Bollywood Cosmos

Early Days of Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh’s personal story can never be complete if one were not to talk about his romance and subsequent marriage with Gauri Chhiba, the daughter of retired Major Ramesh Chhiba, who had been born a vegetarian, was a Hindu Brahmin, and even had a temple within his house. Shahrukh being a Muslim in India where religion plays a key role while deciding the destiny of marital alliances, his marrying Gauri whom he had met in 1984 and eventually married in 1991 was indeed a tough task to accomplish.

The relationship between the two had been kept under wraps, and understandably so because Gauri’s parents would not have accepted it. Or, so it seemed for quite some time even while the twosome continued to meet up for six long years. The youngest in a Punjabi joint family with around 15 members, that Gauri would marry someone from her community was a foregone conclusion.

As for Shahrukh, he was willing to do anything to get her in his life, and it is said that he had entered Gauri’s household by posing as Abhimanyu during the girl’s birthdayparty. Abhimanyu…. Who? Yes! The character that Shahrukh had just started to play in the television serial Fauji that was being directed by the retired Lieutenant Colonel Raj Kapoor. The serial based on life in the army had made Shahrukh’s character really popular, and people around even said that he looked quite a bit like Dilip Kumar when he attended the birthday party in Gauri’s house that day.

Shahrukh Khan & Gauri in their Sangeet Ceremony

The story of Shahrukh and Gauri’s relationship continued to add a new chapter with every passing day, and not all of them were bliss-laden as is the case with all human relationships. He was tremendously, in fact uncomfortably possessive about his lady love, so much that he would pick up a quarrel with her even if she let her hair down… literally. Finally, Gauri lost her cool and realized that she wanted to get away from the emotional bedlam in 1989. Without informing Shahrukh, she came down to Mumbai with her pals just a day after the former had celebrated her birthday in his room by decorating it the best way he could have and giving her lots of presents.

It was when Gauri had left for Mumbai that Cupid shot that one decisive arrow. Shahrukh just had gone to the city of dreams where his love had gone, and he ended up telling everything to his mother who was supportive and open-minded as always. Not only did she give her son Rs 10,000, she also advised him to go to Mumbai and get his love back. Shahrukh went there with his friends, and what followed sounds like a chapter straight out of fictional romantic folklore.

Dating Days of Shahrukh Khan & Gauri

In the huge city, he and his friends kept looking for Gauri, and especially around the beachees because of his awareness that she was attracted to them in a big way. On the last day of his stay in Mumbai, since he had run short of financial fuel obviously, a cab guy advised him to go to a place called the Aksa Beach. From there, they ferried across to a place called Gorai and, after searching frantically, managed to track her down when she was standing in the water! Once the duo saw each other, they embraced each other and started crying. That was the defining moment in their relationship, because it was clear to both of them that they need to be with each other all their lives.

The problem the couple apprehended was because of Gauri’s set-up that consisted of simple people who were loyal to Indian social norms and did not question the tenets of tradition: which, in this case, implied that having a son-in-law who belonged to a different religion. This was a thought that would have never crossed their minds. But the time when the twosome had to marry had to surface some day or the other, and that did happen in 1991. The couple went ahead and put up a notice for a court marriage which, according to the Indian marital laws, meant that their names were displayed in front of the court in a notice for one long month.

Shahrukh and Gauri had to hide the notice from their parents, so they did the most obvious thing. They gave a address and said it was their own. The poor fellow had to suffer the repercussions. The parochial among the Hindus made a group and shouted in front of his house, and so did their Muslim counterpart. During those 30 days, the life of his friend was absolutely miserable, but then both Shahrukh and Gauri did not have a choice because they were really concerned about the latter’s parents.

Shahrukh Khan's Weds Gauri Khan

Those 30 days proved to be critical for the young couple. They worked hard towards convincing Gauri’s parents, and eventually managed to make them see their point of view. That they would have a court marriage after the notice period got over was decided upon, and it was on August 26 that this ceremony was finally solemnised in the court. They also got married in keeping with Hindu and Muslim traditions seperately. In fact, it was Gauri who insisted that they should have a Muslim wedding too, and the roots of a secular family set-up had been firmly established be them.

