;t sad enough, here comes a sadder number. Another one in the Dilip-Rafi-Naushad-Shaqeel frame. The song is about when the beloved is on the brink of being sacrificed. The undertone is dark and sad and beautiful. Another Rafi gem, rendered magnificently (running out of adjectives). Other songs of Udan Khatola were classics as well including the melodious and sad - No ro ae dil by lata didi

6) Maang Ke sath tumhara
Film : Naya Daur (1957)
MD: OP Nayyar

Yes Dilip Kumar and OP Nayyar also came together for one of the best music albums in history of Indian music - Naya Daur. Boasting of classic songs all around like the evergreen Uden Jab Jab zulfein teri or the pop culture in itself - Ye desh hai veer jawano ka, Naya Daur was also landmark for Asha Bhosle who was OP's first choice in a Lata world. Maang ke sath tumhara was written by poet supreme Sahir Ludhiyanvi and the song has the signature OPN style with Punjabi folk and use of horse hoofs with ghunghroo.

7) Ye mera deewanapan hai
Film: Yahudi (1958)
MD: Shankar Jaikishan

Yahudi was a milestone film by legendary director Bimal Roy. SJ were not his first choice, Roy was always Salil Chaudhry patron but his views must have changed after the soundtrack of Yahudi. SJ gave some really amazing songs for the film and the highlight of the album was 'ye mere deewanapan hai'. Written by Shailendra and sung by Mukesh, the song also became one of those songs which keeps coming back. It has ben used multiple times in bollywood and has become an icon

8) Madhuban me radhika nache re
Film: Kohinoor (1958)
MD: Naushad

Well if 50s was known for the tragedies in Dilip saab's characters, he definitely broke the shackles in Kohinoor in 1960. it is said that he went into depression after doing one sad character after another and his psychiatrist advised him to do light roles. Directed by S U sunny, it featured 10 songs composed by Maestro Naushad and penned by Badayuni saab. Despite featuring a lot of towering hits like Do sitaron ka zameen par hai milan and Zara mann ki kewadia khol, the standout song remains Madhuban me. Composed in Raga Hamir and sung in semi-classical mode by Rafi, the song soared to heights of popularity. Dilip sahab confessed that he delayed the shooting of the song for months as he was trying to learn Sitar for the song.

9) Nain Lad Jai hai to
Film: Ganga Jamuna (1961)
MD: Naushad

Ganga Jamuna may not be a mussical classic, compared to its accolades in terms of being a great film (nominated for 7 filmfare awards and winning three), but some of the songs definitely rang the right bells in the ears of music lovers.This was a pro Lata album with 4 solos but Rafi saab also got THE SONG of the film. A person who has been singing sad songs for Yusuf suddenly bursts into life, rendering in rural accent for a washerman. Nain Lad Jai hai has become immortal for its music, singing as well as picturisation. Another milestone song in the film was by Hemant Da, the immortal - Insaaf ki dagar pe bacchon dikhao chal ke

10) Aaj purani raahon se
Film: Aadmi (1968)
MD: Naushad

A remake of the Tamil film Aalayamani starring Sivaji Ganesan, Aadmi also starred Manoj Kumar and Waheeda Rehman. This song has a bittersweet yet cynical and solitary tone. The lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni are highly touching. There is a sense of charisma in last stanza when he says

जीवन बदला, दुनिया बदली, मन को अनोखा ज्ञान मिला
आज मुझे अपने ही दिल में, एक नया इंसान मिला
पहुँचा हूँ वहाँ, नहीं दूर जहाँ 
भगवान भी मेरी निगाहों से

There is a sort of redemption, a nirvana in the words. 

There are few notable mentions which could not make it to the top 10
Tere husn ki kya tareef karoon
Aaj ki raat mere dil ki salami le le
Suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen
Uden jab jab zulfein teri
Dil me chhupa ke pyaar ka toofan le chale

Apni aazadi ko hum hargiz mita sakte nahi

I hope you like the list. Let me know your favorite songs of Dilip Kumar

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Kahaan Gaye Wo Haseen Jism....

