Mehul-n-Me fun Maska! (V.10)

SANTA-n-BANTA STYLE BANTERING WITH MY FUN-FRIEND MEHUL!

STATUTORY WARNING: THOSE AVERSE TO RISQUE & RUSTIC, REFRAIN !

MEHUL
A sardar suffered
severe headache,
consulted a Dr. who
prescribed a cure ¤

The Sardar
decanted a bottle
of Gin into his anus
& felt instant relief ¤

Soon, news spread &
any Sardar suffering
from H-E-A-D-A-C-H-E
started following
dis T-R-E-A-T-M-E-N-T
and Getting relief ¤

Finally,
a new researcher
tracked the origin of
dis therapy & located
the original Sardar ¤

When asked
how he got d idea,
he revealed that his
D~O~C~T~O~R  had
prescribed ANAL-GIN !

What’s your fun-Doctor opinion ?

ME
This eminently proves the great utility of following doctor’s advice literally !


When King is Singh !

(Did you know “A joke a day keeps the doctor away”? Unless he happens to be your fun-Doctor, in which case enhanced empathy with him is the outcome!)
Sardar Dhakkan Singh is big hunter. Once he went to a zoo. At that time a  big lion escaped from its cage. The zoo officials sent everyone out of the zoo and closed the main gate. Now the lion is inside the zoo but wandering freely.
Zoo people requested sardar to go inside and trap the lion in a cage. Scared, but to avoid insult, he went inside the zoo in his jeep carrying a big gun. While driving on one of the zoo’s roads, he noticed that the lion is chasing him. Feeling scared he drove the jeep fast but only to observe that the lion is very near the jeep.
At that time the road forked into two paths ahead, one to the left and other to the right.
 
Then cleverly Dhakkan Singh put the left indicator on and turned the jeep to the right side. The lion ran into the left path. With a
sigh of relief, he drove forward.
After some time the roads met and the same situation arose again. Once more the road divided into two and this  time our sardar was smart enough to put the right indicator on and turned to left. This time the lion took the road on right side.
After some time the roads met again, to our sardar’s  misfortune, and the lion started to chase him again. This time the road never divided and our sardar thought the lion would catch him.
 
Then a brilliant idea struck his mind. He slowed down his jeep taking it to the left corner of the road. Then he held his hand outside and gave a signal meant for vehicles which want to overtake. The lion this time overtook his jeep and ran forward.
NOW TELL ME WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF THE  STORY??
 
ANSWER BELOW…………
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 MESSAGE: “There are Sardar Communities among Lions too”.
 

 

Mehul-n-Me fun Maska! (V.9)

SANTA-n-BANTA STYLE BANTERING WITH MY FUN-FRIEND MEHUL!

STATUTORY WARNING: THOSE AVERSE TO RISQUE & RUSTIC, REFRAIN !

 

MEHUL   Santa Ke Ghar Navjot Singh Siddhu Ki Tasveer Lagi Hui Dekh Kar Banta Ne Puchha.
Banta: “Ye Tasveer Kyun Laga Rakhi Hai?”

Socho Santa Ne Kya Jawab Diya Hoga!

ME   Santa Ne kaha: “Laughing Buddha Lene Gaya Tha, Dukandar Ne Kaha Ye Latest Hai Le Lo“

Make no mistake, it’s a Joke for All Times !

Taste of Bhrasht-Achaar !

Taste of Bhrasht-Achaar !
By Dr. Sudhir Bhushan ~ Doctor of Humour

Recently  a friend of mine with whom I have a Santa-n-Banta style fun-bantering relationship asked me, “Anna’s movement against Corruption seems to be fizzling out again! Kya is ‘Bhrastachar’ ko kuch le de kar band nahin karwaya ja sakta?”.

To which, the fun-doctor in me replied , “Why not? After all Anna bhi to is Bhrasht Achaar ke lene or dene walon ko band karwana chaahte hain!” (http://www.humourmedicine.com/mehul-n-me-fun-maska-v-4/)

But we have all been a somewhat disappointed witness to the lame & longish ‘interval-halt’ to this mov(i)ement against Bhrashtachar by Headmaster Anna that had proved to be a huge hit with the masses last year in its first Avatar. The interest in the subject was sought to be kept alive by the parallel cinema of Baba Ramdev, which had not fared so well in its ‘Jism1’ last year but managed to become a marginally better hit this year by allowing predators (for that’s what ‘opposition’ always is to the ‘ruling’) to ride on its ‘Jism2’!

