The famous veteran filmmaker Shakti Samanta created several classic films in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, including Howrah Bridge, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Aradhana, and the 1993 release Geetanjali. Shakti Da worked with many stars like Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mithun Chakraborty, helping them reach the heights of fame. Let’s remember Shakti Da by watching a flashback interview with Lehren, where he shares his experiences from his early career as an actor and his time working with the legendary Ashok Kumar as a filmmaker. Don’t miss this latest podcast from Lehren. #shaktisamanta #ashokkumar #dadamoni #howrahbridge #lehrenpodcast
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00:00Dadamani never let me feel that he can work better than Uttam Kumar or Uttpal Dutt.
00:06The villain has climbed up.
00:08However tall he is, he will be hungry, thirsty, he will have to go to the kitchen, he will have to go to the bathroom.
00:14He will never come down.
00:15I will catch him then.
00:16Why should I climb up for no reason?
00:17I said, Dadamani, I don't have any answer to this.
00:20Rajesh Khanna, you are playing the role of a pilot.
00:22Why have you kept such long hair?
00:24So, he said, no Dadamani, don't do it.
00:26He said, look, I have cut my hair today because I had to do this role.
00:29So, I must look the character.
00:31I said, Dadamani, what is this?
00:32He said, I understood.
00:33Okay, Shakti, take the shot.
00:34This hair won't be cut.
00:40I met Dadamani in 1947-48.
00:46But I was his fan since childhood.
00:49In the days of college, I used to sing his songs.
00:52I used to try to act like him.
00:54My life's ambition was to become an actor in Film 9.
00:59I didn't know that there were other departments.
01:03Coincidentally, I got to work in Bombay Talkies.
01:06Dadamani was the director of Bombay Talkies.
01:11He bought that concern.
01:14The day I saw Dadamani for the first time, I felt like I was in heaven.
01:18I never thought that I would see Dadamani in flesh and blood.
01:22When I saw him, I was very happy.
01:25After that, I got to work with Dadamani.
01:27We became friends.
01:28He used to treat us like family.
01:31One day, I told him, Dadamani, I am working with Fareenda and Gyanda.
01:38But I am very fond of acting.
01:40Can you give me a role?
01:41He said, okay, you want to act?
01:43Okay, fine.
01:44In a movie, the inspector asks you to wear clothes and come.
01:47You do it.
01:48So, I said.
01:50What was the dialogue?
01:51Follow car number Sachin Sach.
01:52Follow car number Sachin Sach.
01:53In two movies, he kept saying, follow car number Sachin Sach.
01:56I was so tired.
01:57I said, forget about acting.
02:00After that, when I got the chance to make a movie with the inspector,
02:04I went to Dadamani.
02:05Dadamani, will you work with me in this movie as a hero?
02:09He said, yes, I will.
02:10But what is the name of the movie?
02:12I said, the name of the movie is Inspector.
02:14Oh, you want to take revenge on me?
02:16He said, no, it's not like that.
02:18But the character of the hero is that of the inspector.
02:22So, I thought of giving him the name of the inspector.
02:25He said, okay.
02:27I remember that one day,
02:29during the inspection,
02:32one of his cousins, Arun Mukherjee, who he loved a lot,
02:35who was a music director,
02:37passed away.
02:38His funeral was at his house.
02:40That day, I wanted to make a song.
02:43So, I told Dadamani, let's take a day off.
02:45You can attend it.
02:47He said, no, no, no.
02:49He was in the mood.
02:50Let's finish it.
02:51I said, Dadamani, finish it quickly.
02:53There is a lot of work.
02:54He said, it won't finish until tomorrow.
02:56I have worked with a lot of heroes,
02:58a lot of people.
03:00But with Dadamani, I saw that
03:02his dedication to work
03:06was something very powerful.
03:09Until he got that scene a day earlier,
03:11he was not satisfied.
03:13He used to go home and think about that scene.
03:15He used to do some things.
03:17He used to call me in the morning
03:19and say, I have thought about this change.
03:21What do you think?
03:23I said, no, Dadamani, it's good.
03:25He said, no, no, think about it.
03:27It's not like that.
03:29So, I have seen so much dedication
03:31in very few artists.
03:33And even today,
03:35at this age,
03:36the way they work with dedication,
03:38I think very few artists
03:40work with so much dedication.