गोरे रंग पे ना इतना गुमान कर…

गोरा रंग दो दिन में ढल जायेगा…

This song from the 1974 movie Roti is reminiscence of the fact that the shell life of an actress is much less as compared to the peer actors. There were times, when if an actress got married, she was never offered any lead role and after some years she will be offered the role of  a Mother and Mother-in-Law. With the passage of time, this mentality has changed and these days even married actresses like Vidya Balan, Kareena Kapoor, Kajol are inspiring script writers to offer them lead heroine roles and write exclusively for them.

However, in this article, neither are we going to talk about women empowerment in Hindi movie industry nor are we going to list down 10 career defining roles for Hindi Movie Actress.  In every industry, there are a few people who come and create some hype and hoopla around themselves and encash it with the momentary fame. Today we will take a dig at 5 such actress of 80s and 90s who entered the silver screen with a bang and created lot of stir with their sensuousness and left the scene. Here we are going to have a look at some actresses who took over the industry with a storm in their initial phase but could never sustain the momentum and finally got phased out in future, despite being associated with quite a lot of blockbusters. For our list, we are not considering present actress as we are an optimistic bunch of fellows and we believe present day actress might learn from these actress and would like to prevent the same fate. So, brace yourself to dive into this unintentional dark era of 80s and 90s and Hold your Guns while reading the article.

P.S. The following article contains some 18+ content and Reader's Discretion is advised.

#5: 

Shilpa Shirodkar

ओ जानेमन चेहरा तेरा

 जादू कोई जादू 

देखा है मैंने तेरी नज़र में, 

तेरी जिगर में, कोई जादू 

She banged on to the silver screen in 1989 with the movie Bhrashtachar. The movie had Prabhu Ji and Rekha in lead roles. Mind it, Rajnikanth had an special appearance in the movie. She played the role of a blind girl and her moment of fame was the rape scene. The director has close to 4 minute shot of Shilpa Shirodkar's bare legs, breasts and the oomphs and the aahs to cater to the front-bencher’s orgasm.

Vertical Panorama...

The 360 degree panorama... 

Needless to say, Anupam Kher is obviously successful in his attempts as our makers in late 80s are helpless in front of a lecherous villain and their pen often succumb to the demands of the villain(read: distributors who often demanded a sex scene in the movies during the late 80s and 90s, but that's a different story and deserves a standalone article).

Ha ha ha... Ab tumhe kaun bachaayegaa....

Her next sultry performance was seen in Rakesh Roshan’s Kishan Kanhaiyaa, where she tried to do a Mandakini act. Of-course the act was well received by the people for whom it was meant for.

The wet water sequence.

Next was this song, where she seduced Jackie Shroff in the movie Dil Hi To Hai. The song is unintentionally funny. Yes, she undresses herself so that her husband makes love to her. [Somebody, please kill me…]

One can never be termed as sexy actress if not performed in a rain song.

Hmmm.. Expressive Dance.

She was often called as Rekha Number 2.

After some time, she bid adieu to the silver screen [Thank God] and while writing this article, I found her latest image as this:

Sachchi me.. Ye hi hai Shilpa Shirodkar.. No Photoshop Warp Tool was used to create this image.

-x-

#4:  

Sheeba

थोड़ा थोड़ा प्यार 

थोड़ा तकरार 

अगर ना हो प्यार में तो 

मज़ा नहीं आता  

She is one actress from the 90s who enjoyed her moment of fame by her seducing art in the pre-naughty america times in Hindi Movies.It was tough to trace her debut movie but according to IMDB her first movie was Adisaya Piravi which had Rajnikanth in the lead(I have no fucking clue!!). She was then seen in the 1991 movie Naachnewaale Gaanewaale a movie remembered for Kadar Khan and Shakti Kapoor's camaraderie and Sukhwinder Singh's song before Dil Se made him a household name.

Obviously her moment of fame was the movie with the then upcoming star Salman Khan in the big budget movie Suryavanshi. 