But the big question on everyone’s mind now is where do we go from here? And what’s going to happen to our tasty national Achaar, foolishly termed Bhrasht by those who don’t realize that an Achaar can get better (instead of bhrasht) with time by the frequent supplementation of ‘(mustard)oil is well’ to it!

The newspaper headlines this morning brought a fresh breezy breath of ‘Coalgate’ to refresh our stale mouths that had been the overnight ‘Achaar-akhaada’ to the many varieties of resident oral microbes. With this, our mouths have begun to wag in twisted tongues and our national appetiser-carminative-digestant Bhrasht Achaar has once again become the tasty ‘toast of the town’!

Here is a pick of the choicest pickle samplings from Twitter today:

PM’s Dilemma : “MumMum-Main COALGATE ToothPaste Se Brush Kiyaa Aur mereTEETH Jet Black Hogaye -HAINN !- Chonia se Poochtaa hoon-Gursharan Tu Himmat Rakh. OK” by Paramjit S Garewal@ParamjitGarewal  

A Citizen’s Dilemma : “Thought only Salt was there in toothpaste #colgate but just found out that there is #Coal too in #Coalgate….One whitens the other blackens” by ‘Ushy Mohan Das@UshyMohanDas’ (helpful hint for Ushy’s dilemma: “This, too, is a scam to keep the toothpaste companies in perpetual business!”)

A Comic Relief to our Collective Pain : “Colgate : Fast relief from the pain of sensitive tooth. #Coalgate : Fast relief from the gain of insensitive loot.” by  ‘Comedy Central India@ComedyCentralIn

The Cry of the Cost Conscious : “Rs 1.86 lakh crores is mighty expensive for a toothpaste called #Coalgate :)” by ‘VerseCannon@VerseCannon’  

The Excuse of the Datun Lover : ”Don’t feel like brushing after reading about the COALGATE scam! #shameUPA”  by ‘vikram sathaye@vikramsathaye’

The Mirch Masaala of the Oral Sensorial : “Government to sell title sponsorships for scams; Vodafone 2G scam, Colgate Coal scam etc. http://www.fakingnews.com/2012/05/government-to-sell-title-sponsorships-for-various-scams/ #oldpost #coalgate” by ‘Faking News ‏@fakingnews’

The Arithmetic of the Record Keeper : “Will Congress beat its own record again? 1.76 lakhs (of 2G Scam) put to second place by 1.86 lakhs of  #CoalGate” by ‘Against_Pseudos ‏@Against_Pseudos’

The Announcement of the Corrupt (E)Umpire : “MMS (Man Mohan Singh) sets new WR (World Record) in Corruption by a small margin, Karuna & Raja muttering in anger.” Narayan@Narainised

The Latest Chant of the Bhrasht-achaari : “Jai Gurudev! Saluting His Holiness of Corrupt #India #coalgate”  by Amarendra Srivastava@amarsrivastava

The Frustration of the Uninvited Baarati : “After 2G now it is Coalgate. What is happening to the country? Sarkar hai ya Choron ki Baraat hai?” by Prakash Singh@singh_prakash

The Call of the Devil-May-Care : “Dil coal ke looto. #coalgate” by  MP Singh@NotThatMP

And finally my Dentally/Politically Correct Call to the PM : “Open your mouth properly, Mr. Clean” !!!

To egg yourself on !

A GREAT THOUGHT:TO EGG YOURSELF ON!

Mehul-n-Me fun Maska! (V.8)

SANTA-n-BANTA STYLE BANTERING WITH MY FUN-FRIEND MEHUL!

STATUTORY WARNING: THOSE AVERSE TO RISQUE & RUSTIC, REFRAIN !


MEHUL
: Agar pareshaani ka talluq DIMAG se hota hai to …..
logon ko HEART ATTACK kyon aata hai?

ME : Agar ishq ka talluq DIL se hota hai to …..
pyaar mein log PAGAL kyun hote hain ?!!!

