Karuna Gupta and Wajid Ali Hashmi
Duration: 00:10:46; Volume: 0.260; Words per Minute: 62.902
Mr.Wajid Ali Hashmi
8mm
8mm Projector starts
After screening the 8mm footage for my mother, we invited Mr.Hashmi to have a look.
Pankaj: can you identify this space? … In the beginning is the inauguration of Kumar Talkies
Hashmi: Its not very clear
Pankaj: Yes, the frames too are shaky
Karuna: its 30 years old
Pankaj: Yes, its difficult to identify… only someone who’s familiar can identify places …
Pankaj: But I didn’t know there was a bridge across the river …
Hashmi: Pontoon bridge, … Train Bridge also was there...
Karuna: cars used to come on the Train bridge… when the pontoon was dismantled … keeping train timings in mind they would let cars pass from train bridge on the side … not heavy vehicles
Pankaj: So this bridge is new…?
Karuna: This must be 20 yra old?
Surabhi: Indira Gandhi got it done…
Hashmi: She didn’t make it herself…! (laughter) she inaugurated… in fact that chap Tiwari he inaugurated…
Karuna: but this is 20-22 yrs old
Hashmi: more than that …
Karuna:It wasn’t there was cinema was coming up…
Hashmi: near Pontoon bridge we all used to go to eat Aloo Paranthas
Karuna: I dont remember going to such a place
Hashmi: this is what I don’t like … my memory hasn’t got that old, I’ve gone old… there were huts there … and all 3 of us, used to go …
Karuna: I didn’t … I had Kachoris … near Pukhrayain …
Hashmi: and he used to treat us very well ... your father was very fond … every time we would plan an outing there …
Surabhi: So for you it was like a holiday home…
Hashmi: she didn’t stay much here… your elder brother, Niraj, fell ill, very bad mosquito bites…
Karuna: that wasn’t the main reason for leaving … it was the theft
Hashmi: Yes, that disturbed them quiet a lot …
Pankaj: who had done it?
Hashmi: people from staff … that’s what your father said … infact we got 2/3 of them thrashed too …
Karuna:That didn’t help,...we got mothing back
Hashmi: The SHO was my friend, he had offered all help … but we knew nobody would confess … we did get to know who had done it, … he’s still around …next to the bank
Pankaj: lets go … have a fist fight … (laughter) with Balbir, the gatekeeper
Hashmi: no, he was a booking clerk … and his brother has 6 wives
Pankaj: what luck
Hashmi: what luck, its difficult maintaing one
Karuna: No, he’s a lucky person
Hashmi: He’s not … I cant explain in front of kids (laughter) … so the family life was disturbed, you were here … the eldest in Delhi … and had they settled here … future life would have been very difficult …
Karuna: yes, people did us a favor, they didn’t let us settle here…
Hashmi: No it was your weakness, I had told your father ‘you cannot run it for more than a year’ … that was my prediction. Just after 9 months they gave cinema to somebody else…
Karuna: what choice did we have? … see you knew everything … what gonna happen… (laugh) …
Kumar Talkies: history
Hashmi: Know I knew mentality of the people, I also knew that the location you had chosen it won’t run here … I’m the one who’s bearing all this…
Hashmi: I wasn't so much in contact with your father. That time I was running a touring cinema … so I couldn’t say much to your father, 'cos I was a business rival. It would be misconstrued. But I did warn him that the site was not a good one…
Pankaj: your cinema was called Kalamandir
Hashmi: Kalamandir, chitrakala.. I couldn’t get 6 monthly license under different names… and when Kumar talkies started, I was prudent enough to close my cinema. Nobody would come to a touring talkie, in front of Kumar Talkies
Pankaj: Where was your location?
Hashmi: On the road to the railway station… for 6 months on either side of the road
Pankaj: Diwan also used to run
Hashmi: That was before Kumar Talkies, we used to compete with Diwan
Pankaj: 2 touring talkies were allowed…
Hashmi: As many as possible
Karuna: along with Permanent, a touring was not allowed
Hashmi: No they were, only in 1989, conditions were put. If there is a permanent and population is below 50,000, then touring cannot be allowed.
Touring Talkies
Diwan Talkies
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