<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->So called progressive journalist are perverts. Have you seen them writing about eve-teasing or molesting in public places?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Are you kidding, forget writing if given a chance many of these louts would engage in such behaviour onlee.
I remember one secularist (the news was also posted on this forum) who was booked in an eve teasing case last year <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Talking about whats realistic - entire movie industry is based on unrealistic stuff - thats one of the most bogus criticism that one can think of. I didnt see vivah, wife did see it. She liked it. I usually like comedies, dhishoom-dhishoom and hence didnt see it. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Rajeshji atleast the criticism about being "unrealistic" would have some merit if these reviewers applied the same standards to other movies like Dhoom 2 or other blockbusters, but they selectively pick and choose which one is unrealistic or not.
Also I didn't find anything much unrealistic about the way it depicted the marriage scenario, in my own extended family I only know of one love marriage and many of these people lived in AP cities, in my village I know of no love marriage, so this whole "progressive" nonsense doesn't even apply to the majority of Indians. Heck I even know one of my Gujju friends from UK (born and bred in UK) who went to Gujarat last year and had a routine arranged marriage, so I fail to see what's regressive or unrealistic about it especially when we are talking about small town and village India.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I dont remember this movie completely but wasnt this movie anti-semitic ?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The whole movie is your routine anti Hindu progressive trash. The reference to the Jewish guy comes when a bunch of Hindu rioters stop a bus and ask the passengers to point out any Muslims on the bus so one guy gets up and points to an old Muslim couple who are then taken down and persumably killed, after the rioters leave he justifies himself by saying that he is a Jew and circumcised hinting that they would have probably killed him also if he didn't do that thinking that he was also Muslim.
You ever heard of a movie named "Mr and Mrs Khan" and you know why u never heard of such a thing cuz the movie makers all piss in their pants since they know what will happen if they show a high caste Muslim married woman with a kid falling in love on a bus ride with a Hindu, Mani Ratnam got the message when his house got bombed for making "Bombay" showing a Muslim woman running off with a Hindu.
Here is some info:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The commies have now started brainwashing urban Indians through commercial movies. Commie Aparna Sen's movie - "Mr and Mrs Iyer" - is winning rave reviews for her film-making with nobody raising a voice against the blatant anti-Hindu bias in it.
Hindus have been showed as "extremists", "fundamentalists", etc while Muslims are the "innocent victims of HIndu Talibanism".
Its been called "a movie on communal violence" while not a single Muslim rioter has been shown. Hindu rioters have been explicitly shown as epitomes of cruelty and inhuman-ness.
One particular scene takes the cake - an inspector rushed and declares to all the passengers of a bus that communal riots had broken out and they should not leave the bus. A passenger makes a passing comment that wherever there are Muslims there are riots, to which the inspector gets frustrated and yells, "They are HIndu fanatics".
The words - "Hindu fanatics", "Hindu fundamentalists" have been repeated over and over again, there is no "Muslim extremism" or "Muslim terrorism" or "Muslims fundamentalism".
Moreover, its a display of the worst form of stereotyping. The Hindu heroine have been shown as highly educated with a masters degree yet one who highly believes in caste - the Muslim hero questions her and displays awe at her beliefs while she has been shown to embarassingly evade the question.
The Muslim hero has been shown as a so-called sophisticated and modern individual while the Hindu heroine is old-fashioned. She has been shown so touched and influenced by his honesty and decency that inspite of being an orthodox, traditional, tamil brahmin and married with a small child, she falls in love with him and smooched him.
So Muslims of India here are the "progressives" and Hindus are "fanatics" and stuck in orthodoxy.
All the bad things in society are the result of Hinduism is the conclusion. There are uncountable number of scenes where subtlely, anti-Hinduism has been shown.
Its a one-sided movie with Hindus the aggressors and Muslims, the innocent victims. Aparna Sen is winning international awards and 5-star reviews from national newspapers on a biased movie.
The movie is like the media's one-sided slander campaign and biased coverage of Gujarat in a commercial movie form.
AID and ASHA are now going to show this movie in universities all over America, raise funds for the anti-Hindutva campaign while brainwashing Indian-American kids.
