Hum ko maloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat, lekin

Dil ke khushrakhne ko, Ghalib ye khayal achha hai.

Mirza Ghalib’s poetry was a collage of human expressions. He was the beloved, the observer, the follower on separate occasions and his poetry reflected his moods. He had the capacity to endure the gravest tragedies and break down at the smallest accusations. His poetry was, like the man himself, intriguing – restless, volatile, unpredictable.

Unke dekhe se jo aa-jati hai mounh par rounaq

Wo samajhte hain ke beemar ka haal achha hai

There are stories that Ghalib was the inheritor of great fortune but he had little time and no inclination to follow on what was left for him by his forefathers. Life was not kind to Ghalib, or perhaps happiness simply evaded him frequently.

To be continued…

A few days ago, was Guru Purnima and the only name that stands unparalleled in the world of Urdu poetry is Mirza Ghalib inarguably one of the greatest poets of all times. His writing has influenced generations of poets and Indian cinema continues to celebrate his genius on screen.

The first time, was in 1954 released Mirza Ghalib starring Bharat Bhushan and Suraiya which had six of his unforgettable poems namely ‘Dil – E – Nadan Tujhe’ duet rendered by Suraiya and Talat Mahmood, ‘Phir Mujhe Deeda-E-Tar’ and ‘Wahshat Hi Sahi’ rendered by Talat Mahmood, ‘Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umar’ and ‘Nukta Cheen Hai’ by Suraiya and finally ‘Bas Ke Har Ek Unke’ by Mohammed Rafi.

Almost forty years later, Gulzar made a biopic on Mirza Ghalib featuring Naseerudin Shah released in a nine-volume video that came closest to understanding his genius.  

To be continued…

Year 2004 Mughl-E-Azam was the first black-and-white Hindi film to be digitally coloured and theatrically re-released. I was editor Screen at this point and we decided to celebrate the milestone moment at our annual awards night. We invited Vilasrao Deshmukh, then chief minster Maharashtra, to do the honours. Deshmukh delivered a terrific speech and it was now time for Dilip Kumar to speak. Dilip Kumar appeared a little lost. This was probably the beginning of his Alzheimer’s but not many were aware at that time, including us. It was an awkward moment for everyone in the audience, so I hesitantly walked on to the stage and quietly stood behind him. He sensed my presence and turned around, “Kaun hain bhai” he asked in his inimitable style and discovering me heaved a deep sigh of relief. He instantly thrust the microphone into my hand and said “Ab le lo bhai hum kab se khade hain yahan” and thus an emotional evening came to a dignified end.

As I write this obit my mind rewinds to the nubile reporter aided by a charismatic superstar on her first assignment forty years ago. Can something like this ever happen in present times, I’m not sure, because only one in a hundred years, comes an actor like Dilip Kumar.

Today, when I am older and more experienced, I look back on the memory with enchantment. Actors are also human beings and respond to people and situations intuitively. Maybe Dilip Kumar sensed my anxiety at the press conference and wanted to put me at ease, as for the car ride, I can only describe it as serendipity, the superstar was spontaneous again and I submitted to the magic!

A decade passed by and I never crossed his path, yes, I sometimes saw him from a distance at a film premier, party and mahurat but never struck a conversation with him. In 1990 director Subhash Ghai invited me for the shooting of Saudagar to witness Dilip Kumar and Raj Kumar shooting together.

Call it coincidence again, but as I walked towards the set, I noticed Dilip Kumar in costume walking a few steps ahead of me. He was about to enter the set, when he noticed the trolley moving and stopped! I stopped a few steps behind him and observed him watch Raaj Kumar give his shot. Suddenly, he noticed me watching him and stiffened! He continued to stand in the same spot staring at the floor. I realized I had trespassed his creative space, unconsciously interrupted an actor in preparation.

The good thing about the awkward moment however was, that I was privileged to witness the magic!

To be continued

I did not speak to any of the association heads post the conference and did not file a report on the event either. 

