Programme Schedule Jan' 2015

DATE/DAY	EVENT	TIME IST
01-01-15  To     31-01-15	Old And New Hits Of Bollywood	From 7.00 Hrs To 7.00 Hrs
Every Sunday	Request Songs From Listeners Around The World	From 09.30 Hrs To  10.45 Hrs Repeat at 15.30 and 20.30 Hrs
04-01-15	Birthday Of Lyricist "Neeraj" & Death Anniversary Of Music Director "R.D.Burman" Listen Their Combination More @ My Blog	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
09-01-15	Birthday Of Singer "Mahendra Kapoor" Listen Him	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
10-01-15	Birthday Of Singer "Yesudas" Listen Him	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
16-01-15	Birthday Of Music Composer "O.P.Nayyar" Read More@Blog	From 8.00 Hrs To 11.00 Hrs
31-01-15	Death Anniversary Of Singer "Suraiya"	From 8.00 Hrs Till 8.00 Hrs

PK - Movie Review

Aamir Khan‘s much-awaited release is finally here and we are going gaga over it!Forget every big film that you have seen this year and just watch PK for it is brilliance!

Aamir Khan is an alien who gets stranded on planet Earth with nothing on him, not even clothes. All he has is a remote to control his spaceship but the minute he lands on Earth, the remote is stolen away from him (surprise, surprise!) A series of events make Aamir (who is eventually called PK because his antics make him seem a drunkard) seek God, bust myths created in this world by the “managers of God” and most of all present the Almighty in a whole new light! The film does look at crucial topics like religion, discrimination, flamboyance of idol worship, unsuspecting public’s belief in ‘God men’, but never does it become a boring and preachy lecture on the same.

Well, this could go on for a while. Firstly, a big round of applause for Aamir, Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra for making this story and giving us a grand family entertainer with some food for thought! PK will make you ask the pressing question, “How does Aamir do it!” The star has proven his mettle yet again and I couldn’t have pictured anybody but him as the weird, quirky yet endearing PK! Anushka Sharma lights up the screen as Jagat Janani. Although hers is a supporting role and not exactly the lead, but without her the story of PK wouldn’t have been half as enriching. Sushant Singh Rajput, in all his understated glory, does a remarkable job as Sarfaraz and proves that length of a role doesn’t define quality! Sanjay Dutt makes us wait a little more eagerly for him to come out of prison and start doing more movies! I was looking forward to watching Boman Irani in a bigger role. Although that that didn’t happen, I have no regrets as he is simply brilliant in whatever little screen time he gets. Watch out for the cameo of the year by Ranbir Kapoor! Coming to the writing of the film, it is novel, fresh and signature Raju Hirani. You can always trust the director to bring an interesting story to the table and execute it with such cinematic brilliance that will leave you awestruck! Special mention to Abhijat Joshi who wrote the film with him. The music by Shantanu Moitra is breezy, full of pleasant melodies and just apt for a film as cute as PK!

While there isn’t much to say in this area I thought that the first half of the film could have been tighter with less dilly-dallying. But then again it was the director’s prerogative and was perhaps needed to flesh out the plot for the audience. The plot bore uncanny resemblance to OMG (Oh! My God) which also explains the delay in PK’s release. Nevertheless, that doesn’t diminish the movie-viewing experience of Aamir’s film.

Verdict - You cannot afford to miss this! Aamir has once again proved why he’s ahead of his contemporaries as a visionary and a thinker! We bet you will watch PK more than once.

Our Rating - 5/5

Movie Review -- Action Jackson

 

Action Jackson is for the masses more than the classes. It will prove to be an average fare at the box-office in only some circuits as it will score in single-screen cinemas and with the masses more than in the multiplexes and with the gentry audience. But in the rest of the circuits, reaching the average mark will be an uphill task.

ACTION JACKSON being a Bollywood film, the look and feel of the film is that of loud South Indian films. While the film drags in the first half endlessly, the second half too barely has anything in it to hold the audience's attention. The film has no script whatsoever and has been put together haphazardly on the editing table glued together which non-sensical graphics and animation. On the whole, ACTION JACKSON is a highly avoidable affair.

This is one of the films where they say 'Do not take your brains to the theaters'. 

 

Rating - 1.3/5

Programme Schedule - December

DATE/DAY	EVENT	TIME IST
01-12-14  To     31-12-14	Old And New Hits Of Bollywood	From 7.00 Hrs To 7.00 Hrs
Every Sunday	Request Songs From Listeners Around The World	From 09.30 Hrs To  10.45 Hrs Repeat at 15.30 and 20.30 Hrs
01-12-14	Birth Anniversary Of Singer "Udit Narayan" Listen Him	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
14-12-14	Death Anniversary Of Lyricist "Shailendra"	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
22-12-14	Death Anniversary Of Music Director "Vasant Desai"	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
24-12-14	Birth Anniversary Of Versatile Singer "M.Rafi" Read More about Him Here	From 8.00 Hrs To 11.00 Hrs
25-11-14	Birth Anniversary Of Music Director "Naushad"	From 8.00 Hrs Till 8.00 Hrs (24 Hrs)

