'Rekha-Akshay Were Very Keen To Do Sensual Scenes'

'Dilip Kumar was a dream. The only regret I have in life is that I could not give him his last hit.'
'He loved every minute that he was on the set. I had set up a particularly long shot.'
'We did a number of takes mostly because somewhere he would mess up his line.'
'Then he sat down and fired himself: "Apne aap ko actor samajhta hai! Dilip Kumar! Acting toh aati nahin tujhe".'
'He shot again and did a great job.'

Director Umesh Mehra, who largely worked in the 1980s and 1990s, has some interesting anecdotes from those times.

Like, the time when Saif Ali Khan was 'homeless' and 'penniless' and asked Mehra for a movie. He promptly landed Aashiq Awara (1993) opposite Mumta Kulkarni.

There are many more stories, and he tells Dinesh Raheja, "I was in the men's toilet at Mehboob studios, when Anu Malik walked in, locked the door from inside and started playing Sohni Meri Sohni on the door. He had composed on his own. I just fell in love with the song. So I took him to a restaurant, gave him a chicken sandwich and said 'You're doing my film.'"

After Sabse Bade Khiladi (1995), you hit a box office high with Khiladiyon ke Khiladi (1996).

Oh my God, it was huge. It outdid the kind of openings Amitabh Bachchan used to get at the box office.

How did you decide to cast Rekha in a negative role as the main antagonist?

While I was not in the country, Mita Vashisht, who was very talented and just out of FTII, was suggested for the role. Bhanu Athaiya had done all the costumes for Mita. When I came back and I saw her in costume, I said, 'We are going to be drowned. No way can she carry Madame Maya!'

I told my producers, 'Look, there's only one person in this world who can do this role -- Rekha.' Can you believe, I gave Rekha the narration on Bandra Bandstand (northwest Mumbai) inside my car?

Were the sensual scenes between Rekha and Akshay Kumar in the song In The Night No Control a challenge to shoot?

Not as far as the actors were concerned. They were very keen to do it. I will give credit to both Rekha and Akshay who came up with all these little touches. They were very creative.

Was it the lukewarm reception to International Khiladi (1999) that spelt the end of your collaboration with Akshay?

Yeah. That's how it works. Also, there were some creative differences in the third film.

You directed Dilip Kumar in his last film Qila (1998). Was he easy to direct?

He was a dream. The only regret I have in life is that I could not give him his last hit.

He loved every minute that he was on the set. I had set up a particularly long shot. We did a number of takes mostly because somewhere he would mess up his line. Then he sat down and fired himself: 'Apne aap ko actor samajhta hai! Dilip Kumar! Acting toh aati nahin tujhe.' He shot again and did a great job.

Why did you choose to stop directing after Yeh Mohabbat Hai (2002)?

There was a lot of internal turmoil. My father wasn't well, my mother passed away. I was so used to being just focused on my work but suddenly with Yeh Mohobbat Hai, I was producer, director, production manager and distributor. Everything got thrust on my head. That unsettled me.

Any thoughts on returning to direction?

I'm writing an interesting script for a major production which I won't be directing. I have a great script which I could consider directing with a younger co-director to do the leg work. It's too much tension now. Too much nonsense -- each actor comes with a troop of 8 to 10 people.

Sohni Mahiwal (1984) was your first love story and Sunny Deol's second film. Did you find him rather raw?

Yes. The day Betaab released, he was shooting with us in Tashkent. Without home ground or his own people around. It was very brave of him.

He was raw that time, and you can see that in the film in certain places. I always used to tease Sunny that, 'Tera haath theek se nahin uthata hai' His hand had a very peculiar stiffness in the songs. He hated doing songs. I used to keep telling him, 'See your dad'.

How did you convince Zeenat to play a character role for the first time?

She had implicit faith in me. Till today, her role in Sohni Mahiwal is remembered.

Didn't Mazhar Khan and Zeenat fall in love during the shoot of your film?

Yes. That's when the whole thing happened.

Sohni Mahiwal was Anu Malik's first success. Why did you back him though he was a newcomer?

Frankly, he just barged into my life. I was in the men's toilet at Mehboob studios, when Anu walked in, locked the door from inside and started playing Sohni Meri Sohni on the door. He had composed on his own. I just fell in love with the song. So I took him to a restaurant, gave him a chicken sandwich and said 'You're doing my film.'

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff