The following is an excerpt from Binod Chaudhary’s autobiography Making It Big, published in 2015 by Penguin India. The book traces the history of Chaudhary’s Marwari family that migrated to Nepal from Rajasthan 140 years ago, and captures the complex intersections of politics and business in the Himalayan nation.
Legendary Bollywood star Dev Anand had come to Kathmandu for the shooting of his movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna. I would go to all the locations where the film was being shot – the historic Hanumandhoka area, the famous Buddhist stupa of Swoyambhunath and the Bhaktapur Durbar Square – just to catch a glimpse of him. Hundreds of people would be there watching the shooting, and I could never make my way to the front row through the crowd. Many times, I even joined the crowd of fans waiting outside the gate of Soaltee hotel where he was staying. Many of his fans would start to cry if they even so much as caught a glimpse of his profile as his car went by.
Binod Chaudhary’s,
Making it Big,
Penguin India (2015).
One day, we heard from the Soaltee that Dev Anand would be coming to shop at Arun Emporium. Now that the person I was so desperate to catch a glimpse of was going to visit my shop, I had found something to boast about. He wanted to keep it a secret but I was telling all my friends about it, many of whom thought I was only joking.
Dev Anand turned up late in the evening. We took some photos with him. He wanted to buy the Jaguar brand of socks, which were popular then. A fresh lot had just arrived and were still in our godown, so I went there and fetched five pairs in all the available colours. He carefully examined them, sniffed them and said, ‘I’m looking for black ones.’
Damn! We did not have any black ones. However, I was not going to let my hero down.
‘Sir, we don’t have those here right now, but I’ll get them for you,’ I said.
‘Fine,’ he replied, leaving. ‘Drop them at the hotel.’
As he had not told me how many pairs he wanted, I got together more than a dozen pairs from various places, packed them in a box and headed to his hotel to deliver them. When I reached the hotel, he was out on a shoot. I had to wait for hours. When he finally returned, I stood in front of him with a wide grin, hoping he would recognize me. But he did not at all, and headed straight to his room.
I tried to follow him but the hotel’s security guards stopped me.
‘I’ve come from Arun Emporium to deliver some socks that Dev Anand sir ordered,’ I told them.
One of the security guards pointed to the reception desk. I said the same thing there and a receptionist rang Dev Anand. He asked me to come up to his room.
As I was climbing the stairs, my heart was pounding. Dev Anand had invited me to his room! He was expecting me! He would talk to me! I was in a state of ecstasy.
I pressed the doorbell, and Dev Anand himself opened the door.
‘Have you brought the socks?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’ I showed him the box.
‘Are they black?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ I replied.
‘Fine. Put the box over here,’ he said, pointing to a rack by the door.
I thought he might invite me into his suite, but he did not say anything. I was disappointed. ‘Fine then, sir, I’ll take my leave,’ I said, stepping out.
He shut the door behind me without replying.
All my hard work had been for nothing, and Dev Anand did not even pay for the socks!
…
Two years after the release of Basudev, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan came to Nepal for the shooting of his film Mahaan. Jaya came with him. This film was already attracting a lot of interest as Amitabh was playing three roles in it. Now that the film was going to be shot in Nepal, what else could film maniacs like us ask for?
I really wanted to meet Amitabh.
I told Prem, ‘You told me that you know Jaya very well. Why don’t you arrange a meeting with Amitabh?’
He called up Jaya right away.
They were busy shooting at Dhulikhel, and Jaya invited us to join them. We went.
A song sequence featuring Amitabh and Waheeda Rehman was being shot. The song was Jidhar dekhun teri tasveer nazar aati hai. Despite their hectic schedule, both Amitabh and Jaya paid a lot of attention to us. I praised their films. Amitabh inquired about my business. I had read a lot about him in film magazines, and that day I did get to find out first-hand what kind of person he was. I found him very affable and cordial, always smiling, always chatting; and he would make others smile too. I felt that was a sign of a true superstar—to treat everyone cordially without letting one’s ego get in the way.
I invited Bachchan and Jaya to dinner at our Thamel house. They accepted the invitation without hesitation. Two days later they were at dinner with Lily and me, along with Prem and Himalaya Pandey, accompanied by their wives, and a few other friends, at Thamel.
After dinner, Amitabh read from Madhushala, the very popular book of poetry written by his father Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan. He also told us his father had come to Nepal in the past to attend a literary conference; however, we could never find out the exact date or venue of the conference.
During dinner, I told him, ‘I like the number that was being played in the background during the shooting.’
‘Kishore da (legendary Indian playback singer Kishore Kumar) sang that song,’ he said playfully. ‘Which did you like more, the song or my acting?’
‘Both,’ I replied. ‘The song was great. But your acting made it even better.’
Amitabh laughed wholeheartedly.
‘You businessmen certainly know how to make a good impression on people,’ he said.
‘That was no film dialogue,’ I quipped. ‘I meant that from the bottom of my heart.’
‘Do you want to listen to that song?’
‘I’d definitely love to, if you’d like to play it for me.’
‘Then let’s go,’ Amitabh said, suddenly springing to his feet. ‘Get the car.’
Jaya tried to stop him. ‘Leave it for the time being. We’ll send a cassette.’
But Amitabh had made up his mind. He would not listen to Jaya. I too did not want him to listen to Jaya.
‘It’ll only take five minutes,’ he told her. ‘We’ll go to the hotel and come back right away.’
I got the car.
They were staying at the Everest Hotel in New Baneshwor. Amitabh asked me to wait at the reception and went upstairs. When he came down five minutes later, he was carrying a sound system with a double cassette player.
I felt a bit odd, realizing that Amitabh had taken so much trouble just because I wanted to listen to his song.
‘You are carrying an entire sound system for me.’
He patted my back. ‘Let’s get going.’
We returned to my place. He played the same song on one of the players and started to record it on the other:
Jidhar dekhun teri tasveer nazar aati hai
Teri surat, meri taqdeer nazar aati hai
Zinda hun mein tere liye, jeevan tera hai
Mera hai jo sab tera, ab kya mera hai
(Wherever I look, I see your face
I see your face, my fate, everywhere
I live for you, my life is yours
(Whatever I have is all yours, nothing is mine now)
Amitabh gave that cassette to me before he left that night. On the cover, he had written: ‘Dear Binod, Thank you for your hospitality. This is for your listening pleasure.’
The effort Amitabh took, even over a small thing like a song for someone who was just an acquaintance, made that evening unforgettable for us. I believe that this trait has been instrumental in propelling him to the pinnacle of success.
Binod Chaudhary is a Nepalese businessman and politician and philanthropist. He is the chairman and president of the Chaudhary Group.
