Dil ka Bhanwar kare pukar

Romancing with my thoughts, moving forward forever, always looking to the future. Dev Anand has defined his credo pithily indeed. In this fascinating trip down memory lane, this traverses a life that may be called an enduring saga of style and exuberance. It has been said of his contemporary, Dilip Kumar that he has more charm in his little finger than anybody else in the film industry, and about whom Dev Anand himself says that he has been the most important and charismatic actor of our times; While Dilip Kumar and subsequent towering geniuses have retained that aura, that mystery, around them, that eternal appeal around them all these years, Dev Anand has been like that special ray of sunshine which has exemplified a life enriched every minute by an attitude that has helped him retain his distinct individuality. He has never let the grass grow under his feet. His much awaited, autobiography released some months back, brings out several aspects of his life, many of which may have been known to his ever constant fan club, but through this rather well written book gives us glimpses and some fresh insights into the man. He always revealed only as much as he wants to.

He has been a very public person who at the sometime zealously guarded his personal life from unnecessary intrusions. Perhaps the greatest star Bombay has seen, as also the one who has transcended limited histrionic ability by his sheer aplomb and gusto. The vagaries of the box office, and in his case they have been in recent years been very adverse, seem never to affect him; but he is human, after all, and he says that he was disappointed when after a long wait, he was honored not with a Pa-dma Vibhushan as he had been told and was given a Padma Bhushan instead; but for a man who has been such a darling, such formal honor are merely symbolic. As Nasiruddin Shah in a recent piece says, all those who have ever worked with him swear by him. Nobody, just nobody, has anything harsh to say about the great man.

” Barbadiyon ka soz manana fizool tha/Barbadiyon ka jashn manata chala gaya” just about the quintessential Dev. “

I came to be associated with his wonderful attitude towards life, which rings true of everyone who thinks life is worth living.” The excellently produced biography finds Dev Anand slowly undulating himself, over 400-odd pages, supplemented by a helpful filography and a gift; of some of the recent songs from his unending repertoire. Dharam Dev Anand worked in a plethora of non-descript jobs before the bright lights of city life beckoned him. He has never looked back and here, in his own Boswell, the man is grace personified. He has been generous, human; and candid when he has wanted to be, gives due respect to Mona (Kalpna Kartik) writes a very shy account of how Suraiya became the fancy of his life for a while. He has been extremely fair to both Chetan and Goldie, apart from Balraj Sahni, Guru Dutt, Kishore Kumar, the Burmans, Sahir Ludhianvi and several others who have helped him transcend unprecedented heights.

“Phaili hui hain sanon ki baahein, aaja chalde kahin hum” can be one way to recall this tumultuous journey in which he has flirted with fame, wowed the young and the not-so-young alike and never, if ever, thrown any tantrums normally associated with the big and the famous. Replete with anecdotes which show the softer side of the man, how he wept uncontrollably when Kishore Guru Dutt, Chetan, Goldie... they all left him. The blurb announces this as an “unputdownable” book; this may seem to be an oft-repeated cliché, but for those who love the man, it is an absolute must. One of the Big Three after the studio system collapsed and the star system came into vogue, Dev, much like Dilip and Raj, has a view on a variety of subjects and has had the gumption to say ‘No” whenever he has wanted. He recalls his (and Kishore’s) tribulations during the Emergency. Since success at all costs has not been the defining philosophy of his life, he4 has experimented right through.

Always the one with an eye to capture current events on celluloid, Dev has been enthusiasm unleashed. The results of his exertions may not always have been very edifying, but the spirit remains unconquered. He reveals that one of the projects he is excited about is to make a film on his music in collaboration with Ravi Shankar. That reminds us of the man’s celebrated tryst with music: From Marne ki duayen kyun mangoon’ in Ziddi which marked his long association with Kishore Kumar;

