4
Sachin Bhowmick had nearly 100 films stories and screenplays to his credit, and gifted a romantic image to many Bollywood heroes. It has become a cliché to say an era has ended with the passing away of so and so, but in the death of veteran Indian screenplay writer, Sachin Bhowmick, it stressed a bitter truth — it’s rare to come across a storyteller who was humble, media shy but a highly prolific writer.
For the present day generation, Sachinda, as everyone fondly addressed him, was the name behind films such as Krrish, Koi Mil Gaya, Kisna, Koyla, Karan Arjun, Taal and many others. Middle-aged film-buffs are of course aware that Sachin penned hits like Aradhana, Karma, Karz (Rishi Kapoor), Golmal (Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutt), Karavan, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, Evening in Paris, Love in Tokyo and hordes of other films. And older generation knows that he brought alive the story of the Nargis-starrer, Lajwanti, way back in the 1950s.
Sachin died recently aged 80 and had nearly 100 films stories and screenplays to his credit, and gifted a romantic image to many heroes. As Rishi Kapoor who acted in several of Sachin’s written films such as Karz, Khel Khel Mein, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, etc, reminiscing about the writer said in an interview, “If ever an actor in the ’60s and ’70s wanted an image makeover we went over to Sachin. He wrote some of my most romantic films and of my uncle Shammi Kapoor.”
This was so true because otherwise rugged and well-built actors like Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Jeetendra and the not-so-handsome Rajesh Khanna would never have been to able to carry off an image of a soft romantic heroes at all. Even Garam Dharam (Dharmendra) became a softy in films like Aaye Din Bahar Ke, Aaya Sawan Jhoom Ke, etc. Sachin’s screenplays wove an aura of romance against all these actors. Long before Mills & Boons had hit Indian market, girls in those days were swept off their feet by the image of romance created by these screen men.
Sachin gave Shammi Kapoor several hits, namely Brahmachari, Evening in Paris and Jaanwar. Kapoor, who himself is ailing at present, wasn’t informed of Sachin’s death immediately. But on coming to know about it, expressing great sorrow he recalled how Sachin who hailed from West Bengal spoke Hindi and English with a typical Bengali accent, “We would never understand and would request him to switch to English.”
His best find was Sharmila Tagore. Very fond of Sachin, she gives total credit of her joining films to him. “It was he who convinced my mother to let me join films. And even pleaded with Shaktida (director Shakti Samant) to sign me for his film, Aradhana. The film made waves and also brought both us very close,” she said after hearing news of his death.
It was this closeness which prompted Sachin to cast Sharmila in the only film he directed — Raja Rani — opposite the then superstar Rajesh Khanna. Of course the film tanked and Sachin never took to direction again.
Director-producer Subhash Ghai, with whom Sachin worked in several films such as Karma, Kisna, Taal, etc, summed up Sachin Bhowmick’s persona thus: “He was most interested in films but never filmi as a person.”
Sachin Bhowmick may not be around but his ‘romance’ will rule Bollywood for years to come. So hit the back button to enjoy films like Aradhana, Karavan, Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin, Brahmachari, Evening in Paris, Taal, etc, as homage to this great film-maker.
