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Known to generations of cinema-lovers as the evergreen hero of blockbuster hits like Dil Ek Mandir, Ayee Milan ki Bela, Arzoo and Sangam, Rajendra Kumar Tuli was truly the ‘Jubilee Star’ of Hindi cinema in the 1960s. Jubilee Kumar is the so-far-untold story of the man behind the superstar – one who went from riches to rags early in life, but whose determination, prudence and humility saw him surmount countless hurdles, and win the affection and admiration of colleagues and fans alike. A dispossessed refugee following Partition, Kumar’s struggles intensified as he travelled from Sialkot to Bombay to try his luck in films, suffering homelessness and hunger before he got a break as an a...
Jagjit Singh was more than just the king of ghazals. He was a singer, composer, arranger, lyricist, all rolled into one. Besides which he was a brother, friend, husband, and above all a father. This biography of Jagjit Singh traces the evolution of the artiste from his Namdari Singh roots through his diverse musical influences to his recreation of the ghazal as a lively, contemporary form of music that could hold both the young and old in thrall. From the days of singing ad jingles to his breakthrough album, Unforgettables, to his soul searching music for Gulzar's Mirza Ghalib, from his love of music to his fetish for horses, from his marriage to Chitra Singh to his tryst with spirituality, this book tells the story of the most loved ghazal singer of our time with great sensitivity. Delving into Singh's personal triumphs and tragedies, Sathya Saran presents a man loved by many, revered by some and unsurpassed as yet in his chosen field.
'When I'm on the mat, I am so filled with this awareness that the slightest touch feels like electricity to my body, and my body reacts to that the same way it would have reacted if I touched a livewire.' Wrestling, kushti, rules the farmlands, as it has for centuries. It had pride of place in the courts of Chalukya kings and Mughal emperors. It was embraced by Hinduism and its epics, and has led its own untroubled revolution against the caste system. The British loved it when they first came to India, then rejected it during the freedom struggle. No, wrestling has never been marginal -- even if it is largely ignored in modern-day narratives of sport and culture. From the Great Gama to Sushil Kumar -- whose two Olympic medals yanked the kushti out of rural obscurity and on to TV screens -- and the many, many pehalwans in between, Enter the Dangal goes behind the scenes to the akharas that quietly defy urbanization. It travels to villages and small towns to meet the intrepid women who fight their way into this 'manly' sport. Beyond the indifferent wrestling associations and an impervious media is an old, old sport.Enter the dangal, and you may never leave.
Anushka Dhar, a sixteen year-old, is a blossoming Mumbai-based writer who strives to engage in mindful, progressive conversations. From being an a-grade student at school to a fierce and competitive sportsman on the court, this youngun likes to don many avatars. In addition to her studies, sports, and writing, she is currently raising funds to rehabilitate and empower socially disadvantaged girls from one of Asia's most infamous red-light districts. Following in the footsteps of her father, Deepak Dhar, she aspires to join the film industry and leave her mark by continuing to tell stories such as this one about the Kashmiri Pandit exodus from the Valley. Placing that traumatic experience in context, she offers a panoramic view of the history of the region, emphasizing the injustice that continues to haunt the psyche of those who went into exile. Having left all worldly possessions behind, they struggled for years to find their feet and later spread all over the world to build new lives for themselves. NH44: take me home is their story, the title expressing the yearning and sentiment they all feel for their lost, but not forgotten, home.
'Jasoda is as compelling and powerful as Nagarkar's other novels but uniquely itself in the gut-wrenching story it tells of the sordid uses of power, the suffering it causes, and the human spirit that rises above it.' -- Nayantara Sahgal 'Nagarkar's storytelling genius takes us into the abyss of poverty and patriarchy -- source of both inspiration and shame. Jasoda's brutal but transformative journey is the foil to counterfeit historical grandeur. With empathy turned to prose of pure steel, Nagarkar paints a modern Indian heroine.' -- Mitali Saran 'A novel that stops your breath and doesn't let go until you get to the end. Jasoda: mother, murderer or saint? You'll want to put her down. But s...
The trademark hat, booming rich baritone, intent smouldering eyes, a towering height, and an imposing presence only a dramatic description would possibly delineate this versatile painter of sinister strokes, who left a tremendous, hypnotic impact on Indian cinema. Amrish Puri, whose voice could send shivers down your spine, while his antics made you chuckle; his costumes could drive you nuts, and his one-liners ranging from Mogambo khush hua to Dong kabhi wrong nahin hota became household parlance. The industry's ace villain was credited with bringing the hitherto mundane villainy into strobe light, and lent it a pride of place on the billboard with his unmatched histrionics. This son of the...
Reaching as far back as ancient times, Ronojoy Sen pairs a novel history of India's engagement with sport and a probing analysis of its cultural and political development under monarchy and colonialism, and as an independent nation. Some sports that originated in India have fallen out of favor, while others, such as cricket, have been adopted and made wholly India's own. Sen's innovative project casts sport less as a natural expression of human competition than as an instructive practice reflecting a unique play with power, morality, aesthetics, identity, and money. Sen follows the transformation of sport from an elite, kingly pastime to a national obsession tied to colonialism, nationalism,...
This book, covering a range of music essays, is a compendium of many articles that were published in several newspapers and have since been updated. The collection also features many subjects not published before. Some of our films’ great artists are profiled, especially in their relationship with songs we remember them by. Such people include the actors Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar and Sadhana, the composer Madan Mohan, and the singer Mukesh. Musical instruments such as bagpipes, the tambourine, and the drums can also be found in these pages, with where such instruments were featured in the Hindi film song. Equally importantly, you will find essays on ideas that have engaged with our music. These include cycling, suicides, Mumbai’s pride Marine Drive and composers who sang their own tunes. It’s a platinum offering of 75 diverse stories.
Mohammed Rafi, 1924-1980, Hindi motion picture singer.