One
colourful event stands out from my campus capers. Next to our college was a
hotel where film stars stayed when they came to Mysore for shooting. The Housekeeper knew us
and would send word when a Star came. Maya, her friend Rekha and I were sitting
in the driveway of the college when the bell boy came and told us that Shammi
Kapoor was in the hotel. I was not overjoyed but Maya and Rekha insisted we go
and see him. We went. He was lying in bed with a red nose and swollen face as
he was running fever. Maya and Rekha spoke to him and I showed no interest.
Peeved, he asked me why I was sulking and I told him he was no great hero of
mine because he jumped around too much like an ape! He wagged his chubby
fingers at me and said “ I am not well enough to spar with you today, but come
back tomorrow and we’ll talk”. The next day, I went and he was sitting out on
the balcony. He asked for a chair for me .It was ten in the morning and instead
of going to class, I was sitting and chatting with Shammi Kapoor! Groups of
girls came from the college for his autograph and envied my sitting with him. A
film, journal, Cine Advance, carried
a picture of us on the front page, !!
I sat
with him till five in the evening. We had lunch and read passages from Shakespeare
from my text book. He switched on music and taught me to Tango-all this on the
balcony overlooking the road! He asked Security to stop the girls from coming
in. It was not Shammi Kapoor the actor who fascinated me but, the person. His
terrific sense of humour (yes, I love anyone who can make me laugh!) appealed
to me. He confessed that he was sick of sycophancy from Fans and my candour was
refreshing. He said he’d always remember this ‘interlude’ and made me write out
a small sonnet on a piece of paper. He put it into his breast pocket with “it
will be here near my heart”. I am sure the dhobi threw it out the next day! In
his next movie, Kashmir Ki Kali,
three friends of the heroine were called Chaya, Maya and Rekha, just as he had
promised he would do! He wrote in my autograph, ‘hope you remain like this-lovable and detestable’.
There
were various repercussions to this episode. The next day, my Principal called
me and demanded an explanation because the girls, who were not allowed to meet
the actor, complained that I was closeted with him. My Principal believed me
when I narrated what happened since I had a reputation for being a
straightforward girl. Some girls wrote anonymous letters to my father who
simply tore them up. This was the other face of women that shocked me. They had
contorted the truth just to get me into trouble because they were jealous. It
was an eye opener and the beginning of many such revelations later. I’ve always
believed in going after what I want. If someone else gets it, I wish the person
well and move on to setting my sights on some other goal. The world is large
enough for all of us and opportunities are aplenty. It is petty to get someone
into trouble just because you can’t make it or you are not as good. I was
disgusted with the meanness of my so called friends who even wrote scandalous
slogans about me and Shammi Kapoor on the walls. It was like yellow journalism.
Anyway, I learnt to live with such display of envy of which I was to have
greater doses in years to come.
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