Bhatt's ode to Parveen Babi

By IndiaFM News Bureau, September 21, 2006 - 09:00 IST

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt feels it is not easy to pen the experiences of life especially when it comes to writing about loved ones who are no more. Bhatt's relationship with yesteryear?s glam girl Parveen Babi has been extensively written about but none have been able to convey the feeling of loss that he has always felt, before and after her death.

His upcoming film Woh Lamhe, featuring Kangana and Shiney Ahuja, is Bhatt's "final goodbye to Parveen Babi". This article written by Bhatt delineates the pain and the hopelessness he felt as he watched Parveen slip into oblivion.

In Parveen's Memory

I was watching the last scene of Woh Lamhe in my editing room when it dawned on me ? I know why human beings have always tried to keep their dead alive: We try to keep them alive in order to keep them with us.

When my mother died, I had to descend into her grave to turn her face towards the sacred Kaba. So overwhelmed was I at the thought of leaving her in that cold grave that I was seized by this overpowering longing to stay there with her ?forever?. It was there, in that moment of finality, that I learned that if we are to live ourselves, there comes a point at which we must let go of the dead, let them go, keep them dead. Let their bodies disintegrate into dust and fuel the never-ending flow of life. Let them become a picture by our bedside. Let them become a melody which people can hum, and let their lives and their dreams flicker on movie screens and fill the living with some hope.

Woh Lamhe is my last goodbye to the memories of Parveen Babi, a woman whom I loved and lost.

The streets of Mumbai for me are littered with memories of half-lived yesterdays. The day Parveen died, I realized that in spite of my claims that I had made to myself, her memory had not withered within me with the passage of time.

Praveen?s breakdown is an old story. But I wonder if anyone can imagine what it is like to live with a person who is going mad.

The morning I left Parveen?s house before it all began, comes back to haunt me. She was off to her shoot for Prakash Mehra, and I was off to fill up my long empty days with talk of cinema, with my struggling out-of-work contemporaries in Mehboob Studios.

In retrospect, I remember that there was a strange feeling of dread in the air. She kissed me goodbye making sure that the kiss would not spoil her makeup. Little did I know that that was the last time I would see her as the Parveen that I knew.

How can I ever forget that heartbreaking image of her, when I walked in to the house that evening, and found Parveen, in make up and a filmy song costume, cowering in a corner of the room, with a knife in her hand, shivering with fear? She looked like an animal, one that I had never seen before. ?Close the door Mahesh,? she whispered. ?They are coming to kill us. Close the door quickly!?

And with those words, ended my days of love and splendor, sin and passion with Parveen. I was looking into the eyes of madness and the face of death. Because, the person that I knew had died, and with that our relationship as we had known it, died too. Parveen started to break into little pieces in front of my eyes, and I was helpless in the face of the fury of her madness. And all the kings? horses and all the kings? men could not put her together again.

Parveen?s illness was genetic. The chances of her recovery were slim to none. The doctors who treated her knew this but were not decorous enough to tell us this bitter truth, because if they did they would be out of business.

It was in those terrible times that I discovered for myself that it is we who push the so called ?mentally disturbed? to commit suicide. That is the reason why I have no hesitation in saying that the psychiatrist is one of the worst enemies of our culture. Because it is he who is forcing all those people who have thrown in the towel to fit into this brutal value system.

Parveen?s madness, the threat from the mighties of the film industry to put her before the camera at any cost, the psychiatrists throwing up their hands, and her ?ignorant? mother yielding to the pressure for electric shock treatment, climaxing with me running away with her to the jungles of Kodai where we spent the ?best? moments of our life is ?fictionalised? brilliantly by Mohit Suri and Shagufta Rafique in the second half of Woh Lamhe.

Our attempt in this film is not just to make you grieve or uplift the viewer, but to leave an indelible memory of the essence and truth of an exceptional woman who lived in another time and place.

?Why are you using the tragedy of Parveen Babi and marketing it for profit?? asked a self-righteous priest to me recently. I answered with a smile, ?I must say I?m staggered by your unblinking arrogance. Don?t you see the absurdity of all you people asking me this question? You and those before you have only made the suffering of a man called Jesus into a multi-billion dollar industry today! And will continue to do so...

