Poonam Dhillon
Born	Poonam Dhillon (1956-04-18) April 18, 1956 (age 56) Kanpur, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Ashok Thakeria (1988–1997 Divorced)
Children	Anmol, Paloma
Website
http://www.poonamdhillon.com

Poonam Dhillon is an Indian Hindi film, theatre and TV actress. She is best known for her 1979 film, Noorie, for her six films with Rajesh Khanna Red Rose, Dard, Nishaan, Zamana, Awam (from 1980 to 1987) and Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Samundar, Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986) and Naam (1986).

Career[link]

Dhillon first gained fame when she was crowned Miss Young India ^[1] at the age of 16. Director Yash Chopra noticed her and offered her a role in the film Trishul (1978) where she performed the song "Gapoochi Gapoochi gum gum" with co-star Sachin Pilgaonkar. Chopra then gave her the title role in Noorie (1979), which he produced. For this, Dhillon was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Subsequently she did about 90 films in Hindi, including Sohni Mahiwal, Red Rose, Teri Kasam, Dard, Nishana, Yeh Vada Raha, Samunder, Romance, Kasam, and Sitamgar. She was often paired with Rajesh Khanna^[2] and together, they performed in Dard, Nishaan, Zamana and Awam and the critically acclaimed Red Rose which became a box office failure and potboiler Jai Shiv Shankar.^[3] She takes the pride of featuring in six films opposite Kaka, the phenomenally brilliant actor of the yesteryear: the much glorified Rajesh Khanna.^[4]

She did a cameo in Judai (1996) as a favor to producer Boney Kapoor after Juhi Chawla dropped out. She also appeared in regional films such as Nyay Danda, (Bengali), Yudha Kanda (Kannada) and Ishtam (Telugu). She has done Hindi theatre, The Perfect Husband which won the best comedy play award in 2005 and which recently completed Golden Jubilee run. She is currently acting in the plays The Perfect Wife co-starring Sooraj Thapar and Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi with Asif Sheikh.

Dhillon ventured into the make-up van business, pioneering the concept in the Indian film industry. She runs a successful make-up van company, "VANITY." She was one of the first to start a personal website in 2000. She has been very active with social causes like drug awareness, AIDS awareness, family planning and organ donation. Dhillon was the fourth guest on Bigg Boss (Season 3) aired on Colors TV. She ended up as the second runner-up on the show.

Filmography[link]

• Dil Bole Hadippa! (2009) – Yamini Singh (Vikram's wife)
• 13B (2009) – Manohar's mother
• Ishtam (2001) – Lakshmi
• Judaai (1997) – Nisha (guest appearance)
• Mahaanta (1997) – Shanti (Mrs. Vijay Kapoor)
• Virodhi (1992)
• Jai Shiv Shankar (1992)
• Jhoothi Shaan (1991) – Ganga
• Qurbani Rang Layegi (1991) – Poonam
• Amiri Garibi (1990) – Rani
• Atishbaaz (1990)
• Pathar Ke Insan (1990) – Lata Rai
• Police Public (1990) – Karuna Arun Sharma
• Yuddha Kaanda (1989) – Kannada film
• Batwara(1989) – Rajendra's wife
• Abhimanyu (1989) – Tulsi/Miss California 'Kelly'
• Deshwasi (1989)
• Galiyon Ka Badshah (1989) – Madhu
• Hisaab Khoon Ka (1989)
• Saaya (1989)
• Hum Farishte Nahin (1988) – Sunita
• Kasam (1988)
• Maalamaal (1988) – Poonam Malhotra
• Sone Pe Suhaaga (1988) – Shraddha
• Himmat Aur Mehanat (1987) - Sharda
• Avam (1987)
• Mard Ki Zabaan (1987)
• Avinash (1986)
• Dosti Dushmani (1986)
• Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986) – Raaji
• Karma (film) (1986) – Tulsi
• Khel Mohabbat Ka (1986) – Lily/Shyamoli
• Naam (1986) – Seema Rai
• Palay Khan (1986)
• Samundar (1986) – Anjali
• Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986) – Jyoti
• Bepanaah (1985) – Radha Malhotra
• Geraftaar (1985) – Anuradha Saxena
• Kabhi Ajnabi The (1985)
• Shiva Ka Insaaf (1985) – Nisha
• Sitamgar (1985)
• Tawaif (1985)
• Teri Meherbaniyan (1985) – Bijli
• Zamana (1985)
• Badal (1984) – Meenakshi
• John Jani Janardhan (1984)
• Laila (1984)
• Sohni Mahiwal (1984) – Sohni
• Yaadgaar (1984)
• Nishan (1983)
• Qayamat (1983)
• Romance (1983) – Sonia
• Aapas Ki Baat (1982) – Kajal Srivastava
• Sawaal (1982)
• Teri Kasam (1982) – Dolly
• Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya (1982) – Priya Singh
• Yeh Vaada Raha (1982) – Sunita Sikkan/Sonu
• Baseraa (1981) – Sarita Sethi
• Dard (1981) – Poonam Bhargav
• Main Aur Mera Haathi (1981) – Julie
• Poonam (1981) – Poonam
• Red Rose (1980) – Sharda
• Biwi-O-Biwi (1980) – Asha
• Nishana (1980)
• Kaala Patthar (1979) – Raghunath's daughter
• Noorie (1979) – Noorie Nabi
• Trishul (1978) – Babli/Kusum Gupta

Television[link]

• Andaaz
• Chusth Durusth on Zee TV
• Kittie Party
• "Showbiz India" Celebrity Profile (2005)
• Bigg Boss (Season 3) on Colors TV

References[link]

1. ^ Trivia – Celebrity Snippets – Femina Miss India – Indiatimes. Feminamissindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 2012-02-20.
2. ^ Birthday Special: Rajesh Khanna – 6. Entertainment.in.msn.com (2011-12-29). Retrieved on 2012-02-20.
3. ^ A rose by any name. Economictimes.indiatimes.com (2007-11-17). Retrieved on 2012-02-20.
4. ^ Poonam Dhillon to enchant the silver screen once again. Realbollywood.com (2011-04-20). Retrieved on 2012-02-20.

