Firaq Gorakhpuri

Allahabad is hosting ArdhKumb at Sangam, near Prayag. There was a time when the city hosted a sangam of the some finest poets of their era - who, by stroke of destiny, had descended upon the city to make their living.

These were Sumitra Nandan Pant(orginally from Almora), Surya Kant Tripathi 'Nirala'(from Unnao), Mahadevi Verma(from Farrukhabad), Harivansha Rai 'Bachchan'(from Allahabad itself), and perhaps the most talented and eccentric amongst these - Firaq Gorakhpuri (originally Raghupat Sahai from Gorakhpur).

I don't know why greatness usually comes with eccentricies, perhaps only Nirala might have match with Firaq here, but that's probably because he had become schizophrenic. The popular as he may be, he was a Muhphatt as well. He had no small opinion about his looks, knowledge and poetry.

Like Bachhan senior, he too was an English professor at Allahabad University, and had once remarked - "In this country, only two and half people know English - Me, S Radhakrishnan, and the half one is Nehru." Later he took back the half Nehru from the list. Though I also remember one more comment about S Radhakrishnan, don't know by whom, that - "What Radhakrishnan speaks is English."

Another notorious comment attributed to him was unleashed when Amitabh Bachhan was born. Harivansh Rai Bachhan was a protege of fellow professor Amarnath Jha, and former's wife Teji was very close to Mr. Jha. On Amitabh's birth, at full public view and hearing, Firaq said, tongue in cheek, to Bachchan - " I am not sure whom to congratulate - you or Mr. Jha."

Some call it dry wit.

Ok enough about his oddities and eccentricies, here is a famous Gazhal by Firaq.

ये तो नहीं कि ग़म नहीं
हाँ मेरी आँख नम नहीं।

तुम भी तो तुम नहीं हो आज
हम भी तो आज हम नहीं।

अब ना खुशी की है खुशी
ग़म का भी तो अब ग़म नहीं।

मौत अगर चे मौत है
मौत से ज़ीस्त कम नहीं।

ज़ीस्त is Life.

Babu Moshai

How ironical is the fact that legendry Hrishikesh Mukherjee died the same day another legend Mukesh Chandra Mathur left us three decades back! Ironical because the songs picturised on ill fated Rajesh Khanna in Anand, directed by Hrishi Da, were sung by Mukesh.

Hrishi Da, you did some fantastic stuff for us middle-class-small-towners. We believed in your characterizations. We identified in your natural settings. In your movies rush was less on roads and more in houses. Had less of Mumbai, and more of rest of India. Comedy wasn't loud, slapstick. Pathos was subtle rather than dramatic.

Stars played characters instead themselves. I loved your Mili. I loved the brooding Amitabh of Mili. I loved the way you left Mili open ended. I loved the naughty Jaya in Guddi. There are so many such Gudda,Guddis in schools. I loved that prayer from Guddi.

I cried at the end of Abhiman. I still cry when I see it. I can feel for Amitabh. My heart churns for Jaya. Oh, it is so real! Anand is so refreshing. Rajesh Khanna is lovable. Someone else would have made it gloomy. Again, ending was unthinkable.

Namak Haram gave us a star. Not Rajesh Khanna. He was the waning one. Its Amitabh. He stole the thunder from Rajesh.

Who can forget Parimal Tripathi aka Pyarey Mohan, Sukumar Sinha, Sulekha Chaturvedi, Vasudha and how they together pulled a fast one their "Jijja Ji" - Raghavendra Sharma! Or those lectures in Botany by the Professor of English. And the link between Corolla and Karela ? Not those who have seen it.

Golmaal has even bettered Chupke Chupke. Ek Jhooth Chhupane Ke Liye Sau Jhooth Bolne PAdtey Hain. Sheer magical screenplay and performances of boys and girls next door. A perfect dose against foul mood and related ailments.

Buddha Mil Gaya presented a murder mystery. It also had Aayo Kahan Se Ghanshyam, Bhali Bhali Si Ek Surat, and Raat Kali. Bawarchi was another household saga so commonly found but so simplistically handled.

