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Jewels
in the crown
By
Padmaraj Nair
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The Nightingale of India, Lata Mangeshkar, who has had music
buffs enthralled for over five decades, and shehnai maestro
Ustad Bismillah Khan have been awarded the Bharat Ratna, the
nation’s highest civilian honour on the eve of the 52nd
Republic Day.
Among the Padma Bhushan awardees are: BR Chopra, Dev Anand,
Amitabh Bachchan, Pran, Bhanumathi, Bhupen Hazarika, Yamini
Krishnamurthi, Uma Sharma, violinist L Subramaniam and instrumentalist
Lalgudi Jayaraman.
Awardees for the Padma Vibhushan include: Ustad Amjad Ali
Khan, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, composer Zubin Mehta and santoor
maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.
Among the 66 Padma Shri awardees is singer SP Balasubrahmaniam.
 LATA
MANGESHKAR: Born in 1929, she has an unparalleled record
as a singer which will remain a landmark for many decades
to come. Appropriately nicknamed the Nightingale of India,
Lata still continues to sing and inspire the younger generation
with her haunting voice.
USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN:
This shehnai maestro is a legend by himself for his outstanding
contributions in the field of music, especially in popularising
the shehnai among Indians. The ustad has provided music for
a few Hindi films as guest composer but never took it up as
a serious profession. The Bharat Ratna is a belated recognition
of his talent and contributions.
HRISHIKESH MUKHERJEE:
A filmmaker who managed to float quite successfully in the
sea of commercial cinema with his offbeat social drama, Hrishida
is known for his films like Mili, Namak Haram, Chupke Chupke,
Bawarchi and Guddi. The editor turned director also had a
brief stint as the chairman of Central Board of Film Certification
and gained the reputation of a non-controversial censor chief.
The Padma Vibhushan has come at a time when the octogenarian
has not been keeping the best of health.
AMITABH BACHCHAN:
The superstar of Hindi cinema who hogged the limelight from
the mid 70s to the late 90s creates news with whatever he
tries his hand at. His entry into the small screen with Kaun
Banega Crorepati has helped Star TV give the other channels
a run for their money. At 58, the multi-dimensional actor
is still a crowd-puller and has easily the biggest fan-following
in the country.
BR CHOPRA:
The veteran filmmaker known for his message-oriented films
holds a Masters degree in English Literature from Lahore University.
He came to India after the Partition and launched his production
house in 1956. The journalist turned filmmaker is known for
films like Insaaf Ka Tarazu which strongly dealt with atrocities
on women.
DEV ANAND:  The
evergreen actor of Hindi cinema continues to defy age and
make films that are close to his heart. The romantic hero
of the early 50s made his debut in 1948 with Hum Ek Hain,
and was featured in some memorable films like Baazi, CID,
Kala Bazaar, Guide, Johny Mera Naam and Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
Now a filmmaker, Dev Anand is ready with Censor which is due
for an early release and has plans to launch two more films.
PRAN:  How
can one ever forget the villianish antics of this versatile
actor? He is the actor the audience loved to hate the most.
The veteran actor has put in more than 60 years in Hindi cinema
and will be remembered for his memorable performances in films
like Afsana, Azaad, Chori Chori, Victoria 203, Zanjeer and
Upkaar. He was also presented with the Screen-Videocon Award
for lifetime achievement recently.
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