Sharmila Tagore is like a force of nature. You can’t take your eyes off her, even at the age of 78. In her latest film, Gulmohar, she plays a matriarch who has secrets of her own. The film has an old-world charm to it, and Sharmila’s presence lends it a certain gravitas. Talking to her, you feel like you’re talking to your grandmother and also to your college bestie. She’s so alive, so in with the times, and is a font of nostalgia as well. You want to keep talking to her and listening to her stories forever. She takes you back into a bygone era when people were more gentle and time flowed at a less hurried pace. In a heart-to-heart interview, she talks about everything, about being related to Rabindranath Tagore, working with Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar to not play by the rules and yet reign in Hindi cinema. Excerpts:

What Would You Tell Your Younger Self Today?

Many things. First and foremost, “The director knows best.” Let me share one instance. I always had a problem managing my frizzy hair and the Bombay weather didn’t help. So after much trial and error, Meena, my hairdresser, settled on the bouffant. While it worked for some roles, it didn’t for others. For example, Anupama. I remember Hrishi Da, director of the film, protesting that the bouffant didn’t suit my character, as Uma was a neglected child. I didn’t listen to him. Hrishi Da being Hrishi Da, managed to keep quite a bit of the bouffant out of the frame, thereby reducing its negative impact. I got tremendous praise for that film, even now it’s very well-liked. But in hindsight, I should’ve listened to the director. I would tell the younger Sharmila that you were too headstrong. It’s the director who makes the film. It’s his vision. Your bouffant does not matter. It is the performance and being in character that matters.

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Who Were Your Friends Back Then?

Tanuja, Yash Chopra and Deven Verma were my friends. Also the producer of Anupama’s son Thakur. He and I shared a common passion for the Times of India crossword. I believe life is a division of 24 hours, I believed it then and I believe it now. I was working more than 12 hours a day and post-pack up, it was my personal time. I liked spending time with my friends who were not from the industry. I was also not chaperoned. In that era, I may have been thought of as too modern and too independent.

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 I remember attending a film function during Kashmir Ki Kali. Geeta Bali ji was there, and she suggested that we have dinner with the team and I refused as I had prior plans. Her surprised reaction was, ‘What other plans can be there? You must prioritize your fraternity otherwise your career will suffer.’ I heard her with respect but chose what I had committed to. At that time “premieres” were important because that is where your audience saw you in person. It was like a present-day promotion. However, I hardly went to any premiere or attended any film party. If anyone wanted an interview or narrated a story it had to suit my time. I was always aware of a world outside of cinema, and I did not want to lose touch with that world.

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You Understood The Importance Of Work-Life Balance Even Then.

I guess you can say that. My friends were from a world that did not discuss only films. I was happier in that world. It was less judgmental. I could be myself with them. No one told me, ‘You were dancing too much, talking too much, being too friendly or too loud.’ It didn’t matter to them at all. To them I was Rinku. This was the difference between Sharmila and Rinku. In my free time, I wanted to be Rinku.

Did You Have Any Apprehensions About Facing The Camera At Such A Young Age?

As you know, Satyajit Ray discovered me when I was very young. I remember Soumitra (Chatterjee) asking me, ‘Are you nervous’, just before my first shot. I wasn’t at all nervous. Manik Da did not make me feel nervous. It was like taking instructions from a teacher. I was a student. When a teacher says to do this and do that you follow that instruction. I was a good listener. I followed Manik Da’s instructions. I knew he would look after me. If I did something wrong he would correct me. So there was no reason to feel nervous. Nervousness came later in Bombay when I had to do lipsyncing and dancing. I felt everyone was judging me. Speaking dialogues in Hindi and singing and dancing made me tense. All the writers would constantly correct my pronunciation. It made me very nervous.

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And Bengalis Are Always Spoken To About Their Hindi Pronunciation. 

Not only Bengali but all non-Hindi speaking actors’ pronunciation was scrutinized. In those days there were mostly Urdu speaking writers and they were very particular that words should be spoken correctly. At that time purity of language mattered. Now perhaps the bar is not that high. Anyway, after the initial hiccups, I became better. I think I was a quick learner.

Were You In Touch With Soumitra Chatterjee Till The Very End?

Absolutely. He liked me and I liked him. I had so much respect for him. He always spoke up for me. A friend of mine was making a film for my 75th birthday and she reached out to Soumitra who wasn’t keeping well then. Despite his ill health he spoke for about 15 minutes and said some wonderful things. I wish I had spent more time with him. We did a film Abar Aranye with Goutam Ghosh in North Bengal, in the middle of vast tea gardens. It was a long stay. Shubhendu, Soumitra and I shared a bungalow and it was a lot of fun. Shubhendu was in charge of the kitchen and the food he organized was delicious. The adda in the evening was rejuvenating.

