One of Bollywood’s most underrated directors, Lekh Tandon, passed away quietly at the age of 88 on Sunday. He gave us a slew of scintillating movies, starting with the blockbuster Professor in 1962. The oddball comedy had an interesting pair of Shammi Kapoor with Lalita Pawar. Reema Rakeshnath later — forgettably — remade the movie as Dil Tera Aashiq.
He went on to direct the much-loved musical Jhuk Gaya Aasman, with Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu in an afterlife comedy, and Prince, with Shammi Kappor and Vyjanthimala coming together for the first and the last time. Tandon then directed Dulhan Wohi Jo Piya Man Bhaye in 1977. The small budget film starring Premnath’s son Prem Kishen and Rameshwari, became the biggest hit for Rajshri Productions.
After the 1993 hit, Agar Tum Na Hote, Tandon kept a low profile as a director, choosing to act in movies like Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades, Amol Palekar’s Paheli, and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti.
Shabana Azmi, who did two movies with Tandon says, “It’s sad to hear that he passed away. But what’s wonderful is that he did so with his boots on. He was working in his latest film with the enthusiasm of a newcomer. I did two lovely films with him — Ek Baar Kao and Doosri Dulhan — a film way before its time on surrogacy. Shekhar Kapur also often says he learned a lot from Lekhji.”
Perhaps one of Tandon’s most celebrated movies was Amrapali in 1966, recreating the legendary romance between the courtesan played by Vyjanthimala and the Magadh emperor Ajatsharu, played by Sunil Dutt. Its opulence continues to stun the world, and inspires the likes of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. “Amrapali inspired Bajirao Mastani and Padmavati. The way he recreated the war scenes! How he presented the amazing Vyjanthimala in songs were definitely my reference points for Deepika in my movies,” he says.
Legendary Bengali actor Victor Banerjee, who worked in Doosri Dulhan, adds, “I owe my living happily in Mussoorie to Lekhji, and Professor is one of the very few Hindi films I’ve seen. I absolutely loved its tomfoolery. Lekhji was also a follower of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, and hence a deeper individual than he let on to be.”
