Sachin Pilgaonkar, known for his work in Hindi and Marathi cinema, began as a child artist and has starred in many blockbusters. His daughter, Shriya Pilgaonkar, is now continuing his legacy. Recently, journalist Bharati S. Pradhan spoke with them for Lehren Retro, where Sachin revealed his regret about not introducing Shriya to his mentor, Sanjeev Kumar. Find out more from their conversation.
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00:00And people also at that time knew that I was very, very close to Hari bhai, Sanjeev Kumar, who was my friend, philosopher and guide.
00:06I would have loved to meet him.
00:08I also wanted him to not only meet her, but also see her work.
00:12You know your Tutu Meme is an unforgettable sitcom.
00:17The subject was conceived by my writer, Sanjeev Kapoor, and I had to put my wackiness into it.
00:28The wacky factor did not come from him.
00:31Have you seen Sholay?
00:33Of course.
00:34Who hasn't seen Sachin in Sholay?
00:35Sholay ka, but the death scene was too much.
00:47Have you also watched everything that your dad does?
00:50He's done more than 200 films.
00:52And you haven't seen one?
00:53I haven't watched all 200 films, but I love Master Sachin, Baby Sachin.
01:03Me and Junior Mehmood used to be a team, you know.
01:05They did some 15 films.
01:07But I feel so fortunate, Bharti, that just because I did films as child actors,
01:14I could show my childhood to my child.
01:20Otherwise, it is not possible.
01:21Nobody else could do that.
01:23And my mom and I both, we love watching and just observing.
01:28How is it possible that at the age of five, Papa did a drunk scene.
01:34He played a drunk.
01:35And I said, Papa, how did you know how to be drunk when obviously as a child?
01:40You don't know anything, yeah.
01:42So, I mean, I love Majhli Didi, Haan Maaza Marga Ekla.
01:46Then we went and saw Jool Thief on the big screen, which was such an amazing experience.
01:51Imagine watching Jool Thief with him on the big screen.
01:55So, and of course, I've seen all of his Marathi films and Tu Tu Mein Mein, Katyaar Ka Azaad.
02:00I mean, you name it.
02:01Ashi Hi Banwa Banvi.
02:02So, of course, I've seen most of his stuff.
02:04And you saw the one where your dad and mom met.
02:06Navri Mein Navrela, of course.
02:09I mean, he's made some iconic Marathi films, which to date, if you ask any Maharashtrian,
02:15you know, some of those films, especially a film like Ashi Hi Banwa Banvi or Navra Maaza Nav Saacha
02:20are right on top.
02:22So, it's incredibly inspiring for me.
02:27Because a very important thing that I learned from him is that you don't need to just have
02:33a one word answer for what you want to do in life.
02:36You have the capability of exploring multiple things, which is why I also had the confidence
02:42to say, you know, I want to also explore myself as a writer.
02:45I also want to explore direction.
02:47That's where that inspiration comes from.
02:49And hopefully one day I'll be in a position where I'm confident enough to also make my own film.
02:56But you have made short films.
02:58Yes, but I would love to explore myself even as a writer, director.
03:01I don't know how he did it at such a young age.
03:03It's incredible.
03:05But yeah.
03:06Have you seen Sholay?
03:07Of course.
03:08I mean, who hasn't seen Sachin in Sholay?
03:10Sholay Ka Aalikin Bu Dib scene was too much.
03:12I know that scene at different stages of your life, you must have reacted differently to it.
03:17No, of course.
03:18But I was more curious because he was also like an AD on the film.
03:21So, I have so many stories of the behind the scenes as well.
03:26So, he's full of some incredible stories.
03:28You know, it's going to be 50 years of Sholay next year.
03:30Wow.
03:31Amazing.
03:33Amazing.
03:3450 years.
03:35And 60 years of him this year.
03:37Wow.
03:37Yeah.
03:39That seems like a landmark.
03:43So, tell me, you've seen Sholay and have you seen that film where he became, from a child
03:48artist he suddenly became Gappuchi, Gappuchi, Gamp Gamp.
03:51Gappuchi, Gappuchi, Gamp Gamp.
03:52Yeah, that song.
