rewind
Blast From The Past: How Asha Bhosle Sang The Drug Anthem Dum Maro Dum Instead Of Lata Mangeshkar
Believe it or not, the drug anthem Dum maro dum mit jaye gham from Hare Rama Hare Krishna was to be sung by Lata Mangeshkar!! At least that was composer Rahul Dev Burman’s original plan. But then the film’s producer-director-leading man Dev Anand, who had a keen ear for music, suggested Asha Bhosle for Dum maro dum. “Lata sang two beautiful solos Phoolon ka taaron ka, Ho ho re ghungroo and a lovely duet Kanchi re for me in Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Dum maro dum didn’t seem right for her,” Dev Saab told me. That’s how Asha stepped in. Even after her | Click Here...
When Tabu Walked Out Of Anupam Kher’s Directorial
Tabu can be very mercurial. And who knows this better than me?! She took an immediate dislike to me after our first interview where I unwittingly quoted a line she says she asked me not to. One line, that’s all it took. Wonder what Anupam Kher did to piss off Tabu! But he never directed any film after she walked out of his one and only directorial venture Om Jai Jagdish in 2002, and that too at the eleventh hour. Anupam’s set, a beach house where the entire family of mom Waheeda Rehman, sons Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and daughters-in-law Tabu, Urmil | Click Here...
When Asha Parekh Refused To Work With Amitabh Bachchan
The world tends to forget that before Amitabh Bachchan became a megastar he went through a long period of struggle that lasted from 1969 to1972 when he made non-descript appearances in at least 13 films, not all of them unsuccessful—Bombay To Goa was a success but all the credit went to Shatrughan Sinha. Until Zanjeer in 1973 no major heroine wanted to work with the Big B. Every major leading lady said no to Zanjeer and Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan) who was a superstar back then, agreed only because it was her boyfriend’s ticket to superstardom. That apart, the top heroines shied aw | Click Here...
The Silsila Triangle
It was meant to be another triangle all together. Amitabh Bachchan married to Smita Patil in an extra-marital love affair with Parveen Babi. That was the deal. The cast and crew of Silsila flew to Kashmir for the shooting. And then something happened. There was a sudden change in the casting. Parveen Babi and Smita Patil were politely told to go home. They were quietly replaced by Rekha and Jaya Bachchan. Apparently this casting coup was suggested to Yash Chopra by the film’s leading man. Just imagine. Amitabh Bachchan as Man, Jaya Bachchan as Wife and Rekha as the Ot | Click Here...
When Sushmita Sen Was Harassed By A Legendary Actor
There was no MeToo back then. If there was, things would have been different for Sushmita Sen who while shooting for Chingari with director Kalpana Lajmi had to face a situation of abject harassment from her co-star. Chingari was the story of a tussle between a prostitute and a priest. Sushmita found herself to be at the receiving end of a massive conflict with the well-known actor who played the villain. The legendary actor, made her life a living hell, so much that shooting the sexual scenes with the villain was an ordeal, as he made sure she was uncomfortable in them. This | Click Here...
Asha Parekh’s Love For Filmmaker Nasir Hussain
The film industry has known no triangular relationship more peaceful than the one shared among filmmaker the late Nasir Hussain, his wife and actress Asha Parekh. During the 1960s and 70s the entire entertainment industry knew about the relationship between Nasir Hussain and Asha Parekh. He not only launched her successfully in Dil Deke Dekho opposite Shammi Kapoor, Nasir Saab, as he was affectionately known, cast Asha Parekh and no one else in all his film Jab Pyar Kissise Hota Hai, Baharon Ke Sapne,Teesri Manzil, Phir Wohi Dil Laaya Hoon, Pyar Ka Mausam … But t | Click Here...
When Nutan Slapped Sanjeev Kumar
The legendary Nutan, considered by many to be THE finest Indian actress of all times, was not happy in her marriage. Husband Ranjish Behl kept tight control over her physical movements. Nutan was not ‘allowed’ to visit friends. Her close friend actress Shubha Khote told me, “I played her best friend in 4 successive films Seema, Anari, Aakhri Dao and Paying Guest. She was very helpful and very generous. And truly an angel. In all the time that I knew her I never ever heard her raise her voice. Softspoken and gentle her voice didn’t rise even when she was angry. We were | Click Here...
Blast from The Past: When Zeenat Aman was thrashed in full public by a Macho Khan & his wife
The alluring Zeenat Aman could have any man she wanted. But she chose to fall in love with men who almost invariably ill-treated her. I jokingly told her this. “You are a terrible judge of human beings. And the men in your life are proof of it.” And she laughed throatily. But what happened in 1980 when she was in the throes of a passionate love affair with a married Khan hero, was no laughing matter. The Khan was not only married with multiple kids he was also an over-ambitious filmmaker whose latest opus starring Zeenat and he, had gone ridiculous | Click Here...