When Smita Patil was shocked to see me on the dot for photo shoot

After the shoot was over, Smita introduced me to Asha Bhosle’s daughter Varsha, who was her family friend and had dropped in to visit her. It is sad that both of them died in the prime of their lives, Smita due to pregnancy complications, and Varsha committed suicide in her own house

Picture Talk/By NK Sareen

Reaching at least two hours late after the appointed time for any function or an assignment shows one’s importance, and in Indian parlance is known as the Indian Standard Time.

Smita Patil, who herself came to open the door at her residence, seeing me on the dot, was a little surprised, shocked, and somewhat embarrassed too.

Welcoming me in, she sheepishly asked me to wait just for 10 minutes so that she could put on her make-up. She was utterly shocked when I said I didn’t want her to put on any make-up.

No actress ever wanted to face a camera without heavy make-up, and it was always a tough job for me to convince them that they looked better without it.

Then hesitatingly, she asked for two minutes, requesting me to allow her to put on lip gloss so her lips came out well in the image. After quickly applying lip gloss, she opened her wardrobe and asked me what I wanted her to wear for the pics.

I selected a few things which I thought would turn out well in the pictures, suiting her personality, and I gave her the full freedom to do anything and wear any one of those selected dresses she found herself comfortable in.

After the shoot was over, she introduced me to Asha Bhosle’s daughter Varsha, who was her family friend and had dropped in to visit her.

It is sad that both of them died in the prime of their lives, Smita due to pregnancy complications, and Varsha committed suicide in her own house.

[In this column, ‘Picture Talk’, the veteran photo journalist NK Sareen, a former Photo Editor at Expanse International and a writer, shines light on some of the pictures he clicked of personalities he often gets nostalgic about. The views expressed here are the author’s own and The News Porter bears no responsibility.]