Soumitra and Shubhendu would carry on talking about theatre, world cinema, football, cricket and politics till late into the night. I wish I had recorded that conversation. I was listening, absorbing and learning so much. Soumitra had such in-depth knowledge. I am so sad that he’s gone. I miss him. I loved his poetry and the way he recited it. His outlook on life was the same as mine. There were never any misunderstandings between us. He was very childlike and always curious. His smile lit up his face. He always let the other person talk and listened intently. He was a dear friend.

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Of All The Satyajit Ray Films You Did, Which One Is Your Favourite? 

Undoubtedly Devi. It was my second film and I was 14. When I read the script I realized what an opportunity it was for an actor. I play an unlettered, very young girl married to a rich aristocratic family. It is a powerful story of obsession and its tragic consequence told in an atmosphere of dark foreboding. Daya, the character I play is worshipped as Devi because of her father-in-law’s firm belief that she is the reincarnation of Goddess Kali. Daya simply cannot accept this, her whole being rejects the very thought. But in the absence of her husband who is in Kolkata for higher studies she cannot assert her will of self-preservation. And soon, banished from everything familiar, being trapped in a space which the patriarch of the family has decided for her, destroys her mind. It’s a moving tale. Daya is shot in big close-ups- and long after the film is over one continues to be haunted by her. I find it is my best performance.

When You Were At That Age, Were You As Pliant As Daya?

I cannot imagine not having a sense of self like Daya because I have always had one. Looking back I argued with everyone about everything. Nothing was accepted at face value. My favourite question was, ‘Why?’ I was a bookworm, always reading. My family left me pretty much alone. They said, ‘You don’t want to mess with her because she will have so many questions and you don’t want to answer them.’ When I was asked to do something. I needed to know why, ‘I told you so’ wasn’t enough for me. 

Where Did That Confidence Come From?

 It came from my parents and my extended family. I grew up with my grandparents. My grandfather used to write our official letters to school. He was my guardian and my grandmother, the most loving and creative person I will ever know, would tell us stories about the wonderful women of the Tagore family and their contributions.

Rabindranath Tagore was of course the North Star, but there were many other achievers. Satyendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath Tagore and more. Satyendranath Tagore was the first ICS officer (Indian Civil Servant) in India, besides being a shipping magnet. Dwarkanath was an entrepreneur who made money for the family. He was called Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. Abanindranath Tagore was a world-renowned painter.

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The other day someone sent me a letter that he once wrote recommending Vikram Sarabhai to be accepted at Cambridge University. Such an eclectic family with everyone choosing different paths. Just by listening to the conversation around me, I learned so much. It is embedded in my unconscious memory. The sense of right and wrong, my attitude towards life, or what is my priorities.

Who Among Your Children And Grandchildren Is The Closest To You Temperamentally?

I think Saif is temperamentally closest to me. Impulsive, generous, courting contradictions, often being misunderstood. Like me, he’s also very fond of reading. Like me, he has learned on the job and is where he is today. I respect him a lot.

Does Sara Come To You For Advice?

She does once in a blue moon. I’m so proud of her. She is very hardworking and devoted to her work. I love her limericks. I made her write one especially for me which is waiting to be framed.

How Was Uttam Kumar Off-Camera?

He was very affable and charming. We spent almost a month together when we were shooting for Amanush in the Sundarbans. It was during April. You can imagine how hot and humid it was. The most awesome sight was when a flash of lightning tore apart the still, dark blue sky. It was fearful and yet mesmerizing. It was an awe-inspiring sight. Shakti ji had built a makeshift structure on stilts in the middle of nowhere which was our home for more than a month. Despite the difficult conditions we managed to work well. All of us being together was a lot of fun. Evenings were full of music and adda. Uttam Babu sang so well, and was also an enthusiastic card player. We worked together in Ray’s Nayak. He was brilliant in the film. In Mumbai, I did Dooriyaan with him but sadly he died before the film could be completed. Kulbhushan Kharbanda graciously agreed to dub his voice. Uttam Babu also directed me in Kalankini Kankabati with Mithun Chakraborty. I realized then how talented he was, his deep knowledge of cinema and the control he had over his craft. In Bengal no one has come close to his popularity.

You Played A Journalist In Nayak, Who Would You Interview Today If Given A Choice?

Pankaj Tripathi. I find him extremely intriguing. Looking at his face, you can’t quite fathom what he is thinking. Not that I have met him in real life. He can be so amusing and menacing at the same time. Like he was in Newton. He is a chameleon, at home in any role. I want to ask him why he did that role in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa. Why did he find the role worth doing? I would love to know his answer. More on: Sharmila Tagore, Sharmila Tagore family, Sharmila Tagore with satyajit ray, Sharmila Tagore candid chat, Sharmila Tagore with Satyajit Ray and Uttam Kumar, younger Sharmila

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