Last year, when the Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) organised a screening of the restored print of Guide, Waheeda Rehman wondered, “But will people come to watch a film that was made 60 years ago?” To her utter surprise, not only was the screening a houseful one, the audience watched the entire film in rapt attention. Six months later, the veteran actress invited FHF archivists to her home to donate some of her precious memories, tracing her journey in cinema, so that the foundation could preserve them for posterity.

Among the items she handed over to the foundation was the saree she wore to her first film, CID’s (1956) premiere, some trophies, and photo albums documenting all the behind-the-scenes action from her memorable films like Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960) and Bees Saal Baad (1962).

Speaking to us about Waheeda Rehman’s priceless donations, Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Founder and Director of the Film Heritage Foundation, said, “It was a very emotional moment for me when she donated her precious personal memorabilia to the Film Heritage Foundation and entrusted us with its care and preservation for posterity. I am so proud that she chose us as her memory keepers. I hope that it will inspire others from the film fraternity to recognise the importance of our film heritage and donate their material to be preserved for posterity.”

When we met the veteran actress at her sea-facing abode in Mumbai, she was in a nostalgic frame of mind. Sifting through a stack of albums, Waheeda Rehman shares, “Maine mehsoos kiya ke jab hum personal photographs rakhte hain, woh kharab ho jati hain phir bada afsos hota hai. Maine socha FHF photos safely rahenge museum mein. Apne se lagaav aur obsession hota hai toh rakh lete hain magar uski dekh-bhaal nahi kar paate hain, aata bhi nahi hai. We don’t know how to preserve pictures. But now these photos will be safe. People who love films may like to visit and look at these albums sometime. When they grow up, I want my grandchildren to visit the museum and look at these photos of my films.”

As for how she acquired these photos, she said, “I used to request directors to give me working stills – the behind-the-scenes shots. I wanted them to share the shots in which the director is directing. Main kehti thi ‘woh sab leke dijiye aap’. There are so many albums. Sixty years have passed, but I have kept them safe. Sometimes, when I get into the mood, I clean the albums and dust them off.”

Waheeda Rehman has always been interested in photography. She shares she likes taking photos of birds, animals, landscapes, and people. About her safari sojourns, the actress says, “Mujhe photography ka bahut shauq hai. Our group is made up of like-minded people who love photography. Most of them are professional photographers. I have been going on these trips for 10 years now. I capture a lot of candid moments. I have visited almost all jungle safari destinations in India – only Gir is left. I have also travelled abroad for safari trips. One of my favourite places is Namibia – it was so beautiful, with sand dunes touching the Mediterranean Sea and waves”

Waheeda Rehman says, “It’s great to look glamorous, depending upon the character and situation. But just to reveal (your skin) for no reason, I don’t like it. People who do it, if they are comfortable and like it, it’s fine. But personally, I don’t like it. In Amrapali (1966), what Vyjayanthimala was wearing, that’s what people used to wear 2,500 years back. There used to be no top per se – it was all covered with pearls. I was always shy and particular about what I would wear and how I would wear it. There is a scene in Kala Bazar (1960) where Dev (Anand) goes to get flowers for me, and he slips of a cliff and I take out my saree and use it as a rope to save him when no one hears me calling for help. Maine Vijay Anand ko kaha, ‘Yeh toh main nahi karungi. Woh bhi outdoor mein!’ Toh woh bole, ‘Yahan maqsad figure dikhane ka nahi hai, yahan kisi ki jaan bachane ka hai.’ Mera kehne ka matlab hai ki jo marzi costume pehen lijiye – bikini pehen lijiye, swimming costume pehen lijiye magar dikhane ke liye matt peheniye.”

And how did directors during that era react to her views on costumes for her characters? She says, “With time, as I spent more years in the industry and became a top heroine, I managed to convince the directors, and they used to say, ‘Yes, you have a point.’”

