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THE BELA BOSE DVD

INTRODUCTION

As the 1960s wore on a number of new Indian dancers began to make their presence felt. Many of the already established dancers were also still going strong and their careers continued to flourish. In addition, by the mid-sixties a sort of dance revolution was going on with the music directors and dance choreographers reacting to the changes going on worldwide in popular music and dance. Although the careers of the already established dancers like , Kumkum, and Vijayanthimala were healthy, and they were able to adapt to the changing times, it was the newer ones that really carried forward these changes in movie dancing. I'm referring to people like , Laxmi Chhaya, and Bela Bose. Bela Bose is the subject of this DVD compilation.

WHO IS BELA BOSE?

Like many of the other 'B' movie actors and actresses of the period, there's not much information available about Bela. I'll quote from one article in its entirety:

"Starting her career as a group dancer, Bela Bose played many memorable dancing roles in her career. She acted in as many as 150 films. Later, she enacted character roles with equal aplomb.

Talking fondly of her roles in Watan Se Door, Bandini, Opera House, CID 909 or Dil Daulat Duniya, Bela recalls her entry into films. "I had no background neither did I have an intention to get into films. I was still into schooling when my father expired. I began to dance in groups and soon was picked up to put in a few appearances in films. I took up more offers after I finished studying," she says. Films started coming in plenty and at a given time she had as many as 30 to 40 films on hand. Most of her roles were glamorous ones that usually involved a few dances. Her peak time was between 1961-66 when the system of working in shifts was introduced in the . She used to work in three to four shifts and had little time to sleep. A talented dancer, Bela was No. 3 after Helen and Mumtaz. A role of a dancer-cum-performer which the first two would refused, used to fall in Bose's lap. Helen used to hog the roles of 'A' class films but a majority of 'AB' and 'AC'-class films went to her.

Her first role was in Mukul Dutt's Sautela Bhai opposite at the age of 17. The film was directed by Mahesh Kaul. She honed her acting skills performing in Bengali plays. Amongst her memorable films she recalls 's Bandini, F.C.Mehra's Professor and Amrapali, Atmaram's Shikar, Umang, Yeh Gulistan Hamara, Dil Aur Mohabbat, Jai Santoshi Ma, Zindagi Aur Maut and Wahan Ke Log. After she married producer Ashish Kumar Sengupta in 1967, she bid goodbye to films in 1973 after giving birth to two children-a daughter and a son. Of all her films, she treats her role as 's foster sister in as the most memorable followed by a Maithili film, More Man Mitwa.

Talking of the film industry Bela observes, "Every profession has its store of good or bad. It is up to an individual to choose which road to take. People say the industry is bad. These days lot of respectable, well- educated people are entering films. Hope they make it good." Recalling her achievements she adds, "If a person is commited he is bound to be successful. Being totally committed in life is my achievement."

This is taken from a FilmIndia article. The writer is incorrect on at least one point; although she may have been in this Sautela Bhai, it's a 1962 film and her first role was in 1960's Ek Phool Char Kaante where she had several lines of dialog and even took a quick spin with while he romanced . And I'm not sure that I believe she was only 17 in 1962. There's another and quite long article about her. Unfortunately, the article is in Dutch and the Google translation is mostly gibberish, although a lot can be gleaned from it anyway. Here's a link to it:

GOOGLE TRANSLATION OF BELA ARTICLE and another in the original Dutch:

DUTCH ARTICLE ON BELA BOSE

Here's a picture as she appears in her first film in 1960:

She's in the left foreground. Apparently her first dance was performed in 1961's Opera House, which is available on VCD but which I don't have. The earliest dance of hers which I own is from 1961's Zabak, but it's short and inconsequential. Although her acting career was progressing, and although I'm pretty sure there must have been some dancing over the next couple of years, I don't know of any films from 1962 and 1963 in which she danced (she has a small part in a dance from 1962's Professor, but it's not 'her' dance). 1964 is the year when she finally blossomed, and for the next 6 years or so she was very busy. Most of the songs and dances included in this compilation are from the years 1964 to 1970, with a couple of later ones.

