Sohum Shah, the lead of Tumbbad and Maharani, explains why he decided to produce films. During his recent visit to Delhi, he shared, “Cinema ki ye khaas baat hai ki cinema rahega. Itni aafat aayi - piracy, satellite, OTT sab aa gaya, lekin cinema phir bhi hai. The community-watching experience of cinema cannot be replicated. I will always release my films in cinemas. After all, watching a film in a cinema is where it all started for me.” Excerpts from the conversation.

‘Meri jitni education hui hai, woh cinema se hui hai’
Talking about the impact films had on him and how they shaped his understanding of relationships and life, he says, "Mujhe nahi pata aisi film hoti hai toh aise bhai hote hain ya aise bhai hote hain toh aisi film hoti hai. Hum Aapke Hain Koun! dekh ke mujhe laga rishte aise hone chahiye. Mere bhi ek bade bhai thay, toh mujhe itna pyaar ho gaya unse. Hamari relationship itni majboot ho gayi.”

Sohum says that in the 90s', travelling to foreign country felt like something unimaginable to him.
He says, "Log panditji ko patri dikha ke puchhte thay videsh yatra ka yog hai kya? Dilwale Duhania Le Jayenge showed me how Europe is, those leather jackets, and that people drink beer in cans. It was a fascinating world. Meri jitni education hui hai, woh cinema se hui hai, aur Aamir Khan saheb mere guru rahe hain."

‘Mujhe OTT ke mercy pe nahi rehna hai’
Sohum says that as a producer, he will never choose to release a film on OTT when he can release it in theatres. He explains, "Mera ye hai ki mujhe OTT ke mercy pe nahi rehna hai. Main wohi filmein banaunga (the kind of films I want to be a part of) aur theatre mein lagaunga. Chalegi toh theek hai, nahi chalegi toh theek hai! Main meri property bech dunga, woh mujhe chalega, lekin mujhe OTT ke mercy pe nahi rehna hai."

What’s behind this love for releasing films in theatres?
He says, "Theatres are the seed that helped us reach this point. We watched those films and had the entire experience of watching them. When we watched films like Hum, I still remember the impact those dialogues had on us. I still remember all those lines."

Enacting a scene from Hum, where Amitabh Bachchan’s character screams Bakhtawar, Sohum asks, "Woh experience kaise laptop pe ya TV pe shift ho sakta hai? Jo shuruaat hui hai, cinema se hi shuruaat hui hai. Woh hamare conscious nahi, subconscious mind mein hai. Hamare blood mein hai!"

‘Tumbbad is my Mughal-e-Azam’
Sohum says that, according to him, Tumbbad is their Mughal-e-Azam. He explains, "Like we’ve heard so many stories about Mughal-e-Azam - that the diamonds were real and how the film was made with so much passion and love and took so long. In the same way, the bus you see in Tumbbad is an actual bus from the 1930s, the locks, the gates, the cinematography. If we missed one monsoon, we’d have to wait another year for rain. We did VFX in Sweden and background work in America. Humne bahut shiddat aur pyaar se banayi hai.”

He says that before they started shooting Tumbbad, there were already over five years of work behind it in terms of locations and sketchboards. "When I heard the script, I always had this trust that the film would reach somewhere. I had this trust because I felt the film was strong and unique."

Sohum elaborates, "Jo maine uss waqt socha tha ki filmon ka ek universe (prequels, sequels) ho sakta hai, woh ab ho raha hai."

Talking about the core of the story, he says, "We all know that greed is bad. But somewhere, we are all consumed by greed. And greed, not just in terms of money, but also jobs, cars, followers, validation- in all aspects, it's greed. If one takes a step back, they'd realize that most of us operate out of greed, and hence, the story of Tumbbad about greed becomes quite relevant."

‘Iss industry mein achha kaam karne wale log hi 8-10 hain’
He shares, "I never wanted to be a producer, I had no interest in becoming one. But the kind of films I want to act in, those films weren’t being made. Achha kaam ho nahi raha hai, iss industry mein achha kaam karne wale log hi 8-10 hain, baaki sab mediocre kaam ho raha hai. So, what do I do? When I don’t get good work, I felt like - all right, then I will make the kind of films I want to work in."

"Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots has had a huge impact on the lives of many people. I’d like to share an incident - once, I went to a doctor who told me she was in depression, but when she watched a Shah Rukh Khan film in the cinema, it helped her sail through. Cinema and stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan have contributed to pop culture in a huge way."

Sohum says that being both a producer and actor helps him understand each role better. He explains, "I don’t like holidays, I don’t like to travel, I don’t want to do anything but work - whether I’m acting or producing. I don’t know how to compartmentalize; balancing is a problem for me. I live in extremes. Mera sab kuch ek hai - actor-producer, sab ek hai."

Nominated at the mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards in the Best Supporting Actor (Female): Series category, The Empire actor Shabana Azmi says a fair share of imagination went into filming for the show, which involved VFX. “At FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), we learned that observation, concentration, and imagination are an actor’s tools. Among the earliest exercises given was, looking into an imaginary well and drawing water from it, and conveying the illusion of reality. It takes a lot of skill to prevent it from looking fake,” says Azmi.

As Esan Daulat Begum, the grandmother of the historical character Babur, Azmi says she bagged the chance to play the kind of authoritative figure that is usually reserved for men. “She is the kingmaker and the master strategist—a role that is largely reserved for men. I was intrigued that Nikkhil [Advani, showrunner] chose a woman filmmaker [Mitakshara Kumar] to make her debut on such a huge canvas, but she stood up to his belief and more. I enjoyed working with Mitakshara. She is meticulous and has a strong sense of aesthetics.”

Despite being a master of her craft, Azmi says that it was not a cakewalk to exude the regal persona of her character. “We have a template of Mughal-E-Azam. [Almost] everyone who acts in a historical base their performance on the 1960 film. I tried to break that by adding a public and private persona to Esan. I was inspired by Cate Blanchet’s [character] in Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth,” explains the actor.

Cast your vote for the Hitlist OTT Awards

Shabana Azmi has been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor (Female): Series category for The Empire.

The other nominees are:

- Amruta Subhash (Bombay Begums)

- Ashlesha Thakur (The Family Man S02)

- Ira Dubey (Potluck)

- Kani Kusruti (OK Computer)

- Konkona Sen Sharma (Mumbai Diaries 26/11)

- Geetanjali Kulkarni (Gullak S02)

- Supriya Pathak (Tabbar)

Log on to www.radiocity.in/hitlistawards to cast your vote.

 You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

 Voting lines close on March 18.

Author, poet and journalist Rajkumar Keswani shares lesser-known stories about Indian cinema’s most iconic film, which turns 60 this year
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 6, 2020)

When Madhubala first arrived on the sets of Mughal-e-Azam to essay her career-defining role of Anarkali, she brought her usual cheerful personality to work. Known to light up many a room, and to always leave her co-stars and crew rolling on the floor laughing, it dawned on her much later that not everyone was charmed by her ebullience. In fact, filmmaker K Asif found her a bit of a distraction. Soon enough, Madhubala’s shots began getting postponed and she went without shooting for several days. The actor was a little taken aback when, one day, Asif’s assistant Sultan Ahmed informed her that the filmmaker didn’t appreciate her behaviour and expected the cast “to take their job seriously”. The superstar accepted the feedback graciously, submitting to the filmmaker’s approach, and soon, the shoot commenced as planned.

It is anecdotes such as these that feature in plenty in poet, writer and journalist Rajkumar Keswani’s Daastan-e-Mughal-e-Azam, a literary tribute to the iconic film about unrequited love, which clocks 60 this year. Considered a milestone in Indian filmmaking, K Asif’s magnum opus took over 10 years to create. Keswani, who was 10 when it was released, remembers watching the film in Bhopal’s Bharat Talkies. “Those three hours in the theatre changed my life forever,” he says, adding that he was so charmed that he had memorised most of the film’s dialogues.

When he embarked on this project, Keswani’s passion for the film also drew him to follow the life of its director. Music director Naushad told him how Asif had started out as a tailor before going on to weave stories on celluloid when nudged in that direction by his brother-in-law and actor Nazir. In fact, the filmmaker also had a tailoring shop in Dadar’s Khodadad Circle at the time. “Famous heroes of the 1940s, Prem Adib and Jeevan [Narad of the screen], ran a restaurant in partnership in the same locality,” says Keswani about the neighbourhood, which was synonymous with tinseltown dreams at the time.

