One of the most loved poets of Hindi cinema, Gulzar needs no introduction as the man himself is an institution of talent. Regarded as one of the greatest Urdu poets of this era, he started his career as a lyricist in 1963 with the film, Bandini. Recipient of five National Film Awards, Gulzar has also written dialogues and scripts for many popular films.
Apart from his professional life, his personal life has always garnered a lot of attention. It was a surreal emotion for the multi-talented poet when he laid his eyes on the gorgeous Bengali beauty, Raakhee Majumdar. She is one of the finest actresses of her time, and in her four-decade-long career, Rakhee has worked in more than 100 films.
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After falling head-over-heels in love with one another, Rakhee and Gulzar tied the nuptial knot on May 15, 1973. Despite all the love, one incident broke them apart and the couple parted their ways. Let us read to know what exactly went wrong between Rakhee and Gulzar.
During the shooting of Aandhi in 1975 in Kashmir, the entire team, including the lead actors, Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen, was partying at night. When Suchitra moved towards her room, a drunk Sanjeev allegedly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. The situation was getting out of hand, and at that moment, Gulzar stepped in and thought of saving Suchitra from Sanjeev's clutches.
When Gulzar managed to free Suchitra, she stormed into her room, and Gulzar followed her. As Gulzar went to her room, he and Suchitra had a conversation for two hours with the door closed. When the ace filmmaker came out of the room, a furious Rakhee was waiting for him with confrontations.
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Like any wife, Rakhee became suspicious of Gulzar and Suchitra and started questioning her husband. They had a heated argument. Gulzar lost his patience, and in a fit of anger, he slapped his wife, Rakhee.
When Gulzar and Rakhee got married, the filmmaker told his wife about his old-school orthodox mindset. He clearly asked Rakhee to quit acting as he felt it was not appropriate for a married woman to work in films. There was a line of filmmakers, producers and directors who were willing to sign Raakhee for their respective ventures, but Gulzar never agreed.
After the slap incident, Rakhee decided to return to films and revive her career. It was during that time that prominent filmmaker, Yash Chopra came to Kashmir to sign her for his next project, Kabhie Kabhie. As he was about to seek permission from Gulzar to cast Raakhee as the heroine, she intervened and shared her keenness to work despite Gulzar’s protests.
When Rakhee decided to act in films despite Gulzar’s wish, it marked the beginning of their separation. Since the couple’s separation would have impacted their daughter, Meghana, Gulzar and Rakhee never got divorced. They don’t live together, but their love and respect for each other are still the same.
In a throwback interview with Stardust, Rakhee revealed that Gulzar still treats her as if she was his wife. Talking about her equation with her estranged husband, Gulzar, Rakhee said:
“We deserve an award for the best-split couple. We are more well-adjusted than most married couples. Gulzar and I are there for each other. He treats me as if I were still his wife. He calls me from his house and tells me, 'I've called four friends for dinner. There's no food at home. So please, quickly send some jhinga curry.' I send it across. His other favourite is kheer, and he loves me to make it for him."
In the world of mudslinging and the blame game, Gulzar and Rakhee stand as an inspiration. The couple has maintained the dignity of their relationship despite parting ways.
Also Read: When Rakhee Gulzar Revealed She Preferred Isolation Even After Having 19 Members In Her Family
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