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Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mahesh Bhatt pens a poem remembering Raj Khosla: ‘The Light That Lingers'
On Raj Khosla's birth centenary, Mahesh Bhatt pens a special poem for the filmmaker. Khosla helmed films such as C.I.D., Do Raaste, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, Bombai Ka Babu, Woh Kaun Thi and Mera Gaon Mera Desh. 2025. First quarter of the second century of cinema. They're screening his films again. Regal Cinema. An old hall. The velvet is dull. The walls are cracked. Dust floats in the light. The air smells of time. The screen waits. It doesn't shine like it used to. Streaming has taken over. Theatres are kings without kingdoms. And still—here we are. I'm the guest of honour. Asha Parekh will be here soon. Once, the face on every poster. Now, a medal on her chest. Reverence in every greeting. I sit and wait. We're here to honour the brilliance of one of the most underrated filmmakers India ever had. Thanks to the Film Heritage Foundation— founded by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, a man on a mission to rescue our fading cinematic memory. And as I wait, something inside me shifts. 1969. I was twenty. Rubber slippers. Tight pants. No money. A head full of storm. I wanted to make films. I didn't know how. At Mehboob Studio, the watchman stopped me. 'You don't belong here,' he said. I said a name — Raj Khosla. I hadn't met him, but I knew him. Something in the way I said it opened the gate. Inside, the air smelled of sweat and paint. Cables on the floor. Men shouting. Dreams being built— not dreamt. Built. His office was cold with air-conditioning. He'd just woken up. Looked at me like a face from a dream he couldn't place. 'Know anything about filmmaking?' he asked. 'No.' He smiled—small, sideways. 'Zero's a good place to start.' That was it. That's how I began. I stayed a short while. But I saw enough. How a film is made— Not wished into being. Wrestled in. Through heat and silence and rage. We made a film. Later, they called it the first Eastern Western. We called it madness. Sand. Heat. Guns that jammed. Stars who bled. Then I left. We all do. I failed first. Then, somehow, I didn't. Four hits in a row. The applause came. I smiled. But the sound never reached me. He, meanwhile, had begun to vanish. Even the brightest lights fade. One night—Sea Rock Hotel. Terrace. Stars above. Music below. He stood alone. Hands in his pockets. Looking out at the sea like it had stolen something from him. I walked up. 'Get me a drink,' he said. I did. Because some men stay taller than time. He looked at me. 'So—how does it feel? Being on top?' I said, 'I didn't ask for this.' He laughed. Not kindly. 'You? Four hits and still restless? Try being the man who once had it all and now begs for one last sip of relevance.' Then he looked beyond the lights— toward something only he could see. 'Fame is starlight,' he said. 'The glow of something already dead. You see the shine— but the star is gone.' I never forgot. I couldn't. Now the young come. They speak with fire in their throats. I listen. And when I speak— they don't just hear me. They hear him. The man who let me in. The man who said zero. They don't know his name. But they carry it—like I did. He is gone. But the light is still here. The hall stirs. She walks in. Applause cracks through the dust. We take the stage. A question comes: 'What did your master leave you that lasted?' I close my eyes. See his face. Hear his voice. 'Zero,' I say. 'That's where I began.' They nod. They think I'm wise. They think I know. But I don't. And that's the truth. To stay in this work— to stay in this life— you have to live with not knowing. The old sages knew it: Not this. Not that. Not even this. What remains isn't certainty. It's the light. The kind that flickers. The kind that stays. I don't direct anymore. Don't chase stories. I'm quiet now. Like a volcano that once burned. Now still. Still warm. I mentor the thirsty, the talented. The young come. They burn. I listen. I guide. I hand them the match. Let them strike it. That's enough. So I say it again— for the ones still outside the gate: Fame is starlight. Beautiful. Distant. Already gone. Let it guide you. Let it burn you. Then let it go. And when your time comes— Start from zero. Stand in the not-knowing. Speak only what's true. And pass it on.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
FHF to celebrate Raj Khosla's centenary with screenings of his restored films
The Film Heritage Foundation (FHF) has announced a one-day retrospective to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of writer-filmmaker Raj Khosla. Titled 'Raj Khosla 100 - Bambai Ka Babu', the event will take place on May 31 at Mumbai's Regal Cinema and also features a special panel discussion on the legacy of one of 's most versatile directors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As part of the celebrations, three of Khosla's acclaimed films -- "C.I.D." (1956), "Bambai Ka Babu" (1960), and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh" (1971) -- will be screened. T he first two movies have been restored in 4K resolution by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and National Film Archive of India (NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, an initiative of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. The event will feature a panel discussion with veteran actor Asha Parekh, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and Amborish Roychoudhury, the author of "Raj Khosla: The Authorized Biography". Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, director of the Film Heritage Foundation, said, "I would describe Raj Khosla as the Howard Hawks of Indian cinema for his remarkable ability to successfully make films in every genre from thrillers, whodunits, musicals, action adventure to love stories and dacoit films." "He excelled in song picturisation and was known for having strong female characters in his films. It inspired me as an upcoming filmmaker when I saw images of his hoardings that had a director's chair with his name emblazoned on it," he added. Parekh, who collaborated with Khosla on several films including "Chirag", "Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki", and "Mera Gaon Mera Desh", said his 1966 film Do Badan transformed the way audiences perceived her as an artist. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Before my first film with Raj Khosla, I was known more for my dancing and glamorous roles. It was 'Do Badan' that changed people's perception of me as an actress that could perform more serious roles. I shared a great rapport with Rajji and I enjoyed working with him. He was a very fine filmmaker and his song picturization was remarkable," she said. Mahesh Bhatt paid a tribute to Khosla, saying, "His words haunt me still. He likened fame to starlight - a flow emanating from stars long dead, their light journeying across vast distances to reach us. 'The light is the message,' he said, 'but the star, the messenger, is gone'. Raj Sahab is such a star. Though he is long gone, his light still shines through me." Prakash Magdum, managing director, NFDC, revealed that NFDC-NFAI has had a 35mm release print of 'Bombai Ka Babu' in its collection for over 40 years, which made the 4K restoration possible in the first place. "This screening at Regal, Mumbai, is a unique opportunity for the cinema lovers to view, for the first time ever, 'Bombai Ka Babu' in 4K restored version," he added. PTI