Most fans will know that development of the feature film began in 1944, but hit a roadblock during the time of Independence, only to commence again with a new cast in 1951. But few know about Asif’s struggle in casting for Anarkali’s role, after Nargis, his original choice, turned it down. Newspapers ads were published across the country, inviting women between the age of 16 and 22 to apply with photographs and biodata. Many actors approached the filmmaker for the role and Dilip Kumar, who was already cast as Salim, recommended the popular actor Vijaylaxmi. But the filmmaker didn’t find anyone suitable.

Asif had tried casting Madhubala for an earlier film, but her father Ataula Khan had set terms that weren’t agreeable with the director. “‘Keep your daughter in a showcase’, is what K Asif told him then,” says Keswani. He adds that the actor was cast as Anarkali only after she reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to work on his terms. “She arrived in her car and the meeting took place in the car itself. She asked him to forget his interaction with her father, and agreed to cooperate with him, because she really wanted to work with him.”

Maratha Mandir theatre, which had planned its gala launch with the release of Mughal-e-Azam had to launch with B R Chopra’s Sadhna (1958) since Asif’s film wasn’t completed by then. The theatre’s leasee owner Seth Mehtabchand Golcha set a clause for every filmmaker who wanted to screen his movie there: When Asif decides to release Mughal-e-Azam, their film would be replaced without notice. And when it did release, it even got travellers from Pakistan who would come only to watch the film. “In fact, Golcha had made special provisions for his Pakistani audience — they wouldn’t have to stand in queue to buy their tickets and could pick it up from inside the theatre itself,” says Keswani, adding that the theatre’s patrons also included filmmaker and actor Guru Dutt and Feroz Khan, who would turn up at Maratha Mandir to watch Mughal-e-Azam every week in the initial months.

“Shapoorji Mistry, the film’s financier, and who famously had several disagreements with Asif over his extravagant production, was no less in love with the director and the movie,” says Keswani. “Shapoorji seth was so obsessed with the dialogues that he would say them aloud as if in an elocution contest.”

Keswani’s book also includes 25 paintings by M F Husain, which were dedicated to Asif and his magnum opus. “Hussain made these paintings during his stay in London, as a guest of K Asif’s son Akbar Asif,” says Keswani of the works, which the renowned artist had gifted to Akbar’s daughter Haya Asif on her birthday.

It took Keswani 15 years to compile his research into a book, but stumbling upon gems about the film made the effort worthwhile. “I didn’t work like a scientist while writing and editing the book. I worked like a passionate lover,” he says. 

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 5, 2020)

The story goes back to 1945. While the Quit India movement was escalating, K Asif was filming Anarkali at Minerva Movietone Studio with Sapru and Nargis as Prince Salim and the courtesan Anarkali, and Chandramohan as Akbar, intent on separating the lovers. The filmmaker had flagged off what was planned as Hindi cinema’s epic extravaganza the previous year in a peaceful India. But following the Partition, Shiraz Ali, who was bankrolling the film, decided to relocate to Pakistan. Before leaving, he set up a meeting between Asif and construction magnate Shapoorji Pallonji Mistry, having decided to settle the latter’s dues against the rights of the underproduction film.

“Shapoorji was a huge fan of Prithviraj Kapoor and would often go to the Royal Opera House to watch his plays. Since they were not ticketed, he would stand outside after the performance, with a jhola for patrons to donate what they wished and Shapoorji would rain money into it,” recounts Deepesh Salgia, CEO and Director of a company in the Shapoorji Pallonji Group.

K Asif was around 25 then, with just one directorial, Phool, behind him. A charmer, he convinced Shapoorji, who had little interest in showbiz, to come on board. There were casting changes, with a more saleable Dilip Kumar replacing Sapru and Ajit Khan coming in for Himalaywallah as his trusted lieutenant, Durjan Singh. Dilip Kumar’s entry led to Nargis’s exit, and Madhubala, a virtual nobody, became an unforgettable Anarkali. “Shapoorji was very close to her father, which is how he convinced Ataullah Khan to let Madhubala continue shooting for the film even though he was irked about her closeness to Dilip Kumar and later his betrayal when he gave evidence against her in court in the Naya Daur case,” informs Deepesh.

