A Different Love Story

beautiful friendship replete with tender moments — sometimes she bites his hand in anger,and at others innocently asks him to describe love. Dev is in love with her,but Manorama gets married to the dashing Thakur Narendra Pratap Singh (Vijendra Ghatge),who dies a few days after the marriage. Manorama is then raped by her brother-in-law.

Raj Kapoor contrasts Manorama’s life before marriage and post-widowhood as a statement on social norms. Right from birth,Manorama wasn’t allowed to walk barefoot but as a widow she is barred from wearing chappals. She is made to live in a cell,eat frugally and is almost made to shave her tresses as her mother (Nanda in an effective performance) speechlessly looks on. When Dev learns of Manorama’s state,he decides to rebuild her life. It isn’t easy as they have to battle customs and the Thakurs’ might.

Rishi Kapoor remembers his father giving him a six-hour narration of the story. The initial idea was to have writer Jainendra Jain direct the film but the team felt that since it was a delicate subject and Kolhapure was relatively new,it made better sense for Raj Kapoor to direct it. The seasoned filmmaker took it upon himself to etch out a delicate love story,minus the usual RK trappings. “As a Raj Kapoor film,Prem Rog lacked the glamour and sparkle. It was about a widow,a somewhat sad story,” adds Rishi.

For Rishi,who was on a career high,Dev’s character was an opportunity to get out of the lover-boy zone. “It was a chance to underplay a character,to be a noble lover. The simplicity of the character appealed to me tremendously,” he says. As the moral voice of the film,Dev gets to say its message: “Reeti riwaaj insaan ki sahuliyat ke liye banaye jaate hain,insaan reeti riwaaj ke liye nahin. (Customs and traditions are made for the convenience of man,mankind is not made for customs.)”

Prem Rog was extensively shot at Kapoor’s farm in Loni,near Pune,where the sets of the bazaar,haveli and mandir were erected. The crew traversed to Holland’s tulip fields for the song Bhanware ne khilaya phool. “Neetu (Singh) became the dhobi of the unit there,as it was her responsibility to wash Padmini’s white sari. My mom and she would make tea. It was such a family atmosphere,” says Rishi.

RK had visualised the Bhanware song to capture the great expanse of the tulip fields as the lovers run across it. A helicopter was brought from London and the camera mounted on it. “We had the helicopter for just a day and,unfortunately,it was cloudy during the shoot. The light was failing and Raj Kapoor was tense,” says Rishi. It,however,worked out well,as the flowers began to sway because of the helicopter’s blades. “It was like a providential shot. He was so happy with the shot that he organised an impromptu party for the unit.”

For the poignant scene when Manorama pleads with Dev to leave the village because of the Thakur’s goons,Raj Kapoor decided on the spot that Kolhapure should dab red ink on her forehead to symbolise that she considers him her husband. “During the shot he decided to use the red ink which makes perfect sense as Manorama’s dialogue is ‘Hum ek baar vidhwa ho chuke hain,dobara nahin hona chahte’,” says Rishi.

The picturisation of the legendary Lata Mangeshkar number,Yeh galiyan yeh chaubara,where the bride-to-be is dancing was inspired by Kapoor’s daughter,Ritu,who danced at her own wedding. For the music,Kapoor went to banner favourites,Laxshmikant-Pyarelal,with whom he partnered successfully in Bobby and Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Pyarelal remembers the brief: “The film is about a girl who loves a man but doesn’t realise it this feeling has to be evoked musically.” The crucial song was Bhanwre ne khilaya phool. “Rajsaab wanted an aalap for it. Laxshmiji and I thought since the symbolism is of a bhanwra and a phool,we should play with it. It was a naya sound and Rajsaab loved it.” It’s been 30 years since the film released but its memory remains.

harneet.singh@expressindia.com