As we would see the 84-year-old music composer Bhupen Hazarika and the 55-year-old filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi walk in together at public functions we would often wonder how they became lifelong companions.
Artistes and other unorthodox souls do not allow the rules of civil society to govern their hearts. Nor are they really bothered with what people would think about them. So what do we say about the rapport that gossip columnist Devyani Chaubal shared with superstar Rajesh Khanna? The two loved to hate one another. Eventually, the dreaded Devyani (whose column Devi’s Frankly Speaking made Bollywood shudder in collective embarrassment) confessed to having slept with her star-friend, though the encounter, she said, was disastrous.
What do we say about what yesteryears’ queen of unconventionality Shobhana Samarth (Nutan and Tanuja’s mom, Kajol’s grandmother) shared with her co-star Motilal? Outside their own conventional marriages, the two remained a pair for as long as they lived. And raised eyebrows be damned! Let’s raise a toast to that pair, unarguably the most unconventional couple to have walked hand-in-hand in Bollywood. Shobhana’s children chose to refer to the special man in their mom’s life as ‘Moti Uncle’. So it remained till his death.
Outside the happily-married formula, there exist several relationships in the entertainment industry which defy definition. Sunny Deol has been Dimple Kapadia’s friend, guide and philosopher for as long as Page 3 is archived. But since they both have family responsibilities neither has ever spoken about the relationship. In a business where relationships change faster than the seasons Sunny-Dimple are a touchstone of longevity. The day Sunny and Dimple separate we can really start to ‘hate luv storys’.
How would we define Kalpana Lajmi’s relationship with veteran Bhupen Hazarika? Perhaps a guru-shishya definition is apt? Bhupen-da has a permanent room in Kalpana’s home, next to her parent’s bedroom. Says Kalpana, “Earlier maybe I’d have married him. Now it’s too late.” Perhaps Kalpana did the right thing. Two temperamental artistes and longtime collaborators should never make it official.
RD Burman privately confessed to friends that the worst thing to happen to his enduring and fruitful partnership with Asha Bhosle was marriage. Understandably, filmmaker Nasir Husain never married actress Asha Parekh. Their association was so strong that he would not dream of making a film without her. However, since the director was a much-married man when the actress met him, there was never any question of breaking his first marriage. She was one of the first to visit Nasir’s wife and children when he passed away.
No insecurity about the ‘Other Woman’ here. Even after Nasir’s death, Asha has stayed in touch with the family. One is not sure as to how Telugu superstar Nagarjuna’s pretty wife Amala feels about her husband’s longest-lasting friendship. Tabu has clearly stated that Nag is one man who would remain a part of her life. While her other relationships with men have gone from stormy to fleeting, Tabu’s proximity to Nagarjuna is more emotional than anything else.
Yup, this one ain’t going away anywhere. What about filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor and his ‘assistant’ Elahi Heptullah? That one just ain’t going anywhere either! Everyone who knows them sees them as a pair. Yet, they’ve never acknowledged their relationship as anything but platonic. In fact, Elahi insists the couple are like brother and sister! Significantly, neither Nagesh nor Elahi is married. And they’ve never been in any other relationship.
What stops couples from legitimising their relationship when there’s absolutely no reason to hold back? For many years, Sridevi insisted Boney Kapoor was like a guardian. She even stayed as Boney and his first wife Mona Kapoor’s house guest for years…Until Sri got pregnant.
Unusual relationships in showbiz are not always about love, sex and pregnancy. The self-styled diva Rekha has had her ‘secretary’ Farzana as her constant companion for as long as one can remember. Whenever Rekha is seen in public her woman-Friday is bound to follow. Locked away in her ivory tower Rekha seems to have only one friend in the entire world.
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based journalist. He has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out.
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.