External links[link]

• Poonam Dhillon at the Internet Movie Database
• Poonam Dhall Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2010)

Anil Kapoor
Anil Kapoor at the San Diego Comic Con in San Diego, California (24 July 2009)
Born	(1959-12-24) 24 December 1959 (age 52)[1] Chembur Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Sunita Kapoor (1984–present)
Children	Sonam Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Harshvardhan
Parents	Surinder Kapoor (father) Nirmal (mother)
Relatives	Boney Kapoor (brother) Sanjay Kapoor (brother)

Anil Kapoor (Hindi: अनिल कपूर; Punjabi: ਅਨਿਲ ਕਪੂਰ; born 24 December 1959)^[1] is an Indian actor, producer and director who has appeared in many Bollywood films and more recently international films.

He won his first Filmfare Award, in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his role in Yash Chopra's Mashaal (1984). Kapoor earned his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in N. Chandra's Tezaab (1988) and later again for his perfornance in Indra Kumar's Beta (1992). He also starred in many other critically and commercially successful films, including Woh Saat Din (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Janbaaz (1986), Karma (1986), Mr. India (1987), Virasat (1997) for which he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor, Biwi No.1 (1999), Taal (1999) for which he won his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Pukar (2000) for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, No Entry (2005), and Welcome (2007).^[2]

Kapoor's first role in an international film was in Danny Boyle's 2008 Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he shared the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. His performance in the eighth season of the action series 24 generated rave reviews from the American press.^[3][4] Globally, Anil Kapoor is one of the most recognised Indian actors.^[5] He has also appeared in the 2011 film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Personal life and education[link]

Anil Kapoor was born to film producer Surinder Kapoor and his wife Nirmal. He attended Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School - Chembur, in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai, and then St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.^[6] Kapoor's elder brother, Boney Kapoor, is a film producer, while younger brother, Sanjay Kapoor, is also an actor.

In 1984, he married Sunita Kapoor (née Bhambhani). He has two daughters and a son, Harshvardhan. Kapoor's elder daughter is actress Sonam Kapoor. Rhea Kapoor attended school in New York and is now a producer in Mumbai. He is a practicing and devout Hindu. He is a distant relative of Raj Kapoor. He grew up in Raj Kapoor's house with former Bollywood actor Rajiv Kapoor.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

As an actor[link]

1980s[link]

Kapoor made his Bollywood debut with Umesh Mehra's Hamare Tumhare (1979) in a supporting role. After a few minor roles in films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Shakti (1982), he got his first leading role in the 1983 Hindi film, Woh Saat Din. Kapoor later tried acting in Tollywood and Sandalwood, and appeared in Bapu (artist)'s Telugu film Vamsa Vriksham and Mani Ratnam's Kannada debut film Pallavi Anu Pallavi released in 1983.

Next, he appeared in Yash Chopra's drama Mashaal (1984) as a tapori, for which he won his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category. His tapori persona and stubble look was considered unconventional at the time, but would later become more fashionable in India many years later.^[7] Kapoor's 1985 releases included Yudh and Saaheb.

Going on to deliver huge commercial success with films like Meri Jung (1985), a career-defining role of an angry young lawyer fighting for justice, which eventually established Kapoor's credential as a mature actor and both audience and critics gave their thumbs up to his performance. Kapoor played a comic tapori in Karma (1986), the biggest hit of the year.^[8] Also in 1986, Kapoor played the role of a care free playboy in the hit Janbaaz, costarring Feroz Khan.^[9][10] Kapoor's other release of 1986 Insaaf Ki Awaaz was a box office hit.^[11] In the same year Basu Chatterjee directed Chameli Ki Shaadi and he displayed his crackling flare in comedy.^[12]

Kapoor generated wide applause from audience of all walks of life for his title role in Shekhar Kapur's sci-fi film Mr. India (1987), the biggest hit of the year.^[13] The film became one of his biggest box office hits and shot him to superstar status.^[14] Anil kapoor was equally impressive in Mahesh Bhatt directed film Thikana.^[15] In 1988, he was rewarded with his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his rivetting performance in the hit film, Tezaab, the biggest blockbuster of 1988.^[16] Anil proved to be the only saving grace even in flops like Ram-Avtar.^[17] The following year he delivered more mega commercial and critical successes with Ram Lakhan (which became the second highest box office earner of 1989)^[18] and the audience went berserk with the song One Two Ka Four. In the highly acclaimed film Parinda, Kapoor played his role with conviction, and his biggest achievement was displaying the vulnerability of his character so perfectly.^[19] In Rakhwala, Kapoor played a tapori again and the film was declared a success.^[14][20] Kapoor excelled in his eccentric portrayal of an autistic person in the 1989 hit, Eeshwar and this film proved his versatility as an actor.^[21]

