One Yesterday (Rupa & Co. pp 192, Rs. 395) is an interesting book by Saif Hyder Hasan. It is a compilation of memoirs. Here, stalwarts in the field of literature and cinema are remembered by their near and dear ones.
The book begins with a chapter on the Urdu poet Ali Sardar Jafri who is remembered by his wife Sultana, friend Anil Sehgal, Saif himself and above all the Urdu colossus Qurratulain Hyder. However, what follows is great fun and makes for stimulating reading. A huge chunk of this book is devoted to Urdu litterateurs Kaifi Azmi, Ismat Chugtai, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and Krishan Chander, all torchbearers of the Progressive Writers? Movement. I really loved what Shabana Azmi has written about her father, Kafi Azmi. In fact, she has two articles to her credit.
Quote:
Today, as I remember Abba on Father?s Day, I realize that for me it is no different from any other day. No single day passes by without me clocking in a memory of him. He is with me constantly; I talk to him, seek his advice, share little jokes, exchange glances almost as if he has never gone away.
Baba, my younger brother keeps gently encouraging me to remember Abba not with pain but with joy because his was a rich life well lived despite his paralysis. I, in turn, try to encourage my mother to do the same. Her sense of loss keeps weighing her down despite her best efforts ? it was a partnership of 55 years ? they understood each other almost by osmosis.
Now, there is a treat for the readers. This is one particular book where Amitabh Bachchan has written an exclusive piece on his father, the famous Hindi poet, Harivanshrai Bachchan. In this article, Amitabh describes the pride in being Harivanshrai?s son.
Quote:
My father has been a great luminary, a great littérateur ? his work will be remembered for a thousand years, mine will be forgotten in a couple of years. I cannot even begin to imagine what his contribution has been, not only to the world of literature but even our own personal world.
Amitabh ends his article with an oft-repeated phrase of his father:
Agar tumhare mann ka ho to achcha hai, agar tumhare mann ka na ho to aur bhi achcha hai. (It?s good if things happen your way, but it?s even better if they don?t happen your way.)
There are reminiscences on Guru Dutt (Abrar Alvi - writer of films like Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool), Balraj Sahni (Parikshit Sahni), Kishore Kumar (Amit Kumar and Alokdas Gupta), Raj Kapoor (Randhir Kapoor, Bunny Reuben ? the filmmaker/actor?s friend and biographer, Pyarelal, part of the immortal music director team of Laximakant-Pyarelal), and Satyajit Ray (Andrew Robinson ? his biographer, Nemai Ghosh ? his cameraman, and Javed Siddiqui, scriptwriter of Ray?s Shatranj Ke Khiladi).
I now quote an extremely interesting piece on Raj Kapoor as narrated by Randhir Kapoor.
Quote:
A couple of years ago, a man called me up from somewhere in the USA, I think it was Delaware. He introduced himself as so and so (I apologize, I do not recollect his name) and expressed a desire to meet me. ?When can I see you sir?? he asked. ?Whenever you are in India, just give me call and come to RK Studios.? I thought it was a crank call made by some crazy fan and soon let the matter rest.
But true to his word, this gentleman called again, one month later. ?I?m in Mumbai these days. When can I come and see you Mr Kapoor?? We mutually decided on a particular afternoon. I was sitting in my office when this middle-aged, extremely cultured-looking man, who I assumed must be well-educated, walked in with his teenaged children. The minute he stepped in my office, he instructed his children to touch my feet. I was flabbergasted. ?What are you doing?? I screamed. ?These people think I am crazy,? he said pointing to his children. ?My entire family thinks I am crazy.
That is why I got these children here.? I was not following anything. What was this man talking about? ?These kids are Americans. They hardly know anything about the culture of our country. So, this time when I brought them to India for vacations I decided to take them to places that I am extremely proud of. One is the Taj Mahal and the other is RK Studios.? Looking at the children he yelled, ?Oye, touch uncle?s feet.
Consider yourself lucky to take the blessings of the son of the greatest filmmaker of this world.? And thus he began his story. This gentleman was a great fan ? I stand corrected ? he was no admirer of my father ? he was his shishya, his student. He had met my father in Delhi in the 1960s, ?when he was shooting at Hyderabad House with Vyjantimala for Sangam?. ?Sir, your father, the great Shri Raj Kapoor was my guru.
I have learned a lot about life by just watching his movies.? He claimed to have seen all the movies made by Rajji, 100 to 200 times each. ?I begin my day by watching one of his films. After coming back from work, I catch up on his movies.? Before I could even react, he pounced on me with a question. ?Which according to you is the best movie by Raj Kapoor?? ?Awara, portions of Mera Naam Joker ?? I started saying. ?Don?t you think that Ram Teri Ganga Maili, his last film was his best?? he interrupted. ?Best? I think it was his weakest,? I said.
I am sure that had I not been Raj Kapoor?s son this man would have hit me for declaring Ram Teri Ganga Maili the weakest film in my father?s repertoire. ?Ram Teri Ganga Maili is your father?s best film because it is here that the thought, right from the very first frame, is so focused. Listen to the song, ?Suno ye ganga kya sunaye ? ki pran jaaye par vachan na jaaye?. The social message in the film is evident from the very beginning.? He spent a good 30 minutes convincing me that Ram Teri Ganga Maili was the best film made by Raj Kapoor.
He then cited a few love scenes from Shri 420 stating that they were the best ever to be shot. ?Your father was not just a genius, he was far beyond that. You can remake Mother India (which itself was remade from Aurat by Mehboob Khan), you can remake Titanic (as has already been done), but you cannot remake any of Raj Kapoor?s films.? He challenged me. ?Mr Randhir Kapoor, you also are a filmmaker.
You will be finished if you try and remake any of your father?s films. What Raj Kapoor has done is immortal, unparalleled ? no one should even dare to think of treading on the same path. There is only one Raj Kapoor in this world.''
I knew Raj Kapoor was a popular personality but so popular even fifteen years after his demise. One Yesterday is an extremely interesting book. It reveals many hidden facets of well-known personalities. My only wish is that it could have included more such stalwarts like K. Asif, Mehboob Khan, Mohd. Rafi to name a few.
