Fallen Leaves- VIII
Adam Ayub
The classes were quite interesting. Principal handled the subject History of cinema. While most others yawned through the class, I found it quite absorbing. The practical sessions included observation, imagination, improvisation, scenes, voice & diction etc.
I fared well in all the classes. But for the first time in my life I discovered that my voice was husky. You never hear your voice as others do, because of internal conduction. Like the bathroom singers, we are under the delusion that our voice is very good. Though I had better diction, the quality of my voice was something that disappointed me in those years. I did rigorous voice exercises in those days. Later while I was struggling in the film industry, I had wished I could have earned a living at least as a dubbing artiste if my voice was good. As I was better than others in all the classes, naturally I became the pet of my teacher.
During this period I became a member of the American library of the United States Information service, The British Library, The Russian Library of the Soviet Cultural Centre and the Alliance Francise. I was an avid reader of books on cinema. I took down notes from the books I read. This helped me in my later life, as a teacher of cinema.
I also saw world classic films in the screenings held at these centers on a regular basis.
Thus I had the opportunity to get exposed to the best of world cinema, both classics and contemporary.
We used to go to a nearby hotel for lunch. There were many days when I had to forgo lunch as my pocket was empty. On such days I used to while away the lunch interval by reading some library books. On a couple of such occasions, I had seen Vijayalaksmi, the girl from the Telugu batch, also whiling away her time in a corner of the class room. Unlike the boys in her class, she came from a poor family. She also dressed humbly. But she was a jovial bubbly girl. One day out of the blue, I got a money order! It was sent by my brother-in law, M.A.Sait, who was at that time posted as an officer in the Reserve Bank of India, Hyderabad. The postman came during the lunch interval. It was one of my starving days. I was very thrilled indeed! I counted the notes, tipped the postman and was about to set out for lunch, when Vijayalakshmi called my name.
Going for lunch? She asked me. Yes I replied.
Will you buy me lunch? She asked.
I was a little surprised. But I said Of course! Come along
We went to the regular hotel. It was crowded. We managed to get seat inside a family cabin. As we were eating our lunch, she said We must have been brother and sister in our previous life . I looked up at her. Her eyes were wet. I patted her hand. At that moment, the half door of the cabin opened and our lecturer prabhakaran Sir peered in. I smiled at him. But he withdrew immediately. I did not feel any thing unusual, as there was absolutely nothing between me and Vijayalakshmi. She was just a classmate to me, nothing more. But Vijayalakshmi seemed to be embarrassed. I asked her what was wrong.
She said Prabhakaran Sir had invited me for lunch. But I had refused politely .
But why didn t you accept his invitation? I asked.
She bowed her head I didn t want to create a scandal She murmured. I opened my mouth to say something; but decided against it. I did not think it wise to probe the matter further. Later Vijayalakshmi became a popular actress in Tamil cinema. She portrayed many vamp characters in Tamil films, including that of Shivaji Ganeshan. She is still active in Tamil TV serials.
At the hotel, Shivaji often came to my room to chat. Two things that bonded us together were poverty and Hindi. As both of us did not have the means to spend lavishly, like our friends, we withdrew to ourselves. Having Marathi as his mother tongue, he was fluent in Hindi; and having Cutchi as my mother tongue, I was fluent in Hindi too. We used to share our problems. He was greatly influenced by Hindi actor Shathrughan Sinha. He liked the stylized acting of Shathrughan Sinha. He himself used to perform tricks with cigarettes, throwing the cigarette into his mouth, and then striking the matchstick with a single hand, lighting the cigarette, throwing the matchbox and catching it stylishly with the other hand etc. He used to practice and perfect new tricks. As I was his first audience, I had the good fortune to see all his tricks first hand. Later, in his early films he performed these cigarette tricks and they earned him the title Style mannan-Rajaneekanth .
Shivaji was a chain smoker. He had slightly bulky body during the Institute days. We had yoga practice every day during the last hour of the afternoon session. He used to bunk the yoga classes under the pretext of headache or something. But he was not allowed to go home. He must be present in the class though he was excluded from practicing yoga. During one such session, as we were practicing the Asanas in the lawn, Shivaji sat in the visitors chairs of the Film Chamber verandah and smoked clandestinely. It was at this time that a car came and screeched before the chamber office and Mr. K.P.Kottarakkara, Malayalam Film producer and at that time the vice-president of the film chamber, alighted. Shivaji did not recognize the person. So he continued smoking without paying any attention to the person. Mr. Kottakkara became very angry. He started shouting at Shivaji. It was then that shivaji realized that this was some VIP. Mr.Kottarakkara summoned the Institute authorities and demanded Shivaji s expulsion. Shivaji was made to submit a written apology and somehow the matter was settled. But the result was that yoga practice was made compulsory for all students. No one was allowed to cut classes. Shivaji felt very humiliated. But later when he became the super star Rajneekanth, he got an opportunity to take sweet revenge. Kottarakkara had many flop films during that period and he wanted to make a film in Tamil with Rajaneekanth as hero. He sent his manager to Rajaneekant with advance money to get his dates. But when he came to know that the producer is the same person who had insulted him back in his student days, he refused to give him dates. I am not commenting on the merits or demerits of the case. I am just mentioning the facts I know.
