Padosan is for all occasions and ages: Saira Banu on 55 years of the iconic film

BOMBAY TIMES (December 1, 2023)

Saira Banu took to social media to share some fond memories of the shoot of her film Padosan (1968), which clocked in 55 years on November 29. The film featured her with Sunil Dutt, Mehmood and Kishore Kumar. She wrote, “We are talking about one of the most favourite films of my career, mine, and the public in general. It is Padosan, a film for all occasions and ages. I am glad that I did this because I had refused any work soon after my marriage. It was understood that I would not be carrying on with a professional career.”

She continued, “It was then that Mehmood Bhai as he had earlier approached me for this film came running to Sahib, hugged him close, and kept saying in a rhetorical tone, ‘Yousuf Bhai you have to let Saira do this film for me. I will not let go of you until you say yes please, please.’ Sahab was tickled to the bone and kept repeating laughingly, ‘Mehmood, it is entirely up to Saira, You have to convince her. You have my absolute permission’.”

The veteran actress added, “The cast was so perfectly chosen that even I was initially surprised to see Dutt Saab as a simpleton ‘Gaonwalla’, I mean who could have imagined it? Dutt Saab would humorously say, ‘Saira ji, yeh kyaa hain, yeh hum kyaa kar rahein hain? Hamein toh Anthony and Cleopatra mein kaam karna chahiye, something romantic and glamorous’ (sic).”

‘IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO STOP LAUGHING ON THE SETS OF PADOSAN’
Directed by Jyoti Swaroop, the musical comedy was a remake of the Bengali film Pasher Bari. Saira Banu concluded her note by saying, “Until Padosan, I hadn’t worked with Dutt Saab, who turned out to be lively and funny. On the contrary, Kishore ji was a very subdued gentlemanly star who would get up from his seat respectfully as soon as any lady walked in. The shooting was a killer. I used to laugh uncontrollably so much that the unit would turn off all the lights and say ‘Ruk jao, abhi madam hass rahin hain’. It was that difficult for me to stop (sic).”
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ETIMES (November 30, 2023)

Saira Banu reminisces the magic behind 'Padosan' - where Mehmood Bhai's dedication, Sunil Dutt's rib-tickling humor, and Kishore ji's spontaneous creativity turned every scene into a timeless laughter symphony. From the quirky head-shaving ceremony to the stroll in 'Brindavan Gardens,' the film's behind-the-scenes tales are as delightful as its iconic melodies.

In her continued post she wrote, "Continuing with the PADOSAN series, I want to talk about Mehmood Bhai's dedication to his roles. At the "Vrindavan Gardens" Palace, Mehmood Bhai joined our unit to start shooting scenes with me. Soon after his arrival, he sat in the palace verandah with his barber and then we witnessed the funny ceremony of him shaving off his head, giving off his beautiful hair to portray the bald dance teacher Master Pillai with romantic intentions towards 'Bindu'. As the barber shaved, "Tup Tup", tears rolled down his cheeks. We were both sad and amazed, momentarily forgetting our laughter.

The funniest scenes were where Master Pillai alias Mehmood was constantly trying to win over the affection of Bindu. In one scene I am trying to make Bhola jealous when he is standing in the window opposite. In this, I had to hold hands with Mehmood Bhai and rest my head on his big shoulders! It was a scream for both of us because all our lives he had been like a lofty big brother and now doing this scene to enrage Bhola, Sunil Dutt was rib-ticklingly funny. Another favourite scene is where I am strolling in “Brindavan Gardens” with Master Pillai amidst the beautiful greenery and fountains all around, Dutt Saab, Kishore ji and other comedians are walking right behind us eavesdropping trying to hear what we two are talking about (hidden with mobile branches of leaves and trees).

We had an able director Jyoti Swaroop who tried to control us in our fun and frolics while shooting but the major contribution to the making of scenes was inspired on the spot by Kishoreji, Mehmood, and Dutt Saab. For instance, the song “Meri Pyaari Bindu” was choreographed from start to finish by Kishore ji.

"PADOSAN" gifted the world of cinema with timeless melodies and the music of the film was directed by none other than R.D Burman Saab, among them was "Bhai Battur," a melody delivered by the Nightingale of the Indian Music Industry, Lata ji. In one of her interviews, Lata ji expressed that singing "Bhai Bhattur" was a remarkable experience for her, given the song's unique and distinct nature compared to other tunes of the 60s. Similarly, I found shooting for this particular song to be an extraordinary experience".