29 Oct 2018

14 Powerful Performances By Industry Stalwart Neen...



Neena Gupta is easily one of the most talented actors from Bollywood. And yet, despite being a National Award winner, and an industry veteran who has been a part of the industryfor over 30 years, we are still not as aware of her brilliance as we should be.

Here's a look at some of her finest performances over the years that still did not garner the kind of attention they should have:


1. Siski





Neena Gupta often credited TV for her success and after an incredible performance in Saans, she returned to TV with her directorial venture Siski. The show revolved around the quest for love and marriage and starred Kanwaljit Singh, Tara Patel, Manohar Singh, Sumeet Saigal, and Neena Gupta herself. The show raised the issue of how it's unfair to consider marriage as a parameter of success in society. 

2. Woh Chokri 

Directed by Subhankar Ghosh and starring Pallavi Joshi, Neena Gupta, Paresh Rawal, and Om Puri, this was the movie that won Neena Gupta a National Award (for Best Supporting Actor). A heart-wrenching tale that revolves around a young woman's broken aspirations and society's treatment of women, the movie's horrific end is both depressing and disturbing.

3. Mandi 

Mandi was a film that boasted of an eclectic starcast including Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Ratna Pathak Shah, Soni Razdan, and Naseeruddin Shah. Despite a brief role, Neena Gupta's performance managed to shine through. The story revolved around a brothel owner, and her relationship with the women she hired and looked after, and the society she catered to. 

4. Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda

Produced by NFDC, and directed by Shyam Benegal, the movie is still remembered for its abstract form of storytelling. The narrator uses three women in his life as a symbol to represent the three classes of society, which in turn translates into three different perspectives of the same story. 

5. Trikal

Written and directed by Shyam Benegal, Trikal was set in the Portuguese era of Goa i.e. the 1960s. A fast-paced comical drama, the story showcases an old woman's desperate attempts to contact the spirit of her deceased husband. As she continuously fails in her approach, spirits of people the family has wronged in the past keep visiting - making the movie a dramatic comedy. 

6. Mera Woh Matlab Nahi Tha (Play)

The play - directed by Rakesh Bedi and starring Anupam Kher - about two long-lost lovers taking a walk down memory lane played on the stages for almost two years, and marked Neena Gupta's return to the stage after nine years. Her performance - as an independent woman, strong on the outside but with a soft heart inside - was exemplary, like always.

7. In Custody

Based upon author Anita Desai's Booker Prize nominated novel of the same name, the movie was directed by Ismail Merchant and starred Neena Gupta, Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, and Shashi Kapoor. The movie cleverly employed a Hindu professor's (who is also a lover of the Urdu language) attempts to interview a prolific Urdu poet as a reflection of the struggle between modernization and tradition.

8. Cotton Mary

The story of two Anglo-Indian sisters and their convoluted interactions with a British family make up this family drama. Neena Gupta played the role of one of the sisters, Blossom in the movie. With impressive performances, this is an insightful movie that explores Anglo-Indian and British relations, in a very thought-provoking manner. 

9. Khandaan

The show that first shot Neena Gupta to popularity, along with fellow actor Mohan Bhandari, was centered around the rich business class society and their affliction to maintain an image in the society. Neena Gupta's character - of an unscrupulous business tycoon - was definitely a role few female actors took on at the time the show was aired in 1985. 

10. Mirza Ghalib

Written and produced by Gulzar, this biographical drama starring Naseeruddin Shah in the lead role along with actors Tanvi Jain and Neena Gupta, is often credited for once again making Ghalib popular with the masses. Even though the character was romanticized in the miniseries, the story of one of the most admired Urdu poets was one that many people loved to watch. 

11. Buniyaad

Directed by Ramesh Sippy and Jyoti, and written by Kamal Saigal, the show dealt with India's independence, partition and the aftermath of partition. The show, which spanned the years from 1916 to 1978, had an ensemble cast including Neena Gupta, Kanwaljit Singh, Soni Razdan, Sudhir Pandey and others. 

