Kanwaljit Singh, the good-looking actor who has given some excellent performances in films as well as television serials speaks to zeelearn.com.
Kanwaljit graduated from Saharanpur and then joined FTII Pune. His first film was 'Dastaan-e-Laila Majnu' followed by 'Hum Rahe Na Hum' by Vijay Anand, "Sharat" and 'Shaque' by Ketan Anand.
Two of his films 'Hum Rahe Na Hum' and 'Shaque' which he heavily banked on did not do well at the box office. He was slotted as a failure, and it was around this time that he was introduced to television (the small screen, then was not a popular medium). His role as an illegitimate child in Ramesh Sippy's mega serial Buniyaad gave him instant recognition. This earned him many offers, but even at that time he did not take up anything that came his way. On the contrary he has always preferred to wait and do lesser but more meaningful roles. In the coming years he was approached with roles of his choice and thus serials like Saans, Family no. 1, Dard and Siski happened.
Happily married to actress Anuradha Patel, he is the father of two adorable sons. His hobbies are reading, philosophy, literature and Urdu poetry and his favourite sport is tennis. A voracious reader, he has read Salman Rushdie, Milan Kundera, Marque and Arundhati Roy. He admires European filmmakers and artists, his favourite Hollywood actors are Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Kevin Costner and Jack Nicholson.
An excerpt of the chat with him:
You have tasted success on the small screen. How do you perform your roles with such ease?
"It's just that with experience you tend to be perfect, but rehearsing for a role is very important for upcoming artists. My initial days of struggle were marked with practice sessions, I used to stand in front of a mirror, read aloud my dialogues and perform. That gave me the confidence to perform various roles with ease. Once you get acquainted with the art you need not practice. These days when I am not working I read autobiographies of other artists and try and learn from them".
Would you choose going back to movies?
"I do like working in films as this medium enables one to exploit one's true potential, but I am not happy with the kind of offers that have come my way. I want to do roles of substance, the kind that can help me grow. Owing to my success on the small screen, offers come my way. I basically work for television in order to fulfill my economic needs, and also because I get to do variety of roles."
How do you choose a role?
"I look for the fullness in the man, is he real, believable, does he have something to say/do, challenge the actor in myself, give a chance to display a wide range of emotions etc. In the case of 'Saans', he is caught up in two situations, or Karan Khanna of 'Daraar' who is on the warpath against his greedy and jealous daughter-in-law who has deprived him of everything or the illegitimate son, Satbir in 'Buniyaad'. Is the character angry, shy, extrovert, introvert, suppressed, quiet or ambitious? You see, all these range of emotions do help in choosing a character. There has to be something strong in the character, which you should instinctively feel and which can be reflected on the screen".
That means you choose your character.
"Yes, I am a very choosy person, I don't undertake any project that comes my way. I think a great deal about the role. The best compliment that I have received in my long innings is that whenever I take up a job, quality is always assured. And I am not talking just about my own performance".
What kind of potential roles would you like to portray?
"I have always been fascinated by psychologically disturbed minds. Something on those lines would really interest me. I want to play a psychopath.
What are your reading preferences?
"Well, I read all sorts of books, fiction and non-fiction. As I told you, I have read a lot of Nietzsche. It is a sort of Bible to me. I keep going back to Nietzsche again and again. I have read a lot of Freud and Adler, and other psychological books too. Also I have read a lot of fiction starting with Rushdie, Arundhati, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Milan Kundera.
Who do you look up to as your role models?
"Since my childhood I had been a great fan of Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar. I often used to imitate Dev Anand's gestures. I was just crazy about him. But things changed once I joined the Film Institute at Pune. As I started watching foreign movies, my outlook towards films changed. I have great admiration for Nietyzsche and Faiz Ahmed Faiz".
Your screen roles show you as a loving and understanding father. Are you the same in real life too?
"I am a very loving father but my kids think that I am a very humorous person. I share a very close relationship with my sons, Siddharath and Aditya. I try and coincide my holidays with the kids so that all the four of us can go out on holidays together. We prefer to spend the weekends at Khandala and Lonavala. All of us basically like to travel a lot. During the kids' Diwali and summer vacations, we take off on long holidays".
The above brief biography of Kanwaljit Singh presented with thanks to Chitra Sawant

