“Bakshi ji acted as a Fakir, in a song in the film PICNIC, 1966, produced by Filmistan, Music S. Mohinder, Lyrics Majrooh Sultanpuri, (Picnic song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIsMKeJXjIQ) starring Manoj Kumar, Kalpana, Azra & Shubha Khote.
Bakshi ji played a small role of a Fakir in a song written by Majrooh Sultanpuri in that film, only because he needed money, Rs 300 exactly, very badly and asked me, the music composer of the film, Picnic, for work, any kind of work to earn the Rs 300 he needed immediately.
I was impressed that Anand Bakshi, who had already written a few films by then, did not borrow the money from me but but asked me to help him find any kind of film work to earn the 300 he needed very badly.
I had just recorded a song ‘Bijli giri kahan se’ for that film, Picnic, written by lyrics writer Majrooh Saab. And I was aware that in the situation of the song, a Fakir is singing the song on the streets, and because the Fakir appears just once in the film in that song and is a stranger the director will be casting an extra for that small role of a only one time appearance.
I convinced the director, S P Bakhshi, to cast new lyrics writer Anand Bakshi for that small role so that that way Anand Bakshi can earn the Rs 300 he needs very badly. That is a condition Bakshi ji put forward to do that role, even though he needed the work.
The director, S P Bakhshi, very kindly agreed to Anand Bakshi’s condition even though he was not known at all, he had laid a condition that he has to be paid Rs 300 per day for acting in that song.
The director said he is willing to pay Anand Bakshi Rs 300 for that shoot because he can shoot his one time appearance in that song within a day, so it is not too big an amount to pay Rs 300 to an extra. The director shot Bakshi ji’s shots in the song within half a day and paid him Rs 300. That is how Anand Bakshi got to play the Fakir in this song and also earned the money he badly needed then.”
7 films with S Mohinder ji
(As told to me by Composer S Mohinder ji in June 2013, at his daughter’s Peony Chopra’s house in Mumbai. – Rakesh Anand Bakshi)