JOIN USReinventing herself
Sharmila Tagore laughs at the mention of this compliment, which she considers her greatest till date. Her latest film, Life Goes On, brings her and Soha Ali Khan together for the first time on-screen.
The dimples are still visible as she flashes her enigmatic smile and says, “I really enjoyed working in Life Goes On. The film, predominantly, has English dialogues and a few in Bengali.” The story is about an NRI family consisting of a doctor played by Girish Karnad, his wife played by Sharmila and their daughter Soha, who falls in love with a Muslim youth, which creates tension and drama within the family. Life Goes On also features Om Puri. It is a contemporary tale with a strong social message.
For realism
Life Goes On has been directed by Sangeeta Dutta, an eminent journalist and filmmaker, who started her career as an assistant to the late Basu Bhattacharya in his last film, Aastha. She was then associated with Rituparno Ghosh, who directed Chokher Bali and Antar Mahal. Says, Sharmila Tagore, “Sangeeta is an enthusiastic and imaginative director. She has worked very hard on the film. I prefer to work with the new lot of directors, who are ready to experiment with offbeat concepts and have a realistic approach towards cinema.”
How was it working with her own daughter in Life Goes On? A smile again radiates Sharmila’s face as she speaks, “What can I say about my own daughter? She is an actress with a lot of potential and our mother-daughter relationship was never an issue when we faced the camera. Also, Girish Karnad and Om Puri have performed brilliantly in the film and when you watch it, you will notice that the film has an undercurrent of emotions, well-mingled with intelligence.”
A seasoned actress, Sharmila Tagore, at 66, is still bubbling with new ideas, enthusiasm and has a desire to transcend histrionic barriers. She has proved her acting talent in several films, which include Apur Sansar, Devi, Chaya Surya, Anupama, Aradhana and Mausam, for which she won her first National Award. She proved herself again as an actress with her remarkable performances in Eklavya and a Bengali film, Antaheen. How does she rate herself as an actress? Sharmila Tagore answers, “Frankly speaking, I have never believed in rating myself. Whatever I have achieved in the past 50 years is well known. It is for my critics and viewers to judge my work. All I can say is that whenever there’s a special script or a sensitive director, I have tried my best to give it a 100 per cent.”
More than an actor
And when you write about Sharmila Tagore, you have to mention the leading actors she has worked with throughout her illustrious career. She explains, “I have worked successfully with all the leading actors of my time, which include Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Shammi Kapoor, Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna. All of them are gifted actors. So is Amitabh Bachchan. And how can I forget Sanjeev Kumar, a natural and versatile actor, with whom I performed in many memorable films.”
Her directors include Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha, Partha Pratim Chowdhury, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Shakti Samanta and, of course, Gulzar. She assesses, “There is nothing new to speak about Satyajit Ray, India’s greatest director. Shakti Samanta, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar were of course highly competent. Tapan Sinha was a director with vision as proved by his film, Nirjan Saikate. Partha Pratim Chowdhury too had lots of potential, but sadly, we lost him early in his career.
Apart from acting, Sharmila Tagore has other achievements to her credit. She was a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival last year and thoroughly enjoyed her experience of interacting with film makers across the globe and judging films of international merit. A committed and successful chairperson of the Central Board Of Film Certification, her term ends next February. What does she have to say about the Censor Act of 1953, which still prevails? Sharmila Tagore says, “I have already suggested to the I&B Ministry that we need to make many corrections in the Censor Act to make it more relevant. I am sure that the alterations will be considered and implemented in due course of time.”