Last year, during the 100 years of Dev Anand celebration, Waheeda Rehman attended the screening of Guide. She said, “Tajjub bhi hota hai ki itni purani filmein log itni dilchaspi ke saath chupchaap dhyaan se dekhte hain; toh lagta hai kahin kuch achha hi kiya hai. What I really liked was that all those people in the cinema hall were silently watching the film. Kabhi beech mein gaane aate thay toh maine bahut saari taaliyaan bhi suni. Mujhe achha laga.”

However, the actress shares she has seen a few of her films in theatres. She adds, “Meri apni film maine kabhi theatre mein jakar nahi dekhi. Abhi bahut barson ke baad main Guide ki screening mein gayi thi aur meri beti Kashvi bhi mere saath thi to maine kaha usko, ‘Beta, aapko nahi dekhne ka dil karta hai toh aap keh do, hum chale jayenge. She was like, ‘What are you talking?’” (Laughs).

“I really like it when women directors approach me. Two girls once came looking for me for the film Skater Girl (2021). It was a small role. I thought both these girls are struggling, and it’s not a big contribution, so I should do it. Now, there are so many female directors, which is wonderful. I feel sometimes, the sensitivity with which a female director perceives a scene, that’s something only a female director can do. Like in English Vinglish, the way her husband talks to her – it’s not mean, but jaise biwi ko jhadak diya – woh sab auratein zyada behtar samajh paati hain. Aaj kal kaafi achhe directors hain jaise Gauri Shinde. I also like Farah Khan’s films – in commercial cinema, the masala Manmohan Desai type films she makes. Commercial success toh bahut zaroori hai. Then there’s Zoya Akhtar and Kiran Rao.”

I met Dev saab on the sets of C.I.D. I was a fan, but never in my wildest dreams thought that I will be working with him in my first Hindi film. He never made me feel like ki main newcomer hoon aur woh established star hain. He made me feel so comfortable aur naturally woh ek understanding thi, toh humne ek ke baad ek saat (seven) picturein ki. And the best was of course, (Guide) saari duniya janti hai. He was so charming and decent. Kabhi kisi ki burai nahi karte thay.

Once he told me, “Waheeda kabhi fikr mat karo ki picture chalegi ya nahi chalegi kyunki ye jo zindagi ki slate hai, uspe tumhara mera naam toh likh diya gaya hai, toh woh koi mita nahi sakta. Toh aap kabhi socha mat karo. Picture nahi chali (toh) nahi chali. Chhor do. Aage dekho kya karna hai.” He was very charming. Jaise charming dikhte thay waise charming insaan thay. Bahut achhe insaan thay.

On the second day of the shoot I called him Dev saab, and he said no. Toh maine kaha achha Mr Anand? And he was like – ‘No, no, no, no.’ Maine puchha, phir kya bulaoon? Toh kehne lage Dev. Maine kaha aap mere se bade hain aur itne bade star hain, main kaise aapko Dev bulaoon. Ye hamare culture mein, hamari tameez mein nahi hai.’ He then explained, ‘Dekho agar koi saab kehta hai toh mujhe lagta hai ki main school teacher hoon. I don’t get that feeling that you are my colleague’. So, in the whole industry, he was the only hero jinse main first name basis pe baat karti thi.

C.I.D. ke liye hum Churchgate station pe raat ko shooting karne gaye thay. Raj Khosla took special permission for it. We both had to get into a running train. I was very nervous. Dusra shot hone tak raat mein mujhe neend aa jaati thi toh main so jaati thi do baje tak. So Dev asked me, ‘You want to do more pictures?’ It was my first film, so I said, ‘Haan karna toh hai’. To which he replied, ‘Then you will have to shoot at night’. Like a fool I asked ‘Par raat mein kyun kar rahe hain. Din mein kyun nahi kar rahe?’ Toh kehne lage, ‘Public khatm ho jayegi tabhi toh hamare liye permission milegi!’

It was really good and fun. It was so comfortable working with him, very casual, very charming.

