Bobby@ 50
Nonika Singh
Pyaar ka naam maine suna tha magar, pyaar kya hai yeh mujhko nahi thi khabar.
(I had heard the name of love, but knew not what love is)
Only when showman Raj Kapoor decoded love in ‘Bobby’, the country was swept by a love storm and the audiences fell in love with all things ‘Bobby’. Fifty years ago, in September 1973, the teenage love story starring Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia created history, whipped up mass hysteria, set a template and paved the way for many more to follow. As filmmaker Rahul Mittra says, “It was a genre-defining film.”
Call it a cult classic or popcorn entertainment, it caught the imagination of viewers like few films had done before. Everything from ‘Bobby bike’ to knotted blouses and polka dots to two-piece bikinis became a rage. Even the Gulmarg hotel where some part of the film was shot came to be identified as Bobby Hut. What made hearts go aflutter so rapidly; after all, love stories were not uncommon. RK Films itself had given us the heart-breaking ‘Sangam’. So, what set ‘Bobby’ apart?
One of the top 20 highest-grossing Indian films of all time (when adjusted for inflation), in the 1970s, the box office collection of ‘Bobby’ was second only to ‘Sholay’. It also became an overseas blockbuster in the Soviet Union where it drew an audience of 62.6 million, making it one of the top 20 biggest box office hits of all time in a country where Raj Kapoor, anyway, was a sensation.
A relatable subject, relatable characters and a fresh pair with unmatched innocence were some of the many factors that ticked the right boxes. As Mittra adds, “‘Bobby’ was ahead of its times, talking of rebellious teenage love in a period when socially relevant films and mature love tales were the norm.” Rahul Rawail, who was assistant director to Raj Kapoor during the making of the film, feels, “It was a pioneering effort which did not conflagrate the religious angle or the rich-poor divide but played up the class conflict.” Simplicity was another USP of the film. It did not intellectualise, only encapsulated the beautiful emotion of love through two youngsters who spoke and behaved exactly like who they were: teenagers. Add to it Dimple’s simmering sexuality, which was not in your face but so casual and enchanting.”
To cap it all, here was a music album that boasted of not one but several chartbusters. Noted lyricist Shellee reminds how 60 per cent of the film’s mega success can be attributed to its rocking music. He reasons, “It was a rare film album which had so much variety packed into it. From Goan folk tune (‘Na Maangu Sona Chandi’) to the Punjabi Sufi touch in ‘Beshaq Mandir Masjid Todo’ to the conversational song ‘Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein’, the music sought inspiration from different corners and styles. It even reinvented Reshma’s cross-border song ‘Ankhiyon Ko Rehne De’. The music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal was not just top notch but incredibly apt. Every single song with lyrics by Anand Bakshi, Inderjeet Singh Tulsi and Vithalbhai Patel was situational, a perfect fit for its actors and the narrative.
“It set the ball rolling for this wondrous alchemy of fresh pair, love story and great music,” Shellee observes. Though the magic of ‘Bobby’ could never ever be replicated, at least not in entirety, he feels that “films like ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ and ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye’ did manage to come close and captured the same allure”.
‘Carry on Jatta’ director Smeep Kang, who worked with Rishi Kapoor in his later days, opines, “‘Bobby’ became the blueprint for debut launches, especially of star sons and daughters, and is the go-to formula even today.” Rawail has no compunctions in admitting that his films ‘Love Story’ and ‘Betaab’, which marked the debuts of Kumar Gaurav and Sunny Deol, respectively, were cast in the ‘Bobby’ mould. Learning from the great master up-close, he shares, “Be it the storyline, casting choices or music, it was the genius of Raj Kapoor which made the film what it became; a phenomenon and a never diminishing craze.”
Sans stars, riding on newcomers, ‘Bobby’ sure was a gamble, but it was no fluke. So exacting was Raj Kapoor’s attention to detail that nothing went amiss. Though reeling under dire financial stress after the debacle of ‘Mera Naam Joker’, nowhere did the showman spare any expense. If pistachios and almonds were required for a particular party scene, clearly lowly peanuts would not do. Besides, Raj Kapoor knew exactly what he was doing and whom he was casting even for bit parts. Prem Chopra, who was reluctant to play a cameo in the film, today remembers the unprecedented fame that came with it, particularly with the iconic dialogue, ‘Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra.’ He goes down memory lane and shares, “Audiences went berserk and chanted the dialogue outside the theatre where the film had its Delhi premiere.” Later, the simple yet catchy one-liner was to become his signature and, interestingly, even the title of his biography.
As for the lead heroine, Dimple Kapadia, who made her debut with ‘Bobby’, Rawail recalls, “As we watched the audition, Dimple did not seem a great actor.” Yet, Raj Kapoor knew it had to be this 16-year-old. The decision to name the film after its female protagonist, that too in what was the launch vehicle of his own son Rishi, too faced resistance by his well-wishers. Rishi, of course, said on record that the film was not his launch-pad but a last-ditch effort to bail out the RK banner.
Making ‘Bobby’ clearly wasn’t a smooth sail. Everything that could possibly go wrong actually did. In his book ‘Raj Kapoor: The Master At Work’, Rawail reveals how hell broke loose when it was discovered that Dimple was going to marry Rajesh Khanna, the then reigning superstar, also said to be Raj Kapoor’s original choice for the male lead. Dimple’s marital status could dent the film’s box office success. Imagine a film is being touted as India’s first teenage romance and the heroine is already a Mrs! What could be worse hara-kiri for the film? “But the success of the film,” Rawail says, “busted many myths, including that viewers do not root for married actresses.”
Rawail mentions in the book that during the shooting of the film, at one stage, Dimple was not just married but also pregnant and refused to jump into water as the powerful climax demanded. But the master of ingenuity, Raj Kapoor, always knew a way out, even how to cloak her hennaed hands. On learning about Dimple’s impending marriage, he had immediately changed the lines on the poster from ‘Teenage Love Story’ to ‘Love Sublime Filmed by Raj Kapoor’. Today, many may wonder what was/is sublime about ‘Bobby’ kind of puppy love. To the millennials, the romance may appear a bit mawkish and outdated, but the Rotten Tomatoes score of 77 per cent and IMDb rating of 6.9 reinforce the film’s timeless appeal. ‘Bobby’ wore its heart on its sleeve and made everyone old, young and middle-aged feel young at heart.
A cult film of its time, or for all times to come, ‘Bobby’ will never cease to be a ready reckoner for students of filmmaking who will forever be inspired by ‘Bobbyisms’. The memorable scene in ‘Bobby’, where Dimple accidentally smears her hair with besan, is said to be inspired by Raj Kapoor’s real-life meeting with Nargis. Many a love scene in Hindi films, several starring Rishi’s son Ranbir Kapoor, have been a throwback to ‘Bobby’. As Oscar Wilde said, “Imitation is the homage mediocrity pays to greatness.” So, next time you spot what might appear an out-of-the-box love antic, chances of it having its roots in the 50-year-old film are rather bright. Need more affirmation why ‘Bobby’ continues to burn bright?
Every story, they say, has a beginning, only ‘Bobby’ knows no end. As long as love stories are alive, ‘Bobby’ would be kicking and ticking. As Shellee puts it, “‘Bobby’ is in our DNA.”
