Vyjayanthimala had moved to Delhi soon after her retirement from films but made frequent trips to Mumbai in the 90s when her son, Sachindar Bali was struggling to become an actor. She purchased a plush apartment for her son in the suburbs of Mumbai but refused to call her colleagues for help. “I may have been a superstar in my time but that does not mean that I can get a role for my son in films. This is show business and everyone has to make a path for himself. If Sachindar has it in him he will make it as an actor if not there are many options in life”. She was right. Sachindar continued to struggle for another year or two and packed up to return to Delhi forever.
I was walking down the Film City makeup room corridor one day when veteran actor Lalita Pawar, mistaking me for an actress, invited me to her room. A journalist had come visiting her and Pawar was clearly disappointed with the encounter. “Why are journalists so distracted and why do they come for an interview if they are not interested in listening to the actor? They ask questions but when I am answering they are looking somewhere else”. I heard her out in silence. When I got up to leave, I told her I was not an actor but a journalist. She smiled. Lalita Pawar taught me to value my seniors and to always listen without interruption.
To be continued