Roshmila Bhattacharya, who headed the entertainment section at Mumbai Mirror for 7 years, is now back with her second book, Matinee Man. Her first book, Bad Man, released in July 2019 and was a biography on Gulshan Grover and traced his journey in cinema. In Matinee Man, however, she attempts to go beneath the glam, glory and greasepaint, to find the men behind these demi-Gods we have been watching live out different characters in reel life.

Roshmila Bhattacharya has a career spanning three decades and has worked with all the leading media houses like The Times of India, The Indian Express, Zee and Hindustan Times. As part of her work, she has got multiple chances to interact with and interview several screen idols of Bollywood. In Matinee Man, she her focused on 13 actors – Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Farooq Sheikh, Mithun Chakraborty, John Abraham, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Irrfan Khan. Through the memories of moments spent with them, and conversations with family and colleagues, she brings us interesting trivia, like their unique talents that not many known about.

Some of the fascinating and never-before-known trivia that she covered in the book are as follows:
1. Ashok Kumar made more than three hundred painting and when M F Husain saw his horses, he told the actor that these were not the strokes of an amateur artist.

2. Dev Anand was mistaken for a real guide during the shooting of his American-Indian co-production, Guide, in Udaipur by a group of American tourists. And instead of getting affronted, the evergreen star simply whizzed off with them in a motor boat, returning to the shoot after giving them a guided tour

3. John Abraham, an economics graduate with a Masters in management, would get frustrated when people treated him like a “clothes hanger” during his modelling days even though he reads Frank Kafka and is very knowledgeable about world affairs. Even after he entered the movies, the focus was only on his looks, body and sexuality. But being a marketing guy, he decided to position himself this way, till he got the power to do the kind of films he wanted. He admits that the studio that distributed Vicky Donor were appalled that he was making a film during the shoot of which curious bystanders in Delhi would ask its director, Shoojit Sircar, “Yeh donor ka matlab kya hai?”  Today, John is not just an action hero in commercial blockbusters, from Dhoom to Satyameva Jayate, he has an impressive library of off-beat films like Kabul Express, Water, New York and No Smoking as an actor and Vicky Donor, Madras Café, Parmanu and Batla House as a producer.

4. Ashok Kumar loved dogs and had around twenty at various times. Interestingly, he named then after dictators like Stalin, Brutus, Chiang Kai-shek and Hitler!

5. A young boy while watching the Dilip Kumar film Shabnam told himself that when he became an actor, he would call himself Manoj after the film's character. We know him as Manoj Kumar today.

6. The world knows him as 'He-man' whose dhai kilo ka haath can make the bad man disappear from the face of the earth on screen. But Dharmendra prefers the tag 'Darling D'.

7. It was the last day of shooting of The Tashkent Files. During the tea break, Mithun Chakraborty called his director and told him, "There's a question I've waited to ask. You took me for a reason, have I passed your test?" Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri couldn't believe a 3-times National Award winner was asking him this!

8. Dadamoni as Ashok Kumar was fondly called refused to be the chief guest at his daughter, Bharti’s college function. Why? For that you have to read the book and you will know much more

There have been plenty of books on cinema. What makes Matinee Men different is that it’s intensely personal in its approach, anecdotal in its narrative and is all about many untold stories…  About men, movies and journeys.

An actor, they say, lives a hundred lives. He wakes up every morning, wears a different face and sets out to make the world his stage. This book tells you how he feels wearing these faces, and more importantly, without them. If you are a Bollywood buff and love your stars, it promises that you will get to know them better.

AMAZON LINK TO BUY MATINEE MEN:
https://amzn.to/3oYEyLO

A month before, Anubhav Sinha to film a short on pandemic; remembers Rishi on Mulk’s anniversary
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 3, 2020)

Anubhav Sinha plans to get back to action in November with a 25-minute short, part of a five-film anthology on the common theme of the Coronavirus pandemic. It will be helmed by five directors in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa and Delhi. While Hansal Mehta’s film is dark and funny, Sudhir Mishra’s is a social with political undertones and Subhash Kapoor’s has elements of science-fiction. Ketan Mehta is yet to finalise his subject but Anubhav’s film is about how the pandemic started out as a rich man’s disease with only those who had been to Italy and China at risk, but has now resulted in a clear class divide. “The rich are safe in their homes, five-star hotels and private hospitals while the poor struggle to survive,” he rues. Born out of regular phone conversations with filmmaker-friends, the project aims to chronicle these unusual times.

In December, he expects to roll with the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer which was to flag off in April. “The film will be shot in a nearby jungle. I hope a vaccine finds its way to Mumbai by then because I hate talking through a mask and no matter how much we pretend, most directors are incorrigibly indisciplined,” asserts the filmmaker who has been working on two other scripts through the lockdown, one alone, the other with Thappad co-writer, Mrunmayee Lagoo. Will either of them reunite him with Taapsee Pannu? “Taapsee is a habit and I may have something for her, but she has to like it too,” he says.