( Kuch samajh mein aaya ? DIL aur DIMAG laga kar bataiyega !!! )

Trust me !

T-R-U-S-T
is just 1 word

that takes

1 second to read

1 minute to think

1 hour to explain

1 day to feel

1 week to demonstrate

&
1 full life to P-R-O-V-E !

TRUST ME !!!  (And while you may take your own time doing so, just remember it will inversely speak volumes about your Trust Quotient !)

TUM MUJHE YOON BHULA NA PAAOGE!!!

By  Dr. Sudhir Bhushan

An Omnibus Ode to Shammi Kapoor : Showcasing his histrionic mettle through the musical score in his movies

(REMEMBERING SHAMMI SAHAB ON HIS FIRST ABSENTIA ANNIVERSARY)
All highlighted key-words are hyperlinked to appropriate ‘You Tube’ web-pages for instant transport to an imaginative, nostalgic ‘re-viewing’ in your minds ~ to add to the relish of this lyrical tribute!  Just click the highlighted (blue) song-words to watch the songs instantly on ‘You Tube’.

Shammi Kapoor, the original shehanshah of shararat-e-shabnami style of romantic acting from yesteryear Bollywood is no more! Or is he? Not so!

The very versatile singing, dancing, emoting, prankster superstar will live forever in the hearts of millions of fans & admirers he enthralled with his soulful, chutzpa, no-holds-barred, bindaas acting skills over a 50 plus years career span!

Hailed as one of the finest actors Hindi cinema has ever produced, he was a scion of the first family of Bollywood: the Kapoors (illustrious father Prithviraj, iconic-showman-elder-sib Raj Kapoor and ever-so-popular-younger-sib Shashi Kapoor).

Debuting with the 1953 flick ”Jeevan Jyoti”, the jyoti (light) of his nascent Bollywood career flickered weakly until he got his first big break with “Tumsa nahin dekha in 1957, coming in as a replacement for an unavailable Dev Anand who was the original choice to play the lead. Dev Anand’s loss proved to be Shammi Kapoor’s gain as the audience loved his youthful look & very individual swaggering style in this hugely popular romantic musical, which, incidentally, was debutante director Nasir Hussain’s launchpad for heroine Ameeta but, ironically, did wonders for Shammi’s career instead.

Promenading the streets of Shillong in “Tumsa nahin dekha“, Shammi sahab began his long & successful journey as a romantic lead, warbling & wondering aloud:
Jawaniyan yeh mast, mast bin piye
Jalaati chal rahin hain raah me diye
Na jane inme kiske waste hoon main
Na jane inme kaun hai mere liye
“,
through the lead character played by him.

Until he discovered his ladylove in Ameeta’s character, celebrating the union with that dashingly romantic hit, a vintage O.P. Nayyar/Majrooh Sultanpuri fare:
Yun to hamne laakh hasin dekhe hain,
Tumsa nahin dekha,
Uf yeh nazar, uf yeh ada
Kaun na ab hoga fida!

The Hindi movie audience, and not just Ameeta’s character, loved his light-hearted & breezy wooing ways, giving him a huge hurrah with a reciprocatory:
Sar par topi laal,
Haath mein resham sa rumal.
Ho tera kya kehna
“!

The young Shammi went on to respond, exhorting musically (all his innumerable future female fans, too, as it were):
Chhupne waale saamne aa
Chhup chhup ke mera ji na jala
Suraj se kiran, badal se pawan
Kab talak chhupegi yeh to bata

They came out in hordes & vowed to an enduring love affair with him, crooning along with Ameeta’s character:
Dekho kasam se, dekho kasam se
Kehte hain tumse haan!
Tum bhi jaloge, haath maloge
Rooth ke hamse haan

starting a whole new, refreshing game of ‘roothna/manana’ spunky romance in Hindi cinema.

His fans came to increasingly realise after this movie that they were indeed developing a “tumsa nahin dekha” crush on Shammi Kapoor!

