Shakeel Badayuni was an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter in Hindi / Urdu language films.
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.
Mohammed Rafi was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice; his songs varied from fast peppy numbers to patriotic songs, sad numbers to highly romantic songs, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans to classical songs. He was known for his ability to mould his voice to the persona and style of the actor lip-syncing the song on screen in the movie. He received six Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award. In 1967, he was honored with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. In 2001, Rafi was honoured with the "Best Singer of the Millennium" title by Hero Honda and Stardust magazine. In 2013, Rafi was voted for the Greatest Voice in Hindi Cinema in the CNN-IBN's poll.
Raaj Kumar was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi films. In a career that spanned over four decades, he went on to star in 70 films and is regarded as one of the most successful actors of Indian cinema.
Madan Mohan Kohli, better known as Madan Mohan, was an Indian music director of the 1950s, 1960s and the 1970s. He is considered one of the most melodious and skilled music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly remembered for the immortal ghazals he composed for Hindi films. Some of his best works are with singers Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Talat Mahmood.
Leela Chitnis was an Indian actress in the Indian film industry, active from the 1930s to the 1980s. In her early years she starred as a romantic lead, but she is best remembered for her later roles playing a virtuous and upright mother to leading stars.
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.
Phool Aur Patthar is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and produced by O. P. Ralhan, and written by Ralhan with Akhtar ul Iman and Ahsan Rizvi. It stars Meena Kumari and Dharmendra as contrasting characters who come together; he plays a tough criminal whose inner good being is drawn out by Kumari's character of a pure woman. The film made Dharmendra a star in Hindi cinema. It also stars Shashikala, Lalita Pawar, Madan Puri, and Iftekhar.
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".
Ganga Jamna, also transliterated as Ganga Jamuna or Gunga Jumna, is a 1961 Indian crime drama film, written and produced by Dilip Kumar, and directed by Nitin Bose, with dialogues written by Wajahat Mirza; Kumar later said that he also ghost-directed and edited the film. It stars Dilip Kumar with Vyjayanthimala and his real-life brother Nasir Khan in the leading roles. Set in the rural Awadh region of Northern India, the film tells the story of two impoverished brothers, Ganga and Jamna, and their poignancy and sibling rivalry on opposing sides of the law, one a dacoit criminal and the other a police officer. The film was also notable for its Technicolor production, use of the Awadhi dialect, and its rustic setting, being a defining example of the dacoit film genre. It was ranked 11th in Outlook Magazine's poll considering 25 leading Indian directors' vote for Bollywood's greatest films in 2003.
Naya Daur is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language social drama film directed and produced by B. R. Chopra. It was written by Akhtar Mirza. It stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala in lead roles, along with Ajit, Jeevan, Johnny Walker, Chand Usmani, Nazir Hussain, Manmohan Krishna, Leela Chitnis, Pratima Devi, Daisy Irani, Radhakishan form an ensemble cast. The film narrates the story of Shankar and Krishna, two best friends who fall for the same woman, Rajni.
Dil Diya Dard Liya is a 1966 Hindi romance film based upon Emily Brontë's 1847 novel Wuthering Heights. The film is directed by Abdur Rashid Kardar and Dilip Kumar. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, Pran, and Johnny Walker. The music is by Naushad. The songs include "Koi Sagar Dil Ko Behlata Nahin", "Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi", "Guzre Hain Aaj Ishq Mein", "Dilruba Maine Tere Pyar Mein". It inspired the 1983 Pakistani film Dehleez starring Nadeem, Shabnam, Afzal Ahmed and Agha Taalish and the 1985 Hindi movie Oonche Log. The film was Dilip Kumar's first outright flop in 15 years at the box-office.
Shaheed is a 1948 Bollywood Indian romance film, written and directed by Ramesh Saigal. The film depicts India's struggle for independence. It starred Dilip Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, Chandra Mohan, and Leela Chitnis. It had music by Ghulam Haider. Shaheed was the Highest grossing indian movie of 1948.
Ghunghat is a 1960 Hindi drama movie directed by Ramanand Sagar and produced by S.S. Vasan from Gemini Studios.
Sunghursh ("Struggle") is a 1968 Indian Hindi film directed and produced by Harnam Singh Rawail. It is based on Layli Asmaner Ayna, a short story in Bengali language by Jnanpith Award-winning writer Mahasweta Devi, which presents a fictionalised account of a vendetta within a thuggee cult in the holy Indian town of Varanasi. It stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Balraj Sahni, Sanjeev Kumar, Jayant, Deven Verma, Durga Khote and Iftekhar. The film was the last one to see Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala working together. Sunghursh was an "Average" grosser at box-office and was the tenth highest grossing film of the year.
Kumkum,, was an Indian actress.
Son of India is a Bollywood film released in 1962. This film was written and directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Sajid Khan, Kamaljit, Simi Garewal, Jayant and Kumkum. The music was composed by Naushad and with Shakeel Badayuni as the lyricist. It was a spiritual successor to Mehboob Khan's previous film, Mother India (1957).
Majhli Didi is a 1967 Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, based on the Bengali language story, Mejdidi by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, which was earlier filmed in Bengali in 1950 as Mejdidi. Majhli Didi stars Meena Kumari and Dharmendra.
The 1st Filmfare Awards were held on 21 March 1954, honoring the best in Hindi cinema in 1953.
