Lalit Gupta
Bollywood’s Circe-like seductions—fame, glamour, the fairy tale promise of great wealth–have been attracting from inception the dreamers, ambitious small-town aspirants, writers, poets, musicians, and many others with the hope that talent, boldness, and luck will catapult them into the big league.
One such dreamer was Brij Katyal, a Jammuite, who in the early 1950s ventured to leave hometown for Bombay, the hub of Hindi cinema and after initial days of struggle succeeded in etching his name in Bollywood hall of fame.
For Brij Katyal, the crowning glory came when he penned the story of Shashi Kapoor and Nanda starrer ‘Jab Jab Phool Khile’ in 1965, a super hit and a golden jubilee film which ran for 50 consecutive weeks in Mumbai cinemas like Minerva and Lakshmi Theatres. The great financial success of musical romance film, a popular genre in the 1960s, made theatre owners to gift a brand new car and rupees 50,000, to film’s writer Brij Katyal.
In a film career spanning more than 50 years, Brij Katyal’s notable films as script and dialogue writer and screen playwright were Salaam Memsaab-1961, Burmah Road-1962, Darasingh: Ironman-1964, Ek Din Ka Badshah-1964, Saat Samundar Paar-1965, Yeh Raat Phir Na Aaygi-1966, Aamne-Saamne-1967, Parivar-1968, Kismat-1969, Vishwas-1969, Anokha-1975, Bhoola Bhatka-1976, Amitabh Bachchan’s Ajooba-1991, Hai Meri Jaan-1991, Chhota Sa Garh-1996, Krazy Crazy Krezy… 2009. His well-known TV series include Aashiq Biwi Ka- 2009, Pal Chin-1998. He had also directed two films Premika-1980 and Pasand Apni Apni- 1971. In the early 1970s, Rajesh Khanna’s movie “Seema”, directed by Suraj Prakash had Brij Katyal as the writer never saw completion.
During 1990’s he also ventured into the world of television and penned down many popular and financially successful TV serials like ‘Dillagi’ and ‘Saans’. Directed by Neena Gupta, these had become very popular for the characters which seemed very real.
Eighty-five years old Brij Katyal, who expired on September 13, 2018, at Mumbai, was born in 1933 at Jullahaka Mohalla, Jammu, in the family of Sardari Lal Katyal, the grandson of Rai Sahib Col. A R Katyal, who was Quarter Master General in Maharaja Ranbir Singh’s Army.
By 1948-49, Brij Katyal, who had grown up as a soft-spoken handsome young man was already acting the role of Sita in Ramlila staged at the Dewan Mandir Natak Smaj. He graduated in 1952. Narrating the firsthand account of the young days of Brij Katyal, the octogenarian J. C Bharati, a well-known Radio and theatre actor and a senior contemporary of Brij Katyal, informed that during the period immediately after Independence everybody was fired up with patriotic fervor. Jammu’s youth like elsewhere in the country was enthused with nation-building spirit.
The culturally oriented young men like J.C. Bharti and Brij Katyal who were attracted to leftist ideology joined National Cultural Front, the cultural wing of the National Conference. Bharti reminiscences that how National Cultural front with Dharmveer Chopra as its secretary-general decided to stage plays about unsung characters and heroes. The play staged included Raavan, Chander Shekhar Azad, Manzil Ki Taraf, Dinu Bhai Pant’s Bawa Jitto and Shiv Parvati. Katyal used to enact female roles in the dramas. Other members of the team were D. P. Trikha-director, Dina Nath Goel-music, B.L. Kerni, Ram Kumar Abrol and Kumar Kuldeep who later directed the first Dogri film Gallaan Hoyiaan Bitiaan.
It was in 1953 that Brij Katyal having good command over Urdu, Hindi and English languages, and gifted with good handwriting, took a bold decision and moved to Bombay to try his luck as a film writer. His first major break came in 1958 when he wrote dialogues and screenplay for Kedar Sharma’s film Milan. Starring Ajit, Nalini Jaywant, Daisy Irani, and Helen, the film’s success paved the way for Katyal to stake his claim as a talented writer.
In his more than 50 years of career in Bombay, Brij Katyal wrote scripts, screenplays, and dialogues for a number of films and TV serials and also directed two films. Professionally he was well respected and admired by many as a ‘beautiful human being’.
On the personal front, Brij Katyal remained unmarried and had adopted a son. His excessive love for the adopted son, for whom he always spent lavishly and had put all his property in his name proved to be a heartbreaking decision for him. Because during his last days, when he suffered from rectal cancer, his adopted son did not take proper care of him and showed him to a proper doctor. He lived alone in his Bhayeander flat. Before getting admitted into the charitable hospital Avedna Sadan, he was writing a film named as Mahek.
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