The World of Prem Chopra - Niilesh A Raje

                                         The World of Prem Chopra

- Niilesh A Raje

Prem Chopra holds the distinction of having acted in over 400 films in a career spanning 50 years and still continues working with the same benchmark of commitment. He came from Shimla after graduating from a vernacular medium. While pursuing his education he observed that students who graduated from English medium were far more confident and prepared to face the world. To eliminate the complex he decided to create his own identity by participating in college dramatics, debates and elocution competitions. Today, his one-liner dialogues have proved to be his weapon which many try to ape.

Passion for Acting

He was bitten by the acting bug during his college days when he got actively involved in theatre. No one from his family belonged to showbiz or were remotely connected to the film industry. His father Ranbirlal Chopra, a high ranking Government official on the contrary was of the opinion that his son should take up a government job and doing something with Indian Administrative Service. Prem Chopra, third amongst six siblings, was very clear what he wanted to achieve in his life. Finally towards the end of graduation while every one wanted him to take up a Government job he expressed his desire to go to Mumbai in the city of dream and dream merchants and chase his passion much against his father's wishes. In Mumbai he fortunately found employment in the circulation department of Times of India, where he worked for almost four years. Post office hours in the evening he would spend time in Gaylord Restaurant at Churchgate which was a favourite hub of the stars of those times. He craved for an opportunity to prove his talent as he realized that nothing can set you apart from the rest of the pack except talent because finally it's your ability that gets noticed. While he continued his daily trips to the studios in search of work a Punjabi producer Jagjit Sethi offered him a Punjabi film Chaudhary Karnail Singh. Chopra grabbed the opportunity and as luck would have it the film was a huge success and even won the national award. While Mehboob Khan, impressed with his good looks, wanted to launch him meanwhile Prem Chopra did a miniscule role with grey shades in Woh Kaun Thi. Next came Sikander E Azam, Shaheed, Teesri Manzil, Mera Saaya, Upkar, Latt Saheb, Around the World in Eighty Days, Jhuk Gaya Aasman, Kati Patang and Duniya which gave him a strong foothold.

Dream Comes True

He admits that he was never finicky about the roles. All that mattered was the scope it would offer him to exhibit his histrionics. He was open for both positive as well as negative roles. He admits that God has been very kind to him and that he still continues to remain in this industry even after 5 decades. Most of his contemporaries have either died or hung their boots. He feels proud that the audience appreciates his work and the characters he enacts. “Before coming to Mumbai my father had clearly told me if you want to become an actor set your benchmarks absolutely high or be like Dilip Kumar”, reveals the veteran actor. His dream came true when he got the opportunity to work with his idol Dilip Kumar in Dastaan. “Dilipsaab was so focussed. For him every shot was an obsession even if it demanded innumerable retakes. What mattered is the final product which impressed the audience”, he explains.

Prem Naam Hai Mera

When Raj Kapoor approached Prem Chopra for Bobby he was quite skeptical because the only dialogue given to him was ‘Prem Naam hai mera . . . Prem Chopra’. Actor Premnath, on spotting the confused actor, urged him to take it up. Bobby became a sensational hit and the dialogue clicked. Overnight Prem Chopra became a star. “Even today this line from Bobby is equally popular be it in India or abroad. Everywhere I am invited the audience want to hear it from me. I don’t have to even rehearse as it contains my own name”, he winks. Prem Chopra has been a part of several popular films like Purab Aur Paschim, Prem Pujari, Daag, Do Anjane, Trishul, Kala Pathar, The Great Gambler, Dostana, Aas Paas, Kranti, Naseeb and Khudaar among others.

Gentleman in Real Life

A septuagenarian Prem Chopra loves to start his day early. He is very particular about his morning yoga. He loves to swim which keeps him fit. A voracious reader his love for books is evident from his neatly arranged bookshelf. He keeps a tab on the new arrivals and updates his collection regularly. “I firmly believe that reading is essential for success and one's growth”, he suggests. He is equally good at writing poetry and shayari. He loves playing and watching cricket which keeps him interested and involved.

He lives in his 14^th floor massive duplex apartment in Pali Hill, Bandra with wife Uma. He has three beautiful daughters Rakita, Punita and Prerana. All of them are married to people connected to the Film Industry (Rahul Nanda, Vikas Bhalla and Sharman Joshi). He adores spending time with his grand children. He may carry the reputation of a wicked person because of his convincing portrayal of the evil guy but in real life Prem Chopra is a gentleman honoured with the Mother Teresa Award for his humanitarian work and professional achievements. Film goers worldwide would continue to recognize him with the one-liner, "Prem Naam hai mera ...Prem Chopra."

Gulzar - Wizard of Words

~ Niilesh A Raje

The melodious strains of ‘Dil dhoondta hai, Phir wohi fursat ke raat din’ fills the air and the name that automatically comes to mind is Gulzar. Apart from being a prolific writer and a voracious reader the first thing that registers in my mind about Gulzar is his trademark crisp white kurta and golden mojris. In due course of time i discovered that the celebrated poet cum filmmaker has been stitching the Kurtas, for the last three decades, from Ashok Tailor's at Santacruz. Gulzar was barely 14 when he came to Mumbai to experience an entirely new episode of his life which later turned out to be a voyage of discovery. 

