The enthusiastic young men had to stand in long queues at the turnstiles in the late 70s and 80s to watch her in Sargam , Kaamchor and Sharaabi . Often there would be chaos as men would push and jostle to get ahead. Not infrequently, a cop or two would restore sanity. Occasionally pockets were picked. All this to watch a girl whose Hindi was at best elementary. In Sargam many wondered about the dumb doll even as they loved to see her dance to “Dafliwale dafli baja”. In Sharaabi young men got bolder, throwing coins at the screen during the song “Mujhe naulakha manga de”.
Living up to the reputation
A still from “Perfect Pati”
That was then. Today's young men, and not so young men and women have to spare not a penny to see Jayaprada make her début all over again. Débutante? Yes, now on the wrong side of 50, she is making her début in Perfect Pati , a daily soap on &TV. Understandably, she now plays a mother-in-law! Her character though is neither the whimpering Nirupa Roy nor the shrill Lalita Pawar. Rather she plays a businesswoman and a social activist besides being a doting mom.
On the big screen she carved out quite a reputation playing a sati-savitri woman in countless Hindi films.
At a time when many girls wanted to be known as item girls with sensuous dance numbers, Jayaprada cultivated family audiences with her on screen demeanour: A beautiful sari, lots of jewellery, sindoor and henna, and a bhajan. If in Kaamchor she sang “Tum mere swami”, in Ganga Jamuna Saraswati , she got to lip sync to “Pati parmeshwar ke siwa” and in Kanoon ki Awaaz she gave us “Mera jug jug jeeve sawaraiya”. Now on the small screen too, she continues the trend. This Janamashtmi, her bhajan from Perfect Pati , “Radhe-Krishna Ki Jyoti”. Clearly, Jayaprada’s family audiences love her as a traditional, religious Indian woman on the screen, big or small.
“It was the role that appealed to me. On television usually mother in law is all evil. Here it is different. She looks for a daughter in daughter-in-law. It is a new idea, trendsetter. It appealed to me as this is how relationships are developing these days in real life. Gone are the days of an evil mother-in-law as today often both daughter-in-law and mother-in-law are often full time working women and understand each other better.”
That may be true, but television serials often peter out after a bright start. “I cannot talk of other serials, but this is a year-long venture. My character is clearly etched out,” claims Jayaprada.
But how is she going to find a year for the serial considering General Elections are not too far? And she has signed a few regional films too – this year her Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali films have already released while Telugu and a Kannada films wait in the pipeline.
“Let's not talk of politics. Already there is new speculation every day. Some say I am joining Jagan's party. Some say, I am going back to Rampur. Others say, I am joining the BJP. It seems I am so much in demand. But really, I want to concentrate on Perfect Pati . I am nervous.”
Examination time
Nervous after more than 40 years of facing the camera? “It is inexplicable. I have done the biggest of films with the best heroes and banners but never felt nervous. Yet, today I feel like a beginner. It is almost like examination time.”
Why? “I cannot put a finger to it but probably because it is my first television serial. I want to see how my fans react and how the young generation likes the show.” She has, however, hosted a celebrity talk show Jayapradam in Telugu though.
Unlike many shows which are shot in studios, Perfect Pati has a rich outdoor schedule. The crew was recently in Jodhpur for the shooting. And Jayaprada was greeted with the song, “ ‘Gori hain kalaiyan...’”, her hit number from KC Bokadia's Aaj Ka Arjun .
“I was very happy to know that people still remember that song. I played a Rajasthani girl in that film. Here too, I essay a Rajasthani character, a woman who has many shades to her life. She is a strong woman, a dynamic woman yet very loving. Frankly, television is very challenging with non stop shooting for days on end. I am enjoying it though. I am learning something new every day. A nice experience.”
Indeed when this correspondent called her, she was busy dubbing and promised to get back in an hour. That hour stretched to a day before the promised call materialised. “That is television for you,” she offers to explain her busy schedule with Perfect Pati .
But what can our mediocrity ridden television medium possibly offer for learning? “You should not underestimate the power of television. I am enjoying it. You will be surprised. Watch the serial.”
(Perfect Pati airs on &TV, Monday to Friday, 9.30 p.m.)
