When Kundan Shah refused to direct superstar Dilip Kumar
Aanjjan Srivastava remembers Kundan Shah
What I am today is because of Kundan Shah. I have lost my mentor. He selected me for his television series, Wagle Ki Duniya, which proved to be a career-defining show for me. We would fight like crazy on the set. Once, I refused to shoot and we kept squabbling over a scene till 2.30am. He was a taskmaster, perfectionist and a trendsetter.
ADVERTISEMENT
He redefined the grammar of Indian television shows, especially satires, with Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi and later, Nukkad. He told me he could make me do anything. He never forgot me -- there was always something for me in every project till his last film P Se PM Tak. Hrishikesh Mukherjee considered him one of the best students at FTII. Once, Firoz Khan had asked him to direct a film starring Dilip Kumar, and he refused as he preferred working with actors rather than stars. That was Kundan, shy and unassuming, a man who worked on his own terms.
As told to Shaheen Parkar
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
