I GOT A RECALL FROM CHRISTOPHER TO READ SOME PARTS WHICH HAD TO BE CAST, TO FILM IN THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST 1982 ONWARDS. AT MY ARRIVAL AT THE CASTING DEPARTMENT I WAS GREETED VERY WARMLY BY SUSSIE BRUFFIN WHO SAID” RELAX CHRISTOPHER LIKES YOU” I WENT ‘PHEW’ AND TOOK A DEEP BREATH. CHRISTOPHER ARRIVED AND GAVE ME SOME PAGES TO READ AND ASKED ME IF I NEED TIME TO LOOK AT THEM. I DECLINED AND I READ IT ON IMPULSE.. ‘ THAT WAS EASY TO CAST. YOU ARE NAIR. WELCOME ABOARD’ SAID CHRISTOPHER , SHOOK HANDS AND LEFT THE ROOM. I WAS DAZED AT THE SPEED OF THE EVENT AND WHEN I REALISED WHAT HAD HAPPENED I DANCED MY WAY TO MY MATRIMONIAL HOME IN MANCHESTER WHICH I HAD LEFT IN APRIL 1982 TO GO TO LONDON TO SEEK ACTING WORK. DIANE AND I CELEBRATED OVER HER POTATOES CURRY AND FRUIT JUICE. FOR I HAD BEEN A TEETOTALER SINCE DECEMBER 1980. THE NEXT DAY I HEADED BACK TO LONDON. JUST BEFORE I WAS GOING TO GO FILMING IN MANCHESTER CHACHOO G HAD INVITED ME TO LUNCH AT HIS PLACE IN COLLIERS WOOD. WHEN I ARRIVED AT HIS DOOR AND RANG THE BELL , THERE WAS HELL OF A COMMOTION CAUSED BY A NUMBER OF DOGS BARKING ALL AT ONCE, THESE WERE HIS SON ALI’S PETS NOISY BUT QUITE FRIENDLY. I HEARD HIS VOICE CALMING THE CREATURES AND SLOWLY COMING TOWARDS THE DOOR. HE OPENS THE DOOR AND I GET IN WITH AS.SALAM O ALAIKUM. WALAIKUM ASSALAM JUST BE CAREFUL WITH DOGS THEY HAVE WAY OF SNEAKING OUT. RIGHT SIR, AND I MADE SURE DOOR WAS PROPERLY SHUT. I PUT MY BAG IN HIS LIVING ROOM AND JOINED HIM IN THE KITCHEN WHERE HE WAS WAITING FOR ME. ‘ WE ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR LUNCH TODAY, RIGHT , GO TO THE SECOND CUPBOARD AND TAKE OUT TWO TINS OF CHICKPEAS, OPEN THEM, DRAIN THE WATER OUT OF THE TINS. ONCE YOU HAVE DONE THAT THE REST OF THE RECIPE WILL FOLLOW.’ IT MADE ME LAUGH.’ IT SOUNDS LIKE MY RECIPE TOO,’ YOU PUT THE CHICKPEAS IN THE PAN, ADD A LITTLE WATER, SOME RED CHILIES AND VERY LITTLE SALT AND I KNOW WHY? THE MANUFACTURER HAS ALREADY ADDED SALT IN THE PEAS’. ‘WHAT ELSE,WHAT ELSE’ HE SAID. “JUST HEAT IT UP. PUT IT IN TWO PLATES, WARM TWO PITTA BREADS EACH. GET TWO TRAYS. ONE PLATE OF CHICKPEAS WITH TWO PITTA IN NAPKIN IN EACH TRAY AND WALAH ITS DONE” HMMM MY RECIPE HAS BEEN STOLEN BY MY NEPHEW, YOU CAN’T TRUST ANYBODY THESE DAYS” WE PRACTICALLY LAUGHED OUR WAY TO THE LIVING ROOM. IN OUR MIRTH WE BOTH HAD FORGOTTEN