When Bina Ramani almost became Mrs Shammi Kapoor

Long in the public eye as a socialite of note Bina Ramani sprang to further fame when model Jessica Lal was killed in her New Delhi restaurant Her freewheeling autobiography Bird In A Banyan Tree which culminates with the murder case includes Ramanirsquos dalliance with yesteryearsrsquo actor Shammi Kapoor Though Kapoor ardently pressed his suit Ramani was constrained by parental strictures as well as opposition from Raj Kapoor and the match was never made We present excerpts from the book that tell the taleDespite a busy shooting schedule Shammi Kapoor ardently courted Bina Ramani she says in her bookAmong our closest friends in Bombay were the Raj Kapoor family Krishna Kapoor fondly known as Bhabhiji was one of the warmest and most hospitable people we had ever known As Raj Kapoorrsquos lsquorakhi sistersrsquo from London Pushpa and I enjoyed a rather privileged position within his family We spent many memorable nights at their legendary Devnar residence in Chembur with Bhabhiji presiding and dispensing her benevolent hospitalityOn How It BeganThe hellip secret project that Bhabhiji had nurtured since she first got to know me the previous year in London was to introduce me to her roueacute brotherinlaw Shammi His wife had died of a sudden illness about ten months earlier leaving him with two children and in an inconsolable state While his film career as an actor was at its peak he was very lonely in his personal life and was becoming increasingly reckless in his behaviourFor some reason Bhabhiji had concluded that I had the right combination of traditional and modern values to bring stability back into Shammirsquos life However she was also aware that there were considerable differences in our backgrounds and that potential family objections would be a major barrierItrsquos cordial relations as Shammi Kapoor meets Bina Ramani at a function long years laterBesides Rajji had already expressed his disapproval of this scheme as he considered me too innocent and sheltered to be able to cope with his brotherrsquos wild ways But Bhabhiji hellip would not be deterred by the opposition I had been in India barely a week when a dinner was arranged at the Ritz Hotel for just family and a few close friends Shammi was there and we got our first glimpse of each other as we exchanged greetings A few days later Bhabhiji deftly managed to arrange a little gettogether at Devnar to which Pushpa and I were invited Rajji was out of town so Bhabhiji seized the opportunity to put Shammi and me together While I was surprised to meet Shammi there it soon became clear that he knew why this evening had been planned his attentive glances and conversation were frequently directed towards me Soon enough Shammi was openly displaying his growing affection for me and usually with Bhabhijirsquos help managed to find many occasions where we could either meet in private or lsquorun into each otherrsquo publicly Rajji had already sensed what was happening and reiterated his disapproval to Bhabhiji but she was undeterred Of course she was also aware that I could not disobey my parentsrsquo express wishes and that they were strictly against the idea of my marriage with Shammi But her resolve remained firm as steel helliplsquoNobody can stop us from sharing our lives togetherrsquo Shammi assured me If I couldnrsquot find the courage to go against my parentsrsquo wishes as Plan B he proposed that we trump the opposition by eloping Over and over again Shammi expressed his love for me and built up beautiful dreams of our life together He told me that he was not at heart the flamboyant playboy he portrayed on screen he had been stereotyped and now that he was stuck with that role he simply delivered the image that the public loved him forBird In A Banyan Tree is published by Rainlight an imprint of Rupa Publications Price Rs 500He was he insisted intellectually inclined sensitive and loved books and classical music but hardly anyone knew that side of him hellip Shammi and I never had any serious physical contact but the rare glimpses meetings and phone conversations sufficed to inflame our relationship Expressions of love continued for several months via secret codes and methodsHis film career was skyrocketing and he was shooting four or five films simultaneously travelling all over India and abroad He would speak to his costars about me and occasionally had me speak to some of them on the phone especially when he was partying In his recklessness and daring Shammi was very different from anyone I had ever met It was outrageous behaviour according to my conservative upbringing but I was completely overwhelmed and delightedOn The ObstaclesMy parents were growing increasingly uncomfortable with the deepening intimacy between Shammi and me The thought of losing their daughter