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Filmmaker Anees Bazmee, who got his start as an assistant to Raj Kapoor, recalled how terrified the crew used to be of the Hindi film icon. He said that calling him an angry person would be an understatement, as he recalled how the crew of the film Prem Rog was made to travel from Mumbai to Mysuru in a truck for three days because Raj Kapoor was annoyed for some reason.
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Anees admitted that he’d often been yelled at by the legendary filmmaker, and said that it was common for his crew to accept lesser accommodation for fear of being in the same five-star hotel as the man himself. Asked if all the stories about his temper are true, Anees said, “Angry is an understatement to describe how he could be. He was a terror. I remember it well. If he was in a bad mood and yelled at someone, the entire crew – 400 people – would fall into a pin-drop silence. He had a different personality in films; good-natured… But in real life… We assistants were terrified of him.”
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Asked if he’d ever been yelled at, Anees continued, “Oh, yes. Many times. While I used to travel with him on planes and stay with him in five-star hotels, but all of us assistants would prefer staying in less-fancy accommodation to avoid being near him. But once, I made some blunder, and I was told that I wouldn’t be travelling with him in a plane, but I would be travelling from Mumbai to Mysuru in a Jonga with the other assistants and all the lighting equipment. It took us three days.”
When they reached, they were told that shooting had already started a couple of days ago. They rushed to the set, and that’s when they realised, “He doesn’t need anyone, but everyone needs him.”
The uncomfortable working conditions aside, Anees said that he is grateful for the opportunity of working with Raj Kapoor, especially as a teenager. He said, “People graduate from fancy schools, I graduated from the university of Raj Kapoor.” Anees has gone on to become a reputable filmmaker in his own right, having helmed the cult comedies Welcome, No Entry, Singh Is Kinng and more recently, the blockbuster Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
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