Nostalgia At Its Best At Shemaroo Entertainment Event
It was a one-of-its-kind event on 23rd July at Novotel Hotel, Juhu, Bombay. Shemaroo Entertainment, which is among the leaders in keeping Classic Cinema alive on digital platforms and television, hosted Living Legends With Komal Nahta where celebrities who’ve been part of Bollywood since as far back as 1930s and 1940s rubbed shoulders with those of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s as also the contemporary ones.
Nimmi, clad in a green salwar kameez, was wheeled into the Champagne Ballroom as it echoed with claps. Kamini Kaushal, Biswajit, Shabana Azmi, Moushumi Chatterji and Bindu sparkled at a night which belonged to the legends who’ve made Bollywood what it is. Jaya Prada and Poonam Dhillon added immense glamour to the proceedings. Jeetendra, Prem Chopra, Satish Kaushik, filmmaker Subhash Ghai, music directors Anandjibhai and Pyarelal, writer-poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar, and producer Barkha Roy made people nostalgic when they walked the golden carpet. It was a very touching moment to see Nimmi make efforts to get up from her wheelchair to greet Kamini Kaushal. Ameen Sayani got a round of thunderous applause as soon as he took the mike and said, “Behno aur bhaiyo”, reminding the guests of his patent catchphrase which made listeners of radio go ga-ga over his electrifying voice over decades.
Komal Nahta, host for the evening, started the proceedings once all the celebrities had arrived, walked the golden carpet and signed a huge autograph book. After inviting all the legendary celebrities on the dais, Nahta paid tributes to Indian Classic Cinema and lauded the efforts of legends of the Hindi film industry, which had made the industry what it is today. He underlined how Shemaroo had been promoting classic cinema and the legends behind this cinema. Hiren Gada, CEO of Shemaroo, then gave an overview of the company’s efforts in making available the cinema of the golden era for the present and future generations to consume. He also said that it was the company’s endeavour to bring the lives of the people associated with classic cinema, their crafts and their influences in front of the public.
Komal Nahta then briefed the gathering about how Shemaroo celebrated classic cinema in a show hosted by him and called Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani. An AV of the show, which traces the journeys of the living legneds of Hindi cinema, was played. He then invited lyricist and writer Manoj Muntashir to introduce his show, Gaanon Ki Daraaz Se With Manoj Muntashir, for Shemaroo, which will soon be telecast on DTH platforms like Tata Sky, Airtel, Dish TV and D2H (like Komal Nahta… Aur Ek Kahani is). He had the guests in splits when he recalled how, as a child, he had always been intrigued by the word ‘Naghma-nigaar’ which he repeatedly heard on radio, till his mother told him that it meant ‘Song writer’. That Manoj grew up to be one famous song writer himself is not merely a coincidence, given that he was always fond of Hindi film music. After an AV of Manoj’s forthcoming show was played, it was time for Nahta to ask questions to the esteemed guests, the legends themselves. It was a treat to watch Pyarelalji, Anandjibhai, Jeetendra, Kamini Kaushal, Jaya Prada and Ameen Sayani go down memory lane and speak about their times and those days. Javed Akhtar and Subhash Ghai explained the difference between cinema then and cinema now.
The high point of the evening — besides the attendance, of course — was the Golden Selfie when Nahta and Hiren Gada clicked a selfie with all the living legends in one frame. The media then asked questions of the celebrities which they sportingly answered.
Buddhichand Maroo, Atul Maroo, Hiren Gada, Jai Maroo and Kranti Gada represented Shemaroo. Raman Maroo was out of the country and hence could not attend. The show, which will be telecast, and uploaded on Shemaroo’s digital platform, ShemarooMe, was directed by Priyanka Awasthy.
The living legends were presented mementos by Shemaroo at the hands of Atul Maroo, Hiren Gada, Jai Maroo and Kranti Gada.