Deepti Naval recalls the first meeting she had with the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor in college days of the early seventies. At that time, she was a student at Hunter College in New York, conducting a musical radio show named ‘Rang Mahal’ in which she was playing the old Hindi classics for the meager Indian community there. She wanted to interview Indian celebrities visiting New York, and her first big interview was with actor-filmmaker Sunil Dutt. Deepti laughs as she remembers how Dutt, instead of being interviewed, turned the tables and spoke about her life, sharing his own stories.
By the time Raj Kapoor came to New York, Deepti had become more confident, having conducted a few interviews. As a die-hard fan of Kapoor’s movies, such as ‘Jagte Raho,’ ‘Shree 420,’ and ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai,’ Deepti was looking out for the chance to go and meet him. His movies, though commercially super hits, also had several social messages. Deepti was highly influenced by the middle-class greediness and corruption in ‘Jagte Raho‘ as well as the message conveyed in ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai.’ Her appreciation for Kapoor started growing as she understood the depth and social awareness of his work as quoted by The Indian Express.
They were meeting for a radio interview. Kapoor was friendly and open, eager to talk about his experiences. His one-hour conversation is replete with reflections from his life, work, and music. Deepti recalls how he could so effortlessly connect his films and songs to their deeper meanings. Two of the songs from Kapoor, “O basanti pawan pagal” from ‘Sangam’ and “O mere sanam” from the same film, were impactful enough to change her attitude toward the colors white and black, which are the hallmarks of New York fashion.
Deepti also reminisces about the emotional impact of ‘Mera Naam Joker,’ a film she described as a landmark in her youth. Kapoor’s portrayal of a man who loves and loses, yet perseveres, left a lasting impression on her, especially the iconic “Jeena yahan marna yahan” sequence.
She met Kapoor again in Mumbai. He was touched to know that he has seen and appreciated her work in films like ‘Ek Baar Phir’ and ‘Chashme Buddoor
.’ Though she never had an opportunity to work with him, their interactions were worthwhile, especially when Kapoor attended her birthday as a chief guest.
It was at his funeral where she met Raj Kapoor for the last time. She recalled that she went directly to the cremation site and in quiet moments bade him adieu, thinking how much he had changed her life and career.
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