Subhash K Jha celebrates Hrishikesh Mukherjee's birth anniversary on September 30 by listing the best songs from his films.
Dharmendra's oeuvre was so phenomenal that there was never a phase in his professional life when he was in danger of falling into a rut, in terms of either the kind of films he starred in or the sort of co-actors he worked with.
'Once when he was on a flight, the plane hit an air-pocket.' 'The turbulence outside caused it to see-saw violently which caused a lot of panic inside. While his co-passengers were crying and praying for their lives, Salil kaku was writing a song in his head.'
'He had a terrific sense of what works at the box office and what doesn't.'
'What a talent, what an actor! 'Cast him as anyone, anything, and he is ready for the challenge. I get restless when I don't have him in my film.'
S D Burman is that unique composer who remained successful right up to his death with his creative engines never running on empty.
Sreenivasan could so willingly be 'our little man' because in his heart of hearts he never felt trivial or inconsequential. And to the very end he stayed that way, the shrimp who knew he was a giant. Sreehari Nair doffs his hat to the late legend.
Dharmendra remained one of the most loved stars of all time, even when his movies tapered off, and age caught up with him.
On the basis of his rogueish Veeru in Sholay and Parimal in Chupke Chupke, Dharmendra softened his He-Man image and went on to do a series of charming comedies.
'It is wrong to say he turned director to create starring opportunities for himself. He was happy with what he had.'
'I was a boy from a small village in Punjab. Who would have thought I'd be loved by everyone?'
'At a time when there was little awareness of world music, playing western tunes on eastern instruments like the flute and the dholak, blending vocal polyphony with Indian folk and contemporary styles, Salilkaku created a new musical genre in Bengal called Gana Sangeet.'
'At parties and premieres, Meena openly showered affection towards Dharam. Sometimes she would even take his hand and the next day it would be in print. On one occasion, mischievously almost, she recited a love couplet from Ghalib, which left no doubt in the audience's mind about Dharmendra's position in her heart.'
'I have always broken my image every time I went on screen. I don't know what it means to be a Greek God but people used to call me one.'
We celebrate Hrishikesh Mukherjee on his 91st birth anniversary on September 30.
Dinesh Raheja charts the highs and lows of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's creative association with five megastars -- Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra.
Mukherjee's funeral is likely to be held on Monday or Tuesday after his son returns from the United States.
Producer-director Hrishikesh Mukherjee has been admitted to Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai, according to television reports.
'I am still trying to understand the gravity of what's being done.' 'How can someone else decide how to conclude my film?'
In a special series, we will put YOU to the test everyday!
'When you are a pioneer and someone who's put on a pedestal, but then the pedestal gets dusty, people don't look at the statue anymore.' 'They would say, 'Yes, yes, of course I know Bimal Roy. He made Do Bigha Zamin.'.'
"An era in Indian films has ended."
On Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 91st birth anniversary on September 30, we bring back a Rediff Special done on the brilliant filmmaker in December 2002.
'The moment a movie was declared a hit, he would immediately start planning his next.'
'I'm a guy who is sure of what he wants and confident of getting it.' 'Jab prem kiya, I knew that one day, I would marry the woman I love and spend my life with her.'
'Suchitra Sen threatened to leave, with the film only 80 per cent complete.'
'Dharmendra was paying a little extra attention to me and she didn't like it.'
'I am not a greedy film person, even as an actor.' 'While my contemporaries Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor acted in nearly 300 films each, I've done hardly 35 films in my entire career.'
'Do films today even have the courage to question the establishment?'
'If you just listen to the lyrics, they're so simple. It's definitely a great philosophy to live life by.'
'Earlier, the comedy track used to run parallel to the main story with songs et al.' 'Nowadays, it's just once one scene here and there.'
Ever wondered why Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 1973 musical Abhimaan, the story of two singers who happened to be married to one another, has three voices singing for Amitabh Bachchan but only one voice, Lata Mangeshkar, for Jaya Bachchan?
Anushree Mehta will direct the remake of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's classic film Bawarchi.
Angry Young Men misses some important elements of the Salim-Javed story including an understanding of the duo's creative process. In fact, the two men do not even appear together in the same space in the series.
'All through the making of Dil Daulat Aur Duniya, Rajesh Khanna never acknowledged me.' 'Dev Anand couldn't carry off a dhoti in Insaaniyat. He told me that he would never wear one again.' 'Shammi Kapoor and I began on an icy note during Raajkumar, but once the cold vibes thawed, we became the best of buddies.'
We flip through our archives and pick some of the best Rekha images through the years.
'There is no knowing what will happen tomorrow. Make the best of today.'
'What happened to Raj and Simran after running away on the train at the end of DDLJ 20 years later? Have they become flatmates instead of lovers? What happens when the initial chemistry has worn off and love becomes a habit? This has always fascinated me.'
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