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सीन : 75
"अली अमजद से मिलाया था न मैंने तुमको ?’’ ‘‘वह राइटर ?’’ ‘‘हाँ !’’ ‘‘हाँ-हाँ यार, याद आ गया। बड़ा मज़ेदार आदमी है।’’ ‘‘उसी का तो चक्कर है।’’ हरीश ने कहा, ‘‘आज ही प्रीमियर है। और वह मर गया। समझ में नहीं आता क्या करूँ ?’’ ‘‘मर कैसे गया ?’’ ‘‘पता नहीं। में अभी वहीं जा रहा हूँ।’’ आईने में उसने अपने चेहरे को उदास बनाकर देखा। उसे अपना उदास चेहरा अच्छा नहीं लगा। उसने आँखों को और उदास कर लिया ... अली अजमद मरा नहीं, कत्ल किया गया है। और उसे कत्ल किया है इस जालिम समाज, बेमुरव्वत हालात और इस बेदर्द फिल्म इंडस्ट्री ने ... उसने गरदन झटक दी। बयान का यह स्टाइल उसे अच्छा नहीं लगा। मेरा दोस्त अली अमजद एक आदमी की तरह जिया और किसी हिन्दी फिल्म की तरह बिला वज़ह खत्म हो गया। ... दाढ़ी बनाते-बनाते उसने अपना बयान तैयार कर लिया। और इसलिए जब वह अली अमजद के फ्लैट में दाखिल हुआ तो वह बिल्कुल परेशान नहीं था।
हिन्दी फिल्म उद्योग की चमचमाती दुनिया की कुछ स्याह और उदास छवियों को बेपर्दा करता उपन्यास।
हिन्दी फिल्म उद्योग की चमचमाती दुनिया की कुछ स्याह और उदास छवियों को बेपर्दा करता उपन्यास।
172 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
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105 people want to read
About the author
Rahi Masoom Raza
23 books11 followersRahi Masoom Raza (1 August 1927 – 15 March 1992), born in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, India, was an Urdu and Hindi poet and writer and a Bollywood lyricist. He won the Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for the hit film Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki in 1979, followed by Mili and Lamhe, which he won posthumously.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 16, 2018
If you're even half-interested in 1960s-70s Hindi film industry, this book is a must read for the trenchant observations it makes on India's favourite hobby! By placing his fictional characters in the real world inhabited by real people, the author just gives himself the space to criticise them and makes this a whole lot of fun.
The structure of the book - though a bit difficult to follow at times - is like a pyramid of stories, which kick off with a film writer writing scene 75 of a film, before going off about his neighbour, their friends, the friend's employers, the employer's property dealings and what not before returning to the same room where we had started.
The translation is smooth and captures the mood really well. As the translator's note indicates, a fair bit of research has also gone in to reconcile the author's missteps (in the original novel) and create an arc between Rahi Masoom Raza's real life and reel/print characters.
The structure of the book - though a bit difficult to follow at times - is like a pyramid of stories, which kick off with a film writer writing scene 75 of a film, before going off about his neighbour, their friends, the friend's employers, the employer's property dealings and what not before returning to the same room where we had started.
The translation is smooth and captures the mood really well. As the translator's note indicates, a fair bit of research has also gone in to reconcile the author's missteps (in the original novel) and create an arc between Rahi Masoom Raza's real life and reel/print characters.
April 20, 2018
Rahi Masoom Raza is best known as the screenplay & dialogue writer for Mahabharat (the 94-episode TV series that aired on Doordarshan from 1988 to 1990, and as a dialogue writer for Hindi films (Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, Mili, Lamhe among many others). However, not many know that he was also a novelist & poet, having authored acclaimed books such as Adha Gaon, Topi Shukla, and Os Ki Boond.
I only learnt of him when I heard of Poonam Saxena's translation of his lost classic - Scene: 75 - to English.
Scene: 75 tells the story of Ali Amjad who moves from Benaras to Bombay in the 1970s to work in the film industry. During his struggle, he meets various characters along the way - some entertaining, some cynical - and before you know it, Ali Amjad's story begins to weave a complicated maze where each of these people have their own story that ties into that of the others. Stories within stories.