Early Life 

Sampooran Singh Kalra better known by his pen name Gulzar was born on 18th August 1936 in a Sikh family to Sardar Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujaan Kaur in Dina (now in Pakistan). The family had to undergo lot of mental turmoil during partition and eventually moved to Amristar. Gulzar, an avid reader of poetry and literature always loved meeting authors whose books he had read and this gave him immense motivation. He was absolutely clear and determined to become a poet or an author. He was so much inclined that he made a rubber stamp of his name and stamped it on a book just to get a feel how the book would look with his name as the author. His family was of the opinion that he should become a Chartered Accountant. When his father realised about his son’s ambition he discouraged him from becoming a writer saying "As a writer you will have to depend on your brothers all your life". Such caustic comments made hardly any difference to his burning passion to take up writing as a full time career. One day while travelling from Delhi to Mumbai by Frontier Mail he got off at Mumbai Central Railway Station. While in Mumbai Gulzar joined Khalsa College but spend only a year there because the college did not offer Urdu and Persian literature. Next year he shifted his base to National College in Bandra, which offered both these subjects much to his liking and interest. His initial few years in Mumbai was tough and he had to face lot of hardships. He worked with Vichare Motors as a spray painter to make ends meet. Though some his friends were connected with the film industry, writing for films was the last thing on Gulzar’s mind.

At home Gulzar was considered the black sheep of the family. They regarded writing as utter waste of time which gave no financial stability. He was often given the example of a distant relative, a poet who was popular within his circle but never made money and always ended up borrowing from others. The relatives had labelled him "Nikamma" and "Anpadh". One day, when his elder brother broached the same topic Gulzar, in sheer annoyance, retaliated, “A day will come when your own children will read my books”. He walked out of his brother's house and settled down in Four Bungalows sharing the room with Debu Sen, a renowned Bengali language journalist who was working with leading filmmaker Bimal Roy.

Man of Many Identities

Gulzar holds the reputation for being a man of many identities. An extraordinary poet, accomplished filmmaker, screenplay and dialogue writer, eminent author and an award winning lyricist. His collaboration with Sachin Dev Burman in Bandini kick started his career as a song writer which continues till date. The song Mora gora ang layee le, more shaam rang dayee de was highly appreciated and he went on to pen songs for films like Kabuliwala, Sannaata, Do Dooni Chaar, Biwi Aur Makaan, Khamoshi, Guddi, Anand. If he won awards and critical acclaim for writing dialogues for films like Anand and Namak Haram he also directed movies like Mere Apne, Koshish, Parichay, Mausam, Kinara, Khushboo, Angoor, Namkeen and Ijaazat that won rave reviews. 

His association with composer R D Burman proved to be most fruitful. Together they created a melodious ocean and unleashed numerous scores that are cherished till date. Whether it is “Musafir hoon yaaron”, "Tere Bina Zindagi se", "Tum Aa Gaye Ho", "Is Mod Se Jate Hain", “Aanewala pal”, “Tere bina jiya jaye na”, “O majhi re”, ”Bechara dil kya kare”, “Roz roz aakhon tale”, “Mera kuch samaan” or “Tujhse naraaz nahin zindagi”, each one is a timeless classic that has the remarkable Gulzarish feel. Another hallmark of the genius of Gulzar is that he has adapted so effortlessly with the composers and music of recent times. In today's age of social media one has seen the pattern of music change rapidly and also the grammar of song writing. But Gulzar has embraced this change and penned toe tapping chartbusters like “Chaiyya chaiyya”, “Beedi jalaile”, “Kajra re”, “Jai ho” or “Dhan te nan”. 

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2004 for his contribution to the arts and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002. Gulzar has won several National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards. In 2009, he won the Academy Award for "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, which later went on to win him a Grammy Award. Encapsulating his passion for music and writing songs the veteran says, "Music has a natural place in our lives. Right from the shlokas you recite in your morning puja and the milkman who comes whistling on his cycle, to the fakir singing as he begs for alms and your mother humming while doing the kitchen chores. Music fills our spaces naturally. It will always be dear to us." 

Don’t Tamper With My Words

For this septuagenarian be it his home or office the place that remains very dear to him is his desk and armchair surrounding him with piles of books and papers. He loves to have an early start in the morning followed by yoga and is off to play tennis at Bandra Gymkhana. Reading the morning daily is mandatory for him as much as his cup of tea. By 10:30am he starts his day in his office. Gulzar is know to read multiple books at a time and is disciplined to keep them back in the shelves only after he's finished reading them.

He admits he could not complete his intermediate level (class 12th) due to various factors and had to finally come to Mumbai to search for a job. Today, things have changed so also the expectations of parents. Parents should devote more time to their kids and help them understand that academic failure is not the end of the world. He is very possessive and careful of the words he uses and does not allow even a single word of his lyrics to be tampered with. There have been number of occasions when he has opted out of the project when he is not comfortable with the words he is being asked to replace or write. He firmly admits “that's not the way I work. I never will”. To sum it up it is his deep thinking that brings out the best from this Wizard of Words called Gulzar.