She was to cinema born. Daughter of filmdom’s celebrated personalities, writer-director Gulzar and actor Raakhee, films have served as the verdant backdrop of Meghna Gulzar’s upbringing. And the movies, she watched through her growing years, became the reference points for her own narrative. The tangible characters, the intriguing relationships, the romance, the razzmatazz... went on to shape her craft as a storyteller later. “Growing up at a time when colour had just about broken on television sets, Doordarshan was the only choice of entertainment. Later, my mother imported a huge colour TV and a VCR,” she says recalling the magic of watching films at home. “Madhumati, Jewel Thief, Sangam, Superman... I’ve watched and re-watched these films,” she smiles as she goes on to elaborate on the timelessness of her most-loved films...
Madhumati (1958)
Director: Bimal Roy
Cast: Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala
Reincarnation has been a sweet spot for me ever since. And the idea of an unfinished business, or an unrequited love... looping back across time, till there is closure – there’s something irresistibly romantic and fatally idealistic about the thought. Madhumati, for me, is poetry in black and white. Vyjayanthimala and Dilip Kumar loving and losing over several lifetimes. The songs and their picturisation – Bimalda’s mastery exudes in every frame. Dilip Kumar’s anguish at losing his beloved... the mysterious and melancholic Aaja re pardesi... and Vyjayanthimala’s mysterious smile in the climax sequence... Goosebumps! Others like Karz (1980), Kudrat (1981), Karan Arjun (all ‘K’s!) Om Shanti Om (2007)... I love them all, because of my weakness for the reincarnation theme. And Madhumati is actually where it all began...
Mr India (1987)
Director: Shekhar Kapur | Cast: Anil Kapoor and Sridevi
I know I’ve jumped time. But Mr India comes next in line because it was yet another VHS tape that was added to our collection. Hence I viewed it innumerable times. An invisible superhero, who’s actually an ordinary man. What a thought! And so well-executed. Shekhar Kapur had already handled children deftly in Masoom (1983). Mr India was another milestone. Each of the kids had their own distinct personalities. The scene where the children are hungry and harassing Calendar (Satish Kaushik) for food and he reveals that there’s no food in the house... When Arun bhaiya (Anil Kapoor) comes home and Tina goes running to him, “Mujhe bhook nahin hai Arun bhaiya... Ek din nahin khaungi to marr nahin jaaungi...” There is not one time that I haven’t cried while watching this scene. The kids gave a precious performance. I love Mr India also for the world it created – it was a film that enthralled both children and adults. Mogambo and his missiles, Hawa hawaii, Daga and Teja and of course – Kaate nahin kat-te ye din ye raat! A complete package, if any film was one.
Ijaazat (1998)
Director: Gulzar | Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha & Anuradha Patel
I am committing harakiri by jumping to Ijaazat over my father’s other films. But there’s uniqueness to Ijaazat that makes it compelling. Adultery and extramarital affairs are seen in a new light – one of grace, gullibility and dignity. And Rekha is seen in a different avatar. Restrained, delicate, the writing is so balanced that no character seems to be in the wrong. My heart goes out to Mohinder (Naseer), when Sudha (Rekha) leaves with her husband at the end of the film. The dignity and charm accorded to Maya, breaks the mould of the ‘other woman’.
Aandhi (1975) was also path-breaking in its telling of a marital relationship. Just like Kusum (Hema Malini) in Khushboo (1975), is perhaps one of the strongest female characters.
Also in the unreleased Libaas (1988) – Seema (Shabana Azmi) is a reflection of Mohinder from Ijaazat. The arch of fragilty that dad gave to relationships is what I always admire and try to emulate.
Jewel Thief (1958)
Director: Vijay Anand | Cast: Dev Anand and Vyjayanthimala
I was blown away when the real ‘Jewel Thief’ was revealed. The laying out of Prince Amar looking like Vinay... except that he has one extra finger – the thrill is unforgettable. Raat akeli hai and Tanuja’s unconventional oomph remains sensuous even today. Vyjayanthimala excelled – longing for Amar in Rulake gaya sapna mera and setting the screen on fire in Hoton pe aisi baat. Vijay Anand was doing one-shot songs way back in the ’60s. I saw Guide later and I am a fan of Dev Anand ever since.