03:53I realise you have a lot of hit songs, Papa.
03:56Yeah, I'm fortunate enough to get good songs.
03:59There are very few heroes who got very, very good songs and I happen to be one of them.
04:04Bade Ache Lagte Hain is a song that everybody still loves and associates with him.
04:09Then of course, Satte Pe Satta, the songs from there.
04:12So, Nadiya Ke Paar, Bali Ka Vadhu.
04:16And in fact, it amazes me that firstly, a lot of people say from, you know, UP, Bihar,
04:23they found out much later that he's a Maharashtrian because they associated him with Chandan.
04:28Right.
04:29So, for him, he was just Sachin.
04:3180% of Delhi, UP and Bihar still think that I'm from that side.
04:34That side.
04:35And I say, yes, you're absolutely right.
04:38You're from India.
04:39Exactly.
04:40Anywhere in India.
04:42There was an interview taken.
04:44I will not name the magazine.
04:48And you know them very well.
04:50You know the person also who wrote it.
04:53But a question, the entire thing was asked several questions.
04:58And people also that time knew that I was very, very close to Haribhai Sanjeev Kumar.
05:02We all knew.
05:02He was my friend, philosopher.
05:04You were the one who saw him?
05:06I saw him.
05:07Unfortunately, I was the first person to see him in that state.
05:10Exactly.
05:10When we had lost him.
05:13So, in that interview, they had asked me several questions about my career.
05:16I was not even married that time.
05:18Okay.
05:20About this, about that, everything.
05:22And one question they asked me, you're very close to Sanjeev Kumar and you follow him.
05:30You're a big fan.
05:31I said, of course, I am.
05:34And I am a big admirer of that.
05:37But tell me one thing, Sachin.
05:40Do you think Sanjeev Kumar is the only good actor in the industry?
05:44So, I said, no, I don't think Haribhai is the only good actor.
05:49Because there are so many good actors.
05:52This one, this one, this one.
05:53All these people are very good actors.
05:55I don't think he's the only good actor.
05:58In the interview, the headline was Sanjeev Kumar is not the only good actor in the industry,
06:04says Sachin.
06:06But this is why I tell you that be careful of the jokes you crack.
06:10But even today, ma'am, this is how what happens.
06:13It's always.
06:13Yeah.
06:14And in the last 50 years, half quotes are what.
06:17But it's very scary.
06:19It's very scary, which is why today a lot of people don't open up or speak because
06:24it's half truth and then you don't feel like being honest in interviews.
06:28You know, since you mentioned Sanjeev Kumar, I'm sorry to take you back to that day.
06:32But can you just again construct that little scene when you found him?
06:37Well, he had come from, I'll cut the long story short.
06:40He had just come from America.
06:42He had an open heart surgery.
06:44He had a bypass and he was supposed to be resting, but he was not allowed to shoot.
06:52But a couple of hours he used to go and dub.
06:55OK.
06:56So I met him on the 5th of November, 1985, in the evening when he was dubbing at Sumit.
07:04And I said, I want to come and meet you tomorrow.
07:07He said, come in the morning.
07:09So I said, I'll come in the afternoon.
07:12So 2.30 I went there.
07:14He was not yet out of his bedroom and his boys who were the househelps, they were not
07:24they were scared to open the door and all that.
07:26Sir has gone to have bath.
07:27I said, when did he go?
07:29He said, one and a half hour back.
07:30I said, then bath is something you should just ask.
07:36So I said, I will go and open.
07:39Even if he's changing, I'm a friend.
07:41I will say, sorry, I will close the door.
07:43So I went there and I, the sliding door, I opened it.
07:46I couldn't see anything in this angle.
07:50I sat down on the carpet.
07:52I saw him lying down in the bedroom.
07:56I saw him lying down on the carpet and that bottle, the sorbitrate, that tablet was, the
08:04bottle was down and his hand was like that towards the door and he was lying down on
08:10his stomach and I screamed.
08:13And then the doctors came and they said, he's gone long back.
08:18They tried to revive him but they couldn't.
08:22I would have loved to meet him.
08:23He's, I mean.
08:24He would have been so happy.
