Did you know that Dilip Kumar sang a duet “ Laagi Naahin Chhootey, Chahey Jiya Jaaye ” with Lata Mangeshkar in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s first film Musafir (1957) or “ Humko Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyar Kya Karein ” (Amar Akbar Anthony, 1977) is the only song which Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh sang together. Similarly few would be aware that Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946) won the Grand Prix Award in the inaugural Cannes Film Festival. These and many more details are present in Bobby Sing’s “Did You Know”, a compilation of 51 interesting facts about Hindi cinema.
Narrated in simple language, it is a true labour of love by Bobby who is a self-confessed passionate lover of cinema and a prolific writer on movies, music and poetry for the last two decades. “Observing that my posts on my website (bobbytalkscinema.com) on such facts about films drew tremendous response from the netizens, I decided to collate them in a book form. Documenting them gave them permanence besides lending an authenticity since people take books more seriously,” he explains.
Assuring that all the material is factual and not based on gossip or hearsay he says these can be cross-checked in the films from which they emanate. “Shah Rukh Khan’s contribution in Munnabhai MBBS can be confirmed by its end credits which thank him for the inputs in the script,” points the writer. So does the usage of a Shabad in the same composition rendered by the same performer, Bhai Harbans Singh Jagadhari Wale in Yash Chopra’s Silsila (1981) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) by Aditya Chopra. “This is true for all the information between the covers,” he adds.
It is his insistence on hard facts and staying clear of gossip that makes the book interesting. The chapter on the theme of incest in Hindi films is a case in point. The author collected these facts by watching films, reading magazines and his experience in the industry and the selection of 51 from them was difficult for him. “Aware that readers will be disinterested in deep and philosophical matter, I made it a point to choose what I consider novel, engaging and at the same time entertaining. Like Bertrand Russell’s and Jagjit Singh’s cameo in anti-war Hindi film Aman (1967) or that the 1974 film Jeevan Sangram talks about the Komagata Maru human tragedy.”
Divided into three sections, the first deals with productions before 90s (before the cable television revolution). The third is devoted to movies of post 90s. In between he talks of the link between the two eras with trivia like the opening lines of Amitabh Bachchan’s “Eer Bir Phhatte” was originally used in Adaalat. The writer has taken pains to add important details pertaining to the release year of movies, the names of composers and lyricists of songs mentioned in the book.
Bobby’s intention is to make youngsters aware of the glorious heritage of Hindi cinema and kindle an urge to watch and read about them. At the same time he aims to strike a chord with older generation, many of whom have congratulated him for the book. Having wetted the appetite he is ready with the next volume.
Fact of the matter
* Like many films featuring animals in Kohinoor (1960) Dilip Kumar’s friend was a mongoose.
* Dev Anand played the lead hero in 1970 Hollywood film The Evil Within.
* Mithun Chakraborthy’s Disco Dancer is one of the highest earners and among the five most famous films ever in Russia.
* For Lata Mangeshkar’s “Mosey Chhal Kiye Jaaye” and Mohammad Rafi’s “Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya” in Guide S.D Burman not only used the same raga but the same notes or a similar tune in such a manner that they never turn out to be identical.