The movie bombed at the box-office and till now there had been divided opinions among people on this movie (Some people claim that this was way ahead of its time and was made at a time when such movies were a rarity in Bollywood), one thing was clear that it was the other actress Amrita Singh who won the accolades for the movie and Sheeba’s fame was short-lived.

She was next seen in Mr. Bond, a C-grade rip off of James Bond starring our Akki and Pankaj Dheer in a weird looking Thai-guy.

Temperature Soaring Up.

After then, she was seen more in trashy movies like Suraksha, Raavan Raaj, Pyaar Ka Saaya etc. 

In & As Demi Moore

Told already, a sexy actress's resume is incomplete without a wet-rain sequence.

Shake your bootiya.. 

She again shot to fame with the Baba Sehgal movie Miss 420(remember the song: Aaja Meri Gaadi me Baith Jaa… ) which was directed by her husband but this time also, her moment of fame was short-lived. After this movie she bid adieu to Bollywood as a lead actress and was seen in some short roles in a few movies.

While writing this article, she looked like this

O Sanam O Sanam Mere Jaanam, kahaan chale gaye o jaanam...

-x-

#3: 

Mamta Kulkarni for Stardust magazine cover photo-shoot

हो मैंने देखा जब

तेरी नज़रों के थ्रू 

कभी हंड्रेड-वन 

कभी हंड्रेड-टू 

उस दिन से हुआ 

फीवर ये शुरू 

कभी हंड्रेड-वन 

कभी हंड्रेड-टू

She is one bold actress of 90s who was arguably part of some of the biggest movies of her time and was quite popular also. She was one actress who had little knowledge of acting and she never tried to improve on her skills also.

Photoshoot for a magazine cover.

Obviously her moment of fame came in Karan Arjun in this scene.

Mind it, she was the female Emraan Hashmi at one point of her career:

Don’t you believe me, see this:

So much was her craze in the mid 90s that even Aamir Khan had a movie opposite her. Needless to say, she only did what she knew best.

Kissing with ice is cool... 

Things seemed to change when Rajkumar Santoshi, in whose earlier movie Ghatak (1996) she had a cameo appearance in a song, casted her as the female lead in his 1998 movie China Gate, an ambitious remake of Seven Samurai.

However, things did not go as planned. Relations between Santoshi and the actress soured, and rumors began circulating that she was dropped from the movie, and reinstated only after gangster Chhota Rajan intervened on her behalf. When the movie was finally released, it was also a huge flop. Furthermore, the only song in the movie, the item number Chamma Chamma, was picturised on Urmila Matondkar, even though Kulkarni had built her reputation with such numbers. To add insult to injury, the song turned out to be a chartbuster, greatly increased Urmila's popularity and was even used in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge!

Angered at the turn of events, Kulkarni lashed out at Santoshi, accused him of cutting her screen time because she had refused his advances. Santoshi denied all rumours related to the movie, and the matter was given a quiet burial. However, this proved to be the death blow to Kulkarni's career. She only appeared in a handful of movies after that, and new offers dried up.

While writing this article, she looked like this:

Sanskaari Selfie

-x-

#2:

Kimi Katkar

वो कहते हैं हमसे 

अभी उमर नही  है प्यार की 

नादाँ  हैं वो क्या जाने 

कब कलि खिली बहार की 

Although this green-eyed sex symbol  made her debut with the movie Patthar Dil, her moment of fame came with 1985 released cult movie Adventures of Tarzan alongside Hemant Birje. The movie had a cult status among its fans because of the steamy scenes between the lead actors and needless to say, most of the person reading this article would have in some point of time must have watched any scene of this movie.

The movie was a sleeper success all credit goes to the erotic scenes as well as catchy music which was super-hit at that time.

She worked in some forgettable movies in late 80s and her role in most of the movies was to just expose.

Put on the towel, but where is the water..!!

This song can easily go down as the most shitty song of the decade.

Even in the pre-CGI era, the makers have achieved this. Kudos!!

This insect knew the optimized path... 

Her big moment came in 1991 where she was cast as Jumma opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Hum. The song was a runaway success and the movie also became a blockbuster thereby her only big blockbuster till date. 

Told ya.. You have to get wet to prove your worth.

A popular trivia was that she was cast opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Rakesh Roshan’s King Uncle. Later when AB went to retirement, Jackie replaced him and Kimi Katkar was replaced by Anu Aggrawal. Such was her craze during the 90s that she was offered Yash Chopra’s Parampara which she refused [lol, she refused a trashy movie which Aamir did. Logic just jumped out of the window].

Katkar quit the Hindi film industry after her marriage to photographer and ad-filmmaker Shantanu Shorey. She settled in Melbourne, Australia.

During writing this article, her latest pic is this:

They never told me I was making love with a car[Tarzan: The WonderCar]

 -x-

#1:

Haiye ye neeli aankhein...

रोज़ रोज़ आँखों तले , 

एक ही सपना चले 

रात भर काजल जले, 

आँख में जिस तरह 

ख्वाब का दिया जले… 

So, you people were probably waiting for her. If you weren't, sorry to disappoint you guys. On our top spot is the blue-eyed Raj Kapoor’s much publicized lady who started her career in 1985 movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili.

Wet Dance in first movie only... WOW... 

Some of the scenes of this movie were so erotic that at one point, Censor Board decided not to pass the movie, but Raj Kapoor used his power to get them passed.

This scene infuriated the Censor Board.

She tried to recreate the same water magic in the movie Jaal in the subsequent years, but failed miserably.

She acted in few more successful movies like Dance Dance with Mithun and Pyaar Karke Dekho with Govinda which were musical hits but both were instrumental in the career of the respective actors and Mandakini didn't get the advantage from these movies.

One more forgettable movie she did in this era was Jeete Hain Shaan Se, which despite of being bombed at the Box-Office had some peppy songs that is popular even today.[Thanks to the Dance Shows where Prabhu Ji is a judge.]

FTW, she had 8 releases in the year 1988, a feat which has not been achieved by any other actress. Needless to say, she never managed to recreate the success of her first movie.

In 1994, photographs began circulating of Mandakini in the presence of dreaded gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Rumors had already been doing the rounds that the two were having an affair, and the photos only served to fuel them. One of the theories put forward was that Ibrahim, who was known to have a keen interest in Bollywood and had financed movies, had pressured Rishi Kapoor into casting Mandakini, and she was his mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to Dubai to be with him.

While writing this article, she looked like this:

Waqt ne Kiyaa Kya Haseen Sitam

Time is a great leveler. Women who started with a bang got lost in the longer version of screen while slow starters made it big in the end. But whether they lacked talent, aspirations or were just plain unlucky? There are questions that will remain etched in memory of viewers who lost their breath at seeing these beauties. And who knows 'what could have been' if they had managed to survive the tide. Hope you liked the article and let us know your feedback.

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Wishing Asha Tai a very happy birth day - a song for every decade

Well it would almost be impossible to sketch the legendary Asha Bhosle; one of the two living legends surviving from the golden era, the other one of course being Lata Didi; just because of the sheer volume of work she has done over an incredible period of more than 7 decades. What would be even tougher will be to do a top 10 list of Asha Bhosle songs, knowing that she holds the guiness book of world records for most songs sung in the whole fuckin world. Yes she entered the list in 2011 and was quoted - The 78-year-old has reportedly recorded up to 11,000 solos, duets and chorus-backed songs in over 20 Indian languages since 1947." And I can go on and on about how her biggest strength was versatility and the ability and desire to challenge herself even during the golden age when even Lata di used to say no to some songs as they were tacky sometimes.

The most amazing thing about Asha Tai is the fact that her voice simply did not change over the course of last 60 years. She still sounds the same. The melody, the pitch, the throw seems almost incredibly similar in 'abhi na jao chhod kar' and 'ho ja rangeela re'. Its a beautiful gift to have, something that even sur-kokila Lata ji didn't manage to maintain.

