In memory of Kalpana

Kalpana, who burned bright for a brief period on the film firmament, died recently.
Devinder Bir Kaur pays a tribute to the yesteryear heroine who stole many a heart

Kalpana’s debut movie Professor, where she was cast opposite Shammi Kapoor, was a superhit

Shammi Kapoor’s "gulbadan" is no more. Kalpana, one of Dev Anand’s Teen Deviyan, died last month at Pune battling cancer for five years. Her daughter Preeti Mansukhani and son-in-law Harish were by her side in her last moments. The news of Kalpana’s death hardly got reported in the newspapers.

And to think she had shone bright in her very first film Professor in 1962 opposite Shammi Kapoor. Professor was one of the biggest hits of the 1960s. Every song from the film was a super hit. Almost all songs from the film were featured on the new heroine, the impish Kalpana. Even the songs in which Shammi Kapoor was serenading her, like "Ai gulbadan, phoolon ki mehak" and "Khuli palak mein jhootha gussa" were describing the young exuberant heroine.

Debutant Kalpana charmed the audiences with her youthful features and tip-tilted eyes. Professor swept the boxoffice, with its fun-filled drama of a young needy man in an old man’s getup in order to teach a couple of girls under their stern, no-nonsense spinster aunt played by Lalita Pawar. The twist comes when the senior lady falls in love with the "old" Professor.

Kalpana’s first superhit landed her with another movie opposite the evergreen hero Dev Anand, who was at his peak in the 1960s.

In Teen Deviyan in 1965, Kalpana played one of the three heroines, the other two being Simi Garewal and Nanda. While each leading lady had a song to her credit, it was the song played on Kalpana and Dev Anand that became a hit "Arre yaar meri, tum bhi ho ghazab". Kalpana played a difficult-to-control film star in the movie.

Then Kalpana did Saheli opposite Pradeep Kumar where she was willing to sacrifice her love for her friend. Kalpana did yet another hit movie Pyar Kiye Ja. A rip-roaring comedy, this film is better remembered for the sheer buffoonery enacted by Shashi Kapoor and Kishore Kumar. Their love interests were played by Rajshree and Kalpana, respectively. The film’s third hero Mehmood had Mumtaz opposite him. Besides, Om Prakash supported him in funny scenes. Consequently, Kalpana didn’t have much to do in the film.

About the same time, Kalpana also starred in Biwi aur Makan opposite Biswajit. The movie was yet another comedy with Biswajit playing a woman in order to appease the landlady and rent a house with his bachelor friends. The landlady’s niece Kalpana becomes Biswajit’s love interest when he is in his real self as the "woman" Biswajit’s brother.

Sadly, Kalpana was on her way out. She did Tasveer and later Nawab Sirajuddaula in 1967 and called it a day. In 1967, she got married to a naval officer and had a baby girl. But the marriage didn’t last and they got divorced after five years. Kalpana then shifted to Pune.

Kalpana, who was freedom fighter Avani Mohan’s daughter, was a trained kathak dancer. She often performed in front of dignitaries at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on invitation of Pandit Nehru.

Kalpana burned bright on the film firmament, even if for a very brief period. No one will forget the Professor girl who walked daintily on the rail track singing "Main chali, main chali."

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