Another vivid memory associated with the Yoga classes is the one which gave me a permanent back-pain. We were practicing Saravangasana on the lawns. The fellow practicing beside me cracked a joke. I burst out laughing in that asana posture. Suddenly there was a shooting pain in my lower back and I fell down from the posture. Our instructor had given us very strict instructions that we should not talk or laugh while doing the asanas . It was a terrible mistake on my part. Not only was I laid up for a week, but this back-pain became a recurring nuisance in later life.
My financial condition was at its worst. I had a gold ring in my finger, which was now resting in the iron safe of a local Marwadi, (Money lender). In the absence of regular meals, I was sustaining on the tea and biscuits supplied on credit by the Nair tea stall (as all Malayalee tea stalls are called.), near Arun Hotel. One week, on just tea and biscuits, had made me physically very weak. It had also increased my yearning for a square meal of rice and curry. It was a Saturday. I decided to go to Prabhakaran Sir s house. He was living alone in the upstairs of a house in Kodambakkam. He used to cook, his own meals.
When I went there that day, I not only got meals, but also had the good fortune to meet my favourite writer VKN. He was on a short visit to Madras and was staying with Prabhakaran Sir. I liked his style of writing and had a great time talking to him. I returned to my room with my stomach and mind full and contended. But tomorrow was another day and hunger was back. Once I had heard Surasu (The dramatist and actor) say that the greatest curse of human race is hunger. If somebody invented a miracle remedy that will permanently kill hunger, we could live happily. The fact that I had a sumptuous meal yesterday, did not keep my stomach from demanding food today. I went to the Nair tea stall, my last resort. The owner seemed to be busy serving his other customers, who paid ready cash and did not pay any attention to me. Finally I made an embarrassed cough, a very polite one. He looked at me. I smiled weekly. Then he gave me a biscuit and a tea, and said Do you know how much credit you have run up?
No...Yes I said. You have reached the limit, please pay tomorrow He said. Other customers looked at me. I swallowed& the biscuit and my dignity along with it and said, Yes . On my way back, I looked at the watch on my wrist. Though my times were miserable, the poor fellow was keeping it for me steadfastly. I unstrapped my watch and took it to the Marwadi. Sunday was no holiday for the Marwadi. In fact he always kept his shark-like jaws open to entrap any prey that came his way. He gave me sixty rupees for my watch. Immediately I paid back the tea stall dues. I had a heavy meal that night and when I came out of the hotel, I saw a beggar on the footpath. I magnanimously dropped a coin in his bowl. That night I slept well.
My sister Nadira was in Hyderabad at that time, as her husband was an officer in RBI there. She invited me to Hyderabad to spend the vacation. I accepted the invitation and went to Hyderabad. My brother Akbar was also there at that time. I felt very much at home with my siblings there. My niece, Shannu was just one year old at that time. As she was the first baby of the third generation in our family, she was every body s pet.
She became very much attached to me during my short stay there. When I finally bid them farewell, little Shannu was crying uncontrollably. I had to put the bite on my brother-in-law for my return fare. He is a magnanimous person. He even gave me some extra money.
The preview theatre of the Film Chamber was situated inside our campus. The Censor screenings of almost all the South Indian films were held there, besides previews of new films. We students were allowed to see the previews. This gave us the opportunity to see all the latest releases. We also got the opportunity to interact with the actors and film makers. We met Thikkurissy here, when he had come for the preview of his film Urvashi Bharathi . We students surrounded him after the show. He was very pleased to talk to us. He was a very talkative person and it was a pleasure to listen to him. He was a versatile genius-Actor, Director, Screenplay writer and lyricist. I admired him a lot. I asked him several questions. It was this admiration that made me approach him ten years later to request him to accept the post of Principal of the Southern Film Institute at Trivandrum, of which I was one of the founders.
One day Shivaji came to my room, clad only in a lungi, as was his practice. All our friends had gone for a movie. As we two were the only ones without money, we stayed back. As always, he came and stood before the big dressing mirror in my room and started examining his body. Then he turned and looked at me.
I think I will have to go back to the bus conductor s job after finishing the course. Why? I asked.
Look at me! I am so dark and ugly. Who is going to give me a chance in movies?
Arre yaar, do you know the Malayalam hero, Sathyan? He is darker than you.
Is he? shivaji asked hopefully.
Yes, and he is one of the best actors in India. The color of the skin does not matter at all, it is talent that counts. You are a very talented actor I reassured him.
But I have no Godfathers in the film industry He continued.
Neither have I I cut in.
But you are tall, fair and handsome. You will have no difficulty in getting roles That was what superstar Rajaneekanth said in 1974, barely two years before becoming a superstar. And here I am! Languishing in the periphery of arc lights even after 36 years!
That is fate. Destiny has carved out our future for us.
The moving finger writes, and having written, moves on. Neither all our piety
nor our tears can change a word or alter a part of it.
