May 7, 2018
Dharmendra is upset ever since he has got the news of
the demise of filmmaker Arjun Hingorani, who launched the actor in Bollywood
with "Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere" in 1960.
Hingorani died on Saturday
night. He was 92.
Dharmendra said: "I have been upset ever since I heard
that my dear friend director-producer Arjun Hingorani passed away. It's
literally the end of an era for me...for Arjun was like my own brother for more
than 65 years. We started together. He gave me my first break."
The
veteran actor narrated that the first film he signed in Mumbai was Bimal Roy's
"Bandini".
"But that took time to take off. You know how it is (was) with
these genius directors like Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Raj Kapoor. They
take (took) their time in making their films. So while I was waiting for
'Bandini' to happen, I met Arjun Hingorani.
"He kept saying, ‘Main tujhe
sign karunga (I will sign you)'. I didn't even know who he was. And why should I
have worked with someone unknown when the great Bimal Roy had signed me? But
Arjun was inisistent, ‘Main tujhe hero banaunga (I will make you a hero)'. I
said, ‘Chal, banaa (Okay then make me one)'"
That's how my "Dil Bhi Tera
Hum Bhi Tere" was made and released in 1960.
"The film flopped but its
music by Kalyanji-Anandji was a hit, specially the song 'Mujhko iss raat ki
tanhaai mein awaaz na do'. Then for a decade, Arjun didn't make a film with me.
He made 'Saheli' without me, starring Pradeep Kumar, and then came back to me
with 'Kab Kyun Aur Kahan'.
"He was very confident of the subject and
promised to pay me only after the film succeeded. The spy thriller was a big hit
and then began Arjun Hingorani's second innings in the Hindi film industry,"
recounted Dharmendra, 82.
In hindsight, he is "happy and proud" that he
was a part of most of Hingorani's films.
"After 'Kab Kyun Aur Kahan', we
did 'Kahani Kismat Ki', which was another big hit. The song 'Arrey rafta rafta
dekho aankh meri ladi hai' is popular to this day. In fact, we -- my sons Sunny
and Bobby and I -- are recreating the 'Rafta rafta' song in 'Yamla Pagla Deewana
3'. Salman Khan is also joining us in the song," he revealed.
Dharmendra
and Hingorani did several films together; "Khel Khiladi Ka", "Katilon Ke Katil",
"Karishma Kudrat Ka", "Sultanat" and "Kaun Kare Kurbani".
"'Sultanat' was
Arjun's most ambitious film and he wanted both Sunny and me together in the
film. Sridevi was also in the cast. The film was a flop because of its weak
subject.
"Many people said 'Sultanat' flopped because Arjun didn't have a
title with three K's in it. It is interesting how superstitious this industry
makes you. When Arjun had no success for the first ten years of his career and
then 'Kab Kyun Aur Kahan' clicked, he decided it was the 3 K's in the title that
did the trick.
"And he always managed to get the titles with the required
K's. I would joke with him to make ‘Kaan Ka Kachcha'."
Dharmendra says
once Hingorani became a devotee of Lord Krishna, he migrated to Mathura, where
he spent his last years.
"I missed him. I would call him. But he was in
his own world. It's heartbreaking to lose all your friends one by one. It is the
love of my fans, friends and well-wishers that has kept me going for so long. I
hope that is never taken away from me."