'Was there a woman in Bhagat Singh's life?' Manoj Kumar, aka Shaheed Bhagat Singh on celluloid, is surprised

When I was making my film on legendary hero and freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh, I had collected a lot of material. All of it could not be used - the length of the film posed a restriction.

Before I made Shaheed (1965), two films on Bhagat Singh had already been made. Shaheed-E-Azam Bhagat Singh directed by [Jagdish] Gautam with Prem Adeeb as hero [he was termed Lord Rama after acting in Ram Rajya], and Shaheed Bhagat Singh by veteran director Vishram Bedekar with Shammi Kapoor as Bhagat Singh and Premnath as Chandrashekhar Azad.

Both the films flopped. So it was not hot news at the box-office when we started making Shaheed. But [publicist-journalist] Kewal B Kashyap wanted to make the film.

It had an almost nil star cast. There was the role of one Kehar Singh. I don't know whether these films being made today know from where I had taken this character.

We met Bhagat Singh's mother and brothers quite often in Chandigarh during the making of Shaheed. When his mother was hospitalised, Kewal and I went to visit her. That is where we met the legendary Batukeshwar Dutt, who had accompanied Bhagat Singh in the Central Assembly bomb blast.

I spent a number of days with Batukeshwar Dutt and learnt a lot from him about Bhagat Singh. I was surprised and sorry to read in the papers recently that said they (Batukeshwar Dutt and Bhagat Singh) had formed the Hindustan Socialist Republic Association. With due respect to them it was not an association, but an army with Chandrashekhar Azad as commander-in-chief.

I was and am still very close to Manmath Raj Gupta, who has written about 50 books on the revolution. Gupta was involved in the Kakori case (1926) and imprisoned, too.

I remember Kamini Kaushal had said goodbye to films when I was making Shaheed. But I narrated the story to her and convinced her to do my film.

The other great man who obliged me was Pran. He was so fascinated by Kehar Singh's character when I narrated it to Raj Khosla during the shooting of Do Badan that he asked me who was playing the role. I said I didn't know. He said, 'When you start the film send the producer to me.'

I told the producer what Pranji had said. He said he couldn't afford Pran. I said there was no harm in meeting him and telling him that. So he went to Pranji and told him we could not afford to pay him.

He returned 45 minutes later, jumping with joy. When I asked him what happened, he said Pran had offered to do the role for a mere Rs 7,000!

In Ludhiana, Pran must have spent Rs 200,000 to 300,000, on entertaining the unit. We had 80 junior and main artistes. We shot the film at Ludhiana Central Jail. We were there for more than two months. We were short of funds and would shoot with lights you find in the chaurahas [streets], etc.

Bhagat Singh was in Lahore Central Jail but we could not shoot there because the relationship between India and Pakistan wasn't good - exactly like it is today.

Those days, music composers Shanker-Jaikishan, Ravi, O P Nayyar were ruled. K Kashyap was their publicist but I insisted I wanted Prem Dhawan. When we went to him and told him we were making this film, he said, "Will you give me the opportunity to write the lyrics?" I said I wanted him to compose the music, too.

He was hesitant since he had not composed for an entire film before, but I insisted. He finally agreed and gave his first musical composition for my film. The music is still popular, and haunting.

When the film was completed, there were few buyers. When they did buy it, it was on their own terms. But its success grew over a period of time. Shaheed was the first film to win three National Awards. I was the first writer to get the award for story writing.

Since there was no official document on Bhagat Singh my story became an official document.

I had the privilege of meeting Bhagat Singh's brothers and I have slept on his mother's lap. When I first met the family Kultarji [Bhagat Singh's younger brother], took me to his mother and asked her, 'Maaji does he resemble our brother or not?'

She smiled and said, "To a very great extent?"

I remember she was unwell once and refused to take medication. Kultar took me aside and told me to tell her to take her medicine.

I went to her and said, "Maaji ek prarthna hai (Maaji I have a request)."

She said, "Kya bete, bol (Yes son, tell me)?"

I said, "Dawaayi kha leejiye (Please have your medicines)."

She replied, "Accha tu bolta hai to kha leti hoon (Okay if you say so)."

We then went to Chandigarh and show them the rushes. Batukeshwar Dutt saw it. So did Kultar Singh and family and other revolutionaries like Gulab Singh.

She was pleased with the film. That is why she came for the awards function.

My father had gone to Chandigarh to bring Bhagat Singh's mother for the awards ceremony. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also present. When David Abraham announced Bhagat Singh's mother's name, there was a standing ovation. I remember Indiraji had tears in her eyes.

I gave all the award money I got to Bhagat Singh's mother.

Coming back to the film, I had more on Bhagat Singh than I could use in the film -- this is not Russia where you can make a War And Peace. I can still give you four or five versions of Bhagat Singh. That is because everyone will have a different view of him - whether it is his mother, Chandrashekhar Azad, Batukeshwar Dutt or Durga Bhabhi (wife of revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Vohra).

You know, he would stand outside the courts during the Kakori conspiracy and sing Mera rang de basanti chola. When he was a child, his uncle Ajit Singh went abroad to propagate India's freedom. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said in his autobiography that his heroes were Lala Lajpat Rai and Ajit Singh. And when India's interim government was formed in 1945-46, Nehru got the clearance for Ajit Singh to return to India.

Singh was provided a bungalow in Dalhousie where he taught English. On August 15, 1947, when Panditji was at the Red Fort, Ajit Singh was in Dalhousie listening to his speech on the radio. When Panditji said, 'Say Jaihind with me,' Singh said, 'Jaihind', and passed away. It is a larger than life story.

It is not fair to compare Shaheed to the new films because mine was made 37 years ago when I was very young. I wrote it at the age of 21 or 22.

Dharmendra is like a brother to me. Sunny [Deol] did come to me, they [Sunny and Bobby Deol] are like my children. I told him I have five huge files plus the film I made. How can you expect me to give you a script in seven days? It will take time.

I read in the papers there was some competition between Sunny and Rajkumar Santoshi - such things are rather unhealthy and unfortunate.

Ajay Devgan says Santoshi felt that Manoj Kumar did not do justice to Bhagat Singh. When we made the film we made no comment on the earlier two films that their script was bad or they had not researched their story.

I do wish them all the best and hope the films do well at the box-office, because they will enlighten our younger generation about this man.

But I hear they have added a romantic angle to Bhagat Singh's life. Is that true? Do you think there was a woman in his life?

The only woman in his life was Bharatmata [India]!

Manoj Kumar spoke to Lata Khubchandani