Filmfare Awards For Two Of The Best

It was just another day, until I came to know about announcements of Filmfare Awards for this year. Two awards had gone to two friends of mine... and more importantly, to such persons who are talented, have worked hard to make a position in tough-tough Bollywood, and who did deserve it. And it was a coincidence that both of them had been alumni of Panjab University, and I have known them since I was myself a student there in Chandigarh.

Well, these two are-- Mahie Gill who bagged critics award for best female actor in a lead role, for her performance in 'Dev D'; and Irshad Kamil for his heart-touching lyrics of 'Ajj Din Chadeya..' in film 'Love Aaj Kal'. And both of them belong to that rare category of people who become more and more down-to-earth as they climb up the ladder of success. Talk to Mahie, and she will sound as a girl next door... talk to Irshad, and he will surely be fun to talk to. What's more, I can talk to both of them in Punjabi.

And, I did talk to both of them after I got the news. Irshad was tired but excited. He had told me about a fortnight ago that he was not sure if he would get the award or not, as the competition was tough. There were likes of Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi in the fray. But he deserved it, so nobody could deny it to him. Every song, in fact every word of songs of 'Love Aaj Kal' is a class in itself.. possibly the best album so far by Irshad. He got the award for 'Ajj Din Chadeya..', though my personal favourite is 'Chorbazaari...'. After getting the award, Irshad told me that he was still in dreams, and he had not slept for more than 40 hours. 'Neend hi nahin aa rahi, Ajay,' he told candidly. The truth of having won a prestigious award was still to sink in.

What made Irshad more elated was the fact that his ammi was with them in Mumbai that night. He called up his home from the function itself, and his ammi was all in tears. Her son had made her proud. The son whom she never wanted to pursue a career in poetry, for the fear that he would not succeed. But the son had proved her apprehensions wrong. And who would be more happier than a mother to be proved wrong by her son in a righteous way.

For Irshad, it was hard work of eight long years that bore fruit one fine evening this year. After doing his MA in Hindi, he started his career as a cultural correspondent with a reputed Hindi daily in Chandigarh. But his dreams and destination lay somewhere else, and he made it there too. Everyone who knows Irshad must be happy for this easy-going guy. There are many more milestones to come on his way, inshallah!!

And as far as Mahie is concerned, my first impression of her had been of a sweet-natured girl who used to rehearse her part in the dramas in the lawns of Department of Indian Theatre in Panjab University, from where she was doing her MA. She has been the same even after these long 14 years, rather more humble as she has matured as an artist and a human being. Filmfare Awards night was a big moment in her life, and she told me that this came a bit unannounced. She was in Goa the day before, when she got a call from Filmfare persons asking her to reach Mumbai immediately. It was an unexpected call, but it had to be, as critics award did not have any nominations. Had she known that she had been chosen for Best Female Performance in a Leading Role, she could have prepared her speech. But that was not so... and so it was a sweet surprise for her.

She had earlier bagged Screen Award this year for her role in 'Dev D'. So, her friends more or less knew the Filfmare Award was also coming. Last year, she was in Chandigarh for the premier of the same film. After the movie, I had joined the film crew for a dinner. Such was the impact of her powerful performance as Paro in the film, that I could not stop myself from forecasting that she was going to win Filmfare next year. Little I knew, it would come true. But after seeing her performance 'Gulaal' also, I was convinced that she had finally arrived.. after a long struggle of about ten years in filmdom.

Mahie has not only struggled in Bollywood, but she had fought battles at personal front also. She is a warrior. And this warrior said that she was overjoyed to receive the honour, and her joy was doubled when she got a call from her brother who lived in US. Her mother was also in US that day. She also could not sleep well after the awards ceremony as calls for interviews kept pouring in. But she is not a girl who would refuse to talk. The result was evident when I called her up late in the evening. But in that fatigued voice, there was clearly a hint of triumph, that... yesss, I have arrived!!!

Human Fault, And A French Connection

One more air crash and over 150 lives have been lost. A second major air disaster in one month. Who is to be blamed for the latest one?? Should Yemeni Civil Aviation be held responsible for this? The burning question is- how could they keep flying an aircraft which was 19 years old, had accumulated 51,900 flight hours, and was black-listed by French authorities two years ago after they found a large number of faults in it. France had categorically denied this fateful aircraft A310 an entry into her skies. That was why the Yemeni airline Yemenia had employed a relatively newer Airbus A330 for the first two legs of their Paris-Marseille-Sana’a-Moroni flight number IY-626. And for the final leg of this flight, from Sana’a to Moroni, the passengers were asked to shift to A310 carrier.