1990s[link]

The year 1990 saw him play a dual role, as twin brothers in the highly successful Kishen Kanhaiya and in the same year he further attained reasonable box office success with Ghar Ho To Aisa.^[22] Kapoor came up with a critically acclaimed performance in Awaargi. Many critics called that his best performance ever.^[23] This was followed by a restrained yet striking performance as a middle age man in Yash Chopra's romantic drama Lamhe, a landmark film of Indian cinema and Yash Chopra's best work to date. It was the first film in which he appeared without a moustache. Although the film was a box office failure in India, it proved to be a success overseas. Kapoor's 1991 release, Benaam Badshaah was accorded above average status at the ticket window.^[24]

In 1992, Kapoor received his second Filmfare Best Actor Award for his hard-hitting performance in Indra Kumar's Beta — the biggest blockbuster of the year — opposite Madhuri Dixit.^[25] Kapoor was highly impressive with his comic act in Khel and his comic timing was one of the highlights of the film.^[26] In 1993, Boney Kapoor's much delayed mega-budget, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja was a disaster at the box office and damaged Kapoor's reputation as the industry's biggest star at the time. The only major success in these years was Laadla with Sridevi, a film produced by Nitin Manmohan.^[27] Kapoor gave a splendid performance as a simpleton lover in the hit musical 1942: A Love Story. His 1995 release, Trimurti (film) was a box office disaster, though Kapoor's performance was creditable.^[28] Kapoor came up with a decent performance in the average performer Gharwali Bharwali.^[29]

After a few box office failures, he had box office success with films like Loafer (1996),.^[30] In Judaai, Kapoor's depiction of a loving husband twisted between his two wives was appreciated and this film fared well at the box office.^[31] Deewana Mastana (1997), Biwi No.1 (1999) and Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999) were box office hits.^[32] Kapoor’s unusual characterization of a zealous, crooked musical superstar in Taal (1999) shocked both audience and critics alike.^[33] He also won rave reviews for his superb performance in Virasat, a remake of the Tamil film, Thevar Magan (1992), in which Kamal Hassan had played Kapoor's role. He also starred in the unsuccessful Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate, which was legendary filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherji's last commercial release, along with Juhi Chawla. He shaved his moustache once again for the film, in the second half, where he played actor Sajid Khan's wife and his delightful comic timing was a real treat to watch.

2000s[link]

Kapoor's first release of 2000 was Bulandi (2000 film), in which he played a double role, showing restraint and maturity as the elder Thakur.^[34] He won his first National Film Award in the Best Actor category for his role in Rajkumar Santoshi's critically acclaimed Pukar in 2000. Kapoor again tasted critical and commercial success with Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai in 2000.^[35][36] Kapoor stole the show as Rajeev in the much delayed, Karobaar, a film directed by Rakesh Roshan, where Kapoor’s dialogue delivery was appreciated.^[37] He delivered a powerhouse performance in Shanker's Nayak which is considered to be his best performance by many.^{[38][39][40][41]}

In 2002, Kapoor gave an excellent performance in the role of a fat man in Badhaai Ho Badhaai, a takeoff from the Hollywood hit, Nutty Professor.^[42][43] He notched up yet another glorious performance in the Indra Kumar directed film Rishtey.^[44][45] In Om Jai Jagadish, he gave an amazing performance.^[46] Kapoor shared the screen with Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan for the first time in Armaan, and underplayed his character of a neurosurgeon superbly.^[47][48]

In his 2003 release, Calcutta Mail, he delivered one of his best performances. His character was defined with ample scope to perform in this screenplay-driven performance and in spite of the strong supporting cast, this really came out as Kapoor's one-man show.^[49][50] He ignited the silver screen with an authoritative performance in Musafir.^[51][52] Kapoor gave an incredibly restrained performance as the stricken husband in the thriller My Wife's Murder, which he also produced.^{[53][54][55][56]} Anees Bazmee's super-hit comedy No Entry (2005), followed for Kapoor that year. The film went on to become the highest grossing film of the year.^[57] He was also in the film Bewafaa, playing a rich businessman who is forced to marry the sister of his wife after she passes away in childbirth.

Kapoor played a grey character with finesse in the 2005 thriller, Chocolate.^[58][59] Anil's first release of 2007 Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love was a box office hit in overseas though a flop in India.^[60] Anees Bazmee's Welcome, which released on 21 December 2007 and was declared the biggest success of the year.^[61] Kapoor's understated performance in Subhash Ghai's Black and White was highly lauded.^[62][63][64] His first release in 2008, Abbas Mustan's thriller, Race became a box office hit. Vijay Krishna Acharya's, Tashan marked Anil's comeback to Yash Raj Films but failed to do well at the box office.