Yesterday she turned 81 and still going strong. Here's a salute to the lady who achieved everything, sang the most beautiful songs despite always being outweighed by her own sister and claimed the charts with the Western revolution of the late 60s and 70s. We are taking a look at 1 song (not the best but lets put it as my favorite) per decade

1) Chanda ki Bindiya
Film: Mai (2013)
Music Director: Manoj Tapadia
The divinity of her voice can be simply understood from this song which was released when Asha ji had turned 80 and she still sounds the same melodious teenager who started her career by trying to imitate Shamshad Begum. This song from last year's lost film 'Mai' also featured her in a eponymous role. The movie did not stir anything in the industry but the song did get Asha ji all the praise from everyone who understood the feat she had achieved
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j07r8it0kog


2) Radha kaise na jale
Film: Lagaan (2001)
Music Director: A. R, Rahman
The credit for resurrecting Asha ji's voice and brining it to the masses in the 90s goes to AR Rahman to some extent. He worked extensively with her and created some magical songs. They teamed up again in 2001 film Lagaan in Radha kaise na jale. A melodious tune with a folkish lyrics set up by Javed Akhtar, the song epitomised what Asha ji stands for, melody. The film was succesful and went to Oscars as official entry from India.

3) Ho ja Rangeela re
Film: Rangeela (1995)
Music Director: A R Rahman
This was the first time when ARR teamed up with Asha tai and what came out was a musical masterpiece. The combination not only propelled RGV but was a pivotal moment in changing career graph of Urmila Matondkar. Tanha Tanha and ho ja rangeela re took Urmila to the heights of stardom and the voice behind was smiling as ever. Mohammad Rafi has always been called the master of playback and sounding exactly like the actors on screen, but it would be difficult to imagine him singing for Shah Rukh Khan in Baazigar. Asha ji somehow managed to do that in Rangeela. Truly a magical album with amazing songs

4) Dil Cheez kya hai
Film: Umrao Jaan (1981)
Music Director: Khayyam
Probably one of the most iconic and recognizable Asha ji song. Umrao Jaan is a cult classic which brought the flavors of Awadh in its complete essence. It is a cinematic masterpiece but more because of the flawless and authentic work done by Khayyam sahab and Asha ji. each and every song of the film went on to become legendary and it was this film which brought Rekha to the forefront of bollywood. It is almost an impossible choice to decide which song to choose from 80s and it doesnt get any easier to choose between Dil Chej kya hai and In Aankhon ki masti ke. But I am taking this one just based upon one thing - the way Asha ji bends the voice while singing 'aap meri' in mukhda

5) Piya tu ab to aaja
Film: caravan (1971)
Music Director: RDB
Well this song has been talked about, covered, performed to million times throughout the history of bollywood. It is a popcultural symbol in the industry and a certain benchmark for a Cabaret song. But what's even more remarkable is that it kind of perfectly depicts the kind of relationship Pancham and Asha ji had. It was a peak of their collaboration in a way. Startng in Teesri Manzil with Aaja Aaja mai hoon pyaar tera till they last collaborated in Gurudev in 1993, Asha-Pancham was a soulful, made for each other type of combination which lit up the indusry in 70s. The song also put Asha ji at the spearhead of western pop singing and took Helen to new heights. What followed was Asha ji rolling one hit after the another with Pancham till death did them part
Not to mention the quote " It is a highly suggestive song with Asha Bhosle breathing quickly at intervals, giving it an orgasmic sound" and RDB participating as well.