Ungli - Movie Review

The central premise of Ungli is as unoriginal as they come: a gang of four vigilantes sets out to name, shame and tame the corrupt in the city of Mumbai after one of their own is battered in a case of road rage. 
In a state of panic, the police establishment deputes an upright and headstrong cop (Sanjay Dutt) to go after the masked and mysterious citizen crusaders. How hackneyed is that! 
Ungli , Rensil D'Silva's second film as director, is a lackadaisical thriller that gets its fingers into boiling hot water in trying way too hard to make the right noises. 
The screenplay (by the director himself) and the dialogues (Milap Zhaveri) are stilted. 
Not surprisingly, the characters are unconvincing too. And the actors - there are some competent ones in the film - are given no scope at all to rise above the morass. 
The plot hinges on preposterous contrivances in its bid to expose the underbelly of a rotten system that crushes the common man under its weight.
Ungli does not gather any momentum because it isn't a single overarching embodiment of evil that the gang decides to take on. 
Instead, what the film presents are several stray faces of everyday corruption. 
The justice-seekers abduct the wrongdoers and take them to task in ways that are reminiscent of schoolboy pranks rather than no-nonsense sorties.
The gang's targets are revealed one by one, and the quartet takes it upon itself to set things right for the victims. 
An old man is pushed around in the pension office and his file kept pending by clerks who do not lift a finger unless their palms are greased. 
A smarmy politician uses his clout to flout the law and plaster the town with ugly hoardings. 
A regional transport officer shells out driving licenses to all and sundry for a consideration.
An auto-rickshaw man refuses to take an old lady to Andheri West unless she pays double the legitimate fare. 
A well-connected fixer sells plum postings to pliable policemen, besides stashing the lawmen's unaccounted wealth in a strong room in his residence. 
But don't large swathes of the audience know these people and their ways far better and more intimately than the makers of this film ever will?
The gang of four - a television journalist (Randeep Hooda), a medical intern (Kangana Ranaut), a computer engineer (Neil Bhoopalam) and a motor mechanic (Angad Bedi) - pull off daring acts and the media gleefully laps up their pop heroism.
In due course, they are joined by a rogue policeman (Emraan Hashmi), who has been thrown out of the city's bomb squad and roped into the mission to nab the Ungli gang.There is of course a back story to the foursome's decision to take the law into their hands. But, like everything else here, it is seriously wanting in credibility and depth. The rest of the film delivers a whole lot of hogwash about a compromised police force and the mounting frustration of ordinary folk who must stay within the confines of the law even when they know that the rich and powerful can bend the rules at will.
With a runtime of well under two hours, Ungli is not a long film. But that does not make it any easier to sit through. 
Among the few positives on view, both the editing (Deepa Bhatia) and camerawork (Hemant Chaturvedi) are first rate. While the former keeps the film crisp and sharp, the latter lends it a distinctive visual feel. 
But much of the fine technical work is wasted because the rest of Ungli never manages to point in the right directions.
Ungli has a few attributes that you will not usually encounter in a Karan Johar production. It has no big stars, no elaborate song and dance set pieces and no major love story.

Rating - 2.5/5

Movie Review - Rang Rasiya

 

Most of us Indians are familiar with the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma, at least in the form of bright colourful calendar art. The film brings to us how colourful his life was. And the story of his life, with the central theme of an artist fighting for the freedom of his thought and creativity, is an easily relatable and timely one. In fact, the delay of 6 long years between completion and release has served the film well thematically. Of course, being a period film set at the turn of the last century, it remains visually and stylistically unaffected by the huge delay. Besides, Anil Mehta's stunning cinematography, under director Ketan Mehta's keen eye for detail, colour and design, is a treat. The climax can make any lover of freedom and art weep, the message is clear, strong, non preachy and sadly still so needed.
Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Verma is a great choice. He has a regal enough face (especially with that perfect nose), that can as easily look lecherous and manipulative. He particularly sparkles when he argues in court against the imprisonment of his thoughts and art and when he cruelly dismisses his muse's claim to a life outside his imagination. Randeep is so comfortable embodying the legendary painter that you believe him and want to support his fight almost all the time, except when he ages dramatically and somehow no one else around him does. And when he looks as uncomfortable as the audience in those unnecessary love making scenes.
Rating - 2.5/5

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/rang-rasiya-review-starring-randeep-hooda-nandana-sen/1/399409.html

 

Movie Review - Shaukeens

 

How much of the 1982 classic is this? Well, the situations have been altered but the skeletal framework of the older movie has been retained. Too bad, the beauty of the classic remains far away from this lame, unfunny story. I am not sure if it’s the script that was so bad on paper but in the translation the fun was surely lost. The idea of funny is really footling in this film. There is an elaborate sequence about discussing the sexual frivolousness of this generation by men who are well in their 60s and can’t hold their lust together. Whatever it was meant as, it did not make me laugh.

Lisa Haydon as the star struck girl is effortless but this time despite greater screen presence, she couldn’t hold through her character because of her weak character.

Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor and Piyush Mishra are all great in their parts bringing in their caliber and experience of humor to the role but there is only little to offer when their characters are limited by a weak plot.

Surprisingly, the maximum laughs are delivered by Akshay who is thankfully in one of his best comic trips. His part did make the film a little more bearable in the second half.

The Shaukeens is a lame, dunce, dis-satisfactory and a stupid film at its core that is so tedious and flat that you almost abhor your time at the cinema. If you can tolerate 30 minutes of Akshay Kumar making fun of himself and his colleagues by making funny faces, you can take a trip for this. But for me, it was a disappointing story of how we lost an intelligent filmmaker to fat paychecks from fancy production houses. 

