‘The first time Bharathi sir looked at me, I think he was shocked and disappointed. This is the girl, who’s going to be playing his most important character.’
‘Sridevi had done it before me, and what an actor she was!’
‘She was definitely more experienced than me because she’d been working as a child star, and I was a gawky teenager.’
Key Points
- Poonam Dhillon is one of the few Hindi actors to have worked with the late Tamil director Bharathiraja.
- Poonam faced communication issues with Bharathiraja due to language barriers, but he compensated by physically acting out scenes, which helped her learn.
- She credits Bharathiraja for moulding her as an actor, despite her initial inexperience.
Poonam Dhillon had the rare privilege of being directed by the late Tamil doyen Bharathiraja in the films, Red Rose and Saveray Wali Gadi.
She looks back at the association and tells Subhash K Jha, “I had so much affection and respect for him. Those last few times I went to Chennai, I wanted to meet him, but he was ailing. So I couldn’t.”
You are the only leading actor in Hindi to have worked in two films with Bharathiraja.
I was, in fact, looking for Bharathi sir’s photograph, I had an amazing photograph with him, but I can’t find it.
Red Rose‘s original Tamil Sigappu Rojakkal, also directed by Bharathiraja, was far better.
I don’t want to compare, but I was lucky enough to work with him. We had such a good rapport, such a good relationship.
He was a prolific filmmaker, humble, down-to-earth man. I’ve worked with many, who may not have been that humble as he was. He was a very simple man.
I had so much affection and respect for him. Those last few times I went to Chennai, I wanted to meet him, but he was ailing. So I couldn’t.
But he was working till very recently as an actor.
He had suddenly become very active as an actor. He was playing interesting fathers. Once I saw a film and he was there, and I said, hey, that’s Bharathi sir!
He was a very good actor; he used to show most of the scenes by acting himself.
What was it like being directed by him?
In the first film, I had a communication issue with him because he didn’t know Hindi. So he used to give a lot of interesting expressions and act more because he couldn’t express himself in a language. I think he rehearsed with all of us. He would express everything, and do it uninhibitedly.
Were you able to copy him when he showed you?
Well, I mean, sometimes I used to laugh, like, sir, what are you doing? If he’s doing a romantic scene, suppose with Rajesh Khanna, he would put a quivering hand on his face. And I used to laugh. Even when we did Savere Wali Gadi he would act out my romantic scenes with Sunny Deol.
How did you get Red Rose?
The first time Bharathi sir looked at me, I think he was shocked and disappointed. This is the girl, who’s going to be playing his most important character.
Sridevi had done it before me, and what an actor she was! She was definitely more experienced than me because she had been working as a child star, and I was a gawky teenager.
Both films were interesting, but neither worked at the box office. Could it be the Hindi sensibility was different from the southern sensibility?
Maybe the Hindi audience wasn’t as prepared for an anti-hero at that time. During Red Rose, people had accepted Kamal Haasan as a psychopath because he had the image of doing anything and getting away with it.
But Kakaji (Rajesh Khanna) was a romantic hero, so maybe the audience wasn’t prepared.
Earlier, the hero would never kill. Heroines could never do certain things. Today, times have change. I feel Red Rose was ahead of its time.
You were very new at that time.
Yeah, it was after my first film, Noorie. To do something so complex at that early stage of your career, I totally relied on my director. Kakaji helped me to a great extent because I really had no experience.
I didn’t even know what schizophrenics and psychopaths were like. So for me, it was all molded by my director and co-actor. Kakaji was gentle and kind, not overly bossy. He did not scare me.
Did Bharathiraja play a hand in the way you shaped out as an actor?
Definitely! I learnt a lot about acting from him. I think every actor who has been launched by him, who has worked under him, will say that about him.
Radhika was launched by him, and she’s a super actor. I’m sure she will give a lot of credit to Bharathi sir, on how he moulded her.
I remember a film that he was going to direct, and I really wanted to do it. I wanted to play an unglamorous, ugly heroine. He said I cannot put you in that role.
I said, please sir, I’ll try a different makeup, I’ll put buck teeth…
He said, no, you don’t have a face that can be turned ugly.
I wanted to do something challenging and different. But at the end of the day, however hard you worked as an actor, it was always, oh, she looked beautiful. That would get so annoying!
That was no credit to me, so I would get frustrated.
Were you close to Bharathiraja?
We were close friends for a long time. Then we lost touch, which I regret.
I really wanted to meet him but he was not well, and in hospital. The family would say, abhi nahi mil sakte. So I couldn’t meet him.
Unknowingly, I learned a lot from him, whether it’s how you place your hand in a romantic scene…
I remember there was a scene when Sunny Deol comes running to me in Saveray Wali Gadi. He was supposed to put his hand on my shoulder. We were running up a hill, and he would come and put his hand on my shoulder.
Bharathi sir would say, this is a girl. (Be) Romantic. You are not fighting. You are not fighting with her. Gentle, gentle.
These are nuances only a sensitive filmmaker would understand.
He knew my shortcomings and my plus points. He gave me a lot of confidence. He really did think I have the prettiest face he had worked with.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