Two happy moments came together in the life of Sardar Jaspal Bhatti and Smt. Sawita Dadyala in Feb 1986. When the couple was blessed with a son and Government blessed them and telecast "Ulta Pulta" at National hookup from Delhi Doordarshan on the same month. An other happy occasion came in the life of couple when they presented live performance in an Award ceremony at Bombay. That was the first live show of the couple.
The couple has a quality of mesmerizing people with their charisma throwing them into pangs of laughter. He is doing so much "Ulta Pulta" on TV, but in his real life he is a good son, better father and an adorable husband. He is thankful to the corrupt system which is regularly generating ideas for his coming episodes.

Sardar Jaspal Singh Bhatti was born to Smt. Manjit Kaur Kaler on 3rd march 1955 at Guru ki Nagri Amritsar. His Father, Sardar Narinder Singh Bhatti has worked in Electricity Board. After retirement he decided to settle at Chandigarh.
I no longer think of it as the city of Le Corbusier but as the city of Jaspal Bhatti, Indian TV's one and only original and contemporary satirist.
Sardar Jaspal Bhatti did his matriculation from Pathankot and then +2 from DAV College Jalandhar. Then in 1978 he completed his Electrical Engineering from Punjab Engineering College. In 1980 he joined Punjab State Electricity Board. In the school he always actively participated in all the extra curricular activities.
Once he sent a cartoon to "The Tribune" (A leading daily English news paper). The editor liked it very much and published it on the first page of the paper, with this he got inspiration to do more cartooning. His cartoons became very popular. Then he started his programme "Rang Wich bhang" (Disturbance in happy celebration). This programme highlighted his inner artist. It was a short programme but viewers stuck to TV so that they did not miss this programme which gave them a few moments of happiness in this era of fast life.He then started making serials for TV but his lust for films did not stop and he produced the very funny "Mahaul Theek Hai" which give him international recognition. His work in other Hindi films has also been appreciated by viewers.
Now Jaspal Bhatti is an established star of Bollywood, His work and stylehas made home in the hearts of Indian people and Indians living abroad. Now Jaspal Bhatti is frequently present on Indian TV in one or another serial skit or movie. There is no looking back and opportunities keep coming his way with success. Many organizations have recognized his contribution, In the word of Jaspal Bhatti "the clapping of my audience and love, is great award to me".
He got married to Smt. Sawita Dadyala on 24th March 1985. She is daughter of Sardar Manmohan Singh Dadyala Ex Air Commodore. She did her graduation from Delhi and MA from Punjab University in 1988. She had also decorated herself with the degree in journalism. Now she handles the production of all the serials and TV shows. The couple is blessed with a son and a daughter.

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Jaspinder Narula

To some people, fame comes late, but comes for good. Jaspinder Narula is a fine example. The powerful-voiced singer shot to fame after a duet with Remo Fernandes in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, and walked away with many awards that same year. Two years later, she is today rated among Bollywood's most sought after playback singers.

Jaspinder's tryst with singing began early, being the off spring of K S Narula, a veteran composer of the 50s. However, with her strong spiritual inclinations, Jaspinder kept away from film singing and specialised in singing bhajans and Sufiana compositions.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan could be credited with giving Jaspinder the much-needed push towards the music industry. He invited the young singer to the felicitation party of veteran composers Kalyanji-Anandji, who had just won the Padamshree. Upon meeting the young talent, Kalyanji invited her to Mumbai, but Jaspinder, who was busy with academics, stayed away from the glitter of tinsel town.

Jaspinder finally made her way to Mumbai a few years later, when Kalyanji recommended her to his son Viju Shah. The few assignments that she took up went largely unnoticed. A fairly good break came in 1997, when Anu Malik offered her an assignment in Virasaat,for which she recorded a duet with Kumar Sanu. Then on, there was no stopping Jaspinder, who went on to record for the industry's top-notch music directors.