Khoobsurat, Jhoothi explored the new dimension of Rekha and again so middle class, so identifiable. Sadma brought tears, and Bemisaal was indeed bemisaal.

Your tele venture Talash, where Alok Nath disappears, was excellent too.

But I loved your unheard, unseen Jurmana the most. One of your few movies I saw just once. That's because they never telecasted again. What a story of sin, guilt and repentance! Amitabh with negative shades, and here I must add - you had handled Amitabh the best; better than Chopras, Sippys, Mehras and Desais.

You gave us your fabulous under study in Gulzar. You yourself were the offshoot of brilliant Bimal Roy. Talented artists like Utpal Dutt, Omprakash, David, Asrani found new feet under your guidance.

We will miss you. Like the last line in Anand, "Anand Marte Nahin", people like you would never die from our memories.

Munshi Premchand

It's was Dhanpat Rai's 125 birth Anniversary yesterday. The text books, book stalls at railway station, patrons like Gulzar & Prem Piyush, and readers like Vandy have kept him alive in our hearts.

It's not easy to relate to his works, especially in the escapist times we live on. In the times, when writers used to pen the stories around fantasies, kings, royals - Premchand's hero would invariably be a common, downtrodden man especially, a villager. Perhaps the hardships and struggle which he himself suffered throughout his life, found vent in his pen. Nobody else have conserved the more correct picture of an Indian village at that time.

He gave literature a new hero, who fight the system for his survival in Godan, in my reckoning, his best work. How greed and lust are two bitter enemies of human is clearly evident in Gaban. The complexeties of relationships are beautifully portrayed in Nirmala.

Like most of the other writers of that time his writings also showed the patriot in him. Karma Bhumi is one such example(that TV serial in late eighties had made such a mess of the story). He even gave up his job at Mahatma Gandhi's call. Munshi Premchand’s was a strident voice that spoke for a free India. His Progressive Writers’ Association was a movement of defiance against the Raj and the social ills of the day.

Of course, he was a master story teller as well. While Kafan is a perfect satire reflecting on the falling human values, and poverty in society - Namak Ka Daroga tells you that honesty always pays. Pareeksha is a short account on, again, sincerety & honesty.

That exactly was Premchand's essence. He always stressed on simple and relvant things in life. If you have not already logged into Premchand, it's high time.

The Voice of God

"Bekraar Karkey Humey Yun Na Jaaiye Aapko Humari Kasam Laut Aaiye..."

When a voice as mesmerizing as this says to you, I guess, absolutely nobody will go. Personally, if this song comes on TV/Radio, I don't budge. As music director Salil Chowdhari famously remarked about him - 'If God were to sing, he would have sung in the voice of Hemant Kumar.

Remember the haunting - "Tum Pukar Lo, Tumhara Intezaar Hai.." from Khamoshi or "Na Tum Humey Jaano, Na Hum Tumhe Jaane.." from Baat Ek Raat Ki? It really sounds like the voice of God.

Often it seems that there is a lot of pain in his voice, but it adds so much value to the songs. A good example is "Jane Woh Kaise Log The Jinkey Pyar Ko Pyar Mila.." from Pyasa. It was a very beautifully sung song that speaks volume about the desperate love life of the protagonist of the movie.

At the same time he fishes out lovely romantic numbers like the naughty "Hai Apna Dil To Awara Na Jane Kis Per Aayega.." from Solwan Saal, or haunting "Yeh Raat Yeh Chandini Fir Kahan.." from Jaal with elan.

But my personal favourite is "Nishana Chook Na Jai Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji.." from, again, Bees Saal Baad. Music is by Hemant Kumar himself. The lyrics are perfect by Shakeel Badayuni. One can't write better than this. But the killer punch is given by the singer.

In between this song, there are a few lines which the singer doesn't sing, but actually speaks. There you hear the real Hemant Kumar. It is, gosh, so captivating. These types of voices rule the world. And the way he renders those sentences is also very different.

