Raj Kapoor’s Bobby which introduced 18-year old Rishi Kapoor as a leading man and 15-year Dimple Kapadia as the nation’s heartthrob to Hindi cinema wiped out the Showman’s huge financial debts. It was the biggest hit of Raj Kapoor’s career as a filmmaker and regarded as the most iconic love story of all times.
During a conversation with me Rishi Kapoor had spoken of the enduring popularity of Bobby. “It was the innocence of the young lovers, masoomiyat tthi unke andar.Then there was the magic of Raj Kapoor in every frame. The songs composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal were phenomenally good.Lataji’s vocals for Dimple were a highpoint .I remember one thing that my father Raj Kapoor said while making Bobby. ‘I want every man to have Dimple’s photograph and every woman to have Rishi’s photograph under their pillows’. Magazines used to comment on my pink cheeks and red lips. But the image of a cute hero worked for me.”
Speaking of the music and songs , Lataji had refused to sing for Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker and had also indicated that she would not sing for any subsequent films of Raj Kapoor.Raj Saab was in deep debt after the massive failure of Mera Naam Joker. He needed a superhit film.For that he needed superhit songs. And for the songs to be superhits Raj saab needed to get Lataji back.
He therefore hit on a masterplan. He asked Laxmikant-Pyarelal who were very close to Lataji to do the music of Bobby. This was L-P’s first film for Raj Kapoor.And they were assigned the task of cajoling Lataji back.The deal was simple. No Lataji, no Bobby. Luckily she relented.
Speaking to me about incident for the first time Lataji says, “Yes , there was some problem with Raj Saab during Mera Naam Joker and I didn’t sing for that film. I found the words for one of the songs inappropriate and we disagreed on that. But I was back with Bobby.”
A lot of the film’s success is attributed to Lataji’s songs like Jhooth bole kauva kaate, Mujhe kuch kehna hai, Hum tum ek kamre mein band hon, Ae phansa and Ankhiyon ko rehne de.
She brushes off the compliment. “I would say the credit for the success of Bobby must go to Rishi Kapoor. Yeh unki pehli picture tthi as a hero aisa lagta hai nahin ttha(it didn’t look like his first film as a leading man). If Bobby is considered an all-time classic it is because of Rishi Kapoor.”
Raj Kapoor’s Bobby and Guru Dutt’s Pyasa are the two romantic films that shaped and moulded filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s view of love and life. Says Rakeysh, “Actually . I first saw Bobby at the Regal theatre in Connaught Place in Delhi in 1973 when I was 10 with my family.Movie-going was always a big event for the family. My father was great fan of Raj Kapoor.And Raj Saab was launching his son in Bobby.So it was a specially important film for our family.”
Rakeysh was addicted the romance of Bobby. “I must have seen Bobby at least ten times when it first had its golden-jubilee run.Each time, it was in the theatre and not on the small screen. I remember falling in love with the film and with Dimple Kapadia. That was a child’s amazement at a film that shaped his romantic perceptions.”
Then later when he grew up Rakeysh saw Bobby with the eyes of a filmmaker. “Then I saw what great filmmaking skills had gone into it. Somewhere deep down Bobby remains entrenched in my heart. And then as filmmaker nobody can beat Raj Kapoor Saab. The whole treatment of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet was totally RK.”
Rakeysh fell in love with the concept of love watching Rishi romance Dimple. “Rishi Kapoor epitomized love romance and And Dimple Kapadia completely changed our lives.She changed the way we looked at a Hindi film heroine. She defined the very concept of a ‘breath of fresh air.’ She was so comfortable with her sexuality. We had never seen anything like her.”
What made Bobby even more memorable for Rakeysh was its music. “What songs by Laxmikant-Pyarelal! Lataji at 40 sang like a 16-year old for Dimple. Music today in our films has become a tool for marketing and not a tool for creative expression.The only better interpretation of Romeo & Juliet than Bobby is Titanic. The sacrifice of love at the end worked for me. The forced happy ending in Bobby spoilt it for me. For me the film ends when Rishi and Dimple jumps into the river.A really great love story must have a tragic end. Shakespeare told us this.”
The song Main shayar to nahin in Bobby gave birth to two stars. Rishi Kapoor who lip-synced this timeless song, and Shailendra Singh who actually sang the tune to eternal fame.
Singh, now 68,living alone in blissful isolation, blames his own poor networking abilities to his short-lived stardom.“I don’t speak about my past glory and when my friend Chintu(Rishi Kapoor) passed away I saw that wonderful phase in my life when we both dazzled the world come to a closure,” says the affable singer when I coax him into an interview.“I met him after he returned from his treatment, three months ago. He was his usual self, so full of life, sparkling with humour and warmth…Why does such a man leave us so quickly?…We were almost the same age. I still remember a very young fair-skinned boy standing quietly in the studio when I I was recording Main shayar toh nahin for Raj Saab and Laxmikant-Pyarelalji . He didn’t say anything. Just kept observing , later he introduced himself as the hero of the film that I was singing for,says Shailendra fondly.
How did he , a newcomer, get such a prized singing assignment like Bobby?Shailendra sighs, “Even I wondered why , and how. I had nothing to do with the film fraternity. I lived in Pune and learnt classical Hindustani music from my Guru. Then suddenly one day I was told that Raj Kapoor Saab was looking for a fresh voice for his son, and why don’t I try for it?”
Shailendra “gave it a try” with no expectations. “How was I to know that Raj Saab would like my voice? At the that time I had no idea what it was for,that Raj Saab was making a film called Bobby with his son Rishi Kapoor in the lead.Or that the composers were the great Laxmikant-Pyarelal and that my duets would be with the Singing Queen Lata Mangeshkarji. I knew none of this.”
Here came a seemingly insurmountable hurdle. “Laxmikant-Pyarelal wanted the voice of Mohd Rafi Saab for Chintu. But Raj Saab was adamant. It had to be a fresh new voice for Chintu. Aur bhala Raj Saab ki baat kaun taal sakta ttha? So there I was, being told by Laxmikantji to sing something, anything…And guess what I chose to sing for him? Dekha na haye re socha na haye re from Bombay To Goa.An R D Burman composition for Laxmikant-Pyarelal! I remember the very talented composer Rajesh Roshan played the congo as I sang for Laxmi-Pyare Ji. That was the song of my life Dekha na haye re socha na haye re.I never cared about cultivating the right people in the film industry,or belonging to any camp.”
Thereafter a couple of significant incidents happened in the Kapoor parivar . “Daboo(Randhir Kapoor) got married. Raj Saab lost his father (Prithviraj Kapoor). Finally I recorded Main shayar toh nahin. Everyone congratulated me. I was formally introduced to the film fraternity by Raj saab at a get-together . I remember Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Rajesh Khanna, R D Burman they were all there. My dream run had just begun. The duets with Lataji were yet to come, though she was there for my recording of Main shayar toh nahin. I remember she introduced herself( as though I didn’t know who she was!),watched me sing and then left quietly. Soon I was singing Hum tum ek kamre band ho with her. The first of our three superhit duets in Bobby. She saw my nervousness and put me at ease. I became a lifelong fan. My day still starts with her song. By the way Main shayar toh nahin was re-recorded. I had to do it a second time, though I thought I was better in the first version.”
Shailendra Singh reveals how his dream of becoming Rishi Kapoor’s permanent ghost voice were shattered . “I thought I’d be Chintu’s ghost-voice , just like Mukesh Saab for Raaj saab. Chintu of course believed in my voice. He would always recommend me. I sang two songs for him in his second film Zehreela Insaan. I was supposed to sing a third song Oh hanseeni, which became the biggest hit of the film. Before I knew it , the song was taken away from me and given to Kishore Kumar Saab.”
An identical situation arose during Sagar. “I was told S P Balasubramaniamji would be Kamal Haasan’s voice. And I would be singing all the songs for Chintu. I recorded one song Jaane do na with Ashaji for Saagar .It was used for the mahurat of the film. And then suddenly , all the other songs were sung by Kishore Kumar Saab. I don’t blame anyone for this sudden change. Kishoreda was a much bigger and better singer than me. I am happy to have got songs like Main shayar toh nahin(Bobby), Humne tumko dekha(Khel Khel Mein), Sham suhanee aaye(Zinda Dil) , Hoga tumse pyara kaun(Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai) , Jaane do na(Saagar) and Oh meri jaan(Manzil Manzil). The rest was all destiny.Even today no matter where I go at every concert the audiences go wild when I sing Main shayar toh nahin. Incidentally Chintu returned to sing Main shayar toh nahin in Kunal Kohli’s Hum Tum in my voice. It was a grand reunion. Now I will sing Main shayar toh nahin for Chintu when we meet again. ”
Bobby is the ultimate love story for many generations of Indians. Raj Kapoor did not make Bobby to launch his son Rishi Kapoor. From the outset the film’s focus was on the film’s leading lady and ,well, Rishi was welcome to climb on board. But he got no special treatment . His dad was busy focusing on the female lead. 15-year old Dimple Kapadia was Raj Kapoor’s friend Chunnilal Kapadia’s daughter. He chose her after auditioning numerous other girls including Rishi’s future wife Neetu Singh and Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan.
Recalling the Bobby hysteria, Dimple Kapadia said to me, “I was a 15-year old. I had no idea what was going on. Raj Saab was a family friend. He asked my father if I would work in a film .My father agreed. I had no clue about acting. Everything you saw me do in Bobby was Raj Kapoor.”
The role that Aruna Irani paid of the virgin-boy Rishi Kapoor’s seductive sexually savvy friend was written for Rekha . She didn’t do the role as she found it secondary. Later after many years Rekha got a chance to be directed by Raj Kapoor in Dharam Karam . There is a scene in Bobby where Aroona Irani catches Rishi emerging from the bathroom naked. He was actually nude while doing the scene. Ranbir Kapoor too did a nude shot in his debut film Saawariya.
Bobby had a tragic ending to begin with,where the lovers drowned themselves . But distributors threatened to drown themselves if RK didn’t change the ending. Thus a blissful finale was forced on Raj Kapoor’s version of Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare must have rolled his eyes in disbelief.