This kaleidoscope of characters reveal the absurd and often tragic reality of the film industry's underbelly. He ties in themes that were far ahead of the time when this novel was written, as well as those that have plagued society for all of our history. There are wealthy lesbians, sleazy producers, film obsessed neighbours, and self-styled protectors of religion. He tells it all with humour that is outright ludicrous while being intensely dark.
Rahi Masoom Raza is the man who invented terms such as Matashri and Pitashri for Mahabharat and made the entire country believe that this was how elders were addressed in those times. This is the same man who wrote dialogues for films as different as Gol Maal and Lamhe.
I was personally moved by the author's Will and Testament (or Vasiyat as titled in the original) that reveals so much of the man behind his words.
And Poonam Saxena has translated this story in a way that the book brings its original essence to life, never losing its direction or flavour for even one moment. Infact, I am now wondering if I should attempt reading some of his other novels written in Hindi. I know I desperately want to.
I only learnt of him when I heard of Poonam Saxena's translation of his lost classic - Scene: 75 - to English.
Scene: 75 tells the story of Ali Amjad who moves from Benaras to Bombay in the 1970s to work in the film industry. During his struggle, he meets various characters along the way - some entertaining, some cynical - and before you know it, Ali Amjad's story begins to weave a complicated maze where each of these people have their own story that ties into that of the others. Stories within stories.
This kaleidoscope of characters reveal the absurd and often tragic reality of the film industry's underbelly. He ties in themes that were far ahead of the time when this novel was written, as well as those that have plagued society for all of our history. There are wealthy lesbians, sleazy producers, film obsessed neighbours, and self-styled protectors of religion. He tells it all with humour that is outright ludicrous while being intensely dark.
Rahi Masoom Raza is the man who invented terms such as Matashri and Pitashri for Mahabharat and made the entire country believe that this was how elders were addressed in those times. This is the same man who wrote dialogues for films as different as Gol Maal and Lamhe.
I was personally moved by the author's Will and Testament (or Vasiyat as titled in the original) that reveals so much of the man behind his words.
And Poonam Saxena has translated this story in a way that the book brings its original essence to life, never losing its direction or flavour for even one moment. Infact, I am now wondering if I should attempt reading some of his other novels written in Hindi. I know I desperately want to.
August 19, 2020
The wry humour, the dark satire, and the laugh out loud passages reminded me of Saki. If you fancy yourself as an observer from a vantage point, this is a fluid narrative that does away with traditional notions structure and plot. There is a beginning and an end...but between these two points lie a bitter take on the movie industry, hindu-muslim equation, the shenanigans of people on the move...all told thru a multitude of characters who wears self serving needs as a cloak...a reflection of us. There is poetry in the telling and there is a sense of poignancy in the story of Ali Amjad and his desire to make it in the Bombay film industry. The translation does a wonderful job of wondering how good it must have been to read the original work.
May 19, 2020
Scene 75 (Kindle Editon by Dr Rahi Masoom Raza- Introduction of the book is the author’s Will and Testament which states that “as he was born in a city situated on the banks of river Ganga, he considers himself to be a son of river Ganga. If I expire in my home town, I should be buried on its banks. If I expire away from my home town, I should be buried at a place near the river and it should be scribed on my grave that this son of Ganges is in your custody”. Second paragraph, I am son of three mothers, my mother has expired and I do not remember much about her, but Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and river Ganga are still there and I remember them.”
‘Vasiyat’ was a true mirror of the kind of man he was: an unsparing critic of fundamentalists and hypocrites of every hue, with deep roots in his hometown in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. All this found reflection in his writing, which also had a strong dose of biting humour that made you laugh out loud and wince at once.
The Book Scene: 75 itself is a darkly funny, surreal novel in which the author casts an unsparing, satirical look at the Hindi film industry of the 1970s and also writes about Hindu–Muslim relations with his customary blistering honesty. The book begins with Ali Amjad, a struggling scriptwriter from Benares, trapped in a lonely Bombay flat, and ends with him still trapped in that lonely flat. But in the middle is a teeming, intertwined, untidy throng of cynical and manipulative characters and their equally fantastic stories, narrated with a no-holds-barred candour by the author. Unscrupulous film producers and ambitious clerks rub shoulders with wealthy lesbians and bigoted middle-class social climbers. There are few lovable characters in the novel. Ali Amjad, a struggling movie script writer, the hero, wraps the readers undivided attention. He makes us laugh even as I shook my head in disbelief at their doings. The story is about strugglers in the movie industry. People change names from Muslim to Hindu, Hindu to Christian, in order to get work and survive. People try to form associations to earn money. One such association is an association of beggars where beggars are trained to earn more.
This book brings into light relationship between living in a room in Bombay. Ali Amjad is hunting for a house and can’t find one because he is a Muslim. He is asked to pretend he’s a Sindhi by a prospective landlord, but Ali Amjad refuses:
“‘I am a Muslim and I also work in films,’ Ali Amjad said. He thought it was necessary for him to say this. He was not a religious man. He didn’t believe in Allah. He didn’t do namaz. He didn’t fast during Ramzan. He was an uncompromising critic of organizations like the Muslim League and the Jamate-Islami … But he was not ashamed of the fact that he had been born into a Muslim family. And he did not want to insult himself or his country by hiding his name and identity.”
The novel ends with the death of Ali Amjay at 3.30 AM. It is a goodread book for all.
‘Vasiyat’ was a true mirror of the kind of man he was: an unsparing critic of fundamentalists and hypocrites of every hue, with deep roots in his hometown in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. All this found reflection in his writing, which also had a strong dose of biting humour that made you laugh out loud and wince at once.
The Book Scene: 75 itself is a darkly funny, surreal novel in which the author casts an unsparing, satirical look at the Hindi film industry of the 1970s and also writes about Hindu–Muslim relations with his customary blistering honesty. The book begins with Ali Amjad, a struggling scriptwriter from Benares, trapped in a lonely Bombay flat, and ends with him still trapped in that lonely flat. But in the middle is a teeming, intertwined, untidy throng of cynical and manipulative characters and their equally fantastic stories, narrated with a no-holds-barred candour by the author. Unscrupulous film producers and ambitious clerks rub shoulders with wealthy lesbians and bigoted middle-class social climbers. There are few lovable characters in the novel. Ali Amjad, a struggling movie script writer, the hero, wraps the readers undivided attention. He makes us laugh even as I shook my head in disbelief at their doings. The story is about strugglers in the movie industry. People change names from Muslim to Hindu, Hindu to Christian, in order to get work and survive. People try to form associations to earn money. One such association is an association of beggars where beggars are trained to earn more.
This book brings into light relationship between living in a room in Bombay. Ali Amjad is hunting for a house and can’t find one because he is a Muslim. He is asked to pretend he’s a Sindhi by a prospective landlord, but Ali Amjad refuses:
“‘I am a Muslim and I also work in films,’ Ali Amjad said. He thought it was necessary for him to say this. He was not a religious man. He didn’t believe in Allah. He didn’t do namaz. He didn’t fast during Ramzan. He was an uncompromising critic of organizations like the Muslim League and the Jamate-Islami … But he was not ashamed of the fact that he had been born into a Muslim family. And he did not want to insult himself or his country by hiding his name and identity.”
The novel ends with the death of Ali Amjay at 3.30 AM. It is a goodread book for all.
March 17, 2018
What I enjoyed more than the story itself was the write up on the author - his credentials, a little bit on who he was.
Like Poonam saxena has said the manuscript meandered into a maze of stories and while it was humorous in parts, it was also terribly depressing. Esp with everyone having clandestine affairs with their help. What!!!???
Can’t fathom that this is the same person who wrote Lamhe. Very different type of writing.
This is also outright ‘bold’ and if it were written in today’s time, plenty of stars would’ve sued him
Like Poonam saxena has said the manuscript meandered into a maze of stories and while it was humorous in parts, it was also terribly depressing. Esp with everyone having clandestine affairs with their help. What!!!???
Can’t fathom that this is the same person who wrote Lamhe. Very different type of writing.
This is also outright ‘bold’ and if it were written in today’s time, plenty of stars would’ve sued him
February 21, 2018
A very interesting read...very funny in parts..somehow the humorous bits appealed more to me than the sad bits....the book was definitely way ahead of its time...who else wrote about lesbian characters in those times in India...a very good translation by Poonam Saxena...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews