Momma’s boys & daddy’s girls!

Momma’s boys & daddy’s girls!

FPJ BureauUpdated: Saturday, June 01, 2019, 09:16 AM IST
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Rubina P. Banerjee takes a close look at what it means to be a Mama’s boy or a daddy’s girl in the silvery transience of stardom.

Amitabh Bachchan

“Beaten up my friends in the neighborhood when I was out playing with them one afternoon in Allahabad, I ran back home bawling into my Mother’s arms. She asked me what had happened and on learning my sob story, pushed me out from her lap and asked –

‘How many are they?’

‘Four,’ I mumbled through my tears.

‘And you got beaten up by just four boys? Get back to them and don’t come back till you have beaten them up!’” That was the spirit of his mother Teji Bachchan, who never accepted defeat even under the most trying circumstances.

It was his mother who had also taught him ballroom dancing and driving a car even when he was under-aged for it! The irony is that Teji Kaur’s own mother had died soon after she was born and she never had known what a mother was like – but was a complete mother herself!

Govinda

The boy from Virar whose success stunned the nation acknowledges being a Mama’s boy and very dependent on her. Thus it’s was that the four years after her passing away was indeed a tenuous time for the actor, as he didn’t know what to do.

His mother Nirmala Devi was the wife of an actor Arun Ahuja who ran into difficult times when he decided to produce a film. Immense financial losses plunged the family into poverty and Nirmala Devi rose to the occasion “like a tigress,” says Govinda.

His mummy even pretty much planned his life for him down to remarrying his wife on his mother’s insistence! Govinda explains, “Very honestly, we undertook this ritual of a second wedding only because my mother wished me to do this. She would joke with me that at 49 I’d look young enough to be bridegroom. My mother’s blessings are always with me.”

Sanjay Dutt

Born into a silver spoon lifestyle, Sanju was the apple of Nargis’ eye. But his father fearing his son would be spoilt rotten decided on sending him to a boarding school in Grade 3.

For Sanju Baba the initial days were terrible. He was ragged and bullied. These days of trauma probably caused Sanju to condemn his dad as heartless and become the rebel. Again it was his mother who soon discovered that her son was doing drugs in the long hours he spent locked in his room!

Tragedy struck the family when Nargis was detected with cancer. Drugs became a retreat for Sanju as an escape from the real fear of his mother’s impending doom. He had to plunge himself into his debut film ‘Rocky’ and the greatest tragedy was that the premiere of ‘Rocky’ happened just four days after his mother’s demise. The 22-year-old Sanju Baba never quite recovered from the trauma of his mother’s death.

Arjun Kapoor

The trauma and the tragedy of Sanjay Dutt seems to find an echo in the grief of Arjun Kapoor, when he says, “I wish she (mother Mona Kapoor) had lived for 45 days more… just when I was about to see my nicest moments, my deepest darkest moment came along. So ‘Ishaqzaade’ success never sunk in. Because I was reeling from the loss. And I am still.

“Today I have grown-up, but I feel I was more sensible and mature when my mom was around. Now I am slightly more moody, more temperamental, I have become very different since she’s gone and it has become very difficult to understand myself.”

Sonam Kapoor

“I go to him for advice where my personal life is concerned as he is more liberal than my mother. He wants us (Sonam and Rhea) to be friends with him, but I want to talk to him in a certain way and give him that respect.”

Sonam’s words speak amply of the close relationship she shares with her father and perhaps his flamboyance too. Anil has been the doting dad spoiling his daughter with expensive gifts and indulging her. And daddy defends her against all her foot-in-the-mouth incidents too! So when she makes a faux pas, she turns to Pa!

Priyanka

The tattoo on her hand proclaims to the world that Priyanka is ‘Daddy’s Li’l Girl’ and she was indeed just that and spoilt silly by her father.

She fondly remembers how just two years back, he gave her a huge solitaire and told her, ‘I am giving this to you because I don’t know how long I will be around to take care of you, but I am setting a standard for whoever you marry. He should be able to look after you the way I look after you.’

Anushka

Anushka Sharma shares the same army background as Priyanka and vouches that she has always been Daddy’s little girl. Her father might not have been around all the time but when he was, Anushka would not let him out of her sight. Being in the army, her best and most memorable Diwali used to be the one which had her dad at home.

Her father and the Army have also shaped her fighting spirit and this young actress, who recently turned producer with the film NH10, explains, “Coming from an army background, we were taught to never make mistakes. Prepare like you’re going for war at all times. I’ve tried to put my best foot forward as a producer!”

Ekta Kapoor

And then there is Ekta the daughter of the star Jeetendra but quite the star of TV-dom and the Hindi film industry as well. Papa Jeetendra is justifiably proud and, despite his middle class Punjabi background that makes for a less than liberal outlook towards women, he has been a pillar of strength and encouraged Ekta’s every dream. He says with pride, “Ekta there was no need to struggle. But she went through the grind because of her passion. The capacity of hard work that she possesses is a quality I have rarely seen in anyone else.”

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