Ashok Kumar, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He was considered the first big star of Indian cinema 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. He was honoured in 1988 with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India. He received the Padma Shri in 1962 and Padma Bhushan in 1999 for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Do Bigha Zamin is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem "Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni and Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, Do Bigha Zamin is considered an important film in the early parallel cinema of India, and a trend setter.
Devdas is a Bengali romance novel written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The story pivots a tragic triangle linking Devdas, an archetypal lover in viraha (separation); Paro, his forbidden childhood love; and Chandramukhi, a reformed courtesan (tawaif). Devdas has been adapted on screen 20 times for film and 5 times for single song.
The Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role. Although the Filmfare awards started in 1954, awards for the Best Supporting Actress category started the following year 1955.
Suchitra Sen, widely known as the Mahanayika, was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema.
Devdas is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and produced by Bharat Shah under his banner, Mega Bollywood. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles, with Jackie Shroff, Kirron Kher, Smita Jaykar, and Vijayendra Ghatge in supporting roles. Based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the film narrates the story of Devdas Mukherjee (Khan), a wealthy law graduate who returns from London to marry his childhood friend, Parvati "Paro" (Rai). However, the rejection of their marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration and him seeking refuge with the golden-hearted courtesan Chandramukhi (Dixit).
Devdas is a 1935 Bengali film directed by Pramathesh Barua and based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel, Devdas. It stars Barua as Devdas, Jamuna Barua as Parvati (Paro) and Chandrabati Devi as Chandramukhi. This was Barua's first of three language versions of the story, the second being in Hindi and the third in Assamese. The Bengali film was dubbed into Tamil and was released in 1936. K. L. Saigal sang two songs in Tamil for this film.(See Ext. links for a link.)
Madhumati is a 1958 Indian Hindi-language paranormal romance film directed and produced by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar in lead roles, with Pran and Johnny Walker in supporting roles. The plot focuses on Anand, a modern man who falls in love with a tribal woman named Madhumati. But they face challenges in their relationship finally leading to a paranormal consequence. The film was ranked 11th in the Outlook Magazine's 25 leading Indian directors' poll for selecting Bollywood's greatest films in 2003.
Vyjayanthimala Bali, known mononymously as Vyjayanthimala, is an Indian parliamentarian, dancer and former actress. Regarded as one of Indian Cinema's finest actresses and dancers, she is the recipient of several accolades, including five Filmfare Awards and two BFJA Awards. She is considered the first female superstar in India. She made her screen debut at the age of 16 with the Tamil film Vaazhkai (1949), and followed this with a role in the Telugu film Jeevitham (1950). Her first work in Hindi cinema was the social guidance film Bahar (1951), which she headlined, and achieved her breakthrough with the romance Nagin (1954).
Devdas is a 1936 Hindi-language Indian drama romance film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella, Devdas. Directed by Pramathesh Barua, it stars K.L. Saigal as Devdas, Jamuna Barua as Parvati (Paro) and Rajkumari as Chandramukhi. This was Barua's second of three language versions, the first being in Bengali and the third in Assamese.
Devadasu is a 1953 Indian romantic drama film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya and produced by D. L. Narayana for Vinodha Pictures. Chakrapani wrote the script based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel, Devdas. C. R. Subbaraman composed the film's music. The film was edited by P. V. Narayanan, while B. S. Ranga provided the cinematography.
Paigham (transl. Message) is a 1959 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by S. S. Vasan. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles, with Raaj Kumar, Pandari Bai, B. Saroja Devi, Motilal and Johnny Walker in other important roles. The film's music was composed by C. Ramchandra. This was the first time Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar appeared in a film together. They later appeared together once again over three decades later for the 1991 film Saudagar. The film was declared a blockbuster at box office.
Dev.D is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film released on 6 February 2009. Written and directed by Anurag Kashyap, it is a modern-day take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic Bengali novel Devdas, previously adapted for the screen by P.C. Barua and Bimal Roy and more recently by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Dev.D received positive critical reviews. The film is set in contemporary Punjab and Delhi, where familial ties are negotiated by the traditional system and marriages are a game of power and a matter of honour.
Devdas is a 2013 Bangladeshi romantic period drama film based on the Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel Devdas. The film is directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam, who also directed the 1982 version and produced by Faridur Reza Sagar under the banner of his Impress Telefilm, based on the 1917 novel of the same name by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. The film is set in the early 1900s and follows Shakib Khan as Devdas Mukherjee, a wealthy law graduate who returns from Calcutta after 13 years to marry his childhood sweetheart, Paro, played by Apu Biswas. However, the rejection of this marriage by his own family sparks his descent into alcoholism, ultimately leading to his emotional deterioration and him seeking refuge with a courtesan, Chandramukhi, played by Moushumi.
