Khalid Mohamed in conversation with the indefatigable poet, lyricist, story-script-writer and film director Gulzar on the abiding political relevance of Mere Apne, his first film as a director 55 years ago.

Marking 55 years since its release, Mere Apne remains one of Indian cinema’s most politically resonant films, reflecting social unrest, youth disillusionment, and ideological manipulation. In this in-depth conversation, Gulzar revisits the film’s genesis, creative choices, collaborators, and enduring relevance amid contemporary global political turbulence, reaffirming cinema’s role as historical witness and moral conscience.

Age is just a number: that catchphrase in our Mumbai’s film world is best exemplified by Gulzar, who at age of 91, maintains his work hours at his house-cum-office at one of Pali Hill’s scant few surviving one-storey bungalows – Boskyana -- named after his daughter’s Meghna’s pet-name.

Evidently, his sustained years of playing badminton at a nearby gymkhana every early morning, has kept him as fit as any gym-maniac.

His office as well as his living space on the first floor are crammed with books in Urdu, Hindi and English. And so there he is at his desk, soon after breakfast, engaged in authoring stories, poems, film lyrics and script dialogue.

Once as shy of public speaking as a tongue-tied schoolboy, he’s now surprisingly at ease, witty and self-deprecatory at literary festivals, and during around-the-world tours devoted to his inexhaustible body of literary oeuvre. In all likelihood, he must be quite startled himself by the change-over.

At the risk of sounding immodest I can say I’ve known him closely for decades, though not of late, since all professional relationships come with an expiry date.

Occasionally there have been phone chats and text messages but that’s it.

Born Sampooran Singh Kalra in Dina, Jhelum district (now in Pakistan), he has won seven National Films, 22 Filmfare Awards; and an Oscar and Grammy (for Jai Ho (from Slumdog Millionaire). He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award - Hindi in 2002, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, the third-highest civilian award in India, and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, and in 2024, the Jnanpith, India's highest literary award.

Incidentally, he had adopted the pen name Gulzar Deenvi and later simply Gulzar.

Besides forsaking film and TV series direction, nothing has changed about him, from his trademark spotless trousers (“not pajamas, as you mediawallas keep saying,” he clarifies), kurta and a shawl. His stubble, he cleans up after three-or-four days, to prevent it from shaping into a dense beard.

Here, then are excerpts from our freewheeling conversation of his first attempt at film direction 55 years ago with Mere Apne and its still pertinent socio-political commentary.:

On re-watching Mere Apne, lately it struck me as still so relevant, especially in the context of the political conditions today.

Perhaps that observation could be addressed to politicians. The song Haal Chaal Thik Thaak?... carries a timeless resonance, I think. At the time of Mere Apne, it alluded to the Bangladesh genocide. The visuals – the posters, the wall graffiti, the protest slogans – were an important aspect of the film’s ambience. Today, it is true of the political situation encompassing the entire world almost. Yes, so Mere Apne continues to be relevant, which unfortunately is not a happy sign.

In my life, I’ve witnessed the effects of the Quit India Movement of 1942, World War II and the Partition of our sub-continent. Obviously, we haven’t learnt our lessons.

Any chances of peace, a settled world, would amount to be mere thinking out aloud for an Utopia. It’s now for the contemporary generation to articulate this through films and other mediums of expression.

Why did you retreat from filmmaking after Hu Tu Tu (1999)?

How can you use the word ‘retreat’? I’ve always expressed myself through literature and film writing. Admittedly there have been phases when there has been mayusis…disappointments but always redeemed by that quality which is within all of us, hope.

At the outset, for Mere Apne, weren’t you just supposed to translate the original Bengali script of Apanjan directed by Tapan Sinha, who wanted to remake it in Hindi?

That’s correct. Tapanda had wanted some additional fantasy and dream sequences to make Apanjan more successful in Hindi. He had approached Kishore Kumar and Waheeda Rehman to play the leads. S.D. Burman had been signed on for the music score. Then, after mulling over the remake, he dropped the idea.

Next, as it happened, (producer) N.C. Sippy, partner of Hrishikesh Mukherjee, for whom I had written Guddi, Anand and Aashirwad, asked me if I had the rights for the Apanjan script based on a short story by Indra Mitra. I said I only had the Hindi version of the script, which had quite a few deviations from the original. Undeterred, he asked me for me a script narration.

I summoned up the nerve to tell him, “I would like to direct the film if Hrishida doesn’t, which is why I have held on to the script.” N.C. Sippy saab said to meet him the next day, as was his custom at 4 am since he was an early riser. I read out the script to him. I had omitted scenes which weren’t in Indra Mitra’s story anyway.

My intention was to make it closer to life – deal with the restless youth versus the political establishment - and not retread it as a musical. And then came the big moment for me, Sippy saab said, “Okay, aap hi karenge, you will direct the picture.”

Chhaya Devi had portrayed the old woman in Apanjan, she was fluent in Hindi, and could have replayed the part. But Sippy saab was keen on casting Nimmi. He said, “I’ve had a crush on her ever since my college days.”

With due respect, I disagreed and insisted that Chhaya Devi would be more appropriate. He told me to think about someone else, and that’s when I suggested the name of Meena Kumari. N.C. Sippy’s elder son Romu, who preferred to be on the production side, was instrumental in persuading Meenaji to be in the project though she was grievously ill those days. And Romu’s brother Raj N. Sippy, who’s called Daddu affectionately, came on board as my assistant director.

Salil Chaudhary’s music score is remarkable, particularly for the song Koi Hota Jisko Apna Hum Apna Keh Lehte Yaaro.... It’s believed that the tune was developed from a background piece in Anand.

