Contrary to popular perception, mega star Amitabh Bachchan’s close buddy was Sanjay and so much Rajiv Gandhi. Rajiv was, however integral part of the small gang of kids in Allahabad consisting of Amitabh, Ajitabh, Sanjay and Rajiv. Gandhis and Bachchans’ tale of friendship dates back to Anand Bhavan, Allahabad.
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Sanjay had exposed Amitabh to avant garde cinema when European films were specially screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Nehru-Gandhi family. Amitabh recalls attending screening of films like Cranes are Flying and other Czech, Polish and Russian movies rich in anti-war message.
When Amitabh got married to Jaya in June 1973, the guest list was extremely short but Sanjay was present, representing the Gandhis. In fact, each time Sanjay visited Bombay, Amitabh would go his fiat car to receive him.
Then came the Emergency. Amitabh, who was frequently seen in Sanjay’s company, faced media wrath for supporting it. On April 11, 1976, Delhi hosted a function called “Geeton Bhari Sham,” ostensibly to raise money for Sanjay and Rukhsana Sultana (actress Amrita Singh’s mother)’s controversial family planning programme. Both Amitabh and Jaya were present in the company of Sanjay.
Around that time when Indira’s Emergency information and broadcasting minister Vidya Charan Shukla was clamping down on violence in Hindi films, came Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Writers Salim-Javed and the rest were tense if the film would pass the censor board on the grounds that it could trigger off civil unrest.
(This picture taken 21 March 1977 shows Indian prime Minister Indira Gandhi with her two sons Rajiv (L) and Sanjay in New Delhi / Photo by AFP)
However, Amitabh’s association came in handy as the otherwise intimidating Shukla cleared it with minor cuts, including a change in the climax.
Throughout the 19-month-long Emergency, Amitabh remained silent on the ban imposed on Kishore Kumar by All India Radio and Doordarshan and the ostracism of the likes of Pran and Dev Anand, both outspoken critics of the government.
Film journalism faced stiff censorship where even a gossip item about a young Amitabh and the sensational Zeenat Aman was not tolerated.
The post emergency era saw Bachchan distancing himself from the Gandhis when the Janata Party under Morarji Desai was going out of their way to target Indira and her son Sanjay. Sanjay’s side of the family claims that when Indira was out of power, there was a proposal to invite the Bachchan clan at a public rally, but Teji reportedly declined, citing her son’s career. Sanjay was reportedly livid and relations between the two families snapped for the time being. Sanjay was also upset when, out of power, he arrived in Bombay but his friend Amitabh did not come to receive him, a task the actor used to greatly relish in happier times, it seems.
There were minor differences between Gandhis and Bachchans though as when actress Nargis was given coveted Rajya Sabha nomination. Indira, whose proximity to Teji Bachchan was well established, chose Nargis as Rajya Sabha member in 1980. The move had reportedly upset Teji and this appeared in a snippet column of a magazine that was edited by Indira's other bahu Maneka. But Indira had stoutly defended her decision insisting that Nargis had deserved the recognition much more than anyone else.
There are many who think if Sanjay had been alive then he would have been got important positions in country;s politics and perhaps Amitabh and his wife Jaya would have continued to be great friends of Gandhis while Rajiv and Sonia would have remained in the background.
[Author-Journalist Rasheed Kidwai is a visiting Fellow of the Observer Research Foundation. He tracks government and politics and considered a specialist on Congress party affairs.]
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