Lyricist Sameer has shared an interesting chapter from his early days in Mumbai, when a career in journalism briefly landed him in an uncomfortable exchange with actor Mithun Chakraborty. He spoke about the incident during a recent conversation. Let’s learn more about it in detail.
Struggling in Mumbai, Sameer Anjaan turned to journalism
Recalling his early struggles, Sameer Anjaan said, “I was born and brought up in Varanasi. When I came to Mumbai, I hired a room in a chawl in Malvani, Mumbai, for a rent of Rs. 15. I had to make ends meet. I had done MCom in Economics and Commerce. So, I started taking tuitions. Also, I had done a bit of journalism in Varanasi.” He approached a publication’s magazine, where the editor, a friend of his father Anjaan, agreed to publish his celebrity interviews every fortnight for Rs. 500 each. Sameer laughed, “Mujhe toh laga ki Rs. 5 crores mil raha hai.”
The awkward question that upset Mithun Chakraborty
After interviewing stars like Shakti Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman, Sameer Anjaan’s chat with Mithun Chakraborty took an uncomfortable turn when he brought up rumours of an affair with Ranjeeta. He recalled, “Unka dimaag kuch bahut kharab tha uss din. He retorted, ‘Kuch bhi sawaal karte ho’ (He was in a really bad mood that day. He retorted, ‘You ask the most random questions.’)”When Sameer insisted he’d only repeated what he’d heard, Mithun shot back, “Tum log suni-sunayi baaton pe humse kyun sawaal karte ho (Why do you question us based on hearsay)?” before adding, “Maine bhi suna hi ki tumhara Sridevi se affair chal raha hain (I’ve also heard that you’re having an affair with Sridevi)!”
A life lesson from the actor
Once Sameer Anjaan clarified himself, Mithun responded with advice rather than anger, telling him, “Dekho, beta, you are young. Ask only those questions that you know about. Rumours are very common in our industry (look, son, you’re young. Ask only questions that you know the answers to. Rumours are very common in our industry).”
More about Sameer Anjaan
He recently wrote the song ‘Marjana’, composed by Siddhaant Miishhraa and sung by B Praak