I am at least marketing the memories of a friend, which are mine and mine alone. Are you going to claim copyright over those memories too now? In that case you should be crossing swords with every media person. After all, the marketing of tragedy is something the media does every day!? The priest froze, not having expected this kind of outburst.

The power of grief deranges the human mind. Writing and making movies is my way of dealing with my life burns. Woh Lamhe has erupted from the deepest part of my being. And that part of me was triggered suddenly one day by Parveen?s death and the subsequent discovery of a tape, which my daughter Pooja found in my first wife?s house and brought over to me.

The tape contained a letter that Parveen had recorded and sent me, in which she talked about her approaching illness, her overpowering loneliness and her need to get out of the entertainment business. The silences between her words spoke to me more eloquently than her words did. I remember these silences as being a defining part of our relationship. The only regret I have is that I couldn?t see her illness coming.

Looking back, I realize now that there were so many signs that I just failed to read.

On a silent moonlit night long before Parveen?s actual breakdown, I woke up in her house to the sounds of someone whining. I discovered that the side of the bed on which she slept was empty. Her zebra-striped bed quilt without which she never slept was gone.

When I rushed out of the bedroom I found Parveen seated under a lamp made out of shells, weeping inconsolably. Worried, I inched closer to her to find out what had triggered this sudden upsurge of emotions. I remember that she recoiled from me and covered herself with her quilt.

At dawn, when darkness began to recede from her drawing room and the air started to resonate with the chants of Hare Rama, Hare Krishna from the adjoining ISKON centre, in a heartbeat, her mood changed.

Suddenly, she went into the bathroom and having bathed, dressed herself in immaculate white kurta pyjama. Rolling a small mat onto the red carpet, she did something I had never seen her do in my three and a half years association with her. She began her namaaz.

The sight was mesmerizing. Her silhouette against the glow of the morning sky, her trembling lips reciting the Arabic prayers, her tears of grief metamorphosing into fervent tears of devotion, still play on the screen of my memory. Then, having concluded her prayer, she began to lay the table and light the candles, even as a beam of sunlight fell upon her, after which she went into the kitchen and immersed herself in the domestic activity of preparing breakfast for herself and me. Parveen loved the domestic chores from which ordinary women seek respite.

As the day deepened, our silence was punctuated by the occasional flicker of a smile which would play on her lips, and just as suddenly, tears would start to brim in her eyes. I did not know what had happened to her in the night that made her do what she did, or what was going on in her mind now. As she sat down staring at her palm, and puffing on a cigarette, she finally spoke to me.

?If you shut this window and save me from this deafening roar of the ocean, I?ll tell you what happened to me last night,? she said. And then she opened the doors to a traumatic incident in her life, which she had kept shut from the world for a very long time.

She spoke about the riots in Ahemdabad. If my memory doesn?t fail me, I think it was the carnage of 1969 that she was referring to, where 4,000 people are rumored to have died, most of them Muslims. Tales of Muslim girls being raped and killed were flying thick and fast around the city, and the nuns in her school, fearing for Parveen?s life and safety, hid her under a pile of thick mattresses, in a truck, and smuggled her out of the campus to a safe zone.

?You do not know,? she said in a matter of fact tone that itself sent a shiver down my spine, what it is to lie curled up under a pile of mattresses, knowing and fearing that any moment, the mob could stop the vehicle that I was in, and pull me out and rape me and tear me to shreds.

What still stays with me is the manner in which she said what she said. My wife today wonders whether it was this trauma, which scarred her psyche and contributed to her breakdown. Frankly, if you ask me, I don?t know.

When I first started to write and make movies, I felt that everything could be explained. Now that I have grown older, I can see how untrue it would be, if I claim that I have been able to tell you the story of my life with Parveen Babi. Not knowing is not resignation. It is an opening to amazement.

