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 Zanzeer: the musical chairs for the casting of hero before entry of Amitabh Bachchan  Dev Anand', Dharmendra and Raaj Kumar were approached by Prakash Mehra before Amitabh's casting for Zanzeer  By Rajesh Ahuja  That Amitabh Bachchan was not the original choice for hero of Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer is well known.  But not many are aware that the casting of the leading man for the action thriller went through a long  musical chairs before Amitabh Bachchan was finally cast for the film,  which catapulted him as the new superstar of the Hindi film industry.  Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer went through a long musical chairs for casting of hero before entry of Amitabh Bachchan in the film  The first actor to be approached for the role of hero in Zanzeer was Dharmendra.  According to the biography of legendary actor Pran,  the story of Zanzeer had been bought by Dharmendra, who was to be its leading man, and he had reached an agreement with Pr...
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When Hema Malini was chosen over Meena Kumari for a Filmfare Award  Hema was chosen Best Actress for 'Seeta Aur Geeta' over the late Meena Kumari for 'Pakeezah'  By Rajesh Ahuja   Winning a Filmfare award is considered as a matter of prestige for artists in the Hindi film industry.. However, the Filmfare awards, the topmost awards in the annals of Bollywood, have often been marred with controversy.  One such controversy marred the awards in the year 1973 when the organizers chose Hema Malini, then a relative newcomer, over the talented Meena Kumari for the Best actress award.  In the 1973 awards, the jury for the awards bypassed Meena Kumari, who had the same year given a memorable performance in Kamal Amrohi's classic Pakeezah , and selected Hema Malini, then a relative newcomer, for her performance in ' Seeta aur Geeta '.  When Hema Malini was chosen over Meena Kumari for a Filmfare Award  The episode finds mention in the biography of legendary actor...
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 Pran and Ashok Kumar: one of the most enduring friendships in Bollywood  By Rajesh Ahuja  They were two legendary actors of Hindi cinema who started out their careers being on opposite sides of the fence - Ashok Kumar was the lovable hero while Pran was the detestable villain of the piece .  Their on screen rivalry notwithstanding, Ashok Kumar and Pran shared an enduring friendship in Bollywood.  Infact, Ashok Kumar and Pran's  is considered to be among the most enduring friendships in Bollywood.  Ashok Kumar and Pran had the most enduring  friendships in Bollywood  So close were Pran and Ashok Kumar that the legendary Bollywood  villain,  referring in his biography to his bond with Dadamoni,  as Ashok Kumar was  lovingly  referred to in the film industry, recalled Dadamoni saying that if he (Ashok Kumar) was in the bathroom and Pran's movie was being  shown  on  TV,  he would  Immediately...
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Raaka in 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai' was one of Pran's most unforgettable roles in a Raj Kapoor film  Pran did a lot of work on the development of Raaka in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai  By Rajesh Ahuja   Known for his close association with Raj Kapoor,  legendary actor Pran worked with the Bollywood showman in many films, from Aah (1953) to Bobby (1973).  However,  among his various performances in a Raj Kapoor film,  Pran rates his performance in the dacoit drama Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti   Hai (1960)as one of his 'most unforgettable ones'.  In his biography titled ' And Pran ', the legendary actor lists his performance as 'Raaka' as among his 'most unforgettable roles.  'From Aah (1953) to Bobby (1973),I acted in many Raj Kapoor's films. But the most unforgettable role among them all was the one in ' Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai' ,'Pran wrote in his biography.  Pran lists his role as Raaka in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Be...
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 Pran and Dev Anand: a lucky combination in Bollywood  Pran and Dev Anand starred in nine films, most of them hits  By Rajesh Ahuja  Legendary actor Pran Sikand, who established himself as a successful villain in the 50s and 60s,  had most of his successful films with the legendary Ashok Kumar and the 'Big Three ' of the Hindi film industry - Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand.  According to the biography of Pran,  titled ' And Pran '','Pran was often the preferred choice to fill bad men's roles from the 1950s onwards.  'Some of his most successful films were with the original 'evergreen actor ' Ashok Kumar and with 'The Big Three '.  The biography reveals that of the triumvirate,  Pran shared a special rapport with Dev Anand.  Pran and Dev Anand were a lucky combination in Bollywood  This special bond developed when Dev Anand and Pran worked together for the first time in Bombay Talkies' ' Ziddi '(1948).  Though Pran h...
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Sky Force : a gripping action drama with brilliant performances by Akshay,Veer Pahadia  Rating: 4 stars  By Rajesh Ahuja  After wowing audiences with slick action thrillers like Sooryavanshi and Bell Bottom and the more recent rescue drama Mission Raniganj , Akshay Kumar is back with another emotionally charged performance in his latest release Sky Force , a film based on India’s attack on the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan during the India Pakistan war in 1965.  As Wing Commander Kumar Om Ahuja who led the attack by the Indian Air Force on the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan during the India Pakistan war in 1965, Akshay Kumar comes up with a virtuoso act that leaves the audience in tears and imbues them with a feeling of pride.  Sky Force is a gripping action drama with brilliant performances by Akshay and Veer Pahadia  Sky Force is based on a real life incident of India’s attack on the Sargodha airbase of Pakistan during the India Pakistan war in 1965. ...
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When Pran refused Filmfare Award for Be-imaan in solidarity with Pakeezah Music director Ghulam Mohammad  By Rajesh Ahuja  In an industry where receiving a Filmfare award has, over the  years,  been considered as a big honour by people in the Mumbai  film industry,  legendary actor Pran,  in 1973,, declined a Filmfare Award bestowed to him in solidarity with late Music  director  Ghulam Mohammad.  At a time when winning a Filmfare Award every year was considered big news by the winners and refusing one would be absolutely unthinkable, Pran refused to accept in 1973 the Filmfare Award for Best  Supporting actor for his performance as a policeman in Beimaan as he felt that the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director should have gone to the late Ghulam Mohammad.  Pran  refused the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting actor for Be-imaan in  solidarity with late Music director Ghulam Mohammad  News of the Filmfare Award ...
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