On Friday 15th March London saw the opening of the 10th Flamenco Festival with the world premiere of !Ay! by Eva Yerbabuena. The Festival is back with an eclectic collection of the finest Flamenco performers who have made their mark over the past 9 years. The lineup this year includes names like Farraquito, Rocio Molina, Israel Galvin and the irrepressible Eva Yerbabuena who got the festival to a soaring start on the opening night.

Flamenco has evolved and developed over the years. A folk art form that has remarkably conserved an ancient heritage with its unmistakable rhythmic patterns and tones that mark its varied forms, has been able to accommodate contemporary tastes while being deeply rooted in  spanish tradition. Flamenco is known for its emotional intensity, proud carriage, expressive use of the arms and rhythmic stamping of the feet. All these nuances of the dance and many more, to add ones own identifying and distinctive ownership, formed the core of Eva’s mesmerising performance. Above all of her technical brilliance,  her emotional intensity doesn’t fail to touch your soul!

Eva’s first appearance on stage was an haunting image. Just one spot of light into which she walks in, clad in a black long flowing chiffon costume against a black backdrop in total silence.

As she steps forward the spot of light follows her to where she stops in the front corner. A man clad in black walks in right after and positions himself behind her. He is the “cantadore” who begins to sing  the first cante. His very high pitched voice could make a glass filled up to it’s brim rumble and shake till the water spills out, the glass topples and smashes scattering glass around. To this voice eva starts rumbling her fingers faster and faster, the movement gradually moving up her arms and spreading through her body clearly depicting that something inside her, is frantically trying to shake her being to act, to create something beautiful yet transient, that will be missed once gone….a moment, a dream, a syllable…!!!

The show starts with this intensity and true to that first feeling the show pulls on right through to the end. It holds the audience’s rapt attention every second of its running time. The performance is divided in 6 sections all very differently choreographed, using various stage props, set to songs performed live on stage by three vocalists accompanied by three brilliant musicians. Paco Jarana on guitar is also the director of music for !Ay! and his work brings the real essence of Flamenco music. Each piece express a deep emotion and is the heart and soul of the performance together with Eva’s vigorous dance moves.

Eva’s level of energy is amazing. She dances nonstop in the piece, with the only break being a song in between. As she moves on from one act to the other she becomes even more fiery.Those sitting in the front rows have probably seen her expressive face muscles reacting with every move of her body and her glowing eyes. All this together created the vibrance that reached the last row in the topmost corner of the auditorium. At the end the performance was applauded with a standing ovation from the audience, as a homage to one of the leading flamenco exponents of the world.

                                                                                        Protima Chatterjee

Born in Córdoba (1967), Miguel Marín is an internationally recognized producer of flamenco and Spanish cultural events.

In 1996 he founded Miguel Marín Productions, his own production company, and has presented festivals and events in the United States, UK, across Europe, China and others. The Flamenco Festival founded in 2001 with headquarters in New York, Washington DC, Miami and Boston, is today the main showcase for flamenco outside Spanish borders, having more than a million viewers worldwide.

In 2003 he added the Sadlers Wells Theatre in London becoming an unmissable annual event in the British capital, which has now grown to be the largest flamenco festival staged anywhere in the world outside Spain. Since then every year the festival has been conquering new cities around the globe, including Japan (2005), Paris (2006), Beijing (2007), Brussels (2008), Buenos Aires (2009), Shanghai (2010), Moscow (2011), Sao Paulo (2011).

Flamenco Festival London has seen an interesting line up every year. What is different in this year’s festival and is a surprise?

First of all, this is the 10th anniversary of Flamenco Festival London so we wanted to have some of the most outstanding artists who have appeared at the festival over the past decade, as well as some new surprises!

The festival will open on 15th March with a world premiere, by flamenco super star Eva Yerbabuena.  It is her first performance since she had her first child, which makes her decision to present this exciting new work all the more exciting.

We continue with the new show by Farruquito; the international premiere of the new album of Estrella Morente; and other shows that have been outstanding in the flamenco world this year, like the show of Israel Galvan La Curva.

New to the festival this year, we have created a series called Beyond Flamenco that will showcase some of the most experimental and cutting edge ideas in flamenco as well as new collaborations between flamenco and other contemporary dance forms; This includes two residencies called In Progress by two of the most outstanding young flamenco artists, Olga Pericet and Rocio Molina, who will be collaborating with UK artists; Tapeos that will delight audiences with performances in the foyer of the Sadler’s Wells.

Also for the first time, we will have master classes with renowned flamenco artists participating in the festival.

How does it feel to perform for a London audience?

We have been presenting Flamenco Festival in London for 10 years, and the audience in London is always a joy, as they are very excited by all types of dances. Right now Flamenco is developing the same kind of respect that other dance forms, like Ballet or contemporary dance has, and the Festival audience has a broader knowledge about Flamenco. It is really gorgeous as flamenco deserves to be on the same level!

What is your best memory of the festival over the years?

The audience, and how people over the years have created their own opinions about flamenco. They know flamenco as if they were a Spanish audience! It has been wonderful to witness how flamenco has developed such an international respect – it does not matter if you do not understand Spanish, as Flamenco is a language of feelings and can be understood all over the world.  For us to have flamenco in a prestigious venue like Sadler´s Wells is one of the best things that could ever have happened, and to see over the years that the Flamenco Festival London has become such an important international date in the dance calendar is wonderful.

Is there anything in particular that you think is yet to be brought to the festival?

 When we first began with the Flamenco Festival London we just presented dance, then later we introduced traditional music, and then after that, also notable singers.  Nowadays Flamenco Festival presents dance, song and guitar, which really give the broadest possible picture of the world of flamenco! This year we are presenting more experimental portrait of flamenco, with the Beyond Flamenco series which gives artists the opportunity to create work with other international dance makers and we would like to continue this way.

What do you find most exciting in the current trend of contemporary work in Flamenco?

For me it is that flamenco can contribute to the contemporary language of dance without loosing its authenticity.  It is exciting to see that even in it’s most contemporary form, flamenco can remain deeply rooted. It is also interesting how young flamenco performers continue to study flamenco thoroughly and understand the traditions of the dance form, and at the same time is keen to experiment with its exciting possibilities to present it in a  contemporary form. Rocio Molina, who is presenting Danzaora at the Festival on 19 March is a great example of a flamenco artist who has successfully integrated contemporary dance into her style. She has recently been invited by Sadler´s Wells to be a New Wave Associate, so it is wonderful to see that a flamenco artist is being championed in such a way!

As a producer and presenter of Flamenco which other dance form would you like to see Flamenco collaborating or experiment with?

Well, Flamenco has absorbed and collaborated over the years with almost all dance styles, for example Eva Yerbabuena worked with the legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch. We are presenting a piece during the Beyond Flamenco series titled  Romances that is directed by Juan Kruz, who is part of Sasha Waltz and Guests, and for example Rocio Molina is staging her residency with two hip hop artists and one videographer. Flamenco is evolving and drawing on other parts of dance and performance, which is something we’re very keen to promote.

                                                                                                       Protima Chatterjee

Cuba is synonymous with dance.There is always an excuse to dance when you are in Cuba -Carnivals, street festivals, nightclubs and vibrant spontaneous gatherings. There can be nothing more joyous than enjoying an evening of electrifying dance, live singing and music by a group that comes straight from the heart of Havana. Sitting in a packed auditorium in the city of London, in a miserable wet evening, Ballet Revolucion transported its audience to warmer and livelier climes. Ballet Revolucion is a Cuba based company of young talented dancers trained at Cuba’s top conservatoires and they are back at the Peacock theatre after a highly successful run last year.

Ballet Revolucion presents a spectacular evening of highly energetic and dynamic dance performance accompanied by an ensemble of very talented live musicians and singers. The dance technique used is a very clever amalgam of ballet, contemporary dance and modern hip hop set against soundtracks of live popular hits by artistes such as Enrique, Shakira, Santana Ricky Martin, Beyonce and Prince under the direction of Osmar Salazar Hernandez

The dancers are handpicked from amongst the best young performers of the country. They have their roots deep in the Latin American and Spanish dance styles. The finish of their movements and their raw energy deliver an adrenaline high to the audience. The cast of twenty one dancers all very fit, athletic, maintaining perfect shape, performing with intense passion and unbelievable athleticism speak of the unrivalled dancing talent in Cuba.The choreographers Aaron Cash and Roclan Chavez have done a splendid job in bringing out the essence of Cuban dance, though you can’t help feel the show’s internationalization to suit a global audience.

