“We are very lucky to have Bombay in our DNA”

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Saeed Akhtar Mirza, 81, screenwriter and art film director
 
Sunil Sampath, 81, jazz impresario and author.

Symbol of progressive thought, parallel cinema legend Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s brilliant works include Arvind Desai’s Ajeeb Dastan, Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! Salim Don’t cry over the lame, Naseem, Nukkad and wait. Studying Economics and Political Science at St. Xavier’s College, followed by a Diploma in Marketing and Advertising, he joined the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and was later appointed Chairman of FTII. Son of writer-director Akhtar Mirza, who is credited with hits like Waqt and Naya Daur, Saeed lectures on cinema in universities in India and the US, and is currently professor at the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts in Kerala. Is the Chairman.

Internationally recognized for his authoritative understanding and criticism of jazz music, Sunil Sampath attended school throughout India before graduating as a chemical engineer from Syracuse University in New York State. Coming back to Bombay, he started an engineering company making specialized equipment in fiberglass for storing and processing aggressive chemicals. He began freelance writing on jazz with Mid-Day and Sunday Mid-Day, and has covered every jazz traveling festival since the first in 1978. Serving on the managing committee of Capital Jazz, run by Soli Sorabjee for many years, he holds the position. NCPA Jazz Advisory Committee since its inception in 2010. Contributing as editor to Rolling Stone magazine since its launch in India, he has a remarkable record collection. His other passion is cricket, he watches the game avidly.

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Saeed Mirza: Perhaps we met Sunil at his home on the invitation of his wife Manju to meet the wonderful actor and common friend Tom Alter. Or was it to read a play? This must have been in the 1980s. I was amazed by Sunil’s strange interests.

Sunil Sampat: We had a mutual good friend in the form of filmmaker Kundan Shah, who might have introduced us. I was and remain impressed by the way Saeed analyzes life. He recognizes nuances that others often miss. His way of adding new perspective and dimension to ordinary, everyday life is unparalleled.

Sunil Sampat and Saeed Mirza

SM: My friend is an independent thinker. Free of ideology, yet with a moral code that is broadly identified as “leftist”. He never allows political stances on issues to become “radical”. It is open to change and debate.

SS: Truly a “fanatic”, for me “fun” comes before “mental”. In truth, I admire Saeed’s open mind and clarity of expression.
SM: Sunil is extremely organized: time to wake up, walk to Carter Road, when to go to work, arrange leave… I am the opposite, don’t plan for the future. When things happen, they happen.

SS: That’s why you’re a creative filmmaker and I’m just Carter Road Walker with your wife Jennifer! Our writing is a unifying factor. Saeed encouraged me and said, “Just keep writing. I like the way you think.” His inputs are invaluable.

SM: He is a great teller of stories. It is a pleasure to meet Sunil, drink alcohol and meet the world. I truly believe his heart is in the right place. I love his outlook on life and general understanding of the world.

SS: We both go on long, adventurous road trips. Ironically, never together. However we are planning to drive to Ooty at some point. I have driven from Calcutta to Bombay, from Montreal to Acapulco, across Europe as well as Brazil, the Caribbean, the US and Canada. My wife, daughters and I love to go on adventures and fortunately enjoy them a lot. Saeed continues to tour India, almost impulsively, with the imagination and creativity present in his classic films.

SM: Now, I am getting a taste of Maharashtra from Karnataka via Tamil Nadu and returning via Telangana in May. And of course Kerala.

SS: He’s listening to (Ray Charles’) Hit the Road Jack in his car. I was always interested in music. My mother was an accomplished Hindustani classical singer and had performed in Akashvani in Nagpur. At the age of 11, he fell in love with jazz after listening to a Benny Goodman record. Going deeper, there were ample opportunities to develop friendships with musicians over a decade in the US and Canada. During that glorious period in jazz history, I was fortunate to meet such greats as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Clark Terry, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Carmen McRae, among many others.

SM: Our main love is for the diversity of India, its sub-cultures, languages ​​and religions that have existed for centuries. We share the same vision of the historical melting pot of this country, the legacy of harmony that we have. And they are equally unhappy with the tensions affecting it recently. Living in an age of superficiality and with a narrow, narrow outlook, we are a stupid, rude, macho nation that wants to be poetic. The rule of law does not exist, human rights are secondary. What a banana our republic is.

SS: They will slip on the banana peel. We have become narrow, nervous and parochial. There should be a pendulum swing. It was the dictatorship of Sanjay Gandhi. This is fascism. Sad slap. Our humiliation as voters continues.

SM: The anger simmering inside each person is constantly being fueled, bursting into malice, hatred, fear of the “other.” But I believe that no matter how broken the right side is, this too shall pass. The current incredibly fanatical tunnel vision will not sustain itself.

SS: This is a battle worth fighting – to preserve the poetry we once had. Keeping in mind the Bombay pace of life, Saeed and I keep in touch regularly. Everyone has absorbed the ethos of this city and we are building on that strong identity factor.

SM: Bombay is truly a city for working men and especially working women. Despite the apparent tensions, it retains urbanity and decency.

SS: I think it’s easy to put it into perspective this way: Let’s say, if we were from Delhi or Chennai, our sensibilities would be different. We are very lucky to have Bombay in our DNA.

Author-publisher Mehar Madaria writes monthly on the friendship of the city. You can contact him at meher.marfatia@mid-day.com/www.meher marfatia.com