on this day

Joginder Shelly - a man who wore multiple hats of actor, director, producer, writer, singer, songwriter and distributor—passed away this day, 15 June, in 2009. Considered the King of B- and C-grade Hindi cinema, he is known for his superhit films Bindiya Aur Bandook (1972) and Ranga Khush (1975), which were produced, directed, written, acted and distributed by him. Out of the realm of mainstream cinema, he catered to the market demand for low-budget commercial films. Despite his film possessing low production values, they entertained with a slew of bizarre plots, strange characters, quirky dialogue, and unsophisticated special effects. Joginder’s flair for showmanship won him commercial success and a loyal fan base. His character Ranga Khush, for instance, became a rage for his character’s crazed laughter and eye-rolling, which apparently also inspired the character Gabbar Singh. Incidentally, Joginder had also sued the makers of Sholay (1975) for stealing the idea from his own film, Bindiya Aur Bandook. He also produced films such as Do Chattane (1974), Fauji (1976) and Yari Zindabad (1976). He last directed Ganga Aur Ranga (1994), while he last appeared on screen as an actor in Duplicate Sholay (2002).

Trained in Hindustani classical music of the Patiala gharana, Nirmala Devi started her film journey with Cinetone Limited. Known for her thumri and dadra performances she also acted in several films like Kanoon (1943), Chalis Karod (1946), Anmol Ratan (1950) among others. She passed away on 15 June, 1996.

A pioneering figure in the history of Malayalam cinema, Kunchacko founded Udaya Studio in Alleppey in 1947. In the process he started the shift of Malayalam cinema production from Madras to Kerala. His films also provided avenues for some early stars like Thikkurissi Sukumaran Nair, Kottarakkara Sridharan Nair, Augustine Joseph and Sebastian Kunju Kunju Bhagavathar. He passed away on 15 June, 1976.

One of the great singing stars of Hindi cinema, Suraiya was born on 15 June, 1929. After beginning her career as a child artist in 1936, she went on to become one of the most beloved leading ladies of Hindi cinema. One of the highest paid actresses of her times, she delivered a slew of hits in the late 40s and 50s.

Sajjad Hussain's father Mohammed Amir had been a tailor to Ram Sinh II, the King of Sitamau. While at the court, he had started learning the sitar, and had passed on his newfound interest in music to his youngest son Sajjad. Upon learning of his son's fascination with the mandolin he even made him one. Being of an orthodox bent of mind, he made his son promise that he would never make music his profession.

It was only after his father's death, Sajjad Hussain who was by then aseasoned musician decided to move to Mumbai to work in the film industry. Being a skilled multi-instrumentalist, his first film was Gaali (1944). Dost (1944) proved to be his breakthrough, featuring some classic numbers by Noor Jehan. His music in Sangdil (1952) is remembered till date. He had the reputation of a perfectionist, making Talat Mahmood sing Yeh hawa yeh chandni 17 times before he okayed it. He also shared a great professional relationship with Lata Mangeshkar. His music was known for its fusion of Hindustani classical with Arabic influences.

Despite such a strong start, Hussain's career never really took off, due to his reputation as a difficult music composer. He did, however, play a key role in making the mandolin suitable for playing Indian classical music. His role in the journey of this instrument in the subcontinent cannot be understated. He even made structural alterations to the instrument, reducing the number of strings from 8 to 6. He only played the mandolin in two films Do Behnen (1963) and Muthyala Muggu (1975). He also trained all his five sons to play the mandolin. The great composer never got his due respect in the film industry. He was born on this day, 15 June in 1917. 

Information courtesy: https://scroll.in/…/sajjad-hussain-the-composer-whose-music

 

Anjum Jaipuri, wrote some masterfully emotive lyrics in his film career. Some of his noteworthy films are Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp (1952), Khoj (1953), Miss Mala (1954), Talwar Ka Dhani (1956), and Daughter of Sindbad (1958). He was born on 15th June, 1915.

Remembering Surinder Kaur, known as the Nightingale of Punjab, who passed away on 15 June, 2006. Born in 1929 in Lahore, she is renowned for popularising the Punjabi folk song genre, besides rendering playback for Hindi films in the period from 1948 to 1952. Debuting as a singer with Mehendi (1947), followed by Shaheed (1948) for which she sang three songs, she rendered approximately 58 songs in the 22 films she provided playback for. It was on stage that her talent truly came alive, as she revived Punjabi folk songs via her performances. She recorded approximately 2,000 songs, including popular duets with Asa Singh Mastana, Karnail Gill, Harcharan Grewel, Rangila Jatt, and Didar Sandhu. She also sang songs for Punjabi films like Madari, Mutiyar (both 1950), Balo (1951) and Satluj De Kandhe (1964). Regarded not only as the queen of Punjabi folk, her singing of the poetic verses of Amrita Pritam, Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi remain memorable. Honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Punjabi Folk Music, and the Padma Shri award, her legend lives on.

Kirron Kher has enchanted the audience with her performance in Pestonjee (1988), Sardari Begum (1996), Bariwali (1999), Devdas (2002), Khamosh Pani (2004), Rang De Basanti (2004), and Khoobsurat (2014). A thespian and a television host and personality, she became a household name with shows such as Kirron Kher Today and Jagte Raho with Kirron Kher, and continues to be a popular face on tv as a judge in India’s Got Talent. Kirron Kher has been elected as the MP from Chandigarh constituency in 2019. She is currently undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma. Cinemaazi wishes her a very happy birthday and a speedy recovery!

Maker of films like Nagina (1986), Nigahen (1989), Heer Ranjha (1992), Kismat (1995), Dulhe Raja (1998) and many more, Harmesh Malhotra was born on 14 June, 1936.

Image courtesy: IMDB

An acclaimed cinematographer and director, A Vincent would work across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. He was part of some landmark films like Neelakuyil (1954), Uthama Puthiran (1958), Kalyana Parisu (1959) and Mudiayanaya Puthran (1961). 

The visionary K Asif, whose labour of love Mughal-e-Azam (1960) has gone down as one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history, was born on 14 June, 1922.

It took Bharat Bhooshan a full ten years of struggle before he was able to break through with the success of Baiju Bawra (1952). He was born on 14 June, 1920.

One of the most important figures in Marathi literature history, P K Atre was an essayist, playwright, novelist, orator and film director. He was the recipient of the first National Award for Best Film for his Shyamchi Aai (1953). He started writing for films in the late 1930s and was responsible for bringing many Marathi literary tropes into films. He passed away on 13 June, 1969. 

Known for his patriotic poems, Prem Dhawan got his first break in Dharti Ke Lal (1946). It was the song Chanda re ja re for Ziddi (1948) that earned him widespread renown. He went on to write many memorable songs over the years for films like Arzoo (1950), Tarana (1951), Rahi (1952), Jagte Raho (1956), Guest House (1959), Hum Hindustani (1960) and many more. He was born on 13 June, 1923. 

A comedian-villain known for playing the miser in films, Radhakishan made his debut in V Shantaram's Padosi (1941). He was known for his unique style of dialogue delivery. He was born on 13 June, 1915 in Delhi.