My father had old sony audio cassette(remember those green ones ?) of a live performance by him. Use to hear it again and again when I was a kid. This song kind of grew on me since those days. From my college days, I remember at least one person who is a bigger fan of Hemant Kumar is Ishan. I remember giving him a Hemant Kumar audio cassette for his birthday, which ironically was lost by me. He has never forgiven me for that.

Here are the lyrics of this lovely song. Enjoy.

Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji Nishaana Chook Na Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji
Maza Jab Hai Tumhari Har Ada Qaatil Hi Kehlaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Qaatil Tumhe Pukarun Ke Jaan-E-Vafa Kahun
Hairat Mein Pad Gaya Hoon Ke Maein Tum Ko Kya Kahun
Zamaana Hai Tumhaara
Zamaana Hai Tumhaara Chaahe Jiski Zindagi Le Lo
Agar Mera Kaha Maano To Aise Khel Na Khelo
Tumhaari Is Sharaarat Se Na Jaane Kis Ki Maut Aaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Haye, Kitni Maasoom Lag Rahi Ho Tum
Tumko Zaalim Kahe Vo Jhootha Hai
Ye Bholaapan Tumhaara
Ye Bholaapan Tumhaara Ye Sharaarat Aur Ye Shokhi
Zarurat Kya Tumhen Talwaar Ki Teeron Ki Khanjar Ki
Nazar Bhar Ke Jise Tum Dekh Lo Vo Khud Hi Mar Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Hum Pe Kyun Is Qadar Bigadti Ho
Chhedhne Vaale Tumko Aur Bhi Hain
Bahaaron Par Karo Gussa Ulajhti Hain Jo Aankhon Se
Havaaon Par Karo Gussa Jo Takraati Hain Zulfon Se
Kahin Aisa Na Ho Koi Tumhaara Dil Bhi Le Jaye
Zara Nazron Se Keh Do Ji

Bashir Badra

Bashir means a messenger of good news. My eyes lit up whenever I see him any of those Kavi Sammelans or Mushairas on TV. He is good news to me.

This Soorma Bhopali always uses simple, easy-to-understand words. No mindboggling stuff. Never restricted to Urdu, he very lavishly uses Hindi & English in his works. Unfortunately, he never writes in Devnagri script therefore that should limit his reading audience. Still this poet's popularity is amazing. That's courtesy various translations.

Here is the compilation of a few of his famous Sher. You must have read or heard them before. No harm in revisiting them.

Brian - The Magician

A couple of week back when "Team India" was going through motions and emotions against Pakistan, I just happened to switch the channel to change the flavour and have a sneak peek at a West Indies-South Africa Test Match.

The sight that awaited me was of Brian Charles Lara playing in 170s, with WI nine wickets down. It was a mouth watering prospect because I knew Lara will cut loose, and when he does that, there is rarely a better sight in Cricket these days.

In a short period of time, this magician gave a perfect display how to bat with a number eleven. He could have given VVS Laxman a complete book of lessons on running between the wickets when a tailender is there, and even otherwise.

He never curbed his shots, and hardly missed a run on the last ball making Graeme Smith chew his nails virtually to the root. In the cruel end, he missed his double century by 4 runs, but made sure it was he who got out not the tailender. Of the 24 balls partnership, Rion King faced only 5, while together scoring twenty two runs. In all, Lara took the WI score from 204 to 347 while batting with tailenders.

Ramanand writes about the fairy tale that Lara is. One can't add more to that. Don't miss even if you don't miss Cricket.

Kaifi Azmi

(On Red's request)

Kaifi Azmi is another jewel from the lanes of Lucknow, who has stamped his indelible mark in poetry and literature. I always thought all these leftist have precious little to boast about apart from religiously opposing every thing under the Sun, but this comrade was clearly different from the rest of his flock.

However, he was born in Azamgadh, and later shifted to Lucknow. His first gazal, at that age eleven, was an impromptu, that too in a mushaira, which was later sung by legendry Mallika-e-Gazal, Begam Akhtar, another legend from Lucknow. The gazal went on to become one of his most popular one - 'Itna to Zindagi Mein Kisiki Khalal Pade, Hasne Se Ho Sukoon Na Rone Se Kal Pade..'