12. Ladies Special

A show with four female protagonists, Ladies Special was like a breath of fresh air when it first aired. Starring Neena Gupta, Shilpa Tulaskar, Ashita Dhawan, and Payel Sarkar in the lead roles, the show dealt with female friendship in the backdrop of issues such as domestic abuse, working mothers, broken marriages, and financial constraints. The show also starred actor Fatima Sana Shaikh

13. Chithi

This Tamil language soap opera holds the record for being one of the most watched regional language shows of its time. The show, that focused on women empowerment and highlighted the many challenges that females face in an Indian society, starred Raadhika, Neena Gupta, Subhalekha Sudhakar, and others. 

14. Rihaee

A movie far ahead of its times, it explored the subject of equal opportunities for women. Starring Hema Malini, Neena Gupta, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinod Khanna, and Reema Lagoo, the movie - through various instances - highlighted the double standards of society in the treatment of men and women. 

In a career spanning 30 years Neena Gupta has done a wide range of work and as this list signifies, she has never limited her movie or show choices. Whether it was commercial cinema or independent art movies, typical family dramas or shows that were far ahead of their time, Neena Gupta has managed to make her performance count in every piece of work she has done.

Source - SnoopWoop 





USEFUL INFORMATION - www.informationcentre.co.in      

Shweta Tiwari, Cezanne Khan: This is how the origi...


Ekta Kapoor is back with the reboot of the cult love saga, Kasautii Zindagii Kay. This time around the show features Erica Fernandes as Prerna and Parth Samthaan as Anurag. When it first aired, the show launched many acotrs who went on to become big stars. Here's a look at how the lead stars of the original show looks like now:

Shweta Tiwari, Cezanne Khan: This is how the cast of Kasautii Zindagi Kay looks now

Ekta Kapoor is back with the reboot of the cult love saga, Kasautii Zindagii Kay. This time around the show features Erica Fernandes as Prerna and Parth Samthaan as Anurag. When it first aired, the show launched many acotrs who went on to become big stars. Here's a look at how the lead stars of the original show looks like now:





USEFUL INFORMATION - www.informationcentre.co.in       





Shweta Tiwari




After Kasautii Zindagi Ki, Shweta, who was seen as Prerna, became a household name in the country. She was briefly seen in shows like Jaane Kya Baat Huyi Thi and Parvarrish. She also participated in reality shows like Nach Baliye 2 and Bigg Boss 4, which she eventually won. She was last seen on TV in Begusarai. Currently, Shweta is on a break and enjoying motherhood. 

Cezanne Khan



The actor, who is remembered for his role in the show as Anurag, went on to star in shows like Piya Ke Ghar Jaana Hai, Ek Ladki Anjaani Si and Seeta Aur Geeta. He was also seen briefly in some Pakistani TV shows. 

Geetanjali Tilekar



The actress started working on the show in the year 2004 as Aparna. However, she later became popular for her roles in Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Du and Ek Duje Ke Vaaste. She is married to her former co-star, Sikander Kharbanda. 

Jennifer Winget




Jennifer is one of the most popular stars on television today. She was seen as Anurag and Prerna’s daughter, Sneha, on the show. Later, she garnered immense popularity for her shows Dill Mil Gaye and Beyhadh. She is currently winning accolades for her performance in Bepannah. 

Karan Singh Grover




Just like Jennifer, Karan Singh Grover was also one of the stars on the long running show. He played the role of Sharad Gupta. After spending many years in the industry, he has switched over to Bollywood. He is married to actress Bipasha Basu. 

Source - ETV 



22 Oct 2018

दंगल फेम साक्षी तंवर ने बेटी को लिया गोद, रखा है य...



टीवी एक्ट्रेस साक्षी तंवर ने अपनी पर्सनल लाइफ में एक अहम फैसला लिया है. उनका ये फैसला किसी के भी चेहरे पर मुस्कुराहट ला सकता है. साक्षी ने एक बच्ची को गोद लिया है. इसकी जानकारी उन्होंने सोशल मीडिया पर साझा की है.



