Afzal A. Khan
2021-07-23 04:28:42 UTC
Mukarramee Naseer Saheb (and other ALUPers),
Sab se pehle.....
I have read all the messages for my full recovery sent by
all my friends and well-wishers.
And I must thank all of them through this post.
****************
However, due to age and age-related ailments, I find it
quite difficult to participate in ALUP discussions on a
regular basis.
Hoping to be excused.......
****************
Quite recently, a specific reference has been made to me
in regard to the sad demise of Dilip Kumar Saheb. I think
I should respond suitably. Also, I may have quite few things
to say about him......
But, due to the reasons cited above, I shall be able to do so
only in installments.........
Maybe after a few of days.....
****************
But before I do so, I think I ought to reply to a query raised
by Z. S. a few weeks (or even a few months earlier).......
And that concerns the full name of an old Indian actress. Z. S.
(and someone connected or related to her) remembered the actress's
first name, but not the full name........
So let me do the needful.......
Her full name was Shanta Apte. She was born in 1916 in a small
Indian town Dudhni, in Maharashtra. This town is located in
Sholapur District. And when she was born there in 1916, its
population must have been just a few hundred. As per the
census in 2001, its population was a mere 12000.. The town has a
well-known temple (Shri Sidhrameshwar) and a Mosque (Syed Basha
Mosque). But I am not sure of the correct spelling)........
****************
Shanta Apte died in 1964, at a relatively young age of about 47-48
years. At that time, she was staying in Andheri area of Bombay.
She had been ailing for some time, and died of a heart attack.
****************
However, there is no need to go into further details about her.
****************
Her best know film is "Duniya Na Maane", which is a 1937 film.
IIRC, another film with the same name was made many years later,
maybe in the late 1950's (around 1959 perhaps).
****************
She represented the idea of Women's empowerment in an age when this
concept was absolutely unthinkable.
****************
At that time, a very popular and influential film magazine used to be
published by a well-known journalist by the name of Baburao Patel.
It was a glossy magazine and used to be printed on art paper. It was
priced at Re. 1/-, which was a lot of money in those days. {BTW, I
have a few issues of that old magazine}.
Many years later, Patel stopped publication of this magazine and
started another in its place. I think it was called "Mother India".
Patel was also a homeopath, I think. With his earnings, he made a
huge bungalow for himself in a Gujarat city. And, he named it
Girnar.
Also, IIRC, he had married a second time. His second wife was a
a very fair woman of short stature --- Sushila Rani Patel. She was
a well-known singer in her own right.
I remember attending one of her concerts.
****************
Baburao Patel used to consider himself as the sole arbiter of the
films made at the time. Any film praised by him was bound to be
successful. And any film panned by him was doomed to fail at the
Box Office. But there was one notable exception. Around 1943,
a film starring Ashok Kumar was released "Kismet". Patel wrote a
very strongly worded review of this film. His main grouse was that
the film celebrated Crime. In a sense, it was true. This film
concerned a crook with a heart of gold (Ashok Kumar). I think the
leading lady was Mumtaz Shanti. Apart from the heart-warming story,
the main reason for the success of the film was its music by Anil
Biswas. I think its most popular song was :
Dheere dheere, aa re baadal
Dheee dheere aa
Mera bulbul so raha hai
Shor-o-GHul na macha
The "bulbul" was of course the heroine Mumtaz Shanti.
Another song from this film became quite popular. It may be noted
that World War II was still raging around this time (1943). The
Japanese had even bombed Calcutta, leading to the exodus of all the
Marwari Seths from the city.
This second song was :
Door haTo, door haTo, ai duniya waalo
Hindustaan hamaara hai
Ostensibly, the song was addressed to the Japanese. But the
film-goers readily understood that its real target was the
British Government who were still ruling India.
****************
Reverting to Shanta Apte.........
Irked by the attitude of Baburao Patel, she once stormed into
his office and beat him with a cane.
****************
In a few days' time, health permitting, I propose to write
something about the late thespian Dilip Kumar Saheb.
