Vijay Arora

QAMYAB – THE FORGOTTEN GEMS OF BOLLYWOOD

Qamyab is our humble tribute to all those lesser-known actors, one hit wonders and junior artists who we see umpteen times but don’t know about; beyond their faces. These actors have been an integral part of Bollywood but didn’t get their due. This series is our sincere attempt to put a name to these faces, familiarize them to our readers and celebrate their achievements in life – however big or small. We believe that every artist contributes in his/her own way to the cinema’s success. Qamyab will explore the unknown lives of such actors and artists as we believe even these forgotten gems of Bollywood deserve their due recognition today.

Some actors in Bollywood achieved instant stardom but weren’t able to retain the success for long due to various reasons. Some signed wrong films while others grew too pricey and lost out on plum offers. Our forgotten gem for today, also enjoyed a short spell of stardom and at one time, was compared to reigning superstar Rajesh Khanna, who it is said was feeling insecure about him. He is none other than Vijay Arora.

Born on 27th December, 1944 in Amritsar, Punjab of British India, Vijay Arora belonged to a well to do Punjabi family. After completing graduation in his home town, Vijay joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and completed his acting course.

With an innocent face and handsome looks, Vijay was equally talented as an actor and won the Gold Medal from FTII in 1971. Equipped with the degree, he travelled to Bombay (now Mumbai) to start his struggle in Bollywood.

Around that time, noted producer- director B.R. Ishaara was planning a movie called Zaroorat, which was based on the bold subject of sexual favours. Ishaara met Vijay Arora in a studio and was instantly impressed with his innocent face, which he wanted in his hero.

Thus, Vijay debuted in 1972 with Zaroorat along with fellow debutant heroine Reena Roy. The film became controversial due to its bold theme and the heroine’s semi-nude scene. Zaroorat was a modest success at the box office. Vijay’s performance was appreciated by critics and audience, alike.

Quite naturally, more offers followed and Vijay’s next notable release was Rakhi Aur Hathkadi (1972), in which he was paired opposite then reigning superstar Asha Parekh. Unfortunately, the film didn’t do well at the ticket windows. In 1972, Vijay also appeared in the legendary Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s lesser known Sabse Bada Sukh and Satyen Bose’s Mere Bhaiya but both these films went unnoticed at the box office.

Actually, Vijay Arora’s career best was to happen in 1973 when Nasir Husain’s Yaadon Ki Baaraat released in theatres. Not many know that Jeetendra was initially approached for Vijay’s role but he turned it down. Finally, the role landed in Vijay’s lap and made him an overnight heartthrob of young girls. He was labelled the new chocolate hero of Bollywood after Rajesh Khanna. Indeed, Vijay Arora left his mark in Yaadon Ki Baaraat romancing the beautiful Zeenat Aman and humming some immortal songs composed by R.D. Burman. He held his own before superstar Dharmendra as well as newcomer Tariq, who played his onscreen brothers.

Vijay Arora signed Phagun (1973) opposite Jaya Bhaduri while shooting Yaadon Ki Baaraat and that became his next anticipated release. Unfortunately, it bombed badly at the box office. More flops like Ek Mutthi Aasman with Radha Saluja and Insaaf (both 1973) with Tanuja as his heroine, followed.

In 1974, Vijay Arora appeared in the successful thriller 36 Ghante but wasn’t able to get any credit for this multistarrer as the focus was on Raj Kumar in the lead and Sunil Dutt in a dashing negative role. Even a relative newcomer like Danny got more appreciation than Vijay for this movie.

Vijay was obviously not happy with the way his career was progressing. He was not able to make any mark after Yaadon Ki Baaraat. His special appearance in Manmohan Desai’s hit Roti (1974) again, didn’t help his fledgling career. His next few releases like Naatak (1975) opposite Maushmi Chatterjee and Jeevan Jyoti (1976) opposite Bindiya Goswami also bit the dust. His long-delayed Basu Bhattacharya directed Anand Mahal with Sarika as his heroine, found difficulty to get a decent release in 1977. Jeevan Jyoti remains Vijay Arora’s last film as the lead hero.

From 1978 onwards, Vijay got relegated to second hero or supporting roles only in Bollywood. He appeared in films like Safed Haathi (1978), Dil Aur Deewar (1978) and Sargam (1979). His notable role albeit short one, was in Subhash Ghai’s Gautam Govinda (1979) where he played a docile postman singing the popular song ‘Ek rooth aaye, ek rooth jaaye’.