Vyjayanthimala is an Indian actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, Carnatic singer, dance choreographer and parliamentarian. She was the highest-paid actress of her time. Regarded as the "first female superstar" and "Megastar" of Indian cinema, She made her debut in the Tamil language film at the age of 16 with Vaazhkai in 1949 and in the Telugu film Jeevitham in 1950. She later became one of the most prominent actresses of South Indian cinema and in the golden era of Bollywood and was known as one of the iconic leading actresses of all time. Vyjayanthimala acted in Bollywood movies Bahar and Ladki. Following the success of Nagin, Vyjayanthimala established herself as one of Bollywood's leading actresses while making inroads in successful Tamil and Telugu films. After successfully establishing herself as a commercial actress, Vyjayanthimala appeared in Devdas, playing Chandramukhi, the hooker with a heart of gold, in 1955. In her first dramatic role, she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 4th Filmfare Awards, where she refused to accept the award citing that hers was not a supporting role, being the first person to refuse a Filmfare Award. Following that, Vyjayanthimala appeared in series of blockbuster films such as New Delhi, Naya Daur and Aasha. She reached the pinnacle of her success in 1958 when two of her films — Sadhna and Madhumati — became huge critical and commercial hits. She was nominated for two Filmfare Award for Best Actress Award for Sadhna and Madhumati and won the award for the former. At this point, Vyjayanthimala made comeback to Tamil films, where she tasted commercial success with Vanjikottai Vaaliban, Irumbu Thirai, Baghdad Thirudan and Then Nilavu. In 1961, the release of Dilip Kumar's Ganga Jumna saw her playing a rustic village belle, Dhanno, who speaks the Awadhi dialect. Critics applauded her performance, while some labeled it her best to date. She won her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Ganga Jumna. Beginning in 1962, most of her films performed either averagely or poorly at the box office. However, in 1964, with the success of Sangam, her career hit its peak again. She reinvented herself by playing a modern Indian girl appearing in revealing costumes and a one-piece swimsuit. She went to receive her third Best Actress Award at the 12th Filmfare Awards for her role as Radha in Sangam. She later achieved critical acclaim for her performance in the historical drama Amrapali, which was based on the life of Nagarvadhu, royal courtesan of Vaishali, Amrapali. The film received universal acclaim, but it was a huge box office failure, which left Vyjayanthimala, who had huge expectations of the film, disenchanted to the point where she decided to quit films. In the end of her career Vyjayanthimala was mostly seen in commercially successful films such as Suraj, Jewel Thief and Prince with a few critically acclaimed films such as Hatey Bazarey and Sunghursh. Most of them were released after Vyjayanthimala left the film industry.
Chandramukhi is one of the pivotal characters in the 1917 Bengali novel Devdas by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Her character was inspired by the Hindu mystical singer Meera, who devoted her life to Lord Krishna; similarly Chandramukhi devoted her life to Devdas. Chandramukhi is portrayed as a tawaif in the novel and its film adaptations. Chandramukhi means "moon faced" or "as beautiful as the moon" in Sanskrit.
The 4th Filmfare Awards were held on 5 May 1957, in Bombay, honoring the best films in Hindi cinema for the year 1956.
Uttar Falguni is a 1963 Indian Bengali-language drama film directed by Asit Sen and produced by Uttam Kumar, starring Suchitra Sen in a double role, Bikash Roy and Dilip Mukherjee in lead. At the 11th National Film Awards, the film was awarded the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali. Music of the film composed by Robin Chatterjee. The film was remade by director Asit Sen himself in Hindi, as Mamta (1966) again with Suchitra Sen as the lead. The film was also remade in Tamil as Kaviya Thalaivi (1970), and in Malayalam as Pushpanjali (1972).
Devadasu is a 1974 Telugu romance film, Krishna in the titular roll and directed by Vijaya Nirmala, also as her 100th film in lead role. It is based on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdas, produced by S. Raghunath and presented by Krishna under the Sri Vijaya Krishna Movies banner, with music was composed by Ramesh Naidu. Kotagiri Gopala Rao edited the film, while V. S. R. Swamy provided the cinematography. The film was a commercial failure at the box office.
Trilok Kapoor was an Indian actor and a member of the Kapoor family who worked in Bollywood films. He was the younger brother of actor Prithviraj Kapoor.