03:42Other people must also do it.
03:44But his dedication
03:46impressed me a lot.
03:48With Dadamani,
03:50when I started my production,
03:52Horda Bridge,
03:54I took him as a hero.
03:56I remember an incident of Horda Bridge.
03:58After everything was done,
04:00when the climax came,
04:02Biran climbs up Horda Bridge
04:04and Dadamani reaches up
04:06chasing him.
04:08We shot the whole set with
04:10Calcutta Man Duplicate.
04:12Dadamani said, let's shoot.
04:14Maybe he was not in the mood
04:16to shoot that day.
04:18He said, sit with me for a minute.
04:20I said, go ahead.
04:22He said, look, Biran has climbed up.
04:24Horda Bridge is so high.
04:26He will be hungry and thirsty.
04:28He will have to go to the kitchen.
04:30He will have to go to the bathroom.
04:32He will never come down.
04:34I will catch him then.
04:36Why should I climb up?
04:38I said, Dadamani, I don't have
04:40the courage to do this.
04:42Everyone will say,
04:44it feels good.
04:46If you don't go,
04:48he will come down for his natural course.
04:50If you catch him, people will say
04:52that this hero is not good.
04:54I said, okay, let's not shoot today.
04:56We will do it tomorrow.
04:58Actually, he wanted a holiday that day.
05:00Instead of saying that we will do it tomorrow,
05:02he took this as an excuse.
05:04After that, we did not make a movie
05:06with Dadamani for many days.
05:08It happens that when a person
05:10transfers from youth,
05:12I mean, he starts playing
05:14an aged type of role.
05:16There was no such thing in those days.
05:18The first time I thought,
05:20there was a small role in Aradhana
05:22of an officer.
05:24Dadamani said, Dadamani,
05:26there is a small role.
05:28I said, yes, I will do it.
05:30What is the role?
05:32He said, a pilot officer,
05:34a wing commander or something.
05:36Rajesh Khanna was the hero.
05:38Dadamani came.
05:40Dadamani said,
05:42Rajesh Khanna, you are playing a pilot.
05:44Why have you kept such long hair?
05:46Dadamani laughed.
05:48He said, I have cut my hair today
05:50because I had to do this role.
05:52I must look the character.
05:54Dadamani said, what is this?
05:56I said, okay, Shakti, take the shot.
05:58He will not cut his hair.
06:00So that happened.
06:02And the two scenes that he did,
06:04everyone remembered it.
06:06Especially the climax scene
06:08in which he worked.
06:10I think it was my duty
06:12to take Dadamani in that movie.
06:14After that, I made a movie
06:16based on Dadamani.
06:18Anurag.
06:20When I told the story,
06:22Dadamani felt,
06:24why is he making this movie?
06:26It is not going to work.
06:28Still, he said,
06:30why is he making this movie?
06:32I said, will this movie work?
06:34He said, let's see.
06:36Maybe it will work.
06:38I said, okay, the story is good.
06:40But I doubt if it will work.
06:42Anyway, the movie was made.
06:44Dadamani did a fantastic job.
06:46After that,
06:48the movie was made.
06:50After that,
06:52I started making Bengali movies.
06:54There was no role in Amanush
06:56that I could give to Dadamani.
06:58But I made the next movie Anand Ashram.
07:00Dadamani played a very good role in that.
07:02Uttam Kumar was with him.
07:04Utpal Dutt was with him.
07:06Dadamani never made me feel
07:08that he works better than Uttam Kumar
07:10or he can work better than Utpal Dutt.
07:12Whenever he comes on set
07:14and these people work,
07:16he calls them in his make-up room.
07:18Look, I am making a Bengali movie for the first time.
07:20I am working after a long time.
07:22I don't know how to speak Bengali.
07:24You do one thing,
07:26help me.
07:28You do one thing, help me.
07:30You do one thing, help me.
07:32You do one thing, help me.
07:34You do one thing, help me.
07:36You do one thing, help me.
07:38You do one thing, help me.
07:40You do one thing, help me.
07:42You do one thing, help me.
07:44You do one thing, help me.
07:46You do one thing, help me.
07:48You do one thing, help me.
07:50You do one thing, help me.
07:52You do one thing, help me.
07:54You do one thing, help me.