on this day

Known for the enormous goodwill he enjoyed in the Hindi film industry, as well as for his richly-mounted productions that showcased family values and traditions, film producer Yash Johar had passed away this day, 26 June in 2004. Born in 1929, he began his career in films in 1962 with Sunil Dutt’s production house, Ajanta Arts. He went on to work with Dev Anand’s Navketan Films, before launching his own production house, Dharma Productions, in 1976. His banner’s Dostana (1980) was a huge hit, followed by successes such as Agneepath (1990), Gumrah (1993) and Duplicate (1998). Dharma’s Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), directed by Johar’s son Karan, won extraordinary success, followed by superhit Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), and the critical and commercial success Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003). It was the last film Yash Johar personally worked on. He passed away due to a chest infection; he had been battling cancer. 

Image courtesy: Cinestaan

A seasoned actor, Chaman Puri was the elder brother to Madan Puri and Amrish Puri. Though lesser known than his brothers, he acted in quite a few films in his career. Some of his notable films include Raat Ki Rani (1949), Sangram (1950), Afsana (1951), Mastana (1954), Paying Guest (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Patang (1960), Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966), The Train (1970), Victoria No 203 (1972) and many more. He has also worked with his brother Madan Puri in films like Fakira (1976), Aaap Beati (1976), Chor Machaye Shor (1974) and Howrah Bridge. He passed away on 26th June 1998.

Cinemaazi sends birthday wishes out to actor, politician, playback singer and television presenter - Suresh Gopi. Born this day, 26 June in 1958 in Kerala, he has acted in over 200 films mainly in Malayalam cinema. Appearing in films as a child artiste in 1965, he went on to feature in supporting roles before he made it big with Thalastaanam (1992). Finding his niche in police and army roles, his popularity soared with films such as Ekalavyan (1993), Mafia (1993), Commissioner (1994), Lelam (1997) and Pathram (1999). He won the National Film Award for Best Actor, as well as the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Kaliyattam (1997), which was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. While he has starred in commercially successful films like Bharathchandran I.P.S. (2005), Chinthamani Kolacase (2006), Nadiya Kollappetta Rathri (2007) and Twenty: 20 (2008), he was recently seen in the films Salaam Kashmir (2014), I (2015) and Varane Avashyamund (2020). Gopi also hosts the game show Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran on television, the Malayalam version of Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. He is also a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.

The leading sound recordist of the 50s, 60s and 70s in Hindi cinema, Minoo Katrak was the man behind many unforgettable melodies. Born on 26 June, 1906, Katrak was a favourite of composers like Madan Mohan and Shankar Jaikishan, and was a key reason behind the popularity of Famous Studios. 

One of the best-known female impersonators of the Marathi stage, Bal Gandharva was born on 26 June, 1888. Born as Narayan Sripad Rajhans in Nagthane, he was spotted at a young age by Shahu Maharaj who introduced him to Kirloskar Mandali. Acting in many Marathi classics, he played an important role in popularising Natya Sangeet. After Nanasaheb Joglekar's death in 1911, he left Kirloskar Mandali to form Gandharva Sangeet Mandali. Ultimately it had to closed down due to incurring heavy debts. Named Bal Gandharva by an impressed Lokmanya Tilak after a performance, he acted in only one film - Prabhat Film's Dharmatma (1935). Cast as the Marathi poet and philosopher Sant Eknath, his debut was heavily publicised. But cast agaisnt the mold of the roles he usually played, he felt uncomfortable and did not act in a film again. His version of classical music was propagated by the likes of Govindrao Tembe and Krishnarao Phulambrikar.

Bela Mukherjee was recommended to Pankaj Mullick by her sister Abha Mukherjee. She received the opportunity to sing with Asit Baran in Kashinath (1943), thus starting her film career. After her marriage to Hemant Kumar she turned manager for his Geetanjali Pictures and also sang occassionally. She passed away on 25 June, 2009.

A very happy birthday to Karisma Kapoor! After a rocky start to her film career, she rose to stardom in the 90s after the success of films like Jigar (1992), Muqabla (1993). Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995) and Raja Hindustani (1997). A multiple time Filmfare Award winner and National Award winner for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), she became one of the most popular lead heroines of the 90s. Her performance in Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa (2001) also earned acclaim.

