'I feel as proud as a father when I see Aditya Dhar being celebrated for his work.'
Priyadarshan couldn't be happier.
"My daughter Kalyani's Lokah is so successful but she remains down-to-earth. My advice to her is the same that I gave to Aditya Dhar when he was working with me: 'Don't let success go to your head and don't take failure to your heart'," the prolific director tells Subhash K Jha referring to Dhurandhar Director Aditya Dhar who assisted him in the earlier years of Aditya's career.
"I told Kalyani to do her first Hindi film with Ranveer Singh with the same dedication and sincerity as a Malayalam film. Aditya remains as grounded to this day as he was when working with me."
Aditya, says Priyan, is his finest student.
"Do you know Aditya came on the set where I was shooting and showed me the trailer of Dhurandhar? So many successful filmmakers forget where they come from. Not Aditya. When he showed me the trailer, he said he wanted my opinion before anyone else's. I am deeply moved."
"Aditya was with me for four years. He assisted me in Aakrosh and also wrote the dialogues of Tezz. I was introduced to Aditya by (writer) Robin Bhatt. I saw the spark in him even back then."
Priyan reveals he had played a hand in Aditya's climb as a filmmaker.
"Do you know Aditya was a first-rate cricketer, one of the finest spinners from Delhi University? When he did not get selected at the national level, he turned his attention to cinema. He told me it was my film Gardish which inspired him to become a filmmaker."
"I feel so proud when talented filmmakers like Aditya say they were inspired by me. I don't claim to have made great films. I've made silly films but I have also made films that have inspired someone like the director of Dhurandhar."
What did Priyan think of Dhurandhar?
"Oh, it is out of this world! Mind blowing! I feel as proud as a father when I see Aditya Dhar being celebrated for his work. The important thing is to not let the success go to your head.
"Aditya hasn't changed, neither has Akshaye Khanna after Dhurandhar. I've done six films with Akshaye. He has always been there to work in my films whenever I wanted him. He even did a guest appearance in Hungama 2 on my request.
"I see the same sincerity in Saif Ali Khan. He arrives on the dot at 7 am for Haiwaan whether he is needed or not, and remains on the set throughout the day. Success changes a lot of people in this industry but people like Aditya Dhar, Saif and my daughter Kalyani remain grounded."
After Priyadarshan posted his picture with Aditya Dhar on Instagram, the latter commented gratefully, 'My Dearest Priyan Sir... this means more to me than I can ever put into words!! You believed in me when I was a nobody, and when all I had was conviction and a few written pages.
'You treated me like an equal, and gave me something far more precious than just work -- dignity, trust, and love...
'In an industry where I often learnt what not to do, you taught me exactly what to do, not just as a filmmaker, but as a human being.
'From writing dialogues for Aakrosh and Tezz to standing here today, every step carries your imprint.
'I will forever be your student first.
Thank you for everything, Sir. This success is as much yours as it is mine.'
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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