Veteran actor Govardhan Asrani died on Monday after staying in the hospital for four days. He was not only a major figure in Indian cinema, but also a pillar in the life and career of filmmaker Priyadarshan.
In an interview with India Today, Priyadarshan remembered him not only as an actor but also as an institution of craft, humility and discipline. He told that Asrani Worked in 19 films with. ‘Which is more than what was done with Rishi Da (Hrishikesh Mukherjee). Which is his maximum work with any filmmaker.
What did Priyadarshan say?
Recalling Asrani’s talent beyond comedy, Priyadarshan told how in the 70s, the audience was attracted to his down-to-earth acting in films like Abhimaan and Parichay. He was not just a comedy actor. He was also the villain in the film ‘Koshish’. I hated him in this movie, so you can imagine his diversity. He was a consummate actor, who never made a scene, yet could make us genuinely laugh.
Regarding casting Asrani several times, Priyadarshan said, ‘I first called him for a small role in ‘Gardish’ (1993) just to see him. After that, he appeared in my films, including ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘De Dana Dan’ and ‘Malamaal Weekly’. After which he became a part of my films because no one else could deliver comedy so naturally without overacting.
film with priyadarshan
When Priyadarshan was asked whether he had any idea about Asrani’s deteriorating health? The filmmaker immediately recalled their last days together on the sets and said, ‘He was in my last two films, ‘Bhoot Bangla’ and ‘Haivaan’. He was playing a very big role in both the films. I had already completed ‘Bhoot Bangla’, and before that film he was not working for a long time. So he told me, ‘No one calls me. Thank you for calling me. These are also his last films, and we shot both of them in just six months. That means we spent a lot of time together.
kept shooting till the end
Describing the last days of shooting, Priyadarshan told how Asrani kept working despite the physical pain. A few days before being admitted to the hospital, Asrani was on the set and told that due to the injury he was unable to walk and the doctors had advised him to take rest. So I thought that I will not shoot, but he told me, ‘Don’t put me off, I will come. Just give me a day, and that’s exactly what happened, he was on the set the next day. He was unable to walk, so we kept a chair for him between shots. But as soon as you said action, he was a different person, acting very well, there was no sign of pain or discomfort.
Akshay Kumar’s broken heart
Priyadarshan said that he considers it God’s grace that the film was completed on time. I just had a small shot of him sitting in the police station. That was all that was left, and he told me that he would be fine when he came back and today he is not with us. I miss them so much. It was Akshay Kumar who informed me about his demise. He was also very sad, he told me, ‘Priyan, I have done two films with him and have been with him every day for 35 to 45 days. Now I am feeling very broken, I am not able to sleep because I am feeling very bad.
Worked together in 19 films
The filmmaker recalled that Asrani used to memorize an entire page of dialogue just by reading it once. His discipline was so intense that before coming to the set he would rewrite the dialogues in his own handwriting, ensuring that he was completely prepared. He understood poverty and the humor of the common man’s life. He was not born with a golden spoon, nor was he born to show off his muscles.
Priyadarshan further said, ‘Whenever Asrani would come on the set, all the actors would gather around him and he would start telling funny stories of the past. Which also included his time spent with Raj Kapoor. ‘Everyone loved listening to him, and people often asked him to repeat the stories for those who had not yet heard them.’
‘He was a very humble man, and it’s no surprise that we wanted to follow this path. He believed that he had lived a life and why should I be honored like this. Some people are very simple, and I think we should learn something from them. A person who has done maximum 350 films in India. He liked to live humbly. I am proud that out of those films, I was able to do 19 films with him.
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