on this day

Cinemaazi remembers Fakir Chand Mehra, better known simply as FC Mehra on his death anniversary. He was the founder of Eagles film banner. Productions had a big role to play from the mid-1950s in creating the larger-than-life identity of mainstream Hindi cinema. FC Mehra started his career with a ground job in the Royal Indian Air Force and was posted to Bombay. Once when he noticed a British officer involved in some hanky-panky, he informed the superiors. To his consternation, he found himself suspended from service.

After he lost his job he started distributing films in Afghanistan where Hindi films were very popular. He earned a handsome amount and decide to invest in the production of films. 

Mehra's first production was Sipahsalar (1956), an action film starring Shammi Kapoor and Nadira. He went on to produce a number of entertainers like Ujala (1959), Singapore (1960), Amrapali (1966), Prince(1969), Lal Patthar (1971), Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1980) and Sohni Mahiwal (1984).
 

Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish (known as S D Batish) was a true master of the various vocal and instrumental styles of North Indian music. Cinemaazi remembers the great music composer on his 14th death anniversary.

Batish started his career as a singer-actor and was affectionately called as young Sehgal. He quickly got bored with acting and returned to Patiala, his home town.
In 1942, Batish teamed up with his distant cousin Pandit Amarnath in Lahore and participated in their first Punjabi film Govandi.  He sang the song Pagadi Sambhal Jatta. This became a hit. In the same year Pancholi Art pictures, Lahore, offered Batish the job of assistant music director, where under the direction of Pandit Amarnath, he sang Khamosh Nigahen in the film Daasi (1944). This made him a famous playback singer. In July 1947, he started composing music independently. 

Pictured from left to right
Mr. G. M. Durani - Mr. C. Ramchandra - Miss Lata Mangeshkar - Mr. S. D. Batish

Cinemaazi remembers the great actor Johnny Walker on his death anniversary. He was born on 11 November 1926 as Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi, and grew up to rule over millions of hearts with his comic roles. Walker was born to a family of mill workers in Indore. When his father lost his job, the family moved to Bombay where Walker found a job as a BEST bus conductor. He entertained his passengers with his comical ways. Balraj Sahni spotted Walker once travelling on a bus.  He was impressed by Walker’s goofy antics and decided to introduce him to Guru Dutt in an innovative way. 

One day, when Dutt and Dev were in the midst of discussion over their film Baazi (1951), Walker was ushered in as a drunkard. He caused both confusion and laughter. Suddenly, the drunkard straightened up and all present realised he had been acting. The episode bagged him a role in Baazi. From his debut in Baazi to his last film, Chachi 420 (1997), Johnny Walker acted in over 300 films, including Aar-Paar (1954), Taxi Driver (1954), Mr & Mrs 55 (1955), CID (1956), Pyaasa (1957), Naya Daur (1957), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and Anand (1971). Mohammed Rafi usually sang for Johnny Walker's characters in his movies. 

It was on the set of Guru Dutt’s films that Walker met Noorjahan, younger sister of actor Shakeela. Noorjahan appeared in a song with him in Aar-Paar (1954). The two fell in love but Noorjahan’s parents were against the marriage. But she was determined to marry Johny Walker and walked out of her parent’s house. Their nikah was solemnised at Walker’s residence.


 

Known for his classical influenced delicate numbers, the music composer and singer Sudhir Phadke passed away on 29 July, 2002. 

Sanjay Dutt was born on 29 July 1959 to Nargis and Sunil Dutt.
He was debuted in the film Rocky (1981) directed by his father.
He is a recipient of Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his role in Vaastav: The Reality (1999).

Actor, singer and musician Anup Jalota was born on 29 July 1953 in Nainital, Uttar Pradesh. He is mainly popular for singing Bhajans and also some Ghazals.
Cinemaazi wishes him a very Happy Birthday.

