Jeetendra recalls memories of growing up in a chawl, says neighbours gathered at his home to see a ceiling fan. Watch
Jeetendra, who spent the first two decades of his life in a chawl in Mumbai, recalled fond memories of his childhood on Indian Idol 12. Watch the video here.
Veteran actor Jeetendra now lives in a luxurious bungalow in the posh Juhu area of Mumbai but he grew up in a humble chawl. During an appearance on the singing reality show, Indian Idol 12, he reminisced about his childhood in Girgaon's Shyam Sadan chawl.
In a promo for the upcoming episode, shared online by Sony TV, Jeetendra said that he spent the first two decades of his life in the chawl and it impacted him in many ways. “Mujhe aisa lagta hai ki jo meri parvarish, jo sanskaar... Maa-baap ne toh diye hi, par aapke mahaul se bhi aapko bohot sanskaar milte hai (Apart from the parents, I believe one’s surroundings play a very important role in their upbringing and values). I am a typical Maharashtrian in habits, language and everything. I became a hero because I could speak Marathi very well,” he said.
Calling those days the ‘best’ of his life, Jeetendra said that 80 families lived in the four-storey chawl, and there was a lot of love between them. He said that they could always rely on one another if they ever ran out of tea leaves or other supplies.
“Jab mere ghar mein pankha laga, sab building ke log dekhne ko aaye (When a ceiling fan was installed in my house, everyone in the building came to see it),” he said, adding that his house was also the first to get tubelights.
In 2018, Jeetendra’s daughter Ekta Kapoor shared a video of him visiting his childhood home after several years. The clip showed him walking up to the chawl and meeting the residents, some of whom he appeared to recognise.
Jeetendra has starred in films such as Tohfa, Dharam Veer, Thanedaar and Himmatwala. He was last seen on the big screen in a special appearance in Mahabharat Aur Barbareek.
