Probashi- Cover Story
Probashi- Cover Story
The Tragedy of the Fallen Stars and taken for cremation in a chanawalla ’ s thela down the same road on which many years ago she would drive in an Impala with fans following her for a glimpse of the Humraaz heroine . Only nine people were present at her cremation . Bollywood had forgotten Vimi .
A bigger star than Vimi was Bharat Bhushan ( 1920‐1992 ) most remembered for his role in Baiju Bawra ( 1952 ) and Barsaat ki Raat ( 1960 ). The old moviegoers will remember the hit songs like Tu Ganga ki mauj and o duniya ke rakhwale filmed on Bharat Bhushan . He won the filmfare best actor award for 1953 . With success came money and some of the best located bungalows were owned by him , along with a fleet of cars . However after ruling the decade of the fifties , the sixties brought in competition in the form of new heroes and Bharat Bhushan ’ s career was on the wane . While his films were flopping , his gambling addiction remained unabated and soon his three bungalows were sold to Jetendra , Rajender Kumar and Rajesh Khanna respectively . Bharat Bhushan had to move to a chawl in the slums of Mumbai . An actor who
Bharat Bhushan – a super star who later in life worked as a guard had acted with heroines like Meena Kumari , Vyajantimala , Nutan etc now was reduced to doing miniscule roles as an extra . He shifted to television and small budget films with marginal success . Also a poet and man of fine tastes , he donated the books from his once famed personal library for he had no place to keep them . Towards the end of his career Bharat Bhushan reportedly had to work as a watchman in a film studio to make ends meet . He died in 1992 penniless . A passerby recognised the actor and helped noticing Bharat Bushan request an auto driver near Borivili National Park ( in Mumbai ) to take him to the hospital . Bharat Bhushan died on the way . It is ironical that the some of the scenes of his blockbuster Baiju Bawra were shot at the Borivili National park .
The song Ayega Aanewala from the movie Mahal ( 1949 ) which was Lata Mangeshkar ’ s first hit was composed by Khemchand Prakash ( 1907‐1950 ) who also gave Kishor Kumar his first real break . Some years back his wife was found begging at the Malad railway station in Mumbai .
Almost similar is the case for the people attached with the famous bhajan “ Itni Shakti Hame Dena Data ” from the film Ankush ( 1986 ) ‐ its singer Pushpa Pagdhare lives in a one room tenement in Mumbai ’ s Machimaar colony , the lyricist Abhilash in a slum and composer Kuldeep Singh makes ends meet by giving music lesson to children . The song however is a morning prayer across schools in India . Meanwhile telephone companies rake in millions by selling ringtones of this song .
Khan Mastana , Mohammed Rafi ’ s
Born Khurshid Jaan and married to film producer Roop K Shorey , Meera Shorey was dubbed as the Lara Lappa girl after the song in her superhit movie Eik Thi Ladki ( 1949 ). This movie made her a national sensation . She migrated to Pakistan and in her old age was found begging at a function in Rawalpindi . When she died her funeral was performed through charity money .
co‐singer in the patriotic song Watan ki Raah Mein Watan ke Naujawan Shaheed Ho ’, died a beggar at the Haji Ali Dargah , Mumbai .
Remember the song “ Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho ” from the movie Arth ( 1982 ) where Raj Kiran sings on screen this immortal Jagjit Singh gazal for Shabana Azmi , or do you remember the block buster Karz ( 1980 ) where Raj Kiran plays Rishi Kapoor ’ s pre incarnation character . This cultured , genial and down to earth actor was at his peak in the eighties when he suddenly disappeared . Rumours started circulating that Raj Kiran was dead . It was recently that Raj Kiran ’ s costars Rishi Kapoor and Deepti Naval started to search and located him at a mental asylum in Atlanta , USA . The chain of events leading to of Raj ’ s disappearance then became clear . It all started with Raj Kiran