REMEMBERING NARGIS, THE LADY IN WHITE

To commemorate her 38^th death anniversary which fell yesterday on Sunday May 3, we reproduce this article on NARGIS DUTT by JYOTHI VENKATESH which appeared in Free Press Bulletin dt May 9, 1981, that is almost 40 years ago

The lady in white Mrs Nargis Dutt is no more amidst us today. The cruel hand of death has snatched away yet another illustrious person from our midst. Nargis was one star who had retained her old charisma even after she quit films 25 years ago in favor of matrimony. Though she had stopped acting, she was involved with the industry in one way or the other.

Nargis Dutt was the driving force behind her husband Sunil Dutt’s rise in stature as an actor. It was Nargis who stood by Sunil through thick and thin and boosted his morale when his films flopped and the failure of Reshma Aur Shera had  almost written him off in the film industry as an insolvent.

In several capacities, Nargis helped several people. As Chairman of the Spastics Society, Nargis had rendered a yeoman service. Though her friends in the political circles had advised her to contest the elections, Nargis had kept herself away from active politics because she felt that she couldn’t serve the causes effectively if she were to emerge a full-fledged political celebrity.

The Bombay Television ought to be patted for rising to the occasion at least once. Soon after Nargis death was announced, instead of telecasting  Do Ladke Dono Kadke, a comedy starring Amol Palekar and Asrani, as was scheduled earlier, Nargis’s last film Raat Aur Din in which she was cast opposite Pradeep Kumar and Feroz Khan was telecast. It was indeed a fitting tribute to the departed soul.

It is even said that it was Nargis who was keen on launching her son Sanjay Dutt’s career as an actor. Sunil Dutt was not in favor of grooming his son as an actor in the beginning may be because he had several films to be completed on the floors starring him in the romantic lead with girls who wee young enough to be his granddaughters. Nargis was happy the day she was shown the final print of Rocky. After she saw the film, she lapsed into a comma but unfortunately before Rocky could be released, Nargis passed away.

It was Nargis’s express desire that no expenses should be spared while organizing the premiere of Rocky. She wanted to live at least to see her son emerging as a successful actor. In deference to her wishes, Sunil Dutt had to agree rather reluctantly to hold the premiere of the film at the now extinct twin theatres Ganga and Jumna in Tardeo in Mumbai.

Insiders insist that though Amarjeet’s name was flashed as the producer of Rocky, for all practical purposes, it was Sunil Dutt who was the producer of the film. It is said that in return for loaning his name as the producer of the film. Amarjeet had been assigned the job of designing the publicity of Rocky at a fabulous price.With a lump in my throat, I remember the two occasions when I had the opportunity to talk to Nargis. I had gone to interview Sanjay when the film was on the floors and Sanjay was dodging from giving an interview to me, though Duttsaab had specifically told Sanjay to talk to me for the interview. When I complained to Nargis, she spoke on her son’s behalf and said that she was very sorry that Sanjay was avoiding an interview.

“Amarjeet and Duttsaab have advised Sanju not to talk to the press till the publicity campaign for Rocky starts. Please excuse Sanju”, she had told me. Not only that, she had even rung up the now late Mrs Gulshan Ewing, the editor of the women’s fortnightly Eve’s Weekly which had assigned me the job of interviewing Sanjay Dutt , to explain why Sanju couldn’t give any interview.

The second and the last time I met Nargis was at the mahurat party of Rajiv Rai’s Yudh starring Sanjay Dutt and Tina Munim a few days ago before she was taken to New York for medical treatment. The topic turned towards the statement in Parliament decrying Satyajit Ray. Without mincing words in any way, Nargis exclaimed, as a matter of fact. “I didn’t at all mean to run down Ray. He is a great filmmaker of our country. I only wanted to assert that we should not sell our films abroad which have the accent on our poverty.”