This was the time when Shahrukh was making his initial forays in Bollywood, and among his forthcoming films were Deewana and Raju Bangaya Gentleman while he was shooting for Dil Aashna Hai as well.

Harivanshrai Bachchan & Amitabh

Some men are like wine. The older they become, the headier they are. It is never more true than in the case of Amitabh Bachchan. The son of poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan rode the Indian film industry like a colossus for close to three decades. And, at 67, Amitabh has more producers and directors queuing up in front of his door than many young actors of Bollywood.

Born on October 11, 1942 in Allahabad, Amitabh — the older of the two children — graduated from Delhi University with an arts degree. Before that, he completed a stint in Sherwood College, a boarding school in Nainital. The film industry was a most unlikely place to begin a career for this son of an academician. He gave up his job as a freight broker for a shipping firm in Calcutta to move to Bombay in 1968. Months of struggle followed. Ironically known for his rich voice, he was rejected by All India Radio and even played a mute in one of his early films Reshma Aur Shera (1971).

In his early films like the Hrishikesh Mukherjee Directed Anand (1970) and Namak Haram (1973) or in Saudagar he was presented as a brooding melancholic anti-hero drawn from Bengali Literary stereotypes traceable to novelist Sarat Chandra Chatterjee and brought into Hindi Cinema by Nitin Bose, Bimal Roy and Asit Sen. But Zanjeer (1973) changed all that, the film saw a new kind of hero, a hero who took the law in his own hands and fought the villain.

A Rare Picture - Amitabh Bachchan is the first from right

Amitabh’s first big hit happened with Namak Haram in 1973. With Zanjeer also scoring unprecedented box-office collection, the year heralded the arrival of the legend called Amitabh Bachchan. From then onwards there was no looking back. The year 1975 saw two all-time superhits, Deewar and Sholay. In Deewaar (1975) he played the role of a mafia don opposite his policeman brother, played by Shashi Kapoor. It was a brilliant performance with Amitabh more than able to humanize the gangster and have people sympathize with him rather than with his law-abiding brother, Sholay became a benchmark film in Indian cinema. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Chupke Chupke, released around the same time, proved Amitabh’s ability to handle comedy roles as well. The film, starring Amitabh, Jaya Bhaduri, Sharmila Tagore, Dharmendra and veteran actor Om Prakash, became a big hit.

The later half of the 1970s saw films like Amar Akbar Antony, Kabhie Kabhie, Don, Trishul, Mili, Abhimaan, Shaan, Laawaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr Natwarlal, Nastik, Kala Patthar, Namak Halal etc. Some of his other top hits include Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Chashme Baddoor, Dostana, Faraar, Kaalia, Kasme Vaade, Khoon Pasina, Majboor, Naseeb, Parvarish, Shakti, Sharaabi, Silsila and The Great Gambler. Amitabh Bachchan was seriously wounded during the shooting of the 1983 film, Coolie. The nation came to a grinding halt as film-lovers from across the length and breadth of India and abroad prayed for the well-being of the actor.

In 1984, when at his peak as a star, he tried his hand at politics. Due to his enormous popularity, not to mention the close association he enjoyed with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and members of the Nehru family, he was elected to parliament with a huge majority from his home city of Allahabad. But his stint in politics did not last long and he was implicated in some scandals. He gave up his seat in parliament, vowing never to be involved in politics again.

Amitabh & Jaya Bachchan with Parents

The first dud at the box-office came with the 1988 film, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati. Till then, Amitabh had not had a flop. His films were either hits or superhits. But his re-entry in the 1990s came with films like Khuda Gawah, Agneepath, Hum and Shahenshah, Amitabh then dabbled in business, setting up his Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited and pumping all his energies and time towards it. The lack of business acumen showed soon with ABCL sinking in no time. Amitabh made a serious comeback attempt to movies. Though the talent had never faded, the box-office magic had.