Akbar’s big shoes had to be filled too, after Chandramohan suffered a fatal heart attack in 1946. Both Shapoorji and Asif were convinced only Prithviraj Kapoor, impressive as Sohrab Modi’s Sikander, could play the emperor. He lived the role, walking barefoot, in May, for the scene where he goes to Salim Chisti’s dargah to pray for a son.

Shooting resumed in 1951. The film was completed in 500 shooting days, used 1 million feet of negative, and was unveiled nine years later, on August 5, 1960. It made Shapoorji poorer by 3 million USD (Rs 1.5 crore).

The Sheesh Mahal set on which “Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya” was filmed, alone cost him Rs 15 lakh, taking two years to build with glass imported from Belgium.

A 100 dancers were used in the song “Ae Mohabbat Zindabad”, one of 20 recorded, of which 10 were unheard, including “Husn Ki Baaraat Chali”. For the war scenes, 2000 camels, 4000 horses and 8000 jawans from the Indian army were hired. By 1956-’57, the budget had quadrupled and there were times Shapoorji despaired over the escalating costs. But Asif couldn’t be reined in.

When technicolour arrived in India in ’57, he shot one reel in colour in ’58. Impressed with the results, Asif shot three more reels the following year and would have re-shot the full film in colour had the distributors not put their foot down. Mughal-E-Azam released in 15 per cent colour, then, was re-released on November 12, 2004, in full colour with Dolby Digital sound.

Once, when Asif came to him for another Rs 15 lakh, Shapoorji insisted he’d get only Rs 3 lakh. The director immediately screened some rushes for him, deliberately picking scenes featuring Akbar. Every time his producer wah-wahed, he reminded him creative excellence costs money. He got his Rs 15 lakh and left for Jaipur to shoot more war scenes.

Deepesh, whose favourite scene is the one where Akbar comes across the lovers romancing, the drama playing out without dialogue, explains why the title changed from Anarkali to Mughal-E-Azam and Prithviraj Kapoor’s name preceded Dilip Kumar and Madhubala’s in the credits. “While Bina Rai was the protagonist of S Mukherjee’s Anarkali, Mughal-E-Azam showcased the conflict between Akbar’s love for his son and his duty as an emperor. He was livid when the heir to the throne falls in love with a dancing girl and goes through the charade of walling her up, with Salim unaware that she has been safely escorted out through an underground tunnel. Today, the film may well be remembered for Dilip Kumar and Madhubala’s tragic romance, but for Shapoorji, the real heroes were always Prithviraj Kapoor and Akbar,” says Deepesh, asserting that even after 60 years, Mughal-E-Azam’s magic hasn’t dimmed. The film has come back restored and colourised, as a stage play and in the form of books. “Shapoorji would be a happy man today.”

Kolkata which was the biggest centres for Hindi films till the mid 60's has seen 81 films hit the jubilee mark. Mumbai took over as the biggest centre in the mid 60's and then in the multiplex era it has been Delhi which has become the biggest. These are genuine jubilees in Kolkata where films ran for 25 weeks on four shows a day. There will be some films which got there on matinee shows but that is not a real jubilee. Also there are some films which were pushed on matinee shows for a few weeks by distributors to claim a jubilee but it was just a distributor thing to show his producer they managed a jubilee. These have not been included.

Kolkata was not like Mumbai where every other film was pushed to a jubilee as the perception came from Mumbai for the industry at that time and also Kolkata mostly released weeks or even months after Mumbai so there was never pressure from the producer as pressure of a jubilee was where the early release was. The greatest Hindi film ever SHOLAY  released in Kolkata more than 2 months after its initial release in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

The longest running film ever in Kokata is the 1943 film KISMET which ran for 184 weeks at Roxy though looking at the whole picture in Kolkata in the last 100 years or so then the biggest BLOCKBUSTER of the city has to be BOBBY. The film ran for 52 weeks in the main cinema Metro and then had silver jubilees in a further 3 cinemas which is history not just for Kolkata but for all India. Four genuine silver jubilees in a city without matinee shows and none of the theatres running on deficits.. The last film to get a jubilee in Kolkata was KAHO NAA PYAAR HAI way back in 2000 while the last golden jubilee film was HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN in 1994 which had a huge 69 week run and another week to make it 70 but those were matinee shows.

