Whether the canvas was a film set or the outdoors, my camera lens sought to uncover different facets to the stars—both established names as well as the never-ending posse of newcomers.
I would have to load my Nikon camera with a roll, click, and later have the negatives processed. The expenses involved were much more than the income from this supposed side gig, but it was a creatively fulfilling experience which rewarded me with many unique and iconic images that have been captured for posterity.
Sunil Dutt—A gentleman
I shot this picture of Sunil Dutt in Khandala when he was giving the muhurat clap for Subhash Ghai’s Ram Lakhan in 1988. It was a mega event with the entire cast comprising Raakhee, Anil, Jackie, Dimple, Madhuri, Amrish Puri, Anupam Kher and Saeed Jaffrey in attendance. Dilip Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha and his wife Poonam were the other guests. Sunil Dutt was a close associate of Subhash Ghai, who gave his son Sanjay Dutt a big break with Vidhaata and later in the title role of Khal Nayak.
It took me 17 years to make Dutt acquiesce to a cosy tête-à-tête. He had miraculously escaped death when a six-seater twin-engine chartered aircraft crash landed in Nasik district. Dutt survived the accident with bruises and was leaning on a walking stick when I met him. He had moved out of his bungalow and was living in a flat. He went into flashback mode and spoke at length about his stint as a radio announcer who interviewed film stars.
When I asked him why he wasn’t making a film with his son, Sanjay Dutt, he laughed,“I have to stand in a long queue of producers to meet him and I can’t do that.” After the interview, despite being reliant on a walking stick, he walked me to the door of his house.
Mohnish Behl—A room with a view
I shot this picture of Mohnish Behl in 1985 at his beautiful and palatial sea-facing penthouse in the Colaba skyscraper, Sagar Sangeet. I would frequently drop in at Mohnish’s house for three reasons—Mohnish’s easygoing and friendly persona, the breathtaking view from his house, and in the hope that I would get to meet his mother, the renowned actress, Nutan. We invariably sat in the balcony and soaked in the view; I have no memories of his living room! Mohnish introduced me to Nutan once, but we barely exchanged pleasantries. I met her years later on the sets of Karma at Film City, but our casual conversation was prematurely interrupted by an astrologer.
Mohnish and Jackie Shroff were the only two actors I invited for my wedding; Mohnish couldn’t attend mine, but I attended his.
After getting married, we lost touch with each other. I recall Salman telling me how an overjoyed Mohnish hugged him so tightly after the success of their blockbuster hit Maine Pyar Kiya, he broke Salman’s expensive Ray-Ban sun glasses that were kept in his top pocket.
In 2005, I was very excited when I heard that Mohnish Behl was being considered to play the role of the business tycoon, Jai Walia in the TV serial, Kasamh Se, a show I co-wrote for Balajee. However, for reasons unknown to me, Ram Kapoor finally stepped into the role.
Sooraj Barjatya—Making an exception
I shot this picture of Salman Khan and Bhagyashree in the year 1989 at Natraj Studios. They were shooting together for Sooraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyar Kiya. Since Salman was not a star yet, there was no buzz around him.
I knew Salman because of his frequent visits to my Movie magazine office, and I was probably allowed to shoot this picture by the reticent Sooraj Barjatya only because Salman entertained me on the sets. Sooraj Barjatya, like Aditya Chopra, has always kept the press at arm’s length. But I was fortunate that Sooraj attended the release function of my book, The Hundred Luminaries Of Hindi Cinema, co-authored by Jitendra Kothari and me in 1996. The book was released by Amitabh Bachchan and Sooraj made one of his rare appearances, rubbing shoulders with Anupam Kher, Dimple Kapadia, Archana Puran Singh, Ramesh Sippy, Manoj Kumar, Nadira and music director Laxmikant, amongst others.
After watching Maine Pyar Kiya at a special press screening in 1989, I predicted that there was no stopping him hereafter; Salman laughed unsurely. The film was released on December 29 and went on to become a smash hit. The day after it released, I dropped in at Salman’s sea-facing Galaxy apartment, Bandra to congratulate him in person. He ran down the flight of stairs from his first floor house and greeted me warmly.
