GULZAR : SENSITIVITY PERSONIFIED
iView Author: SATYENDRA JHA (Pune, India)
Email: satyendrajha30 [at] gmail.com
‘ GULZAR – SENSITIVITY PERSONIFIED ‘
Most of the movies made in India can traditionally be divided into two extremes; first being the usual formula-flicks, having the most common themes of mushy romantic love stories or action-driven revenge capers, simply because the producers want to play safe and not tread the untrodden, or the other category of the pseudo-intellectual and self-indulgent ‘art-house’ variety, the primary objective of such movies being to get a recognition at the various film festivals around the world.
Not that the situation has remained the same in this new-age multiplex culture as well. To give due credit, in the present decade, we have seen a virtual revolution in the new-wave-cinema, where the audiences can get the entertainment-quotient as well as something some thought-provoking ideas to chew up on, on their way back home. And although we have definitely started expecting more from such directors, truth is, we are still at a nascent stage as far that fulfilling ‘cinematic experience’ is concerned. No wonder then, that today the moment any new film is announced, we start categorising it in terms of the viewership or regional appeal, or even the ‘class’ to which it might cater to!
However, there has been one person who can safely be associated with those sensitive films exploring human relations, which give us the ‘qualitative stimulus’ as well as go down well with the general public who wants the money’s worth at the end of the day. I am talking about a car mechanic, once working in a garage in Mumbai, turned lyricist, writer, poet and director – Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar.
Born on 18 August, 1936 in the Punjab Province of present day Pakistan, Gulzar had always been a person with a soft & sensitive side to him, despite initially working in the most unglamorous and ‘non-sensitive’ field of car garage. In his free time, he used to visit the literary soirees of Mumbai dressed in his now-trademark-style of crisp white kurta-payjama and kolhapuri chappals, and a grey shawl to compliment the typical ‘poet / writer’ looks. On one such occasion, he came in contact with the lyricist Shailendra, who, realising the hidden talent brimming with pathos, coaxed him to write a song for Bimal Roy’s Bandini. Mora Gora Ang Laie Le kick-started his instant recognition and tryst with the literary part of movie-making, and soon he was writing lyrics, dialogues and scripts for movies made by bigwigs like Bimal Roy, Asit Sen and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Bimal Roy, acknowledging his potential, made him his assistant director, and after a few years, Gulzar tried his hand at direction by making a socially relevant movie depicting the angst & frustration of the educated unemployed youth, Mere Apne. The movie had an eclectic cast of mostly unseen brats from FTII, Pune like Shatrughan Sinha, Danny, Asrani, Paintal, well supported by Vinod Khanna and Yogita Bali. However, it was the swansong film for Meena Kumari, (along with Pakeezah) for which this movie is more known today.
Gulzar let his versatility take full flow with his very next movie, Parichay, a loose adaptation of Sound of Music, where he made an actor out of the jumping jack, Jeetendra, and gave a blink-and-you-miss role to the angst-ridden hero of his previous venture, Vinod Khanna. Gulzar also started his two of the most long-lasting and fulfilling associations of his career with Sanjeev Kumar and Rahul Dev Burman with this movie. While Parichay was a romantic family film, Mere Apne, or the film immediately following the former, Achanak (once again Vinod Khanna in a searing role of a betrayed lover who plays a cat-and-mouse game with the police in his pursuit for murder) were both hard-hitting commentary on our degrading society and political upheaval.
If Koshish was a study of the trials and tribulations in the life of a deaf & mute couple, his most controversial film till date, Aandhi was a satire on the political uncertainty of those times. The main protagonist’s role was loosely based on the life of the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi, and even before its release, it had been banned for almost six months before it could see the light of the day.
Two major observations can be derived from this trend, which form the crux of most of the movies directed by Gulzar. One, his movies could be a forceful commentary on the controversial social issues (Mere Apne, Achanak, Aandhi, Hu Tu Tu, Maachis), or a study of human relations (Parichay, Koshish, Mausam, Kinara, Kitab, Khushboo, Namkeen, Angoor, Libaas, Ijaazat, Lekin) or poignant biographical profiles (Ghalib, Meera. Amzad Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Meena Kumari). The second major achievement Gulzar had was to turn the glamorous stars into characters with unglamorous roles, complete with self-introspection and probably their most artistically-fulfilling roles of the career. Sample this: Jeetendra – Parichay, Khushboo, Kinara; Vinod Khanna – Mere Apne, Parichay, Achanak, Meera, Lekin; Hema Malini – Khushboo, Kinara, Meera.
One of the major styles of Gulzar’s films is the extensive use of non-linear story-telling, past interposed with present, with a lot of flash-back cuts. No wonder then, that in the beginning, his movies appear to be disjointed, but in its entirety, the movies are a masterpiece in story-telling. He feels that our present and future cannot be complete by ignoring our past, hence all the back-up stories that he weaves in his stories. But those who felt Gulzar’s movies were mostly meant for the mature audiences of the niche and intellectual types, he has been associated with some really light and fun-loving ventures like Kitab, Angoor, and probably the icing on the cake – Jungle Book. I can bet all of us must have seen it during those good-old Doordarshan days, and hummed that eponymous title track at least once in our lives – jungle-jungle baat chali hai pata chala hai, arre chaddhi pehen ke phool khila hai, phool khila hai…
This, of course, gave rise to another of prodigies, and Gulzar’s true successor in all senses – Vishal Bhardwaj. Both these geniuses have collaborated in giving us some real world-class creations since then, but more about that in some other post. However, this post would be incomplete without mentioning that their association has been a real two-way traffic. In earlier days, Gulzar would direct and VB would give music. Lately, VB is the director, and Gulzar lends his lyrics and stories. For the connoisseurs, the range of their creation is as varied as ‘paani-paani re’ to ‘beedi jalai le’.
Gulzar also created some soulful Ghazals, teaming with Jagjit Singh, and we got Marasim and Koi Baat Chale. The simplicity with which Gulzar has captured the sentiments and emotions in various moods can hardly be matched by many…
Mujhko bhi tarkeeb sikhade yaar julaahe…Aksar tujhko dekha hai ik dhaaga bunte… Jab koi dhaaga toot gaya ya khatm hua… Phir se usme jodke koi dhaaga…Aage bunane lagte ho… Tere iss dhaage mein lekin ek bhi gaanth bina bunkar ke, dekh nahin sakta hai koi…Maine toh ik baar buna thha ek hi rishta…Lekin uski saari girahein saaf nazar aati hain mere yaar julaahe…Mujhko bhi tarkeeb sikha de yaar julaahe…
Pure gold… Goosebumps stuff…!
This pain and longing probably comes from his not-so-happy married life with Raakhi. But like all matured persons, they have a very healthy relationship now, though they don’t stay together anymore. They have a daughter, Meghana Gulzar, who, of course, is a film-maker in her own right, with movies like Filhaal and Just married to her credit. Gulzar prefers to keep his personal life very private, and I will not dwell any further on this topic, for obvious reasons.
His contribution to cinema has definitely not gone unnoticed, and testimony to that is the five national awards and seventeen Filmfare awards he has already won. Add Sahitya Academy Award in 2002 for his collection of short stories – Dhuaan, and the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and his resume looks perfect. But the cherry on the cake is the latest Academy Awards that he has got for “Jai Ho…” from Slumdog Millionaire.
One can go on and on about the achievements of Gulzar, but the man himself is so humble, despite all his glamorous trappings, you will hardly notice him, even if he is standing right beside you. Once, I had the pleasure of sitting next to him in a flight from Mumbai to Delhi, and the next two hours, I kept pestering him no end, by asking all sorts of questions, knowing well that I might be invading into his privacy, but being too ecstatic all the same to be sitting beside him. I didn’t want to miss a single moment of that opportunity! Sir, if you ever read this, I am the one who must have bored you the maximum in your life, at least in a flight.
To say anything more would be like stating the obvious, so I would not give him any further adjectives. To take a hint from one of his songs… “pyaar ko pyaar hi rehne do, koi naam na do…”. Wish he gives us many more movies to talk about, write about, and gush about. I keep scouting for any little information, suggesting that Gulzar wants to direct another movie. No such luck lately….and it’s been exactly 10 years now since he last directed…
Tags: Aandhi, Achanak, Angoor, gulzar, Hu tu tu, Ijaazat, Khushboo, Kinara, Kitab, Koshish, Lekin, Libas, Maachis, Meera, Meghna, Mena Kumari, mere apne, NAMKEEN, Rakhi, Sanjev Kumar, vinod khanna
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BOSS HE IS A MASTER MY ALL TIME FAV
Jha- well written as always.Gulzaar saab is very special.I love his work whether it be the songs written or the movies directed by him.In fact over time- one of my most fav songs ever of Hindi cinema is from his first movie as director- Mere Apne.
“Koi hota jisko apna, hum apna keh lete yaaron”
whenever I hear the songs, mere rongte khade ho jaate hain, seriously I’m really that much into the song.Be it Maachis,Kinara,Angoor,Parichay,Mere Apne etc, the movies made by him had a special charm.
Good that you’ve mentioned about Marasim- a very special album with 2 giants – Jagjit Singh & Gulzar collaborating.But I wish you had also written a bit more on Gulzaar saab as a writer & lyics writer in Bollywood.As a lyrics writer he continues to be foremost & along with another genus – Javed saab would probably be one of the most poetic among them all.Be it Golmaal ( old), Masoom,Sadma,Rudaali,Satya,Chachi 420,Fiza,Aks,Ashoka to Bunty aur Babli,Paheli,Guru,JBJ,No Smoking,Yuvvraj & the latest Billu ( apart from all his movies& movies of VB) he continues to rock.Long live his spirit & I hope to see more from him- be it as a lyrics writer or a writer.Hopefully he’ll make atleast one more movie soon.
And BTW the Oscar award that Gulzar saab shares with ARR is definitely more like a representation of his work so far & not just for Jai Ho as far as I’m concerned.
thanks for the nicely summarized article. Gulzar surely is a true genius. He is known more for his work as a lyricist today – few are familiar with his marvelous work as a director. I am really happy that he received an Academy award – I wish he was there at the ceremony to receive his award in person.
Long Live Gulzar!
Although ‘Maachis’ is a more acclaimed film, I just love ‘Hu Tu Tu’.
It literally blew me away!
It met with quite a bad reception, but for me, it’s a gem of a film.
‘Lekin’ is another film I can’t shake off.
Been almost 20 years since I saw it, but it’s not easy to forget.
@steve
Lekin! Wow! Can anybody tell me where can I get dvd/vcd whatever of Lekin? I stay in Pune.
i feel that saying anything about gulzar saab is like ’suraj ko diya dikhaana’ he is the real magician!
@ 32- Posting this comment for you on behalf of Satyendra Jha, the author of this write-up.He is from Pune himself & says you can borrow the DVD of Lekin from him if you want.
32, i’m not sure about where it’d be available in India, but the dvd is available on Amazon, and they’ll deliver it safely to ur doorstep! :-)
I actually saw it on VHS back in the 90’s.
Hope u get it :-)
Lo, Sethu comes to the rescue! :-)
Chalo, 32 ki baat bangeyi…
@ Sethu: hey, just reached my destination, n saw my own write-up. thx for ur appreciation, and as i told u, i realise this single post doesnt do justice to gulzar sa’ab’s talent, esp his role as a lyricist and screenplay writer. im gonna write another article on gulzar the lyricist and also abt his magnificent association with some of the personalities like RDB, ARR, Sanjeev Kumar, and of course Vishal Bhardwaj. And yes, i do agree that his academy award is for his entire body of work, roughly represented by Jai Ho, for the sake of nominations..
@ Vishal: Thanks for the encouraging words. yes, his directed movies are a gem in themselves, but he was more of a poet / writer, than a director. plan to write separately on tht.
@ Steve: Hu Tu Tu was one of his most political-satirical movies, IMO. i just loved it, and one of the few movies where i appreciated Sunil Shetty. Tabu & Nana were obviously good, but Suhasini Mulay & Mohan Agashe were awesome.
@ 32: a/s/l plz. can lend u DVD of Lekin, i m frm Pune as well. stay in koregaon park.
@ Magik: right said Magik bhai.. silly me, but i just remembered tht amazing movie – suraj ka saatwaan ghoda.. guess it applies to gulzar saab as well, in a different context.
@ Sid: thx mate, for the appreciation. he is my all time favourite director…. i was personally most moved by his namkeen. do catch it, if u can.
Suhasni Mulay was fabulous.
Whenever I see her, the word ‘Constituency’ always comes to mind thanks to ‘Hu Tu Tu’!
I happen to like Sunil Shetty in everything he does :-)
The film did a magnificent job of exploring the youth of today who make the choices they do.
The conflict of the mother & daughter was dealt with brilliantly too.
I just can’t get my head around the failure of this film?!
Ok, so the climax was extreme, yet in total sync with the emotional frustration displayed by the characters.
@ Steve: Hu Tu Tu failed primarily because it was, IMO, ahead of its times. had it been released in today’s multiplex age, it would definitely hv been noticed by a wider audience for which it was meant.
probably the failure of this film, whih was one of the best commentaries on the burning socio-political issues, disappointed gulzar saab so much tht he hasnt ventured into filmmaking since then.
personally, i rank this film very highly, and one of the best scenes was whn tabu’s character discovers her mother’s tacit relationship with the ‘mentor’, and throws a stone to the window to her angst and frustration after her realisation. also, the way the suspense is built abt the leader of rebellions being sunil shetty, and the reason why he did so, was typical gulzar’s non-linearity style.
one of my greatest desire today is that Gulzar Saab to make one more film for us…kaash aisa jald ho… sorry i hv no words to describe Gulzar Saab.. m too small to talk about him…
gulzar saheb
gulzar saheb is like PREMCHAND.he is known for making magic with pen.opver the years the genius has experimented with style and content.whenever he comes he is FRESH and thought provoking.an institution of RARE EXHIBITION IN BOLLYWOOD
@ Akash: unfortunately he doesnt seem to b doing it in the near future, at least thts wht he told me whn i hd asked him. wud give anythg to have another gem frm him.
@syedtauheed: thts an interesting comparison. they both r rooted to the real India, very ‘mitti-ke-laal’ if i may say so.
read ‘namak ka daroga’ or even ’sadgati’ to realise how much gulzar’s movies r influenced by Premchand’s way of story-telling…