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Shaikh Mukhtar

Shaikh Mukhtar

He was Bollywood‘s first Hunk – one who would have put today‘s WWF hulks to shame. Exceptionally tall and frighteningly hefty, he was endowed with an immense physique. His face was a roadmap of crisscrossing muscles. A sharp jaw line added to the dimensions of his rock-hard face. Hardly ‘star‘ material compared to the Hrithiks and Salmans of today.

Yet, this rugged man was once a hero.

Those were the days when a limp-wristed hero, who could not even unlock the mysteries of the lush curls of his beloved, was universally adored in cinema halls. In such times, Shaikh Mukhtar adorned the garb of a hero. This feat was achieved by movie monarch Mehboob Khan. In ‘Ek hi Raasta‘, or ‘The Only Way‘, a film directed by Mehboobsaab for Sagar Movietone way back in 1939, Shaikh Mukhtar was one of the three heroes. The other two were Arun Ahuja (matinee idol Govinda‘s father) and a certain Harish (who later directed films such as ‘Burma Road‘, he was Tara Harish). Though billed as male lead, Shaikh Mukhtar never fitted into the ‘romantic‘ mould. And why should he? He portrayed an uncouth lover, almost a pre-Neanderthal man, in Mehboob Khan‘s ‘Roti‘ with sensuous Sitara Devi as his beloved. In that film, Shaikh would bring down an aircraft with the mere strike of his spear. When thirsty, he would empty an entire bucket down his throat in one go. Soppy dialogues oozing with maudlin emotions such as love and romance, did not come forth from the super-hunk.

In Wadia‘s ‘Krishnabhakt Bodana‘, Shaikh Mukhtar was the Lord‘s devotee. In ‘Bahen‘, he portrayed the role of Meena Kumari‘s brother. His imposing personality fitted well into ‘period‘ films which dabbled in history. He played the role of ‘Shahenshah Babar‘; went on to become ‘Chengez Khan‘ and then donned the mantle of Sher Afghan in ‘Noor Jahan‘, a film which he produced. He was often teamed with Begum Para, the bewitching beauty of that era. The pair hit it off exceedingly well on the screen. For countless cinema aficionados, the Shaikh Mukhtar-Begum Para pair was a classic case of the beauty and the beast. With pint-sized Mukri, Shaikh Mukhtar had a successful celluloid partnership. Shaikh Mukhtar produced a string of Hindi films, such as ‘Dada‘, ‘Dara‘, ‘Ustad Pedro‘, ‘Toote Tare‘, ‘Mister Lamboo‘, ‘Annadaata‘, ‘Mangoo‘(with another beauty, Nigar Sultan), ‘Do Ustaad‘, ‘Noor Jahan‘, among others.

He wove into his films a variety of songs, from ”Bahaaron ke doli pe aaye hai jawaani‘, a romantic number from ‘Annadaata‘, to naughty ditties, such as ‘Dil ka yeh engine seeti bajaaye‘ from ‘Ustaad Pedro‘, and ‘Namaste, Doctor Paro, hum ko bhi ek injection maaro‘. Shaikh Mukhtar‘s pair of shoes, of twelve number size, (in ‘Do Ustaad‘), summed up his big time existence. His role in this film was widely appreciated. Shaikh Mukhtar showcased his acting talents in the concluding scene of ‘Do Ustaad‘ when he holds his long-lost brother and son to his bosom.

Shaikh Mukhtar blew up his hard-earned money on ‘Noor Jahan‘, his dream project. However, the ‘period‘ film bombed miserably at the box office. And with the film collapsed this mighty man. Debts began to pile up. Income Tax arrears kept multiplying in geometrical progression. Unable to resolve this crisis, Shaikh Mukhtar, who was adored in Bollywood for his integrity and for his firmness to keep vices of every variety at bay, fled to Pakistan with the alacrity of a small-time house burglar. He took with him the prints of his films. But, sadly, the Pakistan film industry offered him no succor. He kept running from pillar to post, visiting government offices with a plea that he be allowed to release his films. A broken man, Shaikh Mukhtar passed away between these fruitless visits. ‘Noorjahan‘, which was released in Pakistan after Shaikh Mukhtar died, kept the box office registers ringing with cash – Shireesh Kanekar

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