DIL HI DIL MEIN
Sri Surya Movies’ Dil Hi Dil Mein (partly dubbed) is a love story where the romance begins and develops via the internet. A rich college-going girl and a poor college-going boy become friends on the net and soon, their friendship turns into love although they do not meet each other personally. Gradually, once they realise that they both are from the same city, they even start exchanging glances and smiles whenever they cross each other. Fate plays a cruel joke on the poor boy when he is forced to sacrifice his love. But in the end, the two lovers unite in matrimony.
The film’s greatest drawback is that a very small section of the audience would be able to appreciate the role internet can play in initiating romance. When a majority among the masses isn’t even aware of computer operation, to assume that it will appreciate and comprehend the meaning and importance of internet, chats on the net and e-mails is foolhardiness. Even those who are knowledgeable about the net will find the pace so slow and irritating that the internet romance will lose its freshness for them. The film reminds of Sirf Tum in the initial reels (so long as the lovers do not meet). Dialogues are ordinary. Comedy is very feeble. Emotions fail to touch the heart.
Sonali Bendre looks extremely pretty and also acts very well. Kunal looks too immature for the hero’s role. His performance is average. Johny Lever is very loud and does not raise laughter; rather, he gets on one’s nerves with his performance as well as get-up. Anupam Kher gets limited scope and is alright. Nasser plays Sonali’s father effectively. Rajoo Shreshtha, Chinni Jain, Kalpana Iyer and the rest are average.
Kathir’s scripting and direction are both too ordinary to merit any discussion. A.R. Rahman’s music is average. Song picturisations, however, are heavenly and so are the locations on which the songs have been picturised. P.C. Sreeram’s camerawork is extraordinary. Production values are grand. Editing needed to be much sharper. Dubbing is so-so.
On the whole, Dil Hi Dil Mein is a dull hi dull fare and will find the going very tough.
Released on 21-4-2000 at New Empire and 3 other cinemas of Bombay by Sri Surya Movies thru Shringar Films. Publicity: so-so. Opening: fair. …….Also released in Bengal, C.P. Berar, C.I., Rajasthan and Nizam.
ASHA PAREKH, RAM MOHAN RESIGN FROM CINTAA
Asha Parekh, chairperson of the Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA), Ram Mohan (general secretary) and actress Shammi tendered their resignations from the Association due to allegations of malfunctioning against them. “The charges, though baseless, are serious,” Ram Mohan told Information before wryly adding, “In any case, change is the order of the day. The old must give way to the new — better sooner than later. Yet, I must admire the efforts put in by Asha-ji, Amrish-ji (Puri) and Mithun, in particular. It was largely on their initiative that we could re-christen our body from the Cine Artistes’ Association (CAA) to Cine & TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA), reopen our old office at Famous, Mahalaxmi, and disburse a pension of Rs. 1.25 lakh to several senior, retired artistes. In case the young Turks, who have cast aspersions on our integrity, are able to not only carry on the show but also improve upon our humble efforts, I will personally have no complaints whatsoever. I wish them the very best from the bottom of my heart and bear no ill-feeling towards anyone,” concluded Ram Mohan. Repeated efforts to contact Asha Parekh proved futile.
‘HUM SAATH-SAATH HAIN’ SILVER JUBILEE
Rajshri Productions’ Hum Saath-Saath Hain, written and directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya, and starring Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Mohnish Bahl, Neelam, Mahesh Thakur, Reema and Alok Nath, entered 25th week at many stations in the country on 21st April. The film has music by Raamlaxman. It is produced by Kamal Kumar Barjatya, Rajkumar Barjatya and Ajit Kumar Barjatya.
‘KAHO NAA…PYAAR HAI’ SCORES A CENTURY!
Producer-director Rakesh Roshan’s runaway hit, Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai, starring newcomers Hrithik Roshan and Amisha Patel with music by Rajesh Roshan, is celebrating 100 days all over today (22nd April). The film is still going strong at several places.
JAL MISTRY NO MORE
Cinematographer Jal Mistry passed away on 13th April in Bombay following a heart attack. He was 76. He was the younger brother of late cinematographer and director Fali Mistry. He is survived by another brother who is based in London. Although Jal was a Parsi by birth, his funeral was performed (on 16th April) according to Hindu rites, as per his wishes.