This whole episode is enough to throw light on how irresponsibly civil aviation of Yemen had acted in this matter. They are saying they never knew the aircraft was faulty. Then why had they not employed the same aircraft on the first two legs of this flight, and why did they have to shift the passengers to other aircraft?? It is a white lie if Yemeni civil authorities say that they were not aware. They are accountable for the loss of so many lives, and now they are trying to save their skin.

Well, there are other airlines also which have been acting irresponsibly and risking the lives of passengers, just for their monetary gains. Had the pilot of Riyadh-Mumbai flight number AI-822 of Air India Captain NK Beri not refused to fly the aircraft with its landing gear down, the passengers could have met the same fate around one month back as those of IY-626. To fly a carrier without retracting its landing gears accounts for high fuel consumption. And flying in this situation in night time is more dangerous as pilots can not see earth properly to find a place for emergency landing. Had Captain Beri not refused to fly, that flight could well have been in the pages of aviation disasters of world, as is the flight no. HF-3378 of 12th July 2000. The flight in question had taken off from Chania in Greece for Hannover in Germany with its landing gear down. The carrier faced fuel exhaustion on the way and crash-landed short of runway at Vienna in Austria. Luckily, the passengers escaped with minor injuries, but carrier had to be written off.

Apart from unforgivable negligence on part of Yemenia officials, there seems to be another angle to this tragic episode. This flight had taken off from French land, and was due to land in Comoros which has been a French Overseas Colony until 1975. And on board were 66 French nationals. Just one month before this plane crash, the Air France Airbus A330 on flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed mid-air over Atlantic Ocean. Most of the passengers on that flight were French nationals. At that time, a theory had been put forwarded that opening of a French military base in Dubai might have angered Islamic extremists or religious zealots. Air France officials also had got a bomb threat call three days before that incident, and an airplane had to be grounded after that call. Although, no extremist outfit has claimed responsibility, the theory of terrorism has not been discarded completely. And now this crash of a plane carrying a large number of French nationals does indicate towards a possible link between the two incidents.

Dream Comes True! Thank You, Madhur!!

It is like a dream coming true… a dream that has waited 20 long years to take shape. And I am amazed to know how things change overnight! My name going to appear on silver screen!! As lyricist!!! And that too for a film that is being directed by an excellent and enviable filmmaker, and that is being waited for by cinema-goers. Wow!!!

Certainly, it is a different kind of feeling… a feeling that can be expressed just vaguely; a feeling that makes you smile at odd times. It is very different from the feeling when I see others happy at their achievements. At that time, I just feel happy … not merely for them, but to know also that they are doing what existence of human race is meant for- to achieve and then relish its sweetness. But, now it is not just happiness, it is much more than that. It is exhilaration, mixed with a strange sense of contentment- a feeling that life has denied me in its actual sense until now. That’s why it is so special and close to heart.

It was just one day after I had returned from a fun-filled 16-day tour of South East Asia. My younger brother Ashwani called in from Mumbai, and told me if I could write a few lines for a jail scene. He wanted those lines to be shown to Madhur Bhandarkar by next morning… so, it meant that I had to start thinking then and there. I was obviously tired because of continuous flying, so I refused. Ashwani was almost shocked… how I could say no to a chance that I badly wanted!! He insisted that it was a life-time opportunity, and I had to keep my physical fatigue aside and apply my mind which was fresher after a refreshing trip. His arguments and continuous insistence won in the last, and I promised him that I would be ready with a few lines in the morning.

I soon fell asleep, but the thing kept churning inside my sub-conscious mind. Next morning was pleasant one and more conducive for me to write something. When I got up early next day, I was ready with something… something that was getting clearer every minute. And after two hours there were not just few lines but a full song. The only thing that remained was to arrange that into words and rhythm. And it was not difficult. I had been playing with words for quite long, and that paid off.

In the afternoon, Ashwani told me that Madhur jee had liked my song very much. It was in the night when I again got a call from him. I had just emerged out of my office to start off for home. Ashwani was elated while telling me that my song was going to be there in the film.
I was 14 when my poem was first published in a newspaper. It was Jansatta. Just two years after this, I wrote my first song keeping Udit Narayan and Anuradha Paudwal in mind. I don’t know where that song is now, but the dream that started at that time, had not found any real ground till now. In all these years, I have written many lyrical poems, ghazals and some songs- silently and secretly nourishing this dream. A phase came when I wrote songs for a couple of plays, including Bhagvad Ajjukam directed by Satyabrat Raut for the students of Indian Theatre department of Panjab University. But I never knew that luck would smile upon me in this fashion. Thank you Ashwani!! Thank you Madhur!! And thanks to those few special people in my life who have always prayed for me and are very happy at this... as if it is their own achievement. I am so lucky to have them.