The one thing that the list shows is the huge success of love stories in the city. All the great love stories of Hindi cinema are there like KAHO NAA PYAAR HAI, DIL TO PAGAL HAI, DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE, MAINE PYAR KIYA, QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK, RAM TERI GANGA MAILI, BETAAB, EK DUUJE KE LIYE, LOVE STORY, ARADHANA, JUNGLEE and the grandest of them all SANGAM and BOBBY. The list is full of love stories and its not just these films mentioned but others as well and this also explains why Shah Rukh Khan has remained the biggest star in Kolkata for the last 25 years. Even though the last years have not been so great he is still the biggest star in the city due to the romantic image which was built in the late 90's.

Dharmendra has the most jubilees in Kolkata with 3 golden jubilees and 5 silver jubilees and that is a case with most cities across India but the biggest stars of the city have been Ashok Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Shah Rukh Khan. We are talking just the city which is now practically the West Bengal circuit for Hindi films though earlier Hindi films had a good following across West Bengal. Ashok Kumar was a local favorite while Rajesh Khanna and Shah Rukh Khan are probably the biggest romantic stars in history and its this genre which scores big in Kolkata.

The list of jubilees in Kolkata are as follows and the last released film is named first if the films have run for the same numbers weeks though if a film is in more than one cinema than that gets precedence. There is one huge grosser which is omitted and that is MUGHAL-E-AZAM but that film had 24 cinema release in Kolkata which is mad considering it started with 4 in Mumbai and 6 in Delhi. MUGHAL-E-AZAM fell short of a jubilee due to an insane release in Kolkata though despite being a big grosser, its footfalls will still not be among the top 25 in Kolkata though in the whole of West Bengal it would be easily be among the top ten ever. The years are not the release years but when the respective jubilee was celebrated. Also the cinema where it was a jubilee is in brackets. Paradise which is still the leading single screen in the city has the most jubilees with 15 and BARSAAT (released in 1949) being the longest runner in paradise with a 100 week run.

1. Kismet (1947) - 184 weeks (Roxy)

2. Sholay (1977) - 103 weeks (Jyoti)

3. Barsaat (1951) - 100 weeks (Paradise)

4. Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1995) - 69 weeks (Hind)

5. Bandhan (1941) - 57 weeks (Paradise)

6. Shikar (1969) - 56 weeks (Regal)

7. Bhabhi (1958) - 54 weeks (Paradise)

8. Bobby (1974) - 52 weeks (Metro). The film also ran for 25 weeks in 3 more cinemas, Gem, Menoka and Darpan. Probably the biggest BLOCKBUSTER ever in Kolkata.

9. Aradhana (1970) - 51 weeks (Lotus)
- Junglee (1962) - 51 weeks (Roxy)

11. Sangam (1965) - 50 weeks (Orient). The film also ran for 25 weeks in Priya and Darpan
-- Basant (1943) - 50 weeks (Roxy). The film also ran for 25 weeks at Majestic.
-- Yaadon Ki Baraat (1974) - 50 weeks - (Hind)

14. Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1961) - 42 weeks (Paradise)

15. Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1979) - 41 weeks (Moonlight)

16. Azaad (1956) - 40 weeks (Paradise)

17. Nagin (1955) - 38 weeks (Hind)
--  Achhut Kanya (1937) - 38 weeks (Paradise)

19. Betaab (1984) - 36 weeks (Jyoti)
- Geet Gata Chal (1976) - 36 weeks (Lotus)

21. Nadiya Ke Paar (1983) -35 weeks (Lotus)

22. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1996) - 34 weeks (Metro 25 weeks plus 9 weeks at Paradise)

23. Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (1978) - 33 weeks (New Cinema)

24. Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1986) - 32 weeks (Majestic)

25. Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1982) - 31 weeks (Jyoti)

26. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) - 30 weeks (Paradise)
-- Dushman (1972) - 30 weeks (Moonlight)
-- Shaadi (1942) - 30 weeks (Jyoti)

29. Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1979) - 29 weeks (Metro)
-- Chaudvin Ka Chand (1960) - 29 weeks (Orient)