साक्षी ने इंस्टाग्राम पर फोटो डाली और लिखा- ''अपने माता-पिता की दुआओं और परिवारवालों की सहायता की बदौलत मैंने एक बच्ची को गोद लिया है. ये जल्द की 9 महीने की हो जाएगी.''



''मैं ये जानकारी आप लोगों के साथ शेयर करते हुए खुशी महसूस कर रही हूं. मेरे जीवन में इस बच्ची के आने से आनंद का आगमन हुआ है. निसंदेह ये मेरे जीवन का सबसे बड़ा पल है.''



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''दित्या मेरी सारी प्रार्थनाओं का जवाब है. अपने जीवन में मैं उसे पा कर धन्य महसूस कर रही हूं. दित्या हमारे घर में मां लक्ष्मी के रूप में आई है.''



''बच्ची का नाम दित्या है. इसका मतलब होता है जो आपकी प्रार्थनाओं का जवाब दे. मां लक्ष्मी को दित्या नाम से भी जाना जाता है.''



साक्षी टीवी की दुनिया का चर्चित नाम हैं. उन्होंने कहानी घर घर की और बड़े अच्छे लगते हैं टीवी सीरियल में काम किया है. इसके अलावा वे दंगल और मोहल्ला अस्सी जैसी फिल्मों में भी काम कर चुकी हैं.



इसके अलावा वे दंगल और मोहल्ला अस्सी जैसी फिल्मों में भी काम कर चुकी हैं. दंगल में वे आमिर खान की पत्नी का रोल प्ले किया था. मोहल्ला अस्सी में वे सनी देओल की वाइफ के रोल में थीं.



साल 1998 में रियलिटी शो अलबेला सुर मेला से उन्होंने अपने करियर की शुरूआत की थी. साल 2000 में कहानी घर घर की टीवी सीरियल से वे पॉपुलर हुईं.



Source - Aaj Tak

6 Oct 2018

Vinod Khanna: The Actor Who Became a Monk and Sold...



Legend has it that when Sunil Dutt saw Vinod Khanna for the first time, he was fascinated with the young man because he was from Peshawar (present day-Pakistan). Dutt decided to launch Khanna and his younger brother Som Dutt in his home production Man ka Meet (1968).

Initially, Vinod Khanna was just a good looking villain. But his solid screen presence ensured that irrespective of whether his role was positive or negative, he was noticed in all his films – be it Purab Aur Paschim with Manoj Kumar or Aan Milo Sajna and Saccha Jootha with Rajesh Khanna (1970).
The year 1971 proved to be a turning point in Khanna’s career – with three films presenting him in three very different avatars. Sunil Dutt’s Reshma Aur Shera, which also launched Amitabh Bachchan, Gulzar’s Mere Apne, that defined him as an actor and Raj Khosla’s dacoit drama Mera Gaon Mera Desh, where he shared screen space with Sunil Dutt and Dharmendra.

On the personal front, Vinod Khanna married his childhood sweetheart Geetanjali. The two went on to have two sons, Akshaye and Rahul Khanna.




 The 70s was a decade of multi-starrer films and Vinod Khanna was a prominent player, pairing up with Amitabh Bachchan and other actors. He worked with Randhir Kapoor in Haath Ki Safai and Amitabh Bachchan in Khoon Pasina, Parvarishand Amar Akbar Anthony.

When I met Vinod Khanna for the first time in 1978, he was already into Osho Rajneesh. He wore an orange kaftan and a beaded mala to shootings. He walked around the studio and his set with an orange cloth bag strapped around his shoulder. He would delay getting into his costume till the shot was ready.

During this phase, I interviewed him a number of times. No matter what question you asked him, he had a knack of relating the answer to Rajneesh’s philosophy.

This was in 1980, a time when Vinod Khanna was the darling of the nation, the action hero of The Burning Train and the heartbreaker of the very popular Qurbani. Would Vinod Khanna stake his career for his guru?

