Aashirwad is a 1968 Bollywood film. Produced by N.C. Sippy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, it is directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Ashok Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar.

The film is notable for its inclusion of a rap-like song performed by Ashok Kumar, -"Rail Gaadi".

Plot summary[link]

Jogi Thakur (Ashok Kumar) is a man of high principles. He breaks his marriage to an autocratic landlady (Veena) when he finds out she has cunningly obtained his signatures on an order that the houses of the poor be burnt. He leaves home, vowing never to return as long as he lives, leaving his daughter neena behind. He moves to Mumbai where he makes a living by entertaining children in a park(the famous song "Rail Gaadi", said to be India's first rap number). He is specially fond of a girl whose name, incidentally, is neena, too. Unfortunately the girl takes ill and dies.

He then returns to his village, Chandanpur, where he finds that the daughter of one of his villager friends, Baiju, has been abducted. He rushes to the place where she is about to be raped, and kills the rapist to protect the girl. The villagers make up a phony story to save him, but he opts to tell the truth in the court and is jailed. There, he starts tending to the garden and composes philosophical poems. The doctor at the jail, Dr Biren (Sanjeev Kumar) takes a special liking to him. Coincidentally, neena, Jogi Thakur's daughter is set to be married with Sanjeev Kumar. Jogi Thakur finds this out by chance as he is tending to the garden outside Sanjeev Kumar's room and overhears their conversations. He also learns that his daughter hates criminals. And so he shields his face from her on the few occasions that they meet. Unfortunately he takes ill just as he is granted pardon by the government for his good behaviour. The doctor, Sanjeev Kumar, has come to think of him as a father figure. He tells Jogi Thakur that the day he will be out of jail will be the eve of his marriage. Jogi Thakur is taken by the desire to see his daughter being wedded, and hurries to see her. However he does not want anyone to recognize him. Finally he joins the village beggars who are getting a treat for the marriage, where his daughter and son-in-law are serving food. He manages to give his blessings to her and hurries out. However as he collapses on the road, people gather around him and recognize him. The news reaches his daughter who rushes to the spot to meet with her father at his last moment.

Adorned with such wonderful songs such as Rail Gaadi Rail Gaadi Zuk Zuk Zuk Zuk Zuk Zuk Zuk, Beechwale Station Bole Ruk Ruk Ruk Ruk Ruk Ruk Ruk Ruk, sung by Ashok Kumar himself, Ek Tha Bachpan by Lata Mangeshkar (sung by Jogi Thakur's daughter), and finally the memorable Jeevan Se Lambe Hai Bandhu Yeh Jeevan Ke Raste by Manna Dey (sung by the bullock-cart driver who carries Jogi Thakur near his village in the night), the movie is an emotional journey through a man's life who stands by his principles only to be overcome by love for his daughter in the end.

Awards[link]

• 1969 Filmfare Best Actor Award for Ashok Kumar
• 1969 National Film Award for Best Actor for Ashok Kumar
• 1969 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi

External links[link]

• Aashirwad at the Internet Movie Database
• "Hrishikesh Mukherjee's best films": Aashirwaad (1969), rediff.com, 28 August 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
• Rail Gaadi at Geeta-Kavita.com

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Ashok Kumar
Born	Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly (1911-10-13)13 October 1911 Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	10 December 2001(2001-12-10) (aged 90) Mumbai, Maharastra, India
Cause of death	Heart Failure
Residence	Chembur, Mumbai, India
Other names	Sanjay Ashok Kumar
Occupation	Actor, painter
Years active	1936–1997
Spouse	Shobha Devi
Relatives	Anoop Kumar, Kishore Kumar(Brothers), Sati Devi (Sister)

Ashok Kumar ( Bengali অশোক কুমার গাঙ্গুলী, 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001) also fondly called Dadamoni in Bengali, was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan in 1998 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

Family[link]

His father Kunjalal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali Kulin Brahmin family. The "Ganguly family" was based in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. His brothers Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar also acted in films. The three brothers worked together in the comedies Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi and Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi. Ashok, though the eldest of the three by quite a margin, survived them both. In fact, he stopped celebrating his birthday after the youngest brother, Kishore, died on that day in 1987. His sister, Sati Devi, was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee of the Mukherjee-Samarth family.