His most recent films were his first English-language film, Slumdog Millionaire, which was released on 12 November 2008, and Yuvvraaj, which was released on 21 November 2008. Yuvvraaj, with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in the lead roles, failed to do well at the box office. On the other hand, Slumdog Millionaire has won a number of international awards and received rave reviews from critics, costing only US $15 million to produce, but pulling in more than $352 million worldwide. In January 2009, he attended the 66th Golden Globe Awards ceremony along with the team of Slumdog Millionaire, which won four Golden Globe Awards. Kapoor demonstrated his well-known enthusiasm after Slumdog won the Academy Award for Best Picture (one of eight awards). also received a nomination for Best Ensemble at the Black Reel Awards of 2008 and has won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

2010s[link]

In 2010, Kapoor starred in the eighth season of the American television series 24, portraying Omar Hassan, President of the fictional Islamic Republic of Kamistan. In October of that year he was cast to play a villain in both Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (released in December 2011) and Power.^[65] Power was to be directed by Rajkumar Santoshi but was shelved due to unknown reasons. Other projects that he currently has in the pipeline include Cities (a Hollywood project co-starring Clive Owen and Orlando Bloom), Mr. India 2, the sequel to No Entry, Priyadarshan's Tezz with Ajay Devgn, Race 2 and Sanjay Gupta's Shootout at Wadala. He has also signed Khiladi 786, that is scheduled to release during Diwali.^[66]

As producer[link]

In 2002, Kapoor produced his first film, the comedy Badhaai Ho Badhaai, in which he also starred in. It was followed by My Wife's Murder (2005), and Gandhi, My Father (2007). Gandhi, My Father focuses on the relationship between Mahatma Gandhi and his son Harilal Gandhi (2007) and was awarded the National Film Award - Special Jury Award / Special Mention (Feature Film). He produced the movie Shortkut: The con is on starring Akshaye Khanna and Arshad Warsi. In 2010, he produced the movie Aisha, starring his daughter Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol in the lead roles. The film performed moderately at the box office, grossing Rs. 15.50 crore in its theatrical run.^[67] He has acquired the remake rights for the American TV success, 24, reportedly for an amount of INR 100 cr. It took him about 1.5 years to license the rights to create an Indian rendition of the popular TV show.^[68] Kapoor will be stepping in the protagonist's (Jack Bauer) role as well. Kapoor played the role of President Hassan in the 8th season of the original series aired on Fox Network.

As singer[link]

Anil Kapoor has on rare occasions contributed to the soundtracks of his movies, as a singer. One of his first playback songs was the title track of the 1986 Bollywood comedy Chameli Ki Shaadi. The song was comedic in nature and depicted the love story of the titular Chameli and her lover Charandas, played by Kapoor. Chameli was portrayed by Amrita Singh. In the same decade, he was credited on the song "Tere Bina Main Nahin Mere Bina Tu Nahin" for the film Woh Saat Din. He is also credited on the song "I Love You" from Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In 2008, Kapoor provided a rhyme-like-dialogue to introduce his character in Yashraj's Tashan. His theme was titled "Bhaiyaji ka Tashan". Interestingly, his co-stars in the movie also had their introductions incorporated in the soundtrack, which was composed by Vishal-Shekhar. Akshay Kumar 's theme was titled "Bachchan Pandey ka Tashan". Kareena Kapoor 's was "Pooja ka Tashan". Saif Ali Khan was credited for "Jimmy ka Tashan". he had one full album"WELCOME" as a co-singer with SALMA AGHA in 1986.the album was scored by BHAPPI LAHIRI.it is rollicking album which exemplifies his singing prowess.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

• 2002: Badhaai Ho Badhaai
• 2005: My Wife's Murder
• 2007: Gandhi, My Father
• 2009: Short Kut: The Con is On
• 2010: Aisha
• 2010: No Problem

Director[link]

• 2010: Aisha

References[link]

External links[link]

• Anil Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anil Kapoor

• The Anil Kapoor Fan Club on Facebook

Lata Mangeshkar
Mangeshkar in 2008
Background information
Born	(1929-09-28) September 28, 1929 (age 82) Indore, Central India Agency, British India
Genres	Film music (playback singing)
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1942–present

Lata Mangeshkar (born September 28, 1929) is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India.^[1][2] Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half 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 Hindi. She is the elder sister of singer Asha Bhosle, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar and Meena Mangeshkar. She is the second vocalist to have ever been awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.^[3]

Mangeshkar was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1974 to 1991 for having made the most recordings in the world. The claim was that she had recorded approximately 25,000 solo, duet, and chorus-backed songs in 20 Indian languages between 1948 to 1974. Over the years, while several sources have supported this claim, others have raised concerns over its veracity, claiming that this number was highly exaggerated and that Mangeshkar's younger sister, Asha Bhosle, had more song recordings than she had.^[4][5] In 2011 Guinness officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history.^[6]

Early life[link]

Lata Mangeshkar was born in Sikh Mohalla,^[7] in the princely state of Indore, part of the Central India Agency (now part of Madhya Pradesh). Her father, Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar who belonged to a Gomantak Maratha Samaj family from Goa, was a classical singer and theater actor. Her mother Shevanti (Shudhamati) who was from Thalner, Maharashtra, was Deenanath's second wife. The family's last name used to be Hardikar; Deenanath changed it to Mangeshkar in order to identify his family with his native town, Mangeshi in Goa. Lata was named "Hema" at her birth. Her parents later renamed her Lata after a female character, Latika, in one of her father's plays, BhaawBandhan.^[8] Lata is the eldest child of her parents. Meena, Asha, Usha and Hridayanath are her siblings in sequence.

Mangeshkar took her first lessons from her father. At the age of five, she started to work as an actress in her father's musical plays (Sangeet Natak in Marathi). On the first day in the school, she started teaching songs to other children. When the teacher stopped her, she was so angry that she stopped going to the school.^[8] Other sources cite that she left school because they would not allow her to bring Asha with her, as she would often bring her younger sister with her.

