• K L Saigal Bollywood reserves the term superstar for a handful of men. The first of these was Kundan Lal Saigal, who was also the last of the great male singing stars. He was the first Devdas, playing the lover emasculated by society, patriarchy and in???
    K L Saigal Bollywood reserves the term superstar for a handful of men. The first of these was Kundan Lal Saigal, who was also the last of the great male singing stars. He was the first Devdas, playing the lover emasculated by society, patriarchy and in???
  • Lata Mangeshkar When she began her career, the playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was sniffed at because she came from the wrong part of India. “Her voice will smell of dal [lentils],â€� said Dilip Kumar. She didn’t take offence; she took lessons in Urd???
    Lata Mangeshkar When she began her career, the playback singer Lata Mangeshkar was sniffed at because she came from the wrong part of India. “Her voice will smell of dal [lentils],� said Dilip Kumar. She didn’t take offence; she took lessons in Urd???
  • Leela Chitnis The advertisements in the local newspapers described her as “the first graduate society-lady on the screen from Maharashtraâ€�. Leela Chitnis’s career as an actor spanned 45 years, and during that time she went from playing a fine-boned???
    Leela Chitnis The advertisements in the local newspapers described her as “the first graduate society-lady on the screen from Maharashtra�. Leela Chitnis’s career as an actor spanned 45 years, and during that time she went from playing a fine-boned???
  • Naushad Ali His tunes are still hummed by millions of Indians and are now being remixed by DJs and record companies, but Ali was also one of the first Indian music composers to introduce sound mixing. He is said to have put Lata Mangeshkar – who was hi???
    Naushad Ali His tunes are still hummed by millions of Indians and are now being remixed by DJs and record companies, but Ali was also one of the first Indian music composers to introduce sound mixing. He is said to have put Lata Mangeshkar – who was hi???

In pictures: 100 years of Bollywood 1943 to 1953

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