Remembering Meena Kumari

Born as Mahjabeen Bano on August 1,1932,Meena Kumari went on to become one of the finest actresses of our industry who captivated the hearts of cinegoers in the ’50s and ’60s with her mesmerising beauty and haunting voice. One has to just watch the song Jyoti kalash chhalke to understand her charisma. Her face had a startling simplicity and her beautiful eyes could convey myriad emotions. From Baby Meena in Leatherface to the courtesan in Pakeezah she has delivered some of Hindi cinema’s most memorable films. Parineeta,Baiju Bawra,Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai,Sharda,Mere Apne,Phool aur Patthar and Sahib Bibi Aur Gulam are amongst her best-known films. She was also equally brilliant in Pyar Ka Sagar,Bhabhi Ki Choodiyan and Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan and seemed to bond especially well with the child artistes in these films. It is sad to think that an actress who gave up so much of herself to light up our lives could never find love and happiness in her personal life and turned to alcohol to drown her sorrows. On her 79th anniversary we salute this unique artiste who will remain a source of inspiration for the future generation of actresses.

Sharda Iyer | Mumbai

Engrossing report card

The cover story in the last issue of Screen,dated July 15,on Hindi cinema’s box-office report of the first six months was quite engrossing. As rightly said,Hindi cinema has witnessed only one big blockbuster in Salman Khan’s Ready in the first half of 2011. As most of the films flopped,it’s time for the industry to concentrate on content rather than just casting big stars. The biggest disappointment came from Akshay Kumar who gave back-to-back flops in Patiala House and Thank You,while Priyanka Chopra’s 7 Khoon Maaf also tanked. This year’s second half has begun on a promising note with Delhi Belly and Murder2 becoming hits. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara got a bumper opening thanks to Hrithik’s stardom and a big star- cast. I’m looking forward to big-budget films like Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One and Don2 and Salman Khan’s Bodyguard and hope that they will repeat the same success at the box-office.

Raghu Chandra Parsa | Secunderabad