Among the notable films photographed by Jal Mistry were Allahrakha (1986), Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973), Heer Ranjha (1970), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Aakhri Khat (1966), Uran Khatola (1955), Aandhiyan (1952) and Barsaat (1949).
NEW DRIVE-IN CINEMA IN SURAT
A new Drive-In Cinema is due to be inaugurated in Surat next month. The cinema is designed and constructed by Creata Architects, Ahmedabad.
Incidentally, the first Drive-In cinema in India came up in 1973 in Ahmedabad. It has a 141′ x 62′ screen and a capacity of 700 cars and 1,000 seats.
ANNOUNCEMENT & LAUNCHING
‘Mujhe Kuch Kehnaa Hai’ Launched With Recording
Producer Vashu Bhagnani’s Mujhe Kuch Kehnaa Hai, to be directed by Satish Kaushik, was launched on April 21 with a song recording at Sahara. The film introduces Tushar, son of Jeetendra, as the lead man opposite Kareena Kapoor. Tushar, who was present on the occasion, told the press that his role in the film was akin to his real-life character. Tushar took his acting lessons from Roshan Taneja who has groomed many present-day acting talents.
The first song, tuned by Anu Malik, was rendered by Babul Supriyo. It was penned by Sameer. Banner: Puja Films.
PRODUCTION NEWS
‘Champion’ Climax
The action climax of Shree Shiv Bhakti Films’ Champion was shot till April 20 in a 10-day schedule at a graveyard set erected at Film City. Action director Tinnu Verma supervised the shooting. Now, only two songs remain to be picturised to complete the film. Starring Sunny Deol, Manisha Koirala, Kashmira Shah, Rahul Dev, Vikram Gokhale, Surendra Pal, Tom Alter, A.K. Hangal, Anil Nagrath, Dina Pathak, Abhishek, Neha Sharad, Rakesh Pandey, Vivek Shauq, Panni, baby Tanvi and Deepak Parashar, the film is being produced by Sujit Kumar and directed by Padam Kumar. Music: Anu Malik. Lyrics: Javed Akhtar. Dialogues: Sanjay Masoom. Cinematography: Thiru. Dances: Ahmed Khan and Raju Sunderam.
‘Dhai Akshar Prem Ke’ 24-Day Schedule Over
Producer-director Raj Kanwar picturised two songs and scenes for Inderjit Film Combine’s Dhai Akshar Prem Ke on five different sets at Kamal Amrohi and Filmalaya Studios. A huge haveil, a church, a hospital, a gigantic bedroom and a huge modern hall were specially erected for the marathon 24-day schedule which concluded on April 13. The entire cast participated alongwith junior artistes and dancers. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead, with Anupam Kher, Tanvi Azmi, Neena Kulkarni, Sushma Seth, Himani Shivpuri, Harish Patel, Supriya Karnik, Dalip Tahhil, Inder Sudan, Shakti Kapoor and Amrish Puri. It has music by Jatin Lalit, lyrics by Sameer, story by Raj Kanwar, scenario by Ratna Rajaiah, dialogues by Jainendra Jain, cinematography by Ishwar Bidri, art by R. Varman, action by Bhiku Verma, editing by Kuldip Mehan and sound by Jagmohan Anand. K. Pappu is the film’s co-producer.
YOU ASKED IT
The film industry used to cry hoarse and even today cries that satellite channels and DD have ruined its business. But, on the other hand, sale of satellite and DD rights of films fetches huge revenues to the producers. Isn’t this a paradox?
– Those crying are distributors and exhibitors because they don’t get to share in the revenues from sale of satellite and DD rights. The ones making the money are the copyright holders or, in other words, the producers.
When will Yash Chopra’s studio be ready?
– Work on the studio has not even begun. Yash Chopra has bought a place in Andheri, Bombay, for constructing a studio but work on the same has not yet started.
Is there more money in films or television serials?
– Money has to be in one’s fate, basically. Then, whether it is films or television serials, it hardly makes a difference.
Why is no Rajasthani film becoming a hit these days? Does it mean, it is the end of the road for Rajasthani films?
– No Rajasthani film has done well for a long time because no good film has been made. It is not as if a good Rajasthani film has bombed. So, it is definitely not the end of the road.
Two Stars And A Full Moon
The venue was the open-air ground of The Club at Andheri, Bombay. The occasion was the music release of a film that stars two of the most awaited star-children together. The mood, therefore, was very upbeat, the excitement, very palpable.