08:25I know, he would have been very happy to meet you, for sure.
08:27I mean, I've heard so many stories about him that I just feel like I know.
08:31I also wanted him to not only meet her but also see her work.
08:35Yes, absolutely.
08:38Not only him, even my father for that matter.
08:40I've not met my dad.
08:41I remember your dad.
08:42Exactly, but Supriya didn't even meet him anytime.
08:45Supriya, because I lost him in 83, June and I met Supriya in 83, October.
08:55And I was born in 89.
08:58No, but I remember his dad.
09:01I mean, we go that far back, actually.
09:06She used to come to Juhu apartment.
09:07Yeah, I used to come to that house, yes.
09:09That's right, yeah.
09:11You know, now that you've told me you've seen almost all his work, you've seen almost all
09:17her work.
09:17Is there any favourite that you like of her work?
09:22She played a sex worker in Taza Khabar.
09:25Have you watched Taza Khabar, Papa?
09:27I've watched a couple of episodes.
09:29She played one of us.
09:30Journalist in Broken News.
09:32Broken News, yes.
09:33But I somewhere, I mean, of course, her first spark was Mirzapur, where she would tell people
09:40that, yes, I am this, with the UP dialect.
09:45You see, which is a very rare thing.
09:47I feel one thing, before I answer this question of yours, I want to also mention this, that
09:53I'm very particular about languages.
09:57Whatever you're doing, you have to be perfect in your language.
10:03You see, otherwise, you cannot reach the audience.
10:06Especially if it requires a dialect, I'm guessing that's what.
10:09No, not only that.
10:09Even just the language.
10:11Because if you have the control over the language, the confidence, what you show people.
10:17What you have to convey through it will come.
10:19The ease.
10:24So, that is one thing.
10:25And her work, which I really admired, was Guilty Minds.
10:30Guilty Minds?
10:31Okay.
10:32I mean, for me, Guilty Minds perhaps has to be a show that
10:36was transformational as an actor, because I just had that much scope.
10:40And it's a character that gave me so much love, not just critically, but audience alike.
10:44Everywhere.
10:45So, it's a show that's very important to me, just because I got that much scope.
10:49People may differ.
10:50I mean, some people would say that, no, this is Mirzapur.
10:53I don't mind.
10:54I mean, they have their own opinion, right?
10:56Absolutely.
10:57To my opinion, it is Guilty Minds.
11:00You, you have to choose between, who is a better actor?
11:05Who is a better actor?
11:06Your dad or your mom?
11:08Obviously, her mom.
11:11No, no, no.
11:12I'll be very honest.
11:12He has to go back home today, no?
11:14No, no, not because of that.
11:15But he, I don't, I know what, I mean, my mother, the thing is, you know, dad's a performer.
11:20It's not fair.
11:20My question is not even fair, but I'm still.
11:23But can I say something?
11:24There's a, there is, dad's a performer.
11:28It's a star aura.
11:31My mother's an actor in the sense that my mother's great with building characters.
11:36And she's very instinctive.
11:38They're very different.
11:39She doesn't even know what she's doing.
11:40That is the most beautiful part.
11:42Oh.
11:42She's very unaware as an actor.
11:43You use some of your brains, no?
11:45Absolutely.
11:46She does not.
11:47She doesn't.
11:47She's more instinctive.
11:48I mean, I know the reason why she doesn't.
11:50She's instinctive.
11:51Dad's bad jokes.
11:53Bad jokes.
11:56But these two actors I've seen who are least interested in their work, more interested
12:03in talking this and talking that and doing this musty and doing that musty.
12:07But suddenly when they come in front of the camera, first of all, they are very reluctant
12:11to come in front of the camera.
12:13But if they ultimately have to come in front of the camera and when the camera rolls and
12:18the clap goes and then the director says action, I don't know what happens to them.
12:23They just come alive.
12:24Huh?
12:26Is this the same person?
12:27Who are the two?
12:28One is Supriya.
12:29Yes.
12:29And the other is Kajol.
12:31Oh.
12:32Okay.
12:34Yes, Kajol.
12:36You know?
12:37But I think what you're trying to say is different personalities and...