Thandi hawaaen, lehrake aayenand Tum na jaane kis jahan mein kho gaye (Saza);Woh dekhen to unki inaayat,na dekhen to rona kya(Funtoosh), in which he was paired with the gorgeous Sheela Ramani;Jeevan ke safar mein raahi and ghaayal hiraniyan maen
bab-ban doloon”;jaayen to jaayen kahan (Taxi Driver);Koi chaandi ke dil
waala (Maya) and Hum Bekhudi mein tumko pukare chale gaye”; “Accha ji maen
haari chalo maan jaao na”;Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar;Shaam hote hi tum
chhup gaye ho kahan/Akela hoon maen, is duniya mein;Dekho rootha na karo,
baat nazron ki sunon;(Tere Ghar ke Saamne) Aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai;
Tere mere sapne ab ek rang haen;Whaan kaun hai teraa; Piya tose nainan
laage re( Guide) Aise to na dekho;Kahin Behayal hokar yoonhi coo liya kisi
ne; Likha hai teri aankhon mein kiska afsana (teen Deviyan); Chhod do
aanchal zamana kya kahega; Haae haae yeh nigaahen, O’ Nigahe Mastana and
Mana janab ne pukara nahin (Paying Guest) and the relatively recent, Maen
akela apni dhun mein magan zindagi ka maza liye jaa raha tha... to cap it
all, “Jahhan mein aisa kaun hai, ke jisko gham mila nahin.” There was a
philospohical touch in the male version: Kaun jeeta hai kisi aur ki khatir
ae dost,sabko apni hi kisi baat pe rona aaya...

To locate Dev’s contribution in the eight decades of the talkie, one must be prepared to make generous allowances. As generous as the man himself. Where others like Guru Dutt and to an extent, Raj Kappor were seeped in their social and ideological milieu, Dev prefered to play the unconventional role; No thespian, or thinking, actor like Dilip Kumar,Dev Anand has been style personified, his mannerisms, his gesticulations speaking a language of their own; Guide was his most definitive contribution to the world of films. But it has been his persona, handsome and ever so charming, that has endured this incredible man. More like Gregory Peck that he has been rather than Dilip has been like Paul Muni or Montgomery Clift or Raj Kapoor was the loveable tramp championing the cause of the underdog. Unlike Peck, he seldom allowed script writers and directors to determine his cinematic visage.

Always the man of the moment, he has been unlike Vijay Anand or Guru Dutt who combined craft with socially relevant thematic content. He has not been governed by self exploration, or an attempt to use the medium as a philosophical vehicle. But for all that- nobody, just nobody- can ever forget this great romantic.

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The vital difference between the private and personal realf an all-time superstar posits a simple question: Is it possible for such a celebrity to be taken sriously once the bright arclights of hit-and-run journalism are not on him? In a fascinating new biography, Pak star-politician Imran Khan has revealed that too much attention to his playboy image has had a negative impact on his politiocal career. Claiming that the kind of attention that he got as a handome, debonair cricketer has ultimately boomeranged on his fledling political career, Khan says that after graduating from Oxford, he found more articles were being written about his looks and ’sex symbol’ image than cricketing prowess. He says that controversies have dovetailed him and actually hampered his subsequent evolution after he sudddenly became serious and pursued a political career after having wowed the cricketing world for almosr two decades like a Zeus who towered above his team mates with his sheer presence, not to speak of hif formidable on-the-field achievements.

Sharing his most intimate thoughts with biographer FRANK HUZOOR (Phalgun Press), the charismatic man makes the right political gestures about improving Indo-Pak relations, talks abot serious issues such as reviving backtrack diplomacy and says that during their early years in England, he and Benazir enjoyed a nice, easy relationship which may have later spawned political differences but still, their common antipathy to military rule createed enough political space for meaningful interaction. The biographer is apolitical, and hence has not been able to make any real insights about Imran, the politician. But in any case, the book is likely to generate interest in those who wish to know whaat Imran thinks of the several women, like the one time Indian sensation Zeenat Aman, have had on him.

Slightly bitter about a failed marital life, the book, slated to be released shortly, will interest those who want to know what happens to a super-celebrity once he ceases to be part of the jet set in order to avoid been straightjacketed.He says that preserving his privacy is a personal prerogative, the author has given readers interesting details about Imran, the individual. Full of quotable quotes, the book is likely to interest those who have followed the remarkable career of one of the sub-continent’s all-time greats. Especially interesting are the refences that Imran has made about how a world bank controlled economic system ruled mostly by a successsion of rulers more loyal to Uncle Sam than their own country. Taken at face values, Imran comes out to be a serious level-headed man who has had his days under the limelight but is now desperately in search of a platform that will help his non-starter political innings into a more meaningful reality. Excellent pictures and an easy style of writing shows that the biographer has done his homework thoroughly.

