Filmmaker Saawan Kumar Tak, known for films like Sanam Bewafa and Souten, died on August 25 at a hospital in Mumbai at the age of 86. Music director Usha Khanna, who was married to him for seven years, recently opened up about the pain of losing him. She also spoke of the friendship they shared even after they decided to part ways in their marriage. Also Read| Filmmaker Saawan Kumar Tak dies at 86
Usha Khanna, who directed songs for a number of films directed by Saawan Kumar Tak, developed a friendship with him after they met on the set of a film where he was writing lyrics for the songs she was directing. He signed her up for his upcoming film Hawas, and they started dating along the way.
In a conversation with ETimes, Usha spoke about the reasons she and Saawan separated after 7 years of marriage. She said, “It happens. After a few years, you start disliking certain things about the person you are with. Better to part ways and live separately than constantly quarrel. I can’t talk bad about someone I loved. But we couldn’t get along. The understanding started waning. We decided, ‘ aap apni jagah, main apni jagah (you do you, and I’ll do me)- but let’s remain as friends’. Today, I am missing a friend. The understanding we had in our friendship, we didn’t have that in our marriage.”
Usha, who had last spoken to Saawan four days before his death and had plans to meet him soon, shared that their friendship after they separated used to confuse everyone including Rajesh Khanna, who asked if they were fooling the world. However, Saawan’s relationships with girls affected her.
She confirmed that he had some relationships, and added, “I said that we should stay separately and I wouldn’t disturb him (in his personal life) thereafter.” When asked if the relationships hurt her, Usha said, “Dekhiye, dukh toh hota tha (Sadness is obvious in such matters); after all, we were man and wife.” Asked again if it was one of the reasons behind their split, she said, “You mean, he having his share of girlfriends (after marriage)? Well, they came to him on their own; what could he do?”
Saawan Kumar Tak began his career as a producer on the 1967 film Naunihal. He is credited with giving Sanjeev Kumar, the lead actor of the film, his screen name. In 1972, he made his directorial debut with Gomti Ke Kinare, Meena Kumari’s final film. His most memorable film was Souten, featuring Rajesh Khanna, Tina Munim, and Padmini Kolhapure, which released in 1983. He also made a number of films featuring Salman Khan, including Sanam Bewafa (1991), Chaand Ka Tukda(1994), and Saawan… The Love Season (2003).