Celebrity gaze

Think of me as a villain, not your uncle: Pran put Amitabh at ease during a scene in Zanzeer  Amitabh was a little nervous during the opening scene between him and Pran  By Rajesh Ahuja  Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer saw Amitabh Bachchan rise on the Bollywood skyway as the new 'angry young man '.  However, a crucial scene between him and veteran actor Pran,  which was among the scenes which established him as 'angry young man', saw Amitabh experience nervousness. It was only  after Pran  put him at ease that Amitabh  could do the scene well enough.  Amitabh Bachchan was nervous during the opening scene between him and Pran in Zanzeer  The scene being referred to was the one where the character Vijay,  a police inspector who has been transferred to a new area, summons the bad man Sher Khan (Pran) to the police station. When Sher Khan arrives at the police station and is about to sit on the chair lying opposite the police inspector, ...

 You look younger than the hero: Nargis complemented Pran after watching Zanzeer  Nargis' comments came after she watched rushes of the film By Rajesh Ahuja  It was not just the cine going audiences who praised veteran actor Pran for his performance in the classic thriller ' Zanzeer '. The legendary actor recieved accolades from no less a star than the acting powerhouse Nargis for his performance in the film.  According to the biography of Pran , the actor's performance in Zanzeer won him effusive praise from Nargis,  considered one of the greatest actresses in Hindi films.  The comments by Nargis came on Pran's performance in the song ' Yaari Hai Imaan Mera Yaar Meri Zindagi '.  Nargis complemented Pran after watching Zanzeer  Speaking in an interview to the biography,  superstar and the leading hero of Zanzeer Amitabh Bachchan, recalling the reaction of Nargis after watching the song ' Yaari Hai Imaan Mere ', said, Pran saab put so much ...

 Mumtaz,  not Jaya Bhaduri, was the original choice for female lead in Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer  Mumtaz's marriage to Mayur Madhvani led to the entry of Jaya in the film  By Rajesh Ahuja  Bollywood history is replete with stories of missed opportunities and one actor's loss turning out to be another actor's gain.  As is well known, Prakash Mehra's action thriller Zanzeer is a typical case of the film proving to be a missed opportunity for actors like Dev Anand,  Dharmendra and Raaj Kumar and turning out to be a fortune for Amitabh Bachchan,  who skyrocketed to fame as the new 'angry young man ' of Bollywood with the film.  Prakash Mehra's Zanzeer also proved to be a missed opportunity for actress Mumtaz.  It turns out that Mumtaz,  a huge star in the late 60s and early 70s, was the original choice for the heroine of Zanzeer .  According to the biography of legendary actor Pran, Mumtaz was originally slated to be the female int...

 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...

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...

 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...