A very happy birthday to Raghubir Yadav! An incredibly versatile artist, he has performed everything from puppet theatre (with Rangoli Puppet Theatre) to being a roving performer with the Parsi Theatre Company, before emerging as one of the most acclaimed actors of the Indian screen with Massey Sahib (1985). Known to choose his roles with care, his filmography is littered with gems like Salaam Bombay (1988), Kasba (1991), Dharavi (1992), Rudaali (1993), Bandit Queen (1994), Khamoshi (1996), Bawandar (2000), Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004), Water (2005) and Firaaq (2008). He has also composed and sang for many films in his career like Maya Memsaab (1993), Rudaali, Samar (1999) and Peepli Live (2010). Also active in television, he remains one of the most renowned character actors of Indian cinema.

Image source: www.movie.webindia.com

A very happy birthday to Satish Shah! Born on 25 June, 1951, he has regaled us with his impeccable comic timing in films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), and television series like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. A graduate of FTII, he had a prolific career during the 80s and 90s, appearing in several successful films.

Cinemaazi remembers the cinematographer Ashok Kumar Aggarwal on his birth anniversary. A National Award-winning cinematographer, Ashok Kumar Aggarwal is one of the most important technicians in the history of Malayalam and Tamil cinema. Son of poet Kedarnath Aggarwal, he made his debut in 1969  with the acclaimed Malayalam film Janmabhoomi. Since then he worked regularly with major Malayalam directors like P N Menon, Babu Nanthankode, J Sasikumar and Ramu Kariat. He shot P Menon's acclaimed successes Chembarathi (1972) and Gayathri (1973), J D Thottan's Nurayum Pathayum (1977), Bharathan's Guruvayur Kesavan (1977), Aaravam (1978) and Thakara (1979). He made his Tamil cinema debut with J Mahendran's Uthiripookkal (1979) and went on to shoot his much-lauded Nenjathai Killathe (1980). He won the National Award for Best Cinematography for this film. He was able to balance his work in commercial cinema (working with directors like K Bhagyaraj and S Shankar) with his work in art films. He also shot Jijo Punnoose's My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), the first film to be shot in 3D format in India. He ventured into Hindi cinema with films like Kamagni (1987) and Bawandar (2000). He was also the recipient of the V Shantaram Award for Best Cinematography for his work in Bawandar. His work has inspired legions of next-generation cinematographers like Ramachandra Babu, Ravi K Chandran and Venu.

Though Madan Mohan's reputation often rests on his unforgettable composition of ghazals, he excelled in a variety of compositions. A playful man who was also known to be a great cook, he was born on 25 June, 1924.

Sivan (Sivasankaran Nair) , a three time Natoinal Award winner, he was the still photographer of the Malayalam classic Chemmeen (1965). After his directorial debut in 1972 with Swapnam, he made films like Yagam (1982), Abhayam (1991) and Keshu (2009). He was also widely regarded as the first press photographer of Kerala. He is survived by his children Sangeeth Sivan, Santosh Sivan, Sanjeev Sivan and Saritha Rajeev. May he rest in peace.

Image courtesy: twentyfournews.com

Harishchandra Bali aka H C Bali started his career as an actor in Naqsh-e-Sulemani (1933). Trained in classic music, he shifted to composing music. His first film as a composer was Aurat Ka Dil (1933). He went to compose music for 26 films. He passed away on 24 June 1976. 

Bali also gets the credit for bringing K L Saigal to the limelight. Both he and Saigal hailed from Jalandhar. When Saigal was in Calcutta as part of his job as a Typewriter salesman, Bali was living with R.C.Boral. Bali told Boral about Saigal's singing and the rest is history. Cinemaazi remembers him on his death anniversary.

Popularly known as Mellisai Mannar, M S Viswanathan used to sell refreshments in a film theatre for the opportunity of listening to the music. He got hired as an errand boy in S M Venkatraman's musical troupe in 1942. He later worked with and learnt from S M Subbaiah Naidu and C R Subburaman. It is at Subburaman's troupe that he met T K Ramamoorthy with whom he will form one of the most successful composer duos of Tamil cinema. After over a 100 films together, they went their separate ways. Over a career laden with laurels, he worked across Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He was also an occasional singer and actor. Winner of a National Award, Nandi Award, Tamil Nadu State Film Award and Kerala State Film Awards, he was also known for his selfless nature, helping many of his fellow artistes in their time of need. He was born this day, 24 June, 1928 in Elappully.