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Sanjeev Kumar Birth Anniversary: Sharmila Tagore Remembers One Of Her Favourite Co-Stars !
Sanjeev Kumar , If the great most effortless Hindi actor , had lived longer he would have been 83 on July 9.
“Sadly we lost him so young. Haribhai, that’s what we called Sanjeev Kumar, left us when he was only 47. A heart condition that was genetical—his brothers too died young—could have been controlled if not cured had he lived longer . In those days the medical options were limited. It is sad we lost him to a heart attack. He wasn’t a heavy smoker. And I don’t think drinking damages the heart to that extent,” wonders Shamila Tagore who has done a slew of films with Sanjeev Kumar.
“Some of the film I did with him were not good. Others like Gulzar’s Mausam and Namkeen and Basu Bhattacharya’s Grihapravesh were wonderful. I remember Basuda(Bhattacharya) and I had gone to visit Haribhai in hospital . He was cheerful and chatty. Basuda and I decided not to tell him that one of our key sequences in Grihapravesh had been damaged in the lab.We didn’t want to distress him,” she recalls .
“I think Haribhai was very fond of me, and very protective. When we were shooting outdoors we’d all be in his hotel room after shooting. After two drinks he would tell me to leave his room as he wanted to relax alone. I’d dutifully march out,” recalls Sharmilaji with a laugh.
Among the films Sanjeev and she did together Sharmila singles out Namkeen. “How beautifully he held his ground with all of us actresses Waheedaji, Shabana, Kiran Vairale and I. It didn’t matter to him if he was not the focus of attention in a film. Haribhai was an absolute natural. Look how well he executed his parts in Namkeen, Mausam and Aandhi where the actresses had the more prominent roles.”
During Namkeen Sharmilaji got to spend a lot of time with Haribhai. “We were shooting at Film City(Mumbai) and there were no guests on the set. During the breaks Haribhai and I had long conversations. Was he lonely? I don’t think so. He had lots of family and he doted on his mother. He definitely wanted to get married. But he wanted to marry a girl who would look after his home and treat his mother like her own mother. Most of the girls Haribhai met were career-oriented actresses. It is sad that he died so young before he could find the right life partner.”
Sharmilaji has only fond memories of Sanjeev Kumar. “In the 1970s we shot a lot of films together. I remember we were shooting for Faraar and Mausam simultaneously. We would be together for the one film in the morning shift , and then again in the afternoon for the other film.True, he came in late for shooting. For the morning shift he would walk in at noon.And we could shoot for only an hour until lunch break. But these were minor issues when compared to how much of himself he gave to the camera. I loved the way he shot some of his songs.
Bahon mein chale aao in Anamika with Jaya(Bhaduri) is my favourite. I go to watch it all the time. The way Haribhai shushes Jaya while she sings creates an aura of such subdued romance.He had so much more to give. He shouldn’t have gone so early”
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Jamuna Had A Love-Hate Relationship With Bollywood

Veteran Telugu actress Jamuna who passed away on Friday, shared an uneasy relationship with the Hindi film industry.She did eleven Hindi films including the iconic Milan in 1967 where Jamuna agreed to play the second lead, or the supporting role if you will, to Nutan.
Jamuna as Gauri was the Other Woman who craved for the hero Sunil Dutt’s attention whereas he had eyes and devotion only for Nutan. In later years Aruna Irani played a similar role in Caravan.
In Milan Jamuna was not keen to do a supporting role. Producer L V Prasad tempted her with three chartbusting songs. Besides, Jamuna had played the same role in Mooga Manasulu, the Telugu original of Milan. But it was the songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal which convinced Jamuna to take up the second lead in Milan.
While Nutan had no solo songs in Milan, she did have the chartbuster duet Sawan ka mahina . Jamuna on the other hand, had two splendid Lata Mangeshkar solos: Tohey saawariya naahin khabariya and the magnificent Ghazal Aaj dil pe koi zor chalta nahin.Not only these, Jamuna also had a hit duet with Mukesh based on her character Gauri: Bol Gauri bol tera kaun piya.
But then, fate intervened. After the film released one of Jamuna’s solos, the poignant and memorable Aaj dil pe koi zor chalta nahin was snipped out of the film.
Here is what happened: the Ghazal , one of Lataji’s all-time greats, was very much a part of Milan when it released on 17 March 1967. But then it was seen to hamper the flow of the film and edited out. The beautiful song occurred right after intermission. Producer Prasad, a shrewd filmmaker, got to know that audiences prolonged their loo breaks as there was a song after the break. Hence the sacrifice of a seriously sonorous melody.
Jamuna hardly did Hindi films after Milan. Her last Bollywood appearance was in Raj Kumar Kohli’s Raj Tilak where she was lost in a multistarrer as the royal queen.
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Karan Johar Moves Alia Song From Switzerland To Kashmir

