Latest news with #DoBadan
Mint
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Raj Khosla@100: Asha Parekh remembers director who helped her break glam girl image with Do Badan
Mumbai, Jun 1 (PTI) Veteran actor Asha Parekh has credited the late writer-filmmaker Raj Khosla with recognising her potential beyond the "glam girl" image by offering her "Do Badan", a film that changed the trajectory of her career. At a retrospective event to mark Khosla's 100th birth anniversary on Saturday evening, Parekh said the filmmaker's decision to cast her in the 1966 drama came as a surprise to her as it went against the industry's perception of her. "Everyone in the industry thought I was just a glam girl, a dancing girl and that I am not a good actress. I do not know what Raj ji had in mind when he came to me and offered me 'Do Badan'. The critics wrote good things about me and my work in the film. It gave me confidence to do more such films," Parekh said at a panel discussion. "Do Badan" tells the story of two lovers -- Asha (Parekh), a wealthy young woman, and Vikas (Manoj Kumar), an orphan -- whose romance takes a tragic turn due to a series of unforeseen events. The film, which became a box-office hit on its release, also featured Simi Garewal and Pran in pivotal roles. The Dadasaheb Phalke award winner revealed that initially, her contemporary, Rakhee, was supposed to star in the film. "I remember, Raj ji called me and said, 'I want to talk to you'. I said, 'okay'. He came home and narrated the story. After the narration, I told him to promise me to make the film as it is. It was a beautifully-written film. It was poetic. I remember, women would cry watching the film," Parekh said. The actor also shared that she had suggested a different climax to Khosla for "Do Badan", one where only her character would die. However, after further discussions, Kumar convinced the director to go with a more tragic ending in which both lovers meet their fate. "He would say what he wanted but leave the artists to emote the way they want," Parekh said about their collaborative process. After "Do Badan", the two also collaborated in "Chirag" (1969), "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) and "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki" (1978). Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was also part of the panel discussion along with Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorised Biography", and Khosla's daughter, Anita. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF), moderated the panel discussion. Khosla gave Hindi cinema some of its most memorable songs like "Lag Jaa Gale", "Mera Saaya", "Jhumka Gira Re", "Kahin Pe Nigaahen Kahin Pe Nishaana", "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan", "Nazar Lagi Raja Tore Bangle Par", "Hai Apna Dil To Awara" and many more. Parekh said she loved the way Khosla shot the song sequences in his movies. "When you work in four films, the whole unit becomes like a family.... Raj ji came from the Guru Dutt school, there was a little bit of Guru Dutt ji that he had while doing (songs)," she said. The daylong retrospective, titled "Raj Khosla 100 -- Bambai Ka Babu", was curated by the FHF at the Regal Cinema in south Mumbai. As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla's acclaimed films -- "CID" (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960) and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" -- were screened. The first two films have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Parekh said re-watching "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" brought back fresh memories. "It did bring back fresh memories. I had the most fun working with him. I wish I could see the entire film, but I had to leave," the veteran actor told PTI. "It was a film that was different from the films I was doing. It had beautiful songs. Laxmi Chayya had a better role than I, but despite that, I stood my ground," she added. Earlier in the day, actor Raima Sen introduced "Bambai Ka Babu", which featured her late grandmother, Suchitra Sen, opposite Dev Anand. Sen said she is glad that these classic films are being reintroduced and thanked the FHF for taking the initiative to commemorate Khosla's work. "I am excited to introduce this film, which is my favourite film. For her (Suchitra Sen), to take up this subject was a very bold move because it was not conventional and she was a star. "So to do an unusual film story of a brother and a sister, who till the end do not know that they are brother and sister, and the romance between the two, I think the film was way ahead of its time," Sen said.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Raj Khosla@100: Asha Parekh remembers director who helped her break 'glam girl' image with 'Do Badan'
Mumbai, Veteran actor Asha Parekh on Saturday credited the late writer-filmmaker, Raj Khosla, with recognising her potential beyond the "glam girl" image by offering her "Do Badan", a film that changed the trajectory of her career. At a retrospective event to mark Khosla's 100th birth anniversary, Parekh said the filmmaker's decision to cast her in the 1966 drama came as a surprise to her as it went against the industry's perception of her. "Everyone in the industry thought I was just a glam girl, a dancing girl and that I am not a good actress. I do not know what Raj ji had in mind when he came to me and offered me 'Do Badan'. The critics wrote good things about me and my work in the film. It gave me confidence to do more such films," Parekh said at a panel discussion. "Do Badan" tells the story of two lovers Asha , a wealthy young woman, and Vikas , an orphan whose romance takes a tragic turn due to a series of unforeseen events. The film, which became a box-office hit on its release, also featured Simi Garewal and Pran in pivotal roles. The Dadasaheb Phalke award winner revealed that initially, her contemporary, Rakhee, was supposed to star in the film. "I remember, Raj ji called me and said, 'I want to talk to you'. I said, 'okay'. He came home and narrated the story. After the narration, I told him to promise me to make the film as it is. It was a beautifully-written film. It was poetic. I remember, women would cry watching the film," Parekh said. The actor also shared that she had suggested a different climax to Khosla for "Do Badan", one where only her character would die. However, after further discussions, Kumar convinced the director to go with a more tragic ending in which both lovers meet their fate. "He would say what he wanted but leave the artists to emote the way they want," Parekh said about their collaborative process. After "Do Badan", the two also collaborated in "Chirag" , "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" and "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki" . Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was also part of the panel discussion along with Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorised Biography", and Khosla's daughter, Anita. Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation , moderated the panel discussion. Khosla gave Hindi cinema some of its most memorable songs like "Lag Jaa Gale", "Mera Saaya", "Jhumka Gira Re", "Kahin Pe Nigaahen Kahin Pe Nishaana", "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan", "Nazar Lagi Raja Tore Bangle Par", "Hai Apna Dil To Awara" and many more. Parekh said she loved the way Khosla shot the song sequences in his movies. "When you work in four films, the whole unit becomes like a family.... Raj ji came from the Guru Dutt school, there was a little bit of Guru Dutt ji that he had while doing ," she said. The daylong retrospective, titled "Raj Khosla 100 Bambai Ka Babu", was curated by the FHF at the Regal Cinema in south Mumbai. As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla's acclaimed films "CID" , "Bambai Ka Babu" and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" were screened. The first two films have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation and National Film Archive of India under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Parekh said re-watching "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" brought back fresh memories. "It did bring back fresh memories. I had the most fun working with him. I wish I could see the entire film, but I had to leave," the veteran actor told PTI. "It was a film that was different from the films I was doing. It had beautiful songs. Laxmi Chayya had a better role than I, but despite that, I stood my ground," she added. Earlier in the day, actor Raima Sen introduced "Bambai Ka Babu", which featured her late grandmother, Suchitra Sen, opposite Dev Anand. Sen said she is glad that these classic films are being reintroduced and thanked the FHF for taking the initiative to commemorate Khosla's work. "I am excited to introduce this film, which is my favourite film. For her , to take up this subject was a very bold move because it was not conventional and she was a star. "So to do an unusual film story of a brother and a sister, who till the end do not know that they are brother and sister, and the romance between the two, I think the film was way ahead of its time," Sen said.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mumbai's Regal theatre to screen Bambai Ka Babu, CID, Mera Gaon Mera Desh during Centenary celebration of Raj Khosla
The face-off between Dharmendra, essaying the character of a reformed petty thief-turned-farmer Ajit, and Vinod Khanna as dreaded dacoit Jabbar Singh will play out on the screen of Regal, the city's heritage single-screen theatre, on Saturday evening as it will showcase Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971). The screening is organised as part of its director Raj Khosla's birth centenary celebration and will be introduced by one of the film's leading actor Asha Parekh. A day-long mini-retrospective of the popular writer-director's movies, titled 'Raj Khosla 100 – Bambai Ka Babu', organised by the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) at Regal on Saturday, commemorates this 100th birth anniversary. The event will also hold screenings of Khosla's C.I.D. (1956) and Bambai Ka Babu (1960), which have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Archive of India (NFDC). His just-published biography, written by Amborish Roychoudhury, will be released. In a career spanning three decades and 27 films, Khosla is known for his remarkable song picturisation in the 1950s and 60s as well as revolutionising the way music was integrated into Indian film narratives. Born in Punjab (now in Pakistan), he shifted to Bombay with dreams of becoming a playback singer. Instead, he ended up being an assistant director on Guru Dutt's directorial debut, Baazi (1951), which featured actor Dev Anand. Though Khosla's directorial debut, Milap (1955), was not a box-office hit, he went on to direct several successful entertainers — from neo-noir crime dramas like CID (1956) and Solva Saal (1958) to the haunting Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) and Mera Saaya (1966). Describing Raj Khosla as 'the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema' for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of Film Heritage Foundation says: 'Raj-ji excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director's chair with his name emblazoned on it.' Parekh counts Do Badan, Chirag, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki and Mera Gaon Mera Desh — directed by Khosla — among her favourite films. 'Before my first film, Do Badan, with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. Do Badan that changed people's perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturization was remarkable,' says the Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipient. 'This screening at Regal, Mumbai is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, Bombai Ka Babu in 4K restored version. We are also showcasing another classic, CID, restored by NFDC-NFAI,' says Prakash Magdum, managing director of NFDC.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
FHF to celebrate Raj Khosla's centenary with screenings of his restored films
The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has announced a one-day retrospective to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of writer-filmmaker Raj Khosla. Titled 'Raj Khosla 100 - Bambai Ka Babu', the event will take place on May 31 at Mumbai's Regal Cinema and also features a special panel discussion on the legacy of one of 's most versatile directors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla's acclaimed films -- "C.I.D." (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960), and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) -- will be screened. T he first two movies have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The event will feature a panel discussion with veteran actor Asha Parekh, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography". Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation, said, "I would describe Raj Khosla as the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films." "He excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director's chair with his name emblazoned on it," he added. Parekh, who collaborated with Khosla on several films including "Chirag", "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki", and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", said his 1966 film Do Badan transformed the way audiences perceived her as an artist. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Before my first film with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. It was 'Do Badan' that changed people's perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. I shared a great rapport with Rajji and I enjoyed working with him. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturization was remarkable," she said. Mahesh Bhatt paid a tribute to Khosla, saying, "His words haunt me still. He likened fame to starlight - a flow emanating from stars long dead, their light journeying across vast distances to reach us. 'The light is the message,' he said, 'but the star, the messenger, is gone'. Raj Sahab is such a star. Though he is long gone, his light still shines through me." Prakash Magdum, managing director, NFDC, revealed that NFDC-NFAI has had a 35mm release print of 'Bombai Ka Babu' in its collection for over 40 years, which made the 4K restoration possible in the first place. "This screening at Regal, Mumbai, is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, 'Bombai Ka Babu' in 4K restored version," he added. PTI
