There was a time when traffic jams at Marine Drive (Mumbai)were caused  not  due  to  a long line of cars, but because of a young charismatic actress whose melodious voice had  cast  a  spell  on thousands of young Indians. Entering her home at Krishna Mahal on Marine Drive today, instantly transports you into another age and time.

 

"I WAS 12 AND LOOKED LIKE MUMTAZ MAHAL!"

 

Suraiya's career as an actress began as a child artiste.

"One day, my 'mamoo' (maternal uncle) Zahoor, who was a popular villian in films, took me along to watch the shooting of Prakash Pictures' 'Taj Mahal'. There, I met the producer, Nanubhai Vakil, who felt  that  my  face was ideally suited for the character of young Mumtaz Mahal and asked my uncle if I could do the film. My mother and  grandmother agreed. So, I went off to Delhi to shoot at the Red Fort for 10 days.

"And that was followed by one offer after another.'' And a star was born.

 

"SINGING WAS AN ACCIDENT"

 

"I was never trained in singing. Madan Mohan, who lived close by and Raj  Kapoor once dragged me to participate in the children's programme on the All India Radio. Naushad  sa'ab,  who  heard  my voice  on  the  radio,  got  in  touch with me to sing for Kardar sa'ab's film, 'Sharda'. And I sang 'Panchi ja  peeche  raha  hain bachpan mera', which was picturised on Mehtab. I was 11 years old then."

 

"NARGIS ENVIED ME"

 

"Frankly, I hadn't planned a career in films. I was just lucky to have got  good  roles. Nargis would always tell me, 'Somehow you get the best roles'," says Suraiya, modestly.

"Most of my roles were simple, but the audiences loved them.  And I was lucky to  have got simple, melodious and easy to pick up songs to sing, and work with the best composers of the  day  like Naushad,  Husnlal-Bhagatram and Anil Biswas. We didn't even dream of promo videos, ads and all the  associated  technical  wizardry then. But we still caught the audience's imagination."

 

"THE CROWDS WENT SURAIYA-MAD"

 

And how! When 'Pyar Ki Jeet' was released, it drew crowds outside Suraiya's house that had to be controlled by posting an inspector and four constables outside her house.

 

"When I went for the premiere of the movie  'Badi  Bahen',  there was  such a big crowd outside! As I walked into the theatre, they pulled at my clothes. There was a lathi charge  and  people  were injured. I stopped going for premieres thereafter."

 

"DEV SAVED MY LIFE"

 

No Suraiya interview can be complete without a reference to the Dev Anand- Suraiya love story. While Dev Anand himself went on to marry Kalpana Kartik and, later, to romance several other women, for Suraiya, it seems that love began and ended with Dev Anand.

 

"We were picturising a song in a boat right in the middle of the river, when the boat overturned and we found ourselves floundering in the water. I didn't know how to swim. Dev brought me out of the water. I thanked him, saying, 'If you hadn't saved me, my life would have ended.' He retorted, 'If your life had ended, so would mine.' We were drawn to each other."

 

"MY GRANNY WAS DEAD AGAINST DEV"

 

"I worked with Dev in seven films.  Inevitably, people started talking about  our  romance and my grandmother learnt of it. She was extremely angry because Dev was a Hindu and granny was  very orthodox."

 

"WE DECIDED TO ELOPE"

 

The highlight of this romance was the plan the lovers made to elope. While shooting for 'Jeet', the director decided to film on location instead of erecting a set. Also part of the plan was the summoning of a real 'panditji' to get Dev and Suraiya married during the shot. They would then get into the car and drive away - all as part of the scene, but in reality escaping.

 

"I BACKED OUT"

 

Unfortunately, Suraiya's grandmother came to know of the plan.

"Eventually, my grandmother succeeded in separating us.  Dev was deeply hurt and offended by my lack of courage. But I was afraid for him. In retrospect, I don't think anything would have happened if I'd been bold enough. But I was terrified of my grand-mother. And was heartbroken. But time is the greatest healer."

A practical woman, Suraiya prefers not to be a prisoner of the past.  She agrees that  had she chosen one of the many marriage proposals that came her way, life would have been different. But, she says, "Who can say what may have happened had I married? I've seen so many friends' marriages crumbling. I've been single and happy, living and doing the things I like, with a circle of close friends. But I'll admit that after my mother expired some years ago, I felt some amount of loneliness creep in."

 

"PANDIT NEHRU COMMENDED ME"

 

"I'd been a fan of Mirza Ghalib since childhood.  And so when Sohrab Modi sent for my grandmother and discussed the role and other terms with her, I was thrilled.

"It was a very simple film, made in three months.  Yet, what an effect the film had! It was the first feature film to be awarded the President's Gold Medal. At a function in Delhi, Pandit Nehru, after watching the movie, said to me, 'Ladki, tumne kya unke (Mirza Ghalib) ghazalein gaayi. Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki  rooh  ko zinda kar diya.' For me, that was an award better than an Oscar."

 

"MY TIME HAD COME"

 

"I hadn't been keeping well and had collapsed with weakness during the shooting of the movie. I was forced to take a break and recuperate. During that time, I really enjoyed resting and realised how tired I was with work. I completed the films I had on hand and decided to call it a day.  And I've never looked back."

Incidentally, this  legendary  actress-singer  still  retains  a lovely  school-girlish  lilt  in  her voice. Time, it seems, hasn’t laid its hands on it.