He has worked both as writer and lyricist in the films. As the writer he has won the National Award and lot of critical acclaim for M.S. Sathyu's Garam Hawa. Another accomplishment was Heer Ranjha; the entire dialogue of the film was in verse. He also wrote dialogues for Shyam Benegal's Manthan.

But I love his lyrics more. My favourites songs of his are these:

Arth -"Tum Itanaa Jo Muskuraa Rahe Ho ", and "Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar, Bekarar Hai Ki Nahin";

Kagaz Ke Phool -"Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Hasin Sitam", "Dekhi Zamane Ki Yaari, Bichhdey Sabhi Bari Bari";

Haqeeqat - "Kar chaley Hum Fida Jan-O-Tan Sathiyon", "Zara Si Ahat Hoti Hai To Dil Sonchta Hai", "Hokey Mazboor Mujhey Usney Bukaya Hoga";

Hanste Zakhm - "Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho", "Betaab Dil Ki Tamanna", "Haan, Yeh Mana Meri Jaan Mohabbat Saza Hai";

Heer Ranjha - "Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehphil, Merey Kaam Ki Nahin", "Milo Na Tumto Hum Ghabrai";

Pakeezah - "Chalte Chalte Yun Hi Koi Mil Gaya Tha";

Anupama - "Dhire Dhire Machal AyeDile Beqarar Koi Aata Hai", "Ya Dil Ki Suno Duniya Walon";

Aakhri Khat - "Baharon Mera Jiwan Sanwaaro";

Tootey Khilauney - "Mana Ki Tum Ho Behad Hansi, Aise Burey Hum Bhi Nahin";

Parwana - "Simti Si, Sharmai Si, Kis Duniya Se Tum Aayi Ho", "Yun Na Sharma, Phailaa De Apni Bahein";

His wife Shaukat Azmi is herself an actress, so is his daughter Shabana Azmi. His son Baba Azmi is a renowned cinematographer whose works include films such as Shekar Kapur's Mr India, N Chandra's Tezaab, Boney Kapoor's Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and Prem, and Inder Kumar's Dil and Ishq. Baba's wife Tanvi Azmi is also an actress. Not to forget son-in-law Javed Akhtar. Family full of talent.

Tarkash

Plain forward.

I had come across this small(possibly edited) autobiography by Javed Akhtar sometime ago. It has been taken from his collection of poems, Tarkash. Later, one of my dear friends, Rupam also forwarded it to me. Although, one may feel it has abruptly ended, and yearn for more, nevertheless it is not to be missed.

Beautifully written, he describes his dignified struggle against extreme hardships, towards achieving stupendous success. The naughty smile on his face successfully conceals the loss, pain and difficulties he has gone through.

One not only needs talent to succeed, but also the extreme confidence in one's own abilities. What is more striking is the fact that he had set certain ideals for him, which he followed to the core. He could have gone for an easier way, but he had the courage to choose the tough and correct one. It's a learning experience. I wish he would have continued on.

Actually, I wanted to put up a post on him on his birthday, 17th January, but somehow it couldn't materialize. This write up is from the master himself, so as good as it can get. The autobiography is divided in five logical parts. Enjoy.

1. Childhood Days in Lucknow and Aligarh
2. College and hunger in Bhopal
3. Friends, and struggle in Mumbai
4. More struggle and, finally Success
5. End of a revolt, and fame

Mithun Da Is Back

Yesterday, we went to see Swadesh, since I hadn't seen it yet. The movie has been running empty theaters, and we were hopeful of getting the tickets. To our surprise, we didn't. We were about to leave when Ashish suggested Elaan.

Now Elaan is one movie which I wouldn't have seen for free. But suddenly I remembered it has Mithun da after a long time. Ignoring the groans of protest from behind, we went ahead.

I know most of you might cringe with displeasure on this but let me say this that while we all despise the B-grade stuff Mithun did with director SLV Prasad and others in the nineties, Mithun of the eighties wasn't as bad. Fan or no fan, let us give the devil his due.

