“Chintoo has always been mischievous, and he is still the same! Look, now he even has the audacity to hide from me forever...” – This thought oscillates in my mind as a nightmare, over and over again. Why? Because we go back a long, long way! Our roots can be traced to our fathers’ time; our families have a bonding that extends from the early school premises to the film sets and beyond. Our fathers have been a legendary actor (Raj Kapoor) and a singer (Mukesh) – musical pair of their own golden …

He must have been sent to life with the purpose of selfless giving. That’s Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubramaniam, for us – a legendary singer and actor. S. P. Balasubramaniam, who I am proud to have as my senior and have been fortunate to learn so much from. Forty years in the industry and an unbelievable list of recordings across all genres – my respect for SP weighs the same as his admiration for S. P. Kodandapani, his mentor. SP was a stalwart, very lively and energetic, with a metallic vo…

“Masterji, learning from your adaa, is the heaven above dancing to the steps of ek, do, teen?” Saroj Khan, yes, Saroj Khan! However much implausible it is, but she is not with us anymore. She left for her heavenly abode at a very early age of 71. Early because she was all the same; a dancing maestro, who had not yet retired, nothing was yet exhausting for her. Still, it took just a cardiac arrest and her feet stopped, never to dance again. Early dawn, first rays of the sun, a new day. 3rd July 2…

Quite aptly said, regret is easier than gratitude. I am perhaps not yet quite ready for all that is going on right now or is going to happen in the near future, all that is being talked about, and so much more to come my way! I am not left with any choice but to accept that Soumitra Chattopadhyay is not with us anymore. I cannot really recall the first moment I shared with him, precisely, since it has been quite a long time. Way back in 1956-57, when Soumitra babu visited our home for the first …

I still can’t believe that I am dealing with this moment every day now, I still can’t believe that some beautiful times of my life have become memories now, can’t believe that the hand that often encouraged me with a pat on the back is gone, the voice that got millions rolling is no more! From waking up in the middle of the night to punching the wall – I have done it all. But this nightmare has come to stay. Whenever someone asks me about him, I just want to run away. I choke while talking about…