12:40I don't know what it is.
12:41But you worked with Kajol?
12:43You worked with Kajol?
12:44No, but I know her very well.
12:45She's almost like a younger sister to me because of Tanu aunty.
12:49I've been observing her work right from the beginning.
12:51I love Kajol.
12:53From the very first film she acted in, I saw that and I was flabbergasted.
12:59I called up Tanu aunty and said, she's going to set it on fire.
13:02Has playing Raghav Hargav made a lot of difference to you?
13:05In the sense, are more people recognising you?
13:08Oh, of course.
13:08Is this recognition a lot more?
13:10It's very rare that a season two sort of gets more love maybe than the first one.
13:17And it's difficult to match those expectations.
13:19So, I think with Broken News that's happened.
13:21A lot of people in fact watched season one because the buzz of season two was so much more.
13:26Working with Jaideep and Sonali has been amazing.
13:28So, yeah, I mean we'll see.
13:31Things take time.
13:32Things always take time and good things take time.
13:35And today I think even the film industry is sort of exploring itself.
13:39But it's great because there are so many new films pan India.
13:43People are watching different languages.
13:45People are appreciating good talent.
13:48And that's very important.
13:49That belief is important.
13:51The focus needs to be on the substance of it more than anything else.
13:55Yeah.
13:55You know your Tutu Mehmeh is an unforgettable sitcom.
14:01Absolutely unforgettable.
14:02Reema Lagu and your wife.
14:05What was it like?
14:06And how did you even think of something so wacky and just so relatable?
14:11No, no.
14:12Let me tell you about the subject was conceived by my writer, Sajeev Kapoor.
14:20And I had to put my wackiness into it.
14:22Okay.
14:23The wacky factor is, it did not come from him.
14:26Okay.
14:27The subject came from him.
14:29That humor, we make something humorous between saas and bahu because it's a universal relationship.
14:36Yes.
14:38Absolutely.
14:38Wherever you go.
14:39And timeless.
14:40And timeless.
14:41So, we can make a good comedy.
14:43And comedy, people say that it's my forte.
14:46So, that's why I said that, why not?
14:50But then it cannot be just, he had a few things in his mind that, let us make an episode of
14:56curtains or cutlery or a cup of coffee.
15:04So, he had that in mind.
15:05I said, it will definitely we can make, but it cannot go beyond 13 or 26 episodes.
15:12Because, I mean, where will you go after a point?
15:18I said, we need to have a kind of, we have to make these two characters in different,
15:23different situations.
15:24Yeah.
15:25And then those situations could be, we have to then conceive and then the wacky part comes
15:34into it.
15:35Right.
15:36And then we did that.
15:37And that's how Tutu Baime was made.
15:40Even the title was given by my writer, Sajeev Kapoor.
15:43Okay.
15:45First, he had Saas Bahu in mind.
15:47I said, it's too direct, too obvious.
15:50Correct.
15:51Let's not make Saas Bahu.
15:53We need some other interesting character, title.
15:56Title.
15:57He came up with this title, Tutu Baime.
16:00Because this was a constant Tutu Baime between us.
16:02I didn't know he came up with the title.
16:04I feel so happy that today, some of the big, big places I visit, and there are big CEOs
16:12and COOs and all these people, they come and meet me.
16:17And many of them come and tell me that, sir, we have grown up watching Tutu Baime.
16:23They were kids, that time.
16:25Correct, correct.
16:26They used to come running from school and do their homework.
16:29And in the evening, they used to be prepared to watch Tutu Baime.
16:32Probably their parents may not allow them to, mustn't have allowed them to watch any
16:38other thing, but they allowed them to see Tutu Baime.
16:40It was accessible, you know.
16:42And there's a simplicity to those shows like that.
16:45And not only, I mean, all the children, particularly, I did not make the series for children, right?
16:52I did it for the audience.
16:54And who could identify more than a Saas and a Bahu.
16:58But even the kids enjoyed it.
17:00And I did not aim for them, but still.
17:02They picked it up.
17:03They picked it up.
17:04Yeah, that's right.
17:05Would you say that was one of your most satisfying projects?
