RK Studios
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
1948-2018
Khushwant Singh, 1976, on RK and RK Studios
By KHUSHWANT SINGH, October. 31, 1976: The New York Times
From: September 1, 2018: The Times of India
From: September 1, 2018: The Times of India
From: By KHUSHWANT SINGH, October. 31, 1976: The New York Times
From: By KHUSHWANT SINGH, October. 31, 1976: The New York Times
From: By KHUSHWANT SINGH, October. 31, 1976: The New York Times
‘We sell them dreams’
By KHUSHWANT SINGH OCT. 31, 1976 The New York Times
Bombay's biggest and most glamorous production center is R K Studios. ramed after Raj Kapoor, its founder and chief. Kapoor has long been the leading name in the Indian film Industry‐ Raj's father, Pnthai Raj, was a prominent actor on both stage and screen; his brother, Shashi, is currently signed up to star in more than 100 films Raj Kapoor, who began as a director's assistant, has succeeded in virtually esery aspect of the business—actor, editor, producer, director. His R K Studios nestles on the side of a hill some 20 miles from downtown Bombay At the gate are two sentries armed with staves to control the crowd that is always present to watch the comings and goings of stars shooting goes on around the clock I go to see it after dark when R K becomes a city of fluorescent tubes With me is the gossip co'umnist Devyam Chaubal, who writes for the film journ. I Star & Style Our car pulls up beside a verandah Two pairs of sandals, one male one female, lie outside the door. We take off our shoes as if entering a temple Devyam Chaubal knocks gently on the door and pushes it open.
Rai Kapoor is sprawled on the carpet with a bolster under one armpit Facing him is Zeenat Aman, the heroine of his current production “Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram [Truth, Goodness, Beauty].” She is in a low‐cut white dress that displays her main asset, a beautifully shaped bosom. Raj calls her “Zeenie Baby “ “Hi Mutki [Fatso],” Raj greets Devyani He pulls me down beside him and immediately launches on the benefits of air‐conditioning “The only refuge from this hot, humid, smelly, dirty city called Bombay is an air‐cooled room You come to my farm and my new studio near Poona There the air is dry and fragrant” “You have a had cough and cold,” I remark
“All this going in and out from air‐cooled rooms doesn't do anyone any good My doc tor told me to give up Cigarettes So I smoke cigars instead,” he wheezes
I look around the room The walls are cluttered with pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses, Jesus Christ, Jawaharlal Nehru and the lovely heroines of Raj's earlier days Nar gis. Vyjayantimala and Padmint Above a built‐in stereo set is a placard in Urdu “Who can put out the flame of truth that has been lit by God? Who can keep down a man who has God for his friend?” There is a shelf of books in a state of untouched preservation I have been told that Raj Kapoor's favorite reading is comics On the low table in front of him is a bright red telephone, tins of Indian tobacco meant to be chewed with betel leaf, Havana cigars and an octagonal glass vase crammed with gold and silver coins “I put all the small change I am left with when I return from my foreign tours into this vase. After I am gone, people will know something of where Raj Kapoor has been ”
At 52, this once‐handsome youth who resembled John Barrymore has become paunchy. middle‐aged But he has not lost his zest for living nor his self‐assurance. Though he has had little formal education, he speaks English fluently and he is never at a loss for words
I ask him how he came into films. “In the blood, you know It was Papaji first I had to follow. He flopped in his university exams and became an actor I flopped in my schoolleaving exam I went to Papaji and said, ‘Look father, when a boy wants to become a doctor, he goes to a medical college When he wants to become a lawyer, he goes to a law college I want to make films, I want to be a director. an actor, a producer So instead of wasting the next five years studying something don't want to learn, I'd like to Join a studio right away His first film “Aag [Fire],” was released in 1948. He was trading man, producer, director “I mortgaged my car. even borrowed money from our own servant to buy tea for my unit” “Aag” was followed by a run of other boxoffice hits including “Barsat [Rain],” and “Shn 420 [The Gentleman Cheat],” all starring Hargis as his leading lady One film every two years, 11 in 22 years By the 1950's. Raj Kapoor was drawing larger crowds than Prime Minister Nehru He was mobbed by fans in Russia. The University of Teheran conferred on him an honorary Ph D in cinematography. The film image that he created for himself was that of the little man with a
Now, Raj Kapoor is expounding on his current production. “Sotyam means truth: Shivam is God: Sundararn is beauty. Truth is God, God is beauty. I am going to spell this out in the story of an ugly girl with a beautiful voice It was inspired by Lath Mangeshkar.”
Lata, a rather homely matron in her 40's, is India's favorite “playback” singer, one of three sisters who have dominated this particular art form for the past two decades. For a fec of $1,000, she records a song that the film director can then play back while an actress mouths the words and gapes soulfully at her leading man Songs are the most important factor in the success or failure of a film Most of the music is borrowed from the West and given an Indian rhythm “Listen to her rendering of the theme sona ” says Raj Kapoor, switching on the stereo “I recorded it this afternoon” When the song ends, Rat resumes his narrative “Beautiful isn't ??? As I was saying, there is this young engineer working on a dam who hears this girl in a nearby temple and immediately falls in love with her This engineer chap does not know that one side of the girl's face is horribly deformed because the girl keeps it covered He marries her When he unveils her face on their wedding night he re coils with horror and runs away The girl decides to put an end to her life The boy stops her from committing suicide You see, now, he has two women in his life—an ugly wife he does not love and a mistress with the beautiful voice whom he does It is the kind of predicament in which find themselves” I tell him that the story does not sound plausible “The main criticism against Indian films is that they are always contrived, they have no realism”
Raj Kapoor becomes agitated. “Where is realism these days’ Are Amencan films real? The days of good American films like ‘Gone With the Wind,’ Grapes of Wrath.’ ‘Citizen Kane’ are over Now you have ‘Jaws,’ ‘Towering Inferno,’ ‘Poseidon Adventure’ and the like—all box‐office hits without an iota of realism or social purpose.”
“Why haven't our films made an impact on the West,” I ask “Educated Indians say that we produce the worst films in the world”
Raj Kapoor pounds the cushion, on which he is rectalmg, with both his hands “If u.e produce the worst films in the world, the Americans produce the second worst They don't understand us because our values are different Take the case of my film ‘Sangam Mecting of Rivers] It was a tremendous success everywhere except in Europe and the United States I showed it to some American distributors—all my friends mind you, But they wouldn't buy it Why’ Because it was about a woman who married one man while she was in love with his friend. Why did she marry him in the first place if she wasn't in love with Fumy they asked ‘Why didn't she divorce him and go to the one she loved?’ they asked. I ask you, would such questions bother Indian?”
We adjourn to his private theater to see rushes of “Satyam. Shivam. Sundaram” A bottle of Chivas Regal, a bucket of ice and a pitcher of soda are placed before us The film opens with a fiery sunset behind a temple with bells pealing for evensong Raj's brother. Shashi Kapoor, the hero‐engineer, is looking out of his office window. He sees Zeenat Aman clanging the temple bell Her raised arm, which covers the scarred side of her face, exposes most et her bosom
“I Iove little girls with large bosoms.” whispers Raj in my car “Always have, alwa,.s will Suckled my mummy's bosom till I was 5, played with it I am a bosom man ” Zeenat mouths the words of the theme song sung by Lata Mangeshkar Shashi is spellbound Zeenat shows him more of herself While she is watering flowers her sari drops and you can see she wears no bra Zeenat has a bath in the temple pool and comes nut dripping, her thin wet sari clings to her body Zeenat submits to Shashi, he slobbers over her eyes and lips and nuzzles between her breasts
“You will nev er get this past the censors,” I remark Raj smiles “Shukla [Minister of Information and Broadcastingl has seen it ” he replies “He liked what he saw”
“Why are all our films musicals?” I ask “Music cakes everything unreal ” Raj Kapoor takes my hand in his and explains “O K, my friend, I admit our films are musical and they are unreal But remember mile‐ Bombay is not India In Bombay you can go to a bur and get drunk In Bombay sou can go to the ??? museums, exhibitions, whorehouses, ring up call girls You can amuse yourself in a h ??? ways But 20 miles from Bombay there is nothing The villagers also want some diversion They want songs, dances, slapstick, good fights, religion, nicelooking boys making lose to nice‐looking girls — the lot. We give them what they want We sell them dreams They buy them”
