

Unknown Facts
10 Twisted Guru Shishya Films
When we think of teachers and pupils we always think of idealized mentor-pupil relationships as seen in films like To Sir With Love and Taare Zameen Par. But relationships between the teacher and the taught can be often be tense and taut. Here are some Bollywood films that dared to deconstructed the sacrosanctguru-shishya relationship and got away with it.Nearly.
1. Boman Irani-Sanjay Dutt In Munnabhai: With a student who was way beyond 40 and a principal who was hellbent on disgracing the ‘special’ student fireworks are inevitable. Here is a guru-chela equation that made us long to get back to school just to have some fun .
2. Mehmood-Saira Banu in Padosan: He was her South Indian music teacher and clearly lusting after her. And she was one helluva chatur naar. Saira Banu took all the salivating attention from her ‘Madrasi’ Gurujiwith a stab at looking like a babe in the woods.
3. Amitabh Bachchan-Rani Mukherjee in Black: She was blind and deaf. He was a certifiable alcoholic going on to becoming an Alzeihmer’s victim. As her driven teacher the Big B teaches his specially abledstudent in Black everything from talking to kissing.A strange intense and unorthodox teacher-student film where the traditional equation was subverted and of control .
4. Simi Garewal-Rishi Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker: He is 12 and just awakening to sexy thoughts. She is his stylish sexy English teacher. Rishi’s Raju’s imagination ran riot when Madame got wet during a picnic. Thighs thighs, baby.
5. Amitabh Bachchan-Sheetal in Bemisaal: Bespectacled and respectable Teacherji Amitabh Bachchanbecomes a victim of his horny student’s lust plans. Ends up in a mental institution. We told you. Girls wanting extra-classes in short dresses should be told to zip it up.
6. Sushmita Sen-Shah Rukh Khan in Main Hoon Na: In Farah Khan’s demented world physics teachers in clingy chiffon sarees can teach besotted students a thing or two about chemistry. Lust tango in Paris.
7. Vikram Gokhale-Salman Khan in Hum…Dil De Chuke Sanam: The solemn no-nonsense Gokhale played a parampara-possessed Hindustani sangeetkar. Salman was his student from Italy. Audacious dynamics of culturally displaced mentoring.Albela Salman aayo re.
8. Cory Hibbs-Sridevi in English Vinglish: An American gay teacher and a middleaged housewife in America desirous of learning angrezi from the yank. The guru-shishya relationship can’t get any more unorthodox.And warmer.
9. Prabhudheva-Varun Dhawan in ABCD2: Sozzled and washed out teacher, and an out-of-luck reality dance-show contestant who wants to make it big. What a pair. Enough malevolence between the two to put dancing classes out of business.
10. Nawazuddin –Shweta Tripathi in Haraamkhor: Based on a sex scandal that rocked a small town, this is the story of a teacher who seduces his student. Gurudev ki jai ho!
Unknown Facts
10 Unsung Performances By Amitabh Bachchan!

75 years is a long time. Amitabh Bachchan has spent a good 40 of those 75 years giving performances to cherish .So consistently outstanding is his output that we forget his earlier performances. Some of the work he did before Zanjeer and overnight superstardom was absolutely stunning, but largely unrecognized. Here’s looking at the 10 performances that deserve to be dug out of anonymity.
1. Saat Hindustani(1969): In his very first film AB plyed Anwar, a poet from Bihar who gets together with 6 other nationalists to liberate Goa from the Portuguese. The legendary intensity and the rugged rigour of emotions that won’t be polished or pushed aside, were evident in every frame where AB stood tall.K A Abbas who directed AB in this underrated film picked this actor to play one of the 7 protagonists because he saw a certain fire in the Bachchan personality. Yeah yeah, we know.
2. Bandhe Haath(1973): a thief and a poet, Amitabh Bachchan then struggling for footspace in the speeding train of stardom was remarkably signed up by the mighty O P Ralhan for a double role. Mumtaz the top heroine of those days sportingly agreed to co-star with this “lanky brooding young man who spoke every line like poetry.” She had all the songs. He had all the intensity.