The musicians are adorable. Besides liking a performance, the audience can occasionally fall in love with the performers’ personalities. It’s the musicians’ and singers’ joyous demeanour on stage that made the audience join their hands to their beat when they played between the dance numbers. Each one of them were great performers with a special mention to Payhner Lasserie Echegoy on the drums. His short solo piece drew the audience together to a roaring applaud. He started off low, gradually picking up, reaching a point where Rayhner had a duel with his drums. Ending in his glorious victory throwing one arm in the air beating perhaps an invisible drum which he imagined in his frenzy.

Ballet Revolucion is a show worth seeing for its incredible dancers and great music. The music is pop, though sometimes veering into authentic Latino beats. It is in those moments that the show really comes alive, and a develops its own identity.

                                                                                       Protima Chatterjee

Vollmond is part water play, part sculpture but more than that, a testament to water as a metaphor! Dancers cavort with water with carefree abandon drenching themselves in the process. Water is the ultimate fluid motif which their bodies aspire to attain! During the course of the show, water rains down, flows around or cascades down on stage, is poured, sprayed around and splashed about while the dancers create wonderful shapes. It’s both a counterpoint to as well as a prop for the choreography!

The stage design is stunning, featuring a moat down stage with a huge rock feature over it, against a pitch black cyclorama creating an imposing imagery. Sitting in the auditorium looking into this deep space  brings a very close image of gazing into a starless night standing on the shore of a calm sea. With moonlight beaming down on the water making the fringes of the shore glisten at times. When water showers down on stage it is rain shimmering in the moonlight breaking with all its might on the huge rock boulder dancing its way down on stage. The dancers  use the dry front half of the stage and then gradually recede back into the water, soaking themselves up while continuing with their movements.

In Pina Bausch’s choreography one gets to see a lot of strong arm movements right from the shoulder down to the fingers. The flicking of arms keeping the torso strong create the brand. The lower half of the body being there as a support for the strong top half of each dancer. The women with their hair down add to the effect. Hair is immersed in water and flicked all the way up in different directions spraying water creating interesting patterns. Men use plastic bottles to pour water into wine glasses held by the ladies, filling up to the brim and then overflowing till they almost empty the bottle on to their partners sitting on chairs. Then there are points when both men and women use white buckets to collect water from the filled moat and throw it in every direction, with force but with control and dexterity. At this point the dancers take the whole experience to a level where the audience feel the urge to join in to this play of water.

The male dancers are controlled by their female counterparts in the piece. Their urge to make love make the men give in and be led. There is also some use of dialogue with a tinge of humour. One of the female dancers teaches her counterpart how to unclip a bra readily and when he takes 8 seconds she tells her off by saying ‘women cant wait that long’. She makes him practise three times by actually getting him to unclip her bra till he does it swiftly to her satisfaction. The second man who tries the same thing on her takes longer and is dismissed by the lady and sent off to practise it on someone else and return once good speed is achieved. For all this, sparse but witty dialogue is used much to the audience’s amusement. There are several small encounters like this that bring in humour and change in the piece.

Towards the end, the piece gathers momentum. The whole cast is on the floor at the same time. All completely drenched, repeating the same movement and the light is gradually dimmed. A complete contrast to the start where just two male dancers had entered the stage with two large empty bottles flicking in the air creating the sound made by empty bottles. They are joined in by a third who beats a long stick in the air making a sound in sync to the sound of the bottles.

At the end, the audience leaves with memorable but stark images of a shadowy world. Emotions interplay as freely as water, dancers ebb and flow like the water running around them.

                                                                                                Protima Chatterjee

“Tango is a sad thought that is danced”

Enrique Santos Discépoloo

Famous Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borge once noted that Tango expresses feelings that poets strive to capture with their words. The Tango Fire Dance company returns to Sadler’s Well’s after two years with the new ensemble version of their mesmerising “Flames of Desire” in front of a captivated London audience.

