Sampooran Singh Kalra aka Gulzar was born on August 18, 1934. The much-loved poet, lyricist, author, screenplay writer and film director also had a few on-screen appearances. One such cameo has a funny story behind it. It's a story of friendship and love for food. 1/13
Before getting there, let's talk about his only serious talking role. In the 1977 film, Jalianwala Bagh directed by Balraj Tah, Gulzar saab played the role of a friend to Parikshit Sahni. As an Indian student studying in England, his character delivered a speech on campus. 2/13
As per the film historian @p1, most of the people associated with the film were friends of the filmmaker. Hrishikesh Mukherjee actually started making the film as a "friendly" director. In Gulzar saab's words, Hrishi da left the film in the middle & Balraj Tah completed it. 3/13
Let’s come to our main story now. Gulzar saab and Basu Bhattacharya were very close friends. And it was not film, but poetry that sparked the friendship between them. Basu Bhattacharya himself was an able poet and a big fan of Subhash Mukhopadhyay. 4/13
Basu Bhattacharya would often read Mukhopadhyay's poems to Gulzar saab. It inspired Gulzar saab so much that he even tried his hands at translating Subhash Mukhopadhyay's poetry. 5/13
Another factor that strengthened the bonding between Gulzar saab and Basu Bhattacharya was the former’s love for Bengali food. Bhattacharya was an excellent cook too. Subhash Mukhopadhyay's poetry and Bengali food were perfect for creating a bond for life and beyond. 6/13
One fine morning Gulzar saab got a phone call from Bhattacharya and it was a lunch invite. Pleasantly surprised, Gulzar saab agreed instantly. The prospect of having food made by him was tempting. This was during the pre-production of Bhattacharya’s film Griha Pravesh. 7/13
In the middle of the cooking, Bhattacharya just told Gulzar saab that he will play a small role in the film. This time Gulzar saab refused, instantly. But Bhattacharya insisted and threatened to not give him any food if he doesn't agree. 8/13
Gulzar saab finally agreed and to use his own words, "I had to relent purely out of greed and pressure created by Sanjeev Kumar, another foodie". Thus, we see Gulzar saab on screen during the song Logon Ke Ghar Mein Rehta Hoon featured on Dinesh Thakur. 9/13
There was another scene in Griha Pravesh with Gulzar saab but it was edited out as it didn't turn out too well during the dubbing. Interestingly, Bhattacharya started a project even before Griha Pravesh with Gulzar playing the lead opposite Sharmila Tagore. 10/13
The film was titled "Asamaapt Kavita". Singer, composer Shyamal Mitra was one of the producers of the film. Gulzar saab was playing the role of a publisher. The film also had a character of the Bengali poet Sukanta Bhattacharya probably played by Devendra Khandelwal. 11/13
Even the shooting started in Kolkata but it was shelved later. Gulzar saab also made a friendly appearance in N Chandra's film Wajood as himself. This time, Chandra made a humble request and Gulzar saab obliged. 12/13
On his 89th birthday, Paperclip salutes Gulzar saab not just as an artiste of the highest order, but also as an earnest human being for whom memories never ‘dry up’. Happy birthday Gulzaar saab. 13/13
Sources: Gulzar, পান্তাভাতে | Pantabhate, Dey's Publishing, January 1, 2019
Pavan Jha, Love Gulzar’s Poetic Genius? On His B’day, Meet Gulzar the Actor, The Quint, 23 May 2017
Video and Image attributes: @p1j, @YouTube @KcPingle, @Pinterest, @MyAnandaBazar
Pavan Jha, Love Gulzar’s Poetic Genius? On His B’day, Meet Gulzar the Actor, The Quint, 23 May 2017
Video and Image attributes: @p1j, @YouTube @KcPingle, @Pinterest, @MyAnandaBazar
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