Bemisal Biswajeet Live! A Musical Tribute to Legend Biswajeet Chatterjee On His 80th Birthday by Movie Magic Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
Bemisaal Biswajeet is a tribute by the legendary actor from Movie Magic Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., a known name in the entertainment industry. Evening also saw the presence of Shantipriya Kiran Shantaram, Naseem - Mohd Rafi’s daughter.
There is a reason everyone calls Biswajeet Chatterjee a legend. While his charisma remains matchless, he needs no introduction. The man is an institution in himself, inspiring people around him. With his charm, talent and phenomenal acting skills, legendary Biswajeet Chatterjee was one of the reigning stars of Bollywood and will always remain one!
Reliving his timeless memories, the evening had Javel Ali as the Guest Performer, while other Performers included Padmini Kolhapure, Prima Chatterjee, Virendra Shankar Shailen Negi, Rajesh Iyer, Sarvesh Mishra and Shefali Tagerse. The event was hosted by Rj Anmol.
On the occasion of his birthday celebrations, Biswajeet Chatterjee spoke about his journey and his glorious come back to the movies. In his speech, he mentioned that meaty parts that he would have never had as the leading man are coming his way now, and the actor is biting into them with all the hunger of a true artiste. He is still capable of giving back to back super performances, giving all the newcomers a run for their money.
The evening paid a tribute to popularly known as ‘Bemisaal Biswajeet’ by playing some of their most memorable songs. Some of the songs that he likes to sing on stage even today are from his greatest hits like “Pukarta Chala Hoon Main” (Mere Sanam), “Yeh Nayan Dare Dare” (Kohraa), “Bequarar Karke Hamen” (Bees Saal Baad) and “Oh My Love, Nazar Na Lag Jaye” (Night in London). He says, “If I had to sing only the hits from my films, we would need two or three back to-back concerts," he said with a chuckle.
Interestingly, the actor admits he’s never had any formal training in music. But, after he made it big in Bollywood, he was often invited to go on concerts with established singers. He adds, “I’ve toured all over the world.” Biswajeet informs with understandable pride. “I’ve performed with Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Ghulam Ali and many others. In the ’70s, when these tours were organised abroad, stars like Shammi Kapoor would also join in, but they would get on stage to just say a few words, perhaps introduce a song. Only Biswajeet would actually sing. He was so good that during one concert in Singapore Shashi Kapoor, who, was in the audience, turned to his wife Ira and asked in surprise, id it was really Biswajeet singing?”
Despite his proven singing chops, the actor wasn’t keen on singing in Hindi films even, though directors and producers constantly requested him to and that is why he would never agree to concerts in the Maximum City.
The legend recalls, “Once Manmohan Desai, who was being quite persistent, asked me, ‘Why won’t you do it, Dada? You sing so well.’ That got me thinking.”
The actor, it seems, had a well-thought-out career plan. “I didn’t come to Mumbai to become a playback singer,” he says. “I came here to be a Bollywood hero. That had always been my ambition, and I didn’t want to get distracted. Besides, I realised that if singers like Mohd. Rafi or Hemant Kumar lent their voice to me, they would do an infinitely better job and there was a good chance the songs would become superhits. Who do you think would benefit the most from that?” he asks, with a smile. Luckily for him, that’s what happened.
He insisted it was my birthday gift to him, so he couldn’t refuse. The song, “Ae Dil Meri Jaan”, plays in the background all through the film.
“Thanks to his love for music, RD Burman was a good friend, as was actor Mehmood. He may have been a comedian, but Mehmood had an excellent ear for music and rhythm. It was he who gave Pancham his first break in a film called Chhote Nawab,” the actor points out.
