MUMBAI MIRROR (March 18, 2020)

After a song for the horror-comedy Laxmmi Bomb with Akshay Kumar in Dubai and another with rumoured beau Sidharth Malhotra for Shershaah in Lonavala in January, Kiara Advani was spotted getting groovy with Aditya Seal last week at Mumbai’s Film City studio. Enquiries revealed that the duo was shooting a fun track for director Abir Sengupta’s Indoo Ki Jawani over a two-day schedule. The shoot began early and continued till 9 pm.

The actors were dressed in representative costumes from films down the decades. While the production crew remained tight-lipped on the subject, the shikara on the lake and Kiara dressed as a Kashmiri girl brought back memories of the swinging ’60s and Shammi Kapoor crooning “Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra” to Kashmir Ki Kali Sharmila Tagore.

Cut to the seductive ’80s and a sizzling-in-gold Kiara was reminiscent of Parveen Babi as the night club crooner of Namak Halaal, luring Shashi Kapoor towards his doom with the husky notes of, “Jawaani Jaaneman, Haseen Dilruba.”

Skip 10 years to the naughty ’90s, and the actress’s mini dress, cap and boots was a shout out to a red-hot Urmila Matondkar in RGV’s Rangeela, with Aditya doing a Munna in sunshine yellow pants and a black fishnet vest. “While their looks are inspired from earlier films, the song is an original,” informs a source.

The Bhushan Kumar, Nikkhil Advani, Niranjan Iyenger and Ryan Stephen production revolves around Indoo’s tryst with online dating after a break-up and how things unfold when she swipes-right on Aditya’s character.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2020)

Today, Pran saab would have turned 100 and even though he took his final curtain call seven years ago, at the age of 93, he remains unforgettable. I remember, as a young girl, I had been fascinated by the perfect smoke rings he blew on screen. The first time he did it was back in 1949 in the teary melodrama, Bari Behen, which featured Suraiya and Geeta Bali as sisters. It went on to become his trademark.

A couple of days ago, when I asked his son how he did it, Sunil Sikand appeared surprised by the query. “He was doing it even at home, when we were kids. My father was a chain-smoker and at one time had smoked 100-120 cigarettes a day. Then, one day, when he was 57, he quit, overnight. I never saw him smoke again. He was usually an easy-going, amiable man, but he could be strong-willed when he wanted, and that showed in his work too. He was dedicated to his craft, asking for the song on a cassette and listening to it several times, even learning the words, before he went for the shoot,” he recounts.

Sunil adds that when he started assisting Manmohan Desai (he worked with the director in Amar Akbar Anthony, Parvarish, Dharam Veer and Suhaag), his father told him that the best AD is one who, when he is not around, makes his director feel his absence.

His favourite films from his father’s repertoire are Halaku and Shaheed , a picture in contrasts. The former was a 1956 period drama with Pran saab in the title role, as the imperious Mongol invader, grandson of Chengiz Khan, whose obsession with a Persian beauty in love with another man, makes him wilful and vengeful, but cannot completely erase his sense of honour. Manoj Kumar’s Shaheed was a smaller role, of a death row convict, daku Kehar Singh, who meets Bhagat Singh at Lahore Central Jail. He goes to the gallows wondering why a dacoit and a freedom fighter should be meted the same punishment.

“My father enjoyed doing both these films, along with others like Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Upkar. But he never watched any of his films, apart from the scenes featuring him during dubbing. He accidentally stumbled upon Zanjeer one afternoon on television, 20 years after its release, and called up Amitabh (Bachchan) to tell him he had liked his performance,” smiles the younger Sikand.

Interestingly, Sunil directed Amitabh and his father in a reincarnation drama titled Karishmaa. “It also featured Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore, Parveen Babi and Danny Denzongpa, but since I had known Amitabh for a long time, I decided to take the first shot on my father and him,” he informs. The film flagged off in 1978 but for some reason, was shelved.

