Trivial Pursuit 138

On 8th April, 2011, 'X' became the first honorary 'Ambassador of Interlaken', a popular tourist destination in Switzerland. He was awarded the title of 'Ambassador of Interlaken' for his outstanding contribution to tourism development in Interlaken.  

                                         

                                         







Together with the honorary Ambassadorship, Jungfrau Railways also named a train after 'X'. On 11th April, 2011, the Swiss government launched the 'X Train' as part of the Jungfrau Railway network in Switzerland. The train displays X's name as well as his signature on a signboard.



It's a great honour for 'X' as the only other person in Interlaken to have a train named after him is Adolf Guyer-Zeller, the founder of Jungfrau Railways.

                                           

                                            






To add to his accolades, a majestic deluxe suite at the luxurious Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa was also named after 'X'. 

Besides King Louis XVI, 'X' is the only person to have a suite named after him in the hotel.

Identify 'X', a legendary figure of Indian cinema. 

Trivial Pursuit 137

India's first 70mm Theatre, 'X', was inaugrated on 12th January, 1961, at Pahar Ganj in New Delhi.

Mr. D.C. Kaushish, Propreitor of 'X', had seen the successful commercial trials of 70mm film projection in New York and decided to introduce this system in India.

'X' was planned as a theatre having the largest cinema screen in India. However, no Indian architect or technician was familiar with the latest technical developments and Mr. Kaushish had to secure the services of well known Theatre Architect, Mr. Ben Schlanger.  

Mr. Ben Schlanger was the man responsible for designing buildings like the United Nations General Assembly Hall and Conference Rooms, Metropolitan Opera and New York State Theatre, Lincoln Centre and Kennedy Cultural Centre.

With Mr. Ben Schlanger as its chief consultant, 'X' ushered a new era in the world of entertainment in India.


Identify 'X'.

Additional Trivia :



** 'X' has a total seating capacity of 956 people.



** Former Indian Presidents, Late Mr. V.V. Giri and Late Dr. Zakir Hussain enjoyed watching films of their choice at the theatre.

Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Mrs. Indira Gandhi too were frequent 'X' patrons.

Trivial Pursuit 136

Shri Purshottam M. Rungta

Shri Purshottam M. Rungta, popularly known as 'Bhaiji', was the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), from 1972 to 1975.

Mr. P.M. Rungta was also the President of the Rajasthan Cricket Association for 35 years from 1970's to 1990's.

Famous for being a strict disciplinarian, this prominent Bombay (now Mumbai) businessman served the Board in various capacities for almost six decades.



During his college days, Mr. Rungta and 'X' used to live in a common area and shared immense love for sports. Mr. Rungta was interested in cricket while 'X' loved football.

But despite their love for sports, there was a major status difference between Mr. Rungta and 'X'. The former was a respected figure whereas the latter was a penniless struggler in the film industry.



Mr. Rungta knew that 'X' was struggling to find a place in the Hindi film industry and made daily trips to studios in search of work.

'Bhaiji' was also aware of X's love for football. Everyday, he used to give 'X' a rupee (16 annas) and specify conditions for its usage. Two annas (12 paise) were meant to purchase a return tram ticket to Cooperage ground to see or play football matches, four annas were for the match ticket, two annas for channas and the remaining eight annas for food, tram or local train ticket to film studios, etc.

Mr. Rungta paid 'X' one rupee daily for years together !!



A few years down the line, 'X' went on to become a big name in the Hindi film industry.

However, despite making it big, a humble 'X' always remembered Mr. Rungta's kindness towards him. As a token of respect, he always touched Mr. Rungta's feet whenever they met, even though 'X' was elder in age.

'X' often says that he has not seen a man as noble as 'Bhaiji' in his lifetime. Even today, Mr. P.M. Rungta continues to be the most respected man for 'X'.



Identify 'X', one of the most legendary names in Hindi Cinema.

Trivial Pursuit 135

This is a collage of some of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan's films. 

 What connects the 22 films that are there in the collage ?

Trivial Pursuit 134

Three of R. K. Narayan’s published works have the names of people in the title :








                                                  'Swami and Friends' (1935)

                                                 'The World of Nagaraj' (1990)

                                                             'X' (1948)

                                     'X' was also made into a Hindi film released in 1952.

                                                            Identify 'X'.

Trivial Pursuit 133

'X' came to Mumbai to become a singer but turned to Music Composing instead. He started as an assistant to music maestro Salil Chaudhry, for whom he had sung a few songs in Bengali.

'X' went on become an independent Music Director and scored music for a few Hindi films during the 80's.




Filmography of 'X' :

'X' can be seen* in the following film posters :

(*His name has been blacked-out)

X's son 'Y' was born in Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh) ; the town famous as the birthplace of the legendary Kishore Kumar.

'Y' started his Playback singing career with the movie 'Parinda' (1989), in which he sang a single line in the song "Kitni Hai Pyari Pyari Dosti Hamari".

'Y' made his debut as an Actor in the film 'Daman' (2001). So far this is the only film in which he has appeared in a full-fledged role.

'X' had a great understanding and knowledge of music but could not make it big as a Music Director.  


His son 'Y' is immensely popular and has become a household name in the world of Music.



Identify 'X' and 'Y'.

Trivial Pursuit 132

This is a tribute Question on a legendary figure in Indian Cinema. Today, i.e. the 1st of May, happens to be his birthday and i take this oppurtunity to wish him on this special occassion.

Happy Birthday, Sir !!




'X' is a legend and almost everything about him is well known. However, here's a little piece of trivia on him, that not many people are aware of.




X's experience in Film Production :

Once upon a time, 'X', an immensely famous name in a particular field of Indian Cinema, developed the urge to Produce a film.

He did not have the means to Produce the film on his own and so he sought the help of a financier.

A story was selected to be made into a film titled 'Rishte Ki Deewar'.

Mithun Chakraborty and Zarina Wahab were signed to play the lead roles in the film and Datta Keshav was signed as the Director.

Shooting began and things went according to plan for a while, but soon afterwards, the money for the film ran out and 'X' found himself in a fix. Unfortunately for him, due to some personal constraints, even the film's financier failed to provide the required amount.

After tapping all his resources, 'X' somehow managed to collect a decent amount of money for the film's shooting to resume. But there was no end to his troubles as a very busy Mithun Chakraborty had problems giving fresh dates for the shooting. And by the time Mithun Da was finally able to allocate his dates, 'X' discovered that Zarina Wahab was no longer a saleable heroine.

Much to his disappointment, 'X' had no option but to shelve the project.

Thus, the misadventure called 'Rishte Ki Deewar' marked the end of X's ambitions of being a Producer !!




X's name has been associated with Indian Cinema for over 60 years now. The Indian Government has recognised his immense contribution by honouring him with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in the field of Indian Cinema.

'X' has also been conferred with the 'Padma Shri' and 'Padma Bhushan' Awards.


   

Identify the living legend.