As Namkeen completes 44 years, legendary filmmaker and poet Gulzar revisits one of his most heartfelt films in this exclusive ETimes interview. He opened up about its origins, characters, music, and lasting impact. Excerpts from the interview:Gulzar Saab, Namkeen remains one of your most loved films. What does it mean to you even today?I have to admit, I’ve always had a soft corner for Namkeen. It’s like that child of yours that got left behind in the race. Samresh Basu has always been one of my favourite authors. I read all his works in the original Bengali, so I was familiar with the nuances that often get lost in translation. Namkeen is based on a story of his that I had loved from the time I first read it.The film had such a powerful gallery of women characters. What drew you to them?To me, the most interesting part of Namkeen was these four women, one past the age of marriage, one at a marriageable age, another approaching it, and their mother, who is constantly worried about them. I underlined her fears in the film. The way these women cling to the man who comes into their lives, he starts off as just a tenant but soon becomes their support system. He shares a unique relationship with each one of them.You had an incredible cast, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, and Kiran Vairale. Was it difficult to bring them together?Not at all. Why should it be difficult? If you offer actors good roles, why would they say no? All of them performed beautifully. Yes, Kiran Vairale did remind me of Jaya Bhaduri.And Sanjeev Kumar held his own so brilliantlySanjeev Kumar was always my first choice for male protagonists. In my cinema, there were two constants — him and R. D. Burman. I had the privilege of working closely with both.Your collaboration with R.D. Burman gave us classics like ‘Parichay’, ‘Khubsoorat’, ‘Aandhi’, ‘Kitaab’, and ‘Namkeen’. What made it so special?Pancham was a very special and versatile composer. His work with me was very different from what he did with others. I never gave him reference points, I would just tell him what the film needed emotionally.Any memorable moment from the making of Namkeen’s music?Yes, while working on “Phir Se Aaiyo Badra Bidesi,” sung by Asha Bhosle and performed by Shabana Azmi, there was a gap in the composition. Pancham felt a line was needed, and that’s when we added, “Tujhe meri kaali kamli wali ki sau…”Was it difficult to acquire the rights to Samresh Basu’s story?I met Samresh Basu personally. He had a beautiful smile and a very warm personality. I had first met him when I was assisting Bimal Roy. I rewrote the story for the film but ensured I didn’t distort it. For me, the story is the raw material for the screenplay, just as the screenplay is for the film.The title Namkeen is quite unusual, much like your other films. What’s the story behind it?I believe a film should be completely defined by its title. I had initially given the title Namkeen to Hrishikesh Mukherjee, but he didn’t like it. So I told him, “Main aapko Khubsoorat title de raha hoon,” and I took Namkeen back.Was the title inspired by the character Nimki?No, not really. If you try to overanalyze a title, it starts sounding absurd. A title should have the space to grow with time. It’s like Alfred Hitchcock appearing in his films, it may seem arbitrary at first, but over time, you understand its significance.
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