Posted:
itz longg but interestingggggggggg
Some three years ago a group of writers, poets and journalists from
different parts of India got together and decided to visit Pakistan
on a private goodwill visit. They had a long-standing invitation
from their counter parts across the border. They were over whelmed
by the response and reception they received wherever they went. But
the one subject that surfaced and dominated every meeting they had,
every reception held in their honour was Hindi films. Their counter
parts were aware of the latest developments in Mumbai and the latest
positions of the stars. They wanted to know the most about Dilip
Kumar who they said was still the most popular Indian in Pakistan,
not only as an actor but as a man in whom people in Pakistan still
saw hope of bringing the two countries together. They said he was as
big or even bigger an icon as he was in India. Some closely
associated friends and admirers of the icon from Karachi and Lahore
even went to the extent of suggesting that the Indian Government
considered sending Mr. Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan (Dilip Kumar) as
the Indian Ambassador to Pakistan or at least send him on a long
goodwill visit to Pakistan and they believed almost all the problems
between the two countries would be solved. The Indians were taken
aback when some of the leading poets and artists went to the extent
of ending every meeting or get together with a common request. "Give
us Madhuri Dixit and we will give you Kashmir gladly", they said
unanimously. The Indians had heard of the common man of Pakistan
raising such slogans but were amazed at the way some of the hard
core thinking community of Pakistan could think like them when it
came to Hindi films, Dilip Kumar and specially Madhuri Dixit.
Now three years later another group of journalist were on a visit
to what is still known as an hostile country, hostile towards each
other during the last sixty years. This group was also confounded by
the warm welcome they received wherever they went. They hardly had
any chance to talk about reviving relations between the two warring
countries because they did not feel the need to. They never felt
they were in hostile country always ready to take up arms against
its neighbour, India. They were given the feeling of being among
neighbour and long lost friend. And this group too was flabbergasted
by the way the people of a changing Pakistan showed their love,
admiration and knowledge about Hindi film. They still had Dilip
Kumar as top priority when it came to popularity down the year. They
were aware all the young Khans who they knew were dominating the
Hindi film scene. They seemed to take a rare kind of pride when they
talk about the Khans. They unanimously sounded as if the Khans from
India belonged to their clan. This time too the journalist from
India were told that one visit by Dilip Kumar all over Pakistan was
enough to solve the problem that all the wars fought could not. They
were sure that everyone from President Pervez Musharraf, his family,
his army, all the governor of the various states, all the artists
and academicians and down to the common man were ardent admirer of
Dilip Kumar and they were sure they would take every word he spoke
seriously. When they were told that Dilip Kumar was not keeping good
health, one of them spoke for all of them and said, "Ek ummeed thi,
who bhi agar gayi toh kya rah jaayega" (there was one ray of hope
and even if that ray threatens to fade what hope do we have?) and
again it was the same old, "Give us Madhuri Dixit and we will give
you Kashmir". They were told that Madhuri was a married woman and a
mother two sons now and one of the poets spontaneously said, "Jo bhi
ho, jaise bhi ho, Madhuri, tum Khuda ki kasam lajawab ho." The
Indians were surprised by the magic of Madhuri in Pakistan and one
of them just said, "Ghar ki murgi dal barabar" and there was
amusement all over.
The Indians who were all under fifty were then taken by one big
surprise. Some new found friends from Pakistan offered to take them
to Peshawar on a rare pilgrimage. They were not told about the
surprise getting for them. It was decided to go around Peshawar
after eleven in the night. The Indians were not aware of what they
were in for till they reached Peshawar. It was only when they were
inside Peshawar that they were told that they were being taken
around to see the ancestral homes of some of the greatest legend of
Hindi films, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Talat Mehmood, the
singer, Madhubala and the modern day icon both in India and in
Pakistan, Shah Rukh Khan.
They were first taken to the house where Shah Rukh's grand parents
lived before partition. Shah Rukh's parents were Muslims from
Peshawar who decided to move to India after partition and settled
down in New Delhi in independent India. Their home is still as it
was. Some distant relatives of Shah Rukh live there. They played
perfect hosts to the Indian journalists and kept asking them all
kinds of question about Shah Rukh. Their hearts swelled with pride
every time the heard of some new achievements made by Shah Rukh.
They said they always told Shah Rukh's father that his son would
grow up to be a big man one day, a "Bada Sahab". They felt sorry
that Shah Rukh parents did not live long to see Shah Rukh take his
first steps to stardom. They made concerned inquiries about Shah
Rukh's health. When they were asked about what they felt about Shah
Rukh marrying a Hindu girl, Gauri, the eldest in the family
said, "kya farak padta hai? aise to hum sab ek hai, ye jaat paat
main hum bilkul nahi maante" (what difference does it make?
Basically, we are all one. We don't believe in differences between
castes and other such trivial things). It was a heart-warming visit
for the Indians.
The next stop – the home of Dilip Kumar's parents. There was no one
living there that night. But the Indians were told this home was the
place where Yusuf (Dilip Kumar) and all his brothers and sisters
were born. There father was a fruit-seller who was a large hearted
man who never stopped his sons from leaving Pakistan and moving to
India in such of greener pastures. The home in Peshawar now stands
as a historic monument. There have been attempts to bring it down
but the very mention of the name Dilip Kumar stops the authorities
to take such a step because for many it is a very special place and
maintained like that. The last time when Dilip Kumar and his begum,
Saira Banu visited it, it was like a major festival. The people of
Peshawar were celebrating the visit of the Shahenshah.
It was getting late but the next name excited the Indian
journalists. They were being taken to the more than hundred and
fifty year's old home of Basheshwarnath Kapoor, the father of
Prithviraj Kapoor. Prthviraj was born in this home and so were his
sons Raj, Shammi and Shashi. But Prithviraj who was crazy about
theatre moved to Bombay with his three little sons. In Bombay he
started Prithvi Theatre, his own theatre group which played a very
key role in the struggle for independence. He worked as an actor in
silent film and then grew into a major star with the coming of the
talkie era. His sons followed in his footsteps and so did his
grandsons and now his grandchildren. His setting out of that home in
Peshawar was a stepping stone to the building of one of the most
illustrious film family in India, a family without which the history
of Hindi film will be incomplete. Raj Kapoor visited this home
whenever he could and his sons, Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv during the
making of R.K.'s "Henna". No Kapoor has visited the home after that
visit but it stands as witness to the origins of a saga, a place
which gave a man who was destined to build an empire.
The night kept growing as the group reached the home of Talat
Mehmood. He had left Peshawar after partition and came to India to
give dignity to singing in Hindi films. Some elderly men in the
vicinity remembered the handsome young boy who sang very well. "Uske
aawaz main dard bhi tha, mohabbat bhi thi, jaadu bhi tha", another
elderly man remembered people in the area were proud of him and
still mourn his death like they mourn someone in the family.
It was about four when the rare pilgrimage had reached the home
where Madhubala, the most beautiful woman ever seen in Hindi films
was born. It looks like a haunted house like a house standing in
mourning for a number of years. The group stood outside the home and
remembered her face and one of them came up with some of the most
lilting songs sung by Madhubala and almost brought her alive.
The journalists came back home but have not forgotten those days in
Pakistan and that memorable night in Peshawar. The think India
should be thankful to Peshawar which has given India so much talent.
They are sure some day the war between the countries will end and
Hindi film and Hindi star will play a greater part in doing that
than politicians and generals.
Some three years ago a group of writers, poets and journalists from
different parts of India got together and decided to visit Pakistan
on a private goodwill visit. They had a long-standing invitation
from their counter parts across the border. They were over whelmed
by the response and reception they received wherever they went. But
the one subject that surfaced and dominated every meeting they had,
every reception held in their honour was Hindi films. Their counter
parts were aware of the latest developments in Mumbai and the latest
positions of the stars. They wanted to know the most about Dilip
Kumar who they said was still the most popular Indian in Pakistan,
not only as an actor but as a man in whom people in Pakistan still
saw hope of bringing the two countries together. They said he was as
big or even bigger an icon as he was in India. Some closely
associated friends and admirers of the icon from Karachi and Lahore
even went to the extent of suggesting that the Indian Government
considered sending Mr. Mohammed Yusuf Sarwar Khan (Dilip Kumar) as
the Indian Ambassador to Pakistan or at least send him on a long
goodwill visit to Pakistan and they believed almost all the problems
between the two countries would be solved. The Indians were taken
aback when some of the leading poets and artists went to the extent
of ending every meeting or get together with a common request. "Give
us Madhuri Dixit and we will give you Kashmir gladly", they said
unanimously. The Indians had heard of the common man of Pakistan
raising such slogans but were amazed at the way some of the hard
core thinking community of Pakistan could think like them when it
came to Hindi films, Dilip Kumar and specially Madhuri Dixit.
Now three years later another group of journalist were on a visit
to what is still known as an hostile country, hostile towards each
other during the last sixty years. This group was also confounded by
the warm welcome they received wherever they went. They hardly had
any chance to talk about reviving relations between the two warring
countries because they did not feel the need to. They never felt
they were in hostile country always ready to take up arms against
its neighbour, India. They were given the feeling of being among
neighbour and long lost friend. And this group too was flabbergasted
by the way the people of a changing Pakistan showed their love,
admiration and knowledge about Hindi film. They still had Dilip
Kumar as top priority when it came to popularity down the year. They
were aware all the young Khans who they knew were dominating the
Hindi film scene. They seemed to take a rare kind of pride when they
talk about the Khans. They unanimously sounded as if the Khans from
India belonged to their clan. This time too the journalist from
India were told that one visit by Dilip Kumar all over Pakistan was
enough to solve the problem that all the wars fought could not. They
were sure that everyone from President Pervez Musharraf, his family,
his army, all the governor of the various states, all the artists
and academicians and down to the common man were ardent admirer of
Dilip Kumar and they were sure they would take every word he spoke
seriously. When they were told that Dilip Kumar was not keeping good
health, one of them spoke for all of them and said, "Ek ummeed thi,
who bhi agar gayi toh kya rah jaayega" (there was one ray of hope
and even if that ray threatens to fade what hope do we have?) and
again it was the same old, "Give us Madhuri Dixit and we will give
you Kashmir". They were told that Madhuri was a married woman and a
mother two sons now and one of the poets spontaneously said, "Jo bhi
ho, jaise bhi ho, Madhuri, tum Khuda ki kasam lajawab ho." The
Indians were surprised by the magic of Madhuri in Pakistan and one
of them just said, "Ghar ki murgi dal barabar" and there was
amusement all over.