In the last three years, Amitabh Bachchan has acted in films like Mrityudaata, Major Saab, Lal Baadshah, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Sooryavamsham, Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love, Mohabbatein and Aks — The Reflection. Some of the films bombed and the rest did just about okay business. Like a phoenix Amitabh Bachchan resurrected himself again in the year 2000, this time on the small screen. Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? became a phenomenon on Indian television and suddenly Amitabh Bachchan was back to where he belonged — success and limelight. Last year, Amitabh Bachchan was chosen as the BBC’s Superstar of the Millennium over such greats as Charlie Chaplin and Laurence Olivier and being selected as the first film personality from India to be immortalized at Madam Tussaud`s Wax Museum, London! On January 26, 2001 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian Cinema.

Raj Kapoor & Nargis

Ruddy-cheeked and light-eyed, Raj Kapoor was unmistakably Destiny’s blue-eyed boy. As a romantic actor, his onscreen romance with Nargis, fuelled by larger-than-life stories of their off-screen relationship, was a glorious chapter in the cinematic history of Hindi cinema. Raj Kapoor first showed his scene-stealing abilities in Mehboob Khan’s Andaz (1949), where he costarred with Nargis and Dilip Kumar. Kapoor played Nargis’s flamboyant but suspicious husband with aplomb. Flamboyance was his forte in other early successes like Dastaan and Sargam as well. Although, he was paired with Nargis from his first produced-directed and acted movie Aag(1947).

The film was ready to go on the floors and Raj was determined to get himself the best studio in town. Famous Studio in Mumbai’s central suburb, Mahalaxmi, had been highly recommended to him. He’d heard that Jaddan Bai was at Famous Studio where her son Akhtar Hussain was shooting Romeo and Juliet, the first production of Nargis Art Concern. Raj rushed to the studio to meet bibiji with the intention of quizzing her about the facilities that Famous offered. But he missed her by minutes. The unit, he was told, had packed up for the day and gone home.

Raj Kapoor - Nargis

Raj impulsively decided he’d drive on to Marine Drive where Jaddan Bai had her apartment. A quarter of an hour later he was outside her door ringing the bell. Jaddan Bai’s eighteen-year-old daughter Nargis was in the kitchen frying bhajias. Hearing the doorbell peal she rushed to open the door and was so startled by the sight of a blue-eyed, rosy-cheeked stranger shuffling outside her door, that she put a hand nervously up to brush away her untidy locks and smeared her forehead with the besan dough on her fingers. Raj was enchanted by the image of this lovely girl with besan on her forehead and hair. The crimson blush staining her cheeks as she realized what had happened enhanced the pretty picture. Stammering with embarrassment Nargis asked him shyly who he was. Raj introduced himself as Prithviraj Kapoor’s son. Nargis recalled seeing him in the play, Deewar, at Prithvi Theatre and invited him in. But when Raj enquired about bibiji and learnt that Nargis was at home alone he refused to enter the apartment and hurried away.

He went straight to the home of his scriptwriter, Inder Raj Anand. “I must have that girl in my film. Write her into the screenplay of Aag,” he commanded. And Nargis walked into Aag in the ninth reel.

Later Barsaat (1949), a runaway hit, also brought to the limelight new music directors Shankar – Jaikishen, lyricists Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri and the actress Nimmi. The raw passion between Raj Kapoor and Nargis in Barsaat shot with a beautiful almost poetic use of light and shade drove audiences wild. The music of the film was hummed across the nation and along with Andaaz and Mahal that year, the songs were instrumental in Lata Mangeshkar’s climb to the top as a playback singer. In fact Raj Kapoor’s musical sense and feel for rhythm and involvement in music sittings have ensured the highest quality of music in his films.

Raj Kapoor & Nargis

Awaara (1951), the tale of a vagabond was perhaps his greatest triumph and was released in Russia as Bradyaga to unprecedented success. Its dream sequence with huge statues set amongst the clouds to the strains of Nargis dancing to Ghar Aaya Mera Pardesi stands out even today!

Off-screen, her affair with the already married Raj Kapoor was a matching of soul and spirit. After Awaara (1951) she worked almost exclusively with him even turning down her mentor Mehboob’s Aan (1952). The Raj Kapoor and Nargis pair had chemistry hitherto unseen on the Indian screen. The passion that each had for the other poured out on the screen as they romanced each other in several films – The song Pyar Hua Ikrar Hua from Shree 420 (1955) with Nargis and Raj under the umbrella in heavy rain is subliminal romance at its best. Nargis knowing Raj Kapoor’s obsession for white took to dressing in white and was known as his lady in white. She even met the then Home Minister Moraji Deasai to try and get him to sanction a marriage between her and Raj Kapoor!