to a movie star with a terrible reputation for lsquodrinkingrsquo and lsquowomanizingrsquo was alarming to say the least They began to step up their efforts and introduced me to a series of prospective husbands all of whom I rejected outrightThe other hurdle was posed by Raj Kapoor Rajji had a conservative streak despite his flamboyant lifestyle and the mutual love and respect between his family and ours was deep and longstanding He was my devoted rakhi brother and I had always made a bracelet for him on Raksha Bandhan each August being sure to mail it to him in time for the big day One day he surprised me with an invitation to lunch at his favourite restaurant in Bombay the Nanking near the Taj Hotel After a couple of mouthfuls Rajji laid down his fork and looked up at me There was a radical shift in his mood His furrowed brow signalled an ominous reason for this meeting and I struggled to hide the trepidation I feltWith an intensity in his eyes that I had never seen before he asked lsquoAre you in love with himrsquo I froze I was thunderstruck I had only seen this intensity in his most compelling film roles Only he wasnrsquot acting now I did all I could to disguise my fear especially since we had always shared a great compatibility in our conversations Feigning calmness I replied lsquoYes I amrsquo lsquoDo you know who he is and what he is capable of doing to yoursquo I was silent stunned by his questionRajji continued lsquoHe is my brother and I love him dearly but his success has gone to his head He is an impatient and impulsive man and he will not easily settle into married life The two of you are complete opposites He can be ruthless and neither you nor your family will be able to deal with his wild unpredictable ways You have had a sheltered upbringing and your parents have very spiritually rooted and compassionate values You deserve betterAnd I cannot bear to see your parents suffer the unhappiness of having my brother Shammi as their sonrsquo He stopped trusting that hersquod made the necessary impactI sat crushed at a total loss for words I had nothing to say that would counter what the big brother had just made excruciatingly clear hellip Then came the defining moment he made me promise that I would give serious consideration to his warning and that I would keep our lunch meeting a secret It was as if I had received a court sentenceOn Meeting AndyMy fatherrsquos elder brother had arranged my first meeting with yet another prospective suitor hellip exactly twelve months to the day I had first met Shammi At the time Shammi happened to be out of town on a hunting expedition in the jungles Before he left he had told me lsquoThis trip my prize is assured Whether I bag wild game or not Irsquom getting the best trophy on my return in any casersquo The memory of my secret lunch meeting with Rajji burnt holes in my heart every time Shammi talked about his Plan B with such passion It tore me apartMy uncle set up the meeting Both sets of parents were to be present I reluctantly agreed just to please my family The prospective groomrsquos name was Andy Ramani He had come to India from San Francisco to attend his younger brotherrsquos wedding He was the manager for Air India for the west coast of America Importantly he was from the Sindhi community though not a Sikh hellip Hanging over my head was a caveat My parents had threatened to pack me off to London if I continued to refuse any more eligible suitors Going back was at the bottom of my list On Getting MarriedMama asked me once again after Andy had left lsquoAre you sure about thisrsquo There was concern in her voice lsquoHis parents will be expecting an answer in the morningrsquo I said a simple lsquoYesrsquo I would agree to marry Andy and get engaged to him for a few months At some point I would find a reason to break the engagement and elope with Shammi It seemed like the perfect ployhellip Andyrsquos parents were overjoyed at the news But to my horror they insisted to my parents that the wedding should take place immediately without delay My desperate request for a threemonth engagement was waved off by my imposing matchmaker uncle lsquoWhen a match between two has been struck there should be no room for trivial reasons to cause delayrsquo he declaredSuddenly everything was on fast track with hurried shopping sprees lists of gifts to be distributed to the inlaws and relatives and special guests to be called personally Everyone was mobilized hellip Six days later my name changed from Bina Lalvani to Bina Ramani An announcement in The Times of India invited friends and relatives to the gurdwara for the wedding ceremony There was a hurried reception party at the Taj Hotel That was it While Shammi was in the jungle with his buddies engaged in his favourite sport he lost his love to a stranger from San Francisco forever