Right from the first shot of Pather Panchali, the first of the Apu trilogy which announced the arrival of a highly refined, educated and versatile film maker called Satyajit Ray- the interplay betweeb poignant social realism and nostalgia left an indelible print which has made him one of the 10 great masters of cinema. The film, based on a novel by Bibhutibhushan Bhattacharya, has as its main protagonist an aesthetically divided middle class father who works out his living from the rents he can collect from his ancestral home. A young girl named Durga(Rumki Banerjee) goes across to where her neighbour’s orchard, in a house which was once by the family that she was born into, and picks up some fruits which she wants to share with her favourite, her great aunt, Indir (Chunibala Devi). The neighbors happen to witness the scene, and in the tradition of a wannabe bhadralok attitude, politely complain about the young girl’s alleged indiscipline. Durga’s mother, taken aback, shows her anger by briefly leaving in an abrubt, stubborn manner, but the arrival of Apu, the first son in this honourable but not-so-well-to-do family, brings cheer all around. The well intentioned but often helpless father, played with considerable pathos by Kanu banerjee takes a long, arduous, journey from Banaras back to his ancestors place, only to find that while most things have remained the same, they have now become strangers in their own homeland. This theme, which obsessed Ray till the last-his film based on ‘The Home and the World’ is a case in point, has shown the master craftsman, who knew aspects from film making, including music, though he often relied on great masters to help him out till the very end, which came in April 1992. Coming back to Pather Panchali, the film’s depiction of a poor Bengali family’s grim struggle for survival, ends on the note where even the ancestral home has to be abandoned. Aparajito(The Unvanquished) and Sansar(the world of Apu) saw the strange but very Indian phenomenon where Ray’s greatness was was established first by all-round The subtle sense of humour- the brilliant flashes of photography- in fact, as is well known, Ray used to first sketch the film on paper and prepare himself before starting his new venture. The struggle between the old and the new- between traditional values and the post-modern thos, informed almost every venture by this great Indian film-maker. Hopeful, some day a maker like Utpalendu or Sudhir Mishra- or even Sanjay Bhansali- will undertake the task of adapting some of the great man’s films. His own limited foray into the Hindi film world, “Shatranj ke Khiladi’ was a beautiful and excellenly crafted film, it won critical aclaim even as the masses, already into the angry young man world started by Amitabh Bachchan, found the film too ’soft’, although the film captures a splendid Amjad Khan ( as Wajid Ali Shah) play ahighly refined role, with those two brilliant actors, Sajeev Kumar and Saee Jaffrey, chipping in with their own brand of fine acting. The often brooding, neglected wife that Shabana played in the film was as usual brilliant. Devi (The goddess), where the protagonist starts believing that she has turned into a goddess, was way ahead of its times. Nayak ( which saw Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore play their roles impeccably) as also Teen Kanya saw the master’s increasing repertoire, which saw its culmination in the unforgettable Charulata, As a critic observed, *this is a film with the fewest flaws. Even Ray for a change expressed great satisfaction with the fil, in which our very own Kishore Kumar sang a beautiful song. In fact, Kishore also financed Pather Panchali, and both he and his Iftekhar saw the film and were inspired to make their own very beautiful Door Gagan ki Chhaon Mein.

There have been few makers like Ray who have shown such total control over their chosen craft. From directing to even designing the posters, Ray did everything- but he never failed to underestimate the great help from friends and fellow unit members. Ray’s cinema is one of thought and feeling. his restraint the consistency he showed down the line showed that he was never complacent. He never let success go to his head. Today, where techniques and epistemological factors have given a new dimension to film making, Ray’s own world is still widely respected.

As his several films reveal, Satyajit Ray maintained that the best technique of film making was the one that was not noticeable, that technique was merely a means to an end. He disliked the idea of a film that drew attention to its style rather than the contents. That is why his work touches one as a revelation of artistry. For at the same time, he reveals his attitude, his sympathies, and his overall outlook in a subtle manner, through hints and via undertones. There are no direct messages in his films. But their meanings are clear, thanks to structural coherence.

