There is an unusual tale behind what gave birth to author/ scriptwriter Kishwar Desai’s book ‘Darling Ji’- a biography on Sunil and Nargis Dutt. Stories might have been told and re-told about Nargis’s feelings for mentor Raj Kapoor, but it was Sunil Dutt’s grave desire to bring out the reality that inspired Kishwar to pen ‘Darling Ji’.

“There have been a few biographies written about Nargis Dutt, but none of them really caught Sunil Dutt’s fancy. It was mine and my husband Lord Meghnath Desai’s desire to put together a book on her and so we met Sunil Dutt for the same. He told us that though everyone spoke of Nargis and Raj Kapoor’s relationship it was actually nothing more than infatuation.

Sunil also said that she was a star before he entered the industry and obviously actors like Ashok Kumar looked up to her. But it was nowhere as passionate as her relationship with him.” According to Kishwar it was this fact that Sunil Dutt really wanted to emphasise in the book. Unfortunately Dutt passed away when this book, that gives us an inimate look at the couple’s bond during good and bad times, was in the process of its research.

“I met many from the industry who were close to the Dutt’s and obviously also their kids Priya, Namrata and Sanjay. I had to choose from over 50 hours of tape with anecdotes from various people. What really struck me was how their relationship went through so many social collisions, but yet did not affect their belief in each other,” she expresses.

The book scans through a 100 years commencing with speaking of Sunil Dutt’s mother and ends with his death, providing us with intricate personal details like how Sunil and Nargis Dutt  called each other Darling Ji amongst other nick names.

“Their kids shared their diaries with us and we simultaneously decided to bring out my book and ‘Mrs and Mrs Dutt’ which is a pictorial journey,” adds Kishwar.

Moreover, Darling Ji which she was to co-write with husband Meghnath Desai, eventually became her solo produce due to Meghnath’s prior commitments. And how does she draw parallels between her book and Meghnath Desai’s biography on Dilip Kumar? “I have taken excerpts from his book on Dilip saab. The book is a modern day love story and I hope everyone can relate to it,” she ends.