The romantic duet in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani which was to be shot in Switzerland and which was delayed due to the film’s leading lady Alia Bhatt’s motherhood, is now being relocated to Kashmir.
Purely out of the love for new mom Alia.
Says a source in the know, “Karan loves Alia like his own daughter. He would do anything for her. He postponed the release of Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani as the love duet could not be shot before Alia’s maternity leave. Karan had decided to shoot the song in Switzerland after Alia’s maternity love. But now he has relocated the song to Kashmir as Alia doesn’t want to leave her baby girl behind for long stretches.”
And as Karan Johar argued, snow is snow. How does it matter whether it is Switzerland or Kashmir?
This song would be Karan Johar’s tribute to his idol Yash Chopra. Alia would be dressed in chiffon sarees while Ranveer, for a change, would be seen in formals.
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Bobby Deol’s Switchover To Villainous Roles

After Prakash Jha’s webseries Ashram where Bobby played a sleazy godman, and Love Hostel where he was a ruthless assassin, he is playing the villain to Ranbir Kapoor in Sandeep Vanga’s Animal.
Bobby says it is not conscious career decision to play negative characters but a conscious decision to play interesting characters. “ I don’t look at characters as positive or negative.When I watch films there is always one character that stays with you. I want to play that character.”
Prakash Jha’s Ashram proved a gamechanger for Bobby. He admits finding challenging roles is tough. “I am trying. I am doing Sandeep Vanga’s Animal with Ranbir Kapoor , Parineeti Chopra. Then I am doing the family film Apne 2 which I am very excited about.”
In an earlier interview with this writer Bobby spoke about his long absence from screen before Prakash Jha’s Ashram. “My fans would ask why I wasn’t being seen on the screen.And I couldn’t tell them it was because I wasn’t getting good roles. But my fans stood by me. They gave me the strength to keep looking for the right roles. Thankfully I found the roles I liked. My new films have given me some new fans. I am thankful I am still here. Yeah , I am in a good space right now.”
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Pathaan Collects 55 crore nett in India On Day 1

YRF’s Pathaan has apparently wiped out all previous records as it collected 55 crore nett in India and recorded the biggest ever Day 1 for a Hindi film. The total collections of Pathaan on Day One is 57 crore nett (Hindi – 55 crore and dubbed versions 2 crore).
It is the widest Hindi release of all time in India and also the highest grossing 1st Day for a Hindi film.It is also the highest grosser on the first first for a non-holiday release. Pathhan is also the highest opener for Shah Rukh Khan.
Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, says, “It is a historic day for Indian cinema and we are humbled to see the love and appreciation that is flowing for Pathaan globally. For Pathaan to shatter records in this fashion on a non holiday, just proves that the theatrical business is here to stay, provided we make films that entice people to come to the cinemas to witness a never seen before experience that entertains them thoroughly.“
He adds, “We, at YRF, are thrilled with the start that the film has got across India and we are hopeful that Pathaan brings joy to cine-goers globally in the days to come! Pathaan is the fourth film of our YRF Spy Universe and we are thrilled that we have been able to elevate the cinematic experience of audiences with each film from this franchise. We humbly share this moment with all the stake-holders of the film who have given their blood, sweat and tears to give people a movie-going experience like never before.”
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