By Jagmohan Singh Barhok
On His Birth Anniversary
Shekhar Suman needs no introduction .He is a multi-talented film and television personality. He came into limelight when Shashi Kapoor took a calculated risk in casting a totally raw actor like him opposite an one-film- old starlet Anuradha patel, as his wife Aditi ,in his so called ‘Magnum opus “Utsav”.The film, based on “Mrichhakatika”,the work of Indian Playwright ‘Sudraka’ ,was directed by Girish Karnad.
There were kings and courtiers; servants and maid servants; courtesans and their hand-maidens, lusty lovers and luscious lasses; sex-rituals, fun and fantasies. Rekha played the renowned courtesan (in the Ujjain Court)’Vasantsena’. Shashi Kapoor played the king’s brother-in-law (Samathanak) madly smitten by Vasantsena’s beauty and voluptuousness. To escape his evert advances she rushes into the house of a musician, Charudutt ( Shekhar Suman).She instantly falls in love and before departing leaves his all jewellery and gems as a trust. Later one day when his wife is away to her parents’ home, Vasatsena visits him and they ‘really celebrate’ the whole night trying and experimenting all sexual postures as described in Vatsyayana’s epic “Kamasutra” .Perhaps after which the film has been named ‘Utsav’ . When Aditi, his wife returns home she finds both of them frolicking around uninhibitedly. Surprisingly, instead of showing anger or the least hint of jealousy, she thanks her for having taught her husband the new ‘tricks of the trade’ to further spice their marital experiences.
Amjad Khan( as ‘Sutradhara’) incarnated as Vatsyayana, goes around peeping into the people’s bedroom in the darkness of the night to collect first-hand knowledge about the things men and women do in bed and the range of variety of the amorous sports they bring into to spice ans garnish their sexual fulfillment. The film also shows courtly life and what goes behind the scenes- the corruption, conspiracies ,intrigues and unbridled orgies. The film helped Shekhar march towards the stardom , he had so hopefully visualized. He was now ‘somebody’ in the industry.
The actor, however, failed to cash in on extravagant experiment in sex and love. Instead of striving to go up-hill, was on his way down. In order to have a firm footing in the industry he started accepting whatever came his way. In most of his sex-oriented films, he was paired opposite Vasantsena, whose real name was Seema Kapoor and who lived adjacent to my house in Chandigarh in early-mid 80s before she decided to try her luck in the tinsel world. The actor had films aplenty, but in order to graduate into the ‘Big league’ he needed to change his image.
He used the small-screen, as a springboard , to further his career. And before late he started appearing in TV shows like “Dekh Bhai Dekh”,created by Anand Mhendroo and “Andaaz” featuring Prem Chopra, Poonam Dhillon,Sudesh Berry, Maya Alagh,Rajendra Kumar and Navneet Nishan. Shekhar hit the jackpot with ” The Great Indian Laughter Challenge”,based on a format where stand-up comedians perform and entertain judges and the studio audience with their comedy skills. The first three seasons of the show saw Shekhar Suman and Navjot Singh Sidhu, former cricketer, as Judge’ It was telecast on STAR One from 15 June 2005 to 26 September 2008. Kapil Sharma was the declared winner of show’s third season. Shekhar quit the show following differences with Sidhu. ‘Movers and shakers’, a late night talk show aired on Sony Entertainment and later Sab TV added to his popularity, as a host interviewing and chatting with celebrity guests. His last sitcom was ‘ Saat Phero ki Hera Pherie . His notable films include- “Anubhav”( 1986), “Tridev”( 1989), and “Chor Machey Shor”(2002).