Today is the second anniversary of Mulk, which featured Rishi Kapoor, Taapsee and Rajat Kapoor in the lead. Anubhav recalls going to meet Rishi nervously for the role of Murad Ali Mohammed. He was Immediately thrown off when the veteran actor looked pointedly at his script and asked, “Pura sunayenge?” He agreed to do the film after a 15-minute narration, wondering curiously, “Hero kaun hai?” This time Anubhav surprised him, saying, “You are.”

It was a struggle getting finance, but Mulk finally rolled in October 2017, in Lucknow. As he was setting up the second shot, the director noticed his ‘hero’ observing him with a smile. When prodded, Rishi admitted he was wondering if he was old school or like some new-age directors, taking the shot from 15 angles. Anubhav smiled back, “I’m somewhere in between the two.” Anubhav himself wondered if Rishi was anything like his uncle, Shammi, with whom he’d done his first TV serial, Shikast, and discovered the two Kapoors shared a passion for food and had the same flamboyance.

“Both were born stars—one in the home of Prithviraj Kapoor, the other in Raj Kapoor’s—and instinctive actors who didn’t believe in too much discussion. Chintu ji would simply insist I explain the scene to him before the shot and observe me carefully while I spoke. From that he’d deduce what I wanted,” reminisces Anubhav.

They finished Mulk in 27 days but even after the final shot was taken on November 9, “Chintu ji wasn’t convinced the film was over and insisted I keep 10 days as a back-up. Then, one day my CFO came to me asking if I had some shooting left, saying Chintu ji had allotted dates between January 5 and 15, 2018,” he recounts with a smile. “During the censor screening, Chintu ji was on tenterhooks, calling every 30 seconds for an update, afraid Mulk would be banned. After a 90-minute discussion, when I stepped out with a U/A certificate and told him so, he repeated in disbelief, ‘You mean picture release hogi!’”

The film opened on August 3, 2018, to rave reviews. Soon after, Rishi was diagnosed with cancer and went away to the US for treatment. “On his return, we met at the Bachchans’ Diwali party. I ran to hug him little knowing that he’d go away so soon. I had planned many more movies with him,” Anubhav sighs. 

Shreya Mukherjee (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 2, 2020)

Poonam Dhillon breaks into tears as she talks about her dear friend Rishi Kapoor’s demise, and wishes “the news wasn’t true”. Kapoor, 67, breathed his last after a two-year-long battle with cancer on April 30. “This is such a terrible time to have to go through this. Everybody is feeling so helpless... I can’t believe Chintu (his nickname) is not among us,” she says.

Dhillon met him two months earlier. “Chintu had recovered and was so grateful to have beaten such a horrible disease. It’s going to be very difficult to accept that he is gone. I knew him since I was 18. We have been friends and I was close to his family. I had worked with him, Dabboo (Randhir Kapoor), Shammi Kapoor uncle, Shashi ji (Shashi Kapoor),” she adds.

Dhillon and Kapoor had collaborated in films such as Yeh Vaada Raha (1982), Tawaif (1985), Zamana (1985), Ek Chadar Maili Si (1986), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Amiri Garibi (1990), Yeh Hai Jalwa (2002), among others. And they wanted to work together again. “The other day I joked saying, ‘Aaj kal baat toh karte ho par kaam kab karenge?’ and he said, ‘Haan yaar, chal ek saath ek film karte hai’,” she says.

The actor says Kapoor “looked fit” when she last met him. “He was an unassuming, effortless actor. He never needed any prep. His performance wasn’t theatrical or dramatic, he was a natural actor. That’s what I loved about him,” she adds. Dhillon shared a “fun and warm” relationship with Kapoor and they would often joke with each other. “I learnt a lot from him. He was a good man. He would never misbehave with anyone. He expressed what he felt, which at times would sound wrong, but that’s that,” she recalls.

Calling him one of the “finest actors of our times”, she says it’s a “huge loss” for everyone. “It’s sad that on his last day, there was a restriction to pay our last tribute to this true gentleman,” she concludes.

Imtiaz Ali on why he keeps returning to the themes of finding a soulmate and self-discovery; explains decision to go with the original title for his next
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 5, 2020)

The quaint cottage in a Versova bylane is a sylvan oasis in the city’s concrete jungle. The room we are escorted into has unpainted walls, unvarnished furniture and blinds, through which the sunlight filters through, transporting us to another world, another time. Then, Imtiaz Ali strolls in and we’re jolted back into the present, just the way it happens in his upcoming Valentine’s Day release. The film brings back fond memories of Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone spontaneously joining a baraat and grooving to “Chor Bazaari” in the earlier Love Aaj Kal. How stressful is it when your new film is being compared to one you made a decade ago, we wonder, and Imtiaz flashes a wry smile, “The fact that everyone asks me this question means I should feel stressed, but I only feel validated and gratified that people remember what I’ve done in the past and are hoping to find some of that in this film too.”

Sweeping back his salt-and-pepper mane, the director admits he’s never been interested in sequels and this is the only franchise-able idea he’s had, following the realisation that the story, if told today, would be shockingly different, with a new set of youngsters falling in love and getting into relationships. He’s quick to add that one doesn’t need to have watched the previous film to understand this one as it’s a fresh story with new characters. “The only common factor is the idea of two stories that are separated by an era, influencing the other,” he avers.