Rating - 1.5/5  Review  Courtesy  - KoiMoi

Programme Schedule - November 2014

DATE/DAY	EVENT	TIME IST
01-11-14  To     30-11-14	Old And New Hits Of Bollywood	From 7.00 Hrs To 7.00 Hrs
Every Sunday	Request Songs From Listeners Around The World	From 09.30 Hrs To  10.45 Hrs Repeat at 15.30 and 20.30 Hrs
04-11-14	Birth Anniversary Of Music Director "Jaikishan(Shankar Jaikishan)" Listen Him	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
16-11-14	Death Anniversary Of Music Director "Roshan"	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
19-11-14	Birth Anniversary Of Music Director "Salil Chowdhury"	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
23-11-14	Birth Anniversary Of Singer "Geeta Dutt"	From 8.00 Hrs To 11.00 Hrs
27-11-14	Birth Day Of Music Director "Bhappi Lahiri"	From 8.00.Hrs Onwards

Movie Review - Happy New Year

 Happy New Year is two distinct films rolled in one. While the first hour is breezy, fun and pretty watchable, the second hour is a convoluted mess with a heist angle that doesn’t work, a romantic track that seems forced, the vivaciousness lacking from the camaraderie of the characters and the sappyness of a dukhbhari daastan of a backstory. It is a half baked film that uses all the regular formulaic heist tools and naturally offers nothing unseen or unexpected. The predictability of the climax was the most fatal blow for the film. It isn’t unwatchable but horridly disappointing. Farah Khan has better mettle I believe and her funda of keeping it simple, garbed in floss doesn’t work this time.

Charlie (Shah Rukh Khan) is looking to avenge the humiliation of his father who was put in a wrong spot by Grover (Jackie Shroff). Following him and tracking him for 8 years led him to the momentous day when Grover will keep protected a handful of rare diamonds.

Charlie builds a team of people whom he calls Charlie’s Angels to participate in World Dance Championship which will lead them to the diamonds they want to steal. Nandu Bhide (Abhishek Bachchan), Jags (Sonu Sood), Tammy (Boman Irani) and Rohan (Vivaan Shah) along with their dance teacher Mohini (Deepika Padukone) train for the championship.

How a bunch of losers manage to sneak out the diamonds from the world’s safest locker is what the film entails. A series of events and a tight climax leads to the downfall of Grover that Charlie had plotted for 8 years.

Shah Rukh Khan looks droolworthy. I am not a fan of the Superstar but the actor’s caliber despite remaining unused in the films he takes up, he easily is one of the things in the film that keeps you latched. The role doesn’t do justice to his caliber but the SRK swagger helps in an underwhelming film like this.

Deepika Padukone is earnest and doesn’t have merely an arm candy role. Though her screen space isn’t a lot, the actress has done a terrific job.

Abhishek Bachchan is effortless and hams well. But then again, despite a lot of screen presence his character is not well invested in the film.

Boman Irani brings in his wicked humor and is immensely endearing in his role. Though a lot of the antics, Farah made him do were weird, Irani pulled it all off smartly.

Sonu Sood goes almost unnoticed and wasted. I think he shouldn’t accept such thankless roles where all he is required to do is flaunt his body.

Vivaan Shah wasn’t as much a misfit as one would have thought. He is good and blends in smoothly with the rest of the cast.

Jackie Shroff goes wasted despite his menacing demeanor. Farah doesn’t build his character into anything meaty and anyone could have easily filled in for him. Shroff doesn’t get his usual quirk because the role barely allows him anything.

It lacks Farah Khan’s witty streak. The heist track just doesn’t work and the film’s second hour is plain unconvincing. Low on the needful IQ that could have made the robbery believable, the film’s thrill tapestry was on the weaker side.

Happy New Year is a muddled mess which has its own warm moments but as a package fails to work. Three hours of Shah Rukh flaunting his abs and swagger gets too much to take minus a strong storyline. Farah Khan has redeemed Tees Maar Khan but Happy New Year is her most mediocre work. It’s a magnum opus which is pretty much hollow from within and remains an all frills, no thrills show.

Rating - 2.5/5

Remembering "Kishore Kumar" On His 27th Death Anniversary

Kishore Kumar was born on 4^th  August 1929 and became one of the greatest Indian film playback singer, actor, lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenplay writer and scriptwriter. He is considered the most successful Indian playback singer of the Hindi film industry of all time. He sang in many Indian languages including Bengali,Hindi, Assamese,Gujarati, Bhojpuri etc,

He won 8 Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer and holds the record for winning the most Filmfare Awards in that category. He was awarded the "Lata Mangeshkar Award" by the Madhya Pradesh government and from that year onwards, the Madhya Pradesh Government initiated a new award called the "Kishore Kumar Award" for contributions to Hindi cinema.

Music director S. D. Burman is credited with spotting Kumar's talent for singing. Burman recorded with Kumar for Dev Anand's Munimji (1954), Taxi Driver (1954),House No. 44 (1955),  Funtoosh (1956), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Paying Guest (1957), Guide(1965), Jewel Thief (1967),  Prem Pujari (1970), and Tere Mere Sapne (1971). He also composed music for Kumar's home production Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). Some of their songs were; "Maana Janaab Ne Pukara Nahin" from Paying Guest, "Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke" from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), "Ai Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa" from Funtoosh, and "Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhaagi Si" and "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958). Asha Bhosle and Kumar performed duets composed by Burman including "Chhod Do Aanchal" from Paying Guest (1957), "Ankhon Mein Kya Ji" from Nau Do Gyarah (1957), "Haal Kaisa Hai Janaab Ka" and "Paanch Rupaiya Baara Aana" from Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and "Arre Yaar Meri Tum Bhi Ho Gajab" from Teen Deviyan (1965). S. D. Burman and Kumar continued to work together, including "Phoolon Ke Rang Se" and "Shokhiyon Mein Ghola Jaaye" from Prem Pujari (1969), "Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaaye Re," "Khilte Hain Gul Yahan" and "O Meri Sharmilee" from Sharmilee (1971), "Meet na mila" from Abhimaan (1973), and "Jeevan ki Bagiya mehkegi" from Tere Mere Sapne (1974). In 1975, S. D. Burman composed his last song for Kumar; "Badi Sooni Sooni Hai" for the film Mili.

Kumar produced, directed, acted in composed the music for Jhumroo (1961), and wrote the lyrics for the film's title song, "Main Hoon Jhumroo". Later, he produced and directed Door Gagan Ki Chhaon Mein (1964). He wrote the script and composed music for the film, which is about the relationship between a father (Kishore Kumar) and his deaf and mute son (played by his real-life son (Amit Kumar).

