In a candid podcast with Lehren Retro, Pankaj Dheer recalls about his father's promise to actress Geeta Bali which in turn led to their family's bankruptcy. C.L Dheer (Pankaj Dheer's Father) was a co-producer with Geeta Bali in a film known as Rano, starring Dharmendra & Geeta herself. Unfortunately, the movie was shelved which resulted as a shock for the Dheer's. Pankaj also shared about being the sole bread earner of their family after his father's demise, & narrates a thrilling story of accidentally becoming an actor from being a production controller on the sets of Sookha. Watch Pankaj Dheer's heart-to-heart dialogue with Lehren to get a better knowledge of relationships of the film fraternity in Retro days.
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00:00Mr. Dilip said, I will come on screen, I will say that such and such an incident has happened
00:03and you accept Meena Kumari in this role.
00:05My father said, no, I have given the promise, this film went with Geeta.
00:10This is very important, everyone knows how to do it.
00:12There are many children who know how to do it very well, but this is what is needed,
00:17which is called the right film at the right time, at the right moment, at the right release.
00:21So this didn't happen with me.
00:23And even today, if I say that I go on set or meet a youngster or whoever it is,
00:29I am learning from them.
00:30And this learning should never end.
00:33The day it ends, the end.
00:40Sir, we would like to talk a little about your childhood.
00:44Your father's film, which was being made with Dharmendra and Geeta Bali,
00:49Ek Chadar Maili, was not able to be made for any reason.
00:53And the family also saw a bad time.
00:55And in such a time, you came forward and fought for Roji Roti.
01:00Was there a lot of struggle?
01:02No, that time was very...
01:05I would say that no one should see such a time.
01:08What happened was that a very big film was being made,
01:12whose name was Rano.
01:15The base of that story, Ek Chadar Maili,
01:18as you said, was a very good story by Rajendra Singh Bedi.
01:21The film was later made with Hema ji and Rishi Kapoor.
01:26In that, Geeta Bali ji and Dharam ji were in the lead role.
01:31And Geeta Bali ji and my father were both 50-50% producers.
01:36And my father was also a director.
01:39There was 6-7 days of work left.
01:41So Geeta ji said, do the rest of the work.
01:43I am a housewife.
01:45You complete the film.
01:46We will do the remaining 3-4 days of work later.
01:50So the whole film was made.
01:51Everything was ready.
01:54And it was bad luck.
01:56At that time, I am talking about 1963.
02:01So they had a smallpox in Punjab.
02:04The shooting was being done in Punjab.
02:07They were brought to Bombay from there.
02:10But they were not able to recover.
02:12And while dying, Geeta Bali ji took a promise from my father
02:17that this film will go with me.
02:20And my father gave this promise to Geeta Bali ji.
02:23Mr. Tareeb Kumar came to our house.
02:25Meena Kumari ji came to our house.
02:27She explained to my father that please stop the film.
02:32Mr. Dilip said, I will come on screen.
02:34I will say that such and such incident has happened.
02:36And you accept Meena Kumari in this role.
02:38There was a little work left.
02:41And you make this film.
02:42Don't leave it like this.
02:44My father said, no, I have given the promise.
02:47This film went with Geeta.
02:49All the money that was invested in this film,
02:53you can think of it as the end of that era.
02:57All that was lost.
03:01And my father went into a strange shell.
03:06Now you can call it good quality, bad quality,
03:10bad business, good business.
03:12I don't want to comment on that.
03:15But this happened.
03:18This happened that our whole family was in a lot of trouble.
03:24And we were all young.
03:28It was very difficult.
03:31My younger brother studied in school.
03:33He was much younger than me.
03:35There were household expenses.
03:37So I started working at a very young age.
03:40That I have to support my family.
03:44I have to see.
03:45It was a responsibility of mine.
03:48So this happened.
03:50And it was a very difficult time.
03:52We left.
03:53So after that, your father didn't produce any film?
03:57No, after that he made a film.
04:00He made a film called Alingan.
04:02It had Romesh Sharma and Zahira in it.
04:05He made that film.
04:05Then he made a Gujarati film.
04:07Whose name was Mari Helu Taro Raj.
04:10That was also a very successful film.
04:12And then he used to make documentaries for Tata's.
04:16We made a lot of documentaries, in-house films for Tata's.
04:22So such work started going on later.
04:24But then he died in 1984.
04:27He died when he was very young.
04:29After that, I had to take care of my family.
04:34Which I feel was okay.
04:37At a young age, sir, you were managing both work and studies.
04:40Correct, it was difficult.
04:44Actually, as I told you, this shouldn't happen to anyone.
04:53In fact, it shouldn't happen in today's world at all.
04:55Because today's world is a world of expertise.
05:02Today, you will say that someone has done a B.Com, or a B.A.,
05:06or an M.A., it doesn't make any sense.
05:09You will have to be a specified, skillful worker.
05:14The field you take up.
05:15So if it happens to anyone, it becomes very difficult.
05:19So I join my hands and say, brother,
05:21I wish everyone well.
05:23Whatever happened to me.
05:25But everyone has their own story, their own struggles.
05:28No one should be scared of that.
05:31Okay, it's part of life.
05:32And I don't believe that I should have any sympathy for it.
05:36No.
05:37That was my part of my struggle.
05:38It's done, it's done.
05:39You have to salute and move on.
05:41So when you started working in films,
05:43one of your films was Sookha, and then Poonam.
05:46You took the name of Sookha's film.
05:49I'll tell you about it.
05:51M.S. Satyu, who was the producer and director.
05:53I was the production controller of that film.
05:56I was its production manager and controller.
05:59I used to handle all the work of Satyu.
06:01So I got a role like that.
06:02I didn't get any actor there.
06:04He said, Mr. Pankaj, you do it.
06:05I said, okay, I'll do it.
06:07Anant Nag was the hero.
06:08I still remember.
06:09It was being made in two languages.
06:11Kannada and Hindi.
06:13In Kannada, his name was Bara.
06:16So that's how I made the film.
06:21It was more of that Satyu is my friend.
06:23So I did it for him.
06:25There was no specific...
06:27As a hero, your film, Mera Suhaag.
06:30I produced Mera Suhaag myself.
06:32Okay.
06:33After my father's death,
06:35in 1985, that film was made.
06:37In that, Rati Agni Hotri was the heroine.
06:39Deepthi Nawal was there.
06:41Swaroop Sampat was there.
06:42That film was good.
06:43Yes, it was good.
06:44I produced it myself.
06:47But like I said to you,
06:52in this industry,
06:53the most important thing that I understand,
06:59that is luck.
07:03Luck, fate, destiny.
07:09This is very important.
07:10Everyone gets work.
07:12Not everyone.
07:13There are many kids who get good work.
07:15But you need this.
07:18Which is called the right film,
07:20at the right time,
07:20at the right moment,
07:21at the right release.
07:23This didn't happen with me.
07:26So anyway,
07:27there's no problem with that either.
07:29If not, then no.
07:29So I took a different path.
07:31Maybe this was the reason
07:33that you learned editing later on.
07:36I learned everything.
07:37See, I still say to myself
07:39that I am a student of cinema.
07:41I am still learning.
07:42Learning never ends.
07:44Today,
07:45like times change,
07:46generations change,
07:47we also have to change our mindset.
07:49We have to change our thinking.
07:51So I am doing that.
07:52And even today,
07:53if I say that I go on set,
07:55or meet a youngster,
07:57or whoever it is,
07:58then I am learning from them.
08:00But learning should never end.
08:02The day it ends,
08:04the end.