On November 30, 1982, Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi was unveiled in India, and even after 38 years, Ben Kingsley’s Oscar-winning performance in the titular role and Rohini Hattangadi’s BAFTA-feted Kasturba looms large in our memory. On her way home from a long day’s shoot, Rohini ji recalls meeting Attenborough at the Mumbai airport, and being singled out for an audition even in a crowd.

“I had to fly to the UK for a screen test. Having been given a bound script, I already knew my lines, and carried along a saree, bangles, mangalsutra, and even dried kumkum. Richard escorted me to Ben’s room once I was done with my makeup. He was still doing his, and after introducing us, our producer-director left. Back in India, I had the habit of reading my scene with my co-star before we faced the camera and was wondering if I should suggest it, when Ben himself piped up, ‘Rohini, should we read our lines first.’ His words instantly put me at ease as I realised, to my relief, that actors all over the world were the same,” she smiles, remembering how following the test with two other couples, she landed the role after losing eight kgs in a month. “I did it without taking any weight-loss pills as they affected my voice and put me to sleep which I couldn’t afford since I was doing plays at the time.”

Training with a couple on how to spin the charkha, further cemented the camaraderie of the lead pair. Rohini ji recalls how, during those 15-20 days, when the four of them were spinning together for an hour or two, they’d discuss a lot of things, exchanging notes on what she’d read about the Mahatma and his wife in a Hindi or Marathi book, her co-actor pooling in with information from his homework in English.

“Soon I was so comfortable with Ben that I’d start talking to him in Hindi on the sets before stopping short and apologizing,” she recounts, adding that what made it easier was that being an actor himself, Attenborough gave them a lot of creative freedom instead of rattling off instructions.

Interestingly, though they share a birthday, April 11, there was little physical resemblance between Kasturba and Rohini ji who is taller, with a more oval face. “The only similarity was our broad foreheads, but I didn’t use prosthetics to look like Kasturba. I simply imbibed the strength and spirit of her character,” she points out, impressed with the way this simple Indian lady, on her husband’s insistence, learnt to dress up, use the knife and fork and dine at the table during their early days in South Africa, then, gave away everything on their return to India, easily slipping into an austere life, taking part in nonviolent protest marches and even going to jail. “I came to respect Kasturba because she never lagged behind, and always walked with Gandhi ji. Thanks to her, I’ve learnt to give people second, even third chances.”

The film received 11 nods at the 55th Academy Awards, winning eight, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. Rohini ji wasn’t nominated and didn’t attend the ceremony, but she was delighted Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to bring the Oscar home for Best Costume Designer. She points out that there’s a very thin line separating decades so the costumes had to look really authentic and that made Bhanu ji’s job more challenging.

Rohini ji was the first Indian to win a BAFTA in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role category. She went to the ceremony draped in a saree, with a two-three line speech she’d prepared at Attenborough’s behest. “The other awards at the time announced the winners in advance, but BAFTA only named nominees, keeping the suspense alive till the end. I remember handheld cameras thrust in our faces as names were announced. I can’t recall what I said, but I concluded my short speech saying I was proud to be an Indian,” she shares, adding that the film put our country on the world map, dispelling misconceptions that it is a land of snake charmers and prowling tigers.

She bumped into Kingsley when he was down in India but she didn’t meet Attenborough after Gandhi’s release, couldn’t even make it to the 25-year reunion. “But every year, without fail, I’d get a Christmas and New Year card from Richard till he passed away,” she concludes.