The Tango is danced by man and woman in a close embrace to heavenly music. Epithets like sensual, erotic, teasing falls far short of the feelings evoked by it. It feels like two dancers are baring each other’s souls through the medium of dance and music. It is about exploring hidden secrets, flirting with hidden desires tinged with an indescribably melancholic note. It is where machismo does not lie in seducing the woman, rather in protecting and in following her lead to discover, desire and create something  intimate and beautiful. It is a moment frozen in time where two souls fuse together.

The Tango Fire Dance company is known to London from its earlier visits. The production this time leaves no one in doubt that it is the finest exponents of this dance form.

“Flames of Desire” is divided into two parts where 5 couples dance in multiple permutations. The first part is visualised as scenes in a bar or a dance floor, where the couples get on with exploring each other. The magnificent band Quarteto Fuego plays their version of modernised yet impeccably classical Tango music. Throughout the performance they are on stage in front of a crimson red cyclorama lending not only music but also adding in effectively to the visual design.

The second half is when the action really hots up. Each of the couples return to perform their piece de resistance in front of a wildly appreciative audience. The pairs are spell binding in every way. However the lead pair of German Cornejo and Gisela Galeasi is completely outstanding and something never seen before. They combine an easy gymnastic acrobatics with a smouldering sensuousness. Gisela in particular with her beauty, grace and uncanny mastery of the form stands out among the ladies.

No review of this show can be complete without a reference to the flowing liquid costumes designed by Walter Delgado. Flames of Desire is brought to perfection through Delgado’s design of sensuous ballroom outfits that clad the smoking hot ladies on stage.

German Cornejo is the choreographer and makes the group pieces really come to life. For me the evening really reaches its climax with the slow dancing to Piazzolla’s soulful masterpiece – “oblivion”. No Tango evening can keep out the master. And the music keeps going back to Piazzolla’s creations including “Libertango” and “Adios Nonino”.

The evening draws to a close with the very fitting “Verano Porteno”  where the 5 couples take the stage together and draw each other out to create a wonderful sketch.

“Flames of Desire” a must see show. It has fire and flames that set the house ablaze.

                                                                                       Protima Chatterjee

The “Wild Card”  event at Sadler’s Wells gives young artistes the opportunity to present their work at the Lilian Baylis Studio in Angel. Upcoming artists are invited to present the work of their choice three times a season.

The first production in the Wild Card initiative this year featured work by Bellyflop, a London based online magazine run by eight dance artistes whose writing activity runs parallel to their contemporary dance and performance practices. The opening night of the two day event saw four avant-garde performances by some emerging artists. Though all the performances were fantastic, the one that particularly appealed to me was the first piece called “William William”.

“William Wiliam” is choreographed and performed by Jamilla Johnson Small and Mira Kautto. The words that should aptly sum up this piece are simple, deep and effective. The simplicity is elaborate and the effect is deep. The piece is a homage to rock gods of the past and challenges conventional notions of the feminine by seeking to claim “masculinity” as an aspect of the female.

The composition consists of three sections, namely – The Chase, The Catch and The Last Stand. In the first section of the dance piece-The Chase, the dancers succeed brilliantly in blurring the distinction between male and female by a combination of moves, costume and make up. They are graceful yet strong, they evoke a very female sensuousness while displaying a blunt machismo in every move. Initially the two dancers (simply clad in long vests and red sneakers) sashays into the stage with robust yet lucid movements. The stage design is austere yet powerful. Big bold letters reading William William hang down as a header. A square dais sits in the middle of the stage.  A very light wash of yellow light illuminates just part of the stage and the two dancers start speaking echoing a recorded voice. As they finish, the music begins.

As the section unfolds, the gender of the two dancers are gradually revealed. The apparently androgynous dancers are female. 

In the following section-“The catch”,  the dancers make an appearance in new, briefer attire with bare torsos and fluorescent aluminium coloured short pants. The lithe femininity of their bodies contrast with their macho dance movements, raising questions about conventional gender identity. A mellow white light which dissolves into golden hues illuminates the bottom half of the dancers. They have now moved onto the elevated square platform. At this point the dance sharpens its focus and the music recedes somewhat to the background.  What remains is a constant rhythm of a hollow sound with an occasional thump and a thud. The sound composition by Antoine Bertin is brilliant and perfectly compliments what happens on stage. 

