SAM Vignettes by Mayank Chhaya on Bollywood’s evergreen trinity - Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand
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00:00Welcome to Vignettes, a show about this, that and the other. As the name suggests, it has no discernible theme but slices of life that are interesting, albeit random, as seen by me.
00:26I've been a journalist for 43 years now and over the course of the last four decades or so, one has come across many things which may not make the day's headlines but are interesting recollections for a show like this, hence the name Vignettes.
00:48Speaking of random, I'm starting this new series in collaboration with the New Delhi based South Asia Monitor on December 14th which marks the 100th birth anniversary of the iconic actor, director and producer Raj Kapoor.
01:04It falls just three days after the 102nd birth anniversary of the thespian par excellence of Hindi cinema, Dilip Kumar on December 11th. Add to that that September this year marked the 101st birth anniversary of the third of the ultimate trinity of Hindi cinema, the actor, director and producer, the ever charismatic Dev Anand.
01:33That the three were genuine friends lends this Vignette some extra weight and charm. I interviewed Dilip Kumar four times between 1985 and 1995 but never met him personally.
01:53Considering the first three times my interviews were conducted on the clunky rotary phone, on which dialing a number was an arduous task that Gen Z cannot even begin to grasp, my feed becomes even more remarkable.
02:12During my last conversation with Dilip Kumar in 1995, he told me half in jest, half seriously,
02:21Mai aur aap kabhi roo-ba-roo nahi mile, ye toh meri kam naseebi hui. We have never met in person and that's my misfortune.
02:30Of course he knew that I knew that he was saying it mostly in jest and somewhat in earnestness.
02:36I'm talking about Dilip Kumar, like I said, because December 11th was his 102nd birth anniversary.
02:45A feature that stood out for me during all my interviews with him was his old world grace, charm and linguistic cadence.
02:58Let me cite an example. My third interview with him was sometime in April or May of 1988 and among other things we spoke about Dilip Kumar's lifelong friendship with Raj Kapoor.
03:16Raj Kapoor was very unwell in those days and Dilip Kumar was acutely conscious of that.
03:23As it turned out, Mr. Kapoor passed away a few months later that year.
03:30In that context, during the interview when Mr. Kapoor was still alive, Dilip Kumar told me,
03:38Chhaya saab, I request you to be extra careful when you quote me about Raj Kapoor.
03:44Main Lala ko bahut pyaar karta hu. Hum dono ki dosti bahut purani hai. Koi aisi-waisi baat na ajaaye ki Lala ko thes paunche.
03:54I love Lala. Lala being their term of endearment for each other.
04:01Ours is an old friendship. Let nothing slip in that might hurt him.
04:06I had to gently remind Dilip Kumar that I was a hard news journalist with a great reputation for accuracy in my reporting.
04:16And in any case, I could not misrepresent his words as long as they were lovely and without offense in themselves.
04:26So there was no question of my saying anything in my writing that would hurt Mr. Kapoor.
04:33We both laughed at that. He told me that Raj Kapoor was like a brother to him, as was the third of the once presiding trinity of Indian cinema, Teyvann.
04:44And like I mentioned, yaaron ka yaar hai mera Lala, Dilip Kumar told me. He's a friend's friend, my pal.
04:52Speaking of the Trinity, it's interesting that the three were born in the early 20th century in three consecutive years.
05:02Dilip Kumar on December 11th, 1922, followed by Teyvann on September 26th, 1923, and then Raj Kapoor on December 14th, 1924.
05:19Teyvann, whom I knew for over a quarter century from 1985 right until his death in December 2011, once told me that he was greatly fond of both his peers.
05:32We are very different artists, he told me. But what joins us is our passion for life and cinema. Whenever we meet, we meet as if we were never apart, he said.
05:47I never met Raj Kapoor nor interviewed him on phone, but it was obvious to me that if the three were together anywhere, they would not just light up that place but form an island of fame and artistry that would be the envy of the film world.
06:08Having known Mr. Anand so well and having interviewed Mr. Khan, incidentally Dilip Kumar's off-screen name was Yusuf Khan, hence Mr. Khan, I can tell you that those Hindu cinema artists who emerged in the 1940s had a certain elan and charisma that one does not find these days anymore.
06:31Their social graces were different, as was their articulation and idiom. Their expression had a certain cadence and substance that are not so common now. All three had a tremendous sense of music as evidenced by an astounding oeuvre of songs attached to their movies.
06:52As India celebrates Raj Kapoor's 100th birth anniversary today, remembering the trio of Dilip Kumar, Tej Anand and Raj Kapoor with joy is not too much to ask, I suppose.