3. Ek Nazar(1972): Again a poet! This is the third pre–Zanjeer film where AB plays a poet who falls in love with the the tawaif played by Jaya Bhaduri. This is the second time that the two of them came together. Just before this film AB and JB were seen together in the awful Bansi Birju.There is a certain fire burning between them even at this early stage . Laxmikant Pyarelal’s immortal songs like Patta patta boota botta, Pehle sat baar and Hum hi Karenkoi soorat went a long way in igniting the AB-JB chemistry.
4. Raaste Ka Pathar(1972): Loosely adapted from Billy Wilder’s The Apartment ,this is an oddity of a film. Uneven yet striking for the tense chemistry between AB and Shatrughan Sinha. SS plays AB’s boss, a married man in an affair with hapless working girl (Neeta Khayani) whom AB secretly loves. Later the same story became Yes Boss.Small world.
5. Pyar Ki Kahaani(1972): Directed by Ravikant Nagaich who made mostly espionage thrillers, this remake of hit Tamil film was a resounding flop. But if we go back to it we see how skillfully controlled AB was in playing the workingclass hero who rescues a friend(Anil Dhawan) from suicide and falls in love with a woman with a dubious past. This is the only film where AB and Tanuja came together as Man and Woman. They were quite a couple together.
6. Parwana(1972): Absolutely the best performance by AB from his pre–Zanjeer days and still among his most unsung triumphs, AB plays a desperately in-love man who would go to any lengths , even murder, to get the girl he loves (Yogeeta Bali). But she prefers Navin Nishchol. There is no telling about tastes. Go back to this film to watch the sequences where AB plots the murder of his love’s father Om Prakash. Chilling!
7. Sanjog(1972): It’s not easy playing weak characters with such conviction. In this early film AB starred as an indecisive man who dumps his wife MalaSinha and remarried without telling the second wife(Aruna Irani) about the first. The film has Mala Sinha in the author-backed role. But AB is dazzling in the scenes where he has to stand meekly as a lowly clerk in an office run by his abandoned wife.Gender equation deliciously tilted away from the man.
8. Reshma Aur Shera(1969): In a brief role as Sunil Dutt’s speech-impaired brother Chotu AB conveys so much of the anguish about the bloody feud that governs the lives of the two warring families who form the central core of the film.Solid presence even in a semi-cameo, AB proved it with this one.
9. Gehri Chaal(1973): Jeetendra played the hero to Hema Malini in this film while AB was cast as her brother trying to protect the family name from a dark secret. This film came just before the release of Zanjeer and there are clear indications that the Angry Young Man was about to emerge from the shadows .
10. Saudagar(1972): Fearless and unfettered by the demands of superstardom AB played a gur-seller who marries a widowed gur-maker(Nutan) for monetary benefits. The low moral values of AB’s character did not diminish the impact of his towering performance. Though the focus was on the timeless Nutan AB held his own with a powerful performance that left us hungering for more.
Unknown Facts
Rishi Kapoor’s Top 10 Films!

Rishi Kapoor has given us loads of very enjoyable musical romances to watch in leisure for forever ,and a day.
Here’s looking at Rishi Kapoor’s 10 Best Films.
- Mera Naam Joker(1969)—This is where Rishi Kapoor’s astounding journey as a star-actor began. Playing an adolescent who has a serious crush on his school-teacher Simi Garewal Ri
shi, at 14, won his first National award. Looking at his performance , under father Raj Kapoor’s direction,even today you feel he got the confusions of sexual awakening in his character dead right. - Bobby(1973)—From here onwards Rishi’s struggle to make his presence felt in heroine-oriented film began.Whether it was Bobby orBarood , the directors focused on the heroine while Rishi made his presence felt as best as he could. While Dimple Kapdia played the author-backed role Rishi was amazing in his confidence level while portraying the rich introverted neglected child of irresponsible parents..
