It was not only Sholay released on August 15, 1975, which created history. Jai Santoshi Maa, directed by Vijay Sharma, made at a budget of Rs 40 lakhs, grossed over Rs 5 crores at the box office. It is a very important film for giving to the nation a new God to worship.
In the year of Sholay, Jai Santoshi Maa, a tacky low-budget mythological with farcical special effects, swept the collective consciousness of North Indian middle-class women. Viewing the film became a form of pooja and pilgrimage. Anita Guha, who played Santoshi Maa (plastic halo and all), was seen as a real-life goddess. No pauranik katha on screen has ever made such an impact before or after.
Anita Guha, who rose to the level of national mystification after playing Santoshi Maa in the 1975 film, recalled a tryst with fame in an old throwback interview with me.
“People have forgotten my real name,” she chuckled. “Iss baat ki taqleef hoti thi. Lekin ab achcha lagta hai. People would be scared of approaching me, thinking I was a real goddess. That didn’t seem right. I’m, after all, a mere mortal. I remember how embarrassing it would be when elderly ladies would come and sit at my feet. That was painful. Even today, when I go out on the roads, they call me Santoshi Maa. Even kids call me by that name. I guess my image of the Goddess lingers. I can’t complain. Our Hindu religion and its mythology are ideals that we must uphold. I’m glad to have given the country a new goddess to worship. Today’s generation must know about Santoshi Maa. In fact, I want mythological films to be revived.”
Director Vijay Sharma’s Jai Santoshi Maa was released during the same year and on the same day (August 15) as Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay.
“Our film was made on a shoe-string budget,” recalls Anita. “It was just some lakhs. I still remember when the producer came to me saying they were making a film on Santoshi Maa. I had never heard of this goddess. The producer explained who the goddess was, and that they wanted to make a mix of a social and a mythological film. Since I was known for being part of both kinds of films, I readily agreed. They told me I was a guest artiste in Jai Santoshi Maa. I had to give dates only for 10-12 days. The footage shot was interspersed throughout the film. The film started, got stalled, we thought it wouldn’t be completed. Then the producer, who loves me a lot, came back and we revived the project. The rest is history.”
Anita Guha had done a large number of mythological films before Jai Santoshi Maa. “My role as Sita in Sampoorna Ramayan was a big hit. But before mythologicals, I was known for doing socials like Sanjog, which had Madan Mohan Saab and Lataji’s immortal melodies like Woh Bhooli Dastaan Lo Phir Yaad Aa Gayi. But after Sampoorna Ramayan I was labeled a mythological heroine. I wasn’t too happy with that. But I had no choice. Then the mythologicals stopped. I stopped working. Then I came back in mothers’ roles with Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana. That’s where I first put grey in my hair. Then Sharmilee, Anurag, Anand Ashram… lots more. It’s strange, but people don’t recognize my colleagues. But they haven’t forgotten me… I don’t like being called Santoshi Maa, though I’m a god-fearing woman.”
In the beginning of this millennium, work ceased for Anita Guha. After her husband, actor Manik Dutt’s death, she lived all alone in Mumbai. “I’m tired and I don’t feel like working. Today, when you talked to me, woh bhooli dastaan phir yaad aa gayi. I’ve no children. But I don’t feel bad about it. All the children of my relatives are like my own. And when people point at me and call me Santoshi Maa, I feel the whole world is my family. Yes, I do have friends in the film industry, like Mala Sinha, Helen, and Salman Khan’s parents. I keep going to Kolkata to meet friends and relatives. Iss terah se time pass ho jata hai.”
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