Opening Doorz

By Martin D’Souza | Opening Doorz Editorial | June 21, 2018

Akbar Khan (producer, director, actor) has revealed his hilarious side. He sends us a link of his YOGA song from his 1983 film Haadsa, and one is in splits seeing him do his various Yoga poses in a dance form. There’s one pose he does mid-air. (Watch the video).

“How did you manage to stay up there in that pose,” I ask him, unable to control my laughter. There is uncontrollable laughter at the other end of the line. “Well, I always thought ahead of time,” he speaks in between splits. “I was watching the Yoga Day Festival all over television and I thought I’d entertain my friends by sending them this video, wishing them a ‘Happy Yoga Day’.” He’s still laughing when he comes up with this gem: “I’m going to sue the Yoga Guru, what’s his name?” he inquires still not able to control his laughter. “Baba Ramdev? I ask. “Yes,” he says adding, “How can he steal my idea and come on television.” By now, both of us cannot control our laugh!

Getting a little serious I ask him how he thought of a Yoga song way back then when it was not as popular as it is today? “I had done this in 1983, and it is being revived again. It wasn’t such a big fad then. I’m a man who thinks ahead of his time.” This time the laughter is just dying down as he reminisces about those days. “Yoga was very much there but not many had thought of yoga in the form of music. Subsequently, I think the health clubs started having musical classes with exercise. I was (still am) a man who likes physical fitness and I always thought yoga was an excellent form of physical fitness. I wanted to give a form and musical effect to it.”

“Wasn’t it risky doing so many jumps and twists on the floor as well as in the air?” I ask, barely able to finish my question between splits. “I had a double risk of having so many heavy weights on my one side where my catering bill was more than my shooting bill,” [Ha ha ha ha ha].

Compliment him on the title song, Yeh Bambai sheher Haadso ka Sheher hai (my favourite) and he says: “That’s one song where no matter which part of the world I go, people always connect with me. Even though I am a forgotten actor now, whenever people see me they hum the tune. “It was one of the biggest hits of Amit Kumar. During those days when he used to tour foreign countries, this song was always the demand.”

And what were the reviews like for Haadsa? The laughter is just about dying. “You know, at that time, Harish Kumar (if I remember his name correctly) the main critic of Trade Guide, the bible of the film industry, Harish Kumar Mehra, if I am correct, a veteran journalist, he had given a rave review. Normally, TG reviews set the Box Office trend then. He had given it a very different twist. He said Akbar Khan is a mix of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean and Charles Chaplin. He gave a kind of feel that this man (Akbar Khan) has a sensitivity to these kinds of filmmakers. He also pointed out that no one could have imagined Smita Patil in this glamorous role. Smita had so far only done arty film and Haadsa was her first commercial film. She was always known by this image of someone wearing a torn, tattered saree sitting by a chula. He complimented me for giving her this break of image.”

Before we end this conversation, he again laughs, “I hope you are mentioning that I’m going to sue that guy. How could he steal my concept? Ha ha ha ha ha ha.”

Also Read: Salman Khan did not know he could paint!