Meena Kumari was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as The Tragedy Queen, she is regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema. In a career spanning 33 years, from child actress to adult, Kumari starred in over 90 films.
The IIFA Award for Best Actress is given by the International Indian Film Academy as part of its annual award ceremony for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The recipient is chosen by viewers and the winner is announced at the ceremony. The current recipient is Alia Bhatt who took home her 4th award for Gangubai Kathiawadi making her the most awarded actress in this category.
Baiju Bawra is a 1952 Hindi musical romantic drama film directed by Vijay Bhatt. Produced by Prakash Pictures, with story by Ramchandra Thakur and dialogues by Zia Sarhadi, Baiju Bawra was a musical "megahit" which had a mighty 100-week run in the theatres. Bhatt's decision to make a film based on classical music was met with scepticism by the Indian film industry due to its "lack of mass appeal", but the film and music turned out be an "overwhelming success".
Vinod Mehra was an Indian actor in Hindi films. He started out as a child actor in the mid 1950s before starting his film career as an adult in 1971. He acted in over 100 films from the 1970s through to his death at the age of 45 in 1990. He was also the producer and director of the film Gurudev which was released 3 years after his death.
Ek Hi Bhool is a 1981 Indian Hindi-language drama film, produced by A. Purnachandra Rao under the Lakshmi Productions banner and directed by T. Rama Rao. The film stars Jeetendra and Rekha, with music composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. It is a remake of the Tamil film Mouna Geethangal (1981). The film was a box office success.
Vijay Bhatt was a producer-director-screenwriter of Hindi cinema, who made such films as Ram Rajya (1943), Baiju Bawra (1952), Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) and Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).
Ghulam Mustafa Durrani was an Indian radio drama artist, playback singer, actor and music director.
The Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards is the oldest Association of Film critics in India, founded in 1937. Frequent winners include Meena Kumari, Shabana Azmi, Nutan, Vyjayanthimala, Mala Sinha, Tabu, Rani Mukherji.
Khwab Ki Duniya (transl. Dreamland) is a 1937 Hindi fantasy film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt for Prakash Pictures. The music director was Lallubhai Nayak with lyrics written by Pandit Anuj. The film starred Jayant, with costars Sardar Akhtar, Umakant, Zahur, Lallubhai, Shirin and Ismail.
Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a 1953 Hindi devotional biopic film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt. The film's music was composed by R. C. Boral, with lyrics by Bharat Vyas. The director of photography was V. N. Reddy. Bharat Bhushan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Asha Parekh, having started her career as a child artist in 1952, and who went on to become a famous actress, was cast in a small role in this film. The starcast included Bharat Bhushan, Durga Khote, Ameeta, Asha Parekh, Ram Mohan, Madan Puri, Kanhaiyalal and B.M. Vyas.
State Express is a 1938 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Vijay Bhatt for his production company Prakash Pictures. The film's music was composed by Lallubhai Nayak and the dialogues were written by Sampatlal Srivastava. Zakaria Khan, named Jayant by Vijay Bhatt, and who was to become a famous character artist, started his career as a leading man in several of Bhatt's earlier films from Bombay Mail (1935) to Bijli (1939), including State Express The film starred Jayant, Sardar Akhtar, Umakant, Lallubhai Nayak, Shirin and Ismail.
Leather Face, also known as Farzand-e-Watan, is a 1939 Indian Hindi-language action film produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt for his production company Prakash Pictures. Bhatt cast the young Mahjabeen, then six years, who went on to become the famous actress, Meena Kumari. The story writers were Batuk Bhatt and Sampatlal Srivastava. The music direction was by Lallubhai Nayak and Shankar Rao Vyas with the lyrics written by Pandit Anuj. It starred P. Jairaj, Mehtab, Jal Writer, Shirin, M. Zahur, Lallubhai Nayak, Bholaram and Baby Mahjabeen.
Vikramaditya is a 1945 Hindi historical drama film directed by Vijay Bhatt for his banner Prakash Pictures. The title role of the King of Avanti, Vikramaditya, was played by Prithviraj Kapoor, who had made a name for himself as a good actor by then and was extremely popular. The film was made as a result of Bhatt's interest in history and on the request of the Vikram Bimillenium Committee, celebrating the 2000 years of the King Vikramaditya according to the Vikram Samvat, Hindu calendar. The film-maker concentrated on factual history rather than fiction for his story. The music direction was by Shankar Rao Vyas with the lyricists being Ramesh Gupta and Roopdas. The film starred Prithviraj Kapoor, Prem Adib, Baburao Pendharkar, Ratnamala, Bhagwandas and Ranjana.
Rambaan is a 1948 Indian Hindi-language mythological drama film directed and produced by Vijay Bhatt and written by Mohanlal Dave, with dialogue by Pandit Girish. The film starred Prem Adib as Rama and Shobhana Samarth as Sita, with Chandra Mohan, Umakant, Amirbai Karnataki and Raj Adib in other principal characters. The film's music was composed by Shankar Rao Vyas.
Samaj Ko Badal Dalo is a 1947 Indian Hindi social melodrama film directed by Vijay Bhatt. Produced under the Prakash Pictures banner, its music composer was Khemchand Prakash, with lyrics by Pandit Indra, Roopdas, and Qamar Jalalabadi. The story, screenplay and dialogues were by Pandit Girish. Its cinematographer was Yusuf Mulji and the film starred Arun Ahuja, Mridula, Yakub, Leela Pawar, Umakant and Bikram Kapoor.
Ramayan is a 1954 Hindi religious film based on Valmiki's Ramayana, produced and directed by Vijay Bhatt for Prakash Pictures. The music directors were Shankar Rao Vyas and Hariprasanna Das and the lyrics were written by Ramesh Gupta, Pandit Indra, Neelkanth Tiwari, Baalam Pardesi. The film starred Prem Adib and Shobhana Samarth once again as Rama and Sita. The two actors had earlier acted in a trilogy of Bhatt's films based on the Ramayana, Bharat Milap (1942), Ram Rajya (1943) and Rambaan (1946). All three had been extremely successful, with the audience accepting them in the traditional roles. The other costars included Shahu Modak, Durga Khote, and Umakant.
Hamara Ghar is a 1950 Hindi family drama film made by 'Hindustan Chitra' and directed by Nanabhai Bhatt. Music is by Chitragupta Shrivastava. The cast was Durga Khote, Umakant Desai, Veera, Agha, Meena Kumari, Geeta Bose, David, Jankidas, Ramesh Gupta etc. Lyrics were by Anjum, Rammurthy Chaturvedi and Bharat Vyas.
