Farooq, Om Puri... and now Vinod is gone
“It was not unexpected. Photos showing an ailing Vinod Khanna — a pale shadow of his dashing former self had insensitively been circulated on the social media a few weeks ago.
And now he is gone. Farooq, Om Puri, Vinod three actors with whom I worked a lot have passed away in quick succession. Makes me come to terms with my own mortality.
I first worked with Vinod in Aruna and Vikas’s Shaque. I remember being terrified because Aruna and Vikas, who were married then and codirecting the film, demonstrated how they wanted a particularly intimate scene to be done. I was awkward and very embarrassed.
Vinod, who sensed this, came to my rescue. When we started rehearsing he put his arm around me and asked the directors “If I hold her in this position will I miss the camera? Would it be better if I hold her arm higher?” Suddenly I felt ‘oh this is such a technical thing no need to be embarrassed’ and I started breathing again.
I will always be thankful to him for this. He was a big star and I, a rank newcomer, if he had asked me to relax I would have got even more tense... What a considerate thing to do...
We did many films together. He was different from most movie stars. On outdoor schedules it’s common to have fans shower hospitality on stars, bring home-cooked food and generally be at the stars beck and call. We are happy to partake of their hospitality but avoid their phone calls when they come to our city.
Vinod would not only be accessible, he would also invite them on the sets and be extremely courteous. It was a rare quality.”
I did a whole gamut of films with Vinod from Shaque to Khoon Ki Pukar and particularly enjoyed doing Parvarish with him.
One day Manmohan Desai turned up at a studio I was shooting in and said in his inimitable manner, “I’m producing a film for the first time. It’s called Amar Akbar Anthony and I want you to be a part of it. Frankly there’s no role for you but woh Vinod meri jaan kha jayega that Amitabh and Rishi have heroines opposite them I need one too!” I was utterly disarmed and said yes right away.
I’ve watched Vinod through various phases in his life, such as the Rajneesh phase in the prime of his stardom. He had lost his mother and a close cousin almost simultaneously and was battling metaphysical questions about life and death.
CONTINUED ON P 5