17:09One of, one of my.
17:10One of your.
17:10One of my.
17:12Which of the others that you would?
17:13Well, I would definitely name my Marathi film called Ashi Bhanwa Bhanwa.
17:16Bhanwa Bhanwa.
17:18Okay.
17:19And after that, that was in 88.
17:23And 85, I released another Marathi film called Navra Maza Nausa Cha.
17:30That also gave me a lot of happiness.
17:33And they've all been super.
17:34Even, even, even today when I watch them, I enjoy them.
17:38You know?
17:39Yeah.
17:39Katyaar Kaazad Dusli Antaate Saitha, you know?
17:42Yeah.
17:42That character, which I'd never played in my life, such character.
17:46Yeah.
17:47Nobody imagined me to be an old man.
17:50Because they thought probably that I would.
17:51Urdu speaking old man.
17:53No, Urdu I could speak, I knew.
17:55But I was also not very sure whether I would look an old man.
17:59Yeah.
18:00And Bharti, I'll tell you, tell you one thing about me.
18:03That unless and until people try something on me, na, they don't know that I suit them.
18:08Right.
18:09That's what a lot of people.
18:09That you can carry it off.
18:10But yeah, that.
18:11That you can carry it off.
18:12Haan.
18:13It happened in.
18:15Yeah, Katyaar.
18:16Like Aamir Khan saw Katyaar Kaazad Dusli.
18:19It took him two scenes to recognize me.
18:22Okay.
18:24All right.
18:24On the, at the end of the second scene, he saw.
18:30Are you getting my point?
18:31He told you that?
18:32Yeah, he told me that.
18:35And he calls me a chameleon.
18:37Looks wise.
18:38You are.
18:39He says that whatever character given to you and some getup, you become that.
18:45That's true.
18:45That's true.
18:46So you would count these as some of your more satisfying projects.
18:51That is why this year I'm releasing, I've already made a film called Navra Maza Navsasha 2.
18:59Don't mention the date, it's not out officially.
19:01Of course not.
19:02Yeah.
19:02But this year we are planning to release it.
19:06Lovely, lovely.
19:07But you're not doing anything in Hindi for a fan India audience?
19:11I definitely wish to.
19:12I also wish to make a OTT series.
19:16But it will have my touch.
19:18Absolutely.
19:19Otherwise there is no point in making it.
19:21People like that touch.
19:22I'm not saying that it will be only a comedy.
19:26It could be a spice of life.
19:28It could be emotional.
19:29It could be whatever.
19:30Are you working on something?
19:31I am.
19:32But it's on a nascent stage right now.
19:35So it is not right on my part to mention the names and some things about it.
19:41But one thing is sure, that it is cooking.
19:45Okay.
19:46All right.
19:46So you are up to something.
19:48Can I keep quiet?
19:50All the time.
19:50You know me so well.
19:52Do you think I will sit quietly?
19:56And at one place?
19:58Mind is ticking all the time.
20:00That's true.
20:01I'm glad that we met because it's so lovely to see father and daughter in the same profession.
20:08Unplanned because you didn't even know she was going to be an actor.
20:12Unplanned for me also.
20:13Unplanned for you also.
20:14But it was very nice to meet you after such a long time.
20:17We are interacting this way.
20:19We have been speaking on phone.
20:21I've been attending your award functions.
20:22That's right.
20:24So has she.
20:25Yes.
20:26She's been coming on her own.
20:27You've been coming on your own.
20:28Absolutely.
20:29But such a pleasure.
20:31Before we go, ask your father to sing one song which we would all like to hear.
20:37What would you like to sing?
20:38What would you like?
20:39What would you like him to sing?
20:41Or we both sing.
20:42How are you, sir?
20:44We both sing together.
20:45You sing together?
20:46Sure.
21:11Pagli.
21:12Yes.
21:13Pagli.
21:14Yes.
21:41What a talented father and daughter.
21:45Not just actors but singers also.
21:48Fabulous.
21:49All the best.
21:50Wanting to see lots of both of you.
21:51Thank you, ma'am.
21:53Lovely to meet you.
21:54Thank you, ma'am.
21:55Love you.