My accidental lunch with the legendary late Raj Kapoor.

[madhav kapdi]

                    Sub. : My accidental lunch with the legendary late Raj Kapoor.

 

                    Sometime in the early 80s, I was in Baroda for a discussion with our foundry consultant, and my host took me for lunch to the Hotel Express. Perhaps it was the only star hotel in Baroda 40 years back, and I very well recall the name of the restaurant Mandap for a Gujarati Thali.

 

                    As usual, the restaurant was flooded with customers, and even the longue was full with the customers in waiting, As per the estimation of my host, we will have to wait for minimum 2 rounds for our turn, but he opined that it is worth waiting for, and we decided to engage in our business discussion, during the intervening period. 

 

                    With the small children around, busy with their playful activities, we decided to wait in the reception of the hotel. Before then, my host met the person concerned, and we were informed that our table will be booked, and we will be intimated in the lobby of our turn.

 

                    From Mandap, we proceeded to the lobby of the hotel and the atmosphere there was quite conducive for serious discussion. In the meantime, a couple of times we went upstairs just to check the status of our turn. All along, I was encountering a white Silkan Salwar & Kameez wearing person, wearing Dark goggles frequenting up and down. I was certain that he is a very famous personality from the film industry, but I was not able to place him.

 

                    After a long wait, we were informed by the reception of our turn, and we proceeded to the Mandap. I have finally concluded that Gujarati Thali is delicious since its original taste is Good, but also since, we are deliberately kept waiting for the Saliva to generate in our Digestive-system, which increases our hunger & appetite, which in turn makes the Thali testy. 

 

                    As  soon as we entered, we were directed to the reserved table very close to the kitchen, and we could see the movement of the kitchen staff, because of the swinging doors. After waiting for 10 more minutes at the table, the manager of the restaurant escorted the two Gentlemen to the empty chairs on our table. One of them was the mysterious Gentlemen we were coming across for the last one hour. He sat right in front of me, and removed his Dark goggles.. 

 

                    He was none other than the legend Raj Kapoor and the Dress he was wearing was his trademark dress in the movie "  Abdullah "  where he has played a lead role. Perhaps he was in the city for the promotion of the film.

 

                    In the four years of my stay at hostel in Pune commencing 1969 for engineering, I have seen more than 400 movies at the rate of minimum 100 / year, and bulk of them were in the first two years. No wonder, I got ATKT in the 2nd year in two subjects namely Maths & Hydraulics. ATKT stands for Allowed To Keep Terms [ATKT] but one has to clear those subjects, with the juniors. ATKT is nothing but a diluted version of failure, but you save one year with that tag.

 

                    I was the only student, who failed in two difficult subjects, but was having Good  numbers as a company for Hydraulics since HOD Civil engineering Mr.Gupte was a Task master. By and large, the students were least interested in Civil engineering, and Civil & Metallurgy branches were meant for the Dullards.

 

                    All the movies were the matinees shows, since we can not afford the tickets for the regulars. The trend of watching the movies continued while in service also, since for Marketing, I was Criss-crossing the country, and the spare time I was devoting to local sight-seeing, reading & watching the movies, but the frequency by then has come down considerably. 

 

                    One of the reasons for that is you enjoy spending your fathers money while studying, but when you start earning on your own, there are the brakes applied on your spending.

 

                    Coming back to the main story,

 

                    As soon as he removed the Goggles, I recognized him and in a reflex action, I stood up and bowed towards him [Plz recall Awara] and the legend also reciprocated my gesture. Honestly, his response was very swift, considering his advanced age.

 

 

 

                    After the serving of food started, the people started coming for the signatures, and immediately a hotel staff was assigned to disallow such disturbance. But he politely told the person concern that, he is quiet comfortable and not disturbed by request for the signatures.

 

                    He put his pen duly open without the cap on the table, and was comfortably giving the signatures and was having a chat with the small children saying " Came Chho & Tara nam su che. ? "  etc. Since the pen was open, the ink used to dry at times, then he used to give a jerk to ensure that the ink would flow smoothly, and the signature will be smooth & steady since they are the monuments for the recipients.

 

                    When the tempo of the signature tapered down, I decided to strike a  conversation with him. I recalled that Coca-cola was a very popular Cold-drink in the 70s, and the land-line number of Raj Kapoor residence, was very similar to the well known Coca-cola Distributor in the city.  Quite often, the call for the distributor, used to be attended by Raj Kapoor himself, and he used to take the orders, and pass it on to the distributor, and follow up the dispatch also. 

