By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
मार गयी मुझे तेरी जुदाई
डस गयी ये तन्हाई
तेरी याद जो आई फिर
आँखों में नींद नहीं आयी
As a hero, “Geet Gaya Pathron Ne” was his first film. It must be said to the actor’s credit that he took his career so seriously
that not once did he let it go off the rails. V. Shantaram, called the doyen of the industry, had taken double risk casting both the hero & heroine ( his daughter Rajshree who was making her debut ) who were untrained for the stellar roles they were chosen for. The film clicked and Jeetendra received a big boost. Rajshree also demonstrated her histrionic talents-more as a dancer than as an actress fairly impressively. The film had two lovely songs “Saanson Ke Taar Par, Geet Gaya Pathro Ne” & another rendered by C. H. Atma “Mandave Tale Garib Ke” . It is another thing that she had to quit films right when her career was beginning to burgeon. After doing a film she got married & settled down in the States.
Luck was on Jeetendra’s side. Not long after the above film he had hit the Jackpot with the biggest bang of his career: his “Farz” opposite Babita, was a runaway success catapulting him into the starry heights of the tinsel town. The two made love uninhibitedly like a pair of crazy kittens-rolling, writhing, fondling hugging maniacally. Their rolling on then lush green grass locked in tight embrace was especially exciting. “Hum To Tere Aashiq Hain” & “Tumse O Haseena” were two hits from the film. Ironically, Babita too had to quit the movie scene in the middle of her blossoming career: she got married to Randhir Kapoor.
Jeetendra earlier played bitsy roles like that of a simpleton or an uncultivated boy from the country. His love scenes with the heroines too were puerile. It was in “Farz” that he demonstrated he could act a hot-blodded lover. His dancing skills remained unnoticed until he had his first encounter with a potboller called ” Himmatwala” . In the film Sridevi (May Her Soul Rest in Peace) acted & danced most uninhibitedly, making a dazzling display of her shapely, curvaceous and voluptuous anatomy through a variety of costumes. As a gifted dancer, she swung her hips so erotically that she came to be called’ The Thundering Thighs”. Jeetendra who matched her dancing expertise step to step, attracted the epithet “Jumping Jack”. They became, ‘made for each other’ screen pair in films. Interestingly, he co starred Sridevi in 11 of her 29 releases including “Tohfa”, “Maqsad”, “Mawaali”, & “Justice Chaudhary”. In Tohfa”, “Maqsad” & “Mawaali” jaya Prada played the second fiddle to Sridevi.
Besides Sridevi & Jaya Prada the actor also worked in many films opposite Rekha ( Judaai , Souten Ki Beti, Amiri Garibi, Ek Hi Bhool ), Hema Malini ( The Burning Train, Qaidi, Waris, Justice Chaudhry), Mumtaz ( Khiloa, Hamjoli, Jigri Dost, Aaj Ki Aurat ) ,Neetu Singh (The Burning Train, Jaani Doshman, Priyatama ) besides other heroines .One of his films “Roop Tera Mastana”, a 1972 thriller, starring Mumtaz and Pran, still haunts me because of its spectacular sets, unbelievably dazzlingly nay colorful costumes & the thrill it intended to provide.
The actor’s earlier films included the likes of- “Gunahon Ka Devta”(1967), “Jeene Ki Raah”( 1969), “Humjoli” ( 1970), & “Caravan”(1970) with ” Piya Tu Anb To Aa Jaa & “Chadti Jawani Meri Chaal Mastani” two popular numbers. “Asha”, “Pareechhay” , “Khushboo”, “Aulaad”, “Mere Huzoor” & “Dharti Kahe Pukar ke” are some other notable movies of the actor who enjoyed an impressive record though in 1990 his eight out of eleven films crashed on the box office.
I met the celebrated actor on the sets of Babubhai Mistry’s “Hatim Tai” featuring Sangeeta Bijlani, Sonu Walia, Amrish Puri & Satish Shah. I always found him introvert & not yielding. I later met him when he came to Jalandhar in early 1990s during a Show & stayed at Hotel Skylark. I also spent time with , Sumeet Sehgal , Upasana Singh & many others at Hotel Skylark. They had come to perform at a musical night.
