Balraj Sahni was, the man of theatre. The episode you are listening is an essay written by Shri Balraj Sahni titled 'Kalakar Janmjaat Hota Hai Banta Hai?' (Artists - Born or made?). 

He is considered to be one of the most important actors of the Golden Era of Indian cinema. Sahni was praised for his natural acting style and his ability to portray a wide range of emotions. He was also one of the first actors to experiment with method acting in India.

Some of his most memorable works include the films Garam Hawa (Hot Winds, 1944), Do Bigha Zamin (A Piece of Land, 1953), and Kabuliwala (The Kabuliwala, 1957). Garam Hawa was the first Indian film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and Do Bigha Zamin was India’s first submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

A fascinating short story 'Sahir aur Jaadu' from the inimitable Gulzar Saab. Sahir And Jaadu is a story taken from a collection of stories by Gulzar, which is about famous film persona from Mumbai - poets Javed Akhtar whom they called Jaadu (magic), and their friend Sahir Ludhianavi (magician). Interesting, and with twists at the end to give one a pause if not a tear.

The story is about those two poets and friends and other film persona involved - Jaan Nisaar Akhtar, the father of Javed Akhtar (Jaadu) and the years of the latter's youth when he was on a warpath with the famous father, and took refuge often with Sahir who was friend of both.

I am fortunate enough to meet Imorz at Amrita Pritam's residence in the year 2011, when I was working on a theatrical production based on Amrita ji's life. In this episode, I am sharing my personal experience and some notes from a conversation with Imroz. 

As death stared at Amrita, she wrote her touching swan song, Main tainu pher milaangi (I will meet you again)’, to Imroz, taking their love onto a cosmic plane for an eternal reunion. If Imroz went out even to fetch her a glass of water, she would call out a line of a Punjabi folk verse: Maradi nu chhad ke na jaayin mittara (Don’t leave a dying woman, my friend!). Main Tainu Pher Milaangi is now considered one of the most intense love poems written by Amrita Pritam for a tie that even death could not do apart.

Listen to the finale episode of Amrita Pritam series on my Podcast 'Qisse Kahaniyan with Abhinay Banker'.

Amrita Pritam was trapped in a loveless marriage at a young age, she dared to love – lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi at first, and artist Imroz later. While her first love remained unfulfilled, she spent the rest of her life living-in with a rather loving and caring Imroz. Amrita wrote a poem ‘Shaam ka Phool’ (The evening flower) after her first meeting with Imroz. The poet felt that Imroz, who was 10 years younger, met her a bit too late in life. They spent more than 45 years together in Live-in. Listen to the full episode to know more about their special bonding and understanding of love.

Once Amrita Pritam met an Astrologer and asked, 'Whether this relationship (Amrita-Imroz) will succeed or not?' What did he replied and what happened to his prediction? Listen to the full episode.  

#AmritaPritam

Amrita Pritam love Sahir Ludhiyanvi for her entire life but this love story never got succeed. Amrita was a writer, a mystic, a poet, a rebel and a human being par excellence. She could be a synonym for 'Freedom'. She lived life on her own terms. Life always give us second chance but sometimes we fail to understand. What was that second chance for Amrita Pritam? Listen to the full episode to know more!

with love,

Abhinay.

Where did Amrita Pritam and Sahir Ludhiyanvi met for the first time? How did they fell in love? What happened when Amrita received a phone call at 2am on the 25th October 1983?

Great love stories don't necessarily have a happy ending. Their relationship hovered in taboo territory and yet was strangely chaste, conducted as it was through silences and letters. Listen to this episode to know more about their relationship.

with love,

Abhinay.

Sahir Ludhiyanvi was a great poet and could imbue his words with emotions perfectly. But when it came to real life, nobody quite knew what went on with him. He wasn't as eager as Amrita about bridging the gap between them. But it wasn't that he didn't love her. Amrita Pritam wrote a incident titled 'Yeh Kahaani Nahin' in her second autobiography Aksharon Ke Saaye. Listen to the this episode and identify the reasons behind their longingness.