In a candid revelation, film historian
Dilip Thakur
sheds light on the genesis and making of the iconic
Aamir Khan
starrer, ‘
Sarfarosh
.’ Thakur delves into the journey of director
John Matthew Matthan
, tracing his evolution from an assistant to
Govind Nihalani
to a visionary filmmaker.
He told ETimes, “John Matthew Matthan was an assistant to Govind Nihalani.
He worked with Nihalani on ‘Gandhi’ as well where he was an assistant on one of the units. He assisted Nihalani on ‘Aakrosh’ along with Rajkumar Santoshi. Matthan started an advertising agency.”
Matthan’s inspiration for ‘Sarfarosh’ struck amidst the aftermath of the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts and riots. Observing the eerie calm of Delhi after sunset, he envisioned a gripping narrative woven around the clandestine activities of Pakistani Ghazal singers infiltrating India.
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He shared, “Pakistani Ghazal singers used to come to India in the name of performance but would do shady businesses like smuggling weapons, exchanging information etc. Matthan built a story around this plot and asked Aamir Khan for half an hour for narration. Aamir, who was super busy at the time took 30 minutes out of his schedule for Matthan. But Aamir was so impressed that he listened to the narration for three hours.”
Approaching Aamir Khan with a half-hour narration, Matthan’s compelling storyline captivated the actor for an astounding three hours. Khan’s commitment to the project signified its potential, despite the logistical challenges Matthan faced in assembling the cast and crew.
Dilip stated, “
Sonali Bendre
used to work with Matthan in his advertisements. Matthan had suggested her name to certain producers for films. Her career in films started because of Matthan. Sonali seemed taller than Aamir. So, at a party thrown by Matthan, he made Sonali and Aamir stand next to each other and they looked the same height. Matthan was convinced about casting the pair together.”
Elaborating further, he added, “Interestingly,
Naseeruddin Shah
was first offered the role of Inspector Saleem Ahmed which was eventually played by Mukesh Rishi. Shah asked for another role saying that he had played cops quite often. So, he was offered the role of the Ghazal singer Gulfam Hassan. Aamir suggested the name of
Mukesh Rishi
with whom he had worked in Baazi. In an interview, Rishi said that he expected a lot of offers after Sarfarosh but nothing of that sort came to him.”
A young
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
‘s brief appearance in ‘Sarfarosh’ marked the inception of his illustrious career, while the film’s resonant dialogue, “Main mere mulk ko mera ghar manta hoon,” struck a chord with audiences.
Despite initial skepticism, ‘Sarfarosh’ struck a chord with viewers, bolstered by the backdrop of the ongoing
Kargil War
. Mathan’s visit to Maratha Mandir revealed the film’s overwhelming reception, solidifying its status as a cult classic in Hindi cinema.
“Sarfarosh wasn’t a typical patriotic film. The film was a good fit in the changing narrative of Hindi cinema following ‘Satya’ and ‘Bandit Queen’, he concluded.