Despite having no godfather, he worked his way up in the industry under the shadow of Amitabh, with his sheer hard work and talent. Remember the movie Do Anjane, featuring Amitabh, Rekha and Prem Chopra? At the far corner of the alley which had Amitabh's house, one could see a very young Mithun playing the blink-and-miss debut role of a road side tapori with hardly a dialogue to his credit.

Mid and late eighties, when Amitabh was on the ebb, Mithun almost single handedly ran the show. The Disco Dancer was a super hit. The way he acted with his eyes in the song 'Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Azza Azza Azza', only an accomplished actor could do that. Pyar Jhukta Nahin was phenomenal as well, where his pairing with Padmini Kolhapuri was a tremendous success. 'Halwa Wala Agaya' from Dance Dance was on every one's mouth.

But the best performance given by Mithun, I reckon, was in JP Dutta's Gulami. This song from this movie still my one of my favourites - 'Jeehale Muskin Main Kun Baranjis Behaal Hijra Bechaara Dil Hai Sunai Deti Hai Jiski Dhadkan Tumhaara Dil Ya Hamaara Dil Hai'. It was a well made movie with very good performances from every character, especially, Mithun. His performances in Tarana, Prem Pratigya, Pyar Ka Mandir, Agneepath, and Daata were also remarkable. He won the national award for Mrigya.

We all know he was a dancing sensation. Earlier he did 'Disco', in Waqt Ki Awaz he introduced 'Break' dance. Govinda had clearly declared that he use to copy Mithun and Javed Jaffery in his dances. His pairing with Sridevi was also a hit one. Taming of the shrew used to be the famous theme at that time, and Mithun excelled in that. Charnon Ki Saugandh, Watan Ke Rakhwale were a few such films.

So you can see he was not always bad. The only problem was that he didn't learn from his mistakes, and neither did he try to grow as an actor. When he did try to adapt with changing times, he made wrong choices like working in SLV Prasad directed stuff.

As far as Elaan is concerned, apart from him, action scenes, and perhaps, Arjun Rampal, there is nothing much to rave about. Mithun as Baba Sikandar is relaxed, and has definite screen presence. He is just made to speak and deliver, with some good dialogues, but it does seem that his Hindi pronunciation has taken some beating.

Final sentence of the movie says 'Baba Khatam, Darr Khatam'. But Baba doesn't seem to be Khatam as of now.

That Personality

There are some people for whom we wish they should never die, like our near and dear ones, but there are others for whom we never think they would ever die. Amrish Puri was one of them. I never gave a thought that a person with such a towering persona could ever die.

Dead that he may be now, his works will him keep alive. And I hope these news channels stop rewinding those recordings of 'Mogambo Khush Hua'. He did much more than that.

I wish if only he had been better used by the directors, he would have entertained us more with his immense talent. They just made him shout and stare in most of his movies. They would never learn that a voice like his needed no shouting. A subtle variation would have created much better expression.

Amongst the few exception were the directors like Govind Nihalini, Benegal, Priyadarshan, and perhaps, Santoshi. Still remember how effectively he played the part of a corrupt senior officer in Drohkal, never raising his voice even once. Gardish was another movie where he was superb in the role of honest but hapless senior constable and father. I cried when he died in Ghatak just because of the way he portrayed that character. And remember how mean he looked as barrister Chaddha in Damini?

After Pran and Amjad Khan, probably he was the next best villain, and later, like them, he switched very smoothly to the character roles. Hope he had carried on more.

There Is Something About KP

KP Saxena, that is.

But we all call him just 'KP' in Lucknow. Every Kavi Sammenlan, or Mushaira on Lucknow Doordarshan, & AIR, I have heard him being always referred as 'KP'. And everyone loved him, more so, the audience.

I hated Lucknow DD as anyone would ever, but, invariably, every single new year eve program would out-beat the DD National one, hands down. Reason ? Year after year on the very day, DD-L would treat the audience with some or the other Play written by KP Saxena. Often, he would also play some part in it.

