00:00In those days, no producer would give us a cup of tea.
00:03We would pay for the tea and the food would come from our house.
00:06No one wanted to be their own teacher.
00:11Two types of demons came in our line.
00:13One was the camera and the other was the sound.
00:17All the pictures that the Marathi producers made,
00:21they didn't make them in such a way that there was English in them.
00:30Look, there is a special thing about Indians.
00:36No one wants to be their own teacher.
00:38They want to be their own teacher.
00:40The films that we have started,
00:44they are foreign,
00:46and especially our teacher,
00:48who is called our alma mater,
00:50he is American Films.
00:52You have to admit that,
00:54recently you must have read that
00:58such great artists and directors,
01:00like Sajid Rai,
01:02they also said that they have learned from American films.
01:04There is nothing to be ashamed of.
01:06If you look at it,
01:08we have not invented anything new.
01:10We have all done the same thing.
01:12So in those days,
01:14in the days of Salient,
01:16American films were very famous.
01:18And especially,
01:20like Douglas Fairbanks, Richard Talmadge,
01:22Eddie Polo, Pearl White,
01:24all these artists were there in those days.
01:27They used to come in serials,
01:29and also in films.
01:31We have learned all these things from there.
01:33Anyway,
01:35in my time,
01:37there were very famous artists,
01:39like D. Billy Moria and Sulochana,
01:41Gohar and Raja Sando,
01:43Jairaj and J. Munisha,
01:45who were known as Gilbert and Garbo,
01:47and Naveen Chandra,
01:49Sunand Ram Pahlwan,
01:51and my heroine,
01:53you will be surprised,
01:56I will tell you a name,
01:58she is still with us today,
02:00her name is Mehtab.
02:02Mrs. Surabh Modi has been my heroine
02:04in the days of Salient.
02:06And,
02:08when the era came to an end,
02:10new people started coming,
02:12especially from the stage.
02:14And slowly, slowly,
02:16Durga Khote,
02:18in my opinion,
02:20invented social media.
02:22Durga Bhai,
02:25her first film was
02:27King of Ayodhya,
02:29in which she played a heroine.
02:31After that, more people started coming,
02:33Shobhana Samarth,
02:35Leela Chitnis,
02:37Sneh Prabha Pradhan,
02:39all these people started coming.
02:41And apart from that,
02:43there are many good artists,
02:45with whom I have worked,
02:47like Khursheed, Suraiyya, Madhubala.
02:49Now, if I count the names of the heroines,
02:51approximately,
02:53300 films have been made,
02:55out of which, I have been a hero
02:57of 165 films.
02:59So, if I am a hero,
03:01even if I am repeated,
03:03it is a small thing that
03:05I have worked with 80-100 heroines.
03:07Divya Gharani, Neena, Veena,
03:09Madhubala, Suraiyya,
03:11as I said,
03:13all of them have been my heroines.
03:15But, one thing is for sure,
03:17in those days,
03:19we used to get less money,
03:22be it a producer, a director,
03:24an artist, or anything else.
03:26We used to work happily,
03:28as if we belong to the same family.
03:30And we used to eat food.
03:32And let me tell you one more thing,
03:34in those days,
03:36no producer used to give us tea.
03:38We used to pay for the tea,
03:40and the food used to come from our house.
03:42Today, if I want something,
03:44you will ask, what will you take?
03:46I will say, nothing.
03:48Will you eat Chinese food?
03:51In those days, there was nothing like that.
03:53There was nothing.
03:55We used to get boxes,
03:57just like the workers of the mill.
03:59We used to sit and eat.
04:01Today, I see that love is less.
04:03Sometimes, I feel sad
04:05that there are fights between us.
04:07In those days, there was nothing like that.
04:09In those days, there were no lights.
04:11In those days of silence,
04:13we used to come at 8.30 in the morning.
04:15There was no Hajri or Ujri.
04:17There was no work in the studio.
04:20In those days, we used to learn something.
04:22When there were lights,
04:24studios started to be built.
04:26Silent studios started to be built.
04:28Very good companies were made,
04:30like Bombay Talkies, New Theatres,
04:32Prabhat, etc.
04:34Good companies were made.
04:36Good movies were made.
04:38Let me tell you one thing.
04:40I am often told that
04:42we got our freedom in 1947.
04:44Before that,
04:46I have worked
04:49with famous artists
04:51like Devi Kairani,
04:53Veena, etc.
04:55Before the shoot,
04:57the heroine's hair used to be combed.
04:59They combed their hair
05:01and got ready.
05:03We heroes used to wear
05:05dhoti, kurta, pyjama.