In the late 1960s, Rahul Dev Burman worked with Kishore Kumar on the soundtrack of the film Padosan (1968), in which Kumar sang "Mere Saamne Wali Khidki Mein" and "Kehna Hai." Padosan was a comedy in which Kumar as a dramatist-musician,

In 1969, Shakti Samanta produced and directed Aradhana. He sang two songs in the film; "Meri Sapnon Ki Rani" and "Roop Tera Mastana". Shakti Samanta suggested that Kumar sing the other songs. When the film was released, Kumar's two songs established him as a leading Bollywood playback singer. Kishore Kumar won his first Filmfare award for"Roop Tera Mastana".

In the 1970s and 1980s, Kumar sang for Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan,  Dharmendra,  Jeetendra,  Sanjeev Kumar, Dev Anand, Shashi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Vinod Khanna, Dilip Kumar, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Anil Kapoor, Rakesh Roshan, Dilip Kumar, Pran, Sachin, Vinod Mehra, Chunky Pandey, Kumar Gaurav, Govinda and Jackie Shroff.

R.D. Burman recorded several songs with Kumar in the 1970s, including "O Maajhi Re" from Khushboo, "Yeh Shaam Mastaani" and "Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai" from Kati Patang(1971), "Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi" from Buddha Mil Gaya (1971) and "Chingari Koi Bhadke (Amar Prem)" and "Jab Bhi Koi Kangana" from Shaukeen (1986). Although he was not formally trained in the classical music, R.D. Burman often had Kumar sing semi-classical songs, such as "Hamein Tum Se Pyaar Kitna" from  Kudrat and "Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon" from Mehbooba.

R.D. Burman recorded several duets pairing Kumar with Asha Bhosle and with Lata Mangeshkar, including "Panna Ki Tamanna" from Heera Panna (1973), "Neend Chura Ke Raaton Mein" from the film Shareef Budmaash, "Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai" from Sanjay Dutt's debut film Rocky (1981), "Jaane Ja Dhoondta" and "Kharoshoo" from Harjai(1982)^]

Apart from the Burmans, Kumar worked with other music directors. The composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal (L-P) composed many songs sung by him, including "Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi" from Mr. X In Bombay, "Mere Naseeb Mein Aye Dost" from Do Raaste, "Yeh Jeevan Hai" from Piya Ka Ghar, "Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai" from Daag, "Nahi Mai Nahi Dekh Sakta" from Majboor, "Mere diwanepan ki bhi" from Mehboob Ki Mehndi, "Naach Meri Bulbul" from Roti, "Chal Chal Mere Haathi" from Haathi Mere Saathi and "Tu Kitne Baras Ki" from Karz. L-P also worked with Kumar and Mohammed Rafi on duets for the films Dostana, Ram Balram and Deedaar-E-Yaar. L-P composed I love you (Kaate Nahin Katate Yeh Din Yeh Raat)" from Mr. India in (1987), a duet with Kumar and Alisha Chinoy. Salil Chowdhury recorded songs like "Koi Hota Jisko Apna" from Mere Apne and "Gujar Gaye Din Din" from Annadata. Ravindra Jain recorded "Ghungroo Ki Tarah" and the duets "Le Jaayenge Le Jaayenge" from Chor Machaye Shor and "Tota Maina Ki Kahani" fromFakira.

Khaiyyaam recorded Kumar's duets with Lata Mangeshkar, including "Hazaar Raahein" from Thodisi Bewafaii and Aankhon Mein Humne Aapke Sapne Sajaye Hain, Chandani Raat Mein Ek Bar. Hridaynath Mangeshkar recorded Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main from Mashaal. Kalyanji Anandji recorded several songs with Kumar including Zindagi Ka Safarand Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhein, from Safar, O Saathi Re from Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Pal Bhar Ke Liye from Johny Mera Naam.

Kumar worked with other composers including Rajesh Roshan, Sapan Chakraborty and Bappi Lahiri. Kumar sang Bhool Gaya Sab Kuchh (duet with Lata Mangeshkar) and Dil Kya Kare Jab Kisise for Rajesh Roshan's film Julie. Their other songs include Yaadon Mein Woh from Swami, Chhookar Mere Man Ko Kiya Toone Kya Ishaara from  Yaarana  and  Kahiye, Suniye (duet with Asha Bhosle) from Baton Baton Mein. Bappi Lahiri also recorded many songs with Kishore Kumar, including Pag Ghunghroo Bandh from Namak Halaal (1982), Manzilen Apni Jagah Hai from Sharaabi (1984) and Saason Se Nahi Kadmose Nahi from Mohabbat in (1987) and duets with (Lata Mangeshkar)) likeAlbela Mausamand Pyar Ka Tohfa from Tohfa (1985).

Kishore Kumar married four times. His first wife was Bengali singer and actress Ruma Guha Thakurta aka Ruma Ghosh. Their marriage lasted from 1950 to 1958. His second wife was actress  Madhubala, Their marriage ended with Madhubala's death on 23 February 1969.Kumar's third marriage was to Yogeeta Bali, and lasted from 1976 to 4 August 1978. Kishore was married to Leena Chandavarkar from 1980 until his death. He had two sons,Amit Kumar with Ruma, and Sumit Kumar with Leena Chandavarkar.

