Mahendra was in Queens some years ago to perform for a local mandir. He brought his son and grandson and it was a great event.

Figgy, Where are you at?/ Mahendra Boy let us have a cyber dance off.

Mitwah, Thanks for the memory. I used to dance that song at Gaumont, then balerina started to play it and i moved over to balerina, and then to sangam.

Nehru I am putting up RajK against you for the dance off...



Tujhko Mera Pyar Pukare (Duet)

Oh rant ah hear Dara pukaraying...

what a lost, RIP



Mahendra Kapoor passes away
By IANS
Sep 29, 2008, 08:13

Mumbai, Sep 29 : A voice that rendered many immortal songs will be heard no more, as Bollywood bade farewell Sunday to singer Mahendra Kapoor, who passed away at the age of 74, following cardiac arrest in Mumbai.

The voice, a friend of Kapoor said had recently faded into the background as the industry allowed him to disappear from the scene.

Kapoor's only son, Rohan Kapoor, lit the funeral pyre at the Santacruz crematorium, about five kilometers away from his Bandra residence.

As the funeral pyre lit up in flames, the scene at the cremation site became surcharged with emotion, more so because a fan stared singing the late singer's popular numbers with tears rolling down his cheeks, making the memories of the departed soul more poignant.

Though Bollywood's big names were conspicuous by their absence, it was a well-attended funeral ceremony.

Kapoor's son Rohan, who had started his career as an actor in the 80s and acted in movies like 'Faasle' (1985), 'Love 86' (1986) and 'Imaandar' (1987), personally received the mourners.

Though Mahendra Kapoor had not been singing in movies lately, he had been a popular figure in Bollywood mainly due to his unassuming nature.

'He had always kept in touch with the latest happenings in the film industry and appreciated improvement of the music quality of Bollywood movies of late,' said Rohan.

The yesteryears actor Manoj Kumar echoed what Raj Kapoor had said when singer Mukesh passed away as he told us 'I have lost my voice.'

Kapoor had sung the most popular number in Kumar's 'Upkar'(1967), 'mere desh ki dharti.'

'Though I had not been in touch with him on a regular basis in recent times, we were good friends. I am still finding it hard to believe that he is no more,' Kumar said.

Kapoor, who got the singing break in Bollywood with director Raja Nawathe's 'Sohni Mahiwal' in 1958, came into prominence only after he rendered the 'Aadha hai chandrama raat aadhi' number in V. Shantaram's 1959 movie 'Navrang' under the baton of composer C. Ramchandra.

With B.R. Chopra's 'Dhool Ka Phool,' directed by Yash Chopra, he consolidated his career in Bollywood. Later, he became a permanent fixture of B.R. Films and sang some memorable songs for the banner, including 'Gumrah,' 'Humraaz' and 'Waqt.'

It was music director Ravi who utilised his high-pitched voice more suitably.

'It is my personal feeling that the industry allowed Kapoor to disappear from its music scene rather too quickly. It is also a fact that music directors hired his services sparingly, assigning him too few songs to sing in movies though he deserved more,' said a producer friend of the late singer.

Did the new generation which took over Bollywood forget Kapoor too quickly?

'How could we have forgotten him? After all, we grew up listening to his songs and learning from the way he sang.' Said singer Udit Narayan.

Since 1980, Kapoor started singing for regional movies, mainly in Punjabi, Bhojpuri and Marathi. He was a permanent singer for successful Marathi filmmaker, Dada Kondke.

Besides, playback singing, Kapoor had gone on tours to various countries to give musical concert along with his troupe, which also included his son.

Though Kapoor had sung a number of non-film bhajans, it is because of his rendition of the most chanted one, 'Om Jai Jagdish...' that helped it travel beyond north India and attain a country-wide popularity.

Zayed shooting for Bollywood's first underwater song

Mumbai, Sep 28: At the moment Zayed Khan has reason to be happy and unhappy. He's happy because he'll soon be shooting the first underwater song sequence ever in Hindi cinema.

But inclement weather in Bangkok has held up shooting and the producers are losing a ton of money.

Zayed, who has been stationed in Bangkok and ****et for the past month, says: "It's never been done before. On the concept level itself it sounds too, too outrageous. The entire cast singing in the deep sea. That's unique, man!"

Hate to burst Zayed's bubble. But decades ago in "Anmol Moti" claiming to be India's first underwater film Jeetendra and Babita sang 'under water', which was actually a swimming pool.

So, yes, "Blue" is the first Bollywood film that will have the entire cast of Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Lara, Katrina and Zayed doing a song sequence in the deep sea.

A baffling concept for sure.

Laughs Zayed, "Yes. But you've to see how we're going to do it. The director got the concept from an ad. We all jumped at it. It's not often that you get to do something so unique."

But with the excitement comes the damper. Inclement weather in Bangkok is playing havoc with the "Blue" schedules.

Says the anxious and depressed Zayed, "We knew it was going to rain in Bangkok and ****et. But not like this! Apparently this area has never had so much rains. Every day we're losing precious time. Today again we're stuck indoors while it pours outside. The producers are losing Rs.2.5 million per day. And moreover we can't extend the shooting because we - Sanju Sir, Akshay and I - can't give combined dates for a long time," said Zayed Saturday.

A good excuse for the unit to bond? "Not really. I'd rather be back home with my wife Malli(Malaika) and son Zidaan. I miss them, specially my son. I want to watch him grow, not be away for long periods from home and miss this phase in my son's life."

Zidaan can't travel with Papa all the time. "He came with my wife to the Bahamas when we were shooting there. But he can't keep travelling all over. He has to develop an immunity system. I do miss my son. But my wife emails me his pictures every day."

This is so sad..

Here is my one of my favorite of his bhajans.

Ramchandra Kah Gaye Siya Ke

Lyrics:

raamchandra keh gaye siyaase aaisa kaljuga aayega
bhaiyaa, aaj to ham tumhe ek naye jamaaneki katha sunaayenge
are baaba kisibhi jamaaneki sunaao par sunaao zaroor
siyaavar raamchandraki jaya

he raamachandra keh gaye siyaase aaisa kaljuga aayega
hansa chugega daana dunka kauvva moti khaayega

siyaane puchhaa,
kalajugamein dharam karamko koi nahi maanegaa?
to prabhu bole:

dharam bhi hoga, karam bhi hoga
parantu sharam nahi hogi
baata baata par maata pitaako
ladka aankh dikhaayega
raaja aur praja dono inmein
hogi nisadin kheenchaataani
kadam kadam par karenge
dono apni apni mann maani
jiske haath mein hogi laathi
bhainsa vahi le jaayega
suno siya kaljugmein kaala dhan aur kaale mann honge
chora uchakke nagar setha aur prabhu bhakta nirdhan honge
jo hoga lobhi aur bhogi vo jogi kehlaayega
mandir soona soona hoga bhari rahengi madhushaala
pitaake sang sang bhari sabhaamein naachegi gharki baala
kaisa kanyaadaan bidaahi kanyaaka dhan khaayega

moorakh ki preet buri jueki jeeta buri
bure sang baitha baitha bhaage hi bhaage
kaajal ki kothari mein kaise hi jatana karo
kaajal ka daag bhaai laage hi laage
kitna jati ho koi kitna sati ho koi
kaamani ke sang kaam jaage hi jaage
suno kahe gopeeraama jiska hai raamadhaama
uska to phanda gale laage hi laage

Mahendra was in Richmond Hill in Queens about 5 yrs ago with son Rohan. A sold out crowd heard him sing the popular tunes. What a great loss.

I still love Mahendra songs from the movie Hamraz.i play them all the time.