Hindi Cinema and Bharatha Gee Vindana
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Kavinda Silva is a great fan of Hindi films and music and has over the years gained vast experience in the area most of which the present generations of Indian movie lovers maybe unaware of.
He has written about his experiences with Hindi cinema and recounts that Hindi films were imported by K. K. Jagatiani of KK films, the owner of Crown Cinema and K Gunaratnam, who owned the Capital Cinema in Maradana.
In the year 1967 when the Sarasavi Film festival was held at the Race Course Grounds in Colombo, among those who attended were top Indian stars of the era including Nutan and Jabeen Jaleel and Film Fare Editor B.K.Karanjia, Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari too visited Sri Lanka.
Mr. Jagatiani did his best to get down actors Shammi Kapoor and Saira Banu for the screening of Subodh Mukherjee ’s Junglee at the Crown and Savoy Cinemas in Colombo but at the time both were busy shooting, Shammi Kapoor for Kashmir Ki Kali and Saira Bhau for Ayee Milan Ki Bhela.
Dev Ananda who was very popular with American audiences due to his resemblance to top Hollywood actor of that era Gregory Peck attended the premiere of Kala Bazaar which was held at the Rex Cinema in Borella with Kalpana Kartik around 1958. There were large crowds gathered at the Ratmalana Airport to see the couple. Rex Cinema was later converted to Ritz Cinema and
Several Hindi singers too have performed in Colombo and among them are Mohamed Rafi as well as in recent time Alka Yagnik and Shreya Ghosal.
For the Lankans audiences who were eager to get news about Hindi cinema and the actress and actress in those years, the program ‘Hindi Ranga Thranga’ on radio every Saturday at 7.30 p.m. Compered by Gunatunga K Liyanage was a delight.
In the present’s time, Bharatha Gee Vindana on ITN every Tuesday from 10.00pm onwards is a great source of entertainment.
Ranjith Edirisisnghe who along with Waruni Uthpala hosts the programme has been both informative and entertaining.
Hindi music lovers have over the years continued to enjoy the music with the Bharatha Lanka kala Padanama musical shows organized by Sam samarasinghe and Hindi Film Lovers gatherings of Priyantha Gamage.