- Rafoo Chakkar(1975)—Delightful
in drag Rishi simply stole the show with Paintal playing his farcical foil. And yes, wife Neetu Singh was around too.Narendra Bedi directed this enjoyable desi version of Some Like It Hot. Amazingly decades later Paintal son Hiten Painta lplayed Rishi’s son Ranbir’s pal in Bachna Ae Haseenon.But the chemistry was not the same. - Laila Majnu(1976)—One of Rishi’s greatest performances. As the legendary lover he absolutely lived the pain agony and suffering of the character in the sand dunes of Rajasthan . H S Rawail directed this film. Madan Mohan songs like Barbaad-e-mohabbat ki dua
saath liyejaa were put across by Rishi with intense passion. Simply breathtaking. - Amar Akbar Anthony(1977): Playing Akbar in the film where Amitabh Bachchan’s Anthony clearly had an edge, Rishi’s Qawwallis Pardahai par
da and Taiyyab ali pyar ka dus hman stole the show. No matter how brief his role Rishi always has fun with it. - Sargam(1979)—Armed with a dafli and oozing a rustic charm as a love-smitten villager who wants nothing but to see the object of his adoration(Jaya Prada) happy, Rishi re-defined the do-gooder hero’s space in Hindi cinema by making the character believable and vulnerable. Another very accomplished performance.
- Karz (1980)—The ultimate rockstar act in the fulsome musical by Subhash Ghai…No one could take to the dancefloor the way RishiKapoor did.Not even his very talented son. In this film on the theme of reincarnation Rishi took sweet revenge on his schoolteacher from Mera Naam Joker Simi Gare
wal . - Prem Rog (1982)—Another heroine-centric film where director Raj Kapoor focused entirely on young widow Padmini Kohapure’s plight. And yet as her silent supporter and sympathizer Rishi excelled far beyond the script. Watch his expressions during the song Yeh pyarttha ya kuch aur
ttha during Padmini’s marriage. You’d know why many consider Rishi the best actor of the Kapoor clan. - Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986)—One of Rishi’s most underrated performances, here he was cast as Triloka a rustic Punjabi youngster forced to marry his Bhabhi Hema Malini who is 10 years his senior.Adapted from litterateur Rajinder Singh Bedi’s short story this bold film was memorable for giving Rishi a chance to explore something beyond his usual rom-com space.Sukhwant Dhadda
directed.Wonder what happened to him! - Khoj (1989)—At a time when he played lover-boy roles Rishi took a grand risk with this role of a man who murders his own wife. Butshhhh! We don’t know that until the end. And as we all know, ‘The End’ is a long way off from Rishi Kapoor’s exceptional career.
Unknown Facts
Priyanka Chopra : The Girl Who Made It To The Top On Her Own

Priyanka Chopra: The Girl Who Made It To The Top On Her Own
Priyanka Chopra, her beginning was not so humble. From up there where she is perched, life looks like a bed of roses for Mrs Priyanka Jonas. But the climb to the top hasn’t been easy.
The roses unfortunately came with the pricks. From facing the wrath of powerful superstars to combating favouritism to making a name in a hostile imperialistic world…Priyanka fought it all and emerged a winner.
Her beginnings were not so humble. Priyanka Chopra opened her innings as an actor with a Sunny Deol and an Akshay Kumar starrer The Hero and Andaaz, respectively. I remember in Andaaz Priyanka was made to do all the hot stuff(strip, smooch, slither, seduce) while her co-star Lara Dutt was seen as the true heroine of the film(demure, docile, coy).
Followed a slew of hits with Akshay Kumar including Aetraaz(where Priyanka Chopra vamped it up as a lady boss who all but rapes her employee) and Mujhse Shaadi Karoge.And suddenly she was out of Akshay Kumar’s range of vision reportedly due to spousal pressure. Salman Khan with whom she worked in several films during the first decade of the new millennium unofficially banned her from his films after she refused to do one of his family films. Another major superstar Shah RukhKhan with whom she was on eminently cordial terms was also unable to work with her. It was rumoured that Priyanka Chopra was eased out of several project with Shah Rukh.
Fighting the nepotism sexism and star-wives’ wrath, that rules the industry Priyanka bagged the lead in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion where she played the hero. The film was a big hit and fetched her the National award for best actress. It was time to move forward…But where were the leading men?It was at this point that Priyanka took the plunge westwards which no other leading lady from Hollywood had ever taken .