In the closing section The last stand, the well honed technique of repeating movements is used successfully. The dancers in the meantime take another costume change, brilliantly choreographed, within the piece. This last section lends balance to the whole composition with its emphasis on reinforcing the message through the use of repetitive movements. 

“William William” – an intensely gripping performance with very high energy levels from the dancers! 

                                                                                             Protima Chatterjee

This is the second time Abundant Art has covered on ‘Sounds of Bengal’. Its the same show, but performed in two different countries. The first time that AA had written about the performance was when it was staged at the Southbank centre, in London, UK, earlier this year. This second time was to a Kolkata audience, at the Birla Academy of Art & Culture on Sunday, 9th December. AA is keen to explore the interest and interpretation of music lovers around the globe. This time Sounds of Bengal went to the land that inspired it and evoked admiration and awe. To the audience it brought home a fresh perspective of what a melange of  classical and folk sounds could create.

An evening with Sarod and Tabla grows on you, slowly. You expect a calm, may be languorous buildup of the ‘alap’ as your senses gradually drown in soul soothing sounds. However, this evening was different! It was a young, vibrant musician, holding up an orange coloured electric Sarod, resembling a rockstar holding his Spanish Guitar, accompanied by a young and hip Tabla player. I am talking about Soumik Datta and Arif Khan, the composers and creators of Sounds of Bengal. Together they took the audience through their musical theatre, on a magical journey across Bengal and Bangladesh.

Sounds of Bengal is a magnificent musical ensemble of the sounds and sights of Kolkata. Whether it’s the prayer chants in the morning or the salesmen ferrying their wares in the bye lanes of Kolkata – you will get to align with the spirit of the city through the ‘jugalbandi’ of the Sarod and the Tabla, brought to life by these two young and talented musicians.

Soumik, an UK based emerging talent, despite being brought up in the west, has skilfully mastered the art of playing the Indian instrument Sarod. With a warm, welcoming smile, Soumik plays the Sarod and creates an effect which is sizzling as well as sensational. The notes follow the pictorial depiction with amazing sincerity and you are left overwhelmed. Of course, the effect would have been incomplete without the Tabla adding on to the musical magic.

Arif Khan is in love with his tabla and the tabla is in love with him! He tells stories with its beats. Whether it’s the constant nagging between a husband and a wife or the so typical Mumbai jhankaars or the Latin Merengue, it all comes alive with the flick of his fingers. I particularly liked the beats of “Dhaki” so typical in Bengal during Durga Puja, so effectively and innovatively recreated by this duo.

This performance at Kolkata had another surprise: Vocals by Saurav Moni, one of India’s prolific folk singers today, popular for singing Bengal Delta’s traditional folk songs. He sang a couple of “Bhatiali” songs while imageries’ of  boatmen drifting along the Ganges added to the visual effect. Folk songs have a flavour of their own and mixed with Sarod and Tabla, they take you deep into their Indian roots. The songs lift your mood and you are left refreshed as if you have just been through a deep meditative session.

Sounds of Bengal is evolving and adding on new dimensions each day. To quote Arif Khan “ Musafir ke raaste badalte rahe, muqaddar mein chalna tha, chalte rahe!” (The road keeps changing for the traveller, but he is destined to travel so the journey continues….). Wish all the best to “ Sounds of Bengal” in their journey ahead.

As we sat in front of the raised circular stage, the challenge seemed daunting. With no curtains, no walls behind the stage, how would they recreate something as magical as Narnia, from where would the actors appear, how would the props be changed? London theatre was always amazing, but this 2.5 hour long show promised to show some real wonders.

Every bit of space was used effectively, wide large screens ran all along the circular tent and digital imagery was used to depict the changing seasons. The cupboard emerged from the floor of the stage and the children went in only to reappear in a white Narnia with snow drifting gently over us.  The actors used the aisles between the audiences to emerge and exit the stage, making it very interactive. Aslan made a grand entry with three people, acting as his head, fore and hind legs. The white witch’s evil shone through her eyes. Actors on stilts and bionic legs were the trees and animals helpers.