Smita Patil—The object of all desires
I shot this picture of Smita Patil at the launch of a film co-starring Raj Babbar and Meenakshi Seshadari around the late 1980s.
I hugely admired Smita’s work in Arth, Mandi, Bazaar and Subah but my all-time favourite performance, the one that left an indelible impression on me, was Bhumika. In a fictional representation of the life of an actress (Hansa Wadkar) who flits from one torturous relationship to another, Smita Patil was at her searing best.
In those days there were two fan-based camps: Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. I belonged to neither, but my brother Sunil was clear—he watched Namak Halal 20 times just for the Amitabh-Smita song, Aaj Rapat Jaayen To.
I recall dropping in on the sets of Dev Anand’s Anand Aur Anand at Mehboob Studios in 1984 in the hope that Smita would do an impromptu interview with me. She noticed another journalist hovering around the sets and candidly asked her, “Why are you flitting around like a bee?” The journalist pointed out, “There are no chairs,” and Smita smiled and said,“Come, share the stool I’m sitting on.”
Moushumi—Not Mosambi
I shot this picture of Moushumi Chatterjee with Dharmendra and Danny in 1986 during the lunch break of Pahlaj Nihalani’s Aag Hi Aag on the outskirts of Bangalore. The location, a rocky terrain, was the one on which Amjad Khan’s den was established in the epic hit, Sholay.
In 1988, I was with her again when she was shooting with Dharmendra for Sikka in Chennai. Dharmendra told her, ‘You are looking very pretty in this sari.” I spontaneously said, “No, you are making this sari look pretty.”
Moushumi broke into peals of laughter and said, “Dharmaji, seekho , seekho [learn.] This is the right way to compliment a lady.”
Blessed with the ability to think on her feet, when Raaj Kumar, notorious for making co-stars feel awkward, deliberately called her ‘Mosambi,’ she began addressing him as Rani. He was embarrassed and said, “People affectionately call me Jaani, not Rani.” She retorted, “And I am Moushumi not Mosambi.”
Jaaved Jaffrey —Rock ‘n’ roll in Bandra
Inspired by the film The Fiddler On The Roof, I shot this picture of Javed Jaffrey atop the once very popular Sea Rock Hotel Javed had become a dancing sensation after the song, Bol Baby Bol Rock N Roll in Meri Jung (1985). Before penning this piece, I revisited this song on YouTube and saw Subhash Ghai, the director, in an extended appearance as a trumpeter. Subhash, like Hitchcock, always made a fleeting appearance in his films.
Since Javed’s dancing had become the talk of the town, I asked my lensman friend, Rakesh Shrestha, to shoot Jaaved dancing in unimaginable places like atop a rooftop, over a car bonnet and hanging on a street light to accompany my article. While Rakesh was clicking colour pictures, I shot black and whites. Javed obliged me all the way and struck graceful dance poses while climbing poles and rooftops as niftily as a monkey.
I think that was the first and last time I interviewed Jaaved. To paraphrase a quote of his, he said, “I haven’t trained formally in dancing. I did all my learning in the various forms of western dancing at the Bandra fair galas from my Catholic friends.”
Pooja Bedi—As batty as they come
Pooja Bedi is crazy and fun. Who else will come to my office with a just-acquired pet—a fluffy dog—let it pee allover the glass top of my cabin table and flee the scene with, “Ask your peon to clear up the mess,” laughing all the way to the elevator.
We did crazy things together, poring over the Ouija board to find out who Sridevi would marry (it was eerie, with my finger going all over the board as if it had a life of its own), and some daring photo sessions which must have left the prude brigade red in the face.
The picture is of Pooja in London where she had accompanied me for a sponsored gala event. I had hurt my foot and was hobbling my way in kolhapuris to one of the fancy malls. Since I was wincing in pain, Pooja pounced on a shopping trolley, dumped me in it like one of her purchases, and drove around unperturbed by all the stares we were collecting.
And, to express my gratitude, and for a photograph to be saved in my memory drawer, I plonked her in the shopping trolley and steered her back to our car.
Dinesh Raheja is a reputed film historian, columnist and TV scriptwriter who has been writing on cinema for over three decades
From HT Brunch, October 22, 2022
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