Singing career[link]

Early career in the 1940s[link]

In 1942, when Mangeshkar was 13, her father died of heart disease. Master Vinayak (Vinayak Damodar Karnataki), the owner of Navyug Chitrapat movie company and a close friend of the Mangeshkar family, took care of them

Mangeshkar sang the song "Naachu Yaa Gade, Khelu Saari Mani Haus Bhaari" which was composed by Sadashivrao Nevrekar for Vasant Joglekar's Marathi-language movie Kiti Hasaal (1942), but the song was dropped from the final cut. Vinayak gave her a small role in Navyug Chitrapat's Marathi movie Pahili Mangalaa-gaur (1942), in which she sang "Natali Chaitraachi Navalaai" which was composed by Dada Chandekar.^[8] Her first Hindi song was "Mata Ek Sapoot Ki Duniya Badal De Tu" for the Marathi film, Gajaabhaau (1943). Mangeshkar moved to Mumbai in 1945 when Master Vinayak's company moved its headquarters there. She started taking lessons in Hindustani classical music from Ustad Amanat Ali Khan . She sang “Paa Lagoon Kar Jori” for Vasant Joglekar's Hindi-language movie Aap Ki Seva Mein (1946),^[8] which was composed by Datta Davjekar. Mangeshkar and her sister Asha played minor roles in Vinayak's first Hindi-language movie, Badi Maa (1945). In that movie, Lata also sang a bhajan, “Maata Tere Charnon Mein.” She was introduced to music director Vasant Desai during the recording of Vinayak's second Hindi-language movie, Subhadra (1946).

Following the partition of India in 1947, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan migrated to newly formed Pakistan, so Mangeshkar started to learn classical music under Amanat Khan Devaswale. Pandit Tulsidas Sharma, a pupil of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, also trained her.

After Vinayak's death in 1948, music director Ghulam Haider mentored her as a singer. Haider introduced Mangeshkar to producer Sashadhar Mukherjee, who was working then on the movie Shaheed (1948), but Mukherjee dismissed Mangeshkar's voice as "too thin."^[8] An annoyed Haider responded that in the coming years the producers and the directors would "fall at Lata's feet" and "beg her" to sing in their movies. Haider gave Lata her first major break with the song “Dil Mera Toda,” from the movie Majboor (1948).^[8]

Initially, Mangeshkar is said to have imitated the acclaimed singer Noor Jehan, but later she developed her own style of singing.^[8] Lyrics of songs in Hindi movies are primarily composed by Urdu poets and contain a higher proportion of Urdu words, including the dialogue. Actor Dilip Kumar once made a mildly disapproving remark about Mangeshkar's Maharashtrian accent while singing Hindi/Urdu songs; so for a period of time, Lata took lessons in Urdu from an Urdu teacher named Shafi.^[9]

One of her first major hits was “Aayega Aanewaala,” a song in the movie Mahal (1949), which was composed by music director Khemchand Prakash and lip-synced on screen by actress Madhubala.

1950s[link]

Mangeshkar as a young woman

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, S. D. Burman, C. Ramchandra, Hemant Kumar, Salil Chowdhury, Khayyam, Ravi, Sajjad Hussain, Roshan, Kalyanji-Anandji, Vasant Desai, Sudhir Phadke, Hansraj Behl, Madan Mohan, and Usha Khanna.

Mangeshkar sang many raga-based songs for Naushad in movies such as Baiju Bawra (1952), Mughal-E-Azam (1960), and Kohinoor (1960). 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 Aag, Aah (1953), Shree 420 (1955), and Chori Chori (1956). Before 1957, composer Sachin Dev (S. D.) Burman chose Mangeshkar as the leading female singer for his musical scores in Sazaa (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.^[8]

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

1960s[link]

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 June 27, 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 Pradeep, is said to have brought the Prime Minister to tears.^[8][10]

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), and "Tu Jahan Jahan Chalega" from Mera Saaya (1966).

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. She sang for Parasmani (1963) which was their first film together.

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.

In this period Lata Mangeshkar has recorded duets with Mukesh, Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, and Kishore Kumar.

1970s[link]

In 1972, Meena Kumari's last film, Pakeezah 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).

Lata Mangeshkar's most notable songs in 1970s were composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal (Laxmi-Pyare) and Rahul Dev Burman^{[citation needed]}. She recorded several songs composed by Laxmi-Pyare in 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 Bakshi and 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 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 Hridayanath Mangeshkar. Some of the bhajans in the album include "Saanware Rang Raachi" and "Ud Jaa Re Kaaga". In the early 70s, 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 of abhangs of Sant Tukaram composed by Shrinivas Khale.

In 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).

1980s onwards[link]

From 1980s onwards, Lata Mangeshkar worked with music directors including Shiv-Hari, Ram Laxman, and A. R. Rahman. She recorded some non-film songs, including ghazals with Jagjit Singh.

In 1990, Mangeshkar launched her own production house for Hindi movies which produced the Gulzar-directed movie Lekin.... She won her third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for her rendition of the song "Yaara Sili Sili" from the film, which was composed by her brother Hridayanath. During the 1990s, she recorded with music directors including Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan. She has sung for Rajshri Productions, including Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994).

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 Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and later on Mohabbatein (2000), Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002) and Veer Zaara (2004).