05:07But do you know
05:09what happened after 1947?
05:11Our heroines started to have
05:13buffons and frocks.
05:15Our heroes started to wear dress suits.
05:17There is no Hindustanism in it.
05:19It is a pity.
05:21Especially,
05:23Marathi producers
05:25have not made
05:27such pictures
05:29that are English.
05:31I have worked in four Marathi
05:33and one Punjabi films.
05:37I have worked in foreign films
05:39like Pardesi,
05:41Nine Hours to Rama,
05:43Maya, etc.
05:46It is often said
05:48that the heroine
05:50wears such a dress
05:52and is such a character.
05:54But there is no such animal
05:56in a jungle.
05:58There are elephant's teeth
06:00and rabbit's ears.
06:02Where do we find such animals?
06:04We do find such animals
06:06in our films sometimes.
06:08So, the dress they wear today
06:10is not Hindustanism.
06:12It is a pity.
06:15Our heroines
06:17used to dress up
06:19as if they were Indians.
06:21They used to tell us
06:23about their life,
06:25their hunger,
06:27and their condition.
06:29After that,
06:31there was a period
06:33called Family Dramas.
06:35It used to be made in Madras.
06:37It used to be made in Madras
06:39and in our area as well.
06:41There were many people
06:44who used to show their true
06:46Hindustanism in their
06:48historical or mythological films.
06:50Now,
06:52if I go to
06:54a police officer
06:56and tell him
06:58that I need a revolver
07:00for my safety,
07:02he will say,
07:04just give it to me
07:06and you will get it
07:08after 3-4 years.
07:10I come home and think
07:13that I saw a film
07:15with so many machine guns
07:17and pistols,
07:19where did they get them from?
07:21This is something
07:23to think about.
07:25Anyhow,
07:27I would like to say
07:29that whatever our artists
07:31and directors do in the industry,
07:33for example,
07:35the theatres have increased
07:37and there is a competition
07:39for videos,
07:41I am proud of the fact
07:43that our artists
07:45are no less than
07:47any other artist in the world.
07:49I am proud of that
07:51and I would say
07:53that our industry has improved a lot.
07:55In our time,
07:57there was a Gujarati magazine
07:59called Moj Maza
08:01and an English magazine
08:03called Moving Picture Monthly
08:05and in Kolkata
08:07there was a magazine called Filmland.
08:10These were the three magazines
08:12and the studio people
08:14used to give pictures
08:16and the news of the studio
08:18used to be published
08:20and there was no mention
08:22of private life.
08:24Even then,
08:26the pictures of the heroine
08:28used to be published
08:30and the pictures of the hero
08:32used to be published
08:34a little less,
08:36whereas the pictures of the hero
08:39used to be published.
08:41Anyway,
08:43time has passed
08:45and today,
08:47when I go to a newsagent,
08:49I see such beautiful magazines
08:51like Cineblades,
08:53Movies,
08:55and Stardust.
08:57What do you get after reading them?
08:59It is just that
09:01the blood is a little hot
09:03and the news of this and that
09:05is published.
09:08But, we have to see
09:10what impact it has on our work.
09:12But,
09:14it is difficult
09:16because you don't get money
09:18from the Government of India
09:20or the Reserve Bank.
09:22Foreign magazines like
09:24Sight and Sound,
09:26Films and Filming,
09:28all these magazines
09:30come from there
09:32like Scenarios
09:34and books are published.
09:37I have many good friends
09:39like Dwarka Divecha
09:41or Fali Mistry
09:43or Jaal Mistry.
09:45They are all my friends
09:47because I was also a technician.
09:49They used to read
09:51about the progress
09:53of cameras.
09:55In our time,
09:57cameras were operated by hand.
09:59Let me tell you about a director
10:01who used to operate
10:03a camera on 16 frames.
10:05When there was a fight,
10:07he was a cameraman.
10:09He used to rotate the camera
10:11so that he could feel the heat.
10:13We used to fight
10:15in slow motion.
10:17We used to think
10:19how it would work.
10:21He used to say
10:23that he would close his eyes
10:25and crank the camera
10:27and let us do whatever we wanted.
10:29These were the type of cameras
10:31that were operated.
10:34In those days,
10:36there were wooden cameras
10:38followed by Ascania,
10:40Debris, Bell & Howell cameras
10:42and then Mitchell.
10:44In those days,
10:46there were no silent cameras
10:48so they used to place
10:50mattresses on the cameras.
10:52They used to say
10:54that it was cold
10:56so they placed mattresses
10:58on the cameras.
11:00In those days,
11:03two types of monsters
11:05came in our line.