Kumkum, an extraordinarily graceful dancer, she had shot to fame after appearing in Guru Dutt' s Aar Paar in the song Kabhi aar kabhi paar laga teer e nazar. Some evergreen numbers of the golden era would be incomplete without her spell binding presence like Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahan (CID), Ja ja re ja balamwa (Basant Bahar), Reshmi salwar kurta jaali ka (Naya Daur), Diya na bujhe ri aaj hamara (Son of India). She will live on in the memories of film lovers all over the world. May she rest in peace.

Cinemaazi remembers Hindi cinema's quintessential cop, Jagdish Raj, on his death anniversary. He, in fact, holds the Guinness world record for playing a police inspector in an astonishing 144 films. 

Remembering the fantastic Leela Naidu on her death anniversary. 

 

 

Cinemaazi remembers Kamal Dasgupta (28 July 1912-20 July 1974) and his wife Feroza Begum (28 July 1930-9 September 2014) on their birth anniversaries.

The film career of Dasgupta started with Moshai (1936, Bangla). He composed in a few more films in Calcutta before Prathmesh Chandra Barua gave him the big break in Jawaab(1942). The film was an instant hit. It had cult numbers like Toofan mail ye duniya toofan mail, Ae chand chhup na jana and Kuchh yaad na rahe.  In 1944, he moved to Bombay and worked on the film Meghdoot(1945). He worked on 40 films of different genres. He gave music to 17 Hindi films. His last Hindi film was Phulwari (1951). 
An astonishing 8000 songs to his credit of which 400 are Nazrul songs, and the rest based on various styles such as Geet and Meera Bhajan; Kabir Bhajan in Hindi; Urdu Naat; Thumri and Ghazals -- Kamal Das's standing is incomparable. 

He shifted to Dhaka after Bangladesh became independent. He died there on July 20, 1974, at the age of 62.

Born in an aristocratic family in Faridpur district in the 1930s, Feroza Begum became drawn to music in her childhood. She had no formal education in music, but she used to render songs listening to contemporary music on records of the then-popular singers such as Aashchorjomoyee Devi, Sati Devi, Angur Bala, Indu Bala and Swarnokumari Devi in her home. In the illustrious career that followed, Firoza sang Rabindra Sangeet, "Adhunik Bangla" songs, Gazhal, Kawali and Bhajan for her audience. 
She performed around 300 solo concerts.
She made the biggest decision of her life when she migrated from Dhaka to Kolkata. As a singer in Kolkata, Feroza Begum had some spectacular achievements. Tum bhulaaye na gaye  was one of the loveliest songs Feroza Begum sang. 
In 1956, Firoza married Kamal Dasgupta, who had been a composer for at least a third of the national poet's songs. The couple had three sons, Tahsin, Hamin and Shafin.

Cinemaazi remembers A V Meiyappa Chettiar, aka, A V Meiyappan, on his birth anniversary. He is considered one of the pioneers of Tamil Cinema. His production house, AVM Productions, rolled out a battery of blockbusters. He was the first to produce a dubbed film — Harishchandra. The film was dubbed in Tamil from the original in Kannada. He was also one of the pioneers, who introduced playback singing in the Tamil industry (film Nandakumar).

M.V. Raman, K. Shankar,P. Neelakandan, Bhim Singh, A.C. Thirulokchander, Sp. Muthuraman, Rama Narayanan and Rajasekar made it big under his guidance.
Five former chief ministers were associated with his films - Arignar Anna wrote the story and dialogue for the Oar Iravu, Kalaingar Karunanidhi penned the dialogue for Prasakti, MGR played the hero of Anbe Vaa, N.T. Rama Rao, acted in Bhoo Kailash, Naathi Aada Jenmame, Ramu and Chitti Selalu and Jayalalitha played the female lead in Anaadhai Anandan, Enga Mama and Major Chandrakanth.

Parvez Khan passed away  on 27 July 2020 after a massive heart attack at the age 55 years. Khan was a stunt director in films such as Andhadhun, Badlapur, Bullett Raja, Fukrey, Ra.One, Dev.D, Gangster, Ab Tak Chhappan.

