In 1973, the BBC
documentary series Man Alive aired an episode about the then-reigning
superstar of Hindi cinema, Rajesh Khanna, called “Bombay
Superstar.” Thanks to my friend and fellow Rajesh fan Asli Jat (who
also wrote a helpful synopsis of it for me) I managed to finally get
a rare look at it: a copy of a VHS tape digitally converted several
times, so quality is not optimal, but it’s easily interesting
enough to make it worth seeing.
Reporter Jack Pizzey
went to India and managed to interview the reclusive star, along with
directors Hrishikesh Mukherjee and J. Om Prakash, actors Mumtaz and
Shashi Kapoor, and others. Footage includes his surprise wedding to
Dimple Kapadia, the Kashmir location shoot of Aap Ki Kasam and the
film premiere of Daag. Besides being a profile of Rajesh, it’s also
a fascinating look at the politics and power plays inside the
industry, and the struggle it takes to stay at the top.
I’ve included some
audio clips so that you can have the pleasure of hearing these
legendary film personalities speak, along with some (very poor)
screen shots of the program.
The program opens on
the sets of Namak Haraam, where Hrishikesh Mukherjee is waiting for
Rajesh to show up. Pizzey informs us that Rajesh has the “charisma
of Rudolph Valentino, the arrogance of Napoleon, and he’s late.”
When Rajesh finally
shows up, Mukherjee makes him wait in a game of one-upsmanship.
Finally Rajesh makes the first conciliatory move, and goes to meet
Mukherjee, who briefly scolds him before they begin shooting. Rajesh
has said that his legendary lateness on set was never deliberate but
due to his inability to get going in the morning. He also claims to
have been generally more punctual than usual when working with
Mukherjee, which somewhat negates that first statement. In any case,
his habitual tardiness is generally considered a large contributor to
his downfall.
His breakup with
actress Anju Mahendroo is also briefly mentioned by Pizzey (who calls
her his “latest mistress”—I can only imagine how that must have
made her feel since she shared a serious long-term relationship with
Rajesh).
Even the BBC has
trouble getting Rajesh to show up for their scheduled interviews.
When he is finally—on the fifth try—granted an audience at the
actor’s home, Pizzey asks Rajesh what it’s like to be a star. I’m
surprised by Rajesh’s English: it’s more British than
Indian-accented. He’s also very soft-spoken.
He comes across as
quiet and somewhat shy, but quite candid and sure of getting what he
wants.
This interview is
followed by footage of his baraat and wedding to Dimple Kapadia. It
is interspersed with comments by a gossip columnist for “Star &
Style” magazine named Devi. She has known Rajesh for a long time,
since before he became famous. She says that he had called her to
tell her of his impending nuptials, but she dismissed it as drunken
rambling and told him to go to bed! Hilarious. She is quite a
character (and we meet her again later).
Next stop is
Kashmir, on location with Aap Ki Kasam. Pizzey sits and talks with
Rajesh about his heroine-romancing style. Again, Rajesh seems quite
shy and a little embarrassed, but demonstrates his characteristic
eye-crinkling for Jack and the cameras.
There is extensive
footage of the huge crowds that have gathered to watch the day’s
filming, and Pizzey asks Rajesh and Mumtaz as they wait on the
sidelines what they think of the mayhem. I love Mumtaz’s reaction.
Pizzey then talks
about music’s place in Hindi cinema with the film’s director and
producer J. Om Prakash, and watches Rajesh and Mumtaz filming the
song “Suno Kaho.” He asks Mumtaz about lip-synching and playback
singing.
Devi shows up to
visit Rajesh and gather fodder for her column, and takes the piss out
of him too:
She reminds me of
Farah Khan, just a bit, with her caustic wit.
Song filming
continues, and when J. Om Prakash is asked about the lack of a kiss
to seal the musical romancing, he is quite droll:
Rajesh is shown
doing the same step for the “Suno Kaho” picturization over and
over and over again, after which he talks about the choreography,
doing retakes and playback singing (referring also to whom I can only
assume must be Kishore Kumar).
The BBC crew takes
Mumtaz out in a Kashmiri boat to get her away from the crowds, and
Pizzey talks to her about stardom, and about an article which Devi
has written about Mumtaz on her return to Bombay, which casts
aspersions on Mumtaz’s mother’s character. Mumtaz has decided to
sue.
She talks a little
about the pitfalls of stardom as well.
I love getting to
see Mumtaz as Mumtaz (or at least as much as she’s willing to be
“herself” in front of a stranger). She is just gorgeous, too.
Back in Bombay, it’s
time for the annual Filmfare awards, and Rajesh is reportedly unhappy
that he hasn’t won (he has won the Best Actor trophy the previous
two years in a row).
I have to say that
if I were an actor I’d be pretty upset about losing an acting award
to Manoj Kumar too (for Be-Imaan). Rajesh’s fans aren’t happy
either, as Filmfare editor Mr. Karanja explains to Pizzey.
A friend of Rajesh’s
is throwing a party on the same night as the awards show and is
busily inviting everyone who is anyone. Devi opines that in order to
be considered a success, Rajesh’s party will need at least five big
stars to show up. On the day of the awards, Rajesh himself is
reported to have fallen ill, but no one is really buying it. The big
question is: will he show up at the Filmfare show, at his party, at
both or at neither? Nobody knows for sure except Rajesh and he’s
not telling.
At the party, Devi
says that only one big name has shown up (Dilip Kumar) although I’ve
spotted another one whose name I consider big, anyway, and that’s
beautiful Rakhee.
Rajesh and Dimple do
eventually arrive, but general consensus gives the win on this one to
Filmfare. The next morning Rajesh denies any ulterior motive behind
the party, and then in the next breath claims to have been missed by
the awards show attendees.
It’s an
appropriate segue into a discussion of Rajesh’s recent failures
(Devi says five flops in a row, Rajesh himself says four). He seems
keenly aware of the repercussions.
His film Daag is
releasing the next day, and his hopes are pinned on it. Pizzey talks
to Dimple as she has her hair done for the premiere.
Shashi Kapoor
(billed by Pizzey as Rajesh’s “main rival” with his own period
of flops behind him) is interviewed on what makes a film successful.
He’s much more
talkative than Rajesh!
Daag is taken to the
rural villages (where it’s shown in a tent put up specially for the
occasion, with loudspeakers providing the audio). Consensus there is
that the film is good, but not worth repeated viewings: a hint that
it may not be the hit that Rajesh needs so desperately.
The fascination of
this documentary for me was that it’s very rare to see such footage
of industry players from that era. There may have been too much time
given to Devi, in that she seemed to have a bit of her own agenda;
but she was very entertaining, and that’s what it’s all about.
It’s evident that the BBC crew didn’t do a lot of research into
Rajesh Khanna’s life or the Hindi film industry in general; the
tone is occasionally patronizing and the questions pretty basic, but
there’s gold in there anyway.
Rajesh himself was
going through a lot at that point in his life (although I believe
Daag went on to be a pretty good hit for him—in any case, I like
it!). It’s fascinating to get a glimpse into what that level of
fame and success brings. The last shot of the documentary shows him
looking out the window at the crowd of adoring fans thronged in front
of his house, before he returns to his lonely seat to contemplate his
uncertain future. Pizzey’s voiceover says: “The Superstar may not
be quite so super anymore.”
I wonder what he
would have to say about the program today, with the perspective of
time.
I hope this post has
given some of the flavor of the entire thing. I also hope that maybe
one day the BBC will release it on DVD! Hindi film history is rarely
documented like this, and for that reason alone it’s a treasure.