Shammi particularly chose Mohd. Rafi, another legend-in-the-making those days, as his memorable playback voice and together they cast many a magical spell in the annals of Hindi cine music. He made a unique place for himself in the industry as he was the only dancing hero in Hindi films from the late fifties till early seventies when jumping jack Jeetu joined ranks with him. Saira Banu said in an interview, “At the time when Dilip sahab, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand ruled the industry, it was Shammi Kapoor who created a niche for himself with his unique dance moves. He used to say he didn’t know how to dance but he would just listen to the music, feel it and move instinctively. He was the only ‘dancing hero’ at that time.” He used to compose dancing steps by himself in the songs picturised on him and never needed a choreographer. This earned him the sobriquet, “Elvis Presley of India”.

In “Dil De Ke Dekho“, his next big hit (1959 release, also Nasir Hussain’s second movie & Asha Parekh’s debut as a lead) young, teeny bopper heartthrob Shammi metamorphosed into a flamboyant, Elvis Presley-esque playboy lover of feminine charms extending the invitation for a permanent abode in his ever ebullient heart with, you guessed it:
Dil de ke dekho, dil de ke dekho,
Dil de ke dekho ji;
Dil lene waalon,
Dil dena seekho ji
“.

Such a loving invite was hard to ignore as Asha Parekh (until then a child star, this movie’s release coinciding with her 17th birthday), not  to speak of his frenetic femme fans, went on to form an enduring pair with him; Asha teaming up with him again in Teesri Manzil, Jawan Mohabbat & Pagla Kahin Ka.

The swelling ranks of his admiring fans were only too glad over the ensuing years they chose to “Dil De Ke Dekho” to an astonishing entertainer such as Shammi!

The romantic, musical, dancing, prankster & wild (there was no overtly ‘sexy‘ blueprint for a hero in those conservative times, else his oomph and attitude would have qualified him for the label) image of young Shammi rose to iconic heights with “Junglee” as he bamboozled his fans with the title song:
“Yaahoo!!
Chaahe koi mujhe junglee kahe
Kehne do ji kehta rahe”.

This final image boost firmly established his position as the numero uno bindaas badshah of romantic, musical genre in Bollywood with an acting style bordering oh-so-endearingly on impudence & gall. The movie, yet another debut platform for his leading lady (Saira Banu, in this case; earning a filmfare nomination as best actress, too), was a super duper diamond jubilee hit & boasted of hugely popular & variegated musical score ranging from:

The chic-n-naughty
Suku, suku
Ai yai ya, karoon main kya suku suku
Kho gaya dil mera suku suku.

To the soul captivating, iqraar-e-mohabbat number:
Ehsaan tera hoga mujh par
Dil chaahta hai jo, kehne do
Mujhe tumse mohabbat ho gayi hai
Mujhe palkon ki chhaon me rehne do

With Dil Tera Deewana (1962), he moved on further fostering his loverboy status, delivering memorable hits along with an alluring Mala Sinha including the USP title track:
Dil tera deewana hai sanam,
Jaante hain hum, kuch na kahoge tum,
Mohabbat ki kasam, mohabbat ki kasam
“,

the sweet-n sugary:

Mujhe kitna pyaar hai tumse,
Apne hi dil se poochho tum,
Jise dil diya hai woh tum ho,
Meri zindagi tumhari hai!
” 

and that lovely cupid-esque crooner:

Nazar bacha ke chale gaye woh
Warna ghayal kar deta
Dil se dil takra jaata to
Dil me agni bhar deta!
”  

Professor, also a 1962 release, was a maturing point of sorts for Shammi where he, teaming up with Kalpana, mavellously managed to tame the expression of ‘separation melancholia’, considered the ultimate harbinger of perfection in the acting repertoire of a romantic lead player those days, on his dynamic emoticon of a face while delivering:                
Aawaz de ke hamen tum bulao,
Mohabbat mein itna na humko satao!

This, in addition to his usual brand stuff, vocalised as:
Aye gulbadan, aye gulbadan
Phoolon ki mehak, kaanton ki chubhan,
Tujhe dekh ke kehta hai mera man
Kahin aaj kisise mohabbat na ho jaye

And the oh-so-naughty-n-nice smoothie:

Khuli palak mein jhootha gussa,
Band palak mein pyaar
Jeena bhi mushkil,
Marna bhi mushkil.

Shammi had truly come of age by now.