Why did it take them so long to decide on the title, then? Imtiaz says it’s because everyone had their ideas, fears and premonitions about the title. “We didn’t want to confuse people. But, at the same time, I knew I had to tell the audience that it was the same concept as the original. Otherwise they would have felt cheated after watching the film. I didn’t care for Love Aaj Kal Reboot and was against a Part 2 appendage as that signifies an extension of the original story and people would expect the old characters to return. Finally, we bought the rights and settled on Love Aaj Kal,” he explains, adding that he is okay with people calling it Kartik-Sara’s Love Aaj Kal or Love Aaj Kal 2020. “God is one but has many names,” he notes.

Once, Yash Chopra was the ‘King of Romance’, a title Imtiaz has inherited, though his love stories are not rain-drenched, with heroines in chiffon saris, but journeys of self-discovery through their quest for a soulmate. Today, when, like Sejal in Jab Harry Met Sejal, we are struggling to understand love, how would he define it? The query draws a disbelieving look, “I make movies about love not because I know the answer but because I’m wondering what the answer is.”

He goes on to acknowledge that he knew Jab Harry Met Sejal was a risky proposition as the subject was waferthin but he didn’t want to load it with flashbacks or peripheral characters. “I wanted it to be a story of a guy who’s wordly, a little dirty, and a girl so naïve, she tells him to think of her as his girlfriend so he doesn’t feel lonely and in her innocence, stops him from messing with her. There were some good things in it, but people didn’t like the film. The inability to communicate is always the filmmaker’s, I should have made a better film,” he rues, pointing out that if he could go back to it, he’d rebuild from the concept, travel with a very small unit and make a film which is edgy, adulterated and realistic, with a certain pulse and thrill.

And would he make any changes in Jab We Met too, given that it is considered textbook commercial Hindi cinema? Imtiaz surprises us by admitting that he believes the writing could have been better, the costumes, locations and VFX too. “The casting worked, both Shahid (Kapoor) and Kareena (Kapoor) brought a lot to the film. She was talking so much, yet there’s a softness and cuteness in her which kept people from getting irritated. But I’d shoot certain scenes differently now to make them more effective,” he muses, but is quick to add that when people love something, they find it perfect. “Nothing’s perfect in the world really, it’s only your affection that makes it perfect. I don’t think anyone would allow me to make changes to this film now,” he smiles.

Cut to the present and his new hero, Kartik Aaryan. Imtiaz informs he’d met the actor for another film, but the fact that Kartik is living in a city after being in a small town, made him believe the actor understood different cultures. It made him the perfect fit for Love Aaj Kal, which revolves around two characters in different time zones. “He’d know where I am coming from, having heard stories like this from older people. He grasps things quickly, is accessible and in the right age group,” Imtiaz says.

And what about Sara Ali Khan? He has known her since the making of the earlier Love Aaj Kal, with her dad. Imtiaz describes his new leading lady as a modern girl with a long career ahead. “She can change the concept of the Indian film heroine. She ticks all the right boxes. She looks nice, dramatic, even, has a great voice and an expansive worldview. She can fit any character, from any bracket of society. Most importantly, she listens closely and submits completely,” he gushes.

That’s high praise coming from Imtiaz Ali and makes you wonder about his take on Sara’s dad, who has said that he liked the trailer of his Love Aaj Kal better. “Of course, he would. Saif was emotionally invested in that film. I would be upset if he’d said he liked this trailer better,” reasons the filmmaker who describes the actor as a “smart, quirky guy”

with whom he had a lot of fun. “Saif was also the producer on that film while I was the director. But it was usually the reverse, with me telling him not to come late, for example. We had an easy equation, and even in a difficult situation, both of us had a connection because we were shameless enough to not let it really bother us,” he chuckles.

Imtiaz also has a connection with Deepika Padukone. Going by the buzz, his next is with Kartik and her. He admits he’s heard the rumours too and while he’d love to work with Deepika, he insists there’s nothing on his mind for now. “Nothing I’ve spoken to her about, but hopefully, something will happen,” he shrugs.

The new Love Aaj Kal has also reunited him with Randeep Hooda after Highway, the film which saw Alia Bhatt graduate from a ‘student’ to an actress par excellence. The observation evokes a smile. Imtiaz describes his Veera as a “ferociously passionate girl” who owned the role. “Ranbir (Kapoor) and she are alike in many ways. They have the natural ability to transform themselves into people they are playing in a way that even I don’t understand. As for Randeep, he’s not just a talented actor but a driven and trained one. He has control, and acquires the emotions of the character. After Highway, Love Aaj Kal felt like he was a different actor,” Imtiaz marvels.