Ray makes us re-evaluate the commonplace. He has the remarkable capacity of transforming the utterly mundane into the excitement of an adventure. There is the ability to recognize the mythic in the ordinary, such as in the train sequence of Pather Panchali where the humming telegraph poles hold Durga and Apu in a spell. In addition, he has the extraordinary capacity of evoking the unsaid. When viewing one of his films we often think we know what one of his characters is thinking and feeling, without a single word of dialogue. This ability to create a sense of intimate connection between people of vastly different cultures is Ray’s greatest achievement. More than any of his contemporaries in world cinema, he can create an awareness of the ordinary man, and he doesn’t do it in the abstract, but by using the simplest, most common and concrete details such as a gesture or glance.

Another distinctive feature of Ray’s work is that the rhythm in his films seems almost meditative. There is a contemplative quality in the magnificent flow of images and sounds that evokes an attitude of acceptance and detachment, which is profoundly Indian. His compassionate work arises from a philosophical tradition that brings detachment and freedom from fear, celebrates joy in birth and life and accepts death with grace. This perspective attempts to create the whole out of a fineness of detail. Ray succeeded in making Indian cinema, for the first time in its history, something to be taken seriously, and in so doing, created a body of work of distinct range and considerable cinematic value.

For some, owning a cellphone may appear to be empowerment. But the sub-culture that it has fawned is disturbing, since you don”t know what your own teenager(s) at home are doing with the contraption. While economic growth per se is not something that can be ignored or belittled,the fact that some 260 milion who live below the poverty line are still drawing less than Rs 360 a month makes all this “empowerment” seem very superficial indeed. One is not being holier-than-thou. But, and this is very important, if globalisation and liberalisation leave these sections untouched, there is every danger that a new type of class struggle will take place, sooner rather than later. As we know, even the most arid areas produce fertile ideas. The fact that more and more districts are now witnessing the revival of the ultra-Left has been even officially acknowledged–even by the usually unreadable, often grossly sugar-coated official reports. The country holds a world record in suicides by farmers. Recently, sensex hit an all-time high; the same day, several thousands marched to Parliament. While the first calamity was reported as if the sky had fallen on our head, the second fact was consigned to the inside pages of most newspapers. Till when can the two coexist? While the first may be inexorable, the uncomfortable fact is that the majority of children born never get to see what the inside of a class room looks like has been ever so conveniently ignored. Celebrate the Dhonis, the Pravin Kumars, the small-town Indians who have wowed this cricket crazy land. By all means, yes. But it was truly obnoxious and so uppity when the failure of Praveen to talk in English (and his captain’s own rather halting attempts to translate what the youngster meant when he got his first major haul) was so gratitutiously commented upon by some of our media. If we allow linguistic factors hamper our ways of perception, that’s a sure sign of immaturity. Business conglomerates still control the majority of our media, and it is they, their lifestyles, their attitudes that seem to be governed all the time by a sense of snobbery.

Above all, even if we ever so rightly abhor morality brigades and the thought police, are we not giving precisely the same sections a chance to continue with their abominable hysteria by being so easily carried away by the successes that we get and the failures that we so easily and conveniently ignore? We talk of our “growing commitment” to the social sector, but forget that the pharma companies all this while are using all this to increase their already enormous profit margins. Men like Robert Fisk and Don McCullan tried hard to resist getting “embedded” but most others simply succumbed because from the humble crime reporter at the mofussil level upto his/her editor, they all know which side of their bread is buttered. Sting operations often select those who even if they are genuine do not have the means to preserve their privacy and get justice. Those at the wrong end of these operations, which are getting increasingly “sophisticated” and hence more-and-more dangerous, often don’t know exactly under which section of our archaic jurisprudence system can one get redressal. Personal resolve to fight marauders is fine, but there is a limit to which once can take these highly dangerous intrusions. The era when Normal Mailers and Tom Wolfes and their ilk tried their best to highlight the atrocities being perpetrated got highlighted has given way to a benign, patronizing attitude ; but these days, not just the well established Tarun J Tejpals and Aniruddha Behls but several extremely vicious and far less conscientious men have tried to capitalize on the vulnerability of the poor. As the legendary British editor Harold Evans says, its time that publications should be subjected to DNA’s. Give it a thought- it is not a bad idea at all. (EOM)