However by 1956 the pair had broken up, Chori Chori (1956), a breezy entertainer based on Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934), being their last film together. She did do a special appearance in his production Jagte Raho (1956) for old times sake and perhaps it was fitting that at the end of the film she is the woman who finally quenches Raj Kapoor’s thirst.

Raj Kapoor & Nargis

With Raj Kapoor out of her life, almost as if on cue, Mehboob offered her his magnum opus Mother India (1957). It is a well-known story that while shooting for Mother India, Nargis was trapped amidst lit haystacks. As the flames got higher and higher, Sunil Dutt playing her rebellious son, Birju, in the film ran through the fire and rescued her. He proposed to her and Nargis married Sunil Dutt and quit films after marriage.

While Raj Kapoor continued to explore social issues – Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960) or complex human relationships – Sangam (1964) there is a marked difference in his treatment of the heroine who became a sex object with a high accent on her physical attributes.

Reverting back to the Chaplinisque image, Kapoor made his magnum opus Mera Naam Joker (1970) about a clown who laughs on the outside and cries within and though absolutely brilliant in parts (particularly the first chapter of the adolescent hero discovering love and sex) the film, a highly self indulgent exercise flopped miserably at the box office shattering.

Raj bounced back with Bobby (1973) a teenage romance of young lovers fighting parental opposition that is aped by Hindi cinema till today. The memory of his first meeting with Nargis stayed with Raj all his life. And when he was writing Bobby he dredged it up for Bobby’s (Dimple Kapadia) first meeting with Raj (Rishi Kapoor). The only difference was that Bobby wasn’t frying bhajias, she was baking a cake and smeared her hair with maida rather than besan. But it didn’t dim the enchantment for the young Raj. Who fell head-over-heels-in-love with her… yet again.

Sunil Dutt & Nargis

Although Nargis quit hindi cinema after her marriage, she did lend her voice and we do see her silhouette in Sunil Dutt’s ‘one actor movie monument’ Yaadein (1964) and she did make a comeback of sorts expertly playing a woman with a split personality in Raat Aur Din (1967) winning the National Award for the same. She died of cancer in 1981, the same year her son Sanjay Dutt made his screen debut with Rocky.

At 60, Raj Kapoor had lost none of his ability to push the audience’s emotional throttle. On June 3, 1988, Raj Kapoor, who had been suffering from asthma, finally succumbed. The script of Henna was ready but Kapoor was not there to direct it. In keeping with the theme of his life (as articulated emphatically in Mera Naam Joker) — the show must go on — his eldest son Randhir directed Heena for the RK banner.

Raj Kapoor

Rightly described as a megastar, producer, director, actor and all-round showman, Ranbir Raj Kapoor has permanently carved for himself a special niche in commercial Hindi cinema.

Ranbir Raj Kapoor, the eldest son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, failed his matriculation examination and began work as an attendant on the sets of Dilip Kumar`s first film, `Jwar Bhatta`. Later, he assisted Kidar Sharma and was also made to sweep the floors and act as a clapper boy. Once, he was even slapped by Sharma when he didn`t do his job well. But it was the same man who gave Raj his first break as a hero in `Neelkamal`, in 1947. In 1948, he set up his own studio and made his first feature film, Aag (Fire), which would become the first of his many early successes, including Barsaat (Rain) in 1949 and Shri 420 (Mr. 420) in 1955.

Raj Kapoor whole-heartedly embraced the Indian popular cinema from the very beginning. He made every effort to ensure that his movies appealed to every section of society, in particular the mythical `common man`. Film historians and buffs have spoken of him as the `Charlie Chaplin of India`, since he often himself played a tramp-like figure who, despite adversity, could still be cheerful and honest, a `gem of a man`. He appealed also, as in his films Aag and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hein ["The Country in which the Ganges Flows"], to patriotic sentiment.