31. Anarkali (1953) - 28 weeks (Society). The film also ran for 25 weeks at Purnasee.
-- Love Story (1981) - 28 weeks (Lighthouse)
-- Anurag (1973) - 28 weeks (Jyoti)
-- Ziddi (1964) - 28 weeks (Jyoti)
-- Grihasthi (1948) - 28 weeks (Majestic)
-- Shehnai (1948) - 28 weeks (Paradise)

37. Nikaah (1983) - 27 weeks (Paradise)
-- Ajanabee (1975) - 27 weeks (Jyoti)
-- Zanjeer (1973) - 27 weeks (Opera)
-- Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972) - 27 weeks (Lotus)
-- Sasural (1961) - 27 weeks (Hind)
-- Naya Daur (1958) - 27 weeks (Majestic)
-- Pyaasa (1957) - 27 weeks (Janata)
-- Actress (1949) - 27 weeks (Paradise)
-- Zeenat (1946) - 27 weeks (Majestic)
-- Kangan (1940) - 27 weeks (Paradise)
-- Bhabhi (1939) - 27 weeks (Paradise)

48. Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) - 26 weeks (Hind)
-- Maine Pyaar Kiya (1990) - 26 weeks (Elite)
-- Trishul (1979) - 26 weeks (Majestic)
-- Samjhauta (1974) - 26 weeks (Lotus)
-- Jugnu (1974) - 26 weeks (New Cinema)
-- Amar Prem (1972) - 26 weeks (Paradise)
-- Arzoo (1966) - 26 weeks (Hind)
-- Madhumati (1959) - 26 weeks (Janata)
-- Gumashta (1951) - 26 weeks (Majestic)
-- Chandralekha (1949) - 26 weeks (Orient)

58. Haathi Mera Saathi (1971) - 25 weeks (Regal). The film also celebrated 25 weeks at Priya and Mitra
-- Jai Santoshi Maa (1976) - 25 weeks (Kalika). The film also had a 87 week run in noon shows at Ganesh
-- Dil To Pagal Hai (1998) - 25 weeks (Metro)
-- Sharaabi (1985) - 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Laawaris (1982) - 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Naseeb (1981) - 25 weeks (Hind)
-- Kranti (1981) - 25 weeks (Gem)
-- Noorie (1979) - 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Julie (1975) - 25 weeks (Paradise)
-- Deewaar (1975) 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Pran Jaaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974) - 25 weeks (Regal)
-- Prem Nagar (1974) - 25 weeks (Paradise)
-- Seeta Aur Geeta (1973) - 25 weeks (Hind)
-- Naya Zamana (1971) - 25 weeks (Lotus)
-- Johny Mera Naam (1971) - 25 weeks (Moonlight)
-- Sharafat (1970) - 25 weeks (Moonlight)
-- Milan (1969) - 25 weeks (Hind)
-- Aankhen (1969) - 25 weeks (Moonlight)
-- Khandan (1965) - 25 weeks (Roxy)
-- Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961) - 25 weeks (Society)
-- Ganga Jamuna (1961) - 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955) - 25 weeks (Orient)
-- Lal Haveli (1944) - 25 weeks (Majestic)
-- Punarmilan (1940) - 25 weeks (Jyoti)

Madhur Bhushan, Madhubala’s youngest sibling, gives us an insight into the iconic star’s life and talks about her passion project – a biopic on her sister
Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; March 3, 2020)

Paeans have been written about her ethereal beauty and stardom, and odes dedicated to her spirit and passion for life. And yet, destiny was such that her beautiful life was laced with tragedy. At 36, after a nine-year battle with illness, she succumbed to death. Days after her 52nd death anniversary (February 23), Madhur Bhushan (originally Zahida), reminisces moments from her sister’s far too short life, and talks about why Madhubala’s story needs to be told.

She says, “Though she is remembered for her classic beauty, there was so much more to her than her beauty. I want to do something for her before I die. She continues to rule millions of hearts and her story needs to be told.”

However, Madhur’s dream of making this biopic hit a roadblock after her other siblings raised an objection over it. Reportedly, filmmaker Imtiaz Ali who had procured the rights from her for the biopic earlier, recently terminated the contract because of the same reason. But Madhur is not ready to give up on it, yet. “As of now, the biopic has come to a halt because my sisters have objected to it. I find it strange that they don’t want this to materialise…humne uska (Madhubala) namak khaaya hai. Usne apne behnon ko paala hain,” she says, adding, “With the help of my spiritual guru, Arvind Kumar Malviya, who’s idea this was, I want to make this biopic.” Madhur also plans to write a biography on her sister and title it ‘Nine Years of Madhubala’.

