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Stars at Home – Ashok Kumar – Quiet Retreat Of A Busy Star (1955)

All smiles at the breakfast table, the Ganguly family, Shobha, Ashok's wife, carrying Preeti, their youngest child, on her arm, pours tea for her star husband, while son Arup addresses himself to a banana. Eldest daughter Bharati sits next to Ashok, with Rupa, the second daughter (extreme left) completing the group.

Pictures accompanying this article – Pic 1 – Pic 2 – Pic 3 – Pic 4 – Pic 5 – Pic 6

Ashok Kumar House is situated in the heart of the business quarter of Bombay on the top storey of the building is the home of the star who gives it his name.

Guarding the last flight of stairs leading up to the star’s apartment are two Alsatians. They are friendly and, when the visitor goes past them, he enters a comfortable, un-conventional-looking home, which immedia­tely strikes him as a place which is lived in, rather than a show place meant to proclaim a star’s affluence or personality.

A passage, giving on to bedrooms on the right and on the left affording a glimpse of sea over roof-tops, leads into a large sitting-room-cum-dining-room.

Here, the walls are painted pale green and the curtains are of bright red material. Three alcoves in this room are hemmed in by divans.

Above each of the cozy alcoves are two yellow shaded bracket lamps which light up the shelves built into the wall as well as another shelf placed in the corner with models of rural life in Bengal. The draw‑ing-room gives on to a semi-circular balcony.

At the far end of the room is the dining- table. Above the mirrored mantelshelf is a stuffed panther. Its teeth bared in a snarl, it dominates the entire room.

In a little niche in the wall behind the dining-table stands a vase filled with fresh flowers. Beside it is a glass cabinet con­taining carved articles and an assortment of curios. On the dining-table also is a vase, an emerald-green one, with a potted plant in it. The chairs round the dining- table are done up in red leather.

The long, mirrored shelf along the wall and parallel to the dining-table has a row of little multi-colored lights at the top which twinkle, providing a pretty effect at night. At each end of the wide mirror is affixed a pale yellow shaded bracket lamp which sheds a soft glow on the flower vases and bronze statuettes on the shelf.

Of the two bedrooms adjoining the drawing-room, one is of Ashok’s daughters, the other ‘s son’s. Next to them is the nursery of the youngest, Preeti, who, Ashok says, “Never likes to get down to the floor. You have to carry her all the time!”

Of this part of the house Ashok says laughingly, “It looks more like ‘Star’s Children At Home’ rather than ‘Stars At Home’!”

But it is the terrace bedroom, which is also his den, that really reflects Ashok Kumar’s personality. Reached by a winding staircase, it is comfortable and secluded. Here the star can be far away from the outside world, linked to it only by the telephone.

Two Jamini Roy originals, one above the bookcase and the other above the bed decorate the walls. Dark green curtains conceal a door to an alcove which serves as the star’s wardrobe.

Dark shades of green, blue and red form the color scheme and the room opens on to the terrace, affording a sweeping view of the city’s landscape. Potted flower plants, some of them in bloom, lend an appropriate garden atmosphere.

“I sleep out here in the hot weather!” said Ashok.

A love of music distinguishes the members of Ashok’s household. His daughter is an accomplished pianist and accompanies the star when he sings. Ashok has had a great fondness for singing ever since his early acting days when he used to sing his own songs. He still sings at home either when friends gather or when he throws a party, which is often. His wife and other children also share this inter­est (Source – Filmfare Magazine 1955)

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