Born on 2nd July, 1941 in Goa she began her career as an actor, performing in Konkani and Marathi plays. Trained in classical music, she was a fine Marathi Natyasangeet singer. It was musical plays like Matsyagandha, that took her stage career to new heights. Having acted in several Marathi films like Umbartha (1980),Sutradhar (1987), Navri Mile Navryala (1984), Vahinichi Maya (1985) she became a popular figure in the Marathi Film and theatre cir...
An acclaimed leading lady of her time, Durga Khote remained active in Hindi and Marathi cinema for more than 50 years. She was also instrumental in facilitating the entry of people from elite and middle-class families into the previously maligned world of cinema.
Ranjeeta Kaur was trained at FTII. She has worked in about 47 films. She has played a variety of characters and her films include Laila Majnu (1976), Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se (1978) and Pati Patni Aur Woh (1978).
Born on 22 September 1930 in the East Godavri District of Andhra Pradesh as Prathivadhi Bhayankara Sreenivas made his debut in 1952 in Gemini's Hindi film Mr. Sampat and sang the duet "Aji hum bharat ki naari" with Geeta Dutt. Known for voicing numerous songs for Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan and Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar, Srinivas predominantly worked in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. Some of his best songs include "Yaar yaar a...
An acclaimed Marathi filmmaker,Anant Manewas born in Kolhapur on this day in 1915. He started his career as an editor at Prabhat, working on Ramshashtri (1944).He left along with other artistes likeRaja Nene.He reportedly ghost-directed some of Nene's films, including the 1950 hit Patthe Bapurao. His early films resembled Datta Dharmadhikarimelodramas. 1958's Dhakti Jau won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi. He set up Ch...
Cinemaazi wishes yesteryear actress Azra on her birthday. Daughter of Nanubhai Vakil and actress Sarojini, Azra made her debut with the film Mother India in 1956.
The legendary Mallika-e-tarannum Noor Jehan was one of the biggest singing stars of Indian cinema. She continued to rule hearts after migrating to Pakistan after Independence. She made invaluable contributions to both Punjabi and Hindi cinema prior to that. Cinemaazi remembers her on her birth anniversary.
Bellave Narahari Shastri worked as a teacher, education inspector and headmaster in government schools for a span of 40 years. During 1910 to 1950, he wrote over 30 plays with 10 remaining unpublished and set standards for professional playwriting in Kannada theatre. Apart from writing plays that were later picturised, he also wrote scripts and screenplays for certain Kannada films. He is credited for having the written the script for the first K...
Known by the title ‘Arbi Chehra’ (Arabian Princess), having starred in numerous mythological and fantasy films, Shakila’s real-life story is, however, marked by elements of tragedy. Originally named Badshah Begum, she was born on January 1, 1935, in the Middle East, into a family that traced its ancestry to the royal families of Afghanistan and Iran.
Veteran theatre actor-director and film actor Dinesh Thakur is known for his detailed and nuanced performances in character roles in Hindi films of the 70s. He has several acclaimed films to his credit such as his debut film, the Gulzar-directed Mere Apne (1971), Basu Chatterjee’s award-winning Rajnigandha (1974), and the Manik Chatterjee directorial Ghar (1978).
Actor Anoop Kumar Ganguly is memorable for his roles in films like Junglee (1961), Dekh Kabira Roya (1957) and Gauna (1950). He made a mark with the hit entertainer Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) which also featured his famous brothers – legendary actor Ashok Kumar and melody king Kishore Kumar. Starting out as a character actor and a comedian in Hindi films, he was also known for his singing ability like his brothers and lent his voice for a...
Film and television actor Anupam Shyam usually played villainous roles. He was born on 20 September 1957 at Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and passed away on 8 August 2021 at the aged of 63 years in Mumbai.
Mahesh Bhatt, an outstanding director, producer and screen writer, the straight-talking filmmaker has never shied away from controversy. He has often chosen subjects that were ahead of the times, creating compelling films such as Arth (1982), Saaransh (1984) , Naam (1986), Daddy (1989), Aashiqui (1990), Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin (1991), Sadak (1991), etc.
One of the most influential stars in Telugu cinema history, Akkineni Nageshwara Rao not only delivered some of its biggest hits but also played a pivotal role in shifting Telugu cinema's base from Chennai to Hyderabad. Popularly called ANR, he became a star from the 1940s onwards, mastering the genres of fantasy, historicals and later melodramas. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Devdases of the screen, he also garnered particular renown...
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