ALL FOR WORDS

SAGAR SARHADI DID AN INTERVIEW WITH FILMFARE A FEW DAYS BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY. DEVESH SHARMA CHRONICLES THE WRITER/DIRECTOR’S LAST WORDS…(May 11, 1933 -- March 22, 2021)

- SAGAR SARHADI

Writer/filmmaker Sagar Sarhadi was born in Baffa, Pakistan on May 11, 1933. Like millions of others, he became a refugee after Partition. Destiny brought him to Mumbai, where he lived in a small room with his elder brother’s family. He was of Marxist leanings and was interested in becoming an Urdu writer and poet. The need for financial security gravitated him towards films. After initial struggles, he became associated with Yash Chopra and the rest, as they say, is history. He became known for his dialogue and screenplays in Yash Chopra’s love sagas like Kabhi Kabhie (1976), Silsila (1981), Faasle (1985) and Chandni (1989), among others. He even wrote the dialogue for Basu Bhattacharya’s Anubhav (with Kapil Kumar, 1972), Raj Kanwar’s Deewana (1992) and Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) but would forever be known for his association with Yash Chopra.

He turned director with Bazaar (1982). Starring Farooq Shaikh, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah and Supriya Pathak, the film was reportedly based on a true story about Muslim girls in Hyderabad, who were being forced to marry rich expatriates for money. The film had some soul-stirring music by Khayaam, with songs like Dikhayee diye yun, Karoge yaad to and Dekh lo aaj humko jee bharke being popular even now. It was considered one of the hallmarks of the neo-realistic cinema in India and despite its art film tag, was a commercial success as well. Unfortunately, despite the film’s success, Sarhadi wasn’t able to carve a career as a filmmaker. He had set his heart on making the sequel to Bazaar but couldn’t see his dream come true.