Long before mothers began using the spectre of Gabbar Singh to instilterror and put their little ones to sleep, Pran saab would make them cower, clap their hands over their eyes, as soon as he appeared on screen. They would return to the film only after he was gone. Did the dreaded khalnayak of the movies keep to himself even in real life, you wonder, and Sunil exclaims, “On the contrary, he was a man who enjoyed the company of his friends, even our friends.” Dilip Kumar, whom his father opposed in films like Azaad, Devdas, Madhumati, Dil Diya Dard Liya and Ram Aur Shyam, lived in bungalow close by and Sunil remembers that when he was around 14-15 years, Dilip saab, sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by his sisters, would drop by for a game of dumb charades with the Sikand family.

“Despite his intense roles, my dad was a light-hearted man. Even his villainy in later years had a touch of comedy, in films like Kashmir Ki Kali and Khandan. In the latter, his character Naurangi Lal, was a spoof on Hitler, complete with a toothbrush moustache,” says Sunil who went on to direct Pran saab in two other films, Farishta and Lakshmanrekha.

In Lakshmanrekha, he played Naseeruddin Shah’s father who is killed by Danny and puts his son on the road to revenge. It had Jackie Shroff as a cop. Farishta, which came in ‘84, was written and directed by Sunil, with Pran saab in a small role of Khan chacha. “My father insisted on getting contact lenses and painting them over, so he’d looked convincing as a blind man,” reveals Sunil. And that’s what made him a visionary in B-town.

Madhubala in Howrah Bridge; Shakti Samanta; Sharmila Tagore in a still from An Evening in Paris

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 18, 2018)

I met Shakti Samanta just once, at his office in Natraj Studio, and over a couple of hours, I discovered that the stories behind his jubilees were just as fascinating. Tall, with an almost expressionless face, Shaktida, as he was fondly called, though in his 80s and by his own admission not keeping well, still reminded me of a cop. He surprised me by revealing he’d play some bit roles as an inspector, before going on to direct Inspector, featuring Ashok Kumar as the inspector this time, chasing after a car, like he’d done before.

Interestingly, it was a car that resulted in the crime-thriller, Howrah Bridge, whose song, “Aaiye Meherbaan” showcased Madhubala in a glamorous avatar as club singer Edna. It also had Helen doing a “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” but for me it was Madhubala’s showgirl oomph that made this Howrah Bridge unforgettable.

Soon after Sheroo, Shaktida was in hospital after crashing his car, with three broken ribs, when in two weeks of forced bed-rest, he came up with the idea of Howrah Bridge which launched his banner. He contacted Ashok Kumar as soon as he came out of hospital. The actor was game, even interceding with Madhubala’s father on his behalf. She shot for his film at the same time as K Asif’s Mughal-E-Azam. “Even as she swayed to 'Aaiye Meherbaan' in a short dress she’d be doing a 'Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya' at Badshah Akbar’s court later in the day,” Shaktida informed, his impassive face breaking into a rare grin.

The following year, Madhubala returned to the screen in his second production, Insan Jaag Utha, this time building a dam with Sunil Dutt. A hat-trick followed with Jaali Note but this time his partner reneged on their verbal agreement and Shaktida laughed that the film lived up to its title even in real life. His fourth film, Barood, was set in a coal mine, but Kishore Kumar who went on to marry Madubala, pointed out that she wouldn’t be able to shoot in a mine with her heart condition. So, Shaktida started Naughty Boy, a comedy with Kishore and Madhubala but after around 10 reels, she was too ill to shoot and he had to reshoot the film with Kishore and Kalpana. He ended up losing money again.

Kashmir Ki Kali put him back in the hit list. It introduced Sharmila Tagore, who’d impressed in Satyajit Ray’s Apur Sansar and Devi, to Bollywood and soon the entire nation was singing, “Yeh Chand Sa Roshan Chehra... Yeh Jheel Si Neeli Aankhen” along with Shammi Kapoor who choreographed the song himself. It didn’t matter that her eyes weren’t aquamarine, her dimples floored everyone.

Sharmila went on to do his Saawan Ki Ghata, but the film that turned her into a fashionista was An Evening In Paris. Sharmila, he confided, had been prepared to wear a bikini for the film — she even posed for a Filmfare cover in a two-piece — but Shaktida didn’t want to take on the censors, and settled for a more conservative swim-suit. “Despite this it was deemed vulgar by Mandi House officials four decades later, and the scene was cut during a screening on Doordarshan,” he shared.