He followed it up with “Chinatown” (also 1962) in a challenging double- role performance as a gangster and his look-alike, good hearted foil (his lost childhood brother, you guessed it right!) which was a semi hit and provided a template for Amitabh’s future superhit “Don” (interestingly the perennial moll of Hindi cinema those days, the hauntingly gorgeous sex-doll ‘Helen’featured in both the movies, delivering an enticing Yamma yamma” with Shammi in the first instance).

The musical rendition of:

Baar baar dekho, hazaar baar dekho
Ke dekhne ki chhez hai hamara dil (dil)ruba
Taali ho, taali ho
!”

added further to his popularity & brought the fans to baar baar (repeat) dekhos (viewing) of his films.

His next big hit, Raajkumar(1964) saw Shammi traverse from:
the brash-n-burlesque with the title track,
Jaane waalon zara hoshiyaar
Yahaan ke hum hain raajkumar

to the smitten and smouldering in:

Tumne pukara aur ham chale aaye
Dil hatheli par le aaye re

and :

Tumne kisi ki jaan ko
Jaate huye dekha hai
Woh dekho mujhse rooth kar
Meri jaan ja rahi hai
!”

while succumbing, through his submarine-style eves-dropping, to the captivating charms of a ravishing Sadhana crooning at her riverine dance party with friends:

Aa ja, ayi bahar dil hai
Bekarar oh mere raajkumar
Tere bin raha na jaye
” 

in some truly picturesque numbers from the great costume drama that this movie was!

And as Shammi, in turn, attempted  so  lovingly to be politically/philosophically/romantically correct with a screen- sizzling Sadhana in that very meaningful number (a close attention to great lyrics from Hasrat Jaipuri highly advised):

“Is rang badalti duniya mein
Insaan ki neeyat theek nahin
Nikla na karo tum saj dhaj kar
Imaan ki neeyat theek nahin”


watch that dynamic, emoticon face of his as he gives vent to his insecure, smitten heart’s doubts-n-fears with the lyrical expression in one of the most picturesque song sequences of those times:
Kaandhe se hata lo sar apna
Yeh pyaar mohabbat rehne do
Kashti ko bacha lo maujon se
Toofan ki neeyat theek nahin

and:

Main kaise khuda haafiz keh dun
Mujh ko to kisi ka yakeen nahin
Chhup jaao hamari aankhon mein
Bhagwaan ki neeyat theek nahin
.”

Some truly immortal stuff there!!

 

Kashmir ki kali (1964) paired Shammi with another favourite co-star of his, Sharmila Tagore  doing her Hindi debut after having featured earlier in a spate of Sayajit Ray bangla films. The duo was an instant hit with the masses who lapped up the vintage chulbula musical score provided by O P Nayyar in

1) “Deewana hua baadal”,

2) ” Isharon isharon mein”,

3)” Hai duniya usiki, zamana usika”,

4) ” Meri jaan balle balle”,

5) “Subhan allah hai”,

6) “Taarif karon kya uski”   &

7) ” Kisi na kisi se, kabhi na kabhi“.

Such a short (for want of space & time here) description of the long compendium of huge hits from this mast movie does little justice to a showcasing of Shammi’s handling of them with an effortless ease of the consummate craftsman of his art that he was, but should suffice for now. All these major hits of Shammi speak volumes for themselves. (Have a look, clicking the web-link tabs, for yourselves!)

In 1965,” Jaanwar” had him matching skills with talented beauty Rajshree. Shammi, coming into his trademark style yet again, provided his fans some wholesome delight with
Laal chadi, maidan khadi”,

“Meri mohabbat jawaan rahegi”
and

Tumse achchha kaun hai

 

He followed it up in 1966 with yet another hit, “Badtammez”. Showcasing a character seeped in the  very colors & ethos of the title of this Manmohan Desai potboiler, Shammi thrilled his fans with his USP rendition of the lovable, uncouth rogue delivering another huge hit:

‘’Badtameez kaho ya kaho jaanwar,
Mera dil tere dil pe fida ho gaya
Sambhalo koi, bachao koi….”   
 on the trail of a screen blazing Sadhana.

