Latest news with #Anglo-Indians
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rajesh Khanna turned into an overnight superstar after living in this Mumbai building
Rajendra Kumar's Purchase and Rise to Fame Rajesh Khanna's Ownership and Legacy During the 1960s, the area around Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai, was far from the vibrant neighborhood it is today. It was mainly home to Parsis and Anglo-Indians, with a line of modest sea-facing houses. Among these was a bungalow in poor condition. According to journalist Ali Peter John, the house was so rundown that no one was willing to buy it, even at very low prices. This neglected bungalow eventually caught the attention of actor Rajendra Kumar, who was just beginning his journey in Hindi to own a bungalow with a sea view, Rajendra Kumar was determined to buy the property despite lacking sufficient funds. As described in Seema Sonik Alimchand's biography Jubilee Kumar: The Life and Times of a Superstar, the bungalow was priced at Rs 65,000, but Rajendra Kumar could only manage Rs 10,000 upfront. He immediately wrote a cheque for Rs 10,000 to secure the deal but still needed Rs 55,000 to complete the raise the remaining amount, Rajendra Kumar turned to filmmaker B.R. Chopra, who had offered him roles in two films, Dhool Ka Phool and Kanoon. He requested an advance payment before committing to the projects. During negotiations, Rajendra Kumar asked for Rs 2 lakhs for both films, while the producers initially offered Rs 1.5 lakhs. After some discussion, B.R. Chopra agreed to pay Rs 1.75 lakhs, with Rs 50,000 given immediately. Rajendra Kumar used this advance to pay the full Rs 65,000 for the Kumar then renovated the bungalow and named it 'Dimple' after his newborn daughter. His career flourished, earning him the nickname 'Jubilee Kumar' due to the success of his Rajendra Kumar decided to sell the Carter Road bungalow. An emerging actor at the time, Rajesh Khanna, heard about the sale and bought the property hoping it would bring him good luck. Rajesh Khanna later became the first superstar of Indian cinema, marking an era of tremendous Khanna's career declined after Amitabh Bachchan entered the industry. Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012 and the bungalow was sold for reportedly Rs 90 crore. There was also a legal dispute that arose after the death of Rajesh Khanna, specifically involving his alleged live-in partner, Anita Advani, and his family, including his wife Dimple Kapadia and son-in-law Akshay Kumar. The core issue was Advani's claim to a share in Rajesh Khanna's estate, including his palatial bungalow, and her allegations of being evicted from the property and facing domestic a high-rise stands in place of the iconic bungalow, marking the end of an era for the historic property that once witnessed the rise of two Bollywood legends.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How Rajesh Khanna's Carter Road bungalow became the heart of Bollywood's golden era
Rajendra Kumar's Purchase and Rise to Fame Rajesh Khanna's Ownership and Legacy During the 1960s, the area around Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai, was far from the vibrant neighborhood it is today. It was mainly home to Parsis and Anglo-Indians, with a line of modest sea-facing houses. Among these was a bungalow in poor condition. According to journalist Ali Peter John, the house was so rundown that no one was willing to buy it, even at very low prices. This neglected bungalow eventually caught the attention of actor Rajendra Kumar, who was just beginning his journey in Hindi to own a bungalow with a sea view, Rajendra Kumar was determined to buy the property despite lacking sufficient funds. As described in Seema Sonik Alimchand's biography Jubilee Kumar: The Life and Times of a Superstar, the bungalow was priced at Rs 65,000, but Rajendra Kumar could only manage Rs 10,000 upfront. He immediately wrote a cheque for Rs 10,000 to secure the deal but still needed Rs 55,000 to complete the raise the remaining amount, Rajendra Kumar turned to filmmaker B.R. Chopra, who had offered him roles in two films, Dhool Ka Phool and Kanoon. He requested an advance payment before committing to the projects. During negotiations, Rajendra Kumar asked for Rs 2 lakhs for both films, while the producers initially offered Rs 1.5 lakhs. After some discussion, B.R. Chopra agreed to pay Rs 1.75 lakhs, with Rs 50,000 given immediately. Rajendra Kumar used this advance to pay the full Rs 65,000 for the Kumar then renovated the bungalow and named it 'Dimple' after his newborn daughter. His career flourished, earning him the nickname 'Jubilee Kumar' due to the success of his Rajendra Kumar decided to sell the Carter Road bungalow. An emerging actor at the time, Rajesh Khanna, heard about the sale and bought the property hoping it would bring him good luck. Rajesh Khanna later became the first superstar of Indian cinema, marking an era of tremendous Khanna's career declined after Amitabh Bachchan entered the industry. Rajesh Khanna passed away in 2012 and the bungalow was sold for reportedly Rs 90 crore. There was also a legal dispute that arose after the death of Rajesh Khanna, specifically involving his alleged live-in partner, Anita Advani, and his family, including his wife Dimple Kapadia and son-in-law Akshay Kumar. The core issue was Advani's claim to a share in Rajesh Khanna's estate, including his palatial bungalow, and her allegations of being evicted from the property and facing domestic a high-rise stands in place of the iconic bungalow, marking the end of an era for the historic property that once witnessed the rise of two Bollywood legends.
