2013 Flashback: Lost Gems of the Year

Jiah Khan, also known as Nafisa, was a British-Indian actress, model and singer. Khan rose to fame with her role in the controversial film Nishabd, where she played Amitabh Bachchan's love interest. Despite being a dud at the box office, Khan grabbed eyeballs with her power-packed portrayal of the character, Jia. She was seen most recently in the multi-starrer comic caper Housefull, directed by the popular director Sajid Khan; a role that catapulted her into the 100-crore club. It came as a shock to everyone when she was found hanging dead in her house on the 4th of June. The clear cause of her possible suicide hasn't been identified as of yet, but it could be attributed to a decline in her career and a failed relationship.

 

Pran Kishan Sikand, commonly known as Pran in the industry, appeared in over 350 films throughout his life! While he did act as a leading hero and a supporting character, he rose to fame for his immaculate performances as an antagonist in various films. Some of his memorable performances were in films such as Madhumati, Ram Aur Shyam, Zanjeer, Don (1978), and Amar Akbar Anthony. His impeccable acting has been awarded numerous times, with 3 Filmfare Awards and Villain of the Millenium by Stardust in the year 2000 as some of his formal accolades. He was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award earlier this year. Soon after he received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Pran Saheb breathed his last on the 12th of July, after battling a prolonged illness.

Rituparno Ghosh is hailed as one of the best film-makers of our times, and his sudden demise came as a shock to many. An Economist by profession, he moved into the advertising world soon after his graduation, which was what resulted in his first break. Soon after, his debut film Hirer Angti was released, followed by the 1994 Unishe April, which was Ghosh's first National Award winning film. He went on to write, direct and act in many more films such as Bariwali, Utsab, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, The Last Lear, Shob Charitro Kalponik, and Chitrangada. His fine precision in the art of filmmaking led him to win around 12 National Awards over the course of his career, along with many other International Awards. He'd been battling various diseases for many years such as diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis and was also suffering complications due to hormonal treatments he'd undergone for the film Arekti Premer Golpo. He died due to a massive heart attack soon after receiving his last National Award on the 30th of May.

One of the earliest playback singers of the industry, Shamshad Begum, sung over 6000 songs in her lifetime in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Tamil. Despite no formal training in singing, Begum's talent was spotted by many in the industry and she soon began to sing for the All India Radio. Her father being strictly against this, only let her sing on the condition that she'd wear a burkha and never allow herself to be photographed. Noted producer-director Mehboob Khan heard her voice and convinced her family to let her come to Mumbai, where he introduced her to the industry. From there on, there was no looking back. Some of her famous songs include 'Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar', 'Kahin Pe Nigaahen Kahin Pe Nishaana', 'Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar Laga Teer-E-Nazar', 'Chod Babul Ka Ghar', 'Kajra Mohabbatwala', and 'Saiiyaan Dil Mein Aana Rey'. Despite giving many hit songs to the industry, Shamshad Begum was disappointed with the politics and the way things worked in the industry. Battling a prolonged illness, she passed away on the 23rd of April at the age of 94. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law.

 

The most famous "cop" in the industry, Jagdish Raj acted in more than 150 films as a supporting actor. He played the role of a cop in 144 films, earning him a Guinness World Record for being the most typecast actor! Some of his memorable films  include Don [1978], Shakti, Silsila, Aaina, Mazdoor and
Besharam. He passed away on the 28th of July following a prolonged respiratory illness and is survived by his 3 children, including actress Anita Raj.

Manna Dey, born Prabodh Chandra Dey, went by the moniker Manna in the industry. The legendary blind singer-composer KC Dey, his uncle and mentor, was an inspiration for the young Dey. He entered the industry as an assistant music director to KC Dey, and went on to work for SD Burman as well. His first entry into playback singing was for the film Tamanna where his song "Jaago Aaye Usha" became an instant hit. He went on to sing more than 4000 songs in various languages, though he mainly sang in Hindi and Bengali. Throughout his career, he has recieved many awards, including 2 National Awards. Dey was also bestowed with the Padma Shri in 1971, Padma Bhushan in 2005 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2007. After being hospitalized for over a month for respiratory illness, Dey breathed his last on the 24th of October following a cardiac arrest.

This past Friday, veteran actor Farooq Shaikh passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest. He was on vacation with his family in Dubai. Shaikh was only 65 years old.

 

Writer: Ritchelle C.

Editor(s): Khushi P. & Gunia M.

Graphics: Aanchal V.