Ali's Notes

All prayers for Rishi

VERY few, really very few first-time directors have earned so much goodwill during the making of their first film, forced even his rivals, enemies and competitors to send up prayers for him, for his first release. Our own Chintoo Kapoor (officially known as Rishi Kapoor) is the latest.
All of last week I met and talked to people and they were all talking about Chintoo and his film Aa Ab Laut Chale, the film made in the golden jubilee year of RK Films, the banner founded by Chintoo’s father, a banner which still spells class cinema for the masses, a method founded by the father and followed meticulously by his three sons — Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv.

Talking about Rishi, Rekha who rarely speaks about others without really knowing what they are all about said: “I have always considered Chintoo a very sensitive actor. He is undoubtedly one of the best romantic actors Hindi films have seen. I feel every happy about his turning a director at the right time. I am sure he will carry his father’s banner on his shoulders and raise it higher. He must have made a good film, I have no two opinions on that.” Yash Chopra, now known as the greatest maker of romantic films in Hindi says; “I have been a very close observer of Chintoo as an actor and as a student of cinema. He was the best of the romantics of the seventies and eighties. He must have certainly absorbed all the experiences he has faced and made a good film, a refreshing romantic film with a realistic message.” And the best thing I heard came from a female junior artiste who says she has been working in films for the last fifty years. “I always knew Raj Kapoor would make good films and he was always good. His sons Randhir and Rajiv also made it as good directors but I’m sure Chintoo will be the best of them all. I will pray for him. I will pray for RK Films. They have given this industry all their lives. They have given so many of us our bread and butter,” he says.
A prayer like that can never go unheard. Can it? If these prayers are not heard a lot of people will lose faith in prayers.

Aise bhi hua tha

EVERYONE is talking about Rinke Khanna, the beautiful daughter (a daughter of a father like Rajesh Khanna, the superstar in his heydays and a mother like the ravishing Dimple Kapadia, has to be beautiful), who makes her debut in a rare film called Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, and I am reminded of those days when the sky was painted the colour of success, a colour which can only be seen by those who know success, by those who love success and are loved by success.
Rajesh Khanna was the ruling “God”. He could do whatever he could with the world he ruled. He worked hard on his whims and fancies which gave so many others their mornings, noons and evenings, whisky, chicken and colourful nights. He started a film called Majnoon which was to be directed by Kamal Amrohi and written by Dr Rahi Masoom Reza and Kamal, two of the leading writers of Urdu literature. The film was announced just like Rinke’s film — nine full pages in Screen. “All roads lead to Mehboob Studios today” was the catchline on every page. It was a grand, one of the greatest and most glorious muhurats. A beautiful Raakhee walked out of a huge candle. It was the first shot and people started talking wherever they talked about films. They said the two great writers, Dr Raza and Kamal, would not see eye to eye, line to line, word to word. They would clash, yes, they clashed. Dr Raza and Kamal Amrohi clashed and split. The film was delayed and kept getting delayed — painfully. When Rajesh couldn’t take it anymore he sent one of his associates to ask Kamal how much time he would take to make Majnoon. Kamal said the film would be shot on eighteen large sets and each set would take six months to build! That was it. Rajesh, the producer saw red and his dream crashed. Majnoon was shelved. Eighteen sets? Six months for each set? Then the shooting? The dates? It would take several years to make the film. Rajesh threw up his hands in despair. He couldn’t make Majnoon. He didn’t want to make Majnoon. He had not gone so mad yet. But it certainly led to the beginning of the end of a man who Amitabh Bachchan called and stil calls “the greatest superstar ever”. He was not the same again. He couldn’t.

What miracles!

PERISH all these puerile thoughts all you pessimists and non-believers! You can not succeed. No, you can’t. I don’t think you can ever succeed as long as there are modern-day miracles like Kalyanji (of Kalyanji-Anandji) fame. What he does these days at seventy (and though he is not keeping very good health) is not one of God’s little wonders, it’s a major miracle, the kind of miracles most people have stopped believing in this age of amazing human achievements taking no one nowhere.
Kalyanji (and Anandji) played one of the most glorious innings as a music director for more than fifty years. He had scored music for hundreds of films. His music had given life to new directors like Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra, Feroz Khan, Manoj Kumar and Rajiv Rai (they made their beginning with music composed by Kalyanji and Anandji). They added zest to the lives and careers to all the big and small stars from Dilip Kumar to Rajendra Kumar and from Nutan to Tina Munim. They had given lyricists like the late Anjaan and Indeevar inspiration to write lyrics that touched the soul, music that made artistes come up with their best. They gave the industry two of the best music directors, Laxmikant and Pyarelal.
They worked till they could, till they were inspired to score music that was meaningful, music that made sense. They stopped when music unfortunately became noise, when melody made way for MTV and other kinds of noises. They looked for other ways to put their music to use. They found the best way. They decided to groom little children to take a liking for music. They now have a group of some of the most talented youngsters in their group — a group which is keeping music and entertainment alive. These children nurtured by ‘KA’ (they are doing shows on their own now) will one day stand for great music, great entertainment, all because of the good and hard work put by these septuagenarians.
I’m sorry I can’t remember all the names of those little miracles trained by Kalyanjibhai and his param shishya Sadhna Sargam. I would have missed a share of life if I had not met them at all, seen them at all, heard them at all. I must thank Avinash Prabhawalkar and Hridesh Arts which is doing fascinating things to keep Indian talent alive by organising shows which are surprises.
I remember Pandit Ojas who could give a complex to some of the best tabla players in the country and this Pandit is only eight! I remember Sneha Pant, pretty and what a voice! Sheer God’s gift, nothing else. There was this little girl, very very tiny, may be four or five who could compere an entire show in Sindhi, Hindi or Urdu and give the likes of the honourable Ameen Sayani and Tabassum a run for their money. I remember all the little boys and girls who sat with Kalyanjibhai and Sadhna awaiting their turn to work their wonders but not all of them could because of the shortage of time. That night as Pandit Ojas played the tabla in a jugalbandi with his guru I could see a rare glow on Kalyanjibhai’s face. It was brighter than the glow he had when he made some of the all-time greats sing under his baton. These little children and the wonders they worked with ‘KA’ gave me hope, gave me a reason to live, the kind of reason so very difficult to find these days.

Urmila is growing

I am still waiting for the rise and rise of Urmila Matondkar. I know her best has still to come. I rebuke all those critics and learned pundits who say Urmila is at her best only when she is associated with Ram Gopal Varma (Drohi, Raat, Rangeela, Daud and now Satya). She is good in all of them no doubt, but she can be good and even better is she is offered some real good roles. What can a very good actress do if she is stuck in a groove or if she is not offered the right roles? I don’t think it is her fault. I still consider her as one of the best actresses we have, Ram Gopal Varma or no Ram Gopal Varma.

What is truth?

THE truth, the only truth according to Sunil Dutt a man who has spent his whole life here, in this good, bad, mad world of films — You can make it here, you can succeed here, you can make your story a rags to riches story here only if you have the courage to face the truth, only if you have the courage when the whole world asks you to give up and you don’t. This is the only truth, my friends, the only truth.