South Asian studies have one more tape to show in their Hinduism classes.
Now that the commies have started it, it is high time Hindutva upholders start financing movies which show the Hindutva view-point.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianCivili...n/message/35682<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I also found it to be a great movie exposing the fanatics among us in my "secular" days.
01-09-2007, 05:58 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-09-2007, 06:01 AM by Husky.)
My poor, terribly gullible dad thought Mr and Mrs Iyer was moving and suggested to the rest of us to watch it if we got the chance. What is it about Hindus that we are so easily misled by propaganda? Guessing it's because we don't think others would lie; also we are self-critical to the extreme and have zero expectations of improvement in others though we expect everything from ourselves.
Post 121:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I also found it to be a great movie exposing the fanatics among us in my "secular" days.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Good to know I'm not the only one who had 'secular' days. 'Secular' years, actually, and I was secular to the extreme. The greatest defender of both Ze Holy (terrorist) Faiths. The minority terrorist religions could do no wrong in my book. Shows what a great liability ignorance paired with exposure to propaganda has. Eventually something or other made me read through the whole babble and after the initial shock, took up the koran to comfort myself that at least there I had not been mistaken (well, I was of course; more disillusionment).
But did awake from being distantly sympathetic to communist <i>theory</i> much earlier, thanks to education - though I had never been a fan of seeing it implemented.
But I'm glad for one thing. If <i>I</i> could wake up, anyone can. <!--emo&:clapping--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clap.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='clap.gif' /><!--endemo--> And they all will, faster than I did. Most people are cleverer than me, so the terrorists and their psecular cronies ought to be shaking in their boots or pantyhose or whatever they are wearing. They can only lie so long until they're finally found out - and then, no one will trust them ever again.
Rahul Bose is a third rate actor but in the news due to the media.
It costs his NGO 30 lakhs a year to educate just six kids.
Rahul Bose
The actor who writes scripts, makes films, plays rugby, does voluntary work, has finally launched his NGO the Foundation this week.
Why your own NGO?
Thereâs a muscular NGO presence but if it isnât your own and you want to intervene, issues arise. Its over-arching fiat is to step in wherever thereâs discrimination. Itâs broad.
Why now?
Iâve done my internship with NGOs. I had to be sure that this will work, my idealism is equal to my compassion. I can walk the talk.
Whatâs the first project?
<b>Six kids from the Andamans will go to the Rishi Valley School, all expenses paid. It costs us Rs 30 lakh a year. </b>
What about a school in Port Blair?
No, it wouldnât help to bridge the divide. I want these kids to integrate, get into Citibank or Outlook. Thatâs when discrimination will end.
Whatâs next?
<b>We work with SabrangâCommunalism Combat </b>to bring back the ethos of non-discrimination in colleges and among corporates.
What about the funding?
Alarmingly simple so far. Our first yearâs work is through donations. Weâll have a big-ticket fundraiser every year plus donations, but whoâll pay for administration and office space?
Will you have the time?
I spent the last six months on this, itâll now take a lot less. I have two brilliant, audacious women who will fly with it. Visit us on www.thefoundation.in.
Your motivation?
Love in its cheesiest form. <b>Other propellers: outrage after the Gujarat riots, surreal inequalities.</b> I am now resensitised.
Should actors be in public life?
For me, yes. This isnât even a drop in the ocean but I say: donât ask what good itâs done, ask what bad it stopped.
Whatâs the next step? Elections?
Heck, no. Iâll be on the outside.
Rahul Bose (from Wikki)
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->His elder sister Anuradha is married to Tarique Ansari, <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'> owner and director of "Mid-Day Multimedia"</span>, a multiple media conglomerate in Mumbai, India
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Folks, Mid-Day is Mumbai's Number One afternoon daily - been so for over 20+ years. Nice to have family connections that can save a reject from hindi films.
Doesn't 30 lakhs a year for 6 kids seem to be a huge scam? Orgs like Ekal Vidaylaya can get very kid in Andaman educated for a year at that rate. Maybe all in Nicobar too.
Recently watched "Khosla Ka Ghosla". Wonderful movie - very simple, light comedy, good, clean stuff.
Yeah Khosla Ka Ghosla was good 4 stars.
