Cinema: The Magic Lantern!!

Bollywood's classic Ice Queen Rekha, a timeless beauty has been the ultimate symbol of sensuality. She has a handsome face, perfect nose, pretty eyes and the husky smouldering voice to match her looks. A ‘divaesque’ fashionable Rekha mesmerized millions of fans with her unique seductive mysteriousness. For five decades, she has been setting the screen on fire, blazing a glorious trail in her wake. She has the distinction of holding an unbeatable record of portraying heroines in over 100 films. Her "transformation" from "a round ball of flesh" in the 70s into a toned and manicured ultimate fashion & beauty icon and screen 'star' in the 80s owing to her sheer talent and hard work. Every reinvention of gorgeous ‘Madam Re’ has been a voyage of discovery for this ultimate glam-goddess. She is reclusive like Garbo and will disappear like an apparition.   She blossomed overnight with “Do Anjaane” and the 'real' Rekha was born on screen in ‘Ghar’....

S. Mohinder was a versatile composer, who made good use of traditional folk music in his compositions. His original style was Punjabi centric, but Benares groomed him into the classical traditions of Uttar Pradesh and Bombay gave him an all Indian grooming in music. In mid 1950s, his soulful and haunting melody “Guzra Hua Zamana Aata Nahin Dobara…” (Shirin Farhad) virtually reigned the Radio airwaves of Indian Continent. Destiny took him from the depths of obscurity to the centre of Bollywood where his unique compositions cemented his storied legacy. He was abundantly talented and way ahead of his time. His music is full of spirituality and he brought Gurbani to the world forum through Nanak Nam Jahaz Hai (1969). The way Beatles is remembered in the western music, S. Mohinder enjoys the same stature in Punjabi Cinema. Bakshi Mohinder Singh Sarna (S. Mohinder) was born on February 24, 1925, in Sillanwala, Tehsil Pakpatan (District Montgomery) of undivided Punjab. The title ‘Bakshi’ wa...

Mughal-e-Azam is the most proto-typical, expensive and passionate piece of work that Hindi cinema has ever produced. The immaculate recreation of Mughal magnificence “Mughal-e-Azam”, sixty years after its release on 5 th August, 1960, still continues to fascinate and enthral each succeeding generation of movie-goers and connoisseurs alike with its splendour and opulence. This movie is absolutely intoxicating expression of love with the most erotic and sensuous sequence of Indian cinema in which Salim fondling Anarkali’s face with an ostrich feather. Madhubala’s beautiful and iconic face is motionless in ecstasy as Dilip Kumar watches in adoration, forbidding the audience’s look but inviting their speculation. The theme of the conflict between passionate individual love and duty is an abiding preoccupation that spawns endless cinematic permutations. Yet for sheer baroque grandiosity, K. Asif's excessive elaboration of the theme remains in a class by itself and is worth preservin...

Punjab is a land of great gurus, sages, seers and peers. When we talk about art and culture, an angel of music Mohammed Rafi was born in a small village Kotla Sultan Singh of Amritsar. The singer of the millennium, Rafi with rich tonal voice, versatility and crystal clear intonations rendered thousands of unique heart-warming songs varied from fast peppy numbers to classical songs, lamenting melodies to highly romantic songs, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans to patriotic songs. He had poignantly brought in emotions in his renderings with his exquisite melodious and mellifluous voice for over seven decades . Goddess Saraswati’s abode was in his sublime divine voice. In  Baiju Bawra,  he demonstrated his virtuosity and range and in ‘ Pyasa’,  the evocative power he could bring to the lyrics. Though he did make a partial transition to a more youthful and playful style as in  Junglee,  he was too closely wedded to the classical tradition to wander too far from ...