With Rockstar, film shoots resumed in Kashmir after a long gap. Highway was also filmed there, as was Laila Majnu. With the scrapping of Article 370, will he return there? Imtiaz nods, saying he has a connection with the Valley and a commitment to its people. His words bring back memories of Shammi Kapoor, who had loved the Valley as much. What was it like taking the ailing actor back there for his last film, Rockstar? Imtiaz recalls the late actor’s agony—he had just undergone a surgery in which he lost a toe. He was in pain when they were canning a shot that required Shammi ji to smile for the camera. Imtiaz had the unenviable job of letting him know that his smile reflected the pain. “Despite my assurances that no one would notice, Shammi ji insisted on giving one more shot, this time masking the pain. We take so many short cuts, but that memory inspires me to give my best shot,” he asserts.

The minutes are ticking away but we can’t leave without asking about his daughter, who’s studying to be a director in a Los Angeles film school. He’s been vocal about Ida’s contributions to Tamasha and the new Love Aaj Kal. Can we hope for a collaboration? “There can only be one director on the set but I’d love to work with her. I respect her mind. Her short films have got more accolades than any of mine, she’s a precious commodity,” he smiles.

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 21, 2020)

Suave and well-spoken, the Sholay maker doesn’t look like a man who has built his career on risks, but his first directorial, Andaz, brought together a widow and a widower, a taboo subject back in 1971. Ramesh Sippy recalls that when he took the subject to Shammi Kapoor, with whom he’d bonded during Brahmachari, produced by his father G P Sippy, with him as the executive producer, the actor asked him if he really wanted to tackle such a serious subject at such a young age. The 23-year-old debutant was sure he didn’t want to do another song-and-dance film with the Yahoo star even though he aced them. “I knew I was taking a chance, but with their children playing matchmakers, I thought the audience might be happy to see Ravi and Sheetal come together at the end of Andaz,” he reminisces.

Sippy took another gamble, pairing an ageing Shammi ji who was on a journey of rediscovery, with the fresh-faced Hema Malini who was on the threshold of her career. With Rajesh Khanna, whose Aradhana had made him a craze, entering the picture in a guest appearance, the filmmaker was able to carry off the awkward romance. “It was too much to expect a super-hit, but the film did well,” says Sippy, who turns 73 on January 23.

That gave him the confidence to attempt a double role with Hema Malini next. Dilip Kumar’s Ram Aur Shyam had already experimented with the twin track successfully, but Sippy believed the idea could be explored better with a subdued woman being exploited by her family and pulled out of misery by another woman who’s her lookalike. “The year was 1972 and women were slowly coming to fore, refusing to be taken for granted, and as part of this young world, I wanted to do my bit,” he smiles, admitting that his heroine was not confident of pulling off the dual challenge, but he pushed her into giving the two characters distinguishing traits while juggling with multiple projects. “It was hard work, but with two successful actors, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, who were really fond of her, agreeing to be a part of a part of my woman-centric film, Seeta Aur Geeta, worked well,” he smiles.

In a chequered career of nearly half a century, Sippy today is also remembered for giving Hindi cinema two unforgettable villains in Gabbar Singh and Shakaal. The original choice for Sholay’s daku was Danny Denzongpa, the best of the baddies then. But by the time the film went on the floors, he was in Afghanistan shooting for Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma, and had to apologetically bow out.

Unwilling to take an established actor and run into date problems again, Sippy took heed of his writer duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s suggestion to consider actor Jayant’s son, Amjad Khan. “I had seen him in a play on apartheid in South Africa opposite my sister and invited him to my office. He was a mountain of a man with a peculiar face and voice but turned out to be the most colourful character in Sholay,” he recounts.

He was also such a larger-than-life character that when Shaan came along five years later in 1980, with Kulbhushan Kharbanda as Shakaal, many were expecting another Gabbar and were disappointed. But Sippy points out that he wanted to get away from the rustic dacoit and came up with a sophisticated, clean-shaven villain who keeps playing with his bald pate. “I had seen Kulbhushan in Shyam Benegal’s Manthan and knew he could perform. But the setting was different here, moving from a rocky terrain to an almost futuristic den. Sholay grew out of my love for westerns while Shaan was more like a Bond film with car chases, gadgets, special effects and an international crime lord operating from a remote island. It was an expensive film and I am grateful to my father for having faith in me and pumping in so much money into it,” he says.

In 1985, the leap of faith took Sippy into Saagar, an epic romance in 70 mm, which brought Dimple Kapadia back to the screen and reunited her with her Bobby co-star Rishi Kapoor. For any other maker that would have been enough, but Sippy took it a step further, roping in Kamal Haasan whom he’d seen in Ek Dujje Ke Liye and turning his film into a love triangle. “Kamal Haasan had great intensity and juggled between light and tragic scenes with amazing dexterity,” he points out.

Saagar was India’s entry for the Oscars and though it didn’t make the cut, RD  Burman’s “Chehra hai ya chand khila hai… Yeh to bata tera naam hai kya?” still makes me fall in love with the ethereal Dimple Kapadia who’s never looked more beautiful. “That’s the magic of cinema. Everyone, from my actors to my writers, composers and other technical crew contributed to making these movies memorable,” Sippy avers.


