Thanks to Saif, people still know me: Sharmila Tagore

But she likes to joke about it anyway. “Thanks to Saif and Soha, people still know me,” says the once leading lady of Indian cinema.

Tagore says she has considered directing, and she’d probably make a good director, too, but the film would have to deal with a subject more nuanced and suited to her generation.
“Directing needs a different kind of discipline. I don’t know whether I have the energy,” she said. She’d rather not work “unless something really inspiring came along.” The Bengali actress who began her career with Satyajit Ray’s “Apur Sansar” in 1959, recalled the great film maker’s attention to detail and meticulous preparation before a shoot.

“It was a pleasure working with him because he came so prepared with notes on each frame. He was quiet on the sets, but nothing escaped him. No one can match his calibre of technique,” she said.