Kya Haribhai ki patrakaro se nahi banti thi... BY ALI PETER JOHN

I had a hand in getting at least two of my editors appointed. One of them, i can say with my right hand on my heart could never have been an editor or even a proper journalist if her father who was the genuine editor of the paper I worked for had suddenly died - Ali Peter John

As usual, there was heavy politicking about who should be the next editor as the editor had died overnight after a massive heart attack and had neither prepared anyone to take over from him and nor did he want anyone to take over from him.

There were others senior vultures waiting to grab the post, but even though I was a comparative newcomer, I knew that not one of them was fit to be an editor. There was only one choice left and that was the adopted daughter of the late editor.

The few well wishers of the magazine wanted her to take over with the support of people like me who they felt was capable of being a good support to the daughter, daughter too had taken a vow not to return to the office after her "father" died.

My job decides working in office was to travel miles to go and meet the daughter and convince her that all would be well and she took over as the editor. It took me three months to convince her about the importance of her coming back and once she came back, she was never the same woman again...

One of her major drawbacks were that she wanted to meet to all the big stars and accept for Dilip kumar and Saira Banu, she knew none of them. And she made use of my "contacts" with big stars to know them and make them realise her importance as the editor.

The time came when even the megastar Amitabh Bachchan when he was asked for an interview with her called me and asked, "Bhaisahab, aap aa rhe ho na unke sath? wo kya bolti hai unko khud ko sunai nahi deta to mujhe kya sunai dega. Aap meherbani krke please aaiye unke sath".
The next meeting was more interesting. My new editor wanted to meet Sanjeev Kumar and I told Sanjeev about what what a desperate need of my editor to meet him. He said," Tumko kya ho gya?tum aao. Mein to usko janta bhi nahi"

Anyway, the meeting was fixed at RK studios where Haribhai was shooting for a film called 'Biwi O biwi'. It was time for some heavy snacks and Haribhai gorging on both vegetarian and non vegetarian snacks without caring about what tomorrow would do to his digestive system.

I introduced my quiet editor to him and after finishing his precious snacks and at least two cups of tea, he looked at my editor and said, "Madam ab kuch baat cheet ho jaye". And all those who were sitting around him, including me made way for one of the best actors and editor of the leading film weekly to discuss serious matters about cinema.

I kept looking in their direction from time to time and he kept looking at me. After about 15 minutes, he called me to where he was sitting and asked in his most calm voice but also in his cruel way,"Ali, tumhe pakka malum hai ki ye tumhari sampadak hai?isko to kuch bhi nahi aata hai.

Inko bolo agle baar wo jab mere paas aaye interview ke liye to homework krke aaye".I had never seen Haribhai like this and I didn't know why he was so nasty to the female editor of the highest selling and the most popular film weekly in the country. The editor never liked him again and Haribhai had forgotten her name.

And if there were some other high profile journalist he couldn't stand, they were Devyani, who was known as the Hedda chopper of film journalist of Hollywood, Bharti Pradhan, MS krishana and Rita karanja. One of the editors had almost published the story about him getting married to the starlet Neeta Mehta and her evidence was that Neeta was wearing a diamond ring on her left finger of her left hand presented to her by Haribhai.

No-one has been able to confirm that story and Bharti Pradhan had almost sent the cover story of her gossip magazine with cover story saying that "Haribhai was impotent till her company's lawyer stopped her to stop the story"