Adventures of a Writer

Actor-Director Manoj Kumar breathed his last on 4th April 2025. For me, Mr. Manoj Kumar was not just a legendary filmmaker and a hugely popular filmstar but also a connection to my father, art director Desh Mukerji.  When I met him six years ago - on 6th April 2019 - he was ailing. Yet, he was gracious enough to grant me time and invite me to his home. He reminisced about his association with my father which began when they were both starting out on their careers in the film industry way back in the 1950s.  Reminiscing about the old days he said, "We were refugees from Pakistan and our family stayed at the Kingsway Camp. Later we moved to Nangloi and I studied at Hindu College.  I used to be the captain of the cricket team as well." "On 9th October, 1956, I moved to Bombay. I always wanted to see the ocean.  The first thing I did was land up on the beach, wearing a suit, and sweated it out in the Bombay heat!" he laughed. "I was starting out as an actor a...

The era of Golden Jubilees has long gone. In fact, Gen Z is probably unfamiliar with the term which was once the most coveted standard for a successful movie - 50 weeks of an uninterrupted run at the movie theatres. For Deewaar , that milestone has been done and dusted. On 24 January, 2025, it achieved new heights as it continues to reign our collective consciousness, fifty years after its release. Not a day passes when one or the other of its many memorable lines is transformed into a meme on social media. With every such retelling, it reaffirms the vitality and relevance of the original. In a realm where content is king, this is one "Wall" that refuses to gather moss, crack or crumble. Amitabh Bachchan's dialogue in the film -- " Jo pachchees baras mein nahi hua hai woh ab hoga " (What has never happened in 25 years will happen now) -- resonates today in the context of Deewaar 's domination of the Indian psyche, with an upgrade of an additional 25 years!  ...