Did you know how
Buddhadeb Dasgupta came up with the title of his unreleased film with
Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa? In an interview to us, the veteran filmmaker had confessed, "It could well have been Kamal Ka Ajab Kissa. It could have been anyone’s kissa. But I have a special connect with Anwar. Shamsher Anwar was my friend. We used to spend a lot of time together. He was an eminent poet.
We started writing around the same time. But Shamsher, at one point of time, thought he wasn’t contributing much and got very upset. I tried pulling him out of that state. Creativity makes you very difficult. I know I too can get very difficult at times. Having lost his mental balance, Anwar tried to commit suicide. No, he didn’t die. For one month, he was lying like a log on the hospital bed. I would sit by his bedside and the doctors gave up hope. We lost him eventually. But I’m still very fond of the name. Whenever I hear Anwar, I look around, there’s a happy feeling inside me. Even Nawaz wanted to know, why Anwar? I said why not? If you try to associate the name with a religion, you’ll end up inviting trouble. It has no religious connotation. It’s just that there was a man called Anwar whom I knew and loved and the affinity stayed with me. Plus, the name Anw-a-a-a-r also has a lyrical quality."