MEMORIES OF MADHURI, THAT GIRL FROM BAAMANPURI....

-Ali Peter John

She had already signed her first two films,‘ ‘Manav Hatya" which went entirely unnoticed and “Abodh",a film she had done for the Rajshri on the recommendation of Govind Moonis who wrote exclusively for the Rajshris and who was first to recognise star potential in the younger daughter of Anandrao and Snehalata Dixit who were facing tough times as Anandrao's engineering company had gone into heavy losses because of some major misunderstandings with his own brothers, Snehalata was a dancer who had given up her hobby to bring up the Dixit children, Bharati, Ajit, Rupa and Madhuri. Bharati and Ajit had left for America and had settled down as medical practitioners and Roopa was pursuing her studies to be an interior designer and an architect....

The story had begun in an ancient village in Andheri East which was once dominated by what were known as East Indians who were supposed to be the original inhabitants of Bombay but who later fell on bad ways and gradually started selling their precious properties to the Marwari community from Rajasthan who built a number of old fashioned bungalows and buildings where the East Indians once lived and the area which was known as Baamanpuri in the good old days was now officially known as Jamnalal Bajaj (JB) Nagar and the first of the mini rules formed by the societies which came up had one strict rule, no individuals, family or groups of people belonging to the film industry would not be sold any of the flats or larger apartments....

Anandrao had to move into a small flat where the monthly rent was only rupees hundred a month and in the state Anandrao was reduced to financially, he sometimes found it difficult to even pay the rent. It was therefore that he agreed with the idea of Govind Moonis to let their youngest daughter Madhuri who was studying Microbiology at the Parle College (now known as the Sathaye College) and soon Madhuri was trying her luck in films, actively supported by her parents and Govind Moonis.

Rajshri's“Abodh"was released and was a big flop, but people had noticed Madhuri and had seen her photographs and read small articles introducing her to the world of Hindi films. She had signed some other films in sister's roles and had made quite a name for herself all over, but especially in Baamanpuri where she was already known as a little girl who danced during the Ganesh Utsav celebrations and was a very good all-rounder in her convent school rum my nuns and known as the Divine Child High School. The nuns were a little peeved when they learnt that Madhuri Dixit who was known as one of the brightest students in the school had taken to making a career in films....

She had soon grown more popular and had even bought her first black Fiat car. It was at this time that I thought of an idea. I wanted to take my senior photographer, Mr Vinayak Gokhale and wanted to take Madhuri and her sister Roopa all around Baamanpuri which was an area I knew like the back of my palm. All plans were finalised and we were two set out on our sojourn....

The next morning started with a very good breakfast of ‘poha' and some very good Maharastrian tea and we were soon on the move....

As soon as we came out of her building, she asked the driver to stop at ‘Choice Centre' which was their regular haunt to buy all their stationary and gifts for themselves and for others. It was one of the first of the Choice Centres in the owners who knew the Dixit family very well and who had heard about Madhuri making it in films, made her visit to the shop as some kind of a celebration and with my photographer going crazy about clicking pictures of a new born star who was a product of Baamanpuri made the occasion very special and asked Madhuri if she would come back again and she said she would, but that was not to happen because she had soon been recognised by big filmmakers like Subhash Ghai and N. Chandra and she was too busy to eg think of visiting Baamanpuri....

Her school was just ten minutes away from ‘Choice Centre' and we realised that we couldn't miss out on her school where she had spent eleven years of her life. We were welcomed by the old gatekeeper, Louis who showed how much affection he had got Madhuri and informed the principal,Sr.Genevieve who sent a message to all the teachers to take a thirty minute break to welcome one of their most popular students (Madhuri,).

Every teacher recognised her and even some some of the maids who took care of little children were all excited as they had seen the rise of Madhuri as student who was good in studies, in performing in English plays, in dancing Kathak since the time she was in the third standard and her being a very well-behaved and Madhuri seemed to enjoy all the attention showered on her and was even at her best behaviour, without putting on an act or showing any signs of having an attitude or displaying what could have been pride or arrogance in the case of any other girl who had achieved what no other girl in the history of the school had. She was so much at home that she even walked up to the canteen to buy her favourite chocolates and papermints and Louis, the gatekeeper said, “kitni achchi ladki hai,itna naam kamaaya lekin thodi bhi akkad nahi hai, yeh sab hamare school ka fal hai."Madhuri had not forgotten most of her classmates and specially remembered Melita and Uma Prabhawalkar, whose father Mr Madhu Prabhawalkar Incidentally was the editors of some of the best films of the maestro, Bimal Roy.....

From her school, we decided to go to Sathaye College and Madhuri felt both excited and nervous looking at the crowd of boys and girls waiting to have a glimpse of her. The crowd showed all the signs of going unruly and the driver suggested that we leave the college as soon as possible because he feared the crowd of students goes wild. But right outside the college was Madhuri's other favourite haunt, the Shiv Sagar Hotel where she and her sister and their friends don't spend time and had their favourite masala dosas, paper dosas which were a must for them and the various kinds of milkshakes, “but it all depended on how much money we had and went Dutch most of the time".

Madhuri was facing the same kind of proven problems she had faced in college and Madhuri said our trip would not be complete unless we paid a quick visit to the nearby Usha Talkies where she said she saw all the devotional and mythological films which were the only films her parents saw and allowed their children which included Madhuri saw. She said the only other theatres she had seen were the Eros, Metro and Regal when the school organised shows of English films like ‘The Sound of Music' and other films which were mostly based on the life of Jesus Christ.

We finished the days excitement, but Madhuri was now more hungry and wanted to reach home in Baamanpuri as soon as possible. Her mother asked her how the trip was and in Marathi she said, “khoob changla khoob changla" and told her parents that she would love to return to Baamanpuri even if she became a big star ..

But that was not be. Madhuri and her parents shifted to the posh ‘Iris Park' in between the bungalow of Dev Anand and ‘Vastu', the apartment Dimple Kapadia had shifted into after her separation from Rajesh Khanna. Madhuri then got married to Dr Shriram Nene and settled down in Denver in America and came back after nine years. Life had changed for her, Anandrao had died Snehalata was very sick and bedridden. Madhuri has been trying her best to stay back in Mumbai, but Mumbai is not the same anymore and Baamanpuri has turned into an industrial area with J.B Nagar as a key station on the Metro. All the bungalows and buildings have made way for high-rise buildings and there are bars and shady hotels and restaurants all over Baamanpuri with goondas and bhais ruling the place.

The only two things that has not changed are the men outside the J.B Nagar post office who write letters for those who cannot write to their families in places outside Mumbai, and the area in which Madhuri lived and it is difficult to say how long these things will not change, but one thing is sure, that East Indians whose families still live there will continue to refer to place as Baamanpuri and not J.B Nagar.

Incidentally, there is another old village which has now turned into a ‘buisness' centres mostly because of its proximity to the domestic and international airport and the place is still known as Baamanwada. Madhuri must be passing both Baamanpuri and Baamanwada on her many trips to the airports and I wonder if she has the inclination or the interest to see these two places which played a very vital part in making her ‘dhakh dhakh' girl and the national and international star she has grown into and is still as beautiful and fresh as the flowers in the gardens of Baamanpuri of which there were so many ones and now parents have to show paintings or photographs of gardens and flowers to their children to show them what gardens and flowers mean.