When the news first reached our ears, nobody took it seriously and was dismissed as a crazy rumour. But slowly, as days went by, directors confided that Khanna had stalled all his new projects indefinitely. Producers confirmed that Vinod Khanna was returning signing amounts. This was serious.

His co-stars were alarmed and his distributors were angry. The media wanted to know what was going on. So finally, on the advice of his manager (then secretary), Vinod Khanna called a press conference. The venue was the newly launched Centaur (today Tulip Star) Hotel. His first wife Geetanjali and their sons were a part of the conference.

In those days, press conferences were not as common as they are today. Everyone was surprised at how composed Vinod Khanna was. He did not make any elaborate speeches. He said he had made up his mind to quit films and shift base and that he wanted to follow his heart. His wife Geetanjali seated beside him was supportive of his decision.

In the following weeks, Vinod Khanna left for Oregon. If the stories are to be believed, he transformed into an able gardener at the Rajneeshpuram ashram. Every morning, he woke up and watered the plants and sang to the flowers. During his years away, Vinod Khanna hardly visited India. The media lost touch with him until news of his divorce in 1985.

After his long exile, Vinod Khanna was first spotted on a popular magazine cover with a white beard. It was a signal to the film industry that the prodigal son had returned and producers clamoured to queue outside his home.

His first release post his spiritual break was the Mukul Anand-directed Insaaf,starring Dimple Kapadia, followed by Feroze Khan’s Dayavan. The attractive actor was among the first crop of actors to endorse a brand (Cinthol).

Yash Chopra signed him for Chandni, while Mahesh Bhatt roped him in for Jurm.

The 90s saw him experience a professional decline. But on a personal level, Khanna announced his marriage to Kavita. In 1997, he launched his son Akshaye Khanna in his home production Himalay Putra. The film tanked.

The year 1997 also saw him join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and win from the Gurdaspur constituency, Punjab in the Lok Sabha polls. In 1999, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency. By this time, Khanna had learned to balance both Bollywood and politics.

I happened to bump into him at a film event soon after the release of his two films Kranti and Deewanapan. He said he enjoyed politics but found it stimulating to be in a creative environment and vowed that he would pursue both for as long as he could. And he did.

After losing out in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll, Khanna bounced back in the 2014 general elections. For a monk who sold his Mercedes and turned a gardener, the actor/politician has gone through too many highs and lows to worry about his popularity.

The Vinod Khanna I know has no fears and lives each day as it comes.

Source - The Better India 

टॉप पर पहुंचकर क्यों हुआ फ़िल्मों से मोहभंग, जानिये...



6 अक्टूबर को अपने समय के सबसे हैंडसम अभिनेताओं में गिने जाने वाले विनोद खन्ना का जन्मदिन होता है। आज वो हमारे बीच होते तो अपना 72 वां जन्मदिन मना रहे होते! एक ज़बरदस्त और तूफानी अभिनेता 27 अप्रैल 2017 को कैंसर से लड़ाई में हार गया था। लेकिन, अपने स्टाइल और कामों की वजह से वो हमेशा याद आते रहेंगे। आइये उनकी जयंती पर जानते हैं उनसे जुड़ी कुछ ख़ास बातें!

विनोद खन्ना अभिनेताओं की उसी पीढ़ी से आते हैं जो अविभाजित भारत के पाकिस्तान में जन्में थे। खन्ना का जन्म 6 अक्टूबर 1946 पेशावर में हुआ। वहां उनके पिता का टेक्सटाइल, डाई और केमिकल का बिजनेस था। विनोद खन्ना पांच भाई बहनों ( 2 भाई, 3 बहनें) में से एक थे। आजादी के समय हुए बंटवारे के बाद उनका परिवार पाकिस्तान से मुंबई आकर बस गया।

कहा जाता है कि विनोद खन्ना के पिता ये बिल्कुल भी नहीं चाहते थे कि उनका बेटा फ़िल्मों में काम करे। लेकिन, यह विनोद की ज़िद थी कि वो फ़िल्मों में ही जायेंगे। उन्होंने इसके लिए अपने पिता से सिर्फ दो साल मांगे और उन्होंने दो साल का समय विनोद को दे भी दिया। युवा विनोद ने इन दो सालों में कड़ी मेहनत की और बतौर अभिनेता खुद को स्थापित कर लिया!





