Navin Nischol died as suddenly as his stardom was snatched away from him. One day, he had it all; the next day, nothing. His first film, Sawan Bhadow in 1970, directed by Mohan Segal, was a runaway hit. His song Kaan Mein Jhumka, Chaal Mein Thumka, which he sang to another debutante, Rekha, in Sawan Bhadow, became equally popular.
A String Of Hits Followed
Success continued with films like Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Buddha Mil Gaya (remember Navin singing Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi), Victoria No. 203 (Tu Na Milegi Toh Hum Jogi Ban Jayenge), Hanste Zakhm (Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho), and Dharma (Na Satrah Se Oopar). In Parwana (1971), Navin played the hero, while Amitabh Bachchan played the villain.
The Sudden Downfall
Then came the sudden slump. Navin Nischol passed away on 19 March 2011. The late Rishi Kapoor recalled running into Navin at the Otters Club in Mumbai the night before his sudden death. The next morning, Navin was supposed to drive with producer Gurdeep Singh (Gawa) and Rishi’s brother, Randhir Kapoor, to Pune. Before they could reach Randhir’s house, Navin asked Gawa to lower the AC in the car. Then he just slumped and died.
A Premonition Of Death
Navin’s brother, Praveen, shared that Navin seemed to have a premonition of his death. “For the first time, before he left the house to go to Pune, he said goodbye to all of us individually — our mother, my adopted son, even our brother who stays abroad. Navin said, ‘Okay, bye,’ to all of us one by one. Usually, he’d just leave after announcing loudly that he was going.”
Personal Setbacks & Recovery
Navin had gone through a rough patch a few years before his death when his wife took him to court for abuse. This was the actor’s first and only unsavoury public scandal, and it left him hurt. However, Praveen said Navin had overcome it. “It was an unfortunate episode, yes. But Navin and our family managed to tide over the crisis. Navin was very happy in his last years. He lived with me and my mother and had good friends with whom he spent much of his time. He was content and at peace with himself. But he didn’t look after his health. Not that he had any major problems, but after a certain age, you need to get regular check-ups done. He never did. And he was a smoker. It was always ‘next week’ when he planned to give it up.”
Career Mistakes That Cost Him Stardom
What went wrong with Navin Nischol’s spectacular career after a headstart in Sawan Bhadow? As a nervous newcomer before the release of Sawan Bhadow, Navin signed six films that were not the right projects to move his career forward. People advised him to break the contract, but Navin, being a gentleman and a man of his word, decided to go ahead with those films, thinking he would be able to live them down. Unfortunately, they brought him down.
Opportunities Lost Due To Humility
Known for never seeking work, Navin let go of opportunities that could have catapulted him to the big league. He could never bring himself to ask for work from anyone, reasoning, “If they want me, they’ll ask me.” He even turned down plum assignments like Shashi Kapoor’s roles in Yash Chopra’s Deewaar and Manoj Kumar’s Roti Kapda Aur Makaan. Even after years, when he made a mark in Khosla Ka Ghosla, he didn’t seek work. He waited.
Memories From Friends & Co-stars
Praveen, a producer of long-standing repute, had launched a film Jaan Se Pyara with Navin in the lead. Unfortunately, the film was shelved. Shabana Azmi, who worked with Navin in one of their most gentle and soulful films, Ek Baar Kaho (1980), recalled Navin reminiscing about his overnight stardom and the cruelty with which it was snatched away. Failure made Navin bitter at times, sometimes philosophical, but he eventually came to terms with it and moved on.
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