Ashok Kumar, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He was a pioneering actor who introduced natural acting to Hindi cinema. He is considered the first superstar of Hindi cinema in the black-and-white era of the 40s and 50s as well as the first lead actor to play an anti-hero. He also became the first star to reinvent himself, enjoying a long and hugely successful career as a character actor. He was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
Sudhir Phadke was an Indian singer-composer. He was regarded as an icon of the Marathi film industry and Marathi Sugam Sangeet for five decades. Apart from Marathi, Phadke sang and composed songs in several Hindi films as well.
Naukar Biwi Ka is a 1983 Hindi comedy film, a remake of the Punjabi film Naukar Wohti Da (1974). The film stars Dharmendra, Raj Babbar, Anita Raj, Reena Roy, Kader Khan, Pran and Om Prakash. It was directed by Rajkumar Kohli.
Kismet (transl. Fate) is a 1943 Indian drama film, directed by Gyan Mukherjee, written by Mukherjee with Aghajani Kashmeri, and produced by Bombay Talkies, during the Second World War, while it was in a succession battle between Devika Rani and Sashadhar Mukherjee after owner Himanshu Rai's death. The film was the first big hit in the history of Bombay cinema, and the first blockbuster in Indian cinema.
Amar (transl. "Immortal") is a 1954 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film produced and directed by Mehboob Khan. Dealing with the controversial subject matter of rape, the film revolves around the titular upper-class lawyer, his feminist fiancé, the social worker Anju Roy (Madhubala), and Sonia (Nimmi), a poor milkmaid.
Tarana (transl. Anthem) is a 1951 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film produced and written by K. S. Daryani and directed by Ram Daryani. Starring Madhubala and Dilip Kumar together for the first time, Tarana revolves around the titular character (Madhubala), a free-spirited village girl who falls in love with a visiting doctor (Kumar).
Joshila is a 1973 Bollywood thriller film directed by Yash Chopra. The film stars Dev Anand, Hema Malini and Raakhee. Most outdoor parts of the movie were shot in Darjeeling, West Bengal. The film is loosely inspired by James Hadley Chase's 1959 novel, Shock Treatment.
My Wife's Murder is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Jijy Philip. The cast includes Anil Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurti, Boman Irani and Nandana Sen. The film is a remake of Telugu film, Madhyanam Hathya, directed by Ram Gopal Varma himself. The movie seems to closely follow the story of Horace William Manton, the main accused in the Luton Sack Murder Case.
Patanga is a 1949 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film. It was the first film produced and distributed by Varma Films; yet,It was the seventh highest grossing Indian film of 1949. The film was directed by H. S. Rawail based on a story written by his wife Anjana Rawail. Rajendra Kumar, who would become one of the leading actors in Indian cinema, worked in Patanga as an assistant to director H.S. Rawail and also had a cameo in the film. A duet sung against the backdrop of WW2, "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon", picturised on actor Gope and lead heroine Nigar Sultana became popular. The playback singers for the song were C. Ramchandra, who also composed the music for the film, and Shamshad Begum. The cast included Nigar Sultana, Shyam, Yakub, Gope, Purnima, Shyama, Randhir and Mohana.
Geeta is a Bollywood film directed by Parshwanath Yeshwant Altekar and starring Chandra Mohan, Durga Khote and Anant Marathe. It was released in 1940. The film produced under the Circo Productions banner was a bilingual made in Hindi and Marathi. The story was written by Minoo Katrak who in later films was to become a renowned sound recordist. The cinematographer was Gordhanbhai Patel and the film's music was composed by Datta Koregaonkar. It's dialogues and song lyrics were by S. K. Kallah with screenplay by Altekar. The rest of the cast included Trilok Kapoor, Ashalata, Vatsala Kumtekar and Baby Suman.
Amiri Garibi is a 1990 Hindi-language drama film, produced by Pradeep Sharma under the TUTU Films banner and directed by Harmesh Malhotra. It stars Jeetendra, Rekha, Rishi Kapoor, Neelam, Raj Babbar, Poonam Dhillon and music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The film is a remake of the Telugu movie Makutamleni Maharaju (1987), starring Krishna, Sridevi, and Rajendra Prasad in the pivotal roles.
Bibbo was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films. She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana", where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.
Munawar Sultana was an Indian cinema actress, who acted in Hindi films. She is cited as one of the "popular" actresses of the late 1940s to early 1950s period, along with Noor Jehan, Swarnalata and Ragini. Her specialty was playing a selfless woman, enduring the rough treatment meted by her husband and family, but who eventually "brought her erring husband back home".
Hanste Aansoo is a 1950 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by K. B. Lall and starring Madhubala and Motilal, with Gope and Manorama appearing in supporting roles. The music for the film is composed by Ghulam Mohammed. The first Indian film to get an Adults certification, Hanste Aansoo was both a controversial and popular release, receiving praise for Madhubala's performance and notoriety for its bold storyline.
Neki Aur Badi is a 1949 Indian Hindi-language patriotic drama film directed by Kidar Sharma. The film stars Sharma with Madhubala and Geeta Bali.
Varma Films was a film production and distribution company founded in Bombay, India and predominantly involved in producing and distributing Hindi-language films.
Bhagwan Das Varma (1907-1962) was a Bollywood film producer and director. He was one of six brothers that were founders/partners of Varma Films, a company predominantly involved with the production and distribution of Hindi language films. After the Varma Films banner was retired in the mid-1950s, Bhagwan Das continued his film production and distribution activities with two affiliated companies: Varma Pictures and V. P. Productions.
Munshiram Varma (1902-1958) was a Bollywood film producer. He was one of six brothers that were founders/partners of Varma Films, a company predominantly involved with the production and distribution of Hindi-language films.