6) Paan Khaye Saiyan Hamaro
Film: Teesri Kasam (1966)
Music Director
1960s was the era when Indian music enjoyed its best phase ever. The pinnacle of the golden age was met with the best poets, the best musicians and the unmatched vocals. To do any kind of listing from 1960s is almost an impossible task. I can't name top 10 Rafi, Lata, Asha or even Manna songs from 60s. Same goes for the toughness of the job to do the same for OP Nayyar, Burman dada, Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad or madan Mohan. So it comes as an incredibly absurd and difficlut task of picking one song from 1960s sung by Asha ji. So due to lack of reasoning and capability, I am sticking to Paan Khaye Saiyaan Hamaro. Yeah not a OP Nayyar song but rather a Shankar Jaikishan song, with whom Asha ji is not even considered to be associated properly like with OP Nayyar with who she churned out classics. This song is a personal favorite in terms of the throw that Asha ji has in this song and the variations in the antara (read Humri dil ki na poochhe bedarda) or maybe Shailendra ji has written a remarkable lyrics once again or maybe just because Waheeda ji looks astonishing here. But frankly there is no substantial reason that can justify why not 'O mere Sona re Sona Re', 'Jhumka Gira Re', 'Raat Akeli hai' or  'Jaiye Aap kahan jayenge' but this one. So I have only one thing to say - listen to all of them and go on the ride

7) Aaiye Meherbaan
Film: Howrah Bridge (1958)
Music Director: O.P. Nayyar
So it had to be nayyar sahab finally, if not 60s then definitely 50s. Howrah Bridge was a brilliant album with all the songs being popular and noteworthy. But as much as Geeta Dutt nailed 'mera naam chin chin choo', Asha ji took 'Aaiye Meherbaan' to a different level. I wouldn't disagree that the seductiveness of madhubala was not a factor in the song. But the sensuosness of the song is as much Asha Ji as Madhubala. Famous Urdu poet Qamar jalalabadi penned the song and Asha ji collaborated with Nayyar succesfully again after Tumsa nahi dekha to bring out this classic. 50s also saw some other legendary Asha ji songs, but this one definitely stands out for me

8) Do chaar idhar do chaar udhar
Film: Raat ki Raani (1949)
Music Director: Hansraj Behl
40s is not the era which we associate with Asha tai. it was the era when Suraiya stepped down and Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and Lata ji took over. Asha ji was no where in the frame. And despite being in the singing industry since 1943 with Marathi films, it was not until 1949 when she finally got her first hindi solo, courtesy Hansraj Behl. The song sounds so similar to a Shamsad begum song because of the very fact that Asha ji always wanted to sing like her and tried to copy her a lot of times. This song was a success and put Asha ji in the mix along with the succesful names that time. And boy do we know what happened next, a career that can only be bettered by Lata ji.

The list is not meant to rate Asha ji songs. Its just a tribute from a fan who was always under the shadows of Lata songs and took a long time to realise that Asha ji deserved more respect and credit than she actually got. A troubled personal life coupled with the biggest collaboration in the Indian music history with Pancham and a voice unmatched in its entirety. Asha Bhosle has become indispensable from Indian music and cinema and will continue to inspire the generations of budding singers.

Some other gems that could not find place in the list but are brilliant
Kahin aag lage lag jawe (Taal)
Mera kuchh Saman (Ijazat)
In Aankhon ki masti ke (Umrao Jaan)
Ye mera dil pyaar ka deewana (Don)
Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko (yaadon ki baarat)
Dum maaro dum (hare Krishna Hare Ram)
Raat Akeli hai (Jewel Thief)
O mere Sona Re (Teesri Manzil)
Jaaiye aap kahan jayenge (Mere sanam)
Aage bhi jaane na tu (Waqt)
Nigahein milane ko jee chahta hai (Dil hi to hai)
Abhi na jao chhod kar (Hum Dono)
Ye hai Reshmi zulfon ka andhera (Mere Sanam)
Ishaaron Ishaaron me (kashmir ki kali)
Maang ke saath tumhara (naya daur)
sabarmati ke sant (Jagriti)

Hope you liked the list. Let us know if we missed out on something big :)

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Five not-so-real-life British Raj Movies

Recently we celebrated the 68^th anniversary of Indian independence and commemorated all those who strived for it. It’s not only an occasion like this which spurs a sense of patriotism in us, but many other things. Amongst which, Bollywood movies have had their fair share.