Raj Kapoor with Family

However, after the box office failure of his ambitious Mera Naam Joker (My name is Joker), which took six years to complete, his movies took a more sensual turn. The film Bobby (1973) introduced Dimple Kapadia, who would go on to become one of India`s superstars, and established itself as the fore-runner of a new generation of romances targeted for adolescents. But the film owed its phenomenal success to other considerations as well. By the restrictive if not puritan standards of commercial Hindi cinema, Kapadia appeared in suggestive, some would say rather sexually explicit, poses and scenes. Raj Kapoor kept up with this trend of titilating sexuality in later films like Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985).

He was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988, and died soon after (3 June, 1988). What remains however is his contribution to Indian Cinema and his place as one of its finest products.Though Raj Kapoor has been described by one critic as exhibiting “the carnality of a schoolboy” in his films, it remains indubitably the case that he has been among the most successful film-makers for nearly four decades. Thus his sensitivity to the requirements of film audiences should not be dismissed. The present generation of films from Bollywood still borrows several themes that had been perfected in his films, and some believe that it is still a compliment for a commercial film to be compared to one of his works.

Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker was born Badruddin Kazi in Indore in 1924. He was the son of a mill worker.

Johnny was earning his livelihood as a bus-conductor when his fate took a turn for the better. One fine day, scriptwriter Balraj Sahani who was penning the film Baazi for Guru Dutt, happened to be travelling in the bus where Johnny was a conductor. Johnny Walker as usual was in his form, entertaining his passengers. And much to Balraj’s delight, he had found the comedian he had been looking for.

Balraj arranged a meeting between Guru Dutt and Johnny Walker, where Johnny staggered in as if drunk. Guru Dutt was thoroughly impressed with this act of his and the rest is history!

And obviously, Guru Dutt rechristened Badruddin Kazi as Johnny Walker after the famous Scotch brand.

His career took off. Renowned film-makers, reputed banners sought him out and and characters were especially written for him.He bought his own class act in films like Naya Daur, Aadmi aur Insaan, Madhumati, Devdas, C.I.D., Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Mr & Mrs 55, Chori Chori etc.

Audiences clamoured to see more of him. C.I.D’s Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan is still the anthem for the Mumbaites. And who could forget the timeless Sar Jo Tera Chakraye in Guru Dutt’s classic Pyaasa? His squeaky voice, wafer-thin moustache and devastating wit added a different dimension to this funny man.

Johnny Walker

The man who is the ideal for other aspiring comedians worshipped the legend Charlie Chaplin. And Johnny was very particular in not making digs at any Community or mouthing vulgarity. Not many would remember now but he has also played the hero in few films too. Of course the movies were based on comedy and ably supported with good music they did quite well too.

Johnny Walker is remembered as a very humble person who always kept a low-profile even when he was the peak of his career. Off screen too, he was a serious and reserved person. He married Noor, actress Shakila’s sister who he met on the sets of Guru Dutt’s movie. He has three daughters and three sons, one of whom, Nasir Khan is an actor in his own right now.

Johnny had once remarked that: “There was no question of stealing scenes or other acts of one-upmanship. The director was always there and he would promptly bring us back to earth.” He always used to point out that his successful films were a result of good work. “The writer gave me good lines, Thanks to him, the material was always there. Under the supervision of the director, it was left to me to deliver the goods.”

After a long successful innings, Johnny took a break especially, when to his sheer disgust he found the genre of comedy change. He was not able to relate to crude comedies in the 70’s and decided to devote full-time for his family. As was the fact that he was totally disheartened when he lost his buddy, teacher, mentor Guru Dutt.

Johnny Walker

Johnny settled in domesticity at Oshiwara in suburban Mumbai and spent his time nurturing mango, guava, coconut and olive trees. He also was an avid sports watcher and followed his favourite games like soccer, hockey and billiards.

Forhis fans, it was a pleasant surprise to see Johnny Walker once more on the big-screen. It was on the persuasion of Gulzar that he relented to play the role of a make-up man who transforms Kamal Hasan into a matronly aunt in Chachi 420, 1997.

He led a complete life replete with fond memories of his co-actors, directors in his heydays. He passed away on 29th July, 2003 due to kidney ailment at the age of 79. But this legendary King of Comedy will live on in the hearts of his fans.