J.P. Dutta chose the night of 18th April when the moon was in full bloom, to launch the music of his Refugee and to introduce his two new stars to the world. Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor were first seen on the screen when glimpses of the making of Refugee and excerpts of its songs were shown to the invitees at the music release function. It was after a fairly long wait and many speeches later that the two star-children were called up on the dais to greet the invitees.
Abhishek, wearing a black suit and a rare confidence, addressed the gathering in English (was it because the film’s title is English?) and thanked his director for the break. Since Kareena Kapoor preferred not to make a speech like all the other unit members, Abhishek spoke on her behalf as well.
The music was released formally by the star-parents of the two discoveries. Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan released the music cassettes whereas Randhir Kapoor and Babita released the CDs of Refugee. Jaya specially flew for the function from the US where she had gone to present stage shows of the two plays in which she plays the title role, Maa Retire Hoti Hai and Dr. Mukta. The music of Refugee is being marketed by HMV.
J.P. Dutta held centre-stage for a fairly long time, briefing the guests about Refugee, his two new stars and the other stars and unit members of the film. His father, O.P. Dutta, who has written the dialogues of Refugee as of all of J.P.’s earlier films, was in great mood and he regaled the audience with his humour-laced speech. Jackie Shroff revealed how the camels in the film had given him a stiff back during the shooting schedules. Sunil Shetty exclaimed emphatically that two stars had been born.
Ashish Vidyarthi, dressed in Rajasthani attire, played the master of ceremonies, speaking intermittently in Marwari and English. Anu Malik was gracious enough to give all the credit for his melodious music in the film to J.P. Dutta who, he said, knew to extract work out of him. He repeatedly thanked J.P. and lyricist Javed Akhtar.
Now a word about the music. It is very Indian, melodious and of the kind which is bound to grow on the listener. There’s a qawwali which should definitely reach the top of the charts. Panchhi nadi hawa ke jhonke and the Taal numbers are also excellent. Abhishek and Kareena look lovely together. Bachchan Jr. plays a Hindu from India. He is in love with Kareena who plays a Muslim girl from Pakistan. The qawwali forms part of the climax, it is learnt.
All said and done, it was one full-moon night with a marked difference. Unlike other such nights every month when stars in the sky almost stop shining due to the brilliance of the full moon, 18th April saw two rising stars shine brighter on the earth than even the moon in the sky.
3-E
Education-Entertainment-Enlightenment
Javed Moves — And How!
A poignant document on the plight of street children in India. And Javed Akhtar amassed a fortune — Rs. 32.50 lakh! A windfall for any Indian film writer. Well, Javed Akhtar ‘earned’ this grand amount of money not for — as you must have assumed — a script or a book he may have written. He collected this money in just one instalment and in no time. Javed Akhtar ‘earned’ this royal sum for a moving speech he recently made at the Lions Club of Enfield in the U.K. The Club had invited Javed Akhtar to address a gathering of its members and he spoke on the topic of ‘street children in India’. The members were so moved by Javed’s speech that they quickly collected 50,000 pounds for aiding the street-children. It is said that a wise writer’s words move even the mountains. But ever heard of a writer’s spoken words moving people so much as to initiate them into removing their wallets from their pockets?!
Javed’s Punches
Here’s another one on Javed Akhtar. The writer was recently invited to recite his poems at a function held in Delhi to bid farewell to the retiring Rajya Sabha members. Before he could start reciting his poems, he looked around the hall and said, “Normally, at public gatherings, I greet two or three VIPs by their names at the start of my speech/recitation and generalise the others by referring to them with the words ‘and all my friends’. But today, every person here is a VIP. So, I can either address everyone by name, or recite my poems, not do both. I, therefore, start reciting my poems right away, if you please.” The humour was well-acknowledged by the VIPs who included prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and home minister L.K. Advani. At the same function, Javed delivered another punch by saying, “I am happy that the people whom the whole of India listens to, would be listening to me today. And I am happier because I would be listened to by those who do not listen to each other!”
House Full Or Fooling The House
The dancing hero is at it again. For his recent release, the guy purchased the unsold tickets in cinemas of Bombay to paint a rosy picture of the film. On Tuesday (18th April), the hero ordered that unsold tickets worth Rs. 21,000 in one single (matinee) show of a Bombay cinema be ‘torn’ so as to project it as a house-full show. Imagine the bewilderment of our staffer, who had gone to see the film at the cinema, when he saw the ‘house-full’ board on the outside and a far-from-house-full crowd inside.
