'Thought Dharmendra Would Say No To The Kiss'

'It was amazing how he controlled the crowd, not with force or even star power, but with sheer love.'

They worked in just one film together, but Life In A... Metro remains unforgettable even after almost 20 years for the romance a 70-plus Dharmendra brought to the screen as he returned from a three-year hiatus.

Remembering the late actor, the film's writer-director Anurag Basu confesses to Rediff Senior Contributor Roshmila Bhattacharya that he is a terrible narrator and that day, he was particularly bad because he was so nervous.

"When I finished, Dharamji read out a sher he had written the day before, telling me I was the first to hear it. He recited just three amazing couplets, and while I didn't use them in the film, they convinced me that he had got the pulse of the story bang on and understood the character," he says.

'I went for the first meeting praying he would say yes'

While I was writing Life In A... Metro, I wrote Dharamji's name in the cast, next to Amol (his character in the film).

I went for the first meeting praying he would say yes because I had no other actor in mind.

I could only visualise him as this man who had once loved Shivani, but left her to pursue his dreams in the US, and now, 40 years later, he's back, wanting to spends his last days with her.

I am a terrible narrator and that day, I was particularly bad because I was so nervous.

I was mixing up the names of characters till, finally, I decided to just stick to Amol and Shivani's track and not confuse him more.

When I finished, Dharamji read out a sher he had written the day before, telling me I was the first to hear it.

He recited just three amazing couplets, and while I didn't use them in the film, they convinced me that he had got the pulse of the story bang on and understood the character.

He didn't ask any more questions and there was no 'I'll get back to you tomorrow'.

He told me immediately that he was doing my film. It was that easy!

And the exchange of poetic verses between us continued all through the shoot.

'I thought they would say no to the kiss'

It was my wife Tani's idea to cast Nafisa Ali opposite Dharamji.

Being a big fan of her first film Junoon, I thought it would be great to bring the two heart-throbs together.

Coincidentally, they were both MPs at the time.

There is a kiss between them when they spend the night together, and frankly, I thought they would say no to it. But to my pleasant surprise, they didn't make a fuss.

In retrospect, I think the story worked because of the casting.

Shooting with Dharamji was tough because he was a big star and such a craze.

The reunion between Shivani and Amol happens at the same station where he had left her.

'After that it was mayhem'

When the railway gave me permission to shoot at Sion station (north central Mumbai), I wondered how I was going to pull it off since it's one of Mumbai's busiest stations.

We hid Dharamji in the vanity van till it was time for the shot.

Then using umbrellas to shield his identity from the public eye, we brought him to the platform.

While he was standing there, gazing at Shivani sitting on the opposite platform, a passerby recognised him and called out his name.

Dharamji reacted by waving his hand in acknowledgement.

After that, it was mayhem as crowds of fans streamed in.

I was wondering how I was going to shoot since the scene required him to jump down, cross the tracks, and pull himself up beside his blushing lady love, telling her she hadn't changed in all the years they had been apart.

Before I could figure something out, Dharamji quietly folded his hands and told them to let us get on with the shoot.

And everyone immediately calmed down.

It was amazing how he controlled the crowd, not with force or even star power, but with sheer love.

Most of the people you see on screen are real people who had turned up to see Dharamji up close.

And you will not find any of them looking into the camera!

'I was surprised at how humble and down-to-earth he was'

I had loved Dharamji in films like Devar, Anupama, Satyakam and Chupke Chupke, all of which I had watched on Doordarshan.

He had such a presence, even in a song like Khamoshi's Tum Pukar Lo, Tumhara Intezar Hai where you see only his back.

It was an honour working and while initially he had said that he would not shoot after 6 pm, he started enjoying himself and would stay on till 8, even 9 pm.

I was surprised at how humble and down-to-earth he was.

It couldn't have been easy to stay that way when you reach his stature, but it came to him naturally.

That's one lesson I have learnt from him and try to follow to this day.

'Talash kabhi khatam nahin hota, waqt khatam ho jaata hai'

I had thought of taking Dharamji in Metro... In Dino, to play Parimal Sarkar, who reunites with his college sweetheart, Shibani.

He convinces her to stay in his home and pretend to be his wife so his widowed daughter-in-law will move out and marry the man who loves her.

Their play-acting succeeds in also shaking up Shibani's husband, who had started taking her for granted.

But it didn't happen and Anupam Kher went on to play the role.

I hadn't met Dharamji in a while.

I had dropped by his place a couple of years ago, but he wasn't well so I left after meeting Sunny (Deol).

Today, he is gone and I remember him by a line Amol tells Konkana's (Sen Sharma) Shruti in the film that has her dashing to Irrfan's Monty and finally confessing that she loves him, 'Talash kabhi khatam nahin hota, waqt khatam ho jaata hai (The quest never ends, it's time that runs out).'