Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 29, 2020)

He started his career as an uncredited junior artiste, fleeing away from a swarm of bees in Dev Anand’s Swami Dada in 1982 but Jackie Shroff was born to be a hero. A year later, Subhash Ghai re-launched him as the leading man of his Hero. Keen that his protégé should have at least one good film before Hero’s release, Subhash ji spoke to his Vidhaata producer, Gulshan Rai, and recommended Jackie for his son Rajiv’s directorial debut, the action-thriller Yudh. “Subhash ji was my father’s friend, that was enough for me. So, even before Hero’s release, without any audition, I signed Jackie on, blind,” Rajiv recounts from Los Angeles.

Since his hero lived in Teen Batti, close to his Napean Sea residence, after ‘pack-up’, they’d sit together and chat and Rajiv soon grew fond of this straightforward guy who spoke his mind and lived life on his terms. “Though he didn’t belong to the film industry, everyone from the producer to the spotboy loved Jackie, who, even after he became a star, didn’t change. He still smoked his Charminar cigarettes, understood struggle, was fun-loving and hard-working. Not a single person has a bad thing to say about him because Jackie is pretty much flawless,” gushes the filmmaker who reunited with him four years later in Tridev.

Rajiv reveals he’d have cast Jackie in Vishwatma too, but his son Tiger had just been born and he didn’t want to go on a long outdoor. “I was in a hurry, I had dates and we were shooting in foreign locations, so I took Chunky Panday instead,” he says.

They met last year, on December 26, at a party at Sohail Khan’s house, and with a jadoo ki jhappi, continued their dosti from where they’d left off. “He was always a handsome guy and is still fit and sharp. And no matter what his character or the film’s fate, the audience loves him and wants to see more of him,” points out Rajiv.

Quiz him about the new hero, and Rajiv agrees Tiger is as hardworking and good-looking as his dad. “I’ve only seen his work, but I can tell you that physically what Tiger is doing on screen is not easy. He’s by far the most promising young actor in Bollywood today and certainly the most dependable. His son has done Jackie proud,” he asserts, reminding me of when Jackie had turned up for the Filmfare Award with Tiger in his arms and without his pass. The security guard had almost turned him away. While daddy accepted his first Best Actor award for Parinda, his son slept in his arms.

There’s a lot Rajiv knows about his Bindaas Bhidu. But as a vegetarian and a man who confesses to not being a foodie, he hasn’t met Jackie, the master chef yet. But I had him personally serve me poha at his Bandra residence, insisting I squeeze a slice of lime and add a sprinkling of green chilllies before taking the first spoonful. From his proprietary pride, I figured the recipe was his. When I had told him his mirchi was spicier that the ones I bought, he explained that only the dark green ones have a bite.

On February 1, Jackie Shroff turns 63. And he’s still the hero of so many prem kahanis.

An excerpt from a new biography on Sanjay Dutt revisits the time when the troubled actor struggled with substance abuse, even as his mother, Nargis, lay in coma at a hospital in New York
MID-DAY (March 18, 2018)

Nargis Dutt fighting for life, Sunil Dutt shatters' screamed the headline of film weekly Screen India. "We were in a state of panic," said Sanjay [Dutt]. "We couldn't believe that this was actually happening to us. It was a crazy nightmare. Something that happened in films or in novels or to someone else... When dad signed the papers giving the doctors permission to operate [on] Mom, I dreaded the fact that it could mean he was signing her death certificate. It was horrible!"

As Nargis's severe internal bleeding continued, the doctors had to open her up to stop the haemorrhaging. But her body couldn't take it and Nargis went into a coma. The doctors suggested more surgery but feared Nargis might die on the operating table. Sunil [Dutt] felt helpless. He was all alone and didn't want to take these decisions unilaterally. He asked all three children to come to New York immediately.