Ashok Kumar married Shobha. They had a troubled marriage due to his wife being an alcoholic.^[1] His daughter, Preeti Ganguly acted in numerous Hindi film, during 1970s,^[2] later she started the 'Ashok Kumar's Academy of Dramatic Arts', Mumbai in 1993.^[3] His other daughter, Rupa Ganguly and son Arun Ganguly never joined films,^[4] Rupa is married to actor Deven Verma^[5]

Early career[link]

Reverently called Dadamoni (affectionate term for elder brother), he was born in Bhagalpur and educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, Kolkata). He started his career in Bombay (Mumbai), albeit accidentally, with the Bombay Talkies production Jeevan Naiya in 1936. The male lead, Najam-ul-Hussain, went absconding with the heroine Devika Rani, the director's wife who returned later on. The director and studio head, Himanshu Rai, in retaliation dismissed the hero and called upon his laboratory assistant Ashok Kumar to take the part and thus began a six-decade-long acting career. However, it was his subsequent venture with Devika Rani in Achhut Kanya in the same year that set him up for the big league. The movie itself stands out as one of the heralding social dramas of pre-independence Indian film. It was the story of a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the so-called untouchables in Indian society. It was a big hit and started the trend of socially committed films.

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar in Achhut Kanya, 1936

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar did a string of films after this including Izzat (1937), Savitri (1937) and 'Nirmala' (1938). But she was the bigger star and Ashok Kumar was definitely in her shadow. He came into his own with three films opposite Leela Chitnis: Kangan (1939), Bandhan (1940), Jhoola (1941), singing his own songs as was the custom then. He came away with several hits including most famously Main Ban ka Panchhi.

He was one of the first anti-heroes of Indian Cinema with his role in Kismet in 1943. This movie went on to create a record for the highest grossing film in India at the time of its release.

He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including the famous Mahal in 1949 in which he co-starred with Madhubala. In the 1950s, he played the suave cigarette-smoking criminal or police officer in several films of what was the Indian film-noir movement. In the late 1960s he switched to character roles playing the parent, grandparent, dirty old man and suave criminal, being careful never to be typecast. He paired up 20 times with the 'queen of tragedy' Meena Kumari, in films such as Parineeta, Bahu Begum, Pakeezah, Ek Hi Raasta, Bandish and Aarti and Chitralekha (1964).

Later career and death[link]

He acted in fewer films in the 1980s and 1990s and occasionally appeared on television, most famously anchoring the first Indian soap opera Hum Log and appearing as the title character in the unforgettable Bahadur Shah Zafar. His last film role was in Aankhon Mein Tum Ho in 1997. Besides acting, he was an avid painter and a practitioner of homeopathy.^{[citation needed]} Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria.

Ashok Kumar died at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 of heart failure at his residence in Chembur. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee described him as "an inspiration... for many generations of aspiring actors."^[6]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1959 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
• 1962 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Rakhi
• 1963 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), Gumrah^[7]
• 1966 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, Afsana
• 1969 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, Aashirwaad
• 1969 - National Film Awards for Best Actor, Aashirwaad
• 1969 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), Aashirwaad^[8]
• 1988 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence
• 1994 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 1998 - Padma Bhushan
• 2001 - Awadh Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
• 2007 - "Special Award" by Star Screen Awards^[9]

Filmography[link]

Some of his most remembered films include:

• Achhut Kanya (1936)
• Kismet (1943)
• Parineeta (1953)
• Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)
• Chitralekha (1964)
• Hatey Bazarey (1967)
• Aashirwad (1968)
• Choti Si Baat (1975)
• Mili (1975)
• Khoobsurat (1980)
• Khatta Meetha (1981)
• Mr. India (1987)
• Sangram

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ashok Kumar at the Internet Movie Database
• A Good article by Anuradha Choudhary
• Complete list of Ashok Kumar Movies (over 250)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)

Sanjeev Kumar (Hindi: संजीव कुमार; 9 July 1938 – 6 November 1985) was one of the most prominent Indian actors in Bollywood.