The enfant terrible of Hindi cinema, however, also did demonstate his perfection of the art of taming the staunchest of femme fatale with a typically tenderhearted:

“Haseen ho tum khuda nahin ho,
Tumhara sajda nahin karenge,
Magar mohabbat se hukm doge
To hanste hanste yeh jaan bhi denge.”

 In 1966, he got the chance to play lead in “Teesri Manzil”, yet another mega-hit with his favorite producer Nasir Hussain & co-star Asha Parikh. His character in the movie, the singing-dancing superstar ‘Rocky’, was specially created at the request of maverick director Vijay Anand. Initially meant to feature Dev Anand, who was yet again unavailable to Nasir due to date problems, the role went to Shammi and was re-tailored & fine tuned keeping in mind his now popular image.Once again Dev Anand’s bane proved to be Shammi’s boon (the movie was a major draw at the box office). And so touched was Shammi that he began his role with a thanks-giving number:

Tumne mujhe dekha,
Ho kar bekarar!
Ruk gayi, yeh zameen,
Tham gaya aasmaan!” ,

meant for not just his ladylove Asha Parikh but all his numerous fans over the years, as it were.

This phenomenally hit musical-romantic-murder-mystery thriller was also the launchpad for supremely talented, newcomer in B-town “R.D.Burman”, who created a truly memorable musical score along with maverick lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri.  Songs like:

 “O haseena zulfon wali,
Jaane jahan,
Dhoondti hain kafir aankhen,
Kiska nishaan”

&

Aaja aaja main hoon pyaar tera,
Allah alla, inkaar tera!”

belonged to a genre that Hindi movie lovers were hitherto unaware of.

So enamoured they got, along with Asha Parikh’s character in the movie that they exulted back musically:

O mere sona re, sona re, sona re,
De doongi jaan, juda mat hona re.’’

Not one to be ever left behind in his reciprocation of love expressions to all his beloved, Shammi responded with the eminently hummable :

Deewana mujhsa nahin,
Is ambar ke neeche,
Aage hai katil mera,
Aur main peechhe peechhe.”

 His next  major hit, the 1967 release by Shakti Samanta, “An Evening In Paris” created sensation in the cine world with Shammi getting the chance to put on display his polished savoir faire in Paris, the romance capital of the world. Chasing the charms of lady love Sharmila Tagore ( bikini-clad and water-skiing in a trendsetting first in hindi cinema)– a chopper dangling Shammi set sea waters on fire with his

“Aasmaan se aaya farishta,
Pyaar ka safar sikhlaane,
Dil mein hai tasweer yaar ki,
Laaya hoon who dikhlaane”

Shakti Samanta (as director) used Shammi’s polished savoir faire in treating his audience to an exposition of the famed night life of Paris making him the tool for doling out this first-ever largesse to  hindi movie buffs with:

“Aji aisa mauka phir kahaan milega,
Hamare jaisa dil kahaan milega ,
Aao tumko dikhlaata hoon,
Paris ki ek rangeen shaam,
Dekho, dekho, dekho, dekho dekho,
An evening in Paris!”.  


Shammi engaged cine lovers with this total paisa-wasool song as Shakti Samanta put on the first ever bollywood displays of Eiffel Tower, Ritz & Moulin Rouge in the backdrop.

With Brahmchaari (in 1968), an aging Shammi sought an image change-over playing a philanthropic  caretaker of orphan kids while still dabbling as a part time debonair playboy devoted to rescuing damsels in distress – Rajshree & Mumtaz in this case. From cheering & cherishing his sprightful bunch of adopted orphan kids with:

“Chakke pe chakka,
chakke pe gaadi,
gaadi pe nikli,
apni sawari”

and

“Main gaaon tum so jaao,
sukh sapno mein kho jaao”

to serenading & tango-n-twisting with socialite butterflies like the mesmerizing Mumtaz with:

“Aaj kal tere mere pyaar ke charche har zubaan par,
sab ko maalum hai aur sab ko khabar ho gayi”