Knowing how critical his mother's condition was, Sanjay had tried to drop his drug habit for a few days. But the withdrawal symptoms were too painful to bear. So while the Dutt family was going through hell, Sanjay was resorting to substance abuse every now and then. The drugs had complete control over him and made him do reckless things. When he had to go to the US with his sisters, he wondered how he would keep his supply going. He didn't want to go into withdrawal again. What Sanjay did next still makes him sick to the stomach. "When I think about it I can't believe it. I carried something like thirty grams of heroin in my shoes, and my sisters were with me," he recalled in a TV interview.

Sanjay has no memory of how he walked through immigration and customs and got out. What if he was caught? It would have been catastrophic for the Dutts at an already precarious time. The three siblings went straight to the hospital. Nargis was on life support, hooked to numerous tubes and machines. Sanjay was speechless seeing his mother like that. His eyes brimmed with tears. "The only thing left for us to do was to pray," says Sanjay. "We found a gurdwara, a masjid and a mandir in New York City. All the doctors used to laugh at us. Dr Fortner even told us that if Mom survived, he would convert himself into a Hindu."

Sunil Dutt prayed constantly. He would circle the hospital building, doing endless parikramas in prayer. Every morning Sunil Dutt and the kids used to go to the hospital from their rented apartment in the city hoping for some good news. But Nargis did not come out of coma. There was nothing the Dutts could do. Days would pass in a blur of hospital duties. If someone made a valiant attempt to rally the others, a stray tear would slip and pull everyone back down. "All of us were crying. Dad had gone berserk... At that moment I wanted nothing in the world - no money, no films, no stardom, no glamour, no guns, no friends - only my mother... How could I sit there and watch her go away? I was so helpless, I felt impotent," said Sanjay.

The trauma was too much to bear and Sanjay would try to retreat into his drug-induced cocoon. "I used to hide the heroin under the bed in the apartment in New York, and one day I couldn't find it. I came to know that dad had it. And I had the guts to go up to him and say, 'Give me my drugs back.'" Sanjay's behaviour shook Sunil to his core. Sanjay later recalled with deep regret that he was even disallowed from donating blood for his mother because of his addiction.

The family was in New York City for months, but Sanjay had to return to Mumbai to finish Rocky. "I couldn't believe I had to come back and finish Rocky, sing a song and do all that stuff when my mother was in coma. But the show has to go on," he later said. Gulshan Rai, the producer of Rocky, was jittery that the project was stuck and the dates that the actors had earmarked for the film were going to waste. Sunil had to ask his film-maker friend Raj Khosla to step in as director of the film. Patiently, over several phone calls, he explained all the scenes to Raj, shot by shot, and requested him to take on the film where he had left it.

As the months passed, Nargis underwent seven surgeries in total. The doctors would frequently tell the family to "let her go away in peace". But Sunil and the children refused to give up on Nargis. And then a miracle happened. Sunil used to lovingly hold Nargis's hand for hours on end. One day he felt her pressing his hand. Almost three months after she went into coma, Nargis opened her eyes. Everyone in the hospital started calling her "the miracle lady of Sloan Kettering".

When she came out of coma, the first thing she asked was, "Where is Sanju?" Sunil proffered an excuse and phoned Sanjay to take the first flight out of Mumbai. When Sanjay finally arrived, Sunil told Nargis he had a surprise for her. "She closed her eyes and I walked in and I just said 'Ma?'" Sanjay said. "Her face just changed. She was so happy - she was crying and she held me. Her hands were shaking. She just wanted to come back home." Nargis was desperate to catch up and wanted to know everything about what was going on in Sanjay's life and career. Most of all, she was really looking forward to finally seeing Rocky.

Excerpted with permission from Sanjay Dutt: The Crazy Untold Story of Bollywood's Bad Boy by Yasser Usman, published by Juggernaut Books

Subhash K Jha (DNA; September 1, 2017)

Rajiv Rai, who has directed hit films like Tridev, Mohra, Gupt, and Vishwatma before migrating out of India after an underworld threat in 1997, is in the news for a very special reason. A hit RD Burman song — Keh Doon Tumhein Ya Chup Rahun — from his father, producer Gulshan Rai’s, Deewaar was “recreated” or re-mixed if you will, without the proper permission of the producer, which in this case is Gulshan Rai’s son Rajiv.

