25 years after she was murdered, the killers of actress Priya Rajvansh remain free and unpunished. Priya, known to act exclusively in director Chetan Anand’s films, was in a long-term relationship with the director. Allegedly Chetan Anand’s family disapproved of his relationship vehemently.
Filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi, who was planning a bio-pic on Priya before her death, said she had a profound interest in Priya’s saga as somewhere, they shared remarkable similarities. Like Priya, who shared a mentor-muse relationship with Chetan, Kalpana too was in a relationship with a much older man, musician Bhupen Hazarika, for 40 years.
Kalpana was horrified by the circumstances of Priya’s death. “Many years have passed since Priya was murdered. I can’t get over the brutality of it. What was her fault? That she was so devoted to the man she loved and continued to visit his home even after he passed away at exactly the same time that she visited him every evening when he was alive?
An intense and unbreakable love of this sort was shattered by jealous, possessive, money-minded people who decided to finish her off.”
A celebrated actress says, “Everyone knows who killed Priya Rajvansh. And yet the killers are at large.”
The lovely actress Priya Rajvansh who shared a very deep relationship with filmmaker Chetan Anand for 38 years was murdered on 27 March 2000. In her entire career, she did only seven films and all directed by her mentor, guide, beloved Chetan Anand.
Priya, who spent her early days in London, was invited by Chetan Anand to come to Mumbai after he saw her picture. Apparently, the filmmaker’s wife Uma showed Chetan the pictures of Priya Rajvansh. The minute he saw her snapshots he decided she would play Heer in Heer Ranjha. But before that, Chetan cast her in the war film Haqeeqat where she got to sing Madan Mohan and Lataji’s most precious melody Zara si aahat hoti hai toh dil sochta hai. Another masterly melody Khelo na mere dil se by Lataji filmed on Priya didn’t make it to the screen. Priya was furious.
She rightly attributed a major part of her success to the songs composed by Madan Mohan and sung by Lata Mangeshkar: Milo na tum toh hum ghabrayen and Do dil toote in Heer Ranjha, Aaj socha toh aansoon bhar aaye, Betaab dil ki tamanna yehi hai andTum jo mil gaye ho in Hanste Zakhm, Hai tere saath meri wafaa and Duniya banaane wale in Hindustan Ki Kasam, Mushqil hai jeena bedardon ki duniya mein in Sahib Bahadur.
Never a part of mainstream Bollywood, Priya remained a recluse, utterly devoted to Chetan Anand until his death. The property disputes that followed were ugly and they finally took her life.
There is a beautiful love song by Lataji that has nothing to do with Chetan Anand and everything to do with him.
The song Saare rishte naate tod ke aa gayee ley main tere vaaste sab chhor ke aa gayee from Raj Kumar Kohli’s Jaani Dushman describes to perfection the 38-year relationship between Chetan Anand and his muse and soul mate Priya Rajvansh who left her life in London behind to join Chetan Anand in Mumbai and never looked back.
The late and much-missed Kalpana Lajmi, who was planning a film on the Chetan- Priya relationship described their atoot bandhan. “He had seen her pictures and asked her to fly down from London so that he could audition her. Priya never went back.”
Many years have passed since Priya was murdered. One can’t get over the brutality of it. What was her fault? That she was so devoted to the man she loved and continued to visit his home even after he passed away at exactly the same time that she visited him every evening when he was alive? An intense and unbreakable love of this sort was shattered by jealous, possessive, money-minded people who decided to finish her off.
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The Chetan-Priya collaboration yielded such timeless classics as Haqeeqat (1964), Heer Ranjha (1970), Hanste Zakhm (1973) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1973).
Said Kalpana, “They were inseparable. But of course, some people close to Chetan Anand thought otherwise.”
Once Dev Anand and I were talking about his elder brother Chetan when he suddenly said, “You know Chetan was far more gifted a filmmaker than me and our brother Vijay Anand. His first directorial Neecha Nagar impressed the Western world. Do you know Chetan was to direct Guide. But he wanted Priya for Rosy’s role.”
Dev Anand offered Guide to Chetan Anand without Priya Rajvansh. Chetan opted out.