She was almost unique in her dancing style. Although she did many many dances with others, she preferred solo dances. She had the ability to combine humor and sexiness both in her dancing. Her preferred dance costume seemed to have been tight slacks with a form fitting top of some kind, with her midsection sometimes covered and sometimes not, although the type of dance being done often dictated the costume being worn. She performed all kinds of dances and wore all kinds of clothes. She often danced and walked with her feet splayed out, giving her a kind of odd back-and-forth duck-waddle appearance, which added to the humor of her dance style. This can be seen in a number of the included dances, especially the fifth included dance, from the film Boxer, where she accentuates the awkwardness and also twists her body into a number of unusual positions, in an effort to seem more Chinese (I guess). The Google version of the Dutch article on her seems to imply that she had some sort of a physical deformity, but I couldn't understand if this was related to the way she walked or not. If anyone interested in this subject can read both Dutch and English, a translation of the article into English and then forwarded to memsaab's blog would be greatly appreciated. If she really did have flat feet, it would explain a lot about her dance style, but I just don't know.

THE VIDEOS

Although she appeared in and danced in many 'A' films, she was mainly a 'B' film actress and dancer, as she mentioned in the article I quoted earlier. She appeared in many many more films than are listed at IMDB and than are available on DVD or VCD. I expect there are many more of her films available only on VHS tape so far, but I don't have access to them. Because so many of her films are available only on VCD, necessarily the video quality isn't always of the same quality as that from DVDs (which itself is often pretty bad). That's the price we classic Indian film fans pay for our love of these films - putting up with sometimes atrocious video quality. The ones sourced from VCD often have a softer or blurrier appearance than do those from DVDs, although I do what I can to improve their quality.

THE SUBTITLES

Not speaking a word of , I'm usually at the mercy of the DVD subtitlers (when they even bother to subtitle the songs). With so many of the songs sourced from VCD this time, as compared to the other 2 compilation albums I've made so far (for Minoo Mumtaz and ) which were all from DVD sources, more of the songs are unsubbed. However, I've been gifted with a fine translator to whom I shall remain forever grateful. Ava has provided translations for all the VCD sourced songs, some of the DVD sourced songs, and has also improved the translations for others that came with subs. If you're so inclined, please visit her 2 blogs (one on books, the other on films) which will be linked at the bottom of this document.

THE DVD

There are 24 videos in this collection. The first five are my favorites, but I think all are good, my own particular favorites won't be other people's favorites, and most people should find gems throughout the collection, some new even to the most experienced classic Indian film viewer. I've tried to include a cross section of the kinds of dances Bela did, with a special emphasis on the more 'modern' dances, which in some ways she helped pioneer in Indian films of that period.

1. Aaja O Zara Aaja Performers: Bela Bose, Singer: Usha Khanna Music: Usha Khanna Lyrics: Asad Bhopali Film: Main Wohi Hoon, 1966 Starring: Feroz Khan, Kumkum, IS Johar, Bela Bose, Lata Sinha, Roopesh Kumar, Madan Puri, Murad

This one in many ways is so typical of the kind of dancing Bela Bose was best at - uptempo, with many over-the-top elements highlighted by her unique dancing style. I don't really think Feroz Khan was completely comfortable performing in this but he gives it his best shot, and Bela seems to be having the time of her life.

2. Nadi Ka Kinara Ho Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Music: OP Nayyar Lyrics: Verma Malik Film: C.I.D. 909, 1967 Starring: Feroz Khan, Mumtaz, Helen, Bela Bose, Rajan Haksar, Shetty, Uma Dutt,

This is from a bad DVD source, with multiple missing frames and audio. In spite of that, though, I find this one utterly charming.

The song and dance is great (in my opinion, of course). Bela is making the faux-Hawaiian moves, and there's a real good steel guitar that plays during the first break and also later on. There's some very good acoustic guitar work going on pretty much throughout. You see these Hawaii-inspired songs and dances from time to time in the classic Indian films, and like much of the rest of the world the Indians must have had a real love of the place, or at least a love of the image of the place. As one who lives in Hawaii and who also loves Indian classic films, I'm especially appreciative when I come across numbers such as this one.

In addition the video has a gritty feel you don't often see in these things. The support dancers are wearing regular street or dockworker's clothes. It's filmed on the docks with large ships in the background. There's an audience of sailors, dockworkers, and passersby all around, enjoying the filming of an Indian motion picture featuring some of their favorite stars.

Much thanks goes to Ava for cleaning up the translation so that it actually makes sense now. If there's anything wrong with it, it's my fault for 'improving' on her literal translation.

3. Aao Re Pyaari Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Suman Kalyanpur Music: S.N. Tripathi Lyrics: Saraswati Kumar Deepak Film: Lav Kush, 1967 Starring: Ashim Kumar, Jayshree Gadkar, Babloo, Sushil Kumar, Kanu Roy, Munna, Bela Bose, S.N. Tripathi

I usually haven't much interest in these mythological stories (this one the Ram/Sita story from the Ramayana), but you can sometimes unearth some choice dances from them. I've found and Helen dances before and here's a real good Bela Bose dance.

This one may be unique as I don't think I've ever seen pregnancy advice dispensed in a song and dance before.

4. Ae Zindagi Ke Performers: Bela Bose, Dev Kumar Singer: Suman Kalyanpur Music: Usha Khanna Lyrics: Asad Bhopali Film: Fareb, 1968 Starring: Faryal, Dev Kumar, Maruti, Kundan, Sushma, Bela Bose, N.A. Ansari

It's from a VCD, and except for a soft picture it doesn't look so bad. Translation by Ava.

This one's a bit of a change of pace for Bela. Although we see a lot of her signature dance moves - the chest heaves, the shoulder shrugging, the arms pumping straight up and down, the arms moving with the fingers spread wide - she's maybe the prettiest I've ever seen her in this song, as she performs to a real love song voiced beautifully by Suman Kalyanpur, and at a slower pace than is usual for her. Her 3 costumes are noteworthy as well, opening in her pyjamas and finishing in her favorite tight slacks and top.

5. Janu Na Janu Na Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Film: Boxer, 1965 Cast: Dara Singh, Mumtaz, Azad, Tabassum, Kammo, Sherry

No wonder the Chinese fought wars against if they saw how they were portrayed in Indian films. This is the one I mentioned earlier that has the signature Belsa Bose duck walk on full display, and where she contorts her beautiful dancer's body into awkward positions.

6. Zara Sambhalna Meri Jaan Performers: Helen, Bela Bose Singers: , Mukesh, Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Asad Bhopali Film: Aaya Toofan, 1964 Starring: Helen, Anwar Hussain, Maruti, Dara Singh, , Tun Tun

Here's a nice outdoors dance featuring Bela performing with Helen. Helen, of course, by 1964 was justly very famous, and the preeminent item number dancer in India. She's the female lead in this film, one of many she made (mostly 'B' films) in which she starred. Bela has no trouble at all keeping up with her in their dance together.

7. Bela And Helen 1 Performers: Bela Bose, Helen Singer: None Music: Iqbal Quraishi Lyrics: None Film: Cha Cha Cha, 1964 Cast: Chandrashekhar, Helen, , OP Ralhan, Bela Bose, Polson, Iftekhar

Helen's the star in this movie, so she gets the majority of the on-screen time. But Bela does some fine support work and her screen presence is strong. After Helen leaves the room there's about 30 seconds of dialog before returning to the remaining 20 seconds of the dancing. I cut out the dialog and did a fadeout/in to the second part.

From a VCD source, so the quality isn't the best. I decided to tint this one in the hopes that it would look a bit better.

