Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 21, 2019)

In early 1973, Shyam Benegal, an ad filmmaker, decided it was time to make a movie. He already had a story in mind, and also an actress—Waheeda Rehman, who had worked with his cousin Guru Dutt and whose work he admired to play the central character.

Laxmi, a maid from a lower caste, is married to a deaf-mute drunk. She’s seduced by circumstances and false promises into having an affair with the young landlord, Surya, only to be left high and dry after she discovers she’s pregnant with his child. What made Guide’s Rosie the ideal choice for Ankur’s Laxmi was that being from Telangana where the story was set, Waheeda ji could speak the local dialect Dakhini fluently. “But she was a big star at the time while I was a debutant director. She was not confident I could pull it off, having never made a film before,” Shyam babu reminisces with a laugh.

After Waheeda ji turned him down, he thought of approaching National Award winning actress Sharada who had worked in Telugu films. But he changed his mind when he learnt that not being from Telangana, she couldn’t speak the lingo, a mix of Hindi-Urdu, which was essential to fleshing out the character.

That’s when one of his assistants told him about this girl who, while studying at St. Xavier’s college, had impressed in a couple of stage productions. “Does she have a background in performing arts?” he wondered, and was told that her father, Kaifi Azmi, was a famous poet, while her mother, Shaukat Kaifi, had done a lot of theatre. She, too, was a graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Instantly interested, he asked for her to come and meet him.

“One look at Shabana (Azmi) and I knew she was perfect for Laxmi. Yes, she was young and looked young too, but I was willing to tweak the role for her. Going with my instincts, I immediately signed her on, after learning that since her mother was from Telangana, she spoke Dakhini. I didn’t even audition her like I had Anant (Nag) who played Surya, surprising even her,” he flashbacks.

Anant Nag had accompanied an actor whose name Shyam babu has since forgotten, for an audition. “He came to offer moral support to his friend and caught my eye. I auditioned Anant as well and finding him perfect, introduced him in Hindi films. He became a big star in Kannada cinema but always made time for a role in my films,” Shyam babu smiles.

And so, Ankur rolled, with a team of newcomers, with the exception of cinematographer, Govind Nihalani, who had some cinematic experience having assisted V K Murthy. Straightaway, Shyam babu, with his two first-time actors, along with Sadhu Meher (he played the deaf-mute husband), dived into a dramatic scene wherein Laxmi rushes to rescue Kishtaya who, accused of stealing toddy, is being mercilessly whipped by Surya.

Shabana Azmi turned out to be a real find. Her performance bagged her many awards, including the National Award for Best Actress. “She’s an incredible actress with a huge range. Give her a role and Shabana owns the part,” raves her mentor, pointing out that the actress who brought in her 69th birthday on Wednesday, has also earned a reputation internationally, on screen and on stage.

Ankur also bagged the Best Actor award for Sadhu Meher and was adjudged Second Best Feature Film at the National Awards. “It made me a filmmaker and I never went back to advertising,” points out Shyam babu, who’s seen as the pioneer of parallel cinema in India.

After Ankur, he signed Shabana ji for Nishant, Junoon, followed by Mandi in which she played the madam of a brothel. “She was a really slim girl then, I pushed her to put on weight because I wanted Rukmini Bai to be a well-endowed woman, who chewed paan, cracked betel nuts and kept the girls in place,” Shyam babu recalls.

The duo went on to do more films but haven’t worked together of late. Has his protégée changed as an actress or a person in the decades since, you wonder, and he quips, “No, except for the weight she’s put on, which, as I have told her innumerable times, I don’t like. I guess Mandi is partly to blame for it and I will always feel guilty for that.”