Gulzar reveals why Rajesh Khanna acted in Anand at a nominal fee

Veteran poet-lyricist Gulzar has revealed that the late superstar Rajesh Khanna acted in 1971 superhit Anand at a nominal fee.

Veteran poet-lyricist Gulzar has revealed that the late superstar Rajesh Khanna acted in 1971 superhit Anand at a nominal fee.

Poet, lyricist and film director Gulzar pose for the photograph at his residence Bandra in Mumbai.(Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

The 82-year-old writer said Khanna liked the story. “He threw a big party after the success of Anand,” Gulzar was quoted as saying in a media release issued here.

Gulzar had written the screenplay and dialogues for the film that was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and starred Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan in lead roles. Gulzar also said Mukherjee had a very good sense of humour and it reflected in movies like Khoobsurat and Chupke Chupke.

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Gulzar was speaking at the master-class session held by Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA) and moderated by acclaimed filmmaker Sudhir Mishra last week.

This was part of IFTDA’s monthly initiative ‘IFTDA Meet The Director’ session that provides a platform for filmmakers to interact with established directors and in process, learn and hone their craft of filmmaking and storytelling.

The Aandhi helmer spoke about his journey into films, the evolution of the industry, his frequent collaborators and friends like RD Burman, Sanjeev Kumar, Vishal Bhardwaj, AR Rahman and others, his love for languages.

“Hari Bhai (Sanjeev Kumar) and Pancham (Burman) were two anchors in my life and I loved both of them immensely. We shared a relationship where we could disagree with each other without feeling bad at all,” Gulzar said.

When he was asked about filmmakers being influenced a lot by films in West, Gulzar said, “We have such vast history and so many stories from our historic culture that we don’t have to look anywhere else for inspiration. Yes, the technology in west is very advanced for sure.”

Actor Jeetendra who worked with Gulzar on films like Parichay, Khushboo and Kinaara, felicitated him on behalf of IFTDA.

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