December 18th, 2010

Mehboob Khan – The Failed Hero

In 1931, when Ardeshir Irani was planning India’s first-ever talkie, Alam Ara, he had, in fact, Mehboob in mind for the male lead. He had even got his outfits tailored. However, there was a sudden brainwave that the film needed a big name. So Master Vithal, a big star of the ‘silent’ era, was roped in to play the lead. It broke Mehboob’s heart but, true to character, he remained stoic about the sudden turn of events that had gone against him. Mehboob came close to being a hero in Sagar Movietone’s Lure of the City but, once again, the opportunity slipped out of his grasp. The role went to a newcomer by the name of Motilal.

Mehboob made several attempts to make it as a hero between 1931 and 1935 but luck kept eluding him. The pragmatist that he was, he was quick to see the writing on the all. He realised that his childhood dream of making it as a hero might remain a dream forever. His foray into acting, which had begun in anonymity inside a closed cask, might not go beyond playing character roles! Without wasting any more time, he decided to move behind the camera. With the help and guidance of two of his closest friends — cameraman Faredoon Irani and a laboratory assistant, Gangadhar Nagwekar — Mehboob worked on a script and, when it was ready, he sought an appointment from the Sagar boss, Dr Ambalal Patel, for a narration. But the crucial rendezvous didn’t happen easily. After cancelling several appointments, Patel finally listened to Mehboob’s script. He was impressed by the concept but was not convinced by Mehboob’s desire to direct the film himself. He thought the prospect of entrusting the direction of big-budget feature film to an extra, who had no previous experience in filmmaking and who had never assisted any established director, preposterous.

That’s when Faredoon Irani, who had helped Mehboob shape the script, stuck to his point. Irani believed in Mehboob’s potential. He was convinced beyond doubt that he had it in him to do full justice to the script he had written. He pleaded with Dr Patel to give his friend a chance on the assurance that he would take all responsibility for the outcome. “I will shoot with Mehboob for three days,” Irani assured Dr Patel, “and if you don’t like what we do, we will scrap the footage and I will make good the losses.” Nobody could doubt Irani’s credentials as a cameraman or his knowledge of cinema. So the Sagar Movietone bosses had no option but to give in to his request.

Mehboob got into the act with Irani backing him all the way. Three days later, when the top brass at Sagar saw what Mehboob had shot, they were highly impressed. Mehboob had bowled them over. There was no stopping the boy from Sarar after that.

Mehboob made his debut as a director in 1935. The film vas Al Hilal (The Judgement of Allah), a costume drama set against the backdrop of the Ottaman empire, where the Roman army led by Caesar (played by Pande) take on the fiefdom of Muslim rulers. Ziyad (Kumar), the son of the Sultan (Asooji), is captured by the Romans. Rahil (Indira), a Roman princess, falls in love with him and asks a Muslim woman, Leila (Sitara Devi), to guard him. Leila smuggles a message written in her blood to the Sultan, and Ziyad escapes following an elaborate chase scene. The film was apparently inspired by Mehboob Khan’s Hollywood idol Cecil B. DeMille’s film The Sign of the Cross (1932). Sitara Devi, an emerging Kathak dancer, was the heroine of the film. She faced the camera for the mahurat shot at the Imperial Studio. The film also had big names of the time, like Kumar, Indira and Yakub. Sitara, who went on to become one of the highest paid actresses of the forties, married K.Asif in 1944 – Rauf Ahmed

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