Page 23 - Pakistan Link - June 25, 2021

COMMENTARY JUNE 25, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

n By Siraj Khan Unveiling Bollywood’s Best Kept Secret tions that she had to adapt to. She
Boston did her best for a man she saw as
having touched the pinnacle of
he story is a little-known fame and then endured the lows
piece of the O. P. Nayyar that destiny had laid out for him.
Tpuzzle. Like background Her relationship with OPN,
music, Madhuri Joglekar’s pres- she says, was “based entirely on
ence in Nayyar’s trust and faith.”
life and in his “I felt that I had to look after
very existence re- him. Our association went beyond
mained intrinsic the usual romantic bond and was
yet unobtrusive soulful as well as spiritual.”
for almost 20
years, and again A parting of ways
in the last year of his life It was after almost two de-
There are plenty of stories and cades of being together that their
anecdotes about the O.P. Nayyar- relationship hit a discordant note.
Asha Bhosle romance, dazzling His egoistic nature and posses-
even by Hollywood standards, let siveness worsened with age. She
alone Bollywood. For 14 years the says she could not take it anymore.
musical pair moved around to- The two did not meet again
gether openly in the same city as until a decade later, in March
their respective families. 2006. Hearing that he was hospi-
The years from the time of talized with multiple health issues
their breakup in 1973 through she called him on his cell phone.
1977 were the most challenging He took her call and asked her
in the composer’s life. He was un- to visit. They had an emotionally
able to book a recording studio, tion of the process. He was further charged meeting at the hospital.
get musicians or even established surprised to learn that she held an She learnt that since they
singers to work with him. No pro- MA in Indian classical music. He parted, he had been living as a
ducer was willing to take the risk knew nobody else in the industry paying guest with a family in
with him. The aura of revenge and with such credentials — a chorus Thane, a suburb of Mumbai. After
retaliation created against him by singer with administrative skills, a he was discharged from hospital,
industry enemies was very strong lively upbeat personality, helpful she tried to visit him twice a week,
and his status slipped away right and humane, going about her life and to call him daily at 9 am to
before his eyes. in a simple, uncomplicated man- check his welfare. He would often
He had shared much of this ner. ask her to bring along his favou-
with me after we first met in As for Madhuri, she learnt rite chicken dish, cooked in her
Dubai, in 1995. He also men- he had family problems. With no own unique style which he had
tioned to me a lady named Mad- regular income or direction in always enjoyed.
huri Joglekar. After his passing life, he was walking a tightrope. Now in her late 60s, Madhuri
in 2007 I thought of contacting She wanted to help him. His back- Joglekar has undergone many
her several times, but she had left ground, public relationship and emotional roller-coaster rides
Mumbai. In 2016 I came across an break-up with Asha Bhosle, their over the past 45 years. She seems
interview of hers and began look- age difference – he was 50 and to be living simultaneously in the
ing for her again, driven by the she was 24 – none of that mat- past and the present, aware that
urge to find answers to the many tered. Over time, their relation- her past with Nayyar remains an
questions I had accumulated over ship gradually transitioned into a integral part of her present and
the years. romantic one. future.
I was successful after a five- Meanwhile, all three films Self-confessedly accident-
year long quest that included call- flopped badly at the box-office, prone, she has survived many in-
ing many wrong numbers and music included. Since splitting “His extreme possessiveness He was well versed in Urdu, Eng- juries including seven fractures
wrong Madhuris. It was Shaheda up with Asha Bhosle, OPN found stemmed from his own insecu- lish and Punjabi. He was articu- resulting from numerous falls.
Shafi, daughter of renowned Bol- he was unable to recreate his old rity,” says Madhuri. Perhaps he late and well-read, familiar with However, she remains cheerful
lywood lyricist S.H. Bihari, who magic with new singers like Vani feared that with success, she could the Gita, the Bible and the Quran. and high-spirited. She still loves
kindly connected us near the end Jairam, Dilraj Kaur, and Pushpa leave him, as Asha Bhosle did She liked listening to him talk and singing, with no desire for name
of 2020. Pagdhare. was surprised to learn that he had or fame.