‘SHE ALWAYS TOLD OUR DAD, ‘ABBA, MUJHE FILMON MEIN JAANA HAI’
‘It was written in her fate...becoming an actress,’ says Madhur, recounting the turn of events that made a nine-year-old Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi land in Bollywood. From Baby Mumtaz to Madhubala, her journey could only be described as that of a dance of destiny. She made her acting debut as a child artiste at the age of nine with Basant (1942) and her first appearance as a lead actress was at 13, when she starred opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal (1947). It wasn’t long before, she became a star and a sensation. Madhur continues, “Madhu aapa was a cute little girl. She would sing, and dance in front of the mirror. She always told our dad (Ataullah Khan), ‘Abba, mujhe filmon mein jaana hai’. However, our father was averse to it because of his conservative background and the belief that girls should not join the industry. But life had plans of its own. Our father lost his job, and eventually, we had to move to Mumbai to survive. At one point, he relented to her wishes and started doing the rounds of studios with her. However, he never dreamt that she would become such a big star.”

With Mahal (1949), she caught the imagination of Bollywood. She became a star, overnight. She was around 16 then. So, did things change at home with this newfound stardom? “Never,” Madhur is quick to point out, adding, “We often felt, ‘Oh my God, she is so beautiful. How can we sit next to her?’ She would put us at ease by saying things like, ‘Main toh actress hoon na, isliye log mujhe mudd mudd kar dekhte hain. Tum actress bann jaoge toh tumhe bhi log mudkar mudkar dekhenge’. She never made us feel any less. She was such a loving daughter and an equally good sister. Unfortunate are those people who ill-treated her or left her to be by herself.”

‘SHE NEVER FELT THAT SHE WAS A STAR AND SHE DIDN’T BEHAVE LIKE ONE’
To the outside world she was an enigma, a mystery. People even said that she was a recluse, but what was the eternal beauty like in real life? Madhur gets nostalgic while taking us on a trip down memory lane. “Hum logon ke saath toh bohot hi masti karti thi — kabhi baal kaat diya, kabhi kuchh kar diya. She loved to have ice-cream and enjoyed listening to music. She would even go to theatres to watch movies wearing a burkha. If you would have met her, aapko aisa lagta hi nahi ki yeh actress hain. She never felt that she was a star and she didn’t behave like one. She wouldn’t wear any make-up; she didn’t need to because she was so pretty. She would only dress in whites and tie her hair up in a simple bun when not shooting. Madhu aapa didn’t need to get dolled up, as my father didn’t allow her to attend parties. He had told her, ‘Maine izzat bohot mushkil se kamaayi hai, Madhu. Court cases jeeta hoon tum bachhiyon ki izzat ke liye. Mere baad koi tum par unlgi nahi utha sakta saying that they were dhandhewali chokris and their father exploited them.’ My sister always abided by him. She was a gharelu ladki,” says Madhur.

‘IT WAS VERY EASY TO LINK HER WITH MEN BECAUSE SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL’
With beauty and fame came rumours of her linkups, controversies and heartbreaks. Following a courtship of nine years with Dilip Kumar, the couple endured an ugly breakup and Madhubala finally married Kishore Kumar in 1960. Madhur says, “People have written about her affair with Kamal Amrohi. Baahar jaane ko milta nahin toh affair kaise hoga? Woh toh Dilip Kumar sahab ke saath itni films mein kaam kiya, waise mulaqaat hui aur pyaar ho gaya. She worked with Kishore Kumar sahab in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958) and Half Ticket (1962), toh pyaar hua. It was very easy to link her with men because she was so beautiful. Prem Nath wanted to marry her, but she told him that our father wouldn’t allow it, because we were Pathans. She was not the kind to have frivolous relationships.”



THE LEGENDARY ROMANCE WITH DILIP KUMAR
However, the highlight of her love life remains her relationship with Dilip Kumar, which made headlines then and continues to pique eveyone’s interest to date.