8. Zindagi Ka Nasha Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: Chitalkar Ramchandra Lyrics: Film: Wahan Ke Log, 1967 Starring: , , Johnny Walker, Neelofar, NA Ansari, Bela Bose

From a VCD, so the picture quality isn't the best, but Ava provided a translation for it. The audio is also substandard. The blur in the upper left is the remains of the much despised Nupur logo.

One thing making this video stand out is the presence of 7 western girls 'playing' guitar, 'singing' backup. and generally providing a bit of color. I wish this one was on DVD with subs, because it has a crazy plot, and it also has a very cool Laxmi Chhaya dance. Bela Bose has a major role in it with lots of lines of dialog. Here's a review of it:

WAHAN KE LOG REVIW

9. O Dilwaalon Saz-e-dil Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Lata Mangeshkar Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Anand Bakshi Film: Lutera, 1965 Starring: Dara Singh, , Nishi, Kammo, Jeevan, Hirilal, Bela Bose, Leela Mishra, Maruti, Helen

Another one sourced from a VCD with very poor picture quality. But it's very colorful, and Bela's dance for the women-starved sailors is a good one. Translation provided by Ava.

10. Jab Si Lagi Performers: Bela Bose, Singers: Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar Music: Shankar, Jaikishen Lyrics: Film: Shikar, 1968 Starring: Asha Parekh, , , Rehman, Helen, Bela Bose, Johnny Walker

Here we have Bela appearing in a real 'A' picture and in a decent quality DVD, and she has a good role, being teamed up with Johnny Walker. As much as I love Asha Parekh, it seems pretty obvious to me that Bela completely outdances Asha in this. My first thought was that Bela had plenty of time to prepare while Asha, who had much more to do in the movie, didn't practice the dance nearly as much. However, that Google-translated page I've mentioned before, if I understand it correctly, says Asha had plenty of time to prepare while Bela had only half a day to learn the moves. I'm not quite sure what to make of that, except to conclude that Bela Bose was a quick study as well as being an outstanding dancer.

11. Kehdo Koi Bedardi Performers: Bela Bose, Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: Salil Choudhary Lyrics: Film: Poonam Ki Raat, 1965 Starring: Manoj Kumar, Kishore Sahu, , Parveen Choudhary, Nandini, Shiv Kumar, , Bela Bose

The blur in the upper left is the remains of the much beloved Priya logo. From a VCD source, itself from a very scratched up print of the film film. Translation by Ava.

In the background of the picture above are support dancers Ted Lyons and his sister Edwina (thanks, memsaab).

12. Hai Nazar Ka Performers: Bela Bose, Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Anand Bakshi Film: Anita, 1967 Starring: Sadhana, Manoj Kumar, I.S.Johar, Sajjan,

Another one from a decent DVD source, so the video quality is pretty good. Bela dances with good video quality are kind of few and far between, so I try and include them when possible.

13. Dance Class in CID 909 Performer: Bela Bose, Feroz Khan Singer: None Music: OP Nayyar Lyrics: Shewan Rizvi Film: C.I.D. 909, 1967 Starring: Feroz Khan, Mumtaz, Helen, Bela Bose, Rajan Haksar, Shetty, Uma Dutt, Tun Tun

Here we have dance teacher and undercover agent Bela Bose teaching a filmi dance class. This is a little throwaway number from the movie, but I found it very cute and included it.

14. Sajna Kidhar Saari Ratiyan Ganwaai Performers: Bela Bose, Laxmi Chhaya Singers: Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Anand Bakshi Film: Aasra, 1966 Starring: Biswajeet, , Amita, Jagdeep, , , David, Bela Bose

What a pleasure to watch the 2 masters at work. One only wishes that the Biswajeet/Mala Sinha drama didn't interfere with watching the two of them dance. The synchronized parts are truly synchronized, the movements clean and crisp. And there's still plenty of room for them to show their own unique moves and to mug for the camera. It's also a chance to listen to a rare Lata/Usha duet. Translation by Ava.

15. Dadkan Har Dil Ki Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Lata Mangeshkar Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Film: Abhinetri, 1970 Starring: , , Deb , Nirupa Roy, , , Nazima

From a decent progressively encoded Music India DVD. If the movie appeals to you, I recommend this DVD, one of the few DVDs of Indian classic films I'll ever recommend because most of them are so horrible. This was the last movie I came across while looking for the songs and dances for this compilation DVD, and it was such a pleasure, after all the poor VCDs and DVDs I've seen with Bela in them, to get a look at this one. The movie also has three really choice Hema Malini dances, including one Bharatnatyam dance.

16. Bujha Do Deepak Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Suman Kalyanpur Music: Robin Banerjee Lyrics: A. Shumsheer Film: Tarzan And King Kong, 1965 Starring: Randhawa, Mumtaz, Bela Bose, Shyam Kumar, Bhagwan, Dara Singh, King Kong, Rani

Herman Benjamin is one of the four 'Dance Masters' that choreographed this film. Did he work on this dance? I have no idea, although there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it. Although it's probably not one of Bela Bose's very best dances, I'm including it for a couple of reasons. The first is that it's about the best looking VCD to be blown up to DVD size I've seen. I was able to filter it (to, among other things, remove the Moserbaer logo) so that it actually looks pretty good. The other reason is that I think the cinematography, the editing, and especially the lighting, were all done very well. The dance takes place in a dark cave where Shyam Kumar is holding Mumtaz and Randhawa hostage, and some of the lighting effects are fantastic, in my opinion. For those that speak Hindi and want to see more of Bela Bose, she's billed third in this one and has a major role, with lots of lines of dialog. Translation by Ava.

17. Dupatta Aodhe Nikale Bahaaran Performers: Johnny Walker, Bela Bose Singer: Mohammad Rafi Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri Film: Dillagi, 1966 Starring: Mala Sinha, , Nazima, Vijay Kumar, Johnny Walker, Bela Bose

A nice Bela and Johnny Walker pairing with decent video quality. Both of them wear three different costumes during the course of the song.

18. Uf Yeh Beqaraar Dil Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: O.P. Nayyar Lyrics: Shewan Rizvi Film: Dil Aur Mohabbat, 1968 Starring: , , , Bala Bose, Nasir Hussain, K.N. Singh

I suspect Bela had a big part in the choreography herself, or choreographer Suresh Bhatt really understood what was needed to make her shine. She's dancing by herself, where she always performs best, we get a lot of unusual camera angles and situations (spinning around on a table, wrecking Joy Mukherjee's pool shot), and it's full of unique dance moves. This one's a real gem, in my opinion.

19. Bombay Ke Yeh Babu Performers: Bela Bose, Singer: Lata Mangeshkar Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Asad Bhopali Film: Hum Sab Ustad Hain, 1965 Starring: Kishore Kumar, Ameeta, Dara Singh, Sheikh Mukhtar, Maruti, Lalita Kumari, Bela Bose

An absolutely atrocious DVD (thanks, T-Series), but a pretty cool song and dance, with additional humor provided by Kishore Kumar, being mercilessly abused because of his peeping into the homes of girls.

20. Bela And Helen 2 Performers: Bela Bose, Helen, Om Prakash Singer: None Music: Iqbal Quraishi Lyrics: None Film: Cha Cha Cha, 1965 Cast: Chandrashekhar, Helen, Om Prakash, Om Prakash, OP Ralhan, Bela Bose, Polson, Iftekhar

This is the second one from Cha Cha Cha I'm including. Like the earlier one, it's dancing with no song. I love the improvisational quality of these things, just young girls practicing their dance moves with each other. Once again, Bela more than holds her own against the much more famous Helen. One wonders just how much real competition was going on during the filming of something like this, just how much of a danceoff this turned out to be.

21. Chubh Gayi Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: Shankarsinh, Jaikishan Lyrics: Hasrat Jaipuri Film: Nadaan, 1971 Starring: Asha Parekh, Navin Nischol, Helen, Nirupa Roy, Madan Puri, Sunder, Sulochana, Praveen Paul, Bela Bose

Something we've all seen a million times before in Indian films, some sort of peasant or tribal dance with a lead dancer backed by support dancers and musicians. Yet Bela manages to make her version seem new and fresh with her own unique delivery.