            In spite of all their weaknesses, (Hindi) movies to a certain extent make us not forget the struggle that people had to put up for a free India. Freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel are known to a lot of people through movies.

                        Apart from Biographical Epics, there have been a number of movies around (partly) fictional stories. These feature films too are pretty awesome. In this piece we’ll take a look at some of the most memorable ones. These moving pictures mostly portray a common Indian man rising and manning up to the British, even when the odds are against him. Based on random anecdote or pure fiction, or even loosely related to true incidents, following flicks remind us of forgotten heroes whom we might not have even heard of.

Lagaan

ghar uska pachchim hai, yahan na rukne paaye

 Amir Khan might have done some (supposedly) good work, but this certainly tops them all. As an epic drama film, Lagaan is as much a patriotic film as it is a sports one. It teaches us two things, first of course that if needed any commoner can go toe to toe with a British Saab, and secondly we can take down any overpowered cricket team if we have THE fire in us. Bhuvan’s bravado shows the spark which might have always been there. Included in Empire’s 100 greatest world cinema films and Time magazine’s 25 best sports movies of all time, Lagaan surely deserves all the credit it has got.

Kranti

Kranti...... ahaaaaaaa. Kranti...... ahaaaaaaa

Well, when we talk about nationalist movies, there is one name that can never go amiss, Mr. Manoj-Bharat-Kumar. After rightfully earning the nickname, Manoj Kumar in 1981 co-wrote, directed, produced and acted in the epic film, Kranti (which literally means revolution). Movie’s epic-ness (sic) can be just be imagined by the huge ensemble cast consisting of Hema Malini, Shatrughn Sinha, Shashi Kapoor and Dilip Kumar who made his comeback after 5 years.

Although being overtly patriotic, this film is awesome in its own right. It depicts the classic example of a king trusting the British for some purpose and repaid in kind by thievery and backstab. To top things off, the songs in the movie are awesome too.

Shatranj ke Khiladi

bhaad mein jaaye dunia, hum bajayein harmunia

It’s very rare that Babu Satyajit Ray would direct a Hindi movie, it’s even rarer that it would be adapted from a story by Munshi Premchand. Well it happened just once and what transpired was some epic storytelling with lot of food for thought, also known as Shatranj Ke Khiladi which was set around the time of British annexation of erstwhile Awadh. This film shows us what a sleazy big-time douche-bags the Monarchs (Nawabs, played very well by Sanjeev Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey) at that time were. It also depicts the helplessness of a king no longer in control who loses control to the British, and mindset of noblemen who were more interested in petty obsessions than real-life issues.

Junoon

hum sabhi mein hai, thoda junoon

Translated as Obsession, Junoon belongs to a more serious cinema, than above mentioned films. Once again revolving around the rebellion of 1857, this critically acclaimed award winning film was produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Shyam Benegal. The movie focuses on the multiple things, first the inner conflict of Indian rich folk, torn between their subdued patriotism and good relations with the British. It also underlies the Indian tradition of ‘Atithi Devo bhav’. But most importantly it shows that even the most irresponsible people can come to senses if time so beckons. Because of its powerhouse star-cast, this film is ever so awesome.

Massey Sahib

sala main to saahab ban gaya

What would an Indian secretary to an English bureaucrat pre-independence would have thought of himself, especially if he happens to be a Christian? Massey Sahib is a brilliant take on that question, revolving around the life and lies of someone (Raghubir Yadav) who thinks too highly of himself. This is not a movie overflowing with the emotion of Indian nationalism, but it beautifully showcases how seeds of corruption are sown in a clerk who’s just willing to impress his superior and where that takes him. Raghubir Yadav’s portrayal of Francis Massey won him the ‘Silver Peacock for Best Actor’, also an interesting fact: this was the debut movie of Arundhati Roy.

PS : This is a highly personal list. But I strongly recommend that you watch all the above films if you haven't done so already. The content is kept short and precise on purpose so that you find more things on your own when you delve into them.

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