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

In 1999, Lata Eau de Parfum, a perfume brand named after her, was launched.^[11]

In 1999, Mangeshkar was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha.^[12] 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.^[13][14] 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.^[13][15]

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. In the same year, she established the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune, 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 Pakistan earthquake relief.^[16] 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 June 21, 2007, she released an album Saadgi, featuring eight ghazal-like songs written by Javed Akhtar and composed by Mayuresh Pai.^[17]

Lata Mangeshkar records songs for Madhur Bhandarkar Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahan Par for Page 3 (2005), Daata Sun Le for Jail (2009) and, Kyun Yahan Hota Hai was recorded years ago for Corporate (2006), but is only being used in Heroine (2012).^{[18] [19]}

Non-singing career[link]

Music direction[link]

Lata Mangeshkar composed music for the first time in 1955 for Marathi movie Ram Ram Pavhane. Later in 1960s, she composed music for following Marathi movies under the pseudonym of Anand Ghan.^[20]

• 1960 - Ram Ram Pavhana
• 1963 - Maratha Tituka Melvava
• 1963 - Mohityanchi Manjula
• 1965 - Sadhi Manase
• 1969 - Tambadi Mati

She won Maharashtra State Government's Best Music Director Award for the film Sadhi Manase. The song "Airanichya Deva Tula" from the same film received best song award.^{[citation needed]}

Production[link]

Lata Mangeshkar has produced four films:

• 1953 - Vaadal (Marathi)
• 1953 - Jhaanjhar (Hindi), co-produced with C. Ramchandra
• 1955 - Kanchan (Hindi)
• 1990 - Lekin... (Hindi)

Awards and recognitions[link]

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),^[21] 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.^[4][22] 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.^[23]

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.^[24][25] 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.^[26][27][28] 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.^[29] In 2011 Asha Bhosle was officially acknowledged by Guinness as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing Mangeshkar.^[6]

See also[link]

• Playback singer
• Asha Bhosle
• List of Indian playback singers
• Bollywood songs

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Bichu, Dr. Mandar (2011). Lata - Voice of the Golden Era. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7991-625-4. 
• Bhimani, Harish (1995). In search of Lata Mangeshkar. Indus. ISBN 978-81-7223-170-5. 
• Bharatan, Raju (1995). Lata Mangeshkar: A Biography. UBS Publishers Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7476-023-4. 
• Kabir, Nasreen Munni (2009). Lata Mangeshkar: In Her Own Voice. Niyogi Books. ISBN 978-81-89738-41-9. 
• Lata, Mangeshkar (1995). Madhuvanti Sapre and Dinkar Gangal. ed (in Marathi). In search of Lata Mangeshkar. Harper Collins/Indus. ISBN 978-81-7223-170-5. . A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952.
• Nerurkar, Vishwas (in Hindi). Lata Mangeshkar Gandhar Swaryatra (1945-1989). Mumbai: Vasanti P. Nerukar. .
• Bichhu, Mandar V. (1996) (in Hindi). Gaaye Lata, Gaaye Lata. Sharjah: Pallavi Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7223-170-5. . A collection of articles written by Lata Mangeshkar since 1952.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lata Mangeshkar