Shammi Kapoor in Andaz, Hema Malini in Seeta Aur Geeta, Amjad Khan in Sholay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda in Shaan and Kamal Haasan, Dimple Kapadia and Rishi Kapoor in Saagar

Dilip Kumar and Shammi Kapoor in Vidhaata

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2019)

Dilip Kumar is 97 and I’m reminded of a time when, as a cub reporter, I had watched him from afar, as he lounged in the lawn of his bungalow, recounting his journey to my editor. Then, suave in a suit and a tie, he posed with Filmfare’s Black Lady that he’d bagged for lifetime achievement. My biggest regret is that I didn’t get to interview him. Perhaps that’s why, I keep talking to those who knew the man who made me laugh in my growing up years as he strutted around on my black-and-white TV screen crooning, “Sala Main To Sahab Ban Gaya” in Sagina and weatched my mother swoon as he went careening in a tonga to the tune of “Maang Ke Saath Tumhara”. By the time I met him, he was no longer a dashing Casanova with an errant lock kissing his forehead. But he was still just as charming and made me wonder even more about the man behind the matinee idol.

So, I quizzed a filmmaker who decided to become an actor after watching Dilip saab’s Shaheed and Jugnu, then, went on to co-star with him in Aadmi. While it was being filmed, Manoj Kumar would often borrow from his friend’s wardrobe. In the course of a conversation, he recalled how, whenever Dilip Kumar spotted him in one of his costumes, he would smile and say graciously, “Achche lag rahe ho.”

Thirteen years after the 1968 film about obsessive love, Manoj saab convinced Dilip saab to end a five-year sabbatical to spearhead his Kranti (right). The historical drama was his most ambitious production, with Manoj saab as its writer, director and actor too. For the first four days at RK Studio, he just sat patiently and watched Dilip saab get into character. Then, he was living Sanga, reeling off one perfect take after another. Having known him closely, Manoj saab understood that his role model was a perfectionist who could not be hurried. But once Dilip saab was ready, the assistants never had to remind the thespian to report for work. He’d be on the sets by 11.15 am at the latest, and leave only after taking permission from his producer-director.

Subhash Ghai who directed Dilip saab in three films—Vidhaata, Karma and Saudagar—informs that the two most influential persons in his life till date were both born on same day, December 11. “One is Osho who taught me how to understand the philosophy of life and the psychology of people and stay happy. The other is the emperor of acting, Dilip Kumar, who taught me how to understand the philosophy of my film’s story and the psychology of my characters,” Subhash ji points out.

The filmmaker goes on to add that during Vidhaata he had no idea that Dilip saab and Shammi Kapoor had a spat decades ago and set up his first scene with the two actors in Agra. “Shammi ji was not happy with the scene shot because he had got intimidated by Dilip saab and expressed his resentment to me in his room. He was shocked when I told him that after the shoot, Dilip saab had told me, ‘Subhash, Shammi’s character seems to be a very interesting part of the film and he is a good actor as well. Please see that you increase his role even at my cost. You will be happy,” reminisces Subhash ji, saying that Shammi ji went on to bag the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; September 27, 2019)

Even as the debate over reboots of classic numbers continues, the makers of Lootcase have revisited the yesteryear chartbuster, Aaj Kal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche, from the Shammi Kapoor-starrer Brahmachari (1968). However, director Rajesh Krishnan explains at the outset that they have not tampered with the Shankar Jaikishen composition. "We have incorporated the entire track, as it is, in the film," he clarifies.

The recently dropped teaser of the Kunal Kemmu-starrer sees the protagonist's adventures after he discovers a suitcase filled with hard cash. As his obsession with the suitcase piques the curiosity of those around him, the Mohammed Rafi ditty plays in the background. "Aaj Kal Tere Mere has quirk written all over it, especially when you use it in today's context. In the case of Lootcase, it helped us amplify the madness of the plot," explains the director.

The legendary singer’s wife, Leena Chandavarkar, speaks up while attending his 90th birth anniversary celebration
Debolina Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; August 7, 2019)

The pretty face of the Hindi film industry of the ’70s still glows warmly. The soft countenance and the innocent smile are still in place. Leena Chandavarkar, who also made headlines for her marriage to Kishore Kumar — a man 21 years older than her — amazes you with her childlike simplicity. We caught up with the former actress when she was in Kolkata recently, to attend Tomay Poreche Mone — Kishore Kumar’s 90th birth anniversary celebration. She spoke about her life, films, Kishore Kumar and more. Excerpts:

How did Kishore Kumar influence your personal and professional lives?
I have innumerable memories of him. He was like a pillar of strength who taught me to accept the good and bad in life. He looked at life as a whole and understood that you win some and lose some. He would show his funny side to the world, but never his sad face. He also taught me to do that. I went through a lot in life and it was only because of him that I could come out of depression. So, I have written this song for him now — Kaun tha woh kya tha, Jadugar ya farishta tha, Athwa woh ajooba tha. Even he always wanted me to write songs. After he passed away, Amit (Kumar) asked me to fill in some dummy words, to which he gave the tunes and it got approved. So, I think it’s Kishore da who has again guided me from heaven. His song, Hamein Aur Jeene Ki Chaahat Na Hoti, is one of my favourites because it resembles my relationship with him. He would also mention that he always came across talented people as life partners. True, you see Ruma didi was there. Amit received a letter from the President of India after Ruma didi passed away. That’s a great honour. Both of Amit’s parents were extremely talented people. He has also carved a niche for himself. It’s extremely difficult to match up to a father like Kishore Kumar, but he has done well for himself.

