Writer Raju Saigal breathed his last yesterday (27th August) in Bombay. He was cremated late last evening. He is survived by his wife who is actress Ranjeeta’s sister.
Raju had written/co-written such films as Gunahgaar,Hum Se Badhkar Kaun, Doosara Aadmi, Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi, Jo Bole So Nihaal, Buddha Mar Gaya, Raghuveer, Nishana, Prem Yog,Jai Veeru, etc.
Rishi Kapoor, Rahul Rawail, Ravi Malhotra, Bittu Anand, Rumy Jafry and Raju Saigal were very close to each other and were, in fact, a close-knit group for many years. As luck would have it, Rumy Jafry had to rush to Bhopal to attend to his ailing father who was hospitalised the same day, and hence could not attend the funeral. As Raju Saigal was not active since many years, not many others (besides his close group) from the film industry were in touch with him. Even his own wife is bedridden since some years. It then fell upon Rumy Jafry’s brother, Aman Jafry, to make the arrangements for the last rites of Saigal at the Oshiwara crematorium, with two of his (Aman’s) friends. The last rites were performed by Ranjeeta’s niece, Shilpi, from another sister.
For all those who revel in misrepresenting the industry as a place divided on grounds of religion and faith, this cremation seems straight out of a Hindi film: a Hindu film writer, well past his prime, passes away in obscurity. There is nobody to make arrangements for his last rites. It then falls upon a Muslim to let him go with dignity.
Will all those, who constantly bicker about Muslims in the industry being anti-Hindu, write or speak about this incident?