Since I have read about this book on Yves blog, I’ ve wanted to buy it. My sudden trip to Bombay (also the reason for my rather irregular presence in the blogosphere) helped me to get hold it. Thanks Yves for the tip. And I know this is not going to make Yves jealous, but rather happy that a fellow-fan has managed to get hold of this.
Forgot to write that the book is Nutan’s biography by Lalitha Tamhane in Marathi. The title is: Asen Mi… Nasen Mi… (I may be there… or may not be…)
Also got this book: Hansa Wadkar’s autobiography: Sangte Aaikaa (Listen… !), which is also by the way the name of her last film. Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika is based on this book.
Looking forward to read both! The question is: when?
Harveypam's Blog 
ava
July 30, 2011 at 5:12 am
I never did see Bhumika. Am a huge fan of Shyam Benegal. Cant read Marathi. Finding time to read books a big issue with me too. 😦
harveypam
July 30, 2011 at 6:28 am
I saw Bhumika ages ago on DD and was very much impressed, all my attempts to see it again since then have been futile. It is available on you tube though! Do watch it!
I learnt Marathi in school in Bombay and was not bad in it, what with having Marathi friends and lots of exposure to Marathi films and theatre, but yesterday, when I started reading Hansa Wadkar’s autobiography, found many words, which I couldn’t understand. I found myself asking my mother what certain words meant. Quite a passionate lady, this Hansa!
dustedoff
July 30, 2011 at 4:46 pm
You know, I already had that thing going through my head of “so many films to watch, so little time”, and swiftly being added to that is the “so many about-film books to read, so little time”. Just the other day, I saw the Script of Pyaasa in a bookstore and was sorely tempted to buy it… but realised I had to either do my own work, or watch movies, or finish reading all the books I already have stacked at home!
Looking forward to hearing all about this when you’ve finished reading. 🙂
harveypam
August 1, 2011 at 6:43 am
How true, how true!
I do hope I can read it some time soon. The pleasure of making Yves jealous is such short-lived! ;-). I need the pleasure of reading the book to replace it soon!
The list of of ‘want-to-do’ list just grows like Hanuman’s tail!
Books-to-read, films-to-watch, music-albums-to-listen, people-to-meet, friends-to-invite, places-to-go… ! Never ending! At the end, the most simple list is the to-buy list! For that one just needs money 😉
Sonn after I start reading, I will supply you with juicy tidbits. Looking forward to that by Hansa Wadkar
yves
July 30, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Hello Harvey,
Right on target! I’m green with envy. Congratulations anyway on actually having bought it! If only I could read it! I do hope you can read it quick so you are able to make a little summary of the most interesting things. I was told the book was in marathi, but the script on the cover is devanagari: does this mean it’s a translation into hindi, or does marathi use the same script?
What I’d love you to tell us (it seems I’m not the only one interested, so the list might get a little long!) is what the book says about her childhood, the relations with her parents, which friends she had, what she dreamed of becoming when growing up, what she loved doing when a girl. Also I’d love to hear about what she felt upon beginning her film career, who she preferred working with, and why, what this meant to her in terms of starting a family, or having to postpone this. Was she led forcefully to that marriage of hers, of did she choose on her own? And about Rajneesh Behl: does the book speak about his character, his origins, his family, what Nutan felt about him, how they met, etc.? Well, I’ll stop there, but if you do start, perhaps you can distil the info little by little, as you find it informative!
Thanks anyway for letting me know. And don’t you think that picture on the cover isn’t very well chosen?
cheers
yves
harveypam
August 1, 2011 at 7:09 am
To read, that you have really turned green with envy, naturally increases my pleasure of buying the book! 😉
The book is in fact in Marathi and Marathi is written in Devanagari.
I will try to find answers to your questions. But one thing is for sure, no one forced her into the marriage, since it was a love marriage. What I had heard was that her mother was not really very happy with the association and according to the article scan at Bollywooddeewana’s blog, she had even made the defence minister go through Mr. Behl’s files to see if he had proper conduct.
Knowing Nutan as one does, I think she wouldn’t say anything against him. Going through the book. I found some lines written by her, which might summarise her look at her marriage:
God manifests himself as Love in every heart, and only Love sustains a relationship. Love is the only Truth – Stick to it – always! OM
yves
August 1, 2011 at 11:59 am
Hi Harvey,
So… The book contains things which Nutan said (not a big surprise, I suppose, but somehow I wasn’t quite prepared) – this line about Love, do you think she wrote that down somewhere, or was it told the biographer? I don’t know whether you can ascertain that! Nor will you able to answer all my queries, I suppose!! Is this “OM” the religious word of hinduism?