I especially remember(and as would Saurabh) one of his hilarious songs during one such programs which started like this-

Woh Bhi Kya Waqt Tha Jab Hum Ishq Lada Lete Thay
Pyar Ki Dor Ko Charkhi Pe Chadha Lete The,
Woh Uska Dasht-E-Hanai Se Chhudaiyya Dena.....

But can't remember it completely. It was an out and out laugh riot. The whole program became so popular that it had to be repeated three or four times within a month.

Then, there is his famous & trademark satire - Rail Ki Yatra. I have heard it so many times, but I would never have enough of it. When I heard it for the first time, there was no time to breathe in between continuous episodes of uncontrolled laughter.

The most important point. It's one thing to read his satires, and it's an all together different experience to hear it from his own naughty voice. The expressions he gives, his ever changing postures during the presentation, the way he fidgets - his whole body language adds tremendous value to the whole presentation.

And his voice modulations. You would notice that with the changing mood of the Kavita, the pitch of his voice also varies. The whole idea I want to convey is that his presentation is not mere the dumb, monotonous recital of his works, but rather, it seems that there is an actor hidden inside him, which enacts the every character while performing. It is an enthralling experience.

His characters are the usual suspects - his Shrimati Ji(who is dead now, but he has kept her alive through his works), Sardar Dhadda Ji, & Mirja Saheb. And there are many others. There is usual nonk-jhonk between the characters, which is fun.

Fun it was reading Manorma(magazine), and Swantra Bharat(newspaper). Not only these two, he regularly wrote in Dharmyug & Mayapuri, as well. And now he writes for Hindustan. The medium is good old Urdu, Hindi (both Khadi Boli & Awadhi).

His claim to national fame was from the serial 'Bibi Natiyon Wali'. Though, there have been many more serials and movies to his credit, it was Lagaan which has made him the household name. Swades & Hulchul did the rest. Some of his dialogues are very original and well thought.

Like in Swades - 'Apne Hi Pani Mein Pighalna Barf Ka Muqaddar Hota Hai', and in Hulchul - 'Bhaiyya, Kab Tak Charpai Ke Dono Taraf se Uth-te Rahoge ?' This was to indicate for how long 'Bhaiyya' intends to remain unmarried.

To call him a genius won't be extravagent. He was a lecturer of Botany in Lucknow Christian College, and has written 14 graduation books on Botany. His all articles are not on satire alone; often, he also writes scientific articles on plants as well. He has voluntarily retired as a Station Master from Indian Railways.

A Botanist, Railway Officer, play writer, poet, satirist, now a dialogue writer. Whew! The fame and success has also transformed into money now, and he is flourishing more and more with old age. To borrow a Sher from one of his satires would only be apt.

Budhapey Mein Jawani Se Bhi Jyada Josh Hota Hai
Bhadakta Hai Chirga-E-Shehri Jab Khamosh Hota Hai

Long live KP.

Nandan

If there is a born engineer in my group, then there is only one worthy person. Rest of us only hold a degree. We were just good at Maths, Physics, and Chemistry, the quintessential eligibility criterion to become almost an engineer.

A new mobile, or camera or even a TV remote won't escape his attention. And Before long, there would come a humble request - 'Kya Mai Isey Khol Ke Dekh Loon ?' Nothing short of a scream will stop him from prying it open. And he has been doing that since his childhood.

He knows all about gadgets, gears, circuits, chips - everything. At a course in IIT, his ship 'Santa Maria' was the first in the race in swimming pool by a big margin.

Why, he is a born writer as well. You will hang on to his every description. He has a good eye for detail. His 'Doomsman Ki Diary' has lot of Sher penned by 'Ashq Lakhnawi' i.e. himself.

Despite all his greatness, he is a shy person. Sometimes, his fuse gets short but all in all, a very good friend to have. I won't ever able to repay what he has done for me in my difficult times.

Happy Belated Birthday, Ashutosh.