Today Bhandarkar is rightfully proud of Priyanka, as he says, “It gives me immense pleasure to see her achievements. She is in a happy space personally and professionally. Priyanka has achieved all this by sheer hard work. She is not afraid of taking challenges and test unknown territories. During Fashion too she was absolutely committed towards her craft and I am happy that the film proved to be a great project and a turning point in her career which also got her first National Award.”
Priyanka Chopra hired herself an agent in Los Angeles and began building her career from scratch.
“Prashasniya(admirable) baat hai. She has achieved the kind of worldwide success which no other Indian actor has. And she did it all on her own.I don’t know how she found her way from Bollywood to the American film industry. But she did. She is now a known name all over the world.We are all proud of her,” says Shatrughan Sinha.
Celina Jaitley has the fondest memories of her association with Priyanka Chopra, “I have wonderful memories of all the time spent when she was mentoring me for Ms Universe.We also did Shahrukh’s “ Heat” concert world tour shows in 6 countries. I can say with full confidence she has always been an amazing person, consistent, disciplined and we had some great laughs together. Being from an army background there has always been a special bond whenever we worked together, I am so happy that she found her soulmate and has set a great platform across borders for all Indian women single handedly.”
Adds Dia Mirza, “Priyanka Chopra has always had big ambition and the willingness to put in whatever it takes to achieve these aspirations. She has worked relentlessly to get where she has and I am sure she will continue to grow as artist and humanitarian. I’m happy she has found love and this marriage promises to be the beginning of many new beginnings in her life. Onwards and upwards Peecee!”
Swara Bhaskara feels Priyanka Chopra is an inspiration to generations of Indian actors. “I think Priyanka Chopra’s journey shows all young women that there are no rules to success and there needn’t be a template to your life. That girls can live just how they want, do what they want, blaze their own trails. kudos to her.”
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Ranveer Singh Was Destined For Stardom

When I first spoke to Ranveer Singh on the day after his Band Baaja Baaraat released in 2010 he was respectful, attentive , eager to learn.
We spoke at length about the response to the film and his career. And Ranveer Singh said, “Thank God, no one says any more than my debut was financed by my father . That to me is my biggest victory.”
Ranveer Singh was spoilt for choices. “I think after Band Baaja Baraat I need to do completely contrasting character. Someone who is not loud, opinionated and unsophisticated.”
The suffering of waiting was over for this debutant who came in from the outside. Brimming with enthusiasm Ranveer Singh had said to me in 2010, “Not since Akshay Kumar and John Abraham has there been a male lead from outside the industry getting such positive reactions. I just hope my example encourages talent from outside. Because right now the perception is outsiders don’t stand a chance. I had no reference like mine to give me hope when I was going through my struggle period.”
One call from Yashraj Films changed Ranveer Singh’s life. “It was completely out of the blue from the casting director Shanu Sharma. I remember I was out on a date when (casting director) Shanu Sharma kept calling. I avoided her calls for as long as I could because I had other things on my mind at that moment. Imagine if I had not taken the call from Yashraj for a fling that lasted exactly ten days! Anyway the next day I was at Yashraj doing two scenes. I got called back in three days. Later Adi Sir(Chopra) told me he had made up his mind immediately..”
In the same 2010 interview Ranveer Singh said he was pleased he didn’t get a conventional romantic debut. “The story in Band Baaja Baaraat is terrific. And my character Bittu was so much fun for me to play because he’s so far removed from my own world. It was more than I could ever ask for.I was more than happy to be a simple character in a simple story. Not too many newcomers can dream of a break like Band Baaja Baaraat, certainly not someone unconnected with the film industry.”