A Father-Son Day
April 21 was a day of launching for baap and beta, Jeetendra and Tushar Kapoor. During the day, Shri Siddhivinayak Films’ maiden venture, being presented by Jeetendra, went before the camera at Filmistan Studios. The film is produced by Jeetendra’s wife, Shobha Kapoor, and daughter, Ekta Kapoor. While the launching rituals were being performed in Bombay, producer Ekta was away on the seven hills of Tirupati, offering prayers to Lord Balaji for the success of the Kapoors’ venture, starring Govinda and Sushmita Sen and directed by David Dhawan, and also for her brother, Tushar.
In the afternoon, Jeetendra’s son, Tushar Kapoor, was launched as the leading man, opposite Kareena Kapoor, in Vashu Bhagnani’s Mujhe Kuch Kehnaa Hai.
INFORMATION MEETS
“I think, I picked up the basics of cinema at a young age almost subconsciously”
– B.R. CHOPRA
Dr. SHIVAJI SEN-GUPTA
As the millennium, that has just gone by, stepped gingerly into its teens, Baldev Raj Chopra stepped into this world on April 22, 1914 in a milieu which barely hinted that he would be honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award one day. His father was in government service, and B.R. had been groomed to be an ICS officer rather assiduously. He was a brilliant student and hence his success in this stiff examination was considered a foregone conclusion. Few could then perceive the strange designs of destiny! A freak bout of ill-health prevented B.R. from appearing for some papers of the examination and the depressed, despondent young man embarked on the tangential path of film journalism. To date, he remains the only successful filmmaker who has his roots in the print medium. No doubt, umpteen articles and interviews have appeared in the last few months, extolling his deeds; yet the objective of this interview is to assemble some insights of how and why B.R., who completes 86 years today, was drawn to the liveliest art.
Excerpts from our conversation:
To rephrase just one word from the introduction you wrote for your DHARMPUTRA: “The best way to start this interview is to start from where it started!”
Well, actually I was always very fond of writing — right from my student days. I recall writing articles mainly on cinema and sending them to various magazines. New Theatres used to publish a film magazine called Varieties, edited by Mr. Sanyal, and I distinctly remember sending them my first ambitious article titled ‘Around the Indian Screen’. You can well imagine how disappointed I was when it was not published! Nevertheless, I sent them another article on Rattanbai — but even that did not see the light of day. Refusing to accept rejection, I sent them yet another piece — a review of Swarag Ki Sidi, directed by J.K. Nanda; this was a rather scathing review and I mentioned that only New Theatres was capable of making good pictures. You can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I received a letter of apology from Mr. Sanyal and a complimentary copy of Varieties in which all the three articles were published! Apparently, my articles had not reached Calcutta on account of the vagaries of the postal department. In hindsight, that was one of the most satisfying days in my life.
But did you not contribute to magazines published in Lahore? After all, you were studying in the Government College there.
Yes, I did and therein lies an interesting story. When I was in my final year of M.A., a gentleman named N.S. Suri, who was running an Urdu magazine called Filmstage and had been reading my forays in film journalism, approached me to edit 40 pages in English for a special annual number of Filmstage. I used to go to his press and spend a couple of hours every evening after attending my classes at college. Suri was keen to reach out to a wider audience and that is the reason he had decided to spread his wings. He was happy with my work and when the issue was packed, he presented me with a cheque of Rs. 250, a princely amount in those days. I was naturally thrilled and I went to the Government College the next day and showed this cheque to my friends, teachers and, above all, my principal, H.L.O. Garrett, who, I must say, was all praise for my ‘earn while you learn’ approach and even singled me out for a special mention at the College assembly. He was a very affectionate and learned man and since he had planned to retire and return to England, he used to always tell me, “Meet you in London next year!” It was common knowledge that I was going to appear for the ICS exams.
Before I forget, I must add that the Filmstage people later felt, they had underpaid me! So they got in touch with me again and presented me with a Ranken suit piece, shirt, tie, shoes — the works!
In spite of tasting such heady success in the field of film journalism, were you still keen to pursue a career as an ICS officer?
