On Raakhee’s birthday, Filmfare’s Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillaai pays a deeply personal tribute to an actor whose performances in 27 Down, Paroma, Baseraa, Trishul, Sharmeelee and many more remain etched in memory. He remembers the woman behind the superstar, honest, warm, unfiltered and entirely her own.
In his words:
All of a sudden, words come tumbling when I think of her. I first met Raakheeji many years ago. She often wondered who Meghna would talk to late at night. In those days, I don’t think we had mobile phones. At least I didn’t. No bond developed between us because she was distant, moody and uncommunicative. But on an impulse, I would call her, and we would chat endlessly. It must have happened once or twice. Something about Raakheeji makes you warm up to her.
You could see her fire and her frost in equal measure. I’ve loved her in Aparna Sen’s Paroma (1985) and Ramesh Talwar’s Baseraa (1981) the most. She expressed pain and rejection. The disbelief that comes from feeling unloved by your own family members. Her eyes always convey hurt.
There is a no-nonsense quality to her demeanour. You see that in Trishul (1978), Kasme Vaade (1978), Kaala Patthar (1979) and then some in Humkadam (1980) and Tapasya (1976).
You could sense some of that crisp will not take things lying down in Shubho Mahurat (2003). And how terrific was she in Kabhie Kabhie (1976), being a muse to a poet and then the fun-loving wife to Shashi Kapoor in the second half. You see them having the same zing in one of her earliest double roles, Sharmelee (1971).
A quick review of one of ur finest films, for which you got a special National Award, as far as my memory remembers. A railway platform is a melting pot for dreams, desires and many hopes. Like an airport, a railway platform sparks ambition, desire and sometimes frustration.
When the reticent ticket collector of 27 Down (1974) finds the girl of his dreams in those frenetic train compartments, hope rises, as does desire. But the thoughtful MK Raina is too shy to take on his strong-willed but manipulative father. And the love of his life, Raakhee Gulzar, is left high and dry.
Enter a curmudgeonly wife who taunts her husband about his previous life. Fed up of the drudgery of his life, he tries to visit some illicit pleasures and run away from his reality. Alas he’s too weak willed and returns to his crushing monotony and reality.
A glowing Raakhee Gulzar, at the peak of her prowess, is a woman with agency, a mind and a conscience. She’s excellent. She chose this film between her many hectic commercial ventures. MK Raina is outstanding too as the man with no hope for a better future.
Directed by debutant Awtar Kaul, the director died in a freak accident a day before the National Awards were announced. 27 Down picked up Best Feature Film and a Souvenir Prize for Raakhee.
Raakheeji, there are many unfinished conversations with you. Your disdain for the superficiality in showbiz is as palpable as your warmth. I remember one long ride from Muktangan to the flyover in Andheri as you excitedly decided to drop me home and see the flyover being built.
Happy Birthday, Raakheeji. You were real despite the huge movie star image. You never had to resort to camouflage. You didn’t say it from the heart. You said it from the gut. And that made all the difference.
Also Read: Editor’s Take: Remembering Sridevi, The Angel of Celluloid