• Lata Mangeshkar at the Internet Movie Database

Awards for Lata Mangeshkar v t e Bharat Ratna laureates Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1954) C. Rajagopalachari (1954) C. V. Raman (1954) Bhagwan Das (1955) Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1955) Jawaharlal Nehru (1955) Govind Ballabh Pant (1957) Dhondo Keshav Karve (1958) Bidhan Chandra Roy (1961) Purushottam Das Tandon (1961) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (1962) Dr. Zakir Hussain (1963) Pandurang Vaman Kane (1963) Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) Indira Gandhi (1971) V. V. Giri (1975) K. Kamaraj (1976) Mother Teresa (1980) Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1983) Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1987) M. G. Ramachandran (1988) B. R. Ambedkar (1990) Nelson Mandela (1990) Rajiv Gandhi (1991) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1991) Morarji Desai (1991) Abul Kalam Azad (1992) J. R. D. Tata (1992) Satyajit Ray (1992) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (1997) Gulzarilal Nanda (1997) Aruna Asaf Ali (1997) M. S. Subbulakshmi (1998) Chidambaram Subramaniam (1998) Jayaprakash Narayan (1998) Ravi Shankar (1999) Amartya Sen (1999) Gopinath Bordoloi (1999) Lata Mangeshkar (2001) Bismillah Khan (2001) Bhimsen Joshi (2008) v t e Dadasaheb Phalke Award 1969–1980 Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich (1969) B. N. Sircar (1970) Prithviraj Kapoor (1971) Pankaj Mullick (1972) Ruby Myers (1973) Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy (1974) Dhirendranath Ganguly (1975) Kanan Devi (1976) Nitin Bose (1977) Rai Chand Boral (1978) Sohrab Modi (1979) Paidi Jairaj (1980) 1981–2000 Naushad Ali (1981) L. V. Prasad (1982) Durga Khote (1983) Satyajit Ray (1984) V. Shantaram (1985) Bommireddy Nagi Reddy (1986) Raj Kapoor (1987) Ashok Kumar (1988) Lata Mangeshkar (1989) Akkineni Nageswara Rao (1990) Bhalji Pendharkar (1991) Bhupen Hazarika (1992) Majrooh Sultanpuri (1993) Dilip Kumar (1994) Rajkumar (1995) Sivaji Ganesan (1996) Pradeep (1997) B. R. Chopra (1998) Hrishikesh Mukherjee (1999) Asha Bhosle (2000) 2001–present Yash Chopra (2001) Dev Anand (2002) Mrinal Sen (2003) Adoor Gopalakrishnan (2004) Shyam Benegal (2005) Tapan Sinha (2006) Manna Dey (2007) V. K. Murthy (2008) D. Ramanaidu (2009) K. Balachander (2010) Soumitra Chatterjee (2011) v t e National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer 1968–1980 No Award (1968) P. Susheela (1969) K. B. Sundarambal (1970) Sandhya Mukherjee (1971) P. Susheela (1972) Lata Mangeshkar (1973) No Award (1974) Lata Mangeshkar (1975) Vani Jairam (1976) P. Susheela (1977) S. Janaki (1978) Chhaya Ganguly (1979) Vani Jairam (1980) 1981–2000 S. Janaki (1981) Asha Bhosle (1982) P. Susheela (1983) P. Susheela (1984) S. Janaki (1985) K. S. Chithra (1986) K. S. Chithra (1987) Asha Bhosle (1988) K. S. Chithra (1989) Anuradha Paudwal (1990) Lata Mangeshkar (1991) Vani Jairam (1992) S. Janaki (1993) Alka Yagnik (1994) Swarnalatha (1995) Anjali Marathe (1996) K. S. Chithra (1997) K. S. Chithra (1998) Alka Yagnik (1999) Jayshree Dasgupta (2000) 2001–present Bhavatharini Ilaiyaraaja (2001) Sadhana Sargam (2002) Shreya Ghoshal (2003) Tarali Sarma (2004) K. S. Chithra (2005) Shreya Ghoshal (2006) Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar (2007) Shreya Ghoshal (2008) Shreya Ghoshal (2009) Nilanjana Sarkar (2010) Rekha Bhardwaj (2011) Rupa Ganguly (2012) v t e Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer 1959–1960 Lata Mangeshkar (1959) No Award (1960) 1961–1980 No Award (1961) No Award (1962) Lata Mangeshkar (1963) No Award (1964) No Award (1965) Lata Mangeshkar (1966) No Award (1967) Asha Bhosle (1968) Asha Bhosle (1969) Lata Mangeshkar (1970) Sharda (1971) Asha Bhosle (1972) Asha Bhosle (1973) Asha Bhosle (1974) Asha Bhosle (1975) Sulakshana Pandit (1976) Hemlata (1977) Preeti Sagar (1978) Asha Bhosle (1979) Vani Jairam (1980) 1981–2000 Nazia Hassan (1981) Parveen Sultana (1982) Salma Agha (1983) Aarti Mukherji (1984) Anupama Deshpande (1985) Anuradha Paudwal (1986) No Award (1987) No Award (1988) Alka Yagnik (1989) Sapna Mukherjee (1990) Anuradha Paudwal (1991) Anuradha Paudwal (1992) Anuradha Paudwal (1993) Alka Yagnik and Ila Arun (1994) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1995) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1996) Kavita Krishnamurthy (1997) Alka Yagnik (1998) Jaspinder Narula (1999) Alka Yagnik (2000) 2001–present Alka Yagnik (2001) Alka Yagnik (2002) Kavita Krishnamurthy and Shreya Ghoshal (2003) Shreya Ghoshal (2004) Alka Yagnik (2005) Alisha Chinai (2006) Sunidhi Chauhan (2007) Shreya Ghoshal (2008) Shreya Ghoshal (2009) Kavita Seth and Rekha Bhardwaj (2010) Mamta Sharma and Sunidhi Chauhan (2011) Rekha Bhardwaj and Usha Uthup (2012) v t e Filmfare Award for Lifetime Achievement 1991 – 2000 Amitabh Bachchan (1991) Dev Anand (1992) Dilip Kumar (1993) Lata Mangeshkar (1994) Shammi Kapoor & Waheeda Rehman (1995) Ashok Kumar, Sunil Dutt & Vyjayanthimala (1996) Dharmendra, Mumtaz & Pran(1997) Sharmila Tagore (1998) Manoj Kumar & Helen (1999) Vinod Khanna & Hema Malini (2000) 2001 – 2010 Feroz Khan & Asha Bhosle (2001) Gulzar & Asha Parekh (2002) Jeetendra (2003) Sulochana Latkar, Nirupa Roy & B.R. Chopra (2004) Rajesh Khanna (2005) Shabana Azmi (2006) Javed Akhtar & Jaya Bachchan (2007) Rishi Kapoor (2008) Bhanu Athaiya & Om Puri (2009) Shashi Kapoor & Khayyam (2010) 2011 - present Manna Dey (2011) Pyarelal & Aruna Irani (2012)

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2011)

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Usha Khanna (born 1941 in Gwalior) is an Indian music director. Regarded as the first established female music director in the Indian film industry, she remained active for more than 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. She is still active making some music for some movies and television-serials, more than 40 years after her debut as music director in Dil Deke Dekho (1959). She received a Filmfare nomination for composing the songs for the huge hit film Souten (1983).

Biography[link]

Usha Khanna's father, Manohar Khanna, was a lyricist and singer, working as Assistant Superintendent in the Water Works Department in then Gwalior State. When he came to Bombay (now Mumbai) for some work in 1946 he met Jaddanbai who was mother of Hindi film actress Nargis Dutt.On her request he started writing Gazals for Hindi films by the name, Jaaved Anwar .He was getting a monthly salary of Rs.250 in Gwalior State and Jaddanabi offered him Rs.800 for 3 gazals which he wrote for Jaddanbai,s Nargis Art Productions film Romeo Juliet . Usha Khanna did often take inspiration from Arabic music, which she liked and she claims that she has never lifted any song directly, but that she has composed something along the lines.