The Indians who were all under fifty were then taken by one big
surprise. Some new found friends from Pakistan offered to take them
to Peshawar on a rare pilgrimage. They were not told about the
surprise getting for them. It was decided to go around Peshawar
after eleven in the night. The Indians were not aware of what they
were in for till they reached Peshawar. It was only when they were
inside Peshawar that they were told that they were being taken
around to see the ancestral homes of some of the greatest legend of
Hindi films, Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Talat Mehmood, the
singer, Madhubala and the modern day icon both in India and in
Pakistan, Shah Rukh Khan.
They were first taken to the house where Shah Rukh's grand parents
lived before partition. Shah Rukh's parents were Muslims from
Peshawar who decided to move to India after partition and settled
down in New Delhi in independent India. Their home is still as it
was. Some distant relatives of Shah Rukh live there. They played
perfect hosts to the Indian journalists and kept asking them all
kinds of question about Shah Rukh. Their hearts swelled with pride
every time the heard of some new achievements made by Shah Rukh.
They said they always told Shah Rukh's father that his son would
grow up to be a big man one day, a "Bada Sahab". They felt sorry
that Shah Rukh parents did not live long to see Shah Rukh take his
first steps to stardom. They made concerned inquiries about Shah
Rukh's health. When they were asked about what they felt about Shah
Rukh marrying a Hindu girl, Gauri, the eldest in the family
said, "kya farak padta hai? aise to hum sab ek hai, ye jaat paat
main hum bilkul nahi maante" (what difference does it make?
Basically, we are all one. We don't believe in differences between
castes and other such trivial things). It was a heart-warming visit
for the Indians.
The next stop – the home of Dilip Kumar's parents. There was no one
living there that night. But the Indians were told this home was the
place where Yusuf (Dilip Kumar) and all his brothers and sisters
were born. There father was a fruit-seller who was a large hearted
man who never stopped his sons from leaving Pakistan and moving to
India in such of greener pastures. The home in Peshawar now stands
as a historic monument. There have been attempts to bring it down
but the very mention of the name Dilip Kumar stops the authorities
to take such a step because for many it is a very special place and
maintained like that. The last time when Dilip Kumar and his begum,
Saira Banu visited it, it was like a major festival. The people of
Peshawar were celebrating the visit of the Shahenshah.
It was getting late but the next name excited the Indian
journalists. They were being taken to the more than hundred and
fifty year's old home of Basheshwarnath Kapoor, the father of
Prithviraj Kapoor. Prthviraj was born in this home and so were his
sons Raj, Shammi and Shashi. But Prithviraj who was crazy about
theatre moved to Bombay with his three little sons. In Bombay he
started Prithvi Theatre, his own theatre group which played a very
key role in the struggle for independence. He worked as an actor in
silent film and then grew into a major star with the coming of the
talkie era. His sons followed in his footsteps and so did his
grandsons and now his grandchildren. His setting out of that home in
Peshawar was a stepping stone to the building of one of the most
illustrious film family in India, a family without which the history
of Hindi film will be incomplete. Raj Kapoor visited this home
whenever he could and his sons, Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv during the
making of R.K.'s "Henna". No Kapoor has visited the home after that
visit but it stands as witness to the origins of a saga, a place
which gave a man who was destined to build an empire.
The night kept growing as the group reached the home of Talat
Mehmood. He had left Peshawar after partition and came to India to
give dignity to singing in Hindi films. Some elderly men in the
vicinity remembered the handsome young boy who sang very well. "Uske
aawaz main dard bhi tha, mohabbat bhi thi, jaadu bhi tha", another
elderly man remembered people in the area were proud of him and
still mourn his death like they mourn someone in the family.
It was about four when the rare pilgrimage had reached the home
where Madhubala, the most beautiful woman ever seen in Hindi films
was born. It looks like a haunted house like a house standing in
mourning for a number of years. The group stood outside the home and
remembered her face and one of them came up with some of the most
lilting songs sung by Madhubala and almost brought her alive.
The journalists came back home but have not forgotten those days in
Pakistan and that memorable night in Peshawar. The think India
should be thankful to Peshawar which has given India so much talent.
They are sure some day the war between the countries will end and
Hindi film and Hindi star will play a greater part in doing that
than politicians and generals.
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
8