Bhagam bhag is OK..3.5 stars.
Jaan e man: 3.9 stars.
To put things in sintex:
Munna Bhai MBBS 4.3 stars
Ek aur ek gyarah 3.9 stars
Shilpa Shetty doing Brit Reality show Big Brother House.
Interesting transcript
Sheâs my wife... stay away from her
Maanayata Bhatt: Say that what you gonna write, it should be a very powerful statement.
MiD DAY: Is this statement coming from your side or Sanju babaâs side
MB: It comes from Sanjay. You quote Sanjay Dutt. Put a deadly picture of his right on the front page. He has himself spoken to that girl (journalist) what is that girlâs name Qureshi⦠ha Nilopher Qureshi (film journalist with DNA). Didnât you speak to Nilopher Qureshi⦠(Maanayata speaks to Sanjay Dutt)
Sanjay Dutt: Yes I did⦠Yes I did
MiD DAY: What have you spoken?
MB: Ya the same thing, he said that she is my wife and please ask everybody to stay away from her. I donât want anybody passing comments on her and what she is all about.
MB: (Realises that her conversation is being recorded) Hey are you recording it?
MiD DAY: Ya, I need to
MB: Haan, then I will ask him (Sanju) to speak naa. Jaanu aap boliye. He has to record it to tell Avirook (Avirook Sen is the editor of MiD DAY). You speak. He has to tell this to Avirook tomorrow. Whatever you have to speak, speak for me.
SD: Ya Nishant.
MiD DAY: Sanju Baba, achcha what should I write? Aap boliye what I should write.
SD: What I am saying is that she is my wife and nobody can point a finger at her.
(Maanayata prompts) I know what she is all about.
SD: (Giggling) I know what she is all about.
MiD DAY: Achcha when did you get married?
MB: You donât ask like this to me.
SD: (loudly) I am already married to her yaar. Yaa yes. Right friend.
MB: 19th November.
SD: 19 November. Yup.
MiD DAY: Ok sir not a problem
MB: (prompting) Please stay out of her life.
SD: Yes, please stay out of her life and let us live happy.
MB: (In the background) Please stay out of her life even though she is the worst woman, she is my life and wife and donât speak sh1t about her.
SD: Why you want me to speak about you like this (to Maanayata)⦠She is not a s**t woman, she is a good woman
MiD DAY: Ok sir, you want this to appear in tomorrowâs second edition as
the first edition has already gone.
SD: Ok bro.
Recently I read about an entreprenuer in Andhra Pradesh who had come up with low cost software to colorize B&W movies. He made a comparison to the cost of colorizing Mughal e Azam and found it quite inexpensive to use his process. He was thinking that a lot of old B&W movies would be released again if they are colorized to appeal to the new viewers. Regretfully I didnt save the url. <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I was thinking the old pauranikas in Telugu and Vithalacharya movies would be a great hit.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I was thinking the old pauranikas in Telugu and Vithalacharya movies would be a great hit.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Ya I think many of the old NTR pauranika's would still run to packed houses if rereleased in color, none of the current crop of actors seem to be suited for such roles where the dialogues are pretty heavy in more Sanskritised Telugu.
<b>Bullying or racism</b>?Thousands in the UK have protested against the show 'Big Brother' over alleged racial abuse. (January 17)
Rajshri.com now showing free MALGUDI DAYS
I was browsing youtube today for Telugu songs. I found this clip from Dhana Veera Sura Karna. NTR in Duryodhana role is excellent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGuO3IH57Gk
Also, listen to this Ghantasala song in Jagadeka Veeruni Katha in which NTR played 5 roles for the song only. It is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQlai8Pfa3w
<!--QuoteBegin-Bharatvarsh+Dec 31 2006, 03:32 PM-->QUOTE(Bharatvarsh @ Dec 31 2006, 03:32 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Anyone interested in Telugu movies, the following pauranik movies are a must watch:
1) Dhana Veera Sura Karna (NTR plays Karna)
2) Mayabazaar (based on the marriage of Sheshirekha and Abhimanyu, NTR plays Krishna)
3) Pandava Vanavasam
4) Sri Krishna Pandaveeyam (NTR plays Krishna)
5) Bhookailas (Ravana's bhakti towards Shiva, NTR plays Ravana)
6) Lavakusa (NTR plays Rama)
7) Bhakta Prahlada
8) Narthanasala
In almost everyone of these movies NTR plays a major role, in one of his other movies I forgot the title he played 5 roles in one movie including Arjuna, Krishna, Karna, Duryodhana and some other role. By the end of his career he was practically identified with Sri Krishna in Andhra, as a kid I even used to think that the real Sri Krishna must have looked like NTR only.