विनोद को सबसे पहले सुनील दत्त ने ‘मन का मीत’ (1968) में विलेन के रूप में मौका दिया। हीरो के रूप में स्थापित होने के पहले विनोद ने ‘आन मिलो सजना’, ‘पूरब और पश्चिम’, ‘सच्चा झूठा’ जैसी फ़िल्मों में सहायक या खलनायक के रूप में काम किया। गुलजार द्वारा निर्देशित ‘मेरे अपने’ (1971) से विनोद खन्ना को ख़ासी लोकप्रियता मिली और जैसे वहां से उनका समय शुरू हो गया। मल्टीस्टारर फ़िल्मों से विनोद को कभी परहेज नहीं रहा और वे उस दौर के स्टार्स अमिताभ बच्चन, राजेश खन्ना, सुनील दत्त आदि के साथ लगातार फ़िल्में करते रहे।

अमिताभ बच्चन और विनोद खन्ना की जोड़ी को दर्शकों ने काफी पसंद किया। ‘हेराफेरी’, ‘खून पसीना’, ‘अमर अकबर एंथोनी’, ‘मुकद्दर का सिकंदर’ जैसी फ़िल्में ब्लॉकबस्टर साबित हुईं। सक्सेस मिलने के बाद 1982 में विनोद खन्ना ने अचानक विनोद अपने आध्यात्मिक गुरु रजनीश (ओशो) की शरण में चले गए और ग्लैमर की दुनिया को उन्होंने अलविदा कह दिया। विनोद के करीबी बताते हैं कि उनमें इंडस्ट्री को लेकर एक बेचैनी रहती थी और कहीं न कहीं उन्हें इंडस्ट्री में सब नकली सा लगने लगा था। जीवन का जैसे उन्हें एक बोध सा हो गया था कि सब माया है।

बहरहाल, विनोद के अचानक इस तरह से चले जाने के कारण उनकी पत्नी गीतांजली नाराज हुई और दोनों के बीच तलाक हो गया। विनोद और गीतांजली के दो बेटे अक्षय और राहुल खन्ना हैं। लेकिन, फ़िल्मों के प्रति विनोद का लगाव उन्हें फिर से फ़िल्मों में खींच लाया और 1987 में उन्होंने ‘इंसाफ’ फ़िल्म से वापसी की। चार-पांच साल तक नायक बनने के बाद विनोद धीरे-धीरे चरित्र भूमिकाओं की ओर मुड़ गए। 1990 में विनोद ने कविता से शादी की। कविता और विनोद का एक बेटा साक्षी और बेटी श्रद्धा है।

विनोद खन्ना अभिनेता होने के अलावा, निर्माता और सक्रिय राजनेता भी रहे हैं। वे भाजपा के सदस्य थे और कई चुनाव जीत चुके थे। वे मंत्री भी रहे। 2015 में शाह रुख़ ख़ान की फ़िल्म दिलवाले’ में नजर आने के बाद उन्होंने बीते साल अप्रैल में रिलीज़ हुई फ़िल्म ‘एक थी रानी ऐसी भी’ में भी अभिनय किया था। यह उनकी आखिरी फ़िल्म थी, जो राजमाता विजय राजे सिंधिया पर बनी थी जिसे गोवा की राज्यपाल मृदुला सिन्हा ने लिखा था! 1999 में विनोद खन्ना को उनके इंडस्ट्री में योगदान के लिए फ़िल्मफेयर लाइफटाइम अचीवमेंट अवार्ड से नवाज़ा गया था।

Source - Jagran 

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