Life does not end. But films do, and with them the lives and thoughts and dreams we have shared for so short and magical a time. We leave the characters of a movie at the zenith of their lives or in the hours of their deaths, and there they remain frozen in time.

In a village somewhere in Africa, when a storyteller comes to the end of his tale, he places the palm of his hand on the ground and says, "I put down my story here." Then he adds, "So that someone else may take it up another day."

Mahesh Bhatt

quote:

Originally posted by Rosita:

Life does not end. But films do, and with them the lives and thoughts and dreams we have shared for so short and magical a time. We leave the characters of a movie at the zenith of their lives or in the hours of their deaths, and there they remain frozen in time.

This is so true.

PARVEEN BABI

WOW SUCH BEAUTY; ALL WENT DOWN WITH HER DEMISE; MAYBE MARRIAGE WAS THE ANSWER?

she was indeed beautiful. I loved her in Kaalia, Shaan to name a few

Early life

She was born in Junagadh and did her early schooling in Aurangabad and later attended St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad. Her father Vali Mohammed Babi, a Gujarati Muslim, was an administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh. Babi was born fourteen years after the marriage of her parents and was an only child.
Wikipedia:
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Career

Parveen was considered to be one of the most successful Bollywood actresses in the 1970s and was known for her portrayal of strong women who did not care about the conventional norms of society. She was the first Indian actress to have featured on TIME magazine's cover, in 1975. In her most successful films, she was paired opposite Amitabh Bachchan, who was one of the biggest stars of the decade, in big hits like Deewaar (1975) Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Shaan (1980) and Khud-daar (1982).

She was often compared with her contemporary Zeenat Aman due to their common image of being beauties. In fact, she acted alongside Aman in Mahaan (1983) and Ashanti (1981) (inspired by the American television show Charlie's Angels, with the third role played by Shabana Azmi). [1] In films like Deewar (1975), Shaan (1980) and Namak Halaal (1982) her screen presence maybe have been minimal (the films largely working around the hero) but Babi brought a certain attractive aloofness to the roles and songs she appeared in. In Manoj Kumar's big hit Kranti (1981), she stole scenes with her supporting role from Hema Malini, the heroine of the film.

Babi also acted in offbeat films like Vinod Pandey's Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982).

Her success did not run into the mid-eighties as she had left the film industry to move to New York in 1983. Here she became associated with the spiritual philosopher U. G. Krishnamurti. She returned to Mumbai in 2002 where she was unrecognizable as her former self after having put on a considerable amount of weight. She accused many foreign dignitaries and her former co-star, Amitabh Bachchan, of conspiring to kill her but her petition in court was dismissed for lack of evidence. She also filed an affidavit in the special court hearing the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, claiming that she had evidence to show, but she did not turn up in court after being summoned saying that she was afraid of being killed
Wikipedia:
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She's got that perfect face .....

she always reminded me of Zeenat.. (loved her)..

She was more beautiful than Zeenat ( I think).

Loved her dance in Namak Halal ( Jawani Jaaneman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a2PYoAYRbM

wow

Here she is in another hot dance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVfmMXdYl5k

from Kranti ( Dekho Dekho)

Vidya - you are probably right..(I loved them both..)/ she was tall and very elegant.... a few yrs ago (before she died) - I saw an interview on ATN/ she did her interview in English (no hindi) wiht an english accent.. I guess she lived in england? confirmation pls ..Asj... thx

Personal life

Parveen Babi may have suffered from schizophrenia and had become a recluse in the last years of her life. She never married but had intimate relationships with married men: director Mahesh Bhatt, actors Kabir Bedi, and Danny Denzongpa. She was also rumoured to have a relationship with her co star Amitabh Bachchan. Mahesh Bhatt made Arth (1982), a semi-autobiographical film about his extra-marital relationship with Babi, and Woh Lamhe (2006) based on actual facts about his relationship with her. These experiences triggered of schizophrenia which was not completely treated or supported and ultimately resulted in her final loneliness without any support system.
Wikipedia:
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it's pretty sad to read this stuff about her. All she needed was a good friend to give her support and it appears that she was abandoned by everyone. It goes to show no matter who we are the human mind is so fragile that in a split second your life could change.

