Long before Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic Om Shanti Om title track brought together dozens of Bollywood stars, it was filmmaker Manmohan Desai who first pulled off the grand stunt. For his 1981 blockbuster Naseeb, he conceptualised the legendary song "John Jaani Janardhan", featuring a galaxy of stars including Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Rakesh Roshan, Vijay Arora, Waheeda Rehman, Sharmila Tagore, Mala Sinha, Bindu, Simi Garewal, Simple Kapadia, and Prema Narayan. The star-studded song was shot at RK Studios over the course of a week. In a conversation with Manju Ramanan Talks, Manmohan Desai’s son, Ketan Desai—then just 17—recalled being handed the enormous responsibility of organising the shoot. Ketan revealed how the idea was born: “My father was chatting with his writers when someone asked him why he always seemed nervous despite back-to-back hits. He said, ‘You’re still celebrating success, while I’m thinking how to raise the bar.’ When asked what could possibly be bigger than directing a multi-starrer, he suddenly replied, ‘What if we bring the entire industry together in one scene?’ Since Amitabh Bachchan was already playing a waiter in the song, he imagined a setting where all the stars gathered at a party, while Amitabh served them.” The concept sounded impossible to a teenage Ketan Desai. “I panicked and told my father, ‘It’s easy to say, but how do we pull this off?’ He looked at me and asked, ‘Are you satisfied with your pay?’ When I said yes, he simply told me to get it done. While he personally spoke to the bigger stars, I coordinated with the others, arranged costumes, and managed the logistics.” ALSO READ | India’s richest actress hasn’t done a film in 2 years; earned Rs 3,190 cr in one year, has a mammoth Rs 7,790 crore empire The arrangements were elaborate. “Because RK Studios had limited makeup rooms, we constructed additional spaces, even toilets. Outside, we created a festive mela with kebabs, vegetarian and non-vegetarian stalls, and chaat counters—something new every day. Raj Kapoor said: 'Manmohan mujhe roz mela chahiye (I want a fair-like atmosphere). Raj Kapoor played a critical role in the making of song and he assured my father, ‘Don’t worry, I will handle the actors.’” Manmohan Desai even asked lyricist Anand Bakshi to tailor lines for specific stars. “For Dharmendra, the quintessential tough hero, a special line was written to highlight his persona,” Ketan recalled. The camaraderie among actors was palpable—Randhir Kapoor jokingly remarked, “We are the highest paid junior artistes ever! All this while, we played the leads, and now we have become extras.” To which Raj Kapoor wisely replied, “In cinema, whether you’re the lead or a junior artiste, you are all part of the film.” Raj Kapoor played a vital role in ensuring discipline on set. “He managed timings for all actors. Every day, he would sit with my dad and ask him the actors he would need for the next day's shoot and he would personally inform them about their timings with a warning that they can't be late. He would arrive first every day, and because he was the most senior, no one dared to be late. After each day’s shoot, he would also give my father feedback,” Ketan said. The gamble paid off. The song sung by Mohammed Rafi became an iconic moment in Hindi cinema, and Naseeb went on to become a massive box-office success.
