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OpiniOn
dilemmas
HumrA
QurAISHI
The Delhi-based writer
and columnist’s books
include Kashmir: The
Untold Story. She co-
authored a series of
writings with the late
Khushwant Singh and
her short stories are
part of anthologies.
The views expressed
are her own
Where are those leaders
who cared for masses?
In good old days, even film stars in the political fray were not just
accepted but respected because they were earnest and genuinely
wanted to reach out to the people. Sunil Dutt was one of them
s I see today’s politicians children and grandchildren, with the
running from here to three generation of the Gandhi fam-
there, screaming and ily, with Mother Teresa, with President
shouting the typical, that Reagan, with Jimmy Carter, with jawans
vital connect factor seems at the border areas. Then, there were
A amiss. Yes, gone are those photographs of Nargis receiving various
days when every single word or sentence awards and also a photograph of Rekha
uttered by the politician was grasped by at the Dutt’s Mumbai home.
the masses, without doubts or queries And if you readers are wondering how
or counter queries. And yes, even film on earth I found ample time to sit and
stars in the political fray were not just count those photograph and to go into
accepted but respected, because they such detailing, I have to offload this —
were earnest and actually and genuinely though the appointment for the inter-
wanted to reach out to the people of this view was fixed for 11.30am but Dutt sahib
country. hadn’t returned from Parliament, and
In fact, one such actor-politician was with that I had little choice but to wait.
Sunil Dutt. A man with such a personality In between that long wait, his P.A., one
and vision. And as his ninetieth birthday Mr Sharma, continued conversing, in
nears — he was born on 6 June 1929, in between quipping: “Dutt sahib has given
Dina, in the Undivided Punjab (now in us strict instructions that we, the staff,
Pakistan) — I’m more than reminded have to be very kind to cancer patients,
of him. I had met Sunil Dutt more than drug addicts and to journalists!”
once. As far as I can recollect on four dif- And after an hour Dutt sahib did
ferent occasions. All here, in New Delhi. arrive and did detail reasons for the delay
And much after he had joined active “Parliament mein tha…” Then half-way
politics. through the interview, Raj Babbar had
My very first meeting with him was in dropped in. And he didn’t sit all quiet but
the 90s. In fact, let me write details to it, tried becoming a part and parcel of the
together with the detailed interview with interview …till, of course, ample hints
him. Nah, it wasn’t easy to get an appoint- were relayed by Dutt sahib, that he was
ment. Had continued calling his office. more than intruding in that interview
Each time I was told that through the and with that he took leave.
week he’d be preoccupied with work and And with that I could complete the
on weekends he travels to Mumbai. interview with Dutt sahib, where he
Finally, when the appointment came commented on the various aspects
through, I’d reached his official bungalow confronting him. My very first query was:
on New Delhi’s Safdarjung Lane. The Have you recovered from the trauma of
drawing room, where I was made to sit, your son Sanjay getting arrested and im-
was equipped with just the bare basics. prisoned for 19 days under TADA? Why
Nothing very much in that room except do you think TADA charges were slapped
a wall full of photographs — 33 framed against Sanjay, though your lawyers said
photographs. it was an arms offence case?
Sunil Dutt with Nargis and with their And I still recall he’d looked straight
Tehelka / 31 may 2019 29 www.Tehelka.com