Ramesh Sippy on how his dream of directing the superstar came true with Shakti.
Ramesh Sippy. Pic/Satej Shinde
He was a great storyteller. As an actor, he had his own interpretation and used it to express things. With his demise, an era has come to an end. He is among the finest actors ever — choosy about what he did. My dream to work with him was fulfilled when Shakti (1982) came about.
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When I narrated the script, he was taken aback, because it was entirely his film. His was the central character, and he did not hesitate to say yes. We had a reading session. I had heard that he rewrites [scripts], but he did not interfere with this one. We discussed the scenes. The fine actor that he is, he observed and imbibed it all, and made the performance his own.
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He was a perfectionist; unfortunately, I am one too. We had a sequence in the film where his and his wife’s characters are in the kitchen. He starts eating the food made by her. We had innumerable takes because something or the other kept going amiss. By the 64th take, we got it right. But we had no lunch break because by then, everyone had eaten so much throughout the filming that they could no longer eat.
It was delightful to work with him, because he wanted to give his best. He was always hungry for one more take; eternally convinced that he could do it better. Sometimes, I had to insist that a take was beautiful.
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