You live with your son Sumit Ganguly and stepson Amit Kumar Ganguly. It is a rare sight in Indian households today where sons take care of their ageing parents.
I wouldn’t know what triggered this bond, but it feels like the expression, Sago se zyada apna. Amit respects his father a lot. He would always ask for his advice when taking an important decision. Sumit was only five years old when Kishore da passed away, but he scolds me and tries to guide me now (laughs). Amit and Sumit have a beautiful bond between them. In fact, Amit brought up Sumit. If I would ever forget to pick up Sumit from school on time, Amit would leave his recordings and rush to his school. Then he would scold me. Amit was also responsible for getting Sumit married. Now, the family is complete.

You have dealt with deep personal losses. What would you have to say to people who are unable to deal with the ups and downs of life?
Kishore da was the reason why I could successfully deal with all the pain in life. He could give strength to anyone. He would also say, ‘Hum log travellers hain duniya mein. Kisiko first class milti hain, kisiko third class. Par free mein duniya dekhne ko saab ko milti hain na?’ (laughs). I went through a lot in life. My brother committed suicide and my mother passed away just after Sumit was born. After Kishore da passed away, I would depend a lot on tablets and injections to deal with depression. Then one day, Amit said he would be busy with shows abroad and that so, I’d have get out of my depression and take care of Sumit. So, a supportive family is extremely important. But to stay out of depression, you have to accept life the way it is.

Tell us about your marriage with Kishore Kumar.
Kishore da and I had many funny memories together. I had told him that he marries whoever he works with, so I wouldn’t do a film with him. He then cancelled the proposal because according to him, two August-born people shouldn’t marry each other. He was born on August 4 and I, on August 29. Then, when my father hurt me by saying ‘Yeh phirse mere ghar wapas aa gayi’, I called Kishore da to get married then and there because I wanted to leave my father’s house. I even called him up to say that I would ask the drivers of every car that passes me that night if they would marry me. He said, had he thought that only he was eccentric, but I had joined that list. My parents were apprehensive about me marrying him. My mother said he had married thrice, but wanted to know his ancestral origin. I told her he must be Christian since I had seen many statues of Christ and other biblical things at his house. Until our wedding, I never knew he was a Bengali Brahmin (laughs).

He told me that he couldn’t marry me unless he got divorced from Yogeeta Bali, his third wife. He had stopped doing playback for Mithun (Chakraborty) at that time. Mithun did gauge the situation, but still came home to ask him why he wasn’t singing for him. After all, every hero wanted his voice in their songs. He told him about the divorce clause. Mithun saw to it that the divorce was through in no time. Then, I said, ‘Let’s get married now’, but he said he wanted to get my parents’ approval. He came home and sang till every member of the family agreed to our union, even my father. He sang Nafrat karne walo ke seene mein pyar bhar du, Arey mein woh parwana hu, Pathar ko moum kar du (laughs)!

You belong to an era that saw some of the biggest superstars in Hindi cinema. How difficult or easy was it making your presence felt when working with them?
For some people like me, dreams do come true. If you want to pursue something with all your heart, you don’t find the effort too difficult. I had learnt a lot from the superstars who were my costars. They were like family. Dilip Kumar would be so natural while acting that his voice would sound muffled at times like it does when we speak in our normal tone. I would often miss his dialogue cues (laughs). Shammi Kapoor would make me laugh a lot.

Anu with father Sardar Malik

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 1, 2019)

Not many will recall a 1961 film titled Saranga but its song, “Saranga teri yaad mein”, filled with the pathos of a broken heart, ranks amongst Mukesh’s best. Anu Malik, son of its composer Sardar Malik, recalls his dad telling him that after bowling Mukesh over with Bharat Vyas’s poetry and his melody, he confided in the singer that some of his detractors were calling him “kansura” and he wanted to shut them up with this song. “But I’ll need to rehearse it with you every day,” Malik Saab insisted.

Mukesh ji would dash down to his Juhu residence every day and despite the summer heat, they’d switch off the fan and he’d rehearse in his vest. “By the end of the session, both would be drenched in sweat,” recalls Anu. By the time of the recording, Mukesh ji knew every word and note. “Like me, he sang with the harmonium and the song flowed in perfect sur,” says Anu believing that if it had been picturised on Raj Kapoor rather than Sudesh Kumar (right), it might have been a bigger hit. “Stars carry forward your songs, that’s why I’ve fought for an Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman Khan for my songs,” he reasons.

Salman’s father, Salim Khan played the lead in Bachpan. A Sardar Malik composition, sung by Mohd. Rafi, “Mujhe tumse mohabbat hai magar main keh nahin sakta” was filmed on him.“My first song for Poonam, 'Mohabbat rang layegi janaab ahista ahista', at the age of 17, was also sung by Rafi Saab. After the recording, he called me, ‘True son of a true father,’” Anu beams proudly.

