By Subhash K. Jha
The death of master-arranger Anil Mohile has plunged his family into grief and his son Amar regrets he was not near his father during his last hours. Anil Mohile passed away on February 1. In his long career, he arranged music for 85 films, including Amitabh Bachchan starrers ‘Sharaabi’ and ‘Don’.
"We had no inkling that this was coming. My father was in good health. He went to sleep and he never woke up. When my mother called, I rushed over. We took him to the hospital. But the doctors said he was gone for a good five hours," said Amar, who himself is a composer.
"The good thing was he went painlessly. He had that peaceful look on his face. The smile never left him, even when he was alive," he added. Ironically, not too many people from the music and entertainment industry could make it to Anil Mohile's residence in Andheri after the tragedy.
"Lots of people have texted me. And some people have come to visit. But it was all so suddenly and we couldn't keep him at home after death, so...Father has been part of the music industry for so many years. He was a very positive and happy person. He generated a lot of goodwill in the industry."
Amar has scored music for Ram Gopal Varma's film and arranged music for blockbusters like ‘Singham’. "I started playing the piano when I was 15. In 1993, when I was 17, I accompanied my father to the US and Canada to play the keyboard on stage with Lataji (Lata Mangeshkar). It was a great beginning for my career. And my father was proud of me. In fact, Anandji (of the Anand-Milind composing duo) who came home after my father's demise, said my father was very proud of me.”
However, he added, “My only regret is that I wasn't here near him during his last hours.” Amar had moved out of the family home to a place nearby after his marriage. "But by the time I reached, it was over," he rued.