She was so beautiful and elegant. What a sad ending to her life.

quote:

Originally posted by Rosita:
it's pretty sad to read this stuff about her. All she needed was a good friend to give her support and it appears that she was abandoned by everyone. It goes to show no matter who we are the human mind is so fragile that in a split second your life could change.

Rosie, You mean a "good husband" as all her friends at the
last moment abandoned her due to her sickness, a good husband
would have done all within his ability to bring this beauty on her
feet again. I would have.
.

quote:

Originally posted by asj:

quote:

Originally posted by Rosita:
it's pretty sad to read this stuff about her. All she needed was a good friend to give her support and it appears that she was abandoned by everyone. It goes to show no matter who we are the human mind is so fragile that in a split second your life could change.

Rosie, You mean a "good husband" as all her friends at the
last moment abandoned her due to her sickness, a good husband
would have done all within his ability to bring this beauty on her
feet again. I would have.
.

AWWWW! You are so nice!

She was really pretty; sad how her life turned out to be.

quote:

Parveen was considered to be one of the most successful Bollywood actresses in the 1970s and was known for her portrayal of strong women who did not care about the conventional norms of society. She was the first Indian actress to have featured on TIME magazine's cover, in 1975...

This is indeed high praise. First Indian Actress to be featured on Time's cover is no easy feat. She was an intelligent and unconventional woman who perfected her career and carved her place in history. Let's hope we see more like her.

quote:

Parveen Babi may have suffered from schizophrenia and had become a recluse in the last years of her life. She never married but had intimate relationships with married men: director Mahesh Bhatt, actors Kabir Bedi, and Danny Denzongpa. She was also rumoured to have a relationship with her co star Amitabh Bachchan. Mahesh Bhatt made Arth (1982), a semi-autobiographical film about his extra-marital relationship with Babi, and Woh Lamhe (2006) based on actual facts about his relationship with her. These experiences triggered of schizophrenia which was not completely treated or supported and ultimately resulted in her final loneliness without any support system.
Wikipedia:
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Many Hollywood stars suffered and are suffering from various Mental and Neurological Disorders. Dealing with loss of star status, public adulation, etc. is no easy task, and sadly, some former stars buckled under the pressure.

Parveen Babi found dead in Mumbai
18.44 IST 22nd Jan 2005

By IndiaExpress Bureau

Bollywood actress Parveen Babi was found dead in her Juhu residence in Mumbai on Saturday, police said.

Although the actress was ailing for sometime, the reason behind her death is still a mystery. But the police suspect that the death could be due to "medical overdose". She was reportedly suffering from schizophrenia and diabetes.

The death came to light when the police opened her apartment door after neighbours informed that milk bottles and newspapers were not collected from the actress' doorstep for the past two days.

"We opened the door of her house with the help of a duplicate key and found her body," DCP Amitav Gupta said.

The preliminary enquiry has ruled out any foul play, he said.

Parveen Babi is perhaps the prettiest actress to have ever appeared in Bollywood cinema.

She undeniably lit up and overpowered the screen with her presence. The fact that Parveen was paired with Amitabh Bachchan in 8 films during the peak of Big-B mania attests to her stature and star power.

Amitabh and Parveen complemented each other in the heady first years of the "angry young man" phenomenon. They were paired to each other as the tragic lovers in the seminal "Deewaar" (1975), which is (although a secondary part) one of Babi's most enduring and memorable roles.

In "Deewaar" Parveen showed the prospects of a maturing serious actress with much potential. Perhaps she was too pretty, unconventionally Westernized in her look and lithe body and it is very obvious from just one glance that her role in the film would not be the typical Indian heroine.

It was Parveen and Zeenat Aman who revolutionized the look and body image of the Bollywood female. Their athletically sculpted bodies and jet set looks modeled after Western tastes signaled new trends for what was desirable and fashionable on the Bollywood screen. The influence of the Zeenat and Parveen explosion of the early to mid 1970s still reverberates today. Current actresses like Bipasha Basu are often compared to Zeenat and Parveen even though it has been 25 years since their heyday.