He also remembers approaching Shammi Kapoor (left) for his blessing only to be told he didn’t need to introduce himself. “You are Sardar Malik’s son,” Shammi ji smiled and when Anu wondered how he knew his father so well, he informed him, “I was launched with Sardar Malik’s music in the 1953 film Laila Majnu .” Despite several screen adaptations and Malik saab sharing the credits with another composer, Ghulam Mohammed, he left his imprint on the film with songs like “Baharon Ki Duniya” and “Dekh Li Aye Ishq Teri Meherbani.”

Malik saab also scored for Shammi Kapoor’s Chor Bazar which boasts of Lata Mangeshkar’s “Hui Yeh Humse Nadaani”and Shammi’s favourite “Tere Dar Pe Aaya Hoon Fariyad Lekar”. Then, there was Thokar unforgettable for Talat Mehmood’s ghazal “Ae-gham-e-dil kya karoon”with lyrics by Javed Akhtar uncle’s Majaz. It also had a female version by Asha Bhosle. “Asha ma adored daddy’s compositions as did her late husband Bhosle Saab. He loved and trusted daddy and told her this was one family she could stay with for as long as she wanted. I grew up playing in her arms,” Anu smiles, humming “Hum Apne Gham Ko Saja Ke” from Madan Manjari. Other Asha-Sardar Malik gems include “Tum Salamat Raho Hazar Baras” (Aulad).

Sardar Malik was a musician ahead of his times as reiterated by Saranga’s “Haan Deewana Hoon Main” composed on a minor key much before Bobby’s “Main Shayar To Nahi” was born. But despite this and songs like “Main Garibon Ka Dil Hoon Watan Ki Zubaan” (Abe-Hayat) he disappeared in a string of B-grade films with lesser known actors much before his demise on January 27, 2006. “Yes, his films didn’t do well and makers stopped coming,” admits Anu, pointing out that his simple, quiet father was too proud to ask for work. “He’d say they know the work I’m doing and if they need me they know where I live. With three children—Anu, Daboo and Abu—to bring up, he accepted what he got.” In these difficult times, Anu, at 12, picked up his harmonium and went looking for work. “People made fun of me saying I’d make songs on car bonnets and in the bathroom. They didn’t see the insecurity that made me run after people humming tunes, begging for a chance,” he says.

His dad smiled at Judwaa’s funky “Tan Tana Tan” and kissed him for Border’s “Aye Jaate Hue Lamhon”. “He was upset Asoka’s 'Roshni Se Bhare Bhare', 'Raat Ka Nasha Abhi' didn’t win me a National Award. When I won for Refugee , he raved, ‘Anu, you have combined Raag Yaman with Shudh Bihar.’” Anu had done it unknowingly but Malik Saab had studied music under Ustad Allauddin Khan and dance under Uday Shankar. “I told him his one 'Haan Deewana Hoon Main' was equal to my 200 films and he reiterated that he was proud I was a fighter who wouldn’t let go.”

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 25, 2019)

He would have turned 85 on January 22 had death not snatched him away 15 years ago. But for me, Vijay Anand or Goldie Saab as I knew him, still lives on in the movies he left behind.

He is best remembered for the cult classic Guide which came to him on the rebound after Waheeda Rehman refused to work with Raj Khosla following an altercation on the sets of Solva Saal earlier, and the eldest Anand brother, Chetan, opted out after getting financial aid and army clearance for his war drama Haqeeqat. Goldie Saab who had turned down the offer to direct the film twice, agreed on the condition that he’d rework Nobel laureate Pearl S Buck’s original script on which the Tad Danielewski-directed English version was based. “I couldn’t have a film starting with Raju and Rosie jumping into bed within hours of her stepping off the train with her husband Marco,” he told me years later.

And while changing the first scene, and diluting the adulterous content of R K Narayan’s novel, Goldie saab also tweaked the ending, making it more spiritual and befitting a Hindi film hero. “In the English version, Raju after serving a jail sentence, lands up, broke, in a village where he is mistaken for a godman after a sadhu, seeing him shivering in his sleep, throws his saffron chaddar over him. While in the Hindi Guide Raju fasts for rains and breathes his last as the first of the life-saving showers come, in the English film, he keeps reiterating, ‘I can see the rains coming.’ But the film ends with the camera panning on a clear blue sky, implying that even in death he cheats the villagers who’d believed in him,” informs Mohan Churiwala, a close associate of Dev Anand. While Danielewski’s version didn’t impress anyone, Goldie Saab’s ‘Guide’ became a saviour even in real life as a drought-hit Gujarat turned to Raju to bring rain.

R K Narayan outraged by all the changes, publicly denounced the film, calling it “Misguided Guide”. But that didn’t dent its appeal. Guide was India’s official entry for the Oscars, losing in the second round to a Norwegian film. Half a century later, its regarded as a classic, and its songs remain evergreen. “The Lata Mangeshkar-Kishore Kumar duet, 'Gaata Rahe Mera Dil', was shot after the film was completed, in Ooty, because Dev saab wanted to incorporate a song by Kishore Kumar,” says Churiwala.

