‘Ranbir Is Utterly Butterly Delicious’

‘All through the making of Dil Daulat Aur Duniya, Rajesh Khanna never acknowledged me.’
‘Dev Anand couldn’t carry off a dhoti in Insaaniyat. He told me that he would never wear one again.’
‘Shammi Kapoor and I began on an icy note during Raajkumar, but once the cold vibes thawed, we became the best of buddies.’

On Sadhana’s 83rd birthday anniversary, Dinesh Raheja remembers conversations with the movie legend.

IMAGE: Sadhana in Mere Mehboob.

By the time I first interviewed Sadhana, the breathtakingly beautiful star of Mere Mehboob, Waqt, Mera Saaya and the song Lag Jaa Gale had already drawn the curtains on her career.

Meeting the people you admire often leads to some degree of disenchantment.

But after multiple interactions with her, I was always impressed by her pragmatism, wit and brave-heart personality which had withstood many a storm.

I like to remember her as the queen of her castle, whether it was at her sea-facing flat in Bandra (north west Mumbai) or later, when she lived alone at her Khar bungalow with a retinue of maids.

Though reclusive with the press, Sadhana readily granted me interviews and was always a phone call away for many casual conversations (which often didn’t shape into interviews).

She would have turned 83 on September 2, and it is time to unpack a mental Time Capsule marked Sadhana.

 

IMAGE: Sadhana in Woh Kaun Thi.

I spoke to her for the last time when the actress was excited about having walked the ramp with Ranbir Kapoor and Shaina NC in 2014. She had just come out of 40 years of Garboesque seclusion (her swan song Geeta Mera Naam released in 1974) for a fund raiser for cancer patients.

On the phone, she enthused, “Ranbir is a terrific actor. But more importantly, as a person he is utterly butterly delicious.”

She sported her famous fringe hairstyle (the legendary Sadhana cut) on the ramp that day.

It felt good to hear the joy in her voice as she added, “There were a thousand odd people and they kept applauding from the time I appeared on stage till the time I left.”

She concluded firmly, “This is the last time I am making a public appearance, on the ramp or otherwise.”

Sadly, those words proved prophetic. She passed away in 2015 after a long, private battle with a terminal illness.

It’s ironic that her last public appearance was with Ranbir Kapoor. The first time she faced the camera was with Ranbir’s grandfather, Raj Kapoor. This set me thinking, and here’s what she had to say about each of her heroes; and her real-life leading man RK Nayyar too.

 

Raj Kapoor

IMAGE: Sadhana and Raj Kapoor in Dulha Dulhan.

I was barely 12 when I gave my first shot in a film. It was for Mr Raj Kapoor. I was one of the chorus girls for a song from Shri 420 but the song was eventually deleted from the film.

Years later, I played the romantic lead opposite Rajji in Dulha Dulhan (1964).

When I told Rajji that I had worked in Shri 420, he was surprised and excitedly organised the reels of the song. We watched it together.

Later, we were supposed to work together in Around The World but I was replaced because I had developed a thyroid problem.

 

Dev Anand

IMAGE: Dev Anand and Sadhana in Hum Dono.

Before I came to films, I never missed a film co-starring Nutan, my favourite actress, and my matinee idol, Dev Anand.

I enjoyed working with Dev Anand.

I found him to be a very stylish and urbane man.

Not surprisingly, he couldn’t carry off a dhoti in Insaaniyat. He told me that he would never wear one again.

He had two heroines in Hum Dono (1961): Nanda and me. I didn’t want second billing so they resolved the matter by adding ‘and Sadhana’.

In the 1990s, Dev Anand asked me why I didn’t attend the premiere of the colour version of Hum Dono. But I didn’t get an invite.

 

Rajendra Kumar

IMAGE: Rajendra Kumar and Sadhana in Mere Mehboob.

My mother would always ask me to find a handsome, charming groom like Rajendra Kumar. Our first film together was the blockbuster Mere Mehboob (1963) but I almost didn’t do it.

