On February 6, 1976, a film named Kalicharan was released. And life for many was never the same again.
Inspired by Phalke laureate L.V. Prasad’s style of cinematic storytelling, Subhash Ghai, a still-struggling actor for several years, who had taken to writing films with his friend, comedian Bhalla as Ghai-Bhalla, conceived a story of an upright and incorruptible police officer with two kids, his boss and mentor, and an untamed criminal who was his doppelganger.
Ghai, as per his biography, ‘Karma’s Child—Subhash Ghai’, had narrated the story to producer N.N. Sippy in a dramatic way, impressing him. But when he mooted the idea of directing it, Sippy said that Ghai simply had no experience or expertise. But soon, Ghai was called to narrate the story again to Sippy and his partners, who loved it. And when there was a party a few days later, Sippy, in the presence of the cream of the industry, introduced Ghai as the actor who also writes, and whom, as a producer again after Ashok Roy in his last super-hit, Chor Machaye Shor, he was introducing as another new director.
“It was my big break, and I was not going to squander it!” said Ghai, who was paid only Rs. 25,000 to direct it when he could have done it willingly for free!
He then requested Sippy to get him screenplay and dialogue writers, though Sippy had been impressed by his narration. Ram Kelkar (later to have a long association with Ghai through films like Vishwanath, Hero, Ram Lakhan and Khal-Nayak) and ‘Madhuri’ magazine journalist-turned-dialogues writer, Jainendra Jain, came in for the dialogues.
Art film cinematographer K.K. Mahajan happily came on board as DOP and for the rest, there were N.N. Sippy’s team of editors Waman Bhosle-Guru Dutt (who continued their association with Ghai till he turned editor with Pardes in 1997) and art director S.S. Samel.
Sippy launched Kalicharan and another film, Fakira, simultaneously and both films had lyrics by Ravindra Jain and Rajkavi Inderjit Singh ‘Tulsi’, both of whom had written the songs of Chor Machaye Shor with Jain scoring music. Fakira also had music by Jain, while Kalyanji-Anandji scored Kalicharan, marking Jain’s first film as lyricist with another composer.
Said Sippy’s son, producer Pravesh Sippy, “As a kid of just 10 or 11, I would accompany my father to watch the rushes of both films and always openly expressed my opinion that Kalicharan was far better than the other! Ironically, both films were released in 1976 but Fakira was the bigger hit!”
Nevertheless, over the years, it was Kalicharan that attained cult status like Sippy’s Woh Kaun Thi?, Gumnaam, Chor Machaye Shor and Sargam!
The film’s credit titles read “Shatrughan Sinha, Premnath, Reena Roy and Ajit in Kalicharan” signaling Premnath’s high status as a character artiste following his comebacks in Johny Mera Naam, Bobby and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. Reena Roy was not very successful then, but attained stardom only with Nagin, released just a few weeks before Kalicharan. Ghai had signed her because he knew her well as his heroine in the B-grader Gumrah.
But Premnath came in only because Ghai’s first choice, Ashok Kumar, could not do the film as a lot of the shooting was to be in Shimla, and the actor had an asthma problem. Shatrughan Sinha had himself not liked the story when Ghai had first narrated it to him before going to Sippy. Sippy wanted Rajesh Khanna but Ghai prevailed upon him to choose Sinha: interestingly, Sanjeev Kumar had loved the story earlier and had wanted to produce it as well!
Ajit came in as the villain who was called ‘Lion’. He pronounced the word as ‘Loin’ in the line, “Sara shehar mujhe loin ke naam se jaanta hai” and till today that word has become synonymous with ‘Ajit’ jokes based on the actor’s distinctive persona and tenor.
The film marked (along with Do Thug, released a few weeks earlier) Shatrughan Sinha’s transition to a big-time hero after indifferent success as a leading man when he shifted from villainy: Kundan, Gaai Aur Gori and Badla had been his only solo successes. Do Thug, interestingly, also had him in a dual role!
The Shatru-Reena team, which had done the flop Milap in 1973, became a sought-after team and did multiple films later, including Reena’s home production, Muqabla, as well as Ghai’s next film, Vishwanath, which was Shatrughan’s home production. In 1976 itself, they co-starred in the successful Sangram.
Kalyanji-Anandji’s music was a hit as well. ‘Ek batta do’ sung by K-A protégé, Kanchan, and Anuradha Paudwal, was the latter future topper singer’s debut song and was filmed on the two kids of the late cop played by Shatrughan. Premnath and Helen sizzled in the dance ‘Yeh pal chanchal’, the only song Kishore Kumar ever sang for the actor. ‘Jaa re jaa o harjai’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar was a huge hit and Anandji even said that Ghai’s Khal-Nayak chartbuster, ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai’ was based on their song’s ‘metre’.
Remade in Tamil (Sangili), Telugu (Kaidi Kalidasu), Kannada (Kaalinga) and Malayalam (Pathamudayam), the film remains alive today as a movie that was to have a reboot by Ghai himself. It’s another matter that three films of that name have since been made, two of them down South, and one being a B-grader starring Shatrughan’s real-life best friend, Dharmendra, during his lean days.
Interestingly, “Kaalicharran” (a devotee of goddess Kali’s feet) was the name of a famous cricketer, Alvin Isaac Kallicharran from Guyana, who played test cricket for the West Indies and was of Tamil origin.
More Pages: Kalicharan Box Office Collection
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