Talks with 95-year-old AK Hangal about Sholay

Down memory lane with Rahim chacha

Talks with 95-year-old AK Hangal about Sholay, Shaukeen and Sanjeev Kumar

A leafy lane leads you to AK Hangal's one-room, rented apartment in Santa Cruz. His 74-year-old son lives in an adjacent one-room flat. Save the rows of neatly arranged books, film awards adorning the walls, and a framed picture of Hangal receiving the Padma Bhushan from former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the flat is almost bare, as a card-holding communist's might be. A television and a stereo are his only indulgences. At 95, Hangal's memory isn't what it used to be, but it works in snatches. As I probe him about the various stars he has worked with, Hangal's wizened face breaks into a smile at the mention of Sanjeev Kumar. "I first met him at IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) and started giving him roles in the plays I directed. Once he complained that I never gave him the hero's role. I told him, "It's because I want you to become an actor, nota hero," recalls Hangal, adding, "And he did go on to become a great actor." While it is well known that Hangal worked as a tailor before his acting career took off, not many know that he used to make the suits for Rajesh Khanna. He talks about the time when a young Rajesh Khanna was struggling to gain a foothold in the industry. "He came to me once after he had signed his first film. He wasn't sure if he would make it big. When I asked him how his career was shaping up, his reply even then was the same as always, 'Dekhtein hain kya hota hai!'" Hangal's eyes glow with pride at the very mention of Sholay. "A film like Sholay cannot be made again. It was the outcome of several talented individuals coming together," he says. His role as Rahim Chacha in the film made him a household name, and he considers it one of his best performances. "I was given a brief outline about the blind, orthodox, Muslim character I had to play, and I prepared for the role by studying blind persons, and how a devout Muslim offers namaaz. Though it wasn't mentioned in the script that the old man should fumble for his walking stick, I improvised it to make the character authentic," remembers Hangal. Initially, Hangal wasn't satisfied with some of his scenes in the film. "One day, while we were having lunch, I asked Ramesh Sippy to re-shoot them, as I wasn't happy with my performance. But Sippy dismissed my fears. Once I saw them, I knew Sippy was right." Another film that Hangal remembers fondly is Shaukeen, where he played one of the three lecherous old men looking for fun in Goa. "It was a bold film. Ashok Kumar and Utpal Dutt were great company. Ashok used to joke around lot, and when he passed away, his daughter brought me a present he had left for me. Utpal Dutt was a dedicated communist like me. We always had a lot to talk about." Hangal never sought the perks of material success, not even caring to buy a house for himself. "I did earn decent money from my tailoring and acting, but I spent it on supporting theatre and other causes dear to my heart. However, the support I got from the film industry and the government when I was in dire straits was overwhelming." What hurt him most was the Shiv Sena ban on his films for two years, after he attended a function hosted by the Pakistani government in Bombay in 1993. "Producers stopped giving me work, and my parts in films were edited out. Worse, I used to get threatening calls. However, my fans rallied around me until the ban was lifted." Has he watched any of the new Hindi films? "Most of the films today are full of the same violence and sex. They lack in imagination, sensitivity and are very childish."