When I was approached by the film’s director H S Rawail, I was shooting with Dev Anand for Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Asli Naqli.

Dev Anand had just been part of a Rawail flop called Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and discouraged me.

But Hrishida wisely reminded me, ‘If Rajendra Kumar has agreed to sign Mere Menboob, it must be good. He has a sharp business sense.’

I was very friendly with Mrs Rajendra Kumar too. She told me that she was a fan of mine because even after a successful film like Geeta Mera Naam, I had the courage to throw up my career.

 

Shammi Kapoor

IMAGE: The Sacchai poster starring Sadhana, Shammi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Pran.

Shammi Kapoor and I began on an icy note during Raajkumar (1964), but once the cold vibes thawed, we became the best of buddies.

Once he asked me to get the famous Sindhi dish sai bhaji since he wanted to taste it. But the moment he had his first bite, he ran for his life!

While shooting for Sacchai, Shammi and I had to sit atop an elephant for a song. It was extremely cold and the sari I was wearing was not enough to keep the chill at bay.

So Shammi suggested that I have a few swigs from the brandy he was drinking.

A trifle hesitant, I took a few sips and the shooting went off like a breeze.

 

Dharmendra

IMAGE: Dharmendra and Sadhana in Ishq Par Zor Nahin.

I would have begun my career opposite Dharmendra in Love in Simla (1960) but fate willed otherwise.

Dharmendra had won the Filmfare Talent contest and had been sent a ticket to come down from Punjab to play the hero.

But renowned producer Mr S Mukherjee thought that Dharmendra looked more like a football player and decided against casting him.

One day, Mr Nayyar (my director who went on to become my husband) saw Mr Mukherjee’s son Joy Mukherjee cycling in the studio and announced that the search for a hero had ended.

Dharmendra never held this against me.

Later, we worked together in Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1970), which had some melodious music.

 

Rajesh Khanna

IMAGE: Rajesh Khanna and Sadhana in Dil Daulat Aur Duniya.

I met Rajesh Khanna under strange circumstances. My husband R K Nayyar and I had a friend named Dharamveer.

When he would come home, he would say, ‘I have to leave. My friend Jatin is waiting for me in the car.’

One day, we insisted that he bring his friend upstairs. Dharamveer explained that the friend had fractured his arm.

I said, ‘Arre bhai, he is not going to climb on his arms.’

Finally, Jatin came up, and he turned out to be Rajesh Khanna, who went to become a superstar.

Somehow, the misconception that he was not invited for the first few times stayed with him because all through the making of Dil Daulat Aur Duniya (1972), Rajesh Khanna never acknowledged me with either a good morning or a good night.

 

Sadhana’s Real-Life Hero: R K Nayyar

IMAGE: Director Raj Khosla, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhana and her husband R K Nayyar. Photograph: Kind courtesy Film History Pics/X

My first director, Love In Simla (1960), Nayyar became the first man I kissed at 19, and the only man I ever loved.

My famous Sadhana cut fringe was born out of necessity because my forehead was broad. They tried pasting little strips of hair under my hairline but finally, RK Nayyar hit upon the idea of a fringe.

My parents opposed our romance but I married him six years later in 1966.

I used to call my husband Rummy because while on our honeymoon, he taught me to play rummy, a card game. I got hooked on to it. Later, I was a regular at the Otters Club (a club in Bandra, north west Mumbai) card room.

Nayyar and I fought often.

We even filed for divorce but got together again and didn’t bother to withdraw the divorce papers.

Once I wore a cleavage-revealing outfit to a party. Nayyar requested me to change but I stubbornly stood my ground. He finally said, ‘In that case, you’ll stand throughout the party.’

After I became a widow, on one occasion, I desperately wanted advice and missed my husband. I opened my cupboard and my husband’s diary fell onto me; and I got the advice I was looking for. If I am born again, I will marry Nayyar. I can’t imagine living a life with anyone else.