I have quite a few things to say about him. So, maybe,
I shall do so in installments........
Afzal
Sab se pehle.....
I have read all the messages for my full recovery sent by
all my friends and well-wishers.
And I must thank all of them through this post.
****************
However, due to age and age-related ailments, I find it
quite difficult to participate in ALUP discussions on a
regular basis.
Hoping to be excused.......
****************
Quite recently, a specific reference has been made to me
in regard to the sad demise of Dilip Kumar Saheb. I think
I should respond suitably. Also, I may have quite few things
to say about him......
But, due to the reasons cited above, I shall be able to do so
only in installments.........
Maybe after a few of days.....
****************
But before I do so, I think I ought to reply to a query raised
by Z. S. a few weeks (or even a few months earlier).......
And that concerns the full name of an old Indian actress. Z. S.
(and someone connected or related to her) remembered the actress's
first name, but not the full name........
So let me do the needful.......
Her full name was Shanta Apte. She was born in 1916 in a small
Indian town Dudhni, in Maharashtra. This town is located in
Sholapur District. And when she was born there in 1916, its
population must have been just a few hundred. As per the
census in 2001, its population was a mere 12000.. The town has a
well-known temple (Shri Sidhrameshwar) and a Mosque (Syed Basha
Mosque). But I am not sure of the correct spelling)........
****************
Shanta Apte died in 1964, at a relatively young age of about 47-48
years. At that time, she was staying in Andheri area of Bombay.
She had been ailing for some time, and died of a heart attack.
****************
However, there is no need to go into further details about her.
****************
Her best know film is "Duniya Na Maane", which is a 1937 film.
IIRC, another film with the same name was made many years later,
maybe in the late 1950's (around 1959 perhaps).
****************
She represented the idea of Women's empowerment in an age when this
concept was absolutely unthinkable.
****************
At that time, a very popular and influential film magazine used to be
published by a well-known journalist by the name of Baburao Patel.
It was a glossy magazine and used to be printed on art paper. It was
priced at Re. 1/-, which was a lot of money in those days. {BTW, I
have a few issues of that old magazine}.
Many years later, Patel stopped publication of this magazine and
started another in its place. I think it was called "Mother India".
Patel was also a homeopath, I think. With his earnings, he made a
huge bungalow for himself in a Gujarat city. And, he named it
Girnar.
Also, IIRC, he had married a second time. His second wife was a
a very fair woman of short stature --- Sushila Rani Patel. She was
a well-known singer in her own right.
I remember attending one of her concerts.
****************
Baburao Patel used to consider himself as the sole arbiter of the
films made at the time. Any film praised by him was bound to be
successful. And any film panned by him was doomed to fail at the
Box Office. But there was one notable exception. Around 1943,
a film starring Ashok Kumar was released "Kismet". Patel wrote a
very strongly worded review of this film. His main grouse was that
the film celebrated Crime. In a sense, it was true. This film
concerned a crook with a heart of gold (Ashok Kumar). I think the
leading lady was Mumtaz Shanti. Apart from the heart-warming story,
the main reason for the success of the film was its music by Anil
Biswas. I think its most popular song was :
Dheere dheere, aa re baadal
Dheee dheere aa
Mera bulbul so raha hai
Shor-o-GHul na macha
The "bulbul" was of course the heroine Mumtaz Shanti.
Another song from this film became quite popular. It may be noted
that World War II was still raging around this time (1943). The
Japanese had even bombed Calcutta, leading to the exodus of all the
Marwari Seths from the city.
This second song was :
Door haTo, door haTo, ai duniya waalo
Hindustaan hamaara hai
Ostensibly, the song was addressed to the Japanese. But the
film-goers readily understood that its real target was the
British Government who were still ruling India.
****************
Reverting to Shanta Apte.........
Irked by the attitude of Baburao Patel, she once stormed into
his office and beat him with a cane.
****************
In a few days' time, health permitting, I propose to write
something about the late thespian Dilip Kumar Saheb.
I have quite a few things to say about him. So, maybe,
I shall do so in installments........
Afzal