I WISH MY ENCOUNTERS WITH RAJ KAPOOR COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER

It was some time in the seventies and I was still determined to be a bus conductor , even while I was doing my M.A.in English Literature from Bombay University . The only other interest I had was Hindi films which was stoked by my neighbour ,Z.D.Lari who was a writer in the Urdu language and Waqt as an assistant director with filmmakers like Kamaal Amrohi, Rajinder Singh Bedi, Amar Kumar and Ramanand Sagar .

He knew about my interest in Hindi films and took me with him for shootings where I saw some of the biggest stars for the first time and even met and had lunch with Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore during the shooting of "Mere Humdum Mere Dost " Mr.Lari also brought me tickets and invitations to award functions and premieres . I was very thrilled when he gave an invitation to the award function of the then popular film magazine ,"Film World"edited by T.M.Ramachandran whose name I used to hear on the ad on Radio Ceylon . For me, the highlight of the awards function was the name of Raj Kapoor who was to preside over the function .

I had seen all his films till then by hook or crook and wanted to see him in flesh and blood like they say .I borrowed a clean shirt from my friend Krishna and chappals from Mr.Lari and five rupees from Shantaram , the manager of Rajnish Refreshments , who was my annadaata and gave me my tea , breakfast , lunch and dinner without asking me for any money and when I asked him about the money , he always said ,"mere ko maalum ,ek deen tum bada admi banega ,tab mera paisa de dena ".

It was my first visit to the Shanmukhananda Hall , which was packed with smart men and women and I found myself a  complete misfit, but I decided to stay on till the end come what may .I told myself clothes didn't matter and that is the policy that has stayed with me for the last sixty odd years in the world of glamour.

The show began . It reached its crescendo when Raj Kapoor entered and the hall was not the same again . He was followed by the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting ,

Mr.Jasbir Singh who was not a known name and the way Raj Kapoor looked at him must have made him curse himself for coming to the function . But , that was only the beginning of the punishment for him because the real punishment came when Raj Kapoor started speaking . The Showman was at his angry best and he kept looking at the  Minister and lashing out at the Government on its taxation policy for the film industry and its censorship policy.It was as if Raj Kapoor was whipping the Minister in public and he was about to cry and was looking for a place to run away from the hall.I had seen Raj Kapoor in his fiery element for the first time and little did I know that I was going to experience this Raj Kapoor many more times...

Time was playing its naughty tricks... I did not become a priest or a bus conductor.

One ten naya paise postcard I  wrote in Shantaram's hotel with his own money landed me on the fifth floor simple office of K.A.Abbas  which was to be my new institution, home and everything.One afternoon , there were excitement on all the five floors leading to the office of Abbas Sahab.Raj Kapoor was slowly climbing up to meet his friend and writer ,Abbas Sahab and he was drunk .Abbas Sahab fired him for being drunk and told him that he could not enter his office drunk.

Raj Kapoor begged with his hands folded and  cried and Abbas Sahab told him that he would not allow him in again . The Showman had faced the biggest flop in his life and career in "Mera Naam Joker ", which was also written by Abbas . He kept telling Abbas that he was a ruined man and Abbas Sahab kept consoling him. It took an hour for the showman to come back to normal.He had grown atleast five years older within months.He told Abbas Sahab he had only one way to stand up again and that was make a film . He said he couldn't afford to pay the stars and wanted to launch his son Chintu (Rishi Kapoor) who he actually wanted to  be a director .

He asked Abbas Sahab to write a simple love story about young lovers . Abbas Sahab asked him to meet him after a few days , without drinking their next meeting ,Abbas Sahab gave Raj Kapoor the first draft of the story , screenplay and dialogue of "Bobby"which gave both Raj Kapoor and R.K.Films back their glory.

Some months later...Raj Kapoor was back in Abbas Sahab's office .He was drunk again ,but he was forgiven as he was in a mood to celebrate his second life with "Bobby". He kept asking Abbas Sahab to walk down the five floor and Abbas Sahab kept refusing as he had to complete a book which had to go to press .Raj Kapoor finally managed to lead Abbas Sahab down where a brand new blue Ambassador car was standing .Raj Kapoor handed over the keys of the car to Abbas Sahab and told him to accept the car as a  gift from R.K.Films and also told Abbas Sahab that the petrol bill and the driver's salary would be paid by R.K.Films.Before leaving , Raj Kapoor pleaded with Abbas Sahab not to sell the car under any circumstances  ,

because he knew  Abbas Sahab could  easily  sell the  car to  make a film  or a few  short  films  of his own.Abbas Sahab Kept his promise till the  day of his death.