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<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
shyam thanks for the links, by the way here is a link with a lot of online movies including very new ones:
http://moviestelugu.tk/
While they r predominantly telugu, some Hindi and also English ones are posted including Casino Royale.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gujarat has no time for riot activism
Pioneer.com
Swapan Dasgupta
Film appreciation being a matter of personal taste, the rah-rah over the release of NRI film-maker Rahul Dholakia's Parzania should be greeted with some caution. Any film which proceeds on the loose assumption that the post-Godhra communal explosion in Gujarat was a pre-meditated carnage by Hindus is bound to be trumpeted by the powerful Left-liberal establishment. I don't know if Parzania fits the bill but I do hope that at least a handful of theatre-owners in Gujarat decide the film is worth screening.Â
Such a decision will involve a commercial risk since normal Gujaratis will be loath to see themselves as bloodthirsty butchers - even if they genuinely feel for the unfortunate Parsi family which was a victim of the prevailing madness. Yet, the presence of Parzania in the cinemas of Gujarat will put an abrupt end to the self-serving myth that Chief Minister Narendra Modi has transformed the state into an intolerant fascist paradise. Modi has already made it clear that there is absolutely no restriction on Parzania, just as there was no restriction on Fanaa, but, naturally, it is not up to him to stitch commercial deals with cinema owners.
Since the decisive Gujarat Assembly election of 2002 it has become something of a fashion for celebrities to court publicity by trashing either Modi or Gujarat. Sometimes the route to secularist heroism leads from the Narmada dam but, more often than not, there is the mandatory bad-mouthing of Modi for allegedly organising a "pogrom". Some metropolitan busybodies have made a career peddling Muslim victimhood and the Government has put its stamp of approval by honouring Teesta Setalvad with a Padma award.
The coming days will probably witness a campaign to exempt Parzania from entertainment tax. <span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>With the Gujarat polls due in December this year, secularist crusaders will do their utmost to rekindle memories of 2002 and fuel Muslim disquiet.</span>
Although it is unfair to link the makers of Parzania to this campaign, there is a detectable desperation driving this unending riot activism.<b> Had Gujarat witnessed the normal process anti-incumbency, it is more than likely that the Congress in Gujarat would have taken the lead in organising the anti-Modi campaign. However, two developments have made a surrogate campaign imperative.</b>
First, Gujarat is witnessing an unprecedented economic boom. The State's 10 per cent annual growth rate, including a spectacular growth in agricultural income, has galvanised the entrepreneurial energies of Gujaratis. The staggering Rs 4.49 lakh crore new investments promised in the vibrant Gujarat conference earlier this month was symptomatic of market confidence in a State which has perfected the business of encouraging business. What distinguishes Gujarat is that the State is not witnessing the urban-rural tensions which have put a big question mark over the Special Economic Zones in many parts of India. The Gujarat model is working and is being quietly appreciated.
Second, the political returns from running a dynamic administration are accruing to the Chief Minister. The past five years have witnessed umpteen attempts, both by BJP dissidents and the Congress, to destabilise Modi. His imperious, no-nonsense style of functioning has drawn flak from the political class and a dodgy local media. But, far from being weakened, Modi has demonstrated time and time again his ability to connect with ordinary voters. The inspirational quality of his leadership has made Modi the poster boy of both Gujarat and the entire rank-and-file of the BJP. This is creating jitters in the political class.
The forward march of Gujarat and Modi is not based on what happened after Godhra five years ago. Indeed, the communal question does not feature on the Gujarat agenda although it is present elsewhere in India. Even Modi's reputation as a Hindu strongman now rests on his success in running India's most successful Government. Even the ill-considered US diplomatic boycott of Modi is crumbling: Last November, he was in China and Singapore and in April he will visit Japan.