Shammi displayed his charms as a sensitive, caring bachelor (brahmachaari) ward who could take up any challenge to make a living to run his family of cherubs, which included debutante junior Mehmood in a really cool role. Until he was called upon to take up the ultimate challenge of his life of having to play a Professor Higgins to a demure damsel in distress from countryside (Rajshree) seeking to woo back her childhood fiancee Pran, now established in Bombay as a philandering playboy. But as he succeeds in bringing about the requisite momentous transformation in his Eliza Doolittle (Rajshree), who now begins to curry favour with Pran, a twist in the tale reveals to Rajshree that she has fallen for her saviour Shammi. Wishing to pay back now-smitten but earlier uncaring Pran in the same coin, she instead finds herself in his clutches as he manoueuvres to acquire her as a trophy lover & wife. Shammi’s heart rending sayonara in

“Dil ke jharokhe mein tujhko bithakar,
yaadon ko teri mein dulhan bana kar,
rakhunga mein dil ke paas,
mat ho meri jaan udaas” ,

arguably one of the sweetest sad song of all times, had his fans swooning in melancholic rapture!

With this single masterpiece of a song, he appeared to have dethroned, even if temporarily, Dev, Dilip & Raj as master thespians of sad serenades. Shammi ruled the roost at every jharokha-e-dil (or the window of heart) of his countless fans with this song. Mohd. Rafi justly deserved the Filmfare Award for the best male playback that year, as did Shammi his Filmfare for the best actor. The sweep was completed by the best music direction award for Shankar Jaikishan, the best lyricist Filmfare for Shailendra and by the movie itself winning the Filmfare best movie of the year award!

In what must be termed a travesty of fate, as he began putting on weight, Shammi  decided it was the time for completing his image switchover. Andaaz (1971) witnessed a change in andaaz by Shammi, getting transformed for enactments of a family man, yet ever the maverick, he chose hatke roles while ceding his loverboy status to the likes of then emerging superstar Rajesh Khanna, who appeared in a short cameo singing paeans to Shammi’s style of romancing the life in that huge hit from the same movie:

Zindagi ek safar hai suhana,
yahaan kal kya ho kisne jaana”
.

It was as though Shammi was handing over the baton of romantic superstardom’s relay race to Rajesh Khanna at this point!

Andaaz proved to be his last film as a lead. As his career as hero ended, he started doing character roles instead. In 1974, he played Saira Banu’s father in Zameer, when he had been her leading man in Junglee (1961) & Bluff Master (1964) just a decade ago.

He also made his directorial debut with Manoranjan in 1974 and followed it up with Bundal Baaz in 1976. Both were critically acclaimed. Manoranjan, a movie inspired from Irma La Douce, had Sanjeev Kumar in the lead role & Shammi played an all important supporting role, enamuoring himself to his fans once again in what must be termed a

“Goyake chunanche”

directorial & acting style!  Critics hailed his directorial skills as being ahead of the times in both Manoranja & Bundal Baaz. In 1980s &1990s, he continued to play supporting roles in many films and won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in 1982 for his role in Vidhaata.

The conferment of the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, finally elevated him rightfully to the status of one of the all time greats of Hindi cinema

In summation

It’s been a year today since Shammi Sahab parted physical company with his fans & admirers. But even in his absentia, the lovers of his art have not tired of re-relishing & re-savouring his exciting craft, specially as resonated through the delightful songs of his movies echoing his fun psyche & joyous, free-spirited temperament.

If anything,  yeh pagla kahin kadil maange more of such fond, nostalgic reminiscences from Shammi sahab’s unique immortal contributions to the world of Hindi cinema even after he is gone; allowing his soul to smile with benevolent self satisfaction while reminding his countless, devoted fans in that stirring number from this last of his movies (viz. Pagla kahin ka) as a romantic lead:

“Tum mujhe yoon bhula na paaoge
Jab kabhi bhi sunoge geet mere
Sang sang tum bhi gungunaoge!!!”

Long live Shammi sahab, entertainer par exellence &  paragon of joi de vivre for the romantic, musical genre of Hindi cinema oldies in our hearty recapitulations of his great body of works!!!

 

Mehul-n-Me fun Maska! (V.7)

SANTA-n-BANTA STYLE BANTERING WITH MY FUN-FRIEND MEHUL!

STATUTORY WARNING: THOSE AVERSE TO RISQUE & RUSTIC, REFRAIN !

 

MEHUL : There are only 2 four letter words that are offensive to men:
“Don’t”  & “Stop” !

ME : Right.
Unless they are said together!!!