by: Roshmila Bhattacharya

Shobha was only 14-years-old when Ravi Kapoor came into her life following a chance meeting on Marine Drive. Cupid didn't strike immediately but by the time Shobha was 16 she and Ravi were going steady. Shobha was still in school when Ravi or Jeetendra as he had been rechristened by his mentor, V Shantaram, became a star following the super success of desi Bond thriller, Farz.

Stardom brought with it name, fame and lots of beautiful dames. Everytime Shobha who had quit college to fly high with British Airways, returned from one of her flights abroad, she would invariably get to hear about Jeetu's latest conquest and suspicious and insecure, it wasn't long before she would be raging and ranting at him. Jeetu on his part was wonderfully patient and solicitous, always sending a car to the airport to pick Shobha up and whisk her off to his shoot. He would even drive down all the way to town so he could spend some time with Shobha in the car. They never went on long drives, her parents wouldn't allow that. But once she became an air-hostess Shobha would insist that they let her sit with Jeetu in his car parked just below their apartment or join her brother, Ramesh (who happened to be Jeetu's best buddy) and his girlfriend and her sister and her date to make a happy half-a-dozen. Despite having to date in groups Jeetu and Shobha were happy till the next anonymous call came along and teased Shobha's suspicions all over agin. Then it was time for another raging battle which soon became so furious and frequent that Jeetu's parents tried to dissuade him from making a match with his steady girl.

Fortunately for Shobha despite their regular fights, Jeetu had determined that he was going to make a life with her, with or without his parent's consent. In 1973 they even set a date for the marriage, April 13. Unfortunately, the jinx of the number 13 caught up with them. Two days before the wedding Jeetu's father was taken ill and had to be operated upon. And then, for a year and a half, there was no marriage.

Sitting at home, twiddling her thumbs since she had resigned from her job in anticipation of becoming Mrs Jeetendra, Shobha grew more and more unhappy. Jeetendra wasn't a happy man either. His Farz may have hit bull's eye but in his enthusiasm to do only the best of the rest, Jeetu suddenly found himself with hardly any films on hand. The six-films-per-star ceiling laid down by the industry didn't help matters. The man with the white dancing shoes didn't have much to sing and dance about when Bidaai came his way.

Interestingly, the film had first been offered to Jeetendra's buddy, Rajesh Khanna. Ravi had known Rajesh or Jatin as he was called before he became a star, since he was a child. They had lived close to each other and Jatin had been Ravi's earliest guru, preparing him for his first screen test. Jatin who was a superstar after Aradhana, demanded Rs 11 lakh for signing on the dotted line. It was too much money for LV Prasad. Jatin then offered to do the film for a rupee but that was also unacceptable to LV Prasad who approached Jeetendra on the rebound. A desperate Jeetendra told him he would do the film... on any terms.

Bidaai was a do-or-die film for Jeetendra. And for Shobha too. He had promised her that they would tie the knot immediately if Bidaai was a hit.

The film hit the theatres on October 18, 1974. On October 31 Jeetendra informed his parents that he was marrying Shobha that evening. His parents pleaded with him to wait a week so they could plan a lavish shaadi. Jeetendra refused. The marriage would take place that day even though his mother-in-law-to-be was away in Japan. After waiting for over a decade for her man Shobha didn't argue. That evening at Janki Kutir in the presence of their immediate family and friends, Gulzar and Sanjeev Kumar, Shobha and Jeetendra started a new life together.

Bidaai went on to celebrate a jubilee run.

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