My Previous Post On Birthday Wish - Lady Killer

Lady Killer

I mean, not in literal sense, but by his cute looks, his extremely sharp brain. By his blushing smile, his ready wit. He is the charmer, and has had the most of the girls in the school enamoured by his persona.

Mesmerizer that he his, he is a very smooth talker. Always the one to make an impression even at the first meeting, with guys and girls alike. Throughout the topper(with minor aberrations here and there), he was the most cherished student amongst the teachers, fellow students, even the parents.

Not only that, he has the tremendous command over the pen. I bet, if he decides to write a blog, it would be a best seller. Has the great quizzing skills. Lest I forget, I must add that there is no end to his sporting abilities. Excels in every sport he plays. Got a perfect, smooth side-on right arm action I have ever seen, and very strong on off side while batting.

However, the greatest virtue I can mention about him is that he is a born leader. Always the captain of class Cricket team, class Football team, school (Unity) House captain. Didn't need a MBA degree for that, but now he has it, nevertheless.

But he is a friend for inseparable 14 years, not because of all of this. We became friends in strange circumstances, which only he and Mohan knows. Can't mention that here, I guess. He belongs to my inner circle.

Happy Birthday Hemant 'Naughty' U(t)padhayay !!

My Previous Birthday Wish - Late Charlie

The Outsiders

Here is a not-so-small list of those who could or should be out of Mumbai or Maharashtra , if one strictly goes by Shiv Sena Mee Mumbaikar theory.

Bachhans
Who: Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek
From: Amitabh (Allahabad ), Jaya(Bhopal)

Ambanis
Who: Late Dhirubhai, Anil, Mukesh.
From: Jamnagar.

Kapoors
Who: Prithviraj, Raj, Shammi, Shashi, Rishi, Randheer, Karishma, Kareena.
From: Peshawar

Sharukh Khan
From:Delhi

Amir Khan and clan
Who: Nasir Hussain, Tahir Hussain, Amir Khan, Mansoor Khan.
From: Lucknow

Chopras
Who: BR Chopra, Yash Chopra, Aditya.
From: Lahore

Barjyatas
Who: Tara Chand, Sooraj Chand
From: Kuchaman, Rajasthan.

Roshans
Who: Roshan, Rakesh Roshan, Rajesh Roshan, Hrithik Roshan
From: Lucknow

Gangulys
Who: Ashok, Kishore, Anup, Amit, Anuradha Patel
From: Khandawa, Madhya Pradesh

Dilip Kumar
From: Peshwar

Anands
Who: Dev, Ketan, Vijay
From: Gurdaspur, Punjab

Sanjeev Kumar
From: Gujrat

Salman Khan and clan
Who: Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaz Khan
From: Indore

Akhtars and clan
Who: Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi, Farhan, Kaifi Azmi, Jaan Nisar Akhtar
From: Javed (Lucknow/Bhopal), Kaifi( Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh)

Burmans
Who: SD and RD
From: Assam

Dutts
Who: Sunil, Nargis, Sanjay
From: Sunil( Ambala, Haryana), Nargis(Lucknow/Allahabad)

Deols
Who: Dharmendra, Hema, Sunny, Bobby
From: Dharmendra(Phagwara, Punjab), Hema Malini(Chennai)

Actors/Actresses like Waheeda( Hyderabad), Feroz, Sanjay, Fardeen Khan(Banglore), Rekha(Chennai), Shatrughan Sinha(Patna), Naseerudin Shah( UP), Amjad Khan(UP), Vinod Khanna(Gurdaspur), Sridevi( Chennai), Govinda(Varanasi), Rani Mukherjee(Uttar Pradesh), Ravi & Raveena Tandon(Lucknow), Rati Agnihotri(Dehradoon), Manoj Bajpai(Patna), Ashutosh Rana(Sagar, MP), Irfan Khan( Jaipur) etc also do not orginally belong to the place.

In comedians, we have Mehmood(Banglore), Johnny Walker(Indore), Asrani(Jaipur), Jagdeep( Bhopal).

