Mohan Iyer As Jyothi Venkatesh Remembers Him

Oh My God! Why do you always have to snatch away from amidst us our most beloved people who are always so sweet and helpful and what’s more do not harm anyone?

After Shyam Sharma last year, now I have lost yet another lovely friend- journalist Mohan Iyer who was attached to the film trade weekly Complete Cinema, besides doing his but as a free lance PR person.

I feel very sad that not only was I the first to break the news to the entire fraternity last night when his only son 21 year old Aditya Iyer called me up

When Aditya who I had never ever met whatsapped me to tell me that I did not take his call to me on Saturday, I did not expect the worse.

When I called him up the next day, he informed me that he was the only son of my friend journalist cum PRO Mohan Iyer and said that his father had been admitted at the hospital after it was detected that he was having a bout of Covid 19.

Not only that, he was also battling with Pneumonia and diabetics and hence also put in the ventilator.

It was eerie for me because for the last over a year, Mohan was not even stepping out of his house in Mira Road as he did not want to get afflicted with Covid 19, besides the fact that ever since the pandemic struck, there has hardly been any film press shows, forget film party of any kind, and hence he preferred to confine himself to his own house.

Not many are aware of the fact that Mohan Iyer had also started his career as an assistant of filmmaker Shashilal long back on the sets of his film Falak where, believe if or not yet another assistant of Shashilal Nair and a colleague of Mohan was none other than Salman Khan, the son of writer Salim Khan.

I remember Salman Khan once narrating to me in the presence of Mohan Iyer during an interview of his that since they both were getting a stipend of only 30 per day on the sets, Salman had even told Mohan magnanimously that Mohan Iyer needed the money more than he did and used to give away the 30 rupees that he used to get every day to Mohan Iyer.

It is creditable that both Mohan and Salman were in touch even after the stint both of them had with Shashilal Nair.

And also creditable that Mohan did not try to use his clout with a super star like Salman Khan to further his career in any way by trying to become his PR person

Also not many are aware of the fact that Mohan Iyer was also a good singer who could belt out any Rafi number with a great acumen.

This, I realized when Mohan took all of us journalists way back in the 80’s to an outdoor location in Belgaum for covering the shooting of Kroadh.

It was a tiring long journey from Mumbai to Belgaum though it was an air conditioned bys and to make the travel lighter, it was Mohan who suggested that all of us should take part in an antakshari concert all the way during the journey.

When Mohan started belting out all the choicest Rafi numbers we were all flabbergasted to tell the truth and it was a journey that we never forgot at all for a long time.

I waited for an opportunity to recommend Mohan’s name to any organizer who required a good singer for his concert and I got it when Ashok Shekhar, the son of the veteran actor Chandrashekhar called both of us to a kavi sammelan at the Country Club where he asked me to sing as filler in between various kavi’s shairies.

After I had belted out a Rafi number- Shaadi Ke Liye Razamandh kar li and Mohan was shocked when Aftwer my number, I announced on the microphone that the next singer will be a big surprise and asked Mohan Iyer to come on the stage and sing a Rafi number. He came, and what’s more conquered too in a big way

Always clad in a pair of baggy pants and bush shirt or T Shirt at parties, Mohan Iyer used to be known as a simpleton who had no qualms of coming with a plastic bag where he used to carry his notebooks to write his interviews at press conferences.

Unlike most of us, Mohan was also averse to carrying a Dictaphone to record his interviews and till his end, he used to revel in writing all the answers to his various questions to celebrities and never shied away from doing it.

Another endearing quality of his which most of us also resented a lot was his asking us to share our phone numbers every time we used to meet since he did not cultivate the habit of saving our numbers on his mobile phone.

Mohan was very fond of vodka for the last few years though he used to enjoy whiskey like me earlier. And before he could realize it, he became a victim of Diabetics as he used to mix his Vodka with orange juice.

Another mistake that Mohan did was not to move out of his house at Mira Road all through the pandemic because he was afraid of contracting with the Covid 19, which ultimately got hold of him.

Though Mohan had two unhappy marriages earlier before he settled down with his third wife, through whom he has a son called Aditya Iyer, who has been orphaned at a young age of just 21 with the untimely demise of Mohan Iyer whose body also will not be handed over to the family as he has died due to Covid 19

I offer my condolences to the family of Mohan Iyer which consists of Mohan's wife, son Aditya and his mother. I pray that his soul rests in peace. Mohan you still remain alive in all our hearts forever. Om Shanti