11:07One was a camera
11:09and the other was a sound.
11:11Today,
11:13we have such cameras
11:15that can be used
11:17in a small room
11:19or in a studio.
11:21They are called Airiflex
11:23and Nagra Sound.
11:25In those days,
11:27you could take a truck
11:29with a camera and a sound recorder
11:32and use it.
11:34Today,
11:36we have
11:38very good
11:40instruments
11:42with which
11:44we can work.
11:46This is a development.
11:48When you were a hero,
11:50were there any rumors
11:52or scandals
11:54about you?
11:56You have asked
11:58a very good question.
12:01It is human nature
12:03to work with people
12:05so there was a kind of friendship.
12:07However,
12:09we respected each other
12:11because if I
12:13fall in love with a girl
12:15and she gets married tomorrow,
12:17she will be defamed
12:19if I have an affair with her.
12:21We used to come in the morning
12:23and leave in the evening
12:25to watch a movie.
12:27We had no relation with anyone.
12:29We used to leave.
12:31Even if there were such rumors,
12:33it was just a cover-up
12:35in which we respected each other.
12:37Today,
12:39the world has changed
12:41with discos, dances and music.
12:43Naturally, there will be scandals
12:45but what is the benefit
12:47of it?
12:49The readers
12:51have a human nature
12:53which is called curiosity.
12:55What happened to him?
12:58You can buy a magazine
13:00for 15,000 rupees
13:02and read it for an hour or two
13:04and then there is no need
13:06to read it again.
13:08If there are pictures,
13:10then you can put them
13:12in the pan.
13:14Such magazines are also
13:16available in foreign countries
13:18and they are called fan magazines.
13:20There is nothing to learn from them.
13:22They give good news
13:24which is a good thing.
13:27Those who want to hear bad,
13:29will hear bad and read bad.
13:31There is no difference.
13:33This is the development of today.
13:35However,
13:37printing
13:39is the pride of today's magazines.
13:41Printing is the same
13:43as it is in foreign countries.
13:45We have such good magazines.
13:47In every department,
13:49be it architecture, art
13:51or news,
13:53we have developed in everything.
13:56However,
13:58there are very few
14:00work magazines.
14:02Where have you worked in foreign countries?
14:04I have worked in
14:06Russian studios
14:08and in English studios.
14:10I have toured the whole of Europe
14:12and I have met
14:14famous directors
14:16like Alfred Hitchcock
14:18and
14:20Russian directors
14:22and artists
14:25like Laurence Olivier.
14:27I have met all of them.
14:29However, I must say
14:31whether it is a stage, a screen or a video,
14:33it is our individuality
14:35which outsiders do not understand.
14:37They do not understand
14:39what our problems are,
14:41what our pain is,
14:43what our desire is,
14:45what our happiness is.
14:47That is why I say
14:49that we have one family
14:51in the whole world
14:53which is called
14:55the show business.
14:57I am one of them
14:59and I am proud of it.
15:01You can go to any country
15:03and the show business is the same
15:05as it is here.
15:07Do you still work in films?
15:09I do not
15:11work in
15:13feature films
15:15because
15:17I have seen a lot of people
15:19and they ask me
15:22for money
15:24and they get it cheaply.
15:26I told them
15:28that I have opened
15:30a shop in my house
15:32and I have chili, turmeric, salt
15:34and tea.
15:36They can buy whatever they want.
15:38My shop is open and my door is open.
15:40As far as the video is concerned,
15:42I told them
15:44that if there is not a character
15:46in the video in 5-6 episodes,
15:48people do not remember it.
15:51That is why I said
15:53that the video is a one-day cricket match
15:55and the film is a five-day test match.
15:57People remember
15:59who played how many runs
16:01and what they did.
16:03Is there anything else
16:05that you would like to say?
16:07We will shoot the album later.
16:09Is there anything else
16:11that you would like to say
16:13that is meaningful
16:15and interesting?
16:17Well,
16:20I would like to say
16:22that the people
16:24who gave me a chance
16:26were very good writers
16:28like Mama Barerkar
16:30and Indulal Yagnik
16:32who was the minister
16:34of Gujarat.
16:36They told me
16:38that film is one thing
16:40and house is another
16:42if you want to make the world.
16:44The difference is
16:46that you are Jairaj inside
16:49and outside.
16:51They also told me
16:53that you can get stardom
16:55but you should try
16:57to be a good actor.
16:59I have remembered
17:01that they taught me
17:03and I am doing the same.
17:05That is why I am standing
17:07in front of you
17:09and you are seeing
17:11that I am Jairaj
17:13the actor and Jairaj
17:15the man.
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