But in an industry where a singer's worth is measured more by quantity rather than quality, Jaspinder has managed to render a fair range of tracks. Right from Akhiyon se goli maare from Dulhe Raja, to Bumbro from Mission Kashmir, Narula has covered a wide canvas of genres, exhibiting her best each time. She also rendered vocals for Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein. The singer declares that she is willing to try anything, as long as the songs don't border on vulgarity. Her repertoire thereby remains dynamic and impressive.

An ardent Sardarni, Narula is at ease with all kinds of music, be it devotional, filmi, folk, pop, western or classical. With a post-graduate degree from the University of Delhi, she is pursuing her PhD on the influence of Urdu and Persian on Hindustani classical music.

Narula has also tried her hand at the pop scene with the album Kuch Kuch Dil Mein, an album that didn't quite generate the kind of reaction that her playback singing does. However, with scores of film assignments in the pipeline, the diverse singer need not worry too much about pop acts.

Courtesy; http://www.indya.com/

Gurdas Mann was born in the village of Giddarbaha, District of Faridkot. He was formally educated in Malout. After completing his education his parents moved him to Patiala for further studies. The city fascinated him especially because it was home to the National Institute of Sports, as Gurdas is a keen sports enthusiast. He joined the N.I.S and gained a Masters Degree in Physical Education.

He took part in youth festivals organised by various universities and won numerous awards for his singing and acting. He competed in many athletic events and won medals including a bronze at the National Championship, he is also a black belt in Judo. After completing his Masters Degree, he started working and also kept on writing and doing stage shows.

In one of his stage play he sang a song which he wrote himself and called " DIL DA MAMALA HAI ". The play was seen play a producer of a Jalandhar TV station, who than approached him for a TV recording of his song, which Gurdas reluctantly agreed to. When the song was aired on the 31st December 1980 it stormed the nation and Gurdas Maan became a household name. The overwhelming success of the song grabbed the attention of HMV who wanted to record the song and from this came his first album in 1982.
He has produced over 27 albums and has written over 200 songs. He also wrote and directed TV programmes like POP Time for Delhi Doordarshan. When Gurdas Maan started his career, as a performer there was no market for solo singers, as the market was dominated by the duets. He declined many offers to perform as a duet as he was confident of becoming successful as a solo artist. Even today when organisers arrange for a group of artists to perform, he always perform solo. He has toured the globe and charmed audiences with his versatile performances.

Credit goes to Gurdas Mann for raising Panjabi music from a mere regional level to an international level by giving it a fresh look. The ever-popular "APNA PANJAB" track which has superseded all other songs by Gurdas Maan, this track has received awards for The Best Song , Album & Best International Artist of the Asian Pop and Media Awards held in Birmingham in 1998.
He is a pioneer in many ways and keeps trying to better things by doing something different, be-it using different kind of music or giving new dimension to an old folk song. As a singer Gurdas Mann has worked with music directors like Laxmikant Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik, Nadeem Sharvan, Amar Haidipur, Charanjeet Ahuja, Jaswant Bhanyra to mention but a few.
Aside from singing in Panjabi, he is fluent in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Haryanvi and Rajasthani. As an actor he has performed in Panjabi, Hindi and Tamil movies.

Gurinder Chadha was born in Kenya and came to Britain with her parents in 1961. She grew up in Southall, London and studied at the University of East Anglia. After working as a broadcast journalist, her first directorial venture was I'm British But..., a documentary made for Channel 4 and the BFI in 1989. The film uses the phenomenon of bhangra music to explore issues of identity and belonging among young British-born Asians.
In 1990 Chadha made her first dramatic short film, Nice Arrangement, concerning a British-Asian family on the morning of their daughter's wedding. This was followed by another documentary, Acting Our Age (1991), in which elderly Asians living in Southall recount their experiences of living in Britain. These various concerns came together in Chadha's first feature film, the comedy-drama Bhaji on the Beach (1993). The film centres on the experiences of a group of Asian women from three generations on a day trip to Blackpool. As Chadha has said, in the film "You have tradition on the one side and modernity on the other, Indianness on the one side, Englishness on the other, cultural specificity and universality - but in fact there is a scale between each of these polarities and the film moves freely between them."
After a two-part drama for the BBC, Rich Deceiver (1995), and a number of television documentaries, Chadha went to Los Angeles to make her next feature film What's Cooking? (2000), a series of overlapping stories involving four families (Hispanic, Vietnamese, African-American, and Jewish), all preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. Once again the film stresses diversity over difference through an increasingly adept mix of drama and comedy. Chadha has said that "For me the whole point of the film is that the four families mirror each other and as you become emotionally invested you forget about where they come from - you stop seeing difference and realise they all want the same thing, to keep their families together.