The best performances were from Sally Dexter as the white witch, Rebecca Benson as Lucy, Jonny Weldon as Edmund, Sophie Louise Dann as Mrs Beaver; David Suchet as Aslan’s voice did enough justice to Liam Neeson’s Aslan in the movie.

There wasn’t much to fault in this amazing production by Rupert Gould; it could be said that Peter’s and Susan’s characters were not as strongly etched as the movie, the lion puppet could have had some fur, as the ribcage made it look rather skeletal; and if only they could have made the closed tent a little cooler – but then who knew it would be about 30 degrees in London that day!

As we left Narnia and trooped out into the wide gardens, my son asking when we could come back and see it again, I applauded the artists behind this performance- this was art at its most abundant!

                                                                                                                                             Mona lives in London and is a writer by choice and

a telecom sales person by profession.

www.monadash.net

Javed Akhtar has many facets to his persona: reputed scriptwriter and lyricist, he holds a record breaking number of Filmfare awards for his contribution to Bombay Hindi films. Member of the upper house of Indian parliament, (Rajya Sabha) he is a fearless spokesperson for secular values and minority rights. A prominent media person he argues for rational thinking and is an icon or “guru” for the Indian youth. Hailing from a six generation family of writers, he is also an Urdu poet and his first book of poetry “Tarkash” (Quiver) today is the most sold book of verse in India. “Tarkash” was rapidly translated into several Indian languages (I was involved in the Bengali translation) and finally to English. Fifteen years later, Javed has published his second book of poems LAVA ( Star Publications, India). Master wordsmith, he forges new images into the traditional forms of ghazal and nazm. He also writes long poems which are modern in sensibility, powerful in rhythm and meter.

Javed Akhtar read his new poetry at an exclusive event presented by Baithak UK on 10 July in London. Urdu poetry recitation has a traditional style, where the poet recites his “shayri” from memory and the audience is vocal in its appreciation. Javed presents that performative style of recitation, bold, vigorous and occasionally emotional and poignant. Like the title suggests, there is fire and brimstone in the poetry and as the lava cools we find tranquillity, reflection and a painful loneliness. The poetry is less nostalgic than Tarkash, perhaps more objective, but at the core there is an artist grappling with his thoughts and emotions and the process is part of the resultant verse. An angry atheist bids farewell to God in “Khuda Hafiz” , an ageing father looks for his son’s support in the wonderfully moving “Mela”, the husband and companion salutes his partner in “Shabana”.

” I took more time than I should have with my second book as the first was so successful and had raised audience expectations. Writing poetry is also a lonely task and I need to find the space for that in a rather hectic lifestyle. Contrary to romanticised ideas about a poet, poetry writing is a craft and needs hard work to hone it, to fine tune it. There are personal poems but there are also poems about the world I live in, the society which I inhabit.”

Shabana Azmi spoke to the audience after the reading and humorously observed that her husband has a particular facility with writing songs very fast and although he has written many romantic songs and verses, there is nothing necessarily romantic about being married to a poet.

BAITHAK brings the artist close up to the audience. The art of “shayri” delighted the elders, the younger members were struck by the dramatic vigour of the poetry recitation. That evening it was particularly inspirational to present two artists who not only excel in their own fields of work but continuously strive to improve the social fabric within which they work and engage in. One of my favourite poets, Javed Akhtar, in his LAVA poems come across as the man he is – alternately passionate, gregarious, angry and then reflective, pensive and melancholy. The ideas and words flow, the craftsman and “shair” shines like a bright star.

Sangeeta Datta is Director of Baithak, UK, Filmmaker( LIfe Goes On) and Cultural Commentator

Photo Credit: Vipul Sangoi ( Courtesy: Baithak, UK)