Scroll.in
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scroll.in
‘I am still writing for the lonely soul': At 91, Ruskin Bond looks back at his literary life
A plentitude of pickles Anglo-Indians grew up on chutneys. 'Sugar and spice and everything nice' – and it was only when I was in my teens that I discovered the pleasure of those 'pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked'! Mango pickles are probably the most popular to set the tongue on fire, closely followed by lime or lemon, sharp and sour. But I have a weakness for the Punjabi shalgam-gajar achaar (turnip-and-carrot pickle), preferably home-made. It was first introduced to me by my Punjabi landlady some seventy years ago, and I am always on the lookout for it when turnips are in season. Another home-made pickle that I enjoy is jackfruit. Jackfruit is an all-purpose vegetable that can be served up as a curry, pickle or even jam! There is an array of pickle jars on my dining table, including lotus stem, green chillies, garlic, ginger and haldi. Yes, haldi makes a great pickle. Spread a little on your breakfast toast or paratha, but don't overdo it. The other day, a doctor friend dropped in to see me, took one horrified look at my collection of pickles, and exclaimed, 'But all that salt, Mr Bond! It can't be good for your blood pressure!' 'Just a peck of pickle at breakfast,' I said. 'They say garlic is good for the blood pressure.' 'And so it is. But all that salt!' He insisted on taking my blood pressure. It was a bit on the higher side. 'More leafy vegetables,' he advised, 'And don't pickle them!' But cabbage leaves make a great pickle. They call it kimchi in Korea! Laugh and be fat! 'Laugh and be fat, sir!' This remark was attributed to Ben Jonson, the Elizabethan playwright – not to be confused with Dr Samuel Johnson, the chap who wrote the first-ever dictionary. Both were men of ample girth (we are told), but Ben was fun, and the good doctor was inclined to be grumpy. Classical literature has its quota of portly men, most of them good-natured souls who have found a place in our affections. Mr Pickwick, the Cheeryble brother (in Nicholas Nickleby), a host of Dickensian characters, comic or choleric, and, of course, Shakespeare's Falstaff, stealing the show in Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor. English literature is full of loveable buffoons, strangely absent from American literature; those early pioneers and gunslingers were usually dead before they could put on weight. The Americans did better in films. My favourite actor was Oliver Hardy (partner of Stan Laurel) who took all the hard knocks in their comedy films. And there was no finer villain than the suave Sydney Greenstreet, the fat man in Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon and other classics. The novelist Rex Stout created a detective called Nero Wolfe, who grew orchards, drank gallons of beer and never left his apartment. He had a fabulous cook. All this must have been wishful thinking on the part of Mr Stout who, in spite of his name, had a trim figure, or so we are told. Why this special interest in fat men? Well, I'm a little on the stout side myself, and while I can still climb the steps to my rooms (no easy task for anyone), I can no longer climb mountains or even the Qutub Minar. But then, I'm in my ninetieth year, and I see no point in fasting or jogging around Camel's Back Road (in Landour) in order to lose a few kilos. So, am I on the side of Ben Jonson or Dr Johnson? I have my grumpy days, but, by and large, I'm still a cheerful soul. 'Laugh and be fat, sir!' The loneliness of the writer As a writer, you tread a lonely path. There is no one to hold your hand. That pen is yours and yours alone, and only you should decide what to do with it. Basically, we write for ourselves. An author is his own best audience. After all, his little masterpiece may not find more than a handful of readers, so he must be content with the satisfaction that he derives from his creative effort. My first book of poems sold twenty copies. I gave away a few copies, hoping for some kind reader's approval. When I asked one of them if he liked the book, he said, 'Terrific! The illustrations were great!' When you set out to be a writer, you must be ready for heartbreak. There will be many disappointments. Not every editor or publisher will fall for your literary style, the appeal of your characters (if you are a fiction writer) or your great thoughts, if you aspire to be a great thinker. There are all sorts of writers. Some are thinking writers, some are instinctive writers and some are lyrical writers. They work alone, sometimes in lonely places. It's only the formula writers who are immune to the anguish of failure. These are those writers who churn out a thriller a month while also being part of the party