Parzania looks back in history. In Gujarat, however, they are looking to the future.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>OP Nayyar dies of heart attack</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Music director OP Nayyar, best known for classic songs like Jhumka Gira Re and Pukarta Chala Hoon Mein, died of cardiac arrest at his home in Thane on Sunday. He was 81.
Rani Nakhwa, with whose kin Nayyar was living for over 10 years after being estranged from his family, said, "He was perfectly alright until 3:30 pm, when he went to the toilet and collapsed inside. He was dead before we could summon medical help."
Born on January 16, 1926 in Lahore (now in Pakistan), Omkar Prasad Nayyar got his first break as a music composer in the film Kaneez (1949).
Director Guru Dutt's Aar Paar (1954) was his first major success. This led to his successful partnership with Dutt on films like Mr And Mrs 55 and CID.
As news of his death spread, a pall of gloom descended on Bollywood, where Nayyar was regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time even though he had not been in the limelight for close to three decades.
Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt described Nayyar -- who was always seen in public in white attire and a hat -- as "an audacious man who was a king in his time".
"Asha Bhosle owes whatever she is to him. The distinct sensuality that was injected into Asha's singing was the contribution of this extraordinary man," Bhatt said.
Extensive use of the typical Punjabi rhythm was the main characteristic of Nayyar's music, and among his evergreen tunes were Kahin Pe Nigahen Kanhi Pe Nishana (CID), Mang Ke Saath Tumhara (Naya Daur) and Ello Main Hari Piyan (Aar Paar).
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Eat that Jade Goody <!--emo&  --><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Shilpa Shetty wins 'Celebrity Big Brother'
Shilpa teaches 'Om' to British TV mates
From Pioneer, 29 Jan 2007
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A flamboyant rebel, he lived and died in splendid solitude
Chandan Mitra
It took us some time to locate the house although it had been explained to us in detail. It was in Thane, a good hour's drive down a flawless expressway from Mumbai airport.
Once inside the suburb, we were to look for a branch of the Bank of Maharashtra on the main commercial thoroughfare, Gokhale Road, a bank that sported a brown door. We found that easily enough, but not many people there seemed to know of the building that was supposedly just across the road. Nor had anybody quite heard of the man we were attempting to trace. Â
OP Nayyar at his home
Eventually, however, we successfully buttonholed an auto-rickshaw driver who showed us a decrepit, narrow by-lane and pointed to a block of flats visible in the distance. He, too, hadn't a clue about the once-upon-a-time celebrity we were after.
Having located the building, it wasn't a problem finding the man. He lived on the ground floor flat that almost jutted onto the lane. As we tiptoed into a small room that opened on the lane, I was rather taken aback to realise we had entered a minuscule, one-bedroom suburban apartment.
A young lady we later figured out to be the housekeeper indicated shoes were to be taken off. Having done that, we were led to the adjoining bed-cum-living room. It was small but cosy with a glass-paned window theoretically providing a view of the raucous world outside. But the air-conditioner was running and consequently the panes all frosted up.
There, on a divan, sat a lean, frail man. (On TV last night I saw it was on the same narrow bed that his mortal remains lay). A small stool placed before him boasted a jug of freshly-poured beer while three halves of boiled eggs were neatly kept on a plate beside. His cheeks were sunken and his tall frame looked gaunt from age.
Acutely conscious of his visual appearance, he promptly told our photographer to click only his right side: "I have lost too many teeth on my left; don't catch me from that angle," the (then) 79-year-old decreed.
But his wide, mischievous smile was the one thing that hadn't changed, neither his 'I don't give a damn' lifestyle. On a table next to the bed lay an array of homoeopathic medicine bottles, coexisting uneasily with a packet of State Express 555 cigarettes.
When I pointed to the incongruity of a cigarette packet nestling among medicines, he said he had given up practising homoeopathy and smoked just two sticks in the course of a day. "But my afternoon beer is must," he confessed.
I asked him how come he lived in this appallingly small flat in a lower middle class suburban apartment block. With a great deal of concealed arrogance, he said his family of two daughters, a son and wife, had together thrown him out of his lavish Churchgate flat. "No problem. I am happy with myself, being myself," he declared, trying hard to sound convincing.
I could have almost pinched myself to believe if I was really sitting in this cubbyhole talking to 0P Nayyar, one of the biggest legends of Hindi film music. Here was the man who sent us into ecstasies with compositions like <i>Deewana hua badal, Yeh chand sa roshan chehera, Ishaaron ishaaron mein dil lene wale, Yeh duniya usee ki zamana usee ka, Kisi na kisi se kabhi na kabhi</i> - all from just one movie, <i>Kashmir ki Kali</i>. Here was the man who composed <i>Mera naam chin-chin-choo </i>for Howrah Bridge, <i>Babuji dheere chalna</i> for Aar-Paar, <i>Khud dhoondh rahi hai shamma jise</i> and <i>Banda parvar thaam lo jigar</i> for Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, <i>Jaiye aap kahan jayenge. Ye hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera and Pukaarta chala boon main</i> for Mere Sanam, <i>Yehi woh jagah hai yehi woh fizayen</i> for Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi. God! The list might never end!
We took him down memory lane, the arc-lights, the adulation, the admiration of millions. He meekly smiled. "Yes, I was the most sought-after music director in my time," OP Nayyar preened matter-of-factly.
Obviously, we got talking about Asha Bhonsle soon. He made no effort to hide their relationship, although he insisted she was the one exception to the trophy of beautiful women he routinely "conquered" in his youth. No touch of modesty there. But he added sacrificed a lot for Asha too.
So, he was India's only big-time music director never to have recorded a song with Lata Mangeshkar. "Shamshad Begum was the best singer of my time. She nursed a grudge against me because I never gave her a good enough break once I teamed up with Asha," he added in retrospect. One can believe that.
My generation might recall Kajra mohabbatwala from the <i>Biswajit-Babita starrer Kismat</i>, which also featured classics like <i>Aao huzoor tumko sitaron mem le chaloon and Laakhon hain yahan dilwale</i>. In 'Kajra', an Asha-Shamshad duet, Nayyar's flame was made to outdo the veteran quite deliberately.
I asked him to name his favourite number from the 1000-plus that he composed in a career spanning over two decades. He insisted it was impossible to name just one. Not even <i>Chayen se humko kabhi aap ne jeene na diya</i>, I persisted. A feeble smile lit up his face. "You read minds," he said in mock anger and recalled how Asha pressured the producers of <i>Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye </i>to pull out the number from the film because that was the time they separated and she was livid. In fact, Asha did not turn up to collect-the Filmfare award she got for rendering this soulful song whose lyrics were, perhaps, too close to the reality of her stormy relationship with the maverick genius.
It was astounding to find a man who had climbed the pinnacle of fame and fortune living in such sordid isolation - friendless and forlorn. In his time, 0P Nayyar commanded the highest fee in the film-world. When Shankar-Jaikishan, as employees of RK Films, drew a monthly salary of Rs 500 and yet composed some of the most memorable numbers, Nayyar charged Rs 12,000 a film. Was it his incredible arrogance that led to fights with producers, directors, singers (even the amiable Mohd Rafi) that caused his downfall? Perhaps. But can a man be faulted for adamantly living life on his own terms?
I came out saddened from the tenement of an icon of our times. But he appears to have come alive from the interaction. Since last Tuesday, he has telephoned me every day. (He did that for over one month, repeatedly thanking me for making the effort to track him down for the interview that was later published in our sister publication, Darpan). I felt happy that the time I spent re-igniting his memories brought some cheer to a man whose sentiments could be perfectly captured by the Kagaz ke Phool number Waqt hai meherbaan/Arzoo hai jawaan/Fiqr kal ki karenge/Itni fur-sat kahan.... That kal (tomorrow) has a nasty way of catching up with all of us.
This is a marginally modified version of the author's weekly column, Cutting-Ed, published in Sunday Pioneer, July 10, 2005
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
ZeeTV ran Howrah Bridge as a tribute to him on Sunday. I recall seeing him as a judge on the many music shows on ZeeTV eg. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
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