Chadha's most accomplished and commercially successful film to date is Bend It Like Beckham (2002). This story of a young Asian woman trying to pursue her ambitions as a footballer while accommodating the demands of family and tradition may seem familiar territory. However, the fact that the film is set in Southall, where Chadha grew up, enables her to present a subtly nuanced picture of a very specific community. The film makes the point that British Asian experiences are as diverse as those of any cultural or ethnic group, thereby emphasising the universality of those experiences, a point that is all the more powerful for being quietly made.

Gurinder Chadha honoured at the Commons
14.39 IST 03rd Nov 2004

By IndiaExpress Bureau

Gurinder Chadha, NRI director of Aishwarya Rai-starrer 'Bride and Prejudice' has been honoured at the House of Commons for her outstanding achievement and contribution to the British film industry.

Describing her hit film 'Bend It Like Beckham' as the biggest British-financed and distributed film, Keith Vaz, MP, and former minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Tuesday night it was impossible to quantify the achievements of Gurinder Chadha.

"Her hit film 'Bend It Like Beckham' is the biggest British-financed and distributed film and 'Bride and Prejudice' is the No.1 in the Box Office chart in Britain," he said at a reception hosted in her honour by himself and two other MPs John Barrett and Michael Fabricant along with the ROKO Cancer Appeal headed by A P S Chawla.

"Gurinder Chadha has made a fantastic contribution to the British film industry over the past fifteen years. She is one of those rare British film-makers who has won artistic and popular acclamation from all over the world."

Chadha, who was emotionally moved, said it was for the first time a film director was honoured in the House of Commons "in this way." Recalling the hardships her father faced when he came here from Kenya over three decades ago, she said "It was a very difficult time to get a job because he had a turban and beard.

"The films I make are rooted in the heart of British Asians and they are a testimony to the fact that how much progress the British Asians have achieved over a period of time," she added.

Another feather in her cap is the release of 'Bride & Prejudice' which is heading for another BIG HIT.

Sukhwinder Singh is now the most expensive singer in Bollywood. He doesn't really have to swamp himself with work, an occasional job will do to keep him going - that's how expensive he is. Yes, the Chaiyya chaiyya man arrived in style.

His first effort in Hindi films, Aaja Sanam, went largely unremarked, even though the music carried the names of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The song simply disappeared in the whirlpool of Bollywood, leaving him in much the same state.

And then, along came Dil Se. A R Rahman, always interested in something new, used Sukhwinder for the unforgettable Chaiyya chaiyya, and for the singer, that was that. Despite carping critics, it was no flash in the pan, and Sukhwinder is now regarded as a sensitive and eloquent singer.

Other films followed, notable among which are Taal, Biwi No 1, 1947 Earth, Daag, Dillagi and Thakshak have now made him a household word. Sukhwinder owes a large part of his success to Rahman's encouragement, and makes no effort to gloss over that fact.

Sukhwinder has some pretty strong opinions about writing music - he has once stated that if he was ever involved in writing music for film, he would delve deep into the Indian musical landscape and not simply conjure up some digital tricks with pop and fusion.

Sukhwinder has been singleminded in his approach: he wishes to do little else but sing and compose music. His trainer, Balwantrai Jaswal, a well-regarded singer in Punjab guided him, but most of his learning, as he says so himself, has occurred by just listening and imbibing.

Rahman and Sukhwinder are presently working very closely together, and the duo have decided to make music that is not tailor-made to fit in with films, but to venture into realms where they can truly express themselves.

