MARLEX TAILORS
1. Mukeshbhai makes his customers go from zero to hero.
2. Like Jeetendra who went bankrupt after his picture Deedar-E-Yaar flopped. He had zero balance. So Mukeshbhai supplied Jeetendra with t-shirts for his second innings — Jeetendra’s entry into South Indian films.
3. Or Sunil Shetty, who stood outside his father’s Udipi and needed new ganjis to show his physique. Raj Kapoor’s photographer was coming to shoot him, now Sunil Shetty was posing on the terrace of the building, hoping that this would be his break from modelling to acting.
4. Sunil Shetty’s father called Mukeshbhai unexpectedly, asking him to purchase every copy of the day’s newspaper so he could distribute them to all the Udipis. My son is becoming a hero. In The Times of India he got his first photo!
5. They were all Girgaum residents — Jeetendra stayed at Shyam Sadan right next to Marlex Tailors, Sunil Shetty’s father’s Udipi was across the road next to Central Talkies.
6. Jeetendra moved from Girgaum to Colaba to Pali Hill and Shyam Sadan has now gone for redevelopment.
7. But there is still Bipin, who’s been stitching clothes in Jeetendra’s style with Mukeshbhai ever since he saw Himmatwala picture in 1984. His red and white t-shirt is inspired by the ocean song in Hoshiyar that came out a year later.
8. Every year, Bipin goes to drop lord Ganpati at Jeetendra’s final residence in Juhu’s JVPD scheme.
9. And till 2022, Jeetendra too would come back to Girgaum to participate in Shyam Sadan’s Maha Ganpati, to meet Mukeshbhai and Bipin and his old neighbours from the building. This year Shyam Sadan was torn down and Jeetendra didn’t come from Juhu to Girgaum.
FROM ZERO TO HERO
230 Charni Road, Girgaum.
23rd October, 2023.
Supported by:
Photos & Video by Sunhil Sippy.