This said, Parveen was only a major star in Bollywood for a short period. Her star status really began in 1974 with "Majboor" (again opposite Amitabh Bachchan) and peaked with her performance in, "Amar Akbar Anthony" (again with Amitabh) in 1977.



Parveen continued to act through the 1980s but her star and image were continually diminished as the years past. She was type cast because of her Western good looks and (like Zeenat Aman) uninhibited nature to 'reveal' (the term for wearing provocative clothes) and received parts as the 'other woman' or 'bad girl' and her acting talents were overlooked and never allowed to stretch after her promising beginning. Parveen was relegated to 'item dancer' status and exploited because of her fabulous face and voluptuous figure.

There was also a tortured and erratic side to Parveen that began to emerge in the late 70s. It was the first stages of schizophrenia that would eventually consume her being and end her career in films.

The stories of Parveen's erratic behavior filled the Bollywood gossip fan magazines of the late 70s and early 80s. Her very real mental illness was covered up by the press and the Bollywood publicity machine. One could sense a certain puritanical morality at work, with gossip eluding to the "Westernized" wild girl who was a bit mad. The publicists and journalist termed Parveen's battle with schizophrenia as 'Her long standing illness' and the general consensus was one of don't ask, don't tell.

In 1983, after a prolonged effort to extend her oeuvre by working with middle-of-the-road directors like Vinod Pande (Yeh Nazdeekiyan with Marc Zuber), Esmayel Shroff (Dil Aakhir Dil Hai with Naseeruddin Shah) and Hrishikesh Mukherjee (Rang Birangee opposite Amol Palekar) came to naught, Parveen, the emotional gypsy, mysteriously flew off again, this time to the US.

Some claimed it was her association with the spiritual guru, UG Krishnamurthy, the release of Mahesh Bhatt's Arth (a semi-autobiographical look at his extramarital relationship with Parveen) and her disturbed state of mind that prompted her to abandon everything. But Parveen never confirmed the veracity of any media speculation.

When she returned after an extended stay in New York, a now-bloated Parveen vented spleen at Amitabh and accused him of a deep-seated conspiracy.

Parveen Babi's landmark films were ˜Majboor' (1974), ˜Deewar' (1975), ˜Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), ˜Suhaag' (1979), ˜Kaalia' (1981), ˜Meri Awaaz Suno' (1981), ˜Namak Halal' (1982), ˜Ashanti' (1982), ˜Khuddar' (1982), ˜Rang Birangi' (1983).

Parveen Babi's famous songs were ˜Teri jheel se gehri aankhon mein' (Dhuen Ki Lakeer), ˜Aankhen milayenge, nazdeek aayenge' (Bhanwar), ˜Humko tumse ho gaaya hai pyaar' (Amar Akbar Anthony), ˜Main toh beghar hoon' (Suhaag), ˜Baahon mein tere masti ke ghere' (Kaala Patthar), ˜Pyaar karne waale pyar karte hain' (Shaan), ˜Maaara thumka badal gayee' (Kranti), ˜Jawani jaaneman haseen dilruba' (Namak Halal), ˜Raat baki baat baki' (Namak Halal), ˜Angrezi mein kehte hai ke I love you' (Khuddar).

Bollywood will always miss Parveen, one of the leading exponents of style.
.

quote:

Originally posted by asj:

She looked so stunning here, flawless beauty.

quote:

Originally posted by asj:
Early life

She was born in Junagadh and did her early schooling in Aurangabad and later attended St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad. Her father Vali Mohammed Babi, a Gujarati Muslim, was an administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh. Babi was born fourteen years after the marriage of her parents and was an only child.
Wikipedia:
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I think she has nawabi roots from things i read in the past.

gosh how i love thisone!

jawani janeman..namak halal

quote:

Originally posted by lynn:
gosh how i love thisone!

jawani janeman..namak halal

G'nite lynn, i love this one too, it is sad to think she's not any longer in this world and this is how i want to remember her, great post.