Remembered for the vast range of characters he played on screen, from star crazy, college going Jomo in Sai Paranjpe’s Chashme Badoor (1981), to the struggling actor, Kumar Bhairav, in Doordarshan TV’s Idhar Udhar (1985), alongside the Pathak sisters, to the photographer Sudhir Mishra in the cult classic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), Ravi Baswani assumed different characters with panache. Hailing originally from Delhi Baswani was highly involved in the Delhi theatre circuit. It was during that time that he met Naseerudin Shah while he was preparing for Sai Paranjpe’s Sparsh (1980) and wanted to be a part of the film as well. He made his debut next year in Paranjpe’s cult comedy Chasme Badoor and thereafter went onto establish himself as a comedy actor and character artist. Baswani worked extensively in television as well but in couldn’t get a lead role that could trump the appreciation he received in his first two films. Baswani was in the process of making his directorial debut and was scouting locations for shoot when he met a tragic death on 27 July, 2010 in Haldwani, as he was on his way back to Delhi from Nanital. Cinemaazi remembers the actor on his death anniversary.

Cinemaazi remembers actress and producer Jaymala Adarsh who passed away on 27 July, 1997. Born on August 21, 1938 in Kasur, Punjab, British India, she acted in films in leading roles and supporting roles. Her filmography includes films such as Mandir (1948), Teerth Yatra (1958), Ramu Dada (1961), Harishchandra Taramati (1963), Jekara Charanva Mein Lagle Paranva (1964), Goswami Tulsidas (1964), Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (1966), Love And Murder (1966), Spy In Rome (1968), Rambhakta Hanuman (1969), Aaj Ka Ye Ghar (1976), Babruvahana (1977), Veer Arjun (1977), Jambo (1981), Private Life (1983), and Ricky (1986). She is also credited as the producer of the films Aaj Ka Ye Ghar, Sampoorna Sant Darshanam (1978), and Private Life, and also rendered playback for Fashionable Wife (1959). Married to producer, director and screenplay writer B K Adarsh, Jaymala Adarsh is the mother of film critic, Taran Adarsh.

“Kitne aadmi the?” is a description enough for the actor who took villains in Hindi Cinema to a status on par with the main hero. Amjad Khan as Gabbar in Ramesh Sippy’s magnum opus Sholay (1975) is still recounted as the most famous villains of the cinema history. Cinemaazi remembers the legend on his death anniversary. He passed away on 27 July, 1992.

In a short career that only spanned two decades, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan left behind a treasure trove of film songs, poems and Urdu stories.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan was born on 23 September, 1915 in Karimabad, Jhelum district in present-day Pakistan.

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan died on 27 July 1966 in Mumbai, leaving behind an unmatched legacy of beautiful Urdu poems, short stories and songs.

Here’s wishing film playback singer and Carnatic musician, K S Chithra a very Happy Birthday. Born 27 July, 1963, she has recorded innumerable songs in multiple regional and foreign languages in the course of her four decade-long career. Celebrated as a cultural icon of Kerala, she has collaborated extensively with music directors such as A R Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, Hamsalekha, and M M Keeravani. She has rendered several duets with K J Yesudas and S P Balasubramaniyam. Some of her best songs include Chinna kuil paadum paatu ketkudha, Kuzhaloodum kannanukku, Ninnu kori varanam, Paadariyaen padippariyaen, and Kannanule. Among her Hindi film song hits are Saathiya tune kya kiya, Roop suhana lagta hai, O ajnabi, and Jaage hain. Winner of six National Film Awards, eight Filmfare Awards South and 36 various state film awards, Chithra was also awarded the coveted Padma Bhushan in 2021, following the Padma Shri in 2005 for her valuable contribution to music. She also has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to be honored by the House of Commons, British Parliament, UK, and is the only singer from India to be felicitated by the Government of China at the Qinghai International Music and Water Festival.