It was  the  time when the International Film Festival  of India was being  held  in  Bombay and  Raj Kapoor  was  hosting  a  big  party for all the  delegates at R.K.Studios. I was  a  newcomer in  "Screen "and had heard  about  Raj Kapoor's parties. I had also heard  about  how  he physically lifted, beat up and threw out gate crashers, but I decided  to  take  the  risk .I entered  R.K. at 2.pm on the pretext  of  covering the shooting  of  a film  called "Phaansi"staring Shashi Kapoor  and  Sulakshna  Pandit. I had  a strong  feeling  that  Raj Kapoor  would throw me out  and  that  is what  nearly  happened. I was walking  around  in the  compound  of R.K.and looking  at  all the  food  and  drink  stalls  ,dressed in  jeans ,  t-shirt  and  my  usual rubber  chappals. Raj Kapoor  drove  in at 6.30.sharp and stopped his  black  Ambassador as soon  as  he  saw  me and  I saw the  end of me .

He held out his little finger and  shouted  out ,"hey ,you idhar aao".I felt  like  a murderer walking to the  gallows ,but my mind  didn't  stop working. I knew my chief reporter,

Mr.R.M.kumtakar was a very dear  friend  of  his .I blurted out his name  as soon  as  I  reached  the Showman  and  told  him  that  Kumtakar  would  be coming  at  8 o'clock with his camera.Those words  worked  like magic  and  he  said, "go ,and enjoy yourself "and  did I enjoy  myself ? I reached  home counting  stars  the  next morning.It was a  greater  celebration being  saved  from the wrath of Raj Kapoor.

A few  years  later...It was the grand  wedding reception  of Ketan  Desai,the  son of Manmohan  Desai and  Kanchan ,the daughter of  Shammi  Kapoor and Geeta  Bali .The venue was the  Army and Navy  Club  in Colaba and it  looked  as if every star in the sky had come down to  attend the reception. Raj Kapoor was being  treated  like an emperor.I too was having a good time because both Shammi Kapoor and Manmohan  Desai were very good friends and had personally invited me. At around  10.pm ,I heard  my name  being  mentioned on  the microphone and the  voice  was asking me to see Raj Kapoor immediately.

I thought  it  was  a prank being  played,but the  voice  kept  playing till  I was finally led to the almighty Raj Kapoor, who was sozzled .He looked at me as if I was a mosquito and said, "toh tum Indian Express ke launde ho  aur tum Indian Express ke phele panne per kal ye  chhaapne  wale  ho ki army  ke ground per truckon mein sharab ati  thee hamare  saadi ke reception  mein. Yaad rakna launde Raj Kapoor hai ye,'Screen'ko bandh  karwa hi dunga Indian Express ko bhi  bandh karwa dunga.Bhagwandas aur Ramnathji ko bol  dena ".I did not think it was  worthy of any answer as it was  only  the rant of a drunken man.And I  too continued  drinking  as Raj Kapoor  had made me a hero  for that one night.

Some  more time pass...Anand Bakshi  was celebrating his birthday at his residence and had invited all his friends  from  the  industry. Mr.Kumtakar had taken me with him even though I didn't want to go. Raj Kapoor arrived and was  already drunk.Mr.Kumtakar loved  introducing me to anyone  and everyone even though I told him I had met the person. And so he led me like the "bali ka bakra"to Raj Kapoor who was sitting surrounded by his lackeys .For some unknown reasons, I had my left hand on my waist .The venerable Raj Kapoor looked up at me and  said, "ladke,tum kissey baat  kar rahe ho pata hai ?"I said  Raj Kapoor. He said, "tumhara  hath  kha hai ? "Raj Kapoor se aise baat karte  hai ?"I said, "Mujhe kuch  taqklif ho  rahi hai "and he said,"zyaada deen bachoge nahi ".

I had  all  the reasons for his  wish for me to come true. But he left before me and I went to his Deonar Cottage on the day he died and was suprised to see his  bedroom in which a poem  written by Abbas Sahab had a prominent place and for a first I knew that Abbas  Sahab also  wrote good poetry.

I walked in Raj Kapoor's  funeral from  R.K.Studio  to  the Chembur  Crematorium. I had a  scary feeling that something wrong was going to happened to me and it happened. Moments before  Raj Kapoor was to  go up in fire and smoke, a police constable came up to me and held me and screamed  ,"arey faaltu tu yaha kiya  kar raha hai, chal bhag yaha se nahi toh marunga".

I leave  my  strange story  here and  let  time be  the judge.