Most believed that the two of them would tie the knot, but sadly, it was not to be. Was it a misunderstanding, a clash of egos or love gone sour? In the Bollywood thespian, Dilip Kumar’s autobiography, which was published in 2014, it has been stated that things soured between them during the making of Mughal-E-Azam. He stated, “I sensed, Asif (filmmaker) was seriously trying to mend the situation for her when matters began to sour between us, thanks to her father’s attempt to make the proposed marriage a business venture.”

Talking about their bitter-sweet love saga, Madhur recalls, “Dilip sahab and Madhu aapa were shooting for Naya Daur (1957, Vyjayanthimala was cast in her place ultimately). The makers had scheduled an outdoor shoot (the location was where a previous shoot was attacked by dacoits), and our father was not willing to allow her to shoot at that location. He feared for my sister’s safety. He asked them to zero in on an alternate location, but B R Chopra (producer) sahab didn’t budge. That’s when Dilip sahab got involved. His only mistake was that he stood by the producer. Finally, B R Chopra filed a case against my father, which went on for four months, jiske dauraan we heard people say ulti-seedhi cheezein about my father. They called him a dictator and that he wanted to dominate my sister. Finally, the case was resolved, and later, Dilip sahab came home and told Madhu aapa to complete the film, and post that, they could get married. But my sister wanted him to apologise to our father. He flatly refused. We have nothing against him. Had he apologised to my father, aapa would have been Mrs Dilip Kumar. She had immense gratitude for our father, and she couldn’t just let it go.”

‘IMAGINE A 27-YEAR-OLD GIRL BEING TOLD THAT SHE HAD JUST TWO YEARS TO LIVE. WE WERE ALL IN SHOCK!’
It was in 1960, while shooting for a film in South, that Madhubala spat blood. She flew to London the next day, along with her husband, Kishore Kumar. “We were not aware that she had a hole in her heart. When the doctor said that she had a hole in her heat and the operation won’t be successful, we were all in shock! Imagine a young girl of 27 being told that she had just two years to live. She consulted several doctors in India and they confirmed her worst fears. She was advised to take a break, but she had films lined up. She completed a song and a few scenes in Mughal-E-Azam (1960) in that condition. It took about nine years to complete the film and that was the phase when she was suffering. In all those years, she rarely met anybody from the industry, barring Geeta Dutt and Waheeda Rehman. She didn’t want anyone to see her in that state. I was with her through the last few years of her life. I would sleep in the same bed with her.”

‘SHE LOVED THE SONG RULA KE GAYA SAPNA MERA. SHE FELT THAT IT ENCAPSULATED HER LIFE’
It was a life too beautiful, cut too short. Madhur reveals, “You know…She loved the song Rula Ke Gaya Sapna Mera (Jewel Thief, 1967). She felt that it encapsulated her life. She would wait every day for the doctors to tell her that they had discovered a cure for her. She wanted to live. I believe that love heals. Yes, we can’t change destiny, but if she had received more love from the people who she loved so much, then I think she would have had more strength to fight her battle for life, longer.”

Did Madhubala get a chance to interact with Dilip Kumar during the last days of her life? Madhur says, “He once went to see her at the hospital. She sent him a message through someone that she wanted to see him, and he came over to see her. This was before his marriage. Later, he came for the funeral. He immediately flew down from Madras (where he was shooting) when learnt that Madhubala was very critical. But he was late by two hours...she was buried by then.”


‘I WON’T GIVE UP ON MY DREAM TO MAKE A BIOPIC ON HER’

Though she is remembered for her classic beauty, Madhur says that there was so much more to Madhubala than her beauty. She believes that the story of her undying zest for life, fierce loyalty towards her family and quiet courage in matters of the heart, needs to be told to a nation that hailed her the Venus of Bollywood. However, Madhur’s dream has not taken off because her other siblings are not willing to give their consent. But she is not ready to give up on it, yet. She says, “With the help of my spiritual guru, Arvind Kumar Malviya, I am keen to make the biopic, as it was his idea.” Along with her guru, she also plans to set up an old-age home and a school for young girls in Jodhpur. “Madhu aapa would always tell my father, ‘Abba, jab hamare paas bahut paisa aayega na, toh hum log school banaayenge chhoti ladkiyon ke liye.’ She didn’t get formal education herself and this was her dream.