Meri kismat achhi thi aur Dev ne soch liya tha ki Guide mein Rosie ka role main hi karungi. That made me very happy and confident. I told him, ‘Ismein aap jo marzi scene cut karo, magar mera koi bhi dance cut nahi hoga’. It was the only film where I had got the chance to dance.

I was in Guide only because of Dev. He was the producer and he had given me the contract pehle se. Unfortunately, the directors Chetan Anand and Tad Danielewski (for the US version), they didn’t want me. I told Dev ‘Aapke dono directors mujhe nahi pasand kar rahe. Problem ho jayegi. Aap kisi aur ko le lijiye.’ He said, ‘Are you crazy? Meri marzi hai main kise loon. I am the producer. What makes you think like that?’ I told him to ask his publicist and friend Amarjeet. He confirmed it. Tad also said there’s going to be a very hot love scene. When I told Dev, he said, ‘You know I won’t do a scene like that. Tumko darane ki koshish kar rahe hain.’

Finally, although Tad stayed (for the US version, which didn’t have Waheeda), Vijay Anand aa gaye (in place of Chetan Anand for the Indian version).

— As told to Niharika Lal

I don’t remember when I met him for the last time. When he did Hum Dono in colour (in 2011), toh uska premiere hone wala tha. Both the leading ladies of the film – Nanda and Sadhana – didn’t come for it. He had called me for the premiere, but when I found out both the leading ladies are not coming I asked ‘Fir main kaise jaungi? It will look like I’m taking away their (credit). It’s bad manners.’ Toh Dev kehne lage ‘You are a part of Navketan (his production house). You are not an outsider’. I said, ‘It is very sweet of you, but public kahegi ki na Sadhna hai, na Nanda hai, ye Waheeda beech mein kya kar rahi hai? Galat lagta hai na.’

‘Tum mera dil dukha rahi ho’ (Dev said), and I replied, ‘I’m sorry. Tell them kuch bhi kar ke aaye. Unke bagair main nahi aa sakti’.

Dev and Waheeda in Prem Pujari, his directorial debut

When I was first signed to star opposite Dev, I had no idea that I would be working with him. Those days we got to know about our costars at the last moment. When I went on the sets of CID, director Raj Khosla introduced me to the whole unit. When I saw Dev, I was surprised and shocked. I went up to him and said “Dev saab, it’s an honour to meet you.”

He replied, “Tum mujhe Dev saab nahi kahogi (You can’t call me Dev saab).” I told him that I was a newcomer, and he was a big star, so how could I call him by his first name? But he insisted. He explained very calmly that if someone uses words like ‘saab’ or ‘sir’, a distance is created and he doesn’t feel comfortable. As a result, he became the only person in the industry whom I called by name. Everyone else was “ji”, “saab”, and “sir”. He was just Dev for me.

Guide was made in Hindi and English. Vijay Anand directed the Hindi version; Tad Danielewski, the English. Both didn’t want to work with me. However, Dev insisted that only Waheeda will do the role. I told him not to force the directors. But he stood by me, and insisted that as the producer, he would take the call. I blushed when he told me that ever since reading the book by R K Narayan, he had only imagined me playing Rosie. I was taken aback when he told me that he knew that if problems arise, I would stand by him. That’s what happened.

There was a lot of chaos as we were shooting simultaneously in Hindi and English. Ego clashes between the two directors hampered the shoot. Dev was very upset and worried. A lot of time was being wasted. One day, he suggested that we should first shoot in Hindi, then in English. He asked me for additional dates and I agreed without a second thought. “See, I knew you’d stand by me,” he replied.

During that era, there were three big stars: Dev, Raj Kapoor, and Dilip Kumar. All were very talented, but there was something different about him. He was not condescending. He insisted on working with new directors and crew, and made everyone comfortable. He was a charming actor and a charming human being. He was also a decent flirt. Dev was always the most well-dressed person on the set. He had so much energy mentally and physically. If his clothes would get drenched in sweat or get soiled, he would run to his room, change, and then come back to take a shot. I used to joke, and call him an ‘Eveready Battery’, always charged. Dev also had an ear for good music and was very particular about the songs in his films. If he didn’t like a song, he would even tell (Sachin Dev) Burman da, “Dada, maza nahi aaya! Kuch aur banaiye.”

