Prem Rog: Twenty interesting facts about the socially relevant classic
By Asjad NazirJul 27, 2022
Fortieth anniversary special to celebrate a path-breaking and popular film
This week marks the 40th anniversary of classic Bollywood film Prem Rog, which became a big commercial success when it released on July 30, 1982, and has since become a cult classic.
The Raj Kapoor directed drama about a man who falls in love with a widow saw lead stars Rishi Kapoor and Padmini Kolhapure play path-breaking roles, not seen before in Hindi cinema.
Eastern Eye decided to mark 40 years of a film that remains popular today by presenting 20 interesting facts connected to it.
1. Prem Rog was the first time Bollywood legend Shammi Kapoor worked in a movie directed by his brother Raj Kapoor.
2. This was the third time the film’s writer Jainendra Jain collaborated with Raj Kapoor. He had previously written the dialogues for Bobby (1973) and the story for Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978).
3. Leading Indian film critic Anupama Chopra’s mother co-wrote Prem Rog.
4. Aside from casting him in the lead role, Raj Kapoor had wanted his son Rishi Kapoor to also direct the movie and use the project to groom him for a filmmaking career, but he was too busy with acting projects. Rishi was in fact shooting for Prem Rog, Naseeb (1981), Deedar-e-Yaar (1982), and Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai (1981) simultaneously at that time.
5. Producer Raj Kapoor then handed the directorial reins to the writer Jainendra Jain, but cameraman Radhu Karmakar protested and said he didn’t know the basics, so the Bollywood legend took the helm himself.
6. Lead star Padmini Kolhapure had started her career as a child actress with roles that included playing a young Zeenat Aman in Raj Kapoor’s film Satyam Shivam Sundaram. The teenager was cast after being auditioned to allay any fears that she was too young to look like a widow in the film.
7. Acclaimed actress Sushma Seth starred alongside Rishi Kapoor for the first time in the film. She would later play his mother in multiple movies that included big successes Nagina (1986), Chandni (1989), and Deewana (1992).
8. Legendary actress Nanda played Padmini Kolhapure’s mother for the second time after Ahista Ahista (1981). Her role was originally offered to Simi Garewal and Asha Parekh, but both had declined it.
9. Anees Bazmee worked as an assistant director on Prem Rog. He would become a successful filmmaker in his own right and 40 years later directed the first Bollywood hit of 2022 with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
10. Kuku Kohli, who successfully made his directorial debut with Ajay Devgn’s first film Phool Aur Kaante (1991), had also worked as an assistant on Prem Rog.
11. Rajiv Kapoor worked as an assistant on Prem Rog along with being elder brother Rishi Kapoor’s body double. He would later be cast in the lead role of Raj Kapoor’s next and final film as a director Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985). Many of the Prem Rog supporting actors were repeated in that film.
12. The song Bhanvre Ne Khilaya Phool was shot in Amsterdam and took nine long days to complete. Raj Kapoor had gone to the city with a minimal crew, especially to picturise the iconic number.
13. Kolhapure revealed she was reluctant to do the famous slapping scene and even more so as she had been instructed by Raj Kapoor to hit Rishi Kapoor for real. She had to do seven to eight takes and hit him for real each time.
14. Rishi Kapoor revealed in his autobiography that Raj Kapoor thought Dilip Kumar was the greatest onscreen romantic hero in Hindi cinema history and wanted him to be inspired by the actor for his role in Prem Rog. He was told to have the same intense look as him.
15. In his autobiography, Rishi Kapoor revealed that he and wife Neetu Singh had conceived son Ranbir Kapoor during the shooting of Prem Rog, and more specifically when the song Meri Kismat Mein Tu Nahi Shayad was being filmed. He added that it made the song more special for them.
16. Prem Rog became the second highest grossing Bollywood film of 1982, after the year’s most successful release Vidhaata, which also starred Padmini Kolhapure.
17. Prem Rog gained 12 nominations at the 30th Filmfare Awards, including for Best Film. The film would eventually win four awards for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Actress and Best Lyricist.
18. The 17-year-old Padmini Kolhapure became the youngest solo recipient of the Filmfare Best Actress award.
19. Film magazine Cosmopolitan once listed it as one of the 10 most romantic movies ever made.
20. Yeh Galiyan Yeh Chaubara Yahan Aana Na Dobara is one of the most popular classic Bollywood songs on YouTube and has been viewed almost half a billion times. The other songs and the film itself remain popular today. We give it a big salute and are now off to watch it again.
