Navin Nischol: Bollywood isn't calling any more
Courtesy:IndiaFM
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
 He was supposed to be the fiery Vijay pitted against Shashi Kapoor's Ravi in Yash Chopra's mega hit Deewar. Amitabh Bachchan stepped in and rest was tragedy in the life of actor Navin Nischol who never really recovered from that setback. Star of such well-run movies like Saawan Bhadon, Budha Mil Gaya and Victoria No. 203 in the early seventies, Nischol was recently arrested along with his influential younger brother Pravin Nischol (CEO, Entertainment One) for allegedly abetting the suicide of Navin's second wife Geetanjali.
Navin was earlier married to Dev Anand's niece Neelima from whom he has two daughters. They had parted ways in 1976 and Neelima continues to stay in the same flat her ex husband had gifted. Gradually Navin Nischol accepted his fate as a character artiste and till date has acted in almost eighty films. Notable amongst them being Aastha (starring Rekha) and Nagesh Kukoonoor's Bollywood Calling where he competently essayed the role of an ageing superstar who is unable to cope with his depleted status as a star and the receding hairline that he has no control on. He was last seen in the musical Aashiq Banaya Aapne. His stint with television shall be remembered for Jaya Bachchan's laugh-riot Dekh Bhai Dekh where he played the elder brother of Shekhar Suman.
Number of Bollywood personalities like Ramesh Sippy, Manmohan Shetty, Anju Mahendroo and others gathered at the Mahim Police Station to show solidarity with the two brothers. It was apparent that the concern for the much-better-placed Pravin was higher while Navin in a true filmy way is already a lost story. The Film Industry doesn't pay heed to Dada Saheb Phalke's family. Nor did they have anything to do with the lonely Suraiya or Nadira in their last days. Then who's Navin Nischol anyways. But, the merchants of emotions ought to show more sensitivity. We spoke to director Sudhir Mishra who weighed his comments carefully before making a politically correct statement:
"It's a sensitive matter. Someone is dead. It's a tragedy. In the case of Navin and Pravin, they are caught because of the general nature of circumstances. If two people share a disturbed relationship, then it's sad. We vouch for two individuals who are decent people and not criminals. Pravin had not met the lady for six years. Don't hang a man till he is pronounced guilty. Please continue your investigation, but give them bail and judge them fairly."
It's time Bollywood rose from the slumber of disunity and grouped together to form some sort of association that looked into the matters where one of their ilk is put in the dock just to prove-a-point. In an industry that is rife with jealousies and one-upmanship, it might be a bit too much to ask for. But an authorized Union is the need of the hour, for one never knows who the next victim might be! As for Navin Nischol, once out of jail, hope he gets more work so that he can continue his life with a semblance of dignity rather than drowning in the slumber of alcoholism.
Send in your views on this feature
Recent Stories
Banaras, continues to get rave reviews
Heroines are vulnerable to exploitation: Preety
Archives
| 
![[]](../images/trans.gif){kind=spacer}
