Cinema City (The Sunday Express dated 22/11/2009)
Sukesh
http://epaper.indianexpress.com/IE/IEH/2009/11/22/ArticleHtmls/22_11_2009_526_012.shtml?Mode=1
Sukesh
For six decades, Mehboob Studio has been crucial to India's cinematic
progress
THE leafy cover hides one of India's famous cinematic monuments at
100, Hill Road, Bandra. As one enters Mehboob Studio--which has been a
prominent address for the film fraternity for six decades--past the
garden in the front, stark buildings greet the visitor. The starkness,
of course, is deceptive. The enclosed stages, where sets are created,
belie any clue of how Sanjay Leela Bhansali is giving shape to his
upcoming celluloid dream Guzaarishor the grand platform created for
Akshay Kumar's new show for a television channel.
What's stranger is that despite being at the helm of churning out
reels and reels of dreams for decades, Mehboob Studio still maintains
its enigma. However, a group of early-risers will get a chance today
to explore this property and rediscover the visionary, Mehboob Khan,
who established this. As part of Celebrate Bandra Festival,
documentary filmmaker Anuradha Tandon will be taking them for a tour
of the studio. "Very few have visited the studio even though it has
been a part of Bandra's folklore, and continues to be a prominent
landmark."
Khan, who was famous for his proclivity for creating lavish sets,
always wanted to have his own studio. When he bought this four-acre
land in 1950, he was already a big name with films like Aurat (1940),
Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Andaz (1949) to his credit. For the Dilip Kumar-
starrer Aan (1951), his first colour film, the legendary producer-
director created a huge sports arena here. However, the studio took
three more years to be ready and fully functional. Amar (1954) bagged
the distinction of being the first film to be made there while Mother
India (1958) is known for its elaborate sets.
Seventy-eight-year-old Pandurang Mistry, who has been employed at the
studio for the last six decades, remembers, "This area was full of
chikoo trees when the land was acquired. For Aan, Khan Shahab created
huge sets of a fort and palace here. Years later, we saw him once
again attempt massive sets for Mother India."
However, the studio wasn't open for commercial use till the death of
Khan.
"When father was alive, he rarely rented the studio. Only some close
friends like Guru Dutt, Dev and Chetan Anand shot their films here,"
recollects his son Iqbal Khan. In 1962, Mehboob Khan's ambitious
project, Son of India, flopped. Deep in debt, he died two years later.
This is when his family members--most of them stay in a spacious
apartment in the heart of the studio--opened its doors for commercial
use to pay off the debt. "Since then most of the big names of the
industry have made their films here," says Iqbal.
Structurally the place hasn't witnessed much change. A mosscovered
half-constructed building still stands there showing signs of the
enduring vagaries of nature. However, the studio now has seven stages.
Three of them are huge, and have been there since the days of Mehboob
Khan. The rest are smaller spaces, which have been converted into
stages over the years for still photography and adshoots. "One of them
happens to be the recording studio where the legendary music director
Naushad used to work.
He composed music for almost all of my father's films," says Iqbal.
Since the studio wasn't able to keep up with the new recording
technologies, converting it into a stage made more business-sense. The
location of the studio and the kind of space available, have ensured
that business is good. "We record 90 per cent booking throughout the
year," says Iqbal.
However, amidst the slew of shooting sessions, the room containing
musty records of the studio, piles of posters and prints of Mehboob
Khan's films in cans acts as a reminder of a magical era in Indian
cinema.