The popular music director O. P. Nayyar introduced Usha Khanna to Sashadhar Mukherjee, a powerful man in the Indian film industry at that time. She sang a song for Mukherjee, and when he realised that she had composed the song on her own, he told her to compose two songs per day for one year. After a few months, Mukherjee signed her as the composer for his movie Dil Deke Dekho (1959) as a music composer. The film, which also introduced the actress Asha Parekh, became a big hit, and Mukherjee hired her again for another Asha Parekh starrer Hum Hindustani (1961).

After she started composing music for Hindi movies, Usha Khanna struggled to establish herself as a music director, despite producing many hit songs. She often collaborated with Asha Bhosle, who referred to Usha Khanna as her daughter, and Mohammed Rafi. This trio produced many hit songs.

Saawan Kumar was often the lyricist for Usha Khanna, and wrote most of his lyrics for her songs. He directed and produced the lyrics for eleven movies she scored the music for. In 1979 K J Yesudas received Filmfare award for her song Dil ke tukde tukde in the film Dada. Usha Khanna was married to Sawankumar Tak but later they separarted and she lives alone in Bombay(present name Mumbai) now.

The effort she had put in to establish herself in the industry, made her realise how difficult it was to break through, and made her often give the chance to new singers. She gave the chance to the singers who were little known at that time – Anupama Deshpande, Pankaj Udhas, Hemlata, Mohammed Aziz, Roop Kumar Rathod, Shabbir Kumar, and Sonu Nigam. Many of these went on to become notable singers. Usha Khanna herself also sang a few songs as a playback singer.

Many of Usha Khanna's songs are still very popular.

Usha Khanna was quite active as a composer until the mid-nineties. Until now the last movie she has given music to was in 2003. The movie was Dil Pardesi Ho Gaya, produced and directed by her ex-husband Saawan Kumar who she was briefly married to.

Usha Khanna had given music to non-Hindi movies too. The Malayalam movie Moodal Manju (1969) is still remembered for some of the finest songs in Malayalam including 'Nee Madu Pakaroo' by K. J. Yesudas and 'Manasa Mani veenayil' by S.Janaki. Agni nilavu and Puthooram Puthri Unniyarcha are the other malayalam movies done by her. Why she did not get many chances remains a mystery for many music lovers even now.

External links[link]

• Usha Khanna at the Internet Movie Database
• Deccan Herald
• Music India Online
• HinidiLyrix
• Usha Khanna at MSI

Nagwa Fouad (Arabic: نجوى فؤاد‎, Egyptian Arabic: [ˈnæɡwæ foˈʔæːd]; born 1939) is a famous Egyptian belly dancer.

After her release she performed at the Abdeen Casino where she met Ahmad Fuad Hassan (her future husband for 6 years), a producer of stage shows that later became a famous conductor. He convinced her to perform live at the most prestigious music and dance show in the 1960s called Adwa El Madina (City Lights) which had featured such superstars as Shadia, Abdel Halim Hafez, Fayza Ahmed, and Sabah.

In 1976, the famous composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab wrote an entire musical piece exclusively for her belly dancing show titled Qamar Arba'tashar (meaning the full Moon of the 14th), it was her transition from traditional oriental dance to a choreographed stage performances.

The next important career step was Nagwa's marriage to Ahmed Fouad Hassan, the talented violin player, composer and conductor. Ahmed gave Nagwa Fouad her chance to appear in the very popular sixties stage show "Adwoua Al-Madina" (City Lights), which had featured such superstars as Abdel-Halim Hafez, Fayza Ahmed, Shadia and Sabah. Nagwa featured on many of the covers of the Ahmed Fouad Hassan LP's/CD's. Nagua took every career step well calculated: "Hassan was 17 years older than me, but I needed him. He nurtured my amateur's talents... He taught me the importance of studying and working on my talent if I wanted to be a big star. He trained me at the Nelly Mazloum Dance School and I joined the National Dance Troupe to study folklore with Russian teachers." Nagoua Fouad learned showmanship and eye-catching techniques which were obvious in her performances of "Ayoub Al-Masri" and "Bahiya wa Yassin". But Fouad Hassan wanted to have a baby with Nagua. Something she didn't approve to so this eventually led to her first divorce after six years of marriage. In 1976, Nagwa Fouad reached the top of her career when composer Mohamed Abdel-Wahab wrote "Qamar Arbaa-tashar" (Blue Moon or 14the moon) for her. Her stage performance to this special piece allowed her to change the way belly-dancing was presented on stage, transforming it from traditional oriental dance to more of a choreographed lavish spectacle adding more dramatic elements to it than ever before. The composition served as a transition for Nagwa: "I was able to combine the oriental dancing of Tahiya Karioka and Samia Gamal with Na'ema's acrobatic style and created a stage show like a dramatic piece" she says. Najwa established her own dance group but it did not last long and later tried to retire dancing to become actress. She played on the stage and in the cinema and finally became cinema producer.

Famous performances[link]

• Qamar Arba'tashar (Moon of the 14th) 1976
• Music by Mohammed Abdel Wahab

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bellydance superstars: Nagua Fouad at Belly-Dance.org
• GoBellyDance.com: Nagua Fouad
• Al-Ahram Weekly: Nagwa Fuad "Hours of glory"
• Hossam Ramzy: Nagwa Fouad
• bestsbest: great video clips for nagwa fouad

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