As I become older, it sometimes becomes difficult to recall the details of the time I spent with him. What I remember the most, however, is how broad-minded and progressive Dev was in his thinking. Also, he didn’t stick to the formulaic films or typical love stories that were being made in that time. He wanted every film of his to be different from the other. He had the guts to make Guide, which had a very bold subject. More than a love story, it was about three people who want to make something of their life. The characters were grey, and made unconventional choices. It was different, yet at the same time, very true to life and the people we see around us even today.

I am sure wherever he is, he is happy that his work is being honoured and remembered even today.

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A pickpocket pinched Dev Anand’s purse, robbing him of Rs 15,000 during the premiere of Jewel Thief (1967) at a New Delhi theatre. Adjusted for inflation, that roughly amounts to Rs 7.5 lakh today.

“I flew all the way from Darjeeling to Delhi to attend the premiere at the Odeon Cinema. The crowds were jumping up and down with delirious joy as I alighted from the car outside the theatres,” the actor writes in his autobiography, Romancing with Life.

“Suddenly a hand brushed my hip pocket. I checked for my purse, and found it missing. But I did not react, for the euphoria of the moment was too immense to cry over a meagre sum of Rs 15,000, lost in the enormous wave of goodwill and popularity,” he writes.

“Stardom cannot be earned or bought at a price. I let the pickpocket dance away in joy with my cash-filled purse,” Anand concludes.

Interestingly, Dev Anand had played a pickpocket in the film, Pocket Maar (1956).

When veteran actress Waheeda Rehman heard that four classics of Dev Anand, including Guide which also featured her, were being re-released, she wondered if moviegoers would be interested in watching 60–70-year-old films in cinemas. She was surprised to know that the shows of these films C.I.D. (1956), Guide (1965), Jewel Thief (1967) and Johny Mera Naam (1970), which will happen over this weekend as part of Dev Anand’s birth centenary celebrations, had been sold out.

"Restored and remastered films provide a higher-quality viewing experience. Post the pandemic younger audiences are going out for movies while the older audience has stayed away. Re-release of classic titles has enabled us to bring back this audience to cinemas."

- Gautam Dutta, Co-CEO, PVR INOX Limited

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“These special screenings offer a chance to relive iconic moments and share the magic of timeless films with a new generation of cinema enthusiasts. The response to re-releases has been overwhelming."

- Devang Sampat, CEO Cinepolis India

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"When I recently met Waheeda ji to invite her to the Dev Anand film festival, she was shocked to discover that there is a huge craze among people for these classics. She couldn't believe that the shows of these re-releases were mostly sold-out."

- Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, film archivist and director of Film Heritage Foundation

- Khalnayak, on completion of 30 years of the film

- Koi Mil Gaya, to celebrate its 20th anniversary

- RRR, before the Academy Awards ceremony

- Avatar, before the release of Avatar 2  Gadar, before the release of Gadar 2

- Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, to celebrate Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday

A part from the Dev Anand films, Kamal Haasan’s 1987 film Pushpak is set to be re-released in theatres soon. Exhibitors say that in the last year, several films have been re-released to celebrate actors’ birth anniversaries, film anniversaries, and even to hype some upcoming sequels. Industry insiders say that the reason why there’s such a huge demand for these films is because “re-releases give young moviegoers a chance to discover classics on the big screen and evoke nostalgia in the older generation”.

