When the car zoomed on to the Pedder Road, he asked his driver to stop. “My destination is on the right” he said, “Thank you for your company”. Still frozen into inaction, I stopped on the road unable to determine if what had just occurred was real or hallucination! Today, when I am older, I look back on the episode with enchantment. Superstars are human beings too. They respond to people and situations instinctively. Did Dilip Kumar mistake me for someone else or did he connect me with the previous day event? Was he always so sensitive to newcomers at media events or was my tryst with him a case of serendipity?

Two decades passed by. I was now editor G Magazine and one day, director Subhash Ghai invited a few of us to witness history. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar shooting on the sets of Saudagar.  As I walked towards the set, I noticed Dilip Kumar a few steps ahead of me.  He was about to make an entry when he realized the camera was rolling and stepped back. I realized for the first time that an actor at work is forever in character and when he is caught in process unaware, he feels vulnerable and exposed! When Kumar looked back and caught me staring at him, he stiffened.

To be concluded

The boring speeches continued for a while and then it was time for Dilip Kumar to speak. He spoke softly, passionately and the audience listened spell bound! For the first time I understood the motive of the press conference. The film fraternity was protesting against the newly implemented government policy and declared to go on strike and Dilip Kumar was here to lend his support.

I cannot remember if I filed a story or we just carried the pictures with an elaborate caption but next day, post office, I was walking towards Church Gate Station, when a shinning Black Mercedes stopped before me! I walked closer and Dilip Kumar rolled down his glass window, asked me to get inside from the other side.

Unthinkingly, I stepped inside the freezing vehicle but my mind was racing. Why had he stopped the car for me, was he confusing me for someone else and where were we heading? I sat on the edge of my seat and I am certain he sensed my discomfiture but continued to chat casually.  Those familiar with him know that the thespian speaks so softly that he is almost inaudible, so to not appear rude I shook my head from time to time and smiled.

To be concluded

On 07 July was legendary actor Dilip Kumar’s second death anniversary.  Easily the finest actor of Indian film firmament, there will never be another superstar like him. Two years ago, I penned a farewell to the legend for a leading newspaper. Today, I revisit the memory.

I first met Dilip Kumar ssometime in the mid-seventies. I was still in college and doing an internship with a film journal. I was assigned to cover a press conference and arrived at the venue, fashionably late, unable to find an empty seat in the packed auditorium.  Embarrassed to walk down the corridor, I stopped in a corner and focused on what was happening on the stage.

A long table covered with white cloth over which were placed some unsteady flower bouquets. Behind the table, sat half a dozen unfamiliar faces and amidst them in the center was Dilip Kumar seated in the center. He noticed me from the stage and guided me to walk ahead to the front row that was empty. I was too embarrassed to look up but when I did, I saw Dilip Kumar was smiling at me and in response, I briefly nodded.

To be concluded

And from there on it was Vishvabharati University that preserved his writings and
anyone wanting to make a film on his story had to go through a laborious process of
seeking permission. Not everyone had the patience. In 1961 Satyajit Ray made a
documentary on Rabindranth Tagore, Teen Kanya (Postmaster, Monihara and Samapti)
and in 1964 he made a feature film Charulata based on Tagore’s novella Nastanir with a
minor deviation. In the book, the story ends with the husband knocking on the door and
the wife waiting at the entrance wordless. Satyajit Ray felt that the open interpretation
ending will not be accepted by the audience and asked his heroine Madhabi Mukherjee to
stretch her hand briefly and whisper, “Ashi” (come in).  The change was criticized by
Tagore fans and the controversy subsided only after Ray penned an explanation in a
leading newspaper.
 
There was another story Tagore Ray was obsessed with but no producer was willing to
invest in the subject and he had to wait till 1985 to make Ghare Baire. Other directors
who projected Tagore stories on the big screen included Tapan Sinha, who made
Kabuliwala set in the social context of feudal Bengal and Kshudito Paschan, a story of a
young collector in love with a ghost. Sudhendhu Roy made Upahaar and Ritu Porno
Ghosh made Chokherbali.

This year marks Rabindranath Tagore160th birth anniversary. Some of the finest films
made by some genius filmmakers were based on Tagore stories. Today is Gurupurnima
and I wish to dedicate the blog to the biggest teacher of India whom we lovingly address
as Gurudev. He wrote short stories, novels, dramas, and recited poetry on public platforms
and there is an interesting story about how Tagore got associated with cinema.
 
In the early days, Tagore traveled extensively to perform and raise funds for his
university so a dance drama Notir Puja was created based on his story. During one of
these shows, in the audience was the owner of New Theatres, BN Sircar. Sircar was
mesmerized by the beauty and the power of the ballet and expressed his desire to
transform the ballet into a film. His only condition was that Gurudev would recite the
poetry in his voice and make an appearance in the film. Tagore agreed because it meant
big funds for his university.

Today all actors deliver remarkable performances and when a co-star praises your work it is
the ultimate compliment. The Night Manager Season 2 is streaming on Disney Hot Star and it
is not just the audience but also co-star Tilotama Shome who is raving about her hero Aditya
Roy Kapoor. She has shared that his notes made her feel nervous and underprepared. This is a
huge compliment coming from an actor who has never let you down in a single film be it the
extremely complex Qissa or the poignant Sir. Says Shome “Shaan Senguptan exasperates me
as much as he impresses me. I never knew what he was thinking and that kept me on my toes.
Shooting Season 2 was easier than shooting Season 1 and I came to discover that my hero is
an extremely affectionate and ridiculously disciplined professional. He has always reported
for work thoroughly prepared. On a lighter note, by the second season we had warmed up
with each other to share our preparation notes with each other and our director Sandeep Modi
was more than happy for that.”

Mumbai 2022: The NCPA Summer Fiesta is a longstanding tradition that offers arts and
cultural experiences for children during the holidays. This community-focused festival aims
to inspire and empower young minds by providing interactive workshops conducted by local
and national talent in areas such as acting, public speaking, music, and writing. The Summer
Fiesta not only provides entertainment but also promotes the value of performing arts by
offering high-quality workshops that are affordable for families.
The 2023 edition comes with a vibrant mix of workshops, plays, and screenings for young
minds and a day full of activities that celeb the environment. Gurleen Judge who is
conducting Staged thinks it’s important to cultivate the habit of going to a theatre in the
younger generation. The other interesting thing is that the Amar Chitra Katha – Tinkle team is
conducting a storytelling workshop that emphasizes on the importance of writing stories.
“Oral story is one of the oldest art

A few years ago, when Shikha Kapur launched the unique The Source that housed 12 writers
from various walks of life, nobody had envisioned what lay ahead of them. Today, the idea
has become the spring board for a variety of stories, folklore, horror, sci-fi, action franchise
because Shikha engages her inhouse writers with new-age directors and thus begins a
marriage of storytelling. The writers have been struggling for months and are happy to
collaborate with an impressive lineup of the bone chilling horror of Tumbbad, the passionate
romance of the Telugu sensation RX 100, the pan-India blockbuster Pushpa, the unsettling
multilingual horror, The House Next Door, the captivating mystery of Undekhi, the gripping
intensity of Human, the laugh-out-loud comedy of Badhaai Ho, and the adrenaline-fueled

thrill of The Night Manager. A new story is about to unfold and the woman who made the
dream possible is Shikha Kapur.