By now it had been 14 years Madhuri Joglekar did what never formally learnt music – it Life in Covid-19 times seems
since O.P. Nayyar departed this she had made her mission in life: After I connected her was a God-given gift. to have stimulated her passion to
earth. Madhuri Joglekar was in Help keep him ticking. She had He didn’t like listening to his catch up on many things she feels
Pune, living a life of a virtual re- passed the Union Public Service with Green Chillies own songs, and in fact, didn’t were stolen by time and circum-
cluse. I reached out to her, and Commission exam in 1974 and Entertainment in keep a radio or TV. He would stances. She continues doing her
we have stayed in regular contact, worked at the Food Corporation sit down with his harmonium and early morning riyaz to connect
enabling me to ask many of my of India. With a steady income, Philadelphia, they begin creating new tunes only af- with nature and nourish her soul.
questions. she had even obtained a housing ter signing a film. He would write She has done some recordings and
The story being shared here loan to buy an apartment in Virar, embarked on an dummy lyrics and often finish a even performed at several online
is thus a little-known piece of the suburban Mumbai, in 1984. ambitious online tune within days, sometimes even musical events, including outside
OPN puzzle, based on exclusive Most importantly, she helped within hours. She found him hon- India.
interviews with Madhuri Jogle- him retain his integrity and en- black and white est, straightforward and inspiring. After I connected her with
kar. The article that re-ignited my ergy, still looking dapper in his After he finally left his family Green Chillies Entertainment in
quest to find her was riddled with signature hat and attire, visible on musical series and home in 1989, he moved in Philadelphia, they embarked on
inaccuracies, she says. Talking to TV shows and at important events in tribute to O.P. with Madhuri at her Virar apart- an ambitious online black and
me is part of her bid to set the re- as an honored guest, not a spent ment. This was when, in yet an- white musical series in tribute to
cord straight about a situation that force. Nayyar with Madhuri other bid to revive his declining O.P. Nayyar with Madhuri Jogle-
was anything but straightforward. He had had a brilliant innings career, Nayyar signed Nishchay kar. The series has given her a new
Their story began in Nayyar’s with singers Geeta Dutt, Sham- Joglekar. The series (Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor) lease of musical life at this age and
desperate times of survival in shad Begum and Asha Bhosle ear- and Zid with director Esmayeel stage of life and may have even
early 1978. Nayyar was offered lier. Now Madhuri Joglekar was has given her a new Shroff. By then, he and Madhuri reconnected her spiritually to the
three B and C grade films. One bringing this derailed man back lease of musical life had been together for 12 years, maestro.
of them was Hira Moti, meant to on track. Like background music, with Madhuri ignoring all societal She still lives in Pune, has no
be a comeback film for both him her presence in Nayyar’s life and at this age and stage disapproval. regrets, and accepts each day as it
and Mohammed Rafi. Two songs in his very existence, remained in- Her family initially objected comes like she has always done.
in the film were to be done with trinsic yet unobtrusive. of life and may have to the liaison and tried to talk her As I come to closure, I some-
a chorus. OPN was nervous about This alliance lasted almost 20 even reconnected out of it, but she shrugged aside how feel that her story may not be
doing it with a whole new team. years – far longer than the mae- their concerns, determined to over just yet. The best of the rest
His music arranger Babu stro’s well known, blazing affair her spiritually to the think both from her mind as well may be yet to come.
Singh introduced him to an es- with Asha Bhosle when his profes- as heart. Their attitude changed
tablished Maharashtrian chorus sional career was at its peak. maestro over time, and they became more (Siraj Khan, a Karachi-born,
singer who they tasked with put- I have long been puzzled by accepting of her decisions. How- Boston-based global finance and
ting the chorus coordination to- one aspect of their relationship. ever, by the time the breakup with audit specialist by profession, is
gether with 10 male and 10 female Knowing that Nayyar refused to OPN came in 1996, both her par- connoisseur of South Asian film
singers from an unknown cho- allow her to perform or record, earlier. So much so, that he even ents had passed on. music who has written scripts and
rus group. The results turned out what kept her with him all those stopped her from singing in cho- She has no regrets. She did directed musical concerts around
much better than expected. years, forgoing opportunities to rus groups. not set out to defy conventions or the world. He helped establish the
Nayyar appreciated young make a name for herself as a sing- She said she was drawn to take this path just to be different. O. P. Nayyar Memorial Trust and
Madhuri Joglekar’s efficient execu- er? There is no simple answer. him by his engaging personality. She found herself in various situa- runs the OPN website)
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