More eyes rolled when Sharmila turned up in Aradhana, with Rajesh Khanna seducing her with “Roop Tera Mastana” then, calling her “ma”. The film made Rajesh Khanna the ‘Phenomenon’ and bagged Sharmila the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, silencing all detractors. Shaktida also bagged the Black Lady for Best Film.

The actor-director jodi would have collaborated on Kati Patang too, but Sharmila was expecting Saif then and had to reluctantly refuse. But she returned to do Amar Prem. This time however, they did not take home any awards because the film was a remake of a Bengali film and despite all the changes Shaktida incorporated was deemed ineligible. No one cried despite the disappointment because as Rajesh Khanna’s character says through the film, “Pushpa, I hate tears...”, Shaktida hated tears too. But he was back to claim more awards with Anurag and Amanuush.

The stories would have gone on had Shakti still been around. He’d have been 92 now, and going by our last conversation, still brimming with ideas. Devdas in 2002, with Prosenjit, he admitted had been a “mistake” but he’d been toying with another Sarat Chandra story. Which one? I’ll never know.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 17, 2014)

Half a century has passed since Shakti Samanta's 1964 Shammi Kapoor-Sharmila Tagore starrer, Kashmir Ki Kali, opened at the box-office but even today, Yeh chand sa roshan chehra, Deewana hua badal, Isharon isharon mein, Kisina kisi se, Subhan allah, Meri jaan balle balle get feet tapping and fingers snapping. Today, it is impossible to recall the film without remembering these immortal compositions by O P Nayyar. But Samanta's son, Ashim, reveals that O P was not the first choice for the film.

"Dad had worked with O P Nayyar earlier but the combination of Shammi Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishen was a recipe for success then. However, destiny had some other plan for his Kashmir Ki Kali. One day O P ji called and invited dad over to listen to some of the beautiful songs he had in stock. And dad was floored!" says Ashim.

That very evening he selected 12-15 songs and on reaching home called his hero to inform him about the development. Shammi wasn't impressed. He reminded his producer-director that they had already decided on Shankar-Jaikishen. However, on Samanta's insistence he agreed to listen to the tunes.

And once he did, even he was hooked. And that day the actor went home humming Tareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya.

Samanta in an earlier interview had admitted that even though the heroines of the time were real beauties, for this film he needed a really young and delicate girl. Sharmila caught his eye as the young bride of Apu in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Apur Sansar. "She had no ego about being a Ray discovery and though she didn't look like a Kashmiri girl, I felt she would suit the role and approached her," he had revealed, adding that Sharmila was initially unsure whether she'd be able to convincingly pull off a Hindi film. But Samanta assured her that language wouldn't be a problem.

She was a 14-year-old schoolgirl when she made her debut in Bengali cinema. She was still a teenager when she did her first Hindi film. But coming from a progressive family she was self assured and didn't hesitate to romance Shammi Kapoor, a top star of the time, on camera.

Ashim, who was around 10 at the time and in Kashmir when the film was shot, remembers that it had rained non-stop for three weeks while his dad and his crew of 140 members waited patiently for the sun to come out from behind the clouds. He remembers Sharmila using this break to rehearse all her songs with the dancers. "I could hear her rehearsing for hours in the houseboat behind the one we stayed," says Ashim.

Shammi wasn't a part of the rehearsals. He was a natural dancer and could shimmy through any song with elan. "He never worked with any dance director but since he was an old friend, I let him choreograph the songs the way he wanted and the result was Yeh jheel si neeli aankhen and Isharon isharon mein," Samanta had revealed.

Twenty-one days later, when the sun finally came out, there was sunlight from 7 am to 7 pm and Samanta worked for 12 hours a day and wrapped up the shoot on time. "Yeh chand sa roshan chehra was picturised in just four days. Even today, with all the technology at our disposal, it would take at least eight days to shoot a song like that. Sharmilaji's diligence, Shammi uncle's flair for song and dance and dad's genius paid off," says Ashim.

He is restoring the film's prints, along with other classics from his father's repertoire for TV telecasts. Ask him on whether the film can be remade and Ashim says that would be possible only if either Ranbir Kapoor or Salman Khan played Shammi Kapoor's role. He adds, "For Sharmila's part, we would have to cast a newcomer. You can't sign an established star to play a kali (bud), can you!"