circuit and a member of the local yacht club. But they aspire to fortune, if not fame. The great works of literature were often created in adverse circumstances: Wuthering Heights, while Emily Brontë struggled with tuberculosis; the poet John Keats, dying in his twenties from the same disease; Stevenson writing such diverse works as Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Suicide Club and A Child's Garden of Verses (among others) before dying on his island in the South Seas in his forties. Great works often emerged from great suffering: Dostoevsky in prison; Victor Hugo in prison and then in exile; Jonathan Swift in the stocks; Virginia Woolf struggling with depression; Ezra Pound combating madness. But the greatest anguish, the desert of loneliness, comes to those who have achieved much and then lost it: Scott Fitzgerald's falling from favour and his descent into alcoholism. Hemingway's despair and suicide. Wilde's persecution and exile. Some writers fall from grace. Others are forgotten. Better not to be read at all than to be forgotten! The literary life can be cruel. So, we must write for ourselves, and then we won't be disappointed. Here I am, sitting at the dining table, putting down these thoughts, while several unrelated activities go on around me. They have nothing to do with what I am writing. Siddharth is shouting at Gautam. Gautam is shouting at Shrishti. Shrishti is on the phone, shouting at someone. Two little girls walk in through the open front door. It's someone's birthday, and they have brought sweets. The flow of my writing has been interrupted, so I help myself to a ladoo. This is not a lonely scene, and mine is not a lonely life. But sometimes, when evening falls, and no one is in the house, I remember times when I was alone and lonely and writing just for some other lonely soul, someone I would never see or know. And I am still writing for that lonely soul.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Did you know Rajesh Khanna once bought an alleged haunted house hoping to inherit Rajendra Kumar's luck?
Did you know that 's iconic sea-facing home Aashirwad was once considered haunted? Long before it became a symbol of superstardom, the bungalow was a crumbling, unwanted property—until two legendary actors turned it into a piece of Bollywood history. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Haunted House No One Wanted Back in the 1960s, Carter Road in Bandra wasn't the celebrity hotspot it is today—it was a quiet neighborhood, mostly home to Parsis and Anglo-Indians. Tucked along this sleepy stretch was a dilapidated old bungalow with a spooky reputation. Locals believed it was haunted, and no one dared buy it, even at a throwaway price. But rising star saw beyond the ghost stories. Eager to own a home by the sea, and undeterred by its eerie past, he took a leap of faith—despite being strapped for cash. Rajendra Kumar's Risk Pays Off As recounted in Seema Sonik Alimchand 's book Jubilee Kumar, the haunted bungalow was priced at Rs 65,000, but Rajendra Kumar had only Rs 10,000 at the time. Eager not to miss the opportunity, he immediately issued a cheque for the amount and handed it to the broker, even though he didn't have the remaining Rs 55,000. To raise the balance, he approached filmmaker BR Chopra, who had recently offered him two films—Dhool Ka Phool and Kanoon. Although Kumar had agreed to both roles, the payment terms were still being discussed, and he now hoped to finalize them to secure the funds. Rajendra Kumar set his sights on a house priced at Rs 65,000 but had only Rs 10,000 in hand. To arrange the remaining amount, he turned to filmmaker BR Chopra, who had recently offered him two film roles. Hoping to get an advance, Rajendra asked for Rs 2 lakh, but Chopra agreed to Rs 1.75 lakh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the money secured, Rajendra went on to purchase the house. Rumours swirled that the house was haunted, but the broker assured Rajendra Kumar it was just a tale spread by a former tenant who hadn't paid rent. Unfazed, Rajendra renovated the bungalow and named it Dimple after his daughter. As his career soared, earning him the nickname 'Jubilee Kumar' for his string of hits, the house became a symbol of his success. Years later, Rajesh Khanna bought the same house, hoping it would bring him the same good fortune. Rajesh Khanna's Aashirwad Era Rajesh Khanna purchased the bungalow for Rs 3.5 lakh but was advised to change its name from Dimple to Aashirwad. According to Seema Sonik Alimchand's book Jubilee Kumar, Rajendra Kumar gently requested the change, explaining that the bungalow had been named after his daughter and that their new home also carried the same name. He warmly added his blessings, wishing Rajesh immense luck and prosperity in his new home. Seema Sonik Alimchand's book recounts Rajendra Kumar's reflections on the iconic bungalow, but it was Rajesh Khanna who truly turned Aashirwad into a symbol of stardom. After moving in, he rose to become Hindi cinema's first superstar, with crowds of fans regularly gathering outside his home. As Gautam Chintamani notes in Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, the move to Aashirwad cemented Rajesh's superstar status. Following his death in 2012, the legendary sea-facing bungalow was sold to a businessman for a staggering Rs 90 crore.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Once said to be haunted, this 'cursed' Mumbai building made Rajesh Khanna into an overnight superstar, was sold for Rs 90 cr
What was once deemed to be one of the most haunted houses of Mumbai became a good luck charm for India's first superstar, Rajesh Khanna . In the 1960s, the scenic Carter Road in Bandra bore little resemblance to its glamorous present-day avatar. It was a sleepy, serene neighborhood populated mainly by Anglo-Indians and Parsis. Nestled among its coastal homes stood a battered, decaying bungalow that no one wanted—rumored to be haunted and untouched even by the desperate. A Ghost Story and a Dreamer's Eye Journalist Ali Peter John remembers the property as an abandoned structure—its crumbling walls scaring off potential buyers, despite being sold at a price almost too good to be true. It was this very home that caught the attention of a young and hopeful Rajendra Kumar, who had just started making a name for himself in Bollywood. Though his bank balance didn't support such a purchase, he was enchanted by the idea of owning a sea-facing home. According to Seema Sonik Alimchand's biography 'Jubilee Kumar: The Life and Times of a Superstar' the property was up for grabs for Rs 65,000—a modest price even for the time. Rajendra, however, had only Rs 10,000 on hand. Eager not to lose the opportunity, he immediately wrote out a cheque for that amount and handed it over to the broker. Now short by Rs 55,000, he turned to someone he trusted—filmmaker B.R. Chopra. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here Undo A Bold Ask and a Generous Reply Rajendra had recently been cast in two Chopra productions, Dhool Ka Phool and Kanoon, though negotiations for his fee had yet to be finalized. He approached Chopra with honesty and urgency, explaining that he needed an advance to complete the home purchase. In the book, he recalls: 'Shastri, the Chopra production manager, had offered me Rs 1.5 lakh for both films. I was asking Rs 2 lakhs, which was in line with what others were paying me.' Chopra, known for his generosity, settled on a compromise. 'He agreed to pay me Rs 1.75 lakh in total, provided Rs 50,000 was given to me upfront,' Rajendra remembered. The filmmaker handed over the money on the spot, allowing the actor to pay the remaining Rs 55,000 and claim his dream home. Tales of Spirits and Superstition Despite the rumors surrounding the bungalow, Rajendra wasn't one to believe everything he heard. The broker casually dismissed the ghost stories, suggesting they were a tactic by the current tenant to delay eviction. 'The man hasn't paid rent in months. He's spreading stories to scare away potential buyers,' the broker remarked. Still, Rajendra sought advice from his friend, actor Manoj Kumar. Manoj advised him not to let superstition dictate his decisions and suggested a housewarming puja, just to be safe. Rajendra restored the bungalow and named it 'Dimple' after his newborn daughter. His career soon skyrocketed, earning him the nickname 'Jubilee Kumar' for his string of box-office hits. A Home of Destiny Passes On As fate would have it, a young aspiring actor named Rajesh Khanna was also dreaming of stardom around the same time. Hearing that Rajendra Kumar wanted to sell the Carter Road house, Rajesh decided to buy it, hoping the good fortune associated with the home would follow him too. He purchased the bungalow for Rs 3.5 lakh, but Rajendra had one condition—he could not keep the name 'Dimple'. 'That name belongs to my daughter. We've named our new bungalow after her too. But you have my blessings,' Rajendra told him. Rajesh renamed the home 'Aashirwad'—a blessing that lived up to its name. A Legacy Carved in Stone and Stardom Rajesh Khanna's life transformed after moving into Aashirwad. He became India's first true film superstar, drawing hordes of fans outside his sea-facing sanctuary. As Gautam Chintamani wrote in Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna, 'Once he moved into Aashirwad, the illusion of royalty was complete.' Following his passing in 2012, the house was sold for Rs 90 crore to businessman Shashi Kiran Shetty. Today, a towering structure stands where the haunted bungalow once did—its spectral past buried beneath the legacy of two legends.