Personal life and background[link]

Sanjeev Kumar was born as Haribhai Jariwala in Gujarat to a Gujarati family. His first home was in Surat and family based in Mumbai. A stint in the film school took him to Bollywood, where he eventually became a movie star. He remained a bachelor all his life and died of a massive heart attack in 1985.^[1] He has two younger brothers and a sister.

Career[link]

Sanjeev Kumar made his debut in the film Hum Hindustani in 1960. Sanjeev's first film as a hero was the 1965 Nishan. In 1968, he played opposite the famous actor Dilip Kumar in Sangharsh. In 1970, Khilona made him a star. He went on to star in the hits Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) and Manchali (1973). He started working with the well-known director Gulzar in the early 1970s. He did nine films with Gulzar, including Aandhi (1975), Mausam (1975), Angoor (1981) and Namkeen (1982). Many of his fans believe that these are some of the best films that he did.

He was always ready to take unconventional roles that challenged him as an actor. He played Mirza, a chess-obsessed Lucknowi (citizen of Lucknow), in Satyajit Ray's classic Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977). Perhaps his best-remembered roles were in the blockbuster films Sholay (1975) and Trishul (1978). In Naya Din Nayi Raat (1974) Sanjeev Kumar reprised the nine-role epic performance by Sivaji Ganesan in Navarathiri (1964), which was also previously reprised by Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Navarathri (Telugu; 1966). This film has enhanced his status and reputation as a serious actor in Hindi cinema.

During the early 1980s, Sanjeev Kumar did more supporting roles than playing the lead. In 1980, he starred in a Punjabi movie Fauji Chacha. .

Personal Life[link]

Sanjeev Kumar never married but was involved with actress Sulakshana Pandit, whom he did not marry, having been turned down by Hema Malini, with whom he was in love at the time. Hema Malini went on to marry her frequent co-star Dharmendra.^[2]

Death[link]

In 1985 at the age of 47 Sanjeev Kumar had a massive heart attack, resulting in his death.^[3] Ironically for an actor who played many elderly roles, he did not live to the age of 50.

Ten of his already completed films were released after his death, with his final film Professor Ki Padosan being released in 1993. At the time of his death only three-fourths of this film was complete, and it was decided to alter the story in the second half of the film to explain the absence of Sanjeev Kumar's character

Awards[link]

National Film Awards[link]

• National Film Award for Best Actor – Won
  1971 Dastak – Hamid
  1973 Koshish – Haricharan
  

Filmfare Awards[link]

Sanjeev Kumar was nominated for 14 Filmfare Awards. ^[4] Thrice as Best Supporting Actor and rest as Best Actor. He won the awards twice as Best Actor and once as Best Supporting Actor, as shown below.

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Won
  1976 Aandhi – J.K.
  1977 Arjun Pandit – Arjun Pandit
  

• Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Won
  1969 Shikar – Inspector Rai
  

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Nominated
  1971 Khilona – Vijaykamal S. Singh
  1974 Koshish – Hari Charan Mathur
  1976 Sholay – Thakur Baldev Singh
  1977 Mausam – Dr. Amarnath Gill
  1978 Yehi Hai Zindagi – Anand Narayan
  1978 Zindagi – Raghu Shukla
  1979 Devata – Tony/Tarun Kumar Gupta
  1979 Pati Patni Aur Woh – Ranjeet Chhadha
  1983 Angoor – Ashok R. Tilak
  

• Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Nominated
  1979 Trishul – Raj Kumar 'R.K.' Gupta
  1983 Vidhaata – Abu Baba
  

Other Awards[link]

• 1974 - BFJA Best Actor for Koshish^[5][6]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sanjeev Kumar at the Internet Movie Database

Sumita Sanyal (Bengali: সুমিতা সান্যাল়) is an actress in the Bengali language film industry in India, also known as Tollywood. Sumita Sanyal was born Manjula Sanyal on 9 October 1945 in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, British India.^[1] Her father was Girija Golkunda Sanyal.

Director Bibhuti Laha (of Agradoot) named her Suchorita for his film “Khokhababur Pratyabartan”. After that director Kanak Mukhopadhay decided to make it shorter into Sumita. Famous actress Lila Desai was very much known to Sumita. Lila introduced her to Agradoot. After she got a chance in “Khokababur Pratyabartan”, she acted in more than 40 films in Bengali including “Sagina Mahato” opposite Dilip Kumar. She also has acted in a number of Hindi films, the most notable of which was Anand in 1970 opposite Amitabh Bachchan. She also acted television serials, professional stage and in group theatre with the notable association with “Ranga Sabha”.

She was married to the film editor Subodh Roy. They have one son.^[2][3][4]

Films[link]

Bangla

• Khoka babur pratyabartan (1960)
• Akashpradip (1963)
• Kanchankanya (1963)
• Deya neya (1963)
• Kalsrot (1964)
• Swarga hotey biday (1964)
• Godhuli bela (1964)
• Anustup chhanda (1964)
• Dinanter alo (1965)
• Pratham prem (1965)
• Ek i ange eto rup (1965)
• Surer agun (1965)
• Kal tumi aleya (1965)
• Trishna (1965)
• Nayak (1966)
• Shesh tin din (1966)
• Nutan jiban (1966)
• Ashru diye lekha (1966)
• Harano prem (1966)
• Hathat dekha (1967)
• Panchasar (1968)
• Apanjan (1968)
• Chiradiner (1969)
• Chena achena (1969)
• Teen bhubhaner parey (1969)
• Maya (1969)
• Sagina Mahato (1970)
• Nishachar (1971)
• Anya mati anya rang (1971)
• Kuheli (1971)
• Natun surya (1974)
• Jiban niye (1976)
• Jawab (1987)
• Srimati (1993)

Hindi

• Aashirwad (1968)
• Anand (1970)
• Guddi (1971)
• Mere Apne (1971)
• The Peacock Spring (1996)

References[link]

Also see Leela Desai Leela Desai

External links[link]

• Sumita Sanyal at the Internet Movie Database

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Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Bengali: হৃষিকেশ মুখোপাধ্যায়/মুখার্জী Hrishikesh Mukhopaddhae/Mukharji (see naming conventions)) (30 September 1922–27 August 2006) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.

Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades, and is named the pioneer of the 'middle cinema' of India. Renowned for his social films that reflected the changing middle-class ethos, Mukherjee "carved a middle path between the extravagance of mainstream cinema and the stark realism of art cinema".^[1][2][3][4]

He also remained the chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC),^[5] and was awarded the 1999, Dada Saheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in Cinema for Lifetime achievement.

Early life and background[link]

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was born in city of Calcutta now Kolkata, he studied science and graduated in chemistry from the University of Calcutta. He taught mathematics and science for some time.

Career[link]

Mukherjee chose to begin working, initially as a cameraman, and then film editor, in B. N. Sircar's New Theatres in Calcutta in the late 1940s, where he learned his skills from Subodh Mitter ('Kenchida'), a well known editor of his times.^[6] He then worked with Bimal Roy in Mumbai as film editor and assistant director from 1951,^[7] participating in the landmark Roy films Do Bigha Zameen and Devdas.

His debut directorial venture, Musafir (1957), was not a success, but he persisted and received acclaim for his second film Anari in 1959. The film, crew and cast won five Filmfare Awards, with Mukherjee only losing the Best Director Award to his mentor, Bimal Roy.

His string of hits with Dharmendra and Amitabh made him one of the golden directors.

In the following years he made numerous films. Some of his most notable films include: Anuradha (1960), Asli-Naqli (1962), Chemmeen, Anupama (1966), Aashirwad (1968), Satyakam (1969), Guddi (1971), Bawarchi (1972), Mili (1975), Chupke Chupke (1975), Khoobsurat (1980) and Bemisal (1982). He was the first to introduce Dharmendra in comedy roles, through Chupke Chupke, and gave Amitabh Bachchan his big break with Anand in 1970, along with Rajesh Khanna, he also introduced Jaya Bhaduri to Hindi cinema in his film Guddi.^[5] Having worked with his mentor, Bimal Roy as an editor, in films like Madhumati, he was much sought after as an editor as well.^[8]

Later life[link]

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award by the Government of India, in 1999.^[9] Mukherjee was chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and of the National Film Development Corporation. He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award for his contribution to Indian cinema by government of India in 2001 . The International Film Festival of India honoured him with a retrospective of his films in November 2005. He holds the distinction of working with almost all the top Indian stars since independence of India in 1947.

