The Malayali actress talks about playing Sushant Singh Rajput’s grandmother in his last Hindi film
Anjana George (BOMBAY TIMES; June 27, 2020)

“Naani, aap mujhe phone karoge?” Sushant Singh Rajput asked Subbalakshmi on the last day of her shoot for the film Dil Bechara. Recollecting those days with a smile, Subbalakshmi says, “I replied, ‘bhasha nahi maloom’.’’ After a moment of silence, the actress, who plays Sushant’s grandmother in the film, says, “Language was a barrier between us, but those days of the shoot are some of the most memorable in my career. My heart sinks when those memories flash through my mind, now. I wish I had spoken to him.’’

According to Subbalakshmi, Sushant was a cheerful man who used to run to her the moment she reached the set. “We were like grandmom and grandson for real. We used to always dance on the sets. They were all great dancers and I, too, used to join them. I also used to sing Hindi songs for them,” she recollects.

The video of the duo dancing, which was shared by Subbalakshmi's granddaughter Sowbhagya Venkitesh, is now trending online.

Subbalakshmi says she found it tough while shooting the climax sequences, which were apparently quite emotional. “Sushant’s character falls sick at the end, and while shooting the hospital scenes in Mumbai, I asked my director whether we could avoid shooting it as I didn’t want to see Sushant go through pain. They consoled me saying that it’s just a story, and we went on to shoot it,’’ she explains. On the sets, Subbalakshmi says, the commonly used language was Hindi. Apparently, she used to communicate in Tamil, which was a familiar language for a few on the sets. “My son-in-law used to accompany me to the sets and it was he who informed me about Sushant’s demise,’’ she says. Her son-in-law, who knew she was close to Sushant, calls her often, asking her to distract herself from the thoughts. “I pray for his soul. May he rest in peace. I wish I had kissed him one last time,’’ she says.