Some Interesting Gossips About Kishor Kumar

Kumar is said to have been paranoid about not being paid. During recordings, he would sing only after his secretary confirmed that the producer had made the payment. On one occasion, when he discovered that his dues had not been fully paid, he appeared on set with makeup on only one side of his face. When the director questioned him, he replied "Aadha paisa to aadha make-up." (Half make-up for half payment).  On the sets of Bhai Bhai, Kishore Kumar refused to act because the director M V Raman owed him 5,000. Ashok Kumar persuaded him to do the scene but when the shooting started, Kumar walked across the floor, walked a few places and said, Paanch Hazzar Rupaiya (five thousand rupees) and did a somersault. After he reached the end of the floor, he left the studio. On another occasion, when producer R.C. Talwar did not pay his dues in spite of repeated reminders, Kumar arrived at Talwar's residence and shouting "Hey Talwar, de de mere aath hazaar" ("Hey Talwar, give me my eight thousand") every morning until Talwar paid him.

In spite of his "no money, no work" principle, sometimes Kumar recorded for free even when the producers were willing to pay. Such films include those produced by Rajesh Khanna and Danny Denzongpa. On one occasion, Kumar helped actor-turned-producer Bipin Gupta by giving him  20,000 for the film Dal Mein Kala (1964). When actor Arun Kumar Mukherjee—one of the first persons to appreciate Kishore's singing talent—died, Kumar regularly sent money to Mukherjee's family in Bhagalpur.

Many journalists and writers have written about Kishore Kumar's seemingly eccentric behavior. He placed a sign that said "Beware of Kishore" at the door of his Warden Road flat. Once, producer-director H. S. Rawail, who owed him some money, visited his flat to pay the dues. Kumar took the money and when Rawail offered to shake hands with him, Kumar reportedly put Rawail's hand in his mouth, bit it and asked "Didn’t you see the sign?". Rawail laughed off the incident and left quickly. According to another reported incident, once Kumar was due to record a song for producer-director G. P. Sippy. As Sippy approached his bungalow, he saw Kumar going out in his car. Sippy asked Kumar to stop his car but Kumar increased his speed. Sippy chased him to Madh Island where Kumar finally stopped his car near the ruined Madh Fort. When Sippy questioned his strange behavior, Kumar refused to recognize or talk to him and threatened to call the police. The next morning, Kumar reported for the recording session. An angry Sippy questioned him about his behaviour the previous day but Kumar said that Sippy must have dreamt the incident and said that he was in Khandwa on the previous day.

Once, a producer went to court to get a decree that Kumar must follow the director's orders. As a consequence, he obeyed the director to the letter. He refused to alight from his car until the director ordered him to do so. After filming a car scene in Mumbai, Kumar drove until he reached  Khandala  because the director forgot to say "Cut". In the 1960s, a financier named Kalidas Batvabbal, who was disgusted with Kumar's alleged lack of cooperation during the shooting of Half Ticket, reported to the income tax authorities, who raided his house. Later, Kumar invited Batvabbal to his home, asked him to enter a cupboard for a chat and locked him inside. He unlocked Batvabbal after two hours and told him, "Don’t ever come to my house again".

On 13 October 1987—his brother Ashok's 76th birthday—he died of a heart attack in Mumbai at 4:45 pm. His body was taken to Khandwa for cremation. Kumar had recorded his last song, Guru Guru—a duet with Asha Bhosle for the film Waqt Ki Aawaz (1988) composed by Bappi Lahiri.

Filmfare Awards

Winner:

Year	Song	Film	Music director	Lyricist
1969	"Roop Tera Mastana"	Aradhana	Sachin Dev Burman	Anand Bakshi
1975	"Dil Aisa Kisi Ne Mera"	Amanush	Shyamal Mitra	Indeevar
1978	"Khaike Pan Banaras”	Don	Kalyanji Anandji	Anjaan
1980	"Hazaar Raahen Mudke”	Thodisi Bewafaii	Khayyam	Gulzar
1982	"Pag Ghungroo Baandh"	Namak Halaal	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1983	"Agar Tum Na Hote"	Agar Tum Na Hote	Rahul Dev Burman	Gulshan Bawra
1984	"Manzilein Apni Jagah”	Sharaabi	Bappi Lahiri	Anjaan
1985	"Saagar Kinaare"	Saagar	Rahul Dev Burman	Javed Akhtar

Movie Review - Bang Bang

When Bollywood filmmakers remake a Hollywood film, I wish they would stick to the same duration too! Bang Bang is the Indian remake of Knight and Day, which as far as I remember, was about 110 minutes but the running time of Bang Bang is 156 minutes! For a film with no head or tail, that's quite long!

Harleen (Katrina Kaif) is a bank receptionist who lives with her grand mom-an enthusiastic woman who enters the bathroom when Harleen is having a shower to ask her why she has no boyfriends. Bored with her life, Harleen signs up for a blind date on a website. Enter trigger-happy thief Rajveer (Hrithik Roshan). He has robbed the Kohinoor from London, no less! Since her blind date has not turned up, Rajveer takes over and charms her. 

Of course there are people gunning for him because he has the Kohinoor and then starts the non-sense chase, which goes on till the end of the film.

Since Harleen was spotted with him, she is in danger too so he has to take care of her and himself. So she will tag along everywhere he goes. While they are in danger they go from one place to another and also make time to sing a song at every fancy location.

There are some terrible brand placements here like Mountain Dew-the hero of the film was made to drink it; he also had to say the tag line loud and clear, Dar ke aage jeet hai!

The makers have obviously pumped in a lot of money here. From shooting in various places from Shimla to Abu Dhabi to Greece. The actors are seen using every mode of transport from speeding bikes, formula one cars, speed boat and even sea planes. If all this could make the film entertaining, the whopping budget would have been worth. There is a difference between spending money and wasting it.

Hrithik Roshan looks good and that's nothing new but don't expect any great acting here since he was just expected to run from one place to the other. Katrina Kaif was given a silly role and there was little she could do about it. Music by Vishal Shekhar is average. Some songs are catchy and shot well too but over all the music doesn't make a mark.