The films were realistic and unlike the other Bollywood films do not have crime, violence. The simple plots contain deeper meaning, but are generally straightforward in form, theme and treatment. He directed around 50 films most of which were valued by audiences and critics alike because of their middle-of-the-road accessibility, heart-warming irony and literary sensibilities. His characters inhabited a middle-class, urban, educated milieu. One more characteristic of his films was that it had a character engrossed in music. Such as Anuradha, Aashirwad, Chupke chupke, Abhimaan, Khubsoorat, GolMaal, Alaap, Bawarchi, Aashiq, Mili, Saanjh Aur Sawera and Phir Kab Milogi to name a few.

His last film was Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate. Since his original hero Amol Palekar had grown old he had to choose Anil Kapoor. He has also directed TV serials like Talaash. Another director making films akin to him is Basu Chatterjee.

Death[link]

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was suffering from chronic renal failure and would go to Lilavati Hospital for dialysis. He was admitted to Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai early on Tuesday, 6 June 2006 after he complained of uneasiness. Mukherjee died ten weeks later on 27 August 2006.^[10][11]

Personal life[link]

Hrishikesh Mukherjee was married and has three daughters and a son.^[12] His son died at Delhi railway station in 2001 due to asthma attack. His wife died more than three decades before him. He was an animal lover and had many dogs and sometimes an odd cat at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai. He used to stay alone with servants and pets in his last phase of life. Family members and friends would visit him regularly.

Awards[link]

• 2001: Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India
• 2001: NTR National Award

Berlin International Film Festival[link]

• 1961: Golden Bear: Nomination: Anuradha^[13]

National Film Awards[link]

• 1960: President's Silver Medal: Anari^[14]
• 1961: National Film Award for Best Feature Film: Anuradha
• 1999: Dada Saheb Phalke Award

Filmfare Awards[link]

• 1956: Filmfare Best Editing Award: Naukari
• 1959: Filmfare Best Editing Award: Madhumati
• 1970: Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Anokhi Raat
• 1972: Filmfare Best Movie Award: Anand – shared with N. C. Sippy
• 1972: Filmfare Best Editing Award: Anand
• 1972: Filmfare Best Story Award: Anand
• 1981: Filmfare Best Movie Award: Khubsoorat- shared with N. C. Sippy

Selected filmography[link]

Films as Director[link]

• Musafir (1957)
• Anari (1959)
• Anuradha (1960)
• Memdidi (1961)
• Chhaya (1961)
• Asli-Naqli (1962)
• Aashiq (1962)
• Sanjh Aur Savera (1964)
• Do Dil (1965)
• Gaban (1966)
• Biwi Aur Makaan (1966)
• Anupama (1966)
• Majhli Didi (1967)
• Aashirwad (1968)
• Satyakam (1969)
• Pyar Ka Sapna (1969)
• Anand (1970)
• Guddi (1971)
• Buddha Mil Gaya (1971)
• Sabse Bada Sukh (1972)
• Bawarchi (1972)
• Abhimaan (1973)
• Namak Haraam (1973)
• Phir Kab Milogi (1974)
• Mili (1975)
• Chupke Chupke (1975)
• Chaitali (1975)
• Arjun Pandit (1976)
• Alaap (1977)
• Kotwal Saab (1977)
• Naukri (1978)
• Gol Maal (1979)
• Jurmana (1979)
• Khubsoorat (1980)
• Naram Garam (1981)
• Bemisal (1982)
• Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983)
• Rang Birangi (1983)
• Achha Bura (1983)
• Jhoothi (1985)
• Lathi (1988)
• Namumkin (1988)
• Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate (1998)