ACTOR Raj Ghatak praised the enduring appeal of The Producers as he takes on a role in the hit Broadway show, now playing in the West End.
Ghatak is the first person of colour to portray Carmen Ghia, the flamboyant partner of eccentric director Roger DeBris (Trevor Ashley) and, consequently, his character is dressed in the south Asian attire of sherwani (tunic) and kurta pyjama.
In an interview with Eastern Eye, he said, “The world was arguably a happier place when it was first written.
“But what we’re finding now is that audiences are so grateful to laugh. They sit down, immerse themselves in the story, and forget everything else. That’s the power of theatre.”
Describing the show as a kind of “therapy” for modern times, Ghatak said, “Audiences tell us how welcome it is to laugh so hard again”.
It is the first major London revival of American filmmaker and actor Mel Brooks’ classic, which earned an unprecedented 12 Tony Awards, and has transferred from a sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory to the Garrick Theatre.
Based on Brooks’ 1967 cult film, the story follows two desperate Broadway producers who scheme to get rich by producing a flop, only for their plan to go hilariously wrong.
Trevor Ashley as Roger DeBris and Ghatak as Carmen Ghia in The Producers
Teeming with Brooks’ signature wit, the show delights in its irreverence, sending up everything from show business to politics. Ghatak said, “It’s massively exciting to be part of it. And this time around, they’ve leaned in to my ethnicity. I wear a kurta pajama and a sherwani – things that have obviously never been done before. It gives us visibility.”
Two decades ago, Ghatak starred in Bombay Dreams, AR Rahman’s West End musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, that became a cultural turning point for British Asian performers.
Ghatak recalled how the show “broke the glass ceiling for south Asian actors”.
He said, “At the time, it was just a job – a very high-profile one. But, years later, people tell me they were taken to see that show as children, and because of it, they felt they had permission to be an actor. That’s something that was never the case in my day.”
That generational shift is something Ghatak takes pride in. “When I look back, it feels like we’ve come a long way. But we still have a long way to go.”
Being part of The Producers brought Ghatak face to face with one of his heroes. Brooks himself, now 99, had to approve his casting.
The actor said, “They filmed my meeting. I met the team on a Friday afternoon, and on Monday morning they said, ‘Pending Mel Brooks’ approval, we’d like to offer you the role.’ I remember thinking, if I don’t get his approval, does this mean I can’t do the job?”
The cast had four weeks of full-time rehearsals. “For that production, I watched both films,” Ghatak said, referring to the 1967 original and the 2005 version with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
“I wanted to understand the source material. I’m a firm believer that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Otherwise, you’re changing something for the sake of it. But rehearsals are where you experiment and play.” He credited both Brooks’ writing and Patrick Marber’s direction for the show’s humour.
“Our director comes from a background of plays. My own background is in plays, TV and film. So, we both approached this with the idea that, however heightened the situation or character, it must be grounded in truth,” he said.
Ghatak trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Queen Mary University in London and has worked with Emma Thompson, Nicole Kidman, Riz Ahmed, Sir Derek Jacobi, Ewan M c G r e - g o r, Hugh Jackman and Benedict Cumberbatch. His stage credits include The Kite Runner, Life of Pi, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and The Father and the Assassin. He has worked with some of the most respected directors in theatre, including Dominic Cooke, Indhu Rubasingham, Rufus Norris, Kerry Michael and now Marber.
Despite his achievements, the actor is conscious of the ongoing struggles for representation. He said, “As much as the situation has improved, we’ve still got a long way to go. Roles that challenge me, excite me. There are so many stories from the Asian subcontinent and diaspora that deserve to be told.
“When I started, there were very few people I could look to as role models. That’s why I’ve become such a champion for diversity and inclusion.”
Born and raised in north London to Bengali parents from Kolkata, he grew up surrounded by music and culture.
“My father was a doctor, and my mother was a chemistry teacher,” Ghatak said, adding, “But there was always music at home. My father sings Rabindra Sangeet, my mother plays guitar, and my sister is a classical singer.” Initially, he didn’t see acting as a viable career. “I went to a very academic school.
My interests were split between medical sciences and the performing arts.”
Eventually, he followed his childhood passion and trained as an actor.
He said, “A show like The Producers challenges me in a different way - it makes me laugh and it makes me think. That’s what keeps me passionate about the work.”
Asked what continues to excite him about musical theatre, Ghatak said, “Being in this show and telling this story. The comedy, the chaos, the craft… it’s such a joy. And to be the only person of colour among the six principal cast members, representing our community on such a stage, that’s something I’m proud of.”
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