Next evening, around 7pm, I was crossing the road to go to Church Gate Station, when a shinning Black Mercedes stopped before me! The face at the window looked familiar and as I walked closer, Dilip Kumar smiled and opened the car door for me.

Unthinkingly, I stepped inside the 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 was aware of my discomfort but continued to converse casually. He spoke so softly that he was barely audible and to not appear rude, I alternately shook my head and smiled.

When the car zoomed on to the Pedder Road, he asked the driver to stop aside, turning to me he said, “My destination has arrived, thank you for your company”. I got off on the middle of the road still perplexed about what had happened, I managed to hail a passing cab and hopped into it unsure if what had just happened was my hallucination or real.

To be continued

It was sometime in the mid-seventies when I first set my eyes on Dilip Kumar. I was in college and doing internship with a film journal and sent for a press conference without clear instructions and I was so nervous that I asked no questions. After great difficulty, I located the conference venue and by the time I walked inside the hall, all the seats were taken. I tip-toed through the side corridor, searching for an empty seat but there were none. So, I stopped half-way 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 a few grey-haired men and one of them addressed the audience. Dilip Kumar was seated in the center and as our eyes met, he succinctly guided me to walk ahead. I did hesitantly and found many empty seats in the front rows but was reluctant to park myself and so looked up again at Dilip Kumar on stage and he nodded.

I nervously seated on the corner chair and tried very hard to focus on the boring speeches but nothing made sense and then Dilip Kumar rose, spoke softly and passionately and for the first time I understood the motive behind the conference. The film fraternity disagreed with newly implemented government policy and declared to go on strike and Dilip Kumar was present on the occasion to lend his support to the cause.

To be continued

Psychiatrists say that divorce is the second biggest human suffering after the loss of a child. The third is the loss of a spouse and the fourth the loss of a parent. We all remember what happened with Aamir Khan after his divorce with his first wife Reena Dutta. Unaccustomed to staying away from his children and filled with mixed emotions, Aamir sought solace in alcohol and put on so much weight that he was unrecognizable.

The family tried its level best to get him on the track but it wasn’t easy. One day, his mother Zeenat, phoned Aamir and asked him to check his picture in the morning newspaper. He did, and an overweight Adnan Saami smiled back at him from the pages. Khan got the message but still lacked the initiative to do something about it. Then Aamir’s mother spoke to Salman Khan and Salman dropped by at Aamir’s home, chatted him up all night and next day, sent him a trainer with an ultimatum. That is how Aamir Khan snapped out of his depression. 

Will Aamir Khan get into depression a second time? It does not seem so from the joint video circulated on the social media by the couple.  Is there a new woman in his life again? There is a possibility that there is. Will he marry a third time? It will depend on what the woman but in my opinion, he mustn’t because actors like him and Kamal Haasan are not meant for marriage. Kamal Haasan has accepted this after separating from Vani Ganpathy, Sarika and Gautami. Aamir will learn too.

I will not get into the details about how, where and why the rot set into the sixteen-year-old relationship but three years post his divorce, Aamir Khan was ready to flaunt his new wife Kiran Rao, his assistant during Lagaan in a grand wedding reception attended by the entire film fraternity including Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand. Kiran called him Chottu and he loved her looking scholarly in her spectacles.

They moved into a new home, a new office, purchased more properties, had a surrogacy baby and a launched a joint company called Paani Productions. He traveled frequently for outdoor shootings; she stayed at home, wrote scripts, planned films, collected her son from school. At Diwali party and private screenings held at their home, Aamir and Kiran looked synchronized but the cracks must be adding up because the couple admits to strategizing a peaceful separation a while ago and only now feel comfortable to go public with the declaration.

I have read the carefully worded press note a number of times and feel it’s a sugar-coated statement that all’s well in a paradise called divorce. They reveal that 15 years of togetherness has grown into trust, respect and love for each other. Is it? Then why not transfer all this understanding and bonding to mend the existing relationship and save heartache to little Azad and your individual extended families?

To be continued