Mid-Day Anniversary Special: Anees Bazmee recalls first job at RK Studios, earned Rs 300

Most of us remember our first jobs vividly. For Anees Bazmee, his first job remains hallowed ground, and for good reason. The director worked with none other than late Raj Kapoor at the legendary RK Studios in Chembur. The mere recollection of his old self, all of 16, serving as an assistant director at the studio between 1978 and 1981, brings a smile to his face.

(From left) Rajiv Kapoor with Anees Bazmee at RK Studios

“Every day I’d take a bus from Malvani where I lived, to Malad station, then another to Vile Parle, where my colleague KK Singh lived. He later wrote Ram Teri Ganga Maili [1985].” From there, the two would travel together to Chembur. A long commute certainly. “Four buses in total, and one-and-a-half hours, one way,” he broke it down, before saying, “But we never thought of it as difficult. We were working at RK Studios. That was everything.”

(From left) Anees Bazmee with Rishi Kapoor during the shoot of Prem Rog

The energy was unmatched, remembered the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 (2024) director. The reporting time was 10.30 am sharp. Pack-up time, in contrast, was never fixed. It could be 6 or 7 pm, or past midnight. Did they mind the long hours? Absolutely not. “RK Studios felt like home. There were four studio floors, and every day, shoots, rehearsals, and prep would be going on. It was like a creative mela.”

Anees Bazmee 

The biggest incentive of being a part of this mela? Seeing the showman of Indian cinema, up-close and in action. Bazmee recalled, “When you entered, Raj Kapoor’s office was to the left. He sat in a way that he could see everyone who came in or went out. So, we were always aware that Raj Kapoor was watching.”

 Working at one of Hindi cinema’s biggest studios, that too under the tutelage of the legendary filmmaker, was not only an enriching experience, but it also left him with a treasure trove of stories. The director recounted an incident, where Singh and he were writing the censor script of a film. “It was well past midnight. Suddenly a voice boomed, ‘Who’s there?’ Raj Kapoor had come to check who was still working. We told him what we were doing, and he simply said, ‘Chalo’. At 3 am, he took us to his house, woke everyone up, fed us, and sat with us. That was the kind of man he was.”

The four years he spent at RK Studios went by in a flash. Bazmee may have joined at a meagre salary of R300, but the job felt priceless. “We learned so much about films, discipline, and loyalty. Dabbu sir [Randhir Kapoor] and Chimpu [Rajiv Kapoor] would come often. Chintu [Rishi Kapoor] was a big star by then. Raj Kapoor came every single day. He had a private resting space we called ‘the den’.”

The studio canteen, too, holds special memories. For months, he ate dal and roti as that was all he could afford. “On seeing that, Chimpu got emotional and told the canteen manager, ‘Whatever KK and Anees eat, put it on my tab.’ The very next day, KK went all out, ordering chicken, fish, and parathas. I told him not to overdo it, but he said, ‘Let me enjoy today’,” Bazmee laughed.

In 2019, the studio was sold, thus bringing the curtains down on the place that witnessed the making of classics like Awaara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955), and brought the industry together for the Kapoors’ famous Ganesh Chaturthi festivities over the decades. Bazmee said, “When RK Studios shut down, it felt like my house had been sold. Even now, when I pass by this space it makes me very  emotional.”

2019
The year RK Studios was sold