Apart from his work with Rahman, he is also engaged in a few other projects. He is back with Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya..., where he is working with music director Sandeep Chowta. He is planning to set up a high-tech recording studio in Mumbai, and save himself the trouble of recording and experimenting on somebody else's time. He is also working on two non-filmi albums.

Courtesy: http://music.indya.com/biographies/ind/sukhwinder_singh.html

Today Simi Garewal is known as 'The Woman In White' and the host of the wildly popular television interview show, "Rendezvous with Simi Garewal" where she plays the chic interview host inviting filmi stars and the super rich for a bit of tea and gossip.
For Bollywood in the 1960s and 70s Simi Garewal was the epitome of Indian genteel sophistication and restraint. Her image as the cool and controlled beauty of Hindi Popular Cinema never won her the kudos of the front benchers and she was not a song and dance girl, but Simi worked with all the heavy weight actors and India's best directors during her career. Her signature role was as the school teacher that the young Rishi Kapoor has a crush on in Raj Kapoor's "Mera Naam Joker" (1970).
Simi Garewal was an anomaly of sorts, not the usual Bollywood story. She was born in India but raised in England, the daughter of a military brigadier. As a child living as a NRI she was obsessed with becoming a Bollywood star. As a teen, barely knowing Hindi, she came back to India with her Mother to fulfill her dream of stardom. In a chance meeting with Mehboob Khan (director of Mother India) she convinced the director to put her in his next film and Simi's film career was born.
Simi Garewal thought besides her cool and sophisticated Bollywood image worked in a handful of 'art film' projects. In 1969 she played a rural tribal girl in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film "Aranyer Din Ratri". She also appeared with Shashi Kapoor in the 1971 'crossover' film, Conrad Rooks' "Siddhartha". Simi played the love interest to Shashi's Siddhartha and caused a sensation in India when she appeared topless in the film.
As her film career started to wan Simi gravitated to the other side of the camera and tried her hand at Bollywood film direction and then had some success as a documentary film maker. Today Simi Garewal has her own production company of which "Rendezvous with Simi Garewal" is the most successful offshoot.

Often profiled in storybook terms Poonam Dhillon radiates an aura of eternal optimism. Truly her life embodied fairy tale qualities. As a teenager she won the title of Miss India and then gained more national exposure as a cover girl and top magazine model. Legendary director Yash Chopra then chose her to act in his next film, "Trishul" that starred an all star cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Raakhee, Shashi Kapoor, and Sanjeev Kapoor. In the film, Chopra picturized her over a song wearing a revealing bathing suit and Poonam Dhillon became an instant Bollywood sensation.
Soon she was an A List star and for the next 10 years she starred in dozens of films opposite all the top heroes of the day. In 1988 she married the film producer Ashok Thakeria in a celebrated Bollywood love match. Unlike many other actresses of the day Poonam did not retire from acting and continued her career. She had two children and proved that motherhood and a career could be compatible for an Indian woman.

Beyond the fairy tale exterior and glam surface of the Bollywood entertainers she acted in Poonam Dhillon in reality is a woman of much substance. Her fairy tale marriage ended in divorce, from which she moved on raising her two children as her first priority. She moved into film, television, and entertainment production all the while continuing her acting career. Recently she has been involved with nurturing media talent for acting and modeling. Dhillon is also active with Internet technology and has her own web site. She is active in charity works and politics, in 2002 became a member of the Indian Congress party. On April 18th, 2003 Poonam Dhillon turned 38 years old. It is a truly incredible life for a woman who is not yet 40 years of age.
Poonam Dhillon truly lives and embodies the life of the modern Indian woman; active, modern, yet tradition bound. And it must also be noted, she had the most gorgeous thick long hair of any actress in Bollywood history.
"Laila" [1984]

Uttam Singh

He should truly be lauded for his remarkable effort in playing the violin nonstop for 16 hours a day, when he was taking his first steps in the Hindi film industry. But when Uttam Singh today basks in the glory of his fine musical scores, he has still not forgotten his bearings. His unassuming nature is evident in his attire. In his white kurta-pyjama, he could easily pass off as the man on the street, but Singh is the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs.

