The Many Mangals of Bollywood - Throwback Thursday

This week, #ThrowbackThursday pays a tribute to ISRO for it super-successful, super-inexpensive Mangalyaan expedition! And what better way than to look at some of Hindi cinema’s most famous Mangals!

1950s Bombay had a handsome rake as a Taxi Driver whose real name was Mangal but was popularly known as something else. “Mera naam Mangal hai yekin yaar dost Hero pukarte hain... Hero”.

Source: mohdrafi.com

Rajesh Khanna tweaked his lover boy image with a criminal streak and became Mangal the repeat offender in Roti. When confronted with the hangman’s noose, he highlighted a very curious angle of his life: he was born on a Mangal ke din, he was arrested on a Mangal ke din and he was sentenced to death on a Mangal ke din. Ergo, he was going to die only on a Mangal ke din. Wha... here, hear him explain it.

Source: i3.ytimg.com

Shatrughan Sinha was the motor-mouthed fugitive in Kaala Patthar called – you guessed it – Mangal. He announced his name and his myriad achievements with considerable glee and in his characteristic style. There wasn’t a place that could hold him, he claimed. And he got out of tough situations – thus:

Source: apunkachoice.com

Aamir Khan’s most hirsute avatar was also a Mars-inspired character from India’s first war for Independence. In Mangal Pandey: The Rising, he not only had the title role but a cool Mangal-inspired song as well!

Source: ibnlive.in.com

Bonus Mars Song: In B Subhash’s disco classic Dance Dance (starring Disco God Mithun Chakraborty), one whole song was dedicated to space travel. The lead pair travelled from Moon to Venus to – finally – Mars, all the while dancing to the tune of Bappi Lahiri’s rocking music. Unfortunately, the final song never made it to the final cut of the film and a video remains elusive. For your listening pleasure, here is the audio link: