Greying with grace

It’s one of those unfortunate tragedies of show business. It’s known as aging. Some do it gracefully, while others would rather dye in piece than die in peace.

Some aging stalwarts manage to keep their dignity above the dye. Others tend to start believing in an imaginary state of youth just because they don’t see the greys in their hair showing in the mirror.

The ones who have aged beautifully are easy to see. Waheeda Rehman... no dyed hair, no effort to hide the outward signs of age, there’s an ageless almost childlike quality to that glint in the eye and that mischievous smile. Shabana Azmi...hard to believe she is into her 50s. She carries herself with grace and conducts herself with the poise of a zingy czarina. Ask her how she maintains herself, and she just recommends positive thinking and healthy hours.

Rekha...carries herself with a queen’s seductiveness. No one can carry off kanjeevarams and gold jewellery with her dignity.

Mr Bachchan...at 65 slips into the world’s top-most labels with the cool aplomb of a dude half his age. While many of the legends from the 1960s and 70s like Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Vyjanthimala and Dharmendra have maintained a superb grace in present times, rubbing shoulders with the new generation of actors without letting the hair-dye rub off on younger shoulders, others, alas, have been unable to cope with the ravages of time. Nanda and Sadhana have become totally reclusive. Sadhana was seen just once in recent years at an awards function.

Begum Para’s hearty laughter and joie de vivre at 80 is exemplary. She can’t move. But she moves us all with her zest for life. But the most zestful spirited and joyous lady of the industry is Shammi. Shammi Aunty at 80-plus, and failing health, simply swamps you with her genuine warmth and hearty laughter at the expense of that weird and wonderful thing called life. Shammi Aunty is everybody’s best friend...from the late Nargis, to Jaya Bachchan to Waheeda Rehman to Raakhee to Asha Parekh.

Where did you last spot the delicate Nanda? After the sudden death of her fiancée Manmohan Desai, Nanda lost her will to be seen in public.

And Mala Sinha? She was once the queen of glycerine. Today it’s hard to remember her face. I’ve heard many startling stories about Manoj Kumar’s eccentricities. But nothing had prepared me for the ruthless ridicule that he was subjected to for protesting against being satirised in a film.

Everyone wanted to know where Manoj Kumar’s sense of humour was. But did anyone think about how painful it must be for this once-popular mega-star to be relegated to anonymity for the past 20 years? Manoj Kumar was one of the handsomest most successful stars of the 1960s.

Every heroine from Mala Sinha to Raakhee and Hema liked being paired with him. This is star turned director in the 1970s at the peak of his acting career to make four of the most successful and influential films of all times. Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, Shor and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan changed the face and profile of commercial Hindi cinema.

I know of no movie-maker in Bollywood who isn’t a fan of Manoj Kumar. From Gurinder Chaddha (she used bits of Purab Aur Paschim in Bride and Prejudice) to Suneel Darshan to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, they all love Manoj Kumar’s cinema.

Manoj Kumar’s life is legendary. That doesn’t immunise him from lampoon. Personally, I found the portions pertaining to him in Om Shanti Om funny. But then, I am not Manoj Kumar. He felt hurt. If for no other reason then for all the cinematic gems he has given to us as an actor and director, we owe him an apology.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com