If your idea of a fun film is watching two good looking stars running around senselessly for two hours and thirty minutes then go and watch Bang Bang.

The makers have put in a lot of money. Is it wasted or well spent, only time will tell. I would suggest you save your hard earned money and watch Bang Bang on TV someday soon.

Rating - 1.5/5

Programme Schedule - October '2014

DATE/DAY	EVENT	TIME IST
01-10-14 To 31-10-14	Old And New Hits Of Bollywood	From 7.00 Hrs To 7.00 Hrs
Every Sunday	Request Songs From Listeners Around The World	From 09.30 Hrs To  10.00 Hrs Repeat at 15.30 and 20.30 Hrs
01-10-14	Birth Anniversary Of Music Director "Sachin Dev Burman" Listen Him	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
04-10-14	Birth Day Of  Singer "Shailendra Singh" Listen His Songs	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
13-10-14	Death Anniversary Of Singer, Actor, Music Director and Lyricist "Kishore Kumar" Listen Him Throughout The Day, more about him @myblog	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards
25-10-14	Birth Anniversary Of Music Diretor "Shankar (Shankar Jaikishan)" Listen His Composition	From 8.00 Hrs To 11.00 Hrs
25-10-14	Death Anniversary of Lyricist "Sahir Ludhiyanvi" Listen His Lyrics	From 8.00.Hrs To 11.00 Hrs
31-10-14	Death Anniversay Of Music Director "Sachin Dev Burman" More@blog	From 8.00 Hrs Onwards

Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar was born on 28 September 1929 and is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over seven decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi and Hindi. She is the elder sister of singers Asha Bhosle, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.

In the 1950s, Mangeshkar sang songs composed by various music directors of the period, including Anil Biswas (in films such as Tarana and Heer), Shankar Jaikishan, Naushad Ali, S. D. Burman, Pandit Husan Lal Bhagat Ram (in films like Bari Behan, Meena Bazaar, Afsana, Aadhi Raat, Ansoo, Chhoti Bhabi, Adal-e-Jehangir) C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury,Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, andUsha Khanna. She made her debut in Tamil playback singing with Vanaradham in 1956 (Uran Khotala dubbed in Tamil) with Tamil song Enthan Kannalan picturised on Nimmi in the dubbed version composed by Naushad.

Mangeshkar sang many raga-based songs for Naushad in movies such as Deedar (1951) , Baiju Bawra (1952), Amar (1954) ,Uran Khatola (1955) and Mother India (1957). Ae Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa, a duet with G. M. Durrani, was her first song for composer, Naushad. The duo, Shankar-Jaikishan, chose Mangeshkar for Barsat, Aah (1953), Shree 420 (1955), and Chori Chori (1956). Before 1957, composer S. D. Burman chose Mangeshkar as the leading female singer for his musical scores inSazaa (1951), House No. 44 (1955), and Devdas (1955). However a rift developed between Lata and Burman in 1957, and Lata did not sing Burman's compositions again until 1962.

Mangeshkar won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for Salil Chowdhury's composition “Aaja Re Pardesi,” fromMadhumati (1958). In the early fifties, Lata Mangeshkar's association with C. Ramchandra produced songs in movies such as Albela (1951), Shin Shinkai Bublaa Boo (1952) , Anarkali (1953) , Pehli Jhhalak (1954) , Azad (1955) , Asha (1957) and Amardeep (1958). For Madan Mohan, she performed for films like Baagi (1953) Railway Platform (1955) , Pocketmar (1956),Dekh Kabira Roya (1957), Adalat (1958), Jailor (1958), Mohar (1959) and Chacha Zindabad (1959).

1960s

Mangeshkar's song "Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya" from Mughal-e-Azam (1960), composed by Naushad and picturized on Madhubala, still remains famous . The Hawaiian-themed number "Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh" from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) was composed by Shankar Jaikishan and picturized on Meena Kumari.

In 1961, Mangeshkar recorded two popular bhajans, "Allah Tero Naam" and "Prabhu Tero Naam", for Burman's assistant, Jaidev. In 1962, she was awarded her second Filmfare Award for the song "Kahin Deep Jale Kahin Dil" from Bees Saal Baad, composed by Hemant Kumar.

On 27 January 1963, against the backdrop of the Sino-Indian War, Mangeshkar sang the patriotic song "Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo" (literally, "Oh, People of My Country") in the presence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India. The song, composed by C. Ramchandra and written by Kavi Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears.

In 1963, Mangeshkar returned to collaboration with S. D. Burman. She also sang for R. D. Burman's very first film Chhote Nawaab and later for his films such as Bhoot Bangla (1965), Pati Patni (1966), Baharon ke Sapne (1967) and Abhilasha (1969). She also recorded several popular songs for S. D. Burman, including "Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai", "Gata Rahe Mera Dil" (duet with Kishore Kumar) and "Piya Tose" from Guide (1965), and "Hothon Pe Aisi Baat" from Jewel Thief (1967).

During the 1960s, Lata Mangeshkar continued her association with Madan Mohan which included the songs "Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha" from Anpadh (1962), "Lag Ja Gale" and "Naina Barse Rim Jhim" from Woh Kaun Thi? (1964), "Woh Chup Rahen To" from Jahan Ara (1964), "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from Mera Saaya (1966) and "Teri Aankho Ke Siva" from Chirag (1969).

The 1960s also witnessed the beginning of Mangeshkar's association with Laxmikant-Pyarelal, the music directors for whom she sang the most popular songs in her career. Starting in 1963, Laxmikant-Pyarelal association with Lata Mangeshkar grew stronger over the years. Lata Mangeshkar sang over 700 songs for the composer duo over a period of 35 long years, most of which became huge hits. She sang for Parasmani (1963), Mr. X in Bombay (1964), Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), Milan(1967), Anita (1967) Shagird (1968), Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968), Intaquam (1969), Do Raaste (1969) and Jeene Ki Raah for which she got her 3rd Filmfare Award.

