Review: Three Classic Books by Gulzar – Insights Into the Films

Recently, Harper released a set of three books as a tribute to Gulzar.

Gulzar with Sanjeev Kumar and Moushmi Chatterjee on the sets of Angoor (1982)

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/NFAI)

In 2010 December, Harper Collins India came up with a book dedicated to a single film. Jane Bhi Do Yaaron : Seriously Funny Since 1983 by Jai Arjun Singh was a 250+ something document of anything and everything to do with the film. From stories dotted with events and incidents of how the film was made, what portions were left out of the final cut, to finer details of what the film was actually about, it had everything you wanted to know about a film which for some was cult material, and for most, something which they never got to see.

Two more books followed almost simultaneously. Deewar : The Footpath, the City and the Angry Young Man by Vinay Lal was released on the same day as Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (JBDY). Disco Dancer: A Comedy in Five Acts by Anuvab Pal made its way to the stores in early 2011.

While these books were definitely not the first to mark the emergence of the “film-biography” genre – Anupama Chopra’s Sholay : The Making of a Classic (Penguin India) preceded JBDY by a full ten years -, it is to the credit of Harper that they carried on the tradition of publishing similar short and refreshing film-bios as part of their BAU (business as usual) . In the process, many films and filmmakers were covered.

Aandhi (1975)

Last month Harper released a set of three books as a tribute to Gulzar. Chronologically, the first book in this set is Aandhi (1975), authored by poet and scholar Saba Mahmood Bashir.

The book has been broken down into five chapters – The Auteur, The Controversy, The Stellar Cast, The Poetry, and The Language. This is followed by appendices relating to the songs and a detailed interview of Gulzar conducted by the author.

Being an academic herself, the book is structured almost on academic lines. The chapters are laid out well, go deep into history, and then the focus shifts to the film and its elements. The stress, not so much on the technicalities of the craft, is compensated by discussions on almost each and every aspect which went into the film. The central emphasis is however, on the dialogues, the lyrics, and the songs. These are analysed in detail, especially how dialogues and lyrics play a major role in connecting the not so obvious dots.

Gulzar’s use of multiple languages – mainly Hindi, Urdu and English - to concoct a narrative in a language which Saba terms as Hindustani is explained with relevant examples.

Overall, the lyrical contour of the film does come through in Saba’s writing, though one wishes she had been tighter with the groundwork behind certain events in time. Also, given the luxury of an extended interview, she could have questioned the incorrect representation of timeline in Aandhi as a nine year separation in a twelve year marriage with a kid who looked at least four or five at the time of separation is an impossibility.

While these quibbles would strike the discerning reader, one cannot but admire the sincerity of purpose which shines through the book. Lastly, humour, something underrated and not usually related in connection with Gulzar and his films, has been given extensive coverage, in a film identified as sombre, and also grim at times.

Angoor (1982)

Humour brings us to the second book in the set. Angoor (1982), by Sathya Saran who, at the initial outset makes it clear that the Shakespearean comedy was definitely not on her mind when she was offered the contract. It was more  by design than choice, and she used all her wits to gain whatever insight she could into the lovable, if slightly theatrical, comedy.

Gulzar and Sanjeev Kumar on the sets of Angoor.(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/Film History Pics)

While the strength of Saba’s treatise was its lyrical quality, Sathya’s forte which shines all along is observation. From the attire of the artistes, to the way they use their limbs, to the dialogues and how the same are spaced out, to the chemistry between the characters, the book is more a visual story than simple bland analyses. It is a well organized book and talks in quite some detail about Do Dooni Chaar (1968), the predecessor to Angoor where Gulzar too had worked in more than one capacity.

Point to note that as compared to Saba, Sathya’s reference material is, strangely, more academic. While this could have been an added strength, this does drag the  book at times.

The history of comedy is an honest replication of what is already documented in multiple books, and although it does not deviate from the fluidity which is the essence of the book, it does not add much value as the chapter is too short for an introduction to the vast genre of comedy in Hindi cinema. Sathya could have explored more into her experience with comedy in cinema, as by nature, these series of books are personal and one’s reflection makes for an interesting read.

But an interesting read it is. Overall, one is sure to reach page 109 and recline back with a smile on his/her lips.

The last lines, like parting shots, are brilliant. Savour that – this sweet-sour meal delights, and, like good grape, mellows into fine wine with the passage of time.

Ijaazat (1987)

Talking of pages, Mira Hashmi’s treatise on Ijaazat (1987)  runs into 135, the thickest of the three in the set. The Lahore-based Mira teaches film studies at the Lahore School of Economics. She is an academic, but the avatar of a film buff is more dominant in her writing.

Gulzar with Shammi Kapoor & Naseeruddin Shah, during the shoot of Ijaazat.(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Film History Pics)

She does quite a bit of research too and comes up with facts which could be unpleasant for many – like knowledge of films for which Gulzar wrote lyrics before the famed Bandini (1963) or Kabuliwala (1961). She takes pain to watch the original Bengali film which was the precursor to Ijaazat.

She comes down to Bombay to interview not only Gulzar, but also the stars of the film – Naseer, Anuradha Patel and Rekha. Managing an interview with Rekha is in itself a project; those connected with writing on cinema would know.

Her boundaries of expertise extend beyond Hindi films (Hindi films she saw in Lahore with great difficulty due to a ban imposed by the Government) and she uses them to her advantage in her writing. She talks about music with a generous degree of expertise too, and not simply like an observant student. Her book contains details of shoots, cuts, edits, mixing, etc; things which are veritable value adds. To cut a long story short, this is an exceptionally well written book. Probably the best book by a foreigner on popular Hindi cinema in recent times.

Title: Gulzar’s Aandhi - Insights into the Film
Author: Saba Mahmood Bashir
Pages: 144
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India

Title: Gulzar’s Angoor - Insights into the Film
Author: Sathya Saran
Pages: 124
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India

Title: Gulzar’s Ijaazat - Insights into the Film
Author: Mira Hashmi
Pages: 152
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers India

(Anirudha and Balaji, engineers by education and IT consultants by profession, are film addicts who find time to sing, quiz and discuss songs of the 1950s through to the 1980s. They won the National award for “Best Writing on Cinema” for their first book in 2012 : RD Burman, the Man the Music. Their 2nd book : Gaata Rahe Mera Dil, won the inaugural “Excellence in Writing” award at the Jio MAMI film festival in 2015.)