Catty elements within the industry had spread the rumour that his father, a prosperous business man, had financed the film. Confesses the young polite actor, “Yes, that hurt on several levels. Such ugly rumours took away from my pleasure at being the first solo-hero to be launched by Yashraj. Yeah…it was upsetting . My father and my family’s pride that I had made it on my own got blunted when it was said that they financed my debut film. It was like taking away from my little achievement. I was upset more for my parents than myself. I was also upset for Yashraj. Did they need my father’s money to make a film? The entire film industry knows Yashraj doesn’t need to do all this.It’s absurd. They don’t need anyone’s money to make films. Certainly not my father’s.”
Ranveer maintained he was “very good friends” with co-star Anushka Sharma, though they bickered non-stop like their characters in Band Baaja Baaraat. “She and I are very good friends. How can I change that truth just because it sounds clichéd? We came from two different schools of filmmaking. I’m a trained actor. She never attended any acting school. As a model she had faced the camera before acting and had already done two films before Band Baaja Baaraat. She is a one-take actor. I believe in lots of rehearsals. And that was very annoying for Anushka because her first take was the best. We had to reach a middleground before we could get along. In hindsight I feel I was rehearsing more than necessary because it was my first film.I learnt from her to be spontaneous. But the fact that we had to be at loggerheads on screen was certainly helped by our constant friction in the sets about our approach to acting.”
Thankful for the success, Ranveer in that same interview hoped every newcomer gets a supportive co-star like Anushka As for the rumours about Ranveer and Anushka the then-newcomer said, “I was too much into my work to even think about those rumours. I just wanted to perform well. That was my only concern. In fact I was casually dating a girl when that call from Yashraj changed my life. I’ve never been in a serious relationship so far. And now my career has just started. It feels cool. I had told my father a long time ago that I’d be an actor. My dream has come true. But my family is not used to the gossip and rumours.”
And to think Ranveer thought of changing his name because there was already a Ranbir around. “I am glad I didn’t. This is my name. This is my destiny. I’m just so happy .”He’s signed for three films with Yashraj. “But it is non-exclusive. I was waiting for my first release and so was the industry. Now they know I wasn’t signed because my father paid for my dream. Adi too has plans for me though I don’t know what they are. He loves playing poker with people.”
Ranveer Singh’s superstardom is some day going to be a part of folklore . He came in from the outside and was considered quite a brash loudmouthed exhibitionist. One extremely influential filmmaker called him “Another Vivek Oberoi”.
“I wonder what Aditya Chopra had seen in him?” this eminently successful filmmaker had wondered.
We now know the answer: the same thing that Deepika Padukone saw in Ranveer.
The brashness and bravado hide a personality that triumphs over all cynicism. Ranveer is loud, but not shrill. As in singing, in acting holding your pitch in the higher notes is a Himalayan task. Ranveer resides on the highest notes of the musical mountain and still manages to be coherent fluent and persuasive.
Not an easy task considering the tonal inflexions obtainable to a soprano singer singer are denied to actors in our film industry. But then , Ranveer doesn’t listen to any songs that don’t play in his own head. He is a child of caprice. He will take what he wants without caring about how it makes him look to the outside world.
The operatic maestro Sanjay Leela Bhansali who has done three of his most recent masterpieces with Ranveer in the lead, says he is capable of a lot more. “In all the three films I did with him Ranveer took me by surprise. As an actor he is constantly exploring, looking for new ways to express his innermost fears and insecurities. He is always restless and inquisitive while shooting. It is difficult to keep up with him. Every time we work together he comes up with a new language of expression. I am pretty sure Ranveer has much more to offer as an actor.”
It was on the set of Bhansali’s films that love happened for Ranveer and Deepika Padukone. A love that is yet to be acknowledged in the public domain , only because, well, that’s the way the Lady wants it. And Ranveer , as any of his female co-stars would tell you , is enormously respectful to women .
Anushka Sharma who co-starred with Ranveer in his debut film Band Baja Baraat couldn’t really come to terms with his brashness. But even she had only favourable things to say about Ranveer as a co-star and gentleman who is as capable of pulling up a chair for a lady as he is off pulling it away from her.
The gentleman and the prankster are the one and the same. In spite of his self-confessed atrangi (multi-faced) personality we never need to wonder who the real Ranveer Singh is. He is all of those colourful people he plays on screen, plus many more characters that he will play in the future.
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