The Golden Era Fan: Romance of the Jeep - 1

I am a hardcore fan of compositions from the Golden Era of music in the Hindi film industry. One song is my particular favourite – “Tumhare pyaar mein hum bekaraar ho ke chale …” from the film “Shikar” released in 1968. The song is a lovely number, with the lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri oozing romance, lilting music by Shankar-Jaikishen, and, of course, the absolutely divine voice of Mohammed Rafi. These, together with the dashing Dharmendra serenading the lovely Asha Parekh make for a heady mix.

However, what tugs at my heart is the effortless way in which Asha Parekh drives the Jeep used in the shooting for this song. When I was a teenager (around 15 or 16 years old), we had a Mahindra Jeep at home. The Mahindra Jeep model is an exact copy of the original Willys Jeep, except that it is a right-hand drive. I got my first lessons in driving on this very vehicle under my father (on an empty playground). It is a powerful vehicle with a three-speed gearbox and four-wheel drive. It’s tough to master – even a light tap on the accelerator sends it lunging forwards – but once you master it, the vehicle is a sheer pleasure.

Now it’s obviously difficult to act when driving a vehicle, especially as demanding as the Jeep. Doing so while driving a left-hand drive vehicle clad in a saree and all decked up would have posed a tough challenge, but Asha Parekh carries it off with élan.

The grace, poise and ease with which she negotiates the curves in the hills is a sight to behold. Therefore, watching the song gives me a different high every time, and I’m sure it will do so also for people like me who have relished driving the iconic Jeep.

#GoldenEra #Shikar #MohammedRafi #Dharmendra #Asha Parekh #Jeep