She also sang several playback songs for Marathi films, composed by Marathi music directors including Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Vasant Prabhu, Srinivas Khale,Sudhir Phadke and herself (under the name Anandghan). During the 1960s and 1970s, she also sang several Bengali songs, composed by music directors like Salil Chowdhury and Hemant Kumar. She also made her Kannada debut in 1967 for the film Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna by recording two songs for the music director Lakshman Berlekar. The song "Bellane Belagayithu" was received well and appreciated.

In this period Lata Mangeshkar has recorded duets with Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mahendra Kapoor, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar. For a brief period during the 1960s, she was not on good terms with Mohammed Rafi over the issue of royalty payments to singers. Mangeshkar wanted Rafi to back her in demanding a half-share from the five percent song royalty that the film's producer conceded to select composers. But Rafi took a diametrically opposite view, and believed that a playback singer's claim on the filmmaker ended with the payment of the agreed fee for the song. This led to tensions between the two. After an argument during the recording of the song Tasveer Teri Dil Mein (Maya, 1961), the two refused to sing with each other. The music director Jaikishan later negotiated a reconciliation between the two.

1970s

In 1972, Meena Kumari's last film, Pakeezah, was released. It featured popular songs including "Chalte Chalte" and "Inhi Logon Ne" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, and composed by Ghulam Mohammed. She recorded many popular songs for S. D. Burman's last films, including "Rangeela Re" from Prem Pujari (1970), "Khilte Hain Gul Yahaan" from Sharmeelee (1971), and "Piya Bina" from Abhimaan (1973). She recorded many popular songs for Madan Mohan's last films, including Dastak (1970),Heer Raanjha (1970), Dil Ki Rahen (1973), Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973), Hanste Zakhm (1973), Mausam (1975) and Laila Majnu (1976).

Lata Mangeshkar's most notable songs in the 1970s were composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Laxmi-Pyare) and Rahul Dev Burman. She recorded several songs composed by Laxmi-Pyare in the 1960s and 1970s, many of them written by the lyricist Anand Bakshi. She also recorded many hit songs with Rahul Dev Burman in the films Amar Prem (1972), Caravan (1971), Kati Patang (1971), and Aandhi (1975). The two are noted for their songs with the lyricists Majrooh Sultanpuri, Anand Bakshiand Gulzar.

In 1973, she won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Beeti Na Bitai" from the film Parichay, composed by R. D. Burman, and written by Gulzar. In 1974, she sang her only Malayalam song "Kadali Chenkadali" for the film Nellu, composed by Salil Chowdhury, and written by Vayalar Ramavarma. In 1975, she again won the national award, this time for the song "Roothe Roothe Piya" from the film Kora Kagaz, composed by Kalyanji Anandji.

From the 1970s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar has also staged many concerts in India and abroad, including several charity concerts. Her first concert overseas was at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1974. She also released an album of Mirabai's bhajans, Chala Vaahi Des, composed by her brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar. Some of the bhajans in the album include "Saanware Rang Raachi" and "Ud Jaa Re Kaaga". In the early 1970s, she released other non-film albums, such as her collection of Ghalib ghazals, an album of Marathi folk songs (koli-geete), an album of Ganesh aartis (all composed by her brother Hridaynath) and an album ofabhangs of Sant Tukaram composed by Shrinivas Khale.

In 1978, Raj Kapoor direct Satyam Shivam Sundaram Lata Mangeshkar lends her voice to the main theme song "Satyam Shivam Sundaram", which was among the chart-toppers of the year. The story of was inspired by Lata Mangeshkar reveals Raj Kapoor's daughter Ritu Nanda in her latest book.

I visualised the story of a man falling for a woman with an ordinary countenance but a golden voice and wanted to cast Lata Mangeshkar in the role. The book quotes Raj Kapoor as saying.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she worked with the children of composers she had earlier worked with. Some of these composers included Rahul Dev Burman (son of Sachin Dev Burman), Rajesh Roshan (son of Roshan), Anu Malik (son of Sardar Malik), and Anand-Milind (sons of Chitragupt). She also sang many songs in Assamese language and had a very good relationship with Dada Saheb Phalke award winner singing legend Late Bhupen Hazarika. She sang many songs under his guidance and in Rudaali the song "Dil hoom hoom kare" made a highestrecord of sales that year.

1980s onwards

From the 1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar worked with music directors including Shiv-Hari in Silsila (1981), Faasle (1985), Vijay (1988) and Chandni (1989). Ram Laxman in Ustadi Ustad Se (1981), Bezubaan (1982), Woh Jo Hasina (1983), Ye Kesa Farz (1985) and Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) which was a musical hit.^[18] In 1988, Mangeshkar made a come back to Tamil films with two back to back renditions "Aaraaro Aaraaro" and "Valai Osai" for composer Ilayaraja's compositions for the filmsAanand and Sathya respectively.

In June 1985, the United Way of Greater Toronto invited the Lata Mangeshkar to perform at Maple Leaf Gardens. She filled 12,000 seats, raising $150,000 for the charity.

During the 1990s, she recorded with music directors including Anand-Milind, Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin Lalit, Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen, Uttam Singh, Anu Malik, Aadesh Shrivastava and A. R. Rahman. She recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh. She has also sung with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Udit Narayan, Hariharan, Kumar Sanu, Suresh Wadkar, Mohammed Aziz, Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Roop Kumar Rathod, Vinod Rathod, Gurdas Maan and Sonu Nigam.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies which produced the Gulzar-directed movie Lekin.... She won her third National Film Awardfor Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Yaara Sili Sili" from the film, which was composed by her brother Hridaynath.

Mangeshkar has sung for almost all the Yash Chopra films and films from his production house Yash Raj Films at that time, including Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991),Darr (1993), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and later on Mohabbatein (2000), Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) and Veer-Zaara (2004).

During 1990, Mangeshkar records with Ram Laxman in Patthar Ke Phool (1991), 100 Days (1991), Mehboob Mere Mehboob (1992), Saatwan Aasman (1992), I Love You (1992 film) (1992), Dil Ki Baazi (1993), Antim Nyay (1993), The Melody of Love (1993), The Law (1994), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Megha (1996), Lav Kush(1997), Manchala (1999), and Dulhan Banoo Main Teri (1999).

A. R. Rahman recorded a few songs with Mangeshkar during this period, including "Jiya Jale" (Dil Se..), "Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagin" (One 2 Ka 4), "Ek Tu Hi Bharosa" (Pukar), "Pyaara Sa Gaon" (Zubeidaa),"So Gaye Hain" (Zubeidaa) "Lukka chuppi" (Rang De Basanti) and "O Paalanhaare" (Lagaan). She made an appearance in the film Pukar singing this song.

In 1994, Lata Mangeshkar released Shraddanjali-My Tribute To The Immortals. The special feature of the album is that Lata offer her tributes to immortal singers of the time by rendering a few of their songs in her own voice. There are songs of K.L. Saigal, Rafi, Hemant Kumar, Mukesh, Punkaj Mallick and Kishore Kumar, Geeta dutt,Zohrabai, Amirbai, Parul Ghosh and Kanan Devi.

Mangeshkar sang both, Rahul Dev Burman's first and last song. In 1994, she sang last song Kuch Na Kaho for Rahul Dev Burman in 1942: A Love Story.

In 1999, Lata Eau de Parfum, a perfume brand named after her, was launched.

In 1999, Mangeshkar was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha. However, she did not attend the Rajya Sabha sessions regularly, inviting criticism from several members of the House, including the Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah, Pranab Mukherjee and Shabana Azmi. She stated the reason for her absence as ill-health; it was also reported that she had not taken a salary, allowance or a house in Delhi for being a Member of Parliament.

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital inPune, managed by the Lata Mangeshkar Medical Foundation (founded by the Mangeshkar family in October 1989). In 2005, she designed a jewellery collection called Swaranjali, which was crafted by Adora, an Indian diamond export company. Five pieces from the collection raised £105,000 at a Christie's auction, and a part of the money was donated for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake relief.Also in 2001, she recorded her first Hindi song with the composer Ilaiyaraaja, for the film Lajja; she had earlier recorded Tamil and Telugu songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Lata Mangeshkar's song "Wada Na Tod" is in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and on the film's soundtrack.

On 21 June 2007, she released an album Saadgi, featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.On 12 April 2011, she released another album Sarhadein: Music Beyond Boundaries the album has a rare duet Tera Milna Bara Acha Lage by Lata Mangeshkar and Mehdi Hasan (written by Pakistan's Farhat Shahzad). The album features Usha Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Rekha Bhardwaj and another Pakistani singer, Ghulam Ali.

After 14 years, Lata Mangeshkar recorded a song for composer Nadeem-Shravan Kese Piya Sai Mein Kaho for Bewafaa (2005).After Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahan Par for Page 3 (2005) and Daata Sun Le for Jail (2009), Shamir Tandon once again recorded a song with Lata Mangeshkar Tere Hasne Sai Mujheko for the filmSatrangee Parachute (2011). After a gap Lata Mangeshkar is back in playback singing and recorded a song Jeena kya hai, jaana maine for the sequel of Kapil Sharma's queer love story Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun at her own studio.

On 28 November 2012, Lata Mangeshkar launched her own music label LM Music with an album of bhajans. She sang along with younger sister Usha on the album.

 List of awards received by Lata Mangeshkar

Lata Mangeshkar has won several awards and honors, including Bharat Ratna (India's Highest Civilian Award), Padma Bhushan(1969), Padma Vibhushan (1999), Dada Saheb Phalke Award (1989), Maharashtra Bhushan Award (1997),NTR National Award (1999), Bharat Ratna (2001), ANR National Award (2009), three National Film Awards, and 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. She has also won four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards. In 1969, she made the unusual gesture of giving up the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award, in order to promote fresh talent. She was later awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.

In 1984, the State Government of Madhya Pradesh instituted the Lata Mangeshkar Award in honour of Lata Mangeshkar. The State Government of Maharashtra also instituted a Lata Mangeshkar Award in 1992.

In 1974, The Guinness Book of Records listed Lata Mangeshkar as the most recorded artist in the history, stating that she had reportedly recorded "not less than 25,000 solo, duet and chorus backed songs in 20 Indian languages" between 1948 and 1974. Her record was contested by Mohammed Rafi, who was claimed to have sung around 28,000 songs.After Rafi's death, in its 1984 edition, the Guinness Book of World Records stated Lata Mangeshkar's name for the "Most Recordings", but also stated Rafi's claim. The later editions of Guinness Book stated that Lata Mangeshkar had sung no fewer than 30,000 songs between 1948 and 1987.

Although the entry has not been printed in Guinness editions since 1991, several sources claim that she has recorded thousands of songs, with estimates ranging up to figures as large as 50,000.However, even the earliest Guinness claim of 25,000 songs (between 1948–1974) was claimed to be exaggerated by several other sources, with one of them stating that the number of songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar in Hindi films till 1991 was found to be 5250. Mangeshkar herself stated that she does not keep a record of the number of songs recorded by her, and that she did not know from where Guinness Book editors got their information. In 2011 Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged byGuinness as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing Mangeshkar.