(And I had forgotten that element of Mrs Samarth’s investigative assurances!)
cheers
harveypam
August 1, 2011 at 6:08 pm
She wrote it on the eve of the author’s marriage for her.
Om is the sound of the divine, and used to symbolise God, since God doesn’t have a form in advaita Hinduism.
BTW, I agree with you that they could have used a better photo for the cover of which they have plenty inside.
seema patwardhan
July 12, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Hallo the use of this photo says a lot about the whole biography and hence very aptly used!
harveypam
July 19, 2015 at 5:13 pm
In that way, yes, it is surely a very sad biography.
seema patwardhan
August 3, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Yes sadly it is.Even though one doesnt like to think that way..I mean the greatness lies precisely there.she gave us and keeps giving us all immense joy despite this gloomy background.There’s a sentence in the book by Gautam Rajadhyaksha,which i am translating.You have the original so you can check out.’if you read in between the lines one can see the cast shadows of a life spent in the glare of arc lights ‘.Living a life of only agony,she distributed joy through her art all her life.
harveypam
August 3, 2015 at 11:02 pm
Very true!
Her Art gave her the strength to see her through life!
yves
July 20, 2015 at 10:30 am
Seema, you don’t say why the photo is so aptly used? What is the connection with Nutan’s biography which makes is so well chosen?
sunheriyaadein
August 1, 2011 at 8:46 pm
If only I knew Marathi, I would have bought the book and read it right away 😦 I’m wondering if I should add that to the list of things to do as well – learn Marathi 😉
harveypam
August 2, 2011 at 5:11 am
Marathi is good if you know it! 😉
And there are so many Marathi-speaking people in Hyderabad, learning it shouldn’t be a problem! Kaun sa course join kar rahi ho?
sunheriyaadein
August 5, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Yeah, there are lots of Marathi-speaking people in Hyderabad. My ex-manager was a Marathi. His 3 years old daughter knew only Marathi then. She used to speak to me in Marathi and I used to reply back in Nepali. And we used to converse and play together for hours! If only I had known about this book back then, I would have made an extra effort to learn the language 😀
harveypam
August 6, 2011 at 8:05 am
Yeah, children understand all languages! It is always fun to play with them and let us be infected by their innocence and charm. I know that sound snow thickly laid, but it is true and is also true that they can get on one’s nerves! 😉
pacifist
August 2, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Oh you are doubly lucky, harvey. For having the book *and* being able to read in marathi.
Like others I too am waiting for information about its contents.
Now your burden is gradually getting heavier 😉
harveypam
August 3, 2011 at 6:57 am
Now, I don’t know if I am feeling that lucky! 😉
But sure I’ll keep my readers updated. 😉
Heavier the burden, better the karma! 😀
Niaz rahim
September 2, 2013 at 2:12 am
Is Aasen Mi Nasen Mi available in English (biography of actress Nutan Behl)
harveypam
September 4, 2013 at 10:30 am
As far as I know, it is not available in English.
But maybe you can write to the author at
lalitatamhane (a) hotmail . com
lalitatamhane (a) gmail . com
and ask her.
Wish you luck, Niaz!
yves
October 1, 2013 at 11:41 pm
Harvey, I have an English version (as of last week), which Anu Warrier has managed to get for me!!! :-)))
If you want it too, I can send it to you, but perhaps I’d need to ask the translator. Just let me know.
Cheers,
yves
harveypam
October 4, 2013 at 11:02 pm
That is so nice of you, Yves!
But am okay with the Marathi version. In fact, I’m quite disappointed with the biography. It was too shallow for my taste.
But appreciate your offer very much! Thank you very much!
yves
October 4, 2013 at 11:31 pm
Well, I suppose you’re right, it is rather shallow in some ways. Still, it does contain some elements which I had not been made familiar with, details mind you, nothing centrally important. While I’m talking about Nutan, BTW, do you know how she came to marry her husband? The biography does seem to imply she wasn’t really pleased with the match: was it arranged?
harveypam
October 5, 2013 at 2:27 pm
Nutan does say it was a love marriage, it surely wasn’t arranged. What he being from a different community and all. I don’t know if it is mentioned in the biography, but she never failed to mention in her different interviews that it was a love marriage, but she never revealed, where she met him and how.
Nutan was very secretive about such things. Can’t really blame her for that. Even if she wanted, her husband wouldn’t have allowed it. Moreover she belonged to the old school, where there was no kiss and tell.
