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Sharmila remembers Hrishikesh Mukherjee
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Mumbai, Sep 3 (IANS) Sharmila Tagore, one of the most versatile actresses of yesteryears, who teamed up with legendary director Hrishikesh Mukherjee for three films - "Anupama", "Satyakam" and "Chupke Chupke" - remembers him as a filmmaker with an extraordinary talent.

She also feels that he was not only good-natured but fun loving too. "Hrishi-da was a very friendly person. Never talked down to anyone, never pompous, always joking, always playing chess with his cronies. It was a continuous picnic on his sets.

"His films had wonderful music. His cinema was always grounded to reality - 'Anupama', 'Satyakam' and 'Chupke Chupke' were my films with him. Even when we did very serious work, but off-camera we were always joking," Sharmila told IANS.

She says the director used to always do his homework before going on the sets.
   

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"Because he was such a great technician, he never wasted time or raw stock. In fact, when working with Hrishi-da one always packed up ahead of schedule. Hrishi-da was surrounded by a very capable team."

One of the best qualities of the director was that he dealt with all artists on equal terms. "He wasn't partial to any one actor. I remember, when we were shooting for 'Satyakam' there was a problem with the public on location. Hrishi-da was protective not just of the main actors but the entire unit.

"He was a very simple man, not given to power games or accumulating wealth. Today, even the greatest artists are guided by monetary impulses. For Hrishi-da, relationships mattered the most.

"His interests went much beyond films. There was so much to learn from him."

However, Sharmila says some of the director's jokes were quite unbecoming of him. "I'd say, 'Hrishi-da, not first thing in the morning. I'm going to throw up.' I remember he used to tell his heroines, 'Please don't mind your make-up, but make up your mind.' I told him to stop saying it to me film after film because it had ceased to be funny."

Talking about her role in "Anupama", Sharmila said: "I remember, I arrived on the sets of 'Anupama' in full makeup and a bouffant. He sat me down and said, 'Rinku, you've a very nice face. We'll give you a lovely back light.

"But please, you're supposed to be a motherless child, for god's sake. Rinku being Rinku she let the bouffant remain. Even now when I see it, I cringe (laughs).

"I remember we had to shoot the song 'Kuch dil ne kaha' in Khandala early in the morning at 5.00 a.m. He was worried that Dharam (Dharmendra) and I wouldn't be able to wake up on time. We did.

Though "Anupama" was an intense film, Sharmila says that it was fun shooting for the film.

"I remember Tiger (her husband Pataudi) came on location. And Dilip saab and Saira-ji were also there. And they all played chess. We had such a lovely time at the outdoors.

"As you might know Hrishi-da wasn't much for outdoors. He never kept good health. He had this gout problem. He didn't look after himself. Eventually, he surrendered to his illness and withdrew from the limelight.

"I remember while shooting for Gautam Ghose's film, Samit Bhanja (who starred opposite Jaya Bhaduri in 'Guddi') told me Hrishi-da had become stationary and gave orders through a loudspeaker."

Sharmila says the ace director loved his pet cats. "You couldn't walk into his house without tripping over them. He was a man of many facets."

The actress feels that his cinema was influenced by Bengali culture though his films were not culture specific.

"He always presented the stars -- Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna or Amitabh -- as normal human beings. He would joke with Dharmendra, 'I know you make a lot of money in real life. But here you play a very honest character.'

"I remember him as an intelligent humorous person, like Dada Moni (Ashok Kumar) or Balraj Sahni or Soumitra Chatterjee, who can talk about cricket, politics, theatre, history, poetry. He has so much to teach me. You can talk to him and learn so much. Gulzar and Naseer are also like that.

"But you can now count such people on your fingers. Everybody remembers 'Chupke Chupke'. Dharam has said it's the most entertaining film he had ever done. He made such unforgettable films. Hrishi-da is a very very important part of Indian cinema."


 
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