Singers include Mohd. Rafi (Punjab), Mukesh(Delhi), Talat Mehmood( Lucknow), Hemant Kumar(Varanasi), Manna De. (Calcutta), Abhijeet(Kanpur), Udit Narayan( Nepal), Anup Jalota(Lucknow), Kumar Sanu(Calcutta), Babul Suprio( Calcutta), Shan( Calcutta), Chanchal(Lucknow) etc.

Music directors - Madan Mohan(Lucknow), Roshan(Lucknow), Naushad( Lucknow), Kalyan ji Anandji(Kutchh), Pyarelal( Uttar Pradesh), Ravindra Jain(Varanasi), Ravi(UP), Chitragupta( Patna), Anand-Milind(Patna), Jatin-Lalit(Kutchh) etc.

Lyricists are Majhrooh (Sultanpuri), Sahir( Ludhiyanvi), Firak (Gorakhpuri), Hasrat (Jaipuri), Sardar Ali Jafri( Lucknow), Shakeel (Badauni), Neeraj( Lucknow), Majaj (Lucknawi), Shailendra( Mathura), Anjaan( Varanasi), Gauhar (Kanpuri), Sameer( Varanasi), Maya Govind (Lucknow), Kavi Pradeep (Lucknow).

Then there are Business houses like Bajajs( Rajasthan),Birlas( Rajasthan), Goenkas( Rajasthan) who should leave. Narayan Murthi(Mysore) might not have found his wife, and Infosys might not have even born. Not in Pune, at least.

As you can see, list can go on and on, and it will never stop. Mumbai is so cosmopolitan. And these idiots want them out ! Can you believe it?

Yah00000000!

Ever wondered the fate of the song, now a cult famous, Yahooo, without the irrepressible, energetic Shammi Kapoor.

No? Can't even imagine ? Even me, too! In fact, I can't see any other actor doing justice to any of his songs. The dashing dapper hero, he looked his female interest straight into the eyes. He appeared cocky, brash, unconventional - hardly the stuff ladies look for. Yet, they use to melt at the sight of this rebel. Yes, he was the isharon-isharon mein dil leney wala.

Long time back, I was seeing a program on TV, where aunties were being asked some cheeky questions, about their youth. Shammi Kapoor and Beatles were their unanimous passion, back then.

He was the person who made swinging sixties - sizzling. His yelling, broke sound barrier, and his dancing defied gravity. In short, he set the 70 mm screen on fire with his zeal. I haven't seen a more energetic actor; Shahrukh comes a poor second, as far as energy is concerned.

He rocked with Shakti Samant and Nasir Hussain. He once remarked that Nasir Hussain came to Mumbai with one story, and made eleven movies out of it. Most of them, with Shammi.

Long live the charmer, and Happy Birth Day.

Artist On The Court

At the risk of being repetitive - here is another post on Roger Federer . The other one was almost three months back. At that time he had just won the Wimbledon . If it sounds like a statement, so be it - for Federer, Tennis is not a game - it's a canvas, where he magnificently performs his art.

Leytton Hewitt had come to the finals without loosing a set, and the man lost the first set 0-6 . The third and final set also went away with similar score. Those who have missed the finals have missed something. How much Hewitt would have wished to admire and applaud each and every shot played by the artist; but he hardly had the time for he was at the receiving end. But he didn't let the opportunity go when the game ended.

They all have played Tennis, but to have played this way - I haven't ever seen. Not since 1987, when I had started following the game. Not even since 1974, since when the recordings are available. I am not sure whether he is the all time greatest, but if he continues this way - the day is not far when he achieves that feat.

The only competition he faces is with himself. This is a trifle disappointing that presently, there is no one to rival him. It creates a bit of complacency in him and his game becomes a bit shaky. But even half a good Roger Federer is more than full against the best of the rest. Andy Roddic will vouch that as, this is precisely what happened to him at Wimbledon finals. Roddic was at his best while Federer was at his worst, still the latter won in straight sets.

This way he still wins his game, but audience is at loss. We need a good rival to keep the spark, motivation alive and who knows - we might be in for another Monalisa.