If we want to know more about their courtship, we can only hope some of her relatives spill the beans. 😉
yves
October 5, 2013 at 6:36 pm
Yes, but of course, I wouldn’t go as far as hope for that! After all, if a person wishes for some intimacy, especially an exposed person such as she was, the least you can do is respect that. In the biography there is a passage where Chatura (her younger sister) hears her call her husband “darling” and gets angry because until the marriage, she had appropriated this term for herself only.
To the author, she declared: “Don’t ever ask me how was my marriage fixed, when and how did I meet my husband for the first time, how did we decide to get married. I myself will never ever tell that to anyone.”
harveypam
October 6, 2013 at 11:17 am
“To the author, she declared: “Don’t ever ask me how was my marriage fixed, when and how did I meet my husband for the first time, how did we decide to get married. I myself will never ever tell that to anyone.””
Really? That is very cryptic, isn’t it?
Poor thing, her life didn’t seem to be a very happy one.
Bless her!
And bless Anu for getting you that English version. I didn’t know that one existed.
seema patwardhan
July 12, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Shobhana samarth did arrange to check on his record and says it was Impeccable.Lalita Tamhane says clearly in her interview that Nutan fell in love with Rajneesh Bahl.she had a fascination for men in uniforms(stardust interview).But Shobhana samarth had also added that no one knows what happened in Kochin after they were married, leaving us to guess.Nutan may be superstitious regarding these private things or wanted to hide something or plainly defending her very private side.But the marriage was not a happy one thats for sure!
harveypam
July 19, 2015 at 5:15 pm
Yes, I remember that interview as well, she did talk about her fascination for men in uniforms. About Nutan, not wanting to talk about it is very understandable; she wanted to guard her privacy.
seema patwardhan
August 3, 2015 at 2:36 pm
I am quite blunt when it comes to facts.SBasu keeps putting words in other people’s mouth.Check the cineplot interview of Rajnish Bahl,his quote is completely concocted by Rajneesh s Basu!!!Dont mind I dont spare people when they twist and take illegal liberties.I love and respect her too much ,so will fiercely protect every twist in my way!wherever possible of course!
Sbasu
August 27, 2014 at 7:35 pm
In fact if you see Rajnish Behl’s interview after Nutan’s death, he too implies it was love marriage. He too refuses to say it all. Saying ‘I am not going to tell stories of our courtship and other things. It is a private matter between us two.’
Though at certain times it does look that they weren’t too happy, but that was again between them, and we must respect their privacy, both not being there.
But at least, most of the time, she wasn’t too unhappy. Though I might be wrong. Certain frictions are bound to happen after some 30 years together. But that can’t be called unhappy life.
And in the society, with the wife being the famous Nutan, and husband a more of Mr Nutan, there are bound to be just a bit of friction (Abhimaan. Amitabh Jaya movie), at least in Indian Society. So there could have been some. But I would love to believe it wasn’t that bad.
(There is one eye witness to it though, Mr Behl Junior).
But I hope, for his parent’s memory’s sake he doesn’t bring out a tell all book, at least one negative to either. He too is fortunately a private person, and hasn’t tried to cash in,.
She wanted her private life to be private, let us honour her. We can only be unhappy if we come to know she was. Though quite happy if she wasn’t.
seema patwardhan
August 3, 2015 at 2:48 pm
I agree that the book by Lalita Tamhane is no ‘Bible’one should go by,but her close friend Gautam Rajadhyaksha’s preface gives the book the much required credibility.He states that there is no other book which lets us see her from such close quarters.Yes,as a biography its disappointing and superficial,but did you note the author says its only a collection of memoirs and not a biography,because she admits that she cant remain objective while writing about it and there are so many facets of her life ,and if one writes about them then there is the risk of hurting the sentiments of the family.so writing about only selective parts to safeguard the interests of the near and dear ones wont make it a proper biography hence…!And she has refrained from being judgemental.yet tries to convey things when she says things like ‘Nutan didnt feel bad when the film flopped,because it was not her ambition to be an actress’etc.
none
October 1, 2015 at 2:56 pm
Whether it’s Nutan or any other celebrity,nobody should twist facts and take undue liberties and try to project oneself as an authority,by inserting one’s own bizarre interpretations!!Whether celebrity or noncelebrity everyone likes to hide the unpleasant parts of their private or family life..!!I would very much like it if Mr S Basu proves which source did he use to quote Mr. Rajnish Bahl,most likely its him imagining Rajneesh Bahl saying that!!!and what irks me is he tries to sound authoritative!!(ref-Nutan Cradle article!!!)
seema patwardhan
October 1, 2015 at 2:58 pm
the above comment is by me