'Sometimes Sanjay Sir Would Be On Fire'

'For him, the frame needs to be beautiful and then the actors come in.'
'If he doesn't like the outfits of the background artists, he will get it changed. Sometimes, in an entire day, we haven't taken a single shot because of that.'
'Every day was a new day. He goes according to his mood.'

 

"Only a man like Sanjay Bhansali can take somebody who's a nobody and put him in such a prestigious role, a role that can redefine one's career," Taha Shah Badussha tells Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff.com.

The actor, who has worked in the Hindi film industry for 12 years, finally gets a central role in the Web series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, as he romances the innocent Shamin Sehgal.

The sweet romance provides a respite from the burning vendetta the two leading ladies, Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha, have against each other.

How did you get Heeramandi?

I have been in this industry for the past 12 years.

When I saw my old interviews from 10 years ago, I was asked a question: Which director do you want to work with?

There was only one name, and it was Sanjay sir's name.

So I would say it's a good thing to dream. This dream has come true.

I had a friend named Tushar and we must have called (casting director) Shruti (Mahajan) ma'am so many times that she must have got annoyed.

We would ask her to let us give just one audition.

Tushar knew Sanjay sir because he worked with him, and he knew that Heeramandi was his dream project.

But we never knew when it was going to happen.

When the news came out that this project is going to be made, I reached Shruti ma'am's office and basically begged her to give me any role.

I think after almost 15 months of chasing, she said, okay, do this audition. It was a three-day role.

That was also fine by me.

I just needed Sanjay sir to just see what I could put across and if he sees something in me, then if not in this project, maybe in the next project, he might give me something.

So I signed the contract for the three-day role.

Suddenly, after two or three weeks, I get a call from Sanjay sir's office, saying he wants to meet me.

How did you react?

I was shocked.

Why does he want to meet me for a three-day role?

But it would be an honour to meet him, so I went to his office.

I sat down, waited for him. He came and sat down.

I think he was just looking at me for a couple of minutes.

That was quite intimidating, to be honest.

Then he said, what have you done? So I told him, sir, I have been doing work for the past 10-12 years.

He replied, you have done a lot of work, but no one knows you.

I said, yes.

Then he told Shruti to give me Balraj's role instead (Balraj is a revolutionary in the series).

I said, fine, I'd be happy to do that as well.

I went for the look test.

After two weeks, I was working on the contract again.

But you don't play Balraj in the series.

Suddenly, I got a call again.

Now after all the years that I've been working, I know that whenever something good happens to me, something or the other goes wrong and I don't get the role.

So I thought something similar has happened here.

The caller said, Sir has changed his mind. I'm sorry.

I said, Okay, it's my fate.

When I went to meet him, I almost fell on my knees and apologised if I had made any mistake.

I said, please don't take away this role because it's my biggest dream and I have already told my mom. If I tell her I lost it, she would get sad.

He asked me to sit.

So I did.

Then he said, I saw your audition. I want you for the lead.

I think at that time, my ears went deaf.

I thought it was a joke.

He asked me to come for a look test.

When I went out of his room and closed the door, that's when it dawned on me that this had actually happened and I'm going for the look test of Tajdar.

The first thing I did was call my mother.

It was a surreal feeling for him to even consider me.

You know, from a three day role to Balraj, and then to Tajdar.

Only a man like Sanjay Bhansali can take somebody who's a nobody and put him in such a prestigious role, a role that can redefine my career.

What's it like working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali?

Before every scene, he would play two or three songs over and over again, especially when Sharmin and I would shoot, because it invoked his emotion.

One of the songs was from The Last Samurai.

Everything is in rhythm for him. If he doesn't have that rhythm in place, then something is off.

As my character Tajdar is concerned, I felt that somewhere it was resonating with how Sanjay sir would react to a certain situation.

Initially, I was very scared to sit next to him in front of the monitor. Until the day came when he said, why don't you come and sit next to the monitor?

I said, I didn't know I was allowed to.

So he said, come.

Then he would explain on screen, here, I would like you to do this.

I'm the kind of actor who rehearses a lot. In that kind of preparation, you have to find the magic when something goes wrong.

For him, the frame needs to be beautiful and then the actors come in.

His aesthetic sense is unmatched.

Even his dialogue has a certain poetry to it.

If he feels something is not right, he will immediately replace it.

If he doesn't like the outfits of the background artists, he will get it changed. Sometimes, in an entire day, we haven't taken a single shot because of that.

It's an elaborate process, but the man is so minutely involved.

If a photo frame in the background is not rightly placed, he will want to get it right. He has a keen vision.

Very rarely, he would act out a scene for his actors, and I would observe him with eagle eyes.

Every day was a new day. He goes according to his mood.

Sometimes he would come on set and would be on fire. Sometimes he would say, you guys take care of it.