‘People Said I Was A Bewaqoof’

‘Everything
in
life
is
about
timing.’
‘I
came
to
films
when
the
disco
craze
had
started.’
‘Everything
just
fell
into
place:
The
shorts,
the
slimness,
the
songs,
and
my
combination
with
Usha
Uthup
and
Bappi
Lahiri.’

It
was
the
time
to
disco
when

Kalpana
Iyer
burst
onto
the
Hindi
screen
in
the
early
1980s,
and
her
lightening-fast
moves
made
her
the
era’s
dancing
queen.

Still,
she
had
her
struggles.

Through
20
years
of
films
and
television,
followed
by
an
exile
in
Dubai
for
the
last
25
years,
she
has
faced
ups
and
downs
with
continuous
courage
and
grit.

Kalpana
may
not
own
the
lavish
material
possessions
of
today’s
stars
but
feels
she
has
the
satisfaction
of
being
her
own
person
and
learning
to
flower
wherever
she
is
potted.

“Dubai
weather
is
stunning
right
now
…
I
could
dance
all
night,”
she
says.

Kalpana
Iyer
tells



Rediff.com
Senior
Contributor

Dinesh
Raheja,
“If
I
didn’t
need
the
money,
I
would
have
just
been
a
typical
studious
girl
who
went
to
Bharata
natyam
classes.
But
that
is
not
how
it
was
meant
to
be
for
me.”

Many
people
feel
a
sense
of
disconnect
when
they
see
you
in
silk
saris
and
spectacles
today
because
they
remember
you
as
the
dare-bare
vamp
who
danced
like
a
livewire
onscreen
to
’80s
disco
numbers.

I
agree
with
the
‘dare’
label
but
about
the
‘bare’
part,
I
didn’t
have
much
choice.

The
reality
is
that
even
in
those
days
when
I
wore
hot
pants
for

jhatak-matak
dance
numbers,
I
was
always
seen
in
saris
otherwise.

I
even
compered
a
film
award
show
wearing
a
sari
and
tons
of

gajra
in
my
hair.

How
did
the
film
industry
react
to
this
dichotomy?

I
have
faced
name-calling
because
I
wore
saris:
p=People
would
call
me
‘behenji‘
to
‘maami‘
to
‘old-fashioned’.

So
which
was
the
real
Kalpana:
The
‘Chhodo
sanam‘
girl
or
the

behenji?

There
are
a
thousand
Kalpanas
(laughs).

Which
Kalpana
would
you
like
to
preserve?

My
mother’s
daughter,
I
want
to
be
that
Kalpana
only.

I
have
not
been
perfect
but
I
have
been
the
best
daughter
under
the
circumstances.

My
mother
can
look
from
up
there
and
say,
‘She’s
done
all
right.’

How
did
a
Tam-Brahm
girl
end
up
Miss
India
Runner
Up
1978?

It
started
when
someone
told
my
parents
about
a
beauty
contest
at
a
fair
in
Parel
(central
Mumbai)
and
suggested
that
I
participate
because
I
was
slim.

I
begged
and
borrowed
clothes
and
did
very
well.
Then
I
participated
in
the
Navy
Queen
contest,
the
Maaza
Princess
contest.
And
then
Miss
India.

Did
I
think
I
was
a
beauty
queen?
No.

Did
I
think
I
would
win
Miss
India?
No.

When
you
have
nothing
but
hope,
everything
is
a
try,
and
I
tried.
And
God
was
kind.

If
I
am
not
mistaken,
you
needed
the
money
then.
Right?

Yes.
If
I
didn’t
need
the
money,
I
would
have
just
been
a
typical
studious
girl
who
went
to
Bharata
Natyam
classes.

But
that
is
not
how
it
was
meant
to
be
for
me
(shrugs).

The

Manokaamnaa
(1980)
credits
read:
‘Introducing
Kalpana
Iyer’.
Raj
Kiran
romances
you
with
the
song

Tumhara
Pyar
Chahiye.
Did
you
originally
want
to
play
heroine?

Yes.
I
signed
my
first
film
as
a
heroine.

I
was
at
the
Miss
World
contest
when
my
mom
was
contacted
by
the
Rajshris
and
I
was
signed
for
their
film

Manokaamnaa
in
a
romantic
role
opposite
Raj
Kiran.

What
a
lovely
boy
he
was!

How
did
the
move
to
dancing
roles
happen?

I
had
no
specific
aspirations
that
I
would
act
only
as
a
heroine.
I
believed
in
accepting
the
work
that
came
my
way.

In
December
1979,
I
started
shooting
for

Manokaamnaa
and
immediately
started
getting
other
film
offers.

I
had
the
guts
to
say
yes
to
Dev
Anand

saab
for
just
a
dance
in

Lootmaar
(1980).

People
said
I
was
a

eewaqoof.
How
can
you
do
a
dance
number
when
you
are
simultaneously
shooting
as
a
heroine?
But
I
never
planned
anything.

My

Lootmaar
costume
was
from
Bada
Sahab,
designed
by
Dev

saab.

I
was
not
even
the
actress
who
was
singing

Jab
Chhaye
Mera
Jadoo
—
she
was
the
late
Simple
Kapadia.
I
come
leaping
out
of
the
side
in
my
red
shorts…

…And
leapt
to
fame.

I
signed
seven
more
films
at
the

Lootmaar
shoot
at
Mehboob
Studio!

On
the
very
first
day
of
Devsaab‘s
shoot,
his
brother
Chetan
Anandsaab
came
to
see
me
and
I
signed

Kudrat
(for
the
song
Chhodo
Sanam).

On
that
same
set,
I
signed

Pyaara
Dushman
(for
the
song
Hari
Om
Hari),

Mumbai
Ka
Maharaja
and

Saajan
Ki
Saheli.

Why
do
you
think
your
career
gained
traction
so
quickly?

I
got
so
many
dances
because
at
that
point
of
time,
Helenji
was
saying
bye-bye.

She
was
doing
her
last
song

Yeh
Mera
Dil
(Don)
when
I
was
doing
my
first
song

Jab
Chhaye
Mera
Jadoo.

What
is
your
estimation
of
Helen
as
a
dancer?

For
me,
she
was
the
benchmark
for
all
things
dancing.
She
was
for
my
inspiration.

I
made
my
first
earnings
of
Rs
75
for
dancing
to
her
song

Mera
Naam
Chin
Chin
Chu.

I
used
to
dance
to
assorted
hit
songs
like

Jhumka
Gira
Re
or

Parde
Mein
Rehne
Do
at
Ganpati
and
Dusshehra
shows.

Were
you
trained
in
dancing?

No,
not
at
all.

So
how
did
you
become
the
disco
queen?

I
got
signed
because
I
used
to
be
quick.
I
would
finish
a
song
in
one-and-a-half
shift.

Most
of
my
songs
were
shot
at
the
discotheque
called
Cleo
in
the
Ceaser’s
Palace
hotel
in
Khar
(north
west
Mumbai).

If
it
was
a
7
am
shift,
I
was
ready
to
shoot
at
7
am.
I
would
do
my
makeup
in
my
car
between
shoots.

Everything
in
life
is
about
timing.
I
came
to
films
when
the
disco
craze
had
started
and

Saturday
Night
Fever
was
a
huge
hit.

Everything
just
fell
into
place:
the
shorts,
the
slimness,
the
songs,
and
my
combination
with
Usha
Uthup
and
Bappi
Lahiri.

For
me,
Usha
and
Bappida
are
on
one
side,
and
all
my
dance
directors
and
producers
on
the
other.

I’m
totally
indebted
to
the
two.
I
carry
wonderful
memories
of
them.