22. Ban Jaao Tum Mehmaan Mere Dil Ke Performers: Bela Bose, Vaishali Singers: Hemlata, Krishna Kalle Music: Usha Khanna Lyrics: Krishna Kalle Film: Fareb, 1968 Starring: Faryal, Dev Kumar, Maruti, Kundan, Sushma, Bela Bose, N.A. Ansari

This song bears more than a passing resemblance to the great Do Pal Jo Teri from , a dance Bela performs with Laxmi Chhaya (coming soon in a Laxmi Chhaya DVD), right down to the plastic (?) flower Bela wears over each ear. Her partner in this one, Vaishali, (thanks for the ID, Ava's brother) is no match for Laxmi Chhaya, though. Translation by Ava.

23. Pyaar Kiya Hai Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: Laxmikant, Pyarelal Lyrics: Anand Bakshi Film: Daku Mangal Singh, 1966 Cast: Dara Singh, Mumtaz, Prithviraj Kapoor, Saptu, Bhagwan, Uma Dutt

This is an elaborate dance sequence featuring Bela and sixteen support dancers along with musicians, with high production values including a fancy courtyard with lots of greenery and a fountain. Translation by Ava.

At the very beginning we get a several second long close up of her feet, which seem to have very little arch at all. The same can be noticed in many of her other dances where we see her feet clearly. If, as I speculated earlier, she really does have flat feet, this would go a long way towards explaining her unique dancing style, not that it seems to have slowed her down at all.

24. My Name Is Kishori Performer: Bela Bose Singer: Asha Bhosle Music: O.P. Nayyar Lyrics: None Film: Dil Aur Mohabbat, 1968 Starring: Ashok Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Sharmila Tagore, Bala Bose, Nasir Hussain, K.N. Singh

I'll finish with a short almost throwaway dance from Dil Aur Mohabbat where she tries to distract hero Joy Mukherjee while helping the villain to cheat at cards. For me, this short dance epitomizes Bela Bose and it's one of my favorites. She's big and bright, bold and brassy. She's pretty and funny, demands attention, is innovative in her dancing, and never fails to entertain. There's no one else quite like her.

Bela, we love you. Can you, a friend, or some member of your family, please contact memsaab at the link below just to say "Hello"?

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I'd like to thank Mr. Naidu for coming up with the idea of these compilation DVDs, because they weren't being done, or not being done properly, by the Indian DVD production companies. Visit his site for information where to get the DVDs he's released. Second, I'd like to thank memsaab whose blog, 'memsaabstory' has been in the vanguard of an attempt to point the spotlight at the secondary actors, actresses, dancers, and film crews of the classic Indian films. These are people who are slowly being forgotten in the passage of time, and it shouldn't be that way. Third, I'd very much like to thank Ava who, as a labor of love for those of us that don't understand Hindi, has translated quite a few of the songs from this DVD. And finally, I'd like to thank the other bloggers, including but not limited to Richard and Madhu, who for the people out there like me, reading, learning, getting ideas for films to watch, and getting our craving for things having to do with classic Indian films satisfied by their writings, are a very valuable resource. Anyone wishing to contact me about video encoding, PM 'manono' at one of the two sites listed below. LINKS

Blogs: Ava's Film Blog Ava's Book Blog Richard's Dances On The Footpath Mr. Naidu's Blog Madhu's Film Blog Memsaab's Film Blog Memsaab's 10 Favorite Bela Bose Songs Post

Video encoding sites:

Doom9 Videohelp.com

My channels at video sharing sites:

DailyMotion Veoh

My DVDs:

The Minoo Mumtaz Compilation DVD Albela, the 1951 film starring and Bhagwan, with subtitled songs for the first time ever, (mostly) translated by Ava The Johnny Walker DVD The Bela Bose DVD