Absolutely! In fact, I was bitterly disappointed when I couldn’t complete my papers. I brooded for almost a month in despondence. I used to live in Amritsar then and would cycle daily to Lahore — a distance of 32 miles to attend college. After I had passed out of college, quite out of the blue, Shaadilal Handa approached me one day in Lahore and offered me the post of an editor in a magazine he was planning to start — a monthly called Cine Herald. He owned the Okay Press in Lahore and I took up the challenge since this was something novel and exciting. He offered me a monthly salary of Rs. 120 to begin with, and I asked him to add a bicycle which I could use in Lahore. Somehow, I think best while cycling; ideas come in a stream as I pedal along! Anyway, he agreed; the magazine was launched and became a runaway success. I have fond memories of meeting Mehboob Khan then. He had come to Lahore on a talent hunt. To this day, I feel privileged that I was a part of the team that selected Govinda’s father, Arun Ahuja, to play the lead role in Mehboob’s Ek Hi Raasta or The Only Way; those days, films had two titles — one in Hindi and the other in English.
Sohrab Modi asked me to bring out a special edition of Cine Herald on Minerva Movietone. An advertisement of his Jailor was on the cover, and the film went on to become a very big hit and so Modi regarded Cine Herald as his lucky mascot. Indeed, when I first came to Bombay in 1938, there were two cars waiting to receive me at the airport. One belonged to Mehboob Khan and the other, to Sohrab Modi. I can never forget their warm, generous hospitality. Within no time, I was on friendly terms with everyone who was anyone in the Hindi film industry.
Did this fame and coveted position of editor of Cine Herald open more vistas?
Yes, it did. Northern India Studios in Lahore were making Sethi Murad, very similar to Heer Ranjha. They were stuck for a good climax and approached me. I conjured up a dramatic climax choc-a-bloc with effects and they accepted it gladly. Indeed, they were so impressed that they appointed me as a director in their company and paid me Rs. 10,000! Further, there were some foreign companies which were making documentaries. One such was ‘The Himalayan Wolf’ and I remember Roop Shorey and R.K. Shorey urging me to write its commentary. The first shot was that of a herd of sheep moving across the frame and I penned, “Here is the moving soil on which wool grows.” Noted Urdu poet Hafeez Khan Jallandhary saw this documentary and since he was writing some poems for the elections in Lahore, he asked me to add visual values.
Looking back, I feel, all these experiences were very educative.
I think, I picked up the basics of cinema at a young age almost subconsciously.
I suppose the next logical step at this stage was to make films.
Quite true. You see, Cine Herald had become a hit and Shaadilal Handa later on became my partner. When the question of revising my remuneration came up, Raghubeer Singh, proprietor of Nishat Cinema, Lahore, was mutually agreed upon as arbiter. He gave me 17½% of the profit as my fees and a 50:50 partnership thereafter. Now, I had some financial clout — not a great deal, but adequate. Besides, Mohanlal Sibal and Harkishanlal Sibal were my father’s colleagues, who had voluntarily retired from government service and started their own paper business in Rawalpindi. They used to keep egging me on to make a film. Finally, we formed a company with five partners — Mohanlal Sibal, Harkishanlal Sibal, Shaadilal Handa, D.P. Berry and myself. In 1945, we started with a Muslim social, Chandni Chowk, which was famous music director Khayyam’s first film as an assistant to his uncle, Chishti. We completed all the spadework but, as luck would have it, on the day the first song was to be recorded in the first week of August, 1946, the Partition riots broke out and all of us fled to Bombay. When we resumed the project in Bombay, my partners were of the viewpoint that we should make a film that is virtually a carbon copy of the latest hit. I held a radically different opinion but my partners waived aside my protests and went ahead. The result was Karwat, a disaster, to put it mildly. I was left penniless after the film was released. In fact, it was released in the first place on account of my excellent rapport with distributors all over India. Once Karwat flopped, I was totally down and out. I used to while away my time at The Parisian Dairy (now The Pizzeria) on Marine Drive in Bombay. In a state of dire depression, I wrote a letter to Durgadas-ji, a friend of my father (Durgadas-ji was then the editor of The Hindustan Times), for a job. Durgadas-ji was like a father to me and he offered me a job but, more importantly, he gave me an invaluable piece of advice, “Never return defeated from the battlefield.” His words inspired me and the seeds of Afsana were sown! And the rest is, I think, far too familiar to merit repetition! I would like to end this chat by expressing my immense gratitude to God. But for his blessings, I would not be sitting here and reflecting aloud on my past!