After Guide, Goldie saab was signed by Nasir Hussain for Teesri Manzil, initially planned with Dev saab. He was replaced by Shammi Kapoor after a fallout with Nasir saab at R K Nayyar and Sadhana’s engagement ceremony. While Goldie saab attributed the exit to a date clash, Aamir Khan was reported saying it was because his uncle had overheard Dev saab saying Nasir saab had signed Goldie to direct Baharon Ke Sapne, a small black-and-white film with newcomer Rajesh Khanna, while he was all set to helm a colour film with him. The next day, Nasir saab exchanged projects with Goldie saab on the condition that Teesri Manzil would not feature Dev Anand.

According to Churiwala however, the argument was over remuneration. “Dev saab wasn’t the kind of person to make an issue over money but during Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai he’d learnt that Nasir saab had borrowed money at a very high interest rate to finance his first production. So, he returned his signing amount, telling him to pay him after the film’s release. Nasir saab did settle his dues but did not pay him the price he commanded then, assuring him that he’d compensate him in their next film together,” informs Churiwala. He adds that at the engagement party, Dev saab jokingly asked Nasir saab what remuneration he had in mind for him in Teesri Manzil . “Nasir saab casually replied, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.’ That sparked off Dev saab’s temper as he had said that earlier too many times and he stormed out of the party and the film. Shammi Kapoor when approached, called Dev saab and only after getting his go ahead agreed to a script narration.”

The Anand brothers did five more films — Jewel Thief, Johny Mera Naam, Tere Mere Sapne, Chhupa Rustam and Bullet. There was a sixth film, Jaana Na Dil Se Door, a tribute to Chetan saab. A father-daughter story with Indriani Banerjee in a double role, it was completed but not released. “And with it we lost a beautiful song penned by Kaifi saab (Azmi) for which he hadn’t charged a rupee,” sighs Churiwala. “Tu chala jo apni talash mein, To kahan kahan se guzar gaya, Har kadam pe tha inteha, Har inteha se guzar gaya…”

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 27, 2018)

On Wednesday, September 26, Dev Anand would have turned a sprightly 95. But the last birthday he celebrated was in 2011 (pic above) and since Chargesheet was opening four days later, he didn’t fly off to London as he liked to for the occasion. He spent it at his office in Mumbai, surrounded by bouquets and showered with love by fans who came from across the country to personally wish their ‘Raju Guide’. “Some of them would come straight from the station and camp out there. We served tea and snacks all day. Dev saab would arrive a little after 2 pm and they’d queue up to shake hands with him, returning home with a photograph and his autograph. He met everyone who came to wish him personally, late into the evening, returning home exhausted and satiated,” reminisces his close associate Mohan Churiwala.

His last film featured two of Dev saab’s favourite actors, Naseeruddin Shah and Jackie Shroff. With both his association dates back to Swami Dada. Naseer who played Aslam, the butcher, in the 1982 film, was cast as Sultan, a Dubai don, 29 years later and Churiwala remembers the late filmmaker explaining a scene to him in great detail.

“Naseer heard him quietly and with an ‘okay sir,’ went off to get his make-up done. I asked him if he’d remember everything that had been said and Dev saab assured me he would and come up with a flawless performance. The shoot was okayed in one take after which Dev saab shot me an I-told-you-so smile,” Churiwala chuckles, adding that Naseer, who usually is so hard to convince, never turned down an offer from Dev saab, did what he was asked without any questions and almost reluctantly accepted the cheque he was handed in an envelope.

It was the same with Jackie, says Churiwala, who called Dev saab ‘Baba’. “He was always happy to work with him, made no demands and would sometimes film videos of his mentor at work. He also came to wish Dev saab on his birthday when he was in town, once even driving down to Aamby Valley,” he narrates.

The film also reunited Dev saab with his “Dum Maro Dum” singer Asha Bhosle after “Hare Rama Hare Krishna”. “She sang two songs, 'Sapnon Ki Hoon Main Rani' and 'Har Dil Akela', for free even though Dev saab had given me a blank cheque and told me she could put whatever figure she wished on it. Adnan Sami also never encashed a cheque, even though it was for a sizeable amount, and kept it along with the letter Dev saab had sent him in a folder, to remind himself that he had given him a break in his Love At Times Square,” he informs.

Dev saab himself was grateful to Shammi Kapoor for agreeing to do a small role in his 2001 film, Censor, for which he refused remuneration. A decade later, when Shammi ji was confined to the wheelchair and undergoing dialysis three times a week, he called Dev saab complaining that even though they lived in the same city, they didn’t get to see each other. “Dev saab and I drove down all the way to his Malabar Hill residence one Sunday. A delighted Shammi ji embraced him and they had tea and spoke for a while. On the way home, Dev saab was teary-eyed and emotional. It was their last meeting,” Churiwala says.

Dev saab himself passed away in London, three months after the release of Chargesheet.