I will always love you... RIP Shammi Kapoor

Why should we mourn the demise of Shamsher Raj Kapoor, or very lovingly our Shammi Kapoor? Is he really dead? Gone? Never to be seen, heard or felt again? Is it true that his thundering 'yahoo' will cease to reverberate? NO.

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Wildly attractive (Junglee)

If such gorgeous people inhabit the wild, I wish I lived in a wild, wild world. If their eyes are so passionate, their body language so smart and their voice so sexy, I wish God made many more of these junglees. But alas, that is not to be. For, there is just one of them, who I love to love. He is Shammi Kapoor, I say with a loud yahoo...

In his first coloured film directed by Subodh Mukherjee, Shammi Kapoor plays Chandra Shekhar, a rich man hopelessly in love with Rajkumari, the sprightly girl responsible for his transformation from a stiff and gruff man to a more understanding and compassionate person. But 1961's Junglee is famous not just for this irrepressible Kapoor. It also happens to be the debut wagon of Saira Banu, who at 17 went on to rule many hearts.

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Dull dupe (Bluff Master)

1963 seemed to be a lull year for the flamboyant Shammi Kapoor. Why else would we have films like Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya, Jabse Tumhe Dekha Hain, Shahid Bhagat Singh and Bluff Master? The first three I'm yet to watch. But, if they are as entertaining as Bluff Master, I'm better off without seeing them!!!
Manmohan Desai's tale about a clever (but not hardworking enough) young man loses steam somewhere in the middle of the script. True, Shammi Kapoor looks good, has a way with words and carries a confident personality on his broad shoulders, but after some time his actions look forced and lack conviction. Just like the way his character is devoid of development in B R Panthulu's Dil Tera Diwana. This upsets me.

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