Movies like Titanic (English), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (Hindi), Ticket to Paradise (English), Ved (Marathi), Geetha Govindam (Telugu), Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (Tamil), Hridayam (Malayalam), Googly (Kannada), Love Ni Bhavai (Gujarati) were re-released as part of the festival in multiple cities

To mark Dilip Kumar’s birth centenary, Aan (1952), Devdas (1955), Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Shakti (1982) were released in 31 cinemas in 21 cities

Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight and Dunkirk were re-released ahead of Oppenheimer’s release date

It was held in Chennai and Coimbatore last year with shows of Baba (2002), Sivaji: The Boss (2007), 2.0 (2018) and Darbar (2020)

To celebrate Amitabh Bachchan’s 80th birthday, a film festival was organized in 17 cities where Kaala Patthar, Kaalia, Kabhi Kabhie, Namak Halaal, Abhimaan, Don and Deewaar were screened

Even though Shah Rukh Khan is doing a romantic film after a while, what's got us intrigued about Jab Harry Met Sejal is the fact that he is playing a tourist guide in it. That's a first for SRK, who has essayed a variety of roles in his long innings in Bollywood. What also makes this Imtiaz Ali directorial interesting is that after a long time, a leading man is playing a guide on screen. When you think about guides, Dev Anand's Guide (1965) instantly comes to mind. While SRK asserts that there is no comparison with the classic, he says there could be many people in the world like his character, Harry. We chat with the superstar about his new movie and how Harry is different from his most popular romantic characters, Raj and Rahul. Excerpts...

After a long time, we're seeing a leading man play a guide on screen.
I think it's extremely romantic to play a guide. Dev saab played a very intense one, there was Shashi Kapoor saab in Jab Jab Phool Khile and also Aamir Khan in Raja Hindustani. It's a romantic character. The guide is a metaphor for someone who takes you on a journey of self-revelation. This is an Imtiaz Ali film and has the tagline 'What you seek is seeking you'. We've not gone completely contemporary ki guide aise hote hain. Perhaps he's not happy with his job. He has his life experiences. The idea of the film is that he's supposed to be the one you're following and during the course of the story, he also finds what he's looking for.

For those familiar with Guide, Dev Anand's character is memorable. Do you think Harry, too, will become as memorable for the audience today?
It's difficult to compare Harry with Dev saab's Raju guide. Imtiaz writes so realistically. There are many people in the world who will be like Harry - they'll have a past, or may not have been able to do what they wished to do. Harry is a Punjabi, who has got his own issues in life. Somewhere, the guide starts taking guidance... it happens to all of us. I don't know how memorable it will be, but I think people will identify with Harry and connect with this honest love story.

Imtiaz's love stories are contemporary and don't follow the conventional format.
He deals more with the unsaid emotions - what two people are going through due to the different circumstances they are in. This film has a strong love story, it doesn't fly off the hook. It's not completely in a zone that is poetic, but is not prose either. Imtiaz was clear that he wanted to give it some earthiness. The emotions are much more grounded.

You are known as the King of Romance and Imtiaz is known for his unconventional love stories. How did the twain meet?
The one thing I will tell you is that every filmmaker who wants to make a love story will want to make one with me, even if they have already made enough. I'm not being pompous, but somewhere down the line, whenever there is a love scene or a moment of romance, each of these free-thinking directors turns around and say, 'Sir, yeh aap hi se toh seekha hai. Aap batao kaise karoge?' As an actor, I'd never like to change the language. For me, it's encouraging and means two things - one, they have seen it and learnt it from me and so, I shouldn't do it the same way. And two, I should speak the language of the director and not make it like how I had done it in an earlier film. I'm not playing this young bubbly boy; I'm playing a guy who has seen life. I believe Harry could be the evolution of how Raj and Rahul would be. He's decent, has a sense of humour and some anger. Inherently, a lover is someone who demands love, he doesn't beg for it and respects the woman he is in love with. When Imtiaz narrated the story, we did a few rehearsals. He had Anushka in mind and had spoken to her. The marriage happened because I respect his language and he respects the love I have for a love story.

In most love stories, the leading lady takes centre stage. Is it the same with Anushka's Sejal?
It has to. In Om Shanti Om, though it was about reincarnation, the girl was central to the plot - the old heroine and the new girl. Same is the case with Kajol in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Deepika Padukone in Chennai Express. In this film, Anushka as Sejal is endearing, irritating and lovable, all at the same time. I've no inhibitions in saying this - she does play the most important character in the film. There is some real strength in her character. With Sejal, the love story moves forward.

You say Harry could be the evolution of Raj and Rahul. Do you think he could be the new ideal man that women would want in their lives?
I don't know about the image of a lover boy. I can be anything, Raj or Rahul. A part of me will always be like that. In this film, I essay a lover who has his own problems and weaknesses. Some women in my office seem to like Harry. He is a nice guy and I hope people like him or else the purpose would be lost. I don't know if he will replace Raj and Rahul, they are deeply embedded in people's minds. Maybe some experience of mine will reflect on screen. My personal experience has been beautiful, so it has been easy for me to become a beautiful lover on screen.

In 1965, Hindi cinema's evergreen star Dev Anand wowed cinegoers with his portrayal of Raju in the much-acclaimed Guide. The film, an adaptation of RK Narayan's book The Guide, is counted among the best Indian films and was appreciated across the world. But did you know that Guide was made in English as well? Nobel laureate Pearl S Buck was mighty impressed with Narayan's book and wanted to collaborate with Dev sahab for a film version of it. Guide was simultaneously made in Hindi as well as English. And the English version was not a dubbed one. “The English Guide was shot separately. It had the actors conversing in English and the dialogues weren't dubbed from Hindi,“ informs Prakash Magdum, director of National Film Archives of India (NFAI).

The NFAI has sent out an appeal to film collectors who might have the English version and asked for it to be donated to the archives. This development came on Dev sahaab's 93rd birth anniversary on Monday. Guide, in English, was scripted by Buck and directed by Tad Danielewski. Magdum added, “We have the original print of the Hindi version but if we get the English version, even a digital copy, it would be one of the biggest achievements for us. Someone has posted a small clip from the film on our social media post and that gives us hope of acquiring the entire film.“

A few weeks ago, the unthinkable happened. A Salman Khan film failed to hit the coveted Rs 100 crore mark in its first week of release. This was a rarity for the Bhai of Bollywood, who has delivered back-to-back super hits since 2010. Yet, Salman is unlikely to be affected by the film’s flat performance. If trade experts are to be believed, Khan made his Rs 100 crore even before Jai Ho hit screens.

Says trade analyst Komal Nahata, “The film, budgeted at about Rs 75 crore, including print and publicity costs, and was sold to Eros International for Rs 120 crore. Its broadcasting rights were about Rs 55 crore and music around Rs 13 crore. So, the film had made Rs 113 crore even before release. This isn’t too bad a start for a film.”

The current era though is a far cry from the times when films depended solely upon crowds filling up single screen theatres across India. There were no elusive ‘100-crore’ clubs.

First one crore movie

One of the first films the masses showered with love and money was Lanka Dahan (1917), a mythological silent film by Dadasaheb Phalke. Veteran film historian Amrit Gangar says coins from ticket counters were apparently collected in gunny bags and transported on bullock carts to the producer’s office. “Lanka Dahan was a silent film, but people went crazy about it. There were long queues at Majestic cinema in Bombay where people would fight for tickets and toss coins at the ticket counter because the film was mostly houseful.” However, it was in 1943, that Kismet, directed by Gyan Mukherjee, became the first film to reach the coveted box office milestone of Rs 1 crore. Who would have thought that the journey of the crore in Indian films would begin with a movie made for under Rs 2 lakh? It was a time when India was in the throes of patriotic fervour. The Quit India movement had just been launched. Kismet, a crime thriller with patriotic sentiments, tapped into this feeling.

In the lead role was Ashok Kumar, playing a Robin Hood-like character who doesn’t mind breaking the law for the greater good. Says film scholar and archivist PK Nair, “Ashok Kumar was a superstar and people loved his part as a pickpocket who dodged the system to help the public.” Kismet was produced by Bombay Talkies. “It ran in Calcutta’s Roxy theatre for almost three years. It was by all estimates the first film to make a crore. It was released in undivided India, so the crowd was bigger,” adds Nair.

The song ‘Door hato ae duniyawalon, Hindustan humara hai’ then became an anthem. “At that time, films were allowed to be made only on restricted raw stock, as it was expensive and had to be imported. Between 1939-45, films had to be made with a maximum 12 reels. However, the British made an exception for movies that were considered a boost to their war efforts. The song ‘Door hato ae duniyawalon’ took an indirect dig at the British, but they never found out how,” says Nair.

The golden ’50s

Post-independence was a golden era for Indian cinema, when the industry started to flower. The Partition caused a disintegration of the hitherto influential film companies, such as Lahore’s Shorey Studios and Pancholi Studios, and the era of independent producers began. Producer-directors like Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Mahesh Kaul and Mehboob Khan, among others, brought out one masterpiece after another. “Guru Dutt paid homage to Gyan Mukherjee in his film Pyaasa, because Kismet was such a cult. Pyaasa created history of its own,” says Nair. It was the showman Raj Kapoor, however, who really flourished financially with films such as Barsaat, Awara and Shree 420. “Shree 420 was the film that made over Rs 2 crore and broke Kismet’s record,” adds Nair.

Randhir Kapoor, Raj Kapoor’s eldest son, says “My father never thought of money. He used to make movies for the passion of it and he’d do anything to fulfill his creative urges.”

Another filmmaker who did not compromise on his grand vision was Mehboob Khan. After his film, Aan, become a massive hit, he made Mother India (1957), included among the 100 best films of World Cinema by Empire magazine, was made with 26-year-old Nargis Dutt playing mother of two.

In an interview to The Telegraph, the late Sunil Dutt, Nargis’ co-star in the film and her husband, had said “We were amazed with Mehboob Khan’s conviction to be able to pull off a film like this. We shot in several states across the country and he spent more than Rs 35 lakh on it, which was a big amount in those days.” Mother India, the first Indian film to be nominated at the Oscars (in 1958), made approximately Rs 4 crore and ran for over a year at Liberty theatre in Bombay.

The star system started to gain prominence in the ’50s as well. The decade marked the rise of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, not to mention Raj Kapoor. Dilip Kumar became the first actor to charge Rs 1 lakh per film. Sidharth Bhatia, author of Cinema Modern: the Navketan story, says, “In the ’50s some South Indian producers had approached Dilip Kumar with an offer. When he refused to take it up, Sriramulu Naidu, a producer from the South who was making Azaad, offered him an exorbitant amount to act in the film, which Dilip Kumar accepted.”

The advent of colour

At the start of the 1960s came another epic, K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam. Asif’s dream was to release it in technicolour. But the film’s mammoth budget of Rs 1.5 crore kept the film under production for nine long years. Says Haya Asif, granddaughter of K Asif, “There was a scene in the film where they had to show pearls being thrown on the floor. He (Asif) wanted real pearls. The financers initially refused, but he got it done eventually.” The film ran for over three years and made over Rs 5 crore. “Ticket prices were hiked from Rs 1 to Rs 50 and Rs 100,” says Nair.

Interestingly, the advent of Eastmancolour in the ’60s was one of the biggest factors in the success of films in India. Then came foreign shoots, the trend starting with Shakti Samanta’s Shammi Kapoor-starrer, Singapore (1960). Raj Kapoor, too, filmed several films abroad. Manoj Kumar shot Purab Aur Paschim extensively in England, France, Rome and Switzerland.

Another expensive film of those times was Vijay Anand’s Guide (1965). Says Sidharth Bhatia, “Guide was made for about Rs 60 lakh and this budget doubled because the American filmmaker, Tad Danielewski, who was directing the English version, had a falling out with Chetan Anand after the first three schedules. So they had to revisit many places and reshoot the English version. Also, Guide was a rich film when it came to locations since a lot of it was shot in palaces. Though it did make money when it released, it was much later that people recognised it as such a cult.”

The ’60s saw ground-breaking trends with films such as Dosti where the producers (Rajshree Productions) spent on publicity. Says PK Nair, “I remember that Dosti was made for about Rs 20 lakh. They spent almost the same amount publicising the film because it did not have many stars. There were hoardings and full-page ads in newspapers, which was new for a Hindi film. The first film to put out a full-page newspaper ad was a South film called Chandralekha (1948).”

When multi-starrers ruled

The ’70s saw the superstardom of Amitabh Bachchan, considered the first actor to command a fee of Rs 1 crore per film. The decade also saw the rise of the multi-starrers, a trend set by Manmohan Desai with films like Parvarish and Amar Akbar Anthony. Rosie Thomas, professor of film at London’s Westminster University, who has been studying Indian cinema for the past 35 years, says, “I came to Bombay from England in the 1970s and I spent a lot of time with Manmohan Desai trying to understand the mindset of filmmakers. I distinctly remember a story session I sat in on, where they were segregating Hindu, Muslim and Christian characters with different coloured chalks on the blackboard. It was fascinating how stories were deliberately being targeted towards sections of crowd so that it reached maximum people.”


In 1975 came Sholay, the highest grosser of all time for almost two decades. Ramesh Sippy started to make the film with a budget of a crore, but spent an additional Rs 2 crore. Among the many things that made Sholay an expensive and challenging film to make was the number of extras and production people on set, believed to be the highest in Bollywood history. Sippy says, “There were more than 200 people on set at any given time. We had to build roads from scratch for many action sequences. The film ran for five years (amounting to Rs 15 crore gross) because there were no DVDs or video tapes or multiple screens at the time. If I release Sholay with 5,000 prints today, it’s never going to run for that long. Today a film will have to make at least Rs 1,500 crore to be equivalent to what Sholay made in its time.” Sholay’s box office record was broken 19 years later by Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), which earned approximately Rs 69 crore.


Then came another monster hit, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The film also marked the beginning of the end of the silver and golden jubilees. Very soon a new business model would redefine the industry, bringing in crores of money even though the film itself wouldn’t last at the theatre or in public memory beyond a few days.

The magic of multiplexes
Multiplexes and film studios changed the dynamics of the business. Increasing number of digital prints and extended weekend releases resulted in films raking in more moolah faster than expected.

“Earlier, a film released in about 25 cinemas with four shows a day, making it 700 shows a week. Today if a film releases in 100 cinemas with 25 shows per day, that makes it 1,625 shows per week,” explains Nahata.

This and an aggressive marketing campaign paved the way for Aamir Khan’s Ghajini (2008) the first 100-crore film ever. The success of Ghajini was followed by 3 Idiots (2009), which garnered over Rs 202 crore till Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express broke this record, Aamir’s film Dhoom 3 broke the record again with over Rs 260 crore.

But the winners are also the producers who make smaller budget films, and yet set cash registers ringing, leading to big profits.
According to filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, that is an important yardstick for measuring a film’s financial performance. Vishesh Films, owned by Mahesh Bhatt and his brother Mukesh, have adopted this prudent approach. Mahesh Bhatt says, “What gets lost in the hype over collections is profitability. The mindset is to make expensive, big budget films, but the actual profit of these films may not be very high. Unlike these, Aashiqui 2 was made with a modest budget of 35 crore, and yet made almost Rs 100 crore.”

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur says that in many ways, the most successful film in Bollywood history is Monsoon Wedding (2001). “That film was made within a crore and technically speaking is probably the most successful Indian film in years (it earned Rs 180 crore overseas). But they are not the people who aspire to be part of the crore clubs.”

Interestingly, Kapur’s Paani, being produced by Yash Raj Films, is said to be among the most expensive films to be made in India. “The budget will be not less than $150 million. At that rate my revenue should hit at least Rs 5,000 crore,” says Kapur.