Mumbai, January 13: HE would never leave his home without his hat. On Thursday, that maroon hat, Amrish Puri's trademark for years, accompanied his body to the Shivaji Park crematorium. As the legend's granddaughter, Sachi, held the hat in hand and stood silently at the gate, many bowed to it. ''I've seen him innumerable times in this hat. It should be used as a memento,'' said businessman Pawan Kumar, a diehard fan from Borivali. | < = src="http://ads.expressindia.com/banner/iestoryban.js"> < = src="http://banners.expressindia.com/adsnew/adjs.php?para=no&n=243831935&what=zone:217&target=_blank&exclude=," =text/> | The narrow lane of the crematorium saw thousands throng to bid farewell to Bollywood's illustrious baddie. Shyam Benegal, Ramesh Sippy, Yash Chopra, Danny Denzongpa and Chaggan Bhujbal were among the movie and political magnates present. Outside, the crowd swelled, with many perching on the balconies and even branches of trees. ''Amrishji was much older than me, but his spirit was younger than most,'' said Shah Rukh Khan, fighting off tears. ''On screen, I played a good guy and he a bad guy. But Amrishji was a good-hearted and funny man. He had a tremendous sense of humour,'' added the star, who had memorably romanced Puri's screen daughter (Kajol) in the blockbuster Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ). ''I didn't feel bad when Amrishji really slapped me in a scene for DDLJ.'' Memories flooded the hall. In Dayavaan, director Feroz Khan had created a dirty pond where Vinod Khanna was to beat up Puri. ''Amrishji was worried about the water. I had to show him how I added colour to make it murky,'' said Khan. For showman Subhash Ghai, who cast Puri in several films, including the forthcoming Kisna, every moment with Puri was ''memorable''. ''Kya kya bataon? Ek kitab likh sakta hoon unke bare mein (What should I say? I can write a book on him),'' said Ghai. Farooq Abdullah, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, flew in from Delhi. ''I met him recently at the wedding of Suresh Kalmadi's son in Pune. He said he was recovering from malaria,'' recalled Abdullah. ''I didn't know he would leave us so soon.'' Om Puri saw him as ''a disciplined man who would always support any good initiative. Be it an earthquake or any other natural calamity, he would lead in collecting funds,'' said the actor. There were others as well; thirty years of playing bad must come to some good. The police, who had cordoned off the crematorium, had a difficult time controlling the crowd. ''Saab, mujhe ek phool chadhane do (Sir, let me offer one flower),'' begged autorickshaw driver Manish Kumar. The constables never gave him his chance. |
Shiv Shakti
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
57