Meenakshi Shedde: 'Mera naam Shashi hai'

Here is a gem from Simi Garewal explaining how Shashi Kapoor taught her the mechanics of a kiss and put her at ease during their sex scenes while shooting Conrad Rooks Siddhartha in Aseem Chhabras wonderful book Shashi Kapoor The Householder the Star I cant tell you how nervous I was before these nude scenes Simi saysBut Shashi Kapoor told her Dont be shy Simi You are beautiful and helped her loosen up Shashi explained to me how one should keep the angle of ones face for a screen kisshellip Limited pressure so it doesnt distort the faceAseem Chhabras Shashi Kapoor The Householder the StarThe book by Chhabra mdash a New Yorkbased journalist and Festival Director of the New York Indian Film Festival mdash is full of nuggets like this Well researched and written you would not immediately realise that he has not met Shashi Kapoor for the book By the time the book was planned Mr Kapoor once a devastatingly good looking star was struggling dementia But the skill of both the writer and editor Dharini Bhaskar are evident as the book flows seamlessly with quotes from myriad sources including books interviews with film industrywallahs and journalistsStylishly designed with a foreword by Karan Johar and superb photographs it is a handsome volume published by Rupa R395 hardcover I always feel admiration with a twinge of envy when fellow journalists become authors although I have written for and edited 14 books I have not yet got round to writing one of my own and hope to redeem that soon Disclaimer I got to know Chhabra as a friend while we covered film festivals together particularly the Berlin and Toronto film festivalsThe book tackles various aspects of Shashi Kapoors life mdash how he dropped out of school at the age of 15 to join his father Prithviraj Kapoors Prithvi Theatres full time became a popular star whom costars and fans alike swooned over in romantic films like Jab Jab Phool Khile and later as the moral hero of films like Deewaar how he switched effortlessly from Bollywoods masala offerings to suave roles in international film productions how he produced many arthouse films despite running into debt and came a full circle by creating Prithvi Theatre in Juhu that continues to fuel theatre creativityChhabra writes of how easily Kapoor transitioned from Bollywood masala movies In 1982 he acted in the hit comedy Namak Halaal with Amitabh Bachchan The next year Shashi appeared in James Ivorys critically acclaimed Heat and Dust which was in competition at the Cannes Film Festival Earlier in 1978 he produced and played the lead in the National Awardwinning Junoon Months later he appeared in Subhash Ghais Gautam GovindaMr Kapoors international films include MerchantIvorys The Householder Shakespeare Wallah Bombay Talkie and In Custody What stays with you is Kapoor as an artist who gave back to the industry that nurtured him even if it meant incurring losses Also he always treated everyone on the set equally Pamela Chopra wife of the late Yash Chopra recalls in the book He would shake hands with technicians and say Mera naam Shashi Kapoor hai and have tea in their company Todays actors can take cues from his life as he sits at Prithvi Theatre under that great peepal tree with the fluttering leaves silently giving joy mdash hes a little bit like the tree himselfMeenakshi Shedde is South Asia Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival awardwinning critic curator to festivals worldwide and journalist Reach her at meenakshisheddegmailcom