Taare Zameen Par (2007)
Director: Aamir Khan|Cast: Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Darsheel Safary
Again, a film with children, but about a very complex subject; handled deftly with just the right amount of lightness and sensitivity. It could have been overbearing and depressing, but the writing (Amol Gupte) did not let it. Yes, the film had moments that twisted my insides and touched me deeply – the song Maa – when Ishaan (Darsheel Safary) is left at boarding school against his wishes was heartrending. And if I thought that was tough, the art competition in the end flooded me with emotion. Ishaan’s painting. And Nikumbh sir’s (Aamir Khan) painting. So evocative! A masterstroke in storytelling.
Lagaan (2001)
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker |Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Kelly
Most of Aamir Khan’s films make it on the lists of favourites. But Lagaan is here for more reasons. It married cricket – a national favourite with bashing the hukumat (rulers) – another national favourite. And planted the film in a village. We were seeing rural India on the silver screen after many years! Then there were the 11 characters that made up the cricket team – tremendous writing! Each was so well-defined and with definite quirks, that they remain timeless. I loved the way the story/screenplay was crafted (Gowariker, Abbas Tyrewala and Sanjay Dalmia) – how cricket was introduced to the villagers, how the team was formed, their version of the spin and bodyline cricket with Kachra’s (Aditya Lakhia) bowling action and finally a catch that turns into a six! You’re not Indian if that didn’t grab you!
Kabhi Kabhie (1976) & Silsila (1981)
Director: Yash Chopra
You cannot like one and not the other! The anguish and the ecstasy when your past clouds your present. The layering of relationships in both these films is way ahead of its time.
The play between Pooja (Raakhee), Amit (Amitabh Bachchan) and Vijay (Shashi) as their pasts confront them. Intertwined with Anju’s (Waheeda Rehman) past of an illegitimate daughter Pinky (Neetu Singh), while the dynamics between Pinky, Vicky (Rishi Kapoor) and Sweety (Naseem) infuse a youthful slant to the film. Kabhi Kabhie, you had me at Scene No. 1! And not just because my mother looked ethereal in the film! “Agar ye vishwaas aur pyaar ki jung hai, to mujhe manzoor hai...” a thundering line, softly spoken in a flashpoint scene by Jaya Bachchan that had no melodrama. Just a quiet strength expressed by both the female characters. Silsila will always remain a favourite because of its screenwriting (Yash Chopra and Sagar Sarhadi) and crafting. The vulnerability of all the characters is palpable. But Sanjeev Kumar! The moment when Dr Anand is about to take a flight and his wife Chandni (Rekha) is seeing him off at the airport is unforgettable. He knows her heart lies somewhere else. He knows she may not be there when he returns. You can feel his heart and yours crumbling at that moment! They don’t make ‘em like him anymore...
Maachis (1996)
Director: Gulzar | Cast: Om Puri, Tabu, Chandrachur Singh, Jimmy Shergill
Because I think it’s my father’s angriest film. Because I think it’s his strongest writing. Because I know it had festered inside him for too long, before he purged it into a film. “Aadhe saintalis ne kha liye thay... aadhe chaurasi kha gaya...” Never has a dialogue reverberated the trials of a country so strongly. Maachis’ strongest point was the screenplay – the intertwining of unconnected lives and incidents into one consuming tragedy. Jassi (Raj Zutshi) being hauled up because he has a dog called Jimmy – also the name of a wanted terrorist. Kirpal (Chandrachur) eventually meeting the real Jimmy (Jimmy) as he joins the terrorist group. The news of a sixth man arriving, a missile shooter; who turns out to be none other than Veeran (Tabu), Kirpal’s love and Jassi’s sister. That one moment symbolised the annihilation of an entire people, an entire state – innocent bystanders that get sucked into a violent vortex. Maachis is also special because of its songs, because of Tabu and because of Vishal Bhardwaj's music.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean Trilogy
I got to know and understand Shakespeare better because of Maqbool (2004), Omkara (2006) and Haider (2014). The complexities and dynamics of the characters, their motivation and their psyche became easier to absorb. And the most beautiful part of these films was that their adaptation into our Indian milieu, our underworld, our hinterland, our borders just escalated their relevance and poignancy. Shakespeare’s witches, sometimes as corrupt cops, sometimes as gravediggers. The disintegration of both Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) and Nimmi’s (Tabu) minds after Abbaji’s (Pankaj Kapur) murder, Omkara (Ajay Devgn) singing to Dolly (Kareena Kapoor) as she lies lifeless on the swing next to him, the sublime Oedipus moments between Haider (Shahid Kapoor) and Ghazala (Tabu). Unforgettable cinematic experiences are made of these...