Uttam Singh was fortunate enough to be influenced by music early. His father was a sitar player, and the family moved to Mumbai when Singh was 12. His thirst for music was fuelled at this time. He soon mastered the tabla and took to the Western violin like a fish takes to water. Singh would soon spend long hours pursuing his passion. The family spent time singing in gurudwaras, and this gave Singh firm grounding in classical music.

Singh spent the initial years in the industry as a violinist, and his first big break came in 1963, for a film being made by Mohammad Safi, an assistant to Naushad. He then graduated to playing the violin for major composers like Naushad, Roshan, Madan Mohan, C Ramachandra, S D Burman. He then became the main violinist for R D Burman.

Singh soon came to be known as an arranger of repute. Together with his partner Jagdish, he arranged music for more than 65 films in languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Konkani and Punjabi. The two also made a splash in Hindi with blockbusters like Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!

The two became independent composers with Painter Babu. Manoj Kumar then offered them Clerk and Waaris. The duo's talent was recognised in numbers like Husn ki vaadiyon mein, sung by Kishore Kumar. Singh branched off on his own after the death of Jagdish in 1992.

Celluloid history was made when Singh bagged Dil To Pagal Hai. Yash Chopra switched loyalties and chose Singh instead of regulars Shiv-Hari. Singh handled the mammoth task of scoring music for the multistarrer with ease, and many of the tunes were chartbusters. In fact, the title song, Are re are, Bholi si soorat and Le gayi are still remembered and hummed.

Singh's run continued with the Tanuja Chandra film Dushman and the Govinda starrer Hum Tumpe Marte Hain. The composer also recorded his first private album Om Sai Ram in 1996. He followed it up with Sur, which showcased daughter Preeti's lush vocals. Singh is now back in the reckoning with Farz and Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai. He has also composed a 20-minute music piece for Sunny Deol's Gaddar, which runs through the length of the film at different points.

Singh is on his way to his halcyon days, and his 16 hours of violin-playing are a distant memory. But he is still doing what he does best - making music.

Courtesy indya.com

Singer since childhood
Among the most respectable names in the world of Punjabi folk singing, one that has achieved the status of a living legend is that of Surinder Kaur.
Since the 1940s, Surinder Kaur has rendered classical and folk tunes that have been admired by generations. The fountainhead of a whole new style of singing, she has earned deep respect from present-day singers and the public alike.
The legendary vocalist and her daughter, Dolly Guleria, form a mother-daughter duo. Music for them is something that comes from the heart; it is not merely a profession. That feeling continues to this day, unruffled by international recognition.
Talking to ANI, Surinder Kaur said: "Singing has been an attraction for me since childhood. My parents didn't allow me to perform, saying it was not acceptable for a Sikh girl to do any such thing".
"It was quite a struggle. I auditioned for a children's programme and started doing a programme on the radio in 1943. But I wanted to continue learning and was instructed by some eminent classical singing gurus," she added.
From a humble beginning to high-profile international honours and awards, this nightingale of Punjab has come a long way over the decades.
Her depth and intensity, the poise of her stage performances still hold audiences spellbound. That stirring feel and tingle is simply not found in the artistes of today.
"The singers of today, sadly, do not sing with the strength of their voice and control, but on the beat of the music and orchestra", the singer observed.
"We have only two instruments on stage and we don't even give these instruments a microphone so that the voice dominates. The new generation should also look to improve the selection of songs. It needs a more literary refined touch" - according to Surinder Kaur.
Among all her performances, the one she recalls most vividly in this one: "An Army General was with me in the jeep and he told me the entire Sikh regiment was sitting on snow, eagerly awaiting my arrival. I said I would go to them. They were housed in a gurdwara on the border".
"I was young and eager. When I began to sing, the soldiers danced in joy and I too danced with them. It is a scene I shall remember all my life", she said.
Today it is her daughter, Rupinder, better known as Dolly Guleria, who holds the centrestage, singing on the lines of her mother. ANI
Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020131/edit.htm#7

Surinder Kaur with her late sister Parkash Kaur - the songs of this duo are still echoed in the minds of Punjabis.