 

                    I asked him, why were you rendering the extra service when he told me that, otherwise the Distributor will not forward the message meant for him. When i put this Question to him, I recall he burst into laughter, which engaged the attention of the customers enjoying the Thali.

 

                    The Thali was delicious since we were hungry, and also since we were served the piping hot puris which none of us were able to touch even. I opted for a quick solution, to puncture the Dome with a spoon, and then blow the Air,  He too followed my SOP, and little later myself and my host engaged ourselves in the discussion. 

 

                    In a way, we were repenting for having wasted around 2 hrs, since by then the novelty of having lunch with the legend was faded, and both of us wanted to reach the office. After the receipt of the finger bowls, we observed the SOP and proceeded towards the exit, without taking a leave of the legend.

 

                    I was about to cross the exit door, but immediately realized that Raj had raised his hand to wish me, and watching his hand being raised, I immediately reciprocated and exited. My behaviour was a sign of bad manners, but my host was not at all interested in my engagement with Raj Kapoor, hence I could not over enthusiastically keep myself engaged in our chat with Raj.

 

                    Running 72 now, I felt that I should have gone back, and formally taken his leave, but at the age of 31 then, it was my immaturity, which has forbidden me from doing so. I was a small fly in comparison to him, but the humbleness he displayed was a testimony of his cultural upbringing. The Kapoor family migrated from Peshawar Pakistan to India, during the partition.

 

                    This is not the only event I have experienced about the elitist behaviour of Raj Kapoor, but there is another one narrated by my sister as under,

 

                    My sister was working in a J.J.Hospital Bombay in the Forensic Department as an OS, where the post mortem operations are conducted. The Daughter of  well-known singer Mukesh, has died in a road accident, and her body has come for the post mortem to the hospital. Mukesh is related to Raj Kapoor, and the entire team of the film personalities has gathered at the residence of Mukesh, for her last rites.

 

                    When the body was not being handed over in absence of the Post-mortem report, Raj Kapoor personally came to the hospital and met my sister. Before then, he was informed that today the report will not be available since the cutters [those who cut open the body] are taking the lunch, and after lunch, they don't perform any other cutting operation. He pleaded with my sister for help, who promised to meet the cutters and come back.

 

                    Atmosphere of the post mortem room is not meant for the common man, but still he insisted upon my sister to join her. Watching the legend himself requesting for the help with folded hands, the cutters melted down, and they did their part of the job for the further procedure to follow. 

 

                    Ultimately, when the report was handed over to Raj Kapoor, my sister was not there, but the Raj came back 15 days later, to meet my sister and her staff, along with the cutters who had gone out of their way, and assisted my sister to discharge her duty.

 

                    In my childhood, I was staying at Worli sea face in a Government quarters, and many film personalities like Deven Verma, Begum para, Raj Kumar & Nimmi were staying nearby, and they knew me by my first name. I studied in Worli police camp municipal school, with the childrens of the police constables, and was having good contacts across the section of the society around. 

 

                    I was also the Defacto extra / mob supplier for the film shootings taking place on Worli chowpatty, and many stars like Dev Anand, Kishor Kumar, Mehmood & Vahida Rehman were knowing me by my face, but i was not qualified enough to have a lunch with them, or even a cup of tea, but the lunch i had with the legend, i will not forget for my lifetime.

 

                    A man becomes great with the laurels he achieves in his lifetime, but he becomes the legend, if he is humble in his personal life.

 

 

                    Madhav Kapdi.

 

                    Post-script. :

 

                    In the late 50s, when the shooting for the film CID was going on at Worli chowpatty, I was assisting the crew for sundry activities. Vahida Rehman was introduced in CID, and she has played a role of a keep of the Vilain Seth Dharmadas. Being a Debutant, her car was parked at a  remote & isolated location to avoid the exposure, but some people were piping into the car out of curiosity. I was assigned to keep a watch on them. It was a job of a watchman, but let me glorify myself as a Body-guard.

 

                    I was sitting on the steps of the chaupati in the Afternoon for a very long time. Onlookers stopped after my sitting there, but watching me sitting in the hot sun, she had a pity on me, and called inside the car. I sat near the seat of the Driver, and she also offered me Marie biscuits. Kindly go through my article " My social activity during childhood, a Mob supplier for the film shooting." for the details.

 

 

 

 

--

Regards

 

Jay Malhar Cyber Cafe

Shop No 3 , Green Peace Apartment

Dhongade Nagar Nashik Road