‘Singhasan ke shoot ke din aaj bhi yaad hain… Nature ke beech, colourful costumes, heavy jewellery aur uss zamane ki grand sets ki vibe hi kuch aur thi.’
Key Points
- Mandakini reminisced about the grandeur of shooting Singhasan, recalling the colourful costumes and heavy jewellery.
- Mandakini shared that working with stars like Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Waheeda Rahman and others was a memorable experience, adding that the set always had a positive and energetic atmosphere.
- She revealed that Singhasan was simultaneously shot in Hindi and Telugu, making it a challenging process as actors often had to perform separate scenes and expressions for both versions on the same sets.
Every once in a while, Mandakini shares a slice of her life with with the world on social media.
Recently, she looked back at her early years as an actor, and took us to the sets of her fantasy-action 1986 film, Singhasan, which co-starred Jeetendra.
Mandakini Recalls the Magic of Grand Sets and Old-School Filmmaking
Sharing pictures from the film, Mandakini writes, ‘Singhasan ke shoot ke din aaj bhi yaad hain… Nature ke beech, colourful costumes, heavy jewellery aur uss zamane ki grand sets ki vibe hi kuch aur thi. (The shooting days of Singhasan are still fresh in my memory today… Amidst nature, colourful costumes, heavy jewellery, and the grandeur of those magnificent sets from that era — the whole vibe was something else.)’
‘Us waqt na VFX ka zamana tha aur na hi shortcuts ka… jo bhi grandeur screen par dikhta tha, woh sab real sets aur hard work ka result hota tha. (Back then, there was no era of VFX or shortcuts… whatever grandeur appeared on screen was the result of real sets and sheer hard work.),’ the 62-year-old actress added.
Fond Memories With Jeetendra and Legendary Co-Stars
Directed and produced by Krishna, Singhasan starred also starred Jaya Prada, Waheeda Rahman, Bharat Bhushan, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Gulshan Grover.
‘Aur Jeetendra ji ke saath scenes shoot karte waqt set par hamesha positive energy rehti thi. (And while shooting scenes with Jeetendraji, there was always a very positive energy on the set.)’
‘Mujhe yaad hai outdoor shoots ke waqt hawa me udte flowers aur bright costumes ke saath photos click karna bhi ek alag fun hota tha. (I remember during outdoor shoots, clicking photos with flowers flying in the breeze and wearing bright costumes was a different kind of fun altogether.)’
‘Simultaneously Shooting Hindi and Telugu Versions Was Challenging’
Mandakini revealed that Singhasan was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu.
‘Hindi version me mere opposite Jeetendraji the aur Telugu version me South ke Superstar Krishna Garu. (In the Hindi version, Jeetendraji was cast opposite me, while in the Telugu version, it was South superstar Krishna Garu.)’
Krishna, incidentally, doubled as the film’s director too, marking his directorial debut.
She shared how demanding the process could get: ‘Kabhi kabhi heroes apne shots complete karke chale jaate the aur mujhe dono versions ke liye alag alag scenes aur expressions continue rakhne hote the. (Sometimes the heroes would finish their shots and leave, while I had to continue performing different scenes and expressions for both versions.)’
Calling it a valuable learning experience, she concluded, ‘Aaj sochti hoon to lagta hai us dedication aur teamwork ne hi Singhasan ko itna grand aur special banaya. (Now when I think about it, I feel that dedication and teamwork are what made Singhasan so grand and special.)’
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