Salilda would often do that.. there was this little musical refrain in the background music of Anand, which I had loved. I gave him some dummy words to get going, and he said that’s fine, these words are perfect. Before this, there was another instance, a piece of interlude in Main Kab Se Khadi Iss Paar... in Madhumati which Salilda had developed for the song Ghadi Ghadi Mora Dil Dhadke... for the same film.

How confident were you as a first-time director?

Zara si dhadkan tez ho jaati thi. But the direction, the shot takings and all the details had already been incorporated into the script. Moreover, I had assisted Bimal Roy on Kabuliwala and Bandini.

Bimalda had also sent me with cameraman Kamal Bose to shoot footage of the Kumbh Mela. These shots would have been used for a feature film, Amrit Kumbh Ki Khoj Mein, for which I had written the screenplay and dialogue. So, I wasn’t a complete novice.

1. Khalid Mohamed on Indian Cinema’s Moral Conscience
2. In Conversation with the Masters: Khalid Mohamed’s Archive of Indian Cinema
3. Khalid Mohamed’s Film Conversations

Whatever happened to that film?

Unfortunately, Bimalda passed away before he could start directing the film.

How come you cast Vinod Khanna in his first empathetic role?

I’d seen his first film, Sunil Dutt’s Mann ka Meet, in which he was a villain. I had liked his personality and screen presence. I’d offered the role to Haribhai (Sanjeev Kumar) and Kaka (Rajesh Khanna) but they had shied away, they felt it was a woman-oriented subject.

1. C. Sippy then said, “Forget about them.” We went to see one of Vinod Khanna’s next films – I forget its title – at the Imperial cinema, and my producer was impressed, leaving the film in the interval, and said succinctly, “He’ll be good enough.”

And how did the selection of Shatrughan Sinha and other actors come about?

Romu suggested his name. For other parts we opted for newcomers. It was the first film for Danny Denzongpa, Paintal, Dinesh Thakur and Asrani. They were all fresh names and were either from theatre or the Film and TV Institute of India, Pune, and already knew their craft. Danny, as a refugee, was especially sweet in his behaviour and focused.

There was Yogeeta Bali in one scene and another brief shot. Romu had talked to her and she had agreed instantly. It’s my bad that I could never cast her again.

What was the audience response like to Mere Apne?

At the trial shows, everyone would heap praises. Still, I was trembling in my seat at the Delhi premiere at the Delite cinema. Asrani had caught hold of my hand, and calmed me down. As the film progressed, the audience was reacting positively, and I somehow stopped trembling. The film had shaped out quite closely to the way I had conceived it. Only we couldn’t picturise one song, Roz Akeli Aaye Roz Akeli Jaaye, Chand Katora Liye Bhikaran Raat... on Meenaji.

She was in no condition to come to the sets, she was on the last stage of her illness. As far as I know, Mere Apne was the last film she shot for. She would often joke with the young actors, “This director is pushing you so hard, at least you can ask him to host you a beer party.” Alas, that party never happened because she was gone.

How did Mere Apne fare commercially?

It did very well. It wasn’t a bumper hit, but it always drew in crowds at the re-runs.

Could Mere Apne be remade today?

No, not exactly. In fact, I’d already updated it with Maachis. Only, back in the 1970s, the youth fought one another with bicycle chains and hockey sticks. Over time, they have used guns, rifles and grenades.

Oddly though, the politicians haven’t changed. In Mere Apne, Asit Sen as a politician says that Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru are no longer in our midst…where have such greats leaders gone? Dissident politicians are still saying that. Faces have changed, the lecture-baazi hasn’t.

Of your oeuvre as a director, which of your films have you been most satisfied with?

If I may say so in retrospect, Ijaazat, Maachis and the TV serial Mirza Ghalib been the closest to my heart and mind. Come to think of it, N.C. Sippy and the producer of Maachis, R.V. Pandit, were the best producers to collaborate with.

And there was R. D Burman with whom I shared a beautiful rapport. At times, he would grumble that he didn’t understand my lyrics like Gulmohar Gar Tumhara Naam Hota... (Devta) and Mera Kuchh Saaman Tumhare Paas Pada Hai... (Ijaazat), but he would accept them and come up with marvellous compositions.

Now, there’s a similar rapport with Vishal Bhardwaj. The only difference is that Vishal understands every nuance of the lyrics since his father was a lyricist, and while growing up in Meerut, poet Bashir Badr was his mentor.

It’s been quite a long and gratifying curve for me. Working with A. R. Rahman in the Sufiana spirit has quite another rewarding experience. And with Ehsaan-Shankar-Loy, whose compositions are modern and yet melodious.

Where do you keep your Oscar for Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire)?

You mean my Oscar and Grammy trophies for Jai Ho! I keep them on a shelf along with my other prized possessions, books. These two trophies were all thanks to Rahman.

Did you win any awards for Mere Apne?

I did win awards presented by the Bengal Film Journalists’ and the UP Journalists’ Associations, which were extremely prestigious those days.

How come no popular award for Mere Apne?

(Tongue-in-cheek) Kyonki tum nahin thhe, you weren’t the Filmfare editor those days.

Gulzar interview, Mere Apne 1971, Khalid Mohamed interview, Political cinema India, parallel cinema India, Indian film history, Youth politics cinema, Meena Kumari last film, Salil Chowdhury music, Socially relevant films India, Hindi cinema classics, Protest cinema India, Film and politics, Indian auteurs, Cinema as resistance, Legacy of Gulzar, 1970s Indian cinema, AR Rahman Gulzar collaboration, Vishal Bhardwaj Gulzar films,