When Producer Dilip Kumar Had To Plead Before The Censor Board Babu

Dilip Kumar was not just a legendary actor but was also a writer and producer who made the blockbuster movie Ganga Jamuna in 1961 and played the title role of Ganga in that film. The heroine was Vyayanthimala. It was a tale of two brothers one — an uneducated, simple human being who is forced by the circumstances to take the law in his own hands and the other Jamuna who is educated, urbanized and who tilts on the side of the law of the land. The movie Ganga Jamuna was inspiration for the famous duo Salim-Javed while scripting for Deewar.  So too it was for Amitabh Bachchan. Well, when Ganga Jamuna was to be released it went to the Censor Board for clearance. They recommended a cut of the scene where Ganga is shot and utters Hey Ram! When asked why should it be cut? The Sarkari Babu said it was Gandhi who uttered Hey Ram…so how can you utter the same words? Dilip Kumar was shocked by his logic and said every Hindu when he dies might utter Hey Ram!  Come to think of it one must admire the creative guys from Bollywood who have had to put up with idiosyncrasies of babus and politicians for decades now.