Long due
The courts have ruled in Rajiv’s favour and the song had to be removed from Ajay Devgn-starrer Baadshaho. Speaking from London, where Rajiv is currently based, he said, “This victory was long due. It was due for the often-abused ilk in Mumbai’s entertainment world known as producers.”

Rajiv says he grew up respecting the hard job producers have to undertake. “My father was an immensely respected figure in the film fraternity. His films like Johnny Mera Naam, Vidhaata, Deewaar and Yudh redefined the equation between producers and the entertainment industry. I am afraid the kind of respect that my father commanded has gradually waned. Producers as a fraternity are taken for granted and exploited.”

Rajiv says he grew up admiring the producer’s job. “Because of my father, I was surrounded by producers. Their job in the making of a film filled me with admiration. This is why I decided to tackle the copyright infringement of my father’s song. I’ve seen how other producers had to struggle to hold together a film under situations of great stress. Even when I was directing films for my banner, I looked towards my father for guidance and advice. So, this victory is for him.”

It’s happened before
Rajiv adds this is not the first time in recent times when songs belonging to his father’s banner, Trimurti Films, were infringed upon. “There have been several occasions when songs belonging to our banner have made unscheduled appearances in recent films, like Azhar and Machine. In fact, while ripping off my Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast in Machine, the film’s team said they had taken the blessings of Akshay Kumar (the leading man in Mohra). The copyrights of the song are with us. How did it help to seek Akshay’s divine intervention?” Rajiv asks.

The expatriate feels turning a blind eye to copyright infringement is wrong. “In London, I would get congratulatory messages from Mumbai for remixed versions of songs from my father’s banner. ‘You must’ve got a lot of money,’ they asked. Well, here’s the truth: I got nothing out of these songs that were used. This time, I had to fight it out.”

Adding insult to injury
He says he has no problems with Bhushan Kumar. “They’ve been very nice. But the way they have brought in the song Keh Doon Tumhein is wrong.” Adding insult to injury is the quality of the remix. Exclaims Rajeev, “They’ve ruined the original song. Even if they had not, copyright infringement is a serious offence. For years, self-styled religious leaders have gotten away with it because of our feeble laws. I am glad the courts ruled in my favour. It restores my faith in the Indian judiciary.”

Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; April 5, 2015)

Model-actress Lisa Ray will make a comeback in Friday Cine Entertainment's Ishq Forever, produced by Ajay Shah, Harry Gandhi and Shabbir Boxwala. The romantic flick is set to roll in South Africa later this month with Ruhi Singh, who made India proud by winning the first ever Miss Universal Peace and Humanity title. She won the crown amongst 145 countries. She plays the lead opposite Krishna Chaturvedi.

Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has put together a promising supporting cast. The highlight of Ishq Forever is its melodious music that has been composed by Nadeem Saifee (of Nadeem-Shravan), who has given evergreen hits like Phool Aur Kaante (1991) and Dilwale (1994). The songs are written by award-winning lyricist Sameer.

First-timer Sameer Sippy, son of yesteryear filmmaker Raj Sippy (Boxer (1984), Baazi (1984) and Satte Pe Satta (1982) among others) makes his directorial debut here. He has assisted Tarun Mansukhani on Dostana (2008) and Farhan Akhtar on Lakshya (2004).

Shabbir Boxwala is also elated that his banner will collaborate with Trimurti Films, one of Bollywood's most prestigious production houses. He, Ajay Shah (co-producer) and Rajiv Rai, who collaborated earlier on super-duper hits like Mohra (1994) and Gupt (1997), have plans to remake one of Dev Anand's memorable thriller Johny Mera Naam (1970) and also the iconic Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor film Deewaar (1975), both of which were produced by Rajiv's father, Gulshan Rai under their family banner.