I first saw Rajesh Khanna on the big screen as Anand when my Mother took me to the theatre to watch the bitter sweet tale of a man who spread love and laughter in the face of imminent death. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s film brought out the real talent in Khanna as opposed to the mainstream commercial hero who had already created his signature smile, tilt of the head and sweep of the hand. By then the man was already a star with Aradhana and he delivered fifteen hits in a row- a record yet unbroken in Bollywood.  Venturing into smaller films like Anand, Safar, Khamoshi demonstrated his commitment to his craft and as we review these films now, truly displayed his strength for small, intense drama. In his heydays he worked in two shifts every day, inhabiting two characters, and then also divided time between big Bollywood fare and the arthouse films. This gave him that double edged shizoid persona which any true artist displays. Add to that the unprecedented adulation- woman marrying his photographs, writing letters in blood, some taking their lives when he married the starlet Dimple Kapadia. Years later when I knew him in Bombay and he had time for candid conversations, he recalled how “Stardom came overnight. Before the premiere of Aradhana no one acknowledged me, but after the screening everyone was looking for me. When I got into my car I saw women throwing themselves at the windows and smearing the glass with their lipstick.” Even Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan concede that this popularity was never to be matched.

A good actor with an extraordinary magical charisma, he spiralled to dizzying heights and was termed the Indian superstar, that too before the days of PR and marketing, satellite, promos, internet and the gizmo which operates now in the industry.  He could be the boy next door and he could be the aloof star. As he delivered one silver jubilee (25 weeks run) after another, the films included Aradhana, Do Raastey, Bandhan, Kati Patang, Anand, Bawarchi, Safar,Dushman, Amar Prem, Apna Desh.  Followed exorbitant fees, new cars and bungalows and a bunch of sycophants who kept him away from reality.  He did not handle all this well though and soon came the downward turn. Caught in his mannerisms he was repeating himself and the audience drift was turning with the times. ” When I walked out of the screening of Namakharaam ( a film where he was pitted against Amitabh Bacchan) I knew the tables had turned” he confessed. Indeed it was time for the angry young man Bachchan to ascend to his own heights.  Such are the laws of stardom.

The fact remains that no one has seen such spectacular success and enjoyed such ardent fanhood as Khanna in his heydays. For the 70’s children, he symbolised a naive love and romance, a vulnerable masculinity, a soft spoken charm before the action hero stormed onto the scene. In addition to good stories and directors it was the music in his films which made them so memorable. Kishore Kumar sang his songs and the singer and actor flowed into each other’s persona. ” I was the body, he was the soul. People would think we are the same person, which we are only I couldn’t sing. In fact I ofen struggled to remember song lines” he recalled smilingly. The BBC documentary Rajesh Khanna Superstar by James Clarke (recently shown on NDTV) revealed how he had to do twenty takes to jump up on a stone, get a small phrase and beat right in a song. After which he smilingly conceded it was all worth the effort because his audience would now be pleased. Equal credit goes to his most paired heroines, Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz, with whom he shared great screen chemistry. For me the sombre song sequence from Amar Prem, “Chingari koi bharkey” which Khanna sings to Sharmila on a boat under Howrah Bridge, dressed immaculately in his dhoti-kurta, will remain iconic. As will the giddying song “Jai Jai Shiv Shnakar” from Aap ki Kasam, where both Khanna and Mumtaz do a fun, mad, dopey number.

By the late seventies I had turned into a Hindi film buff  because I had to see all his films and buy all his music. In trademark fan style I wrote letters to the famous address of his suburban bungalow (Ashirwaad, Carter Road, Bandra, Bombay) and received autographed photographs. In those days Junior Statesman carried blow up posters every week end, and all four of the star (including a three part live size one) decorated the walls of my teenage room. Many years later, when I moved to Bombay I knew Rajesh Khanna as a charming, generous friend and a candid conversationalist. Sitting on the terrace of Ashirwaad, Khanna had many stories to tell of his magical starlit years, as the sun would slowly sink into the Arabian sea behind him.

With Rajesh Khanna goes one of the strongest links to our childhood, to our understanding of love, romance, adulation, fanhood, Hindi films. Today from a distance one concludes that the star’s meteoric  ascent and painful descent is the stuff of tragic narratives. He lived like a tragic hero, like Anand smiling till death. The star has left the building but not the hearts of fans and devotees. He would have been happy to see the grieving thousands who thronged the streets of Bombay on a rainy afternoon to catch a last glimpse of the King who had not lost his kingdom.

As I watched the flower decked cortege pass by on television yesterday, the skies crying, the streets lined with silent, tearful fans-  the last line from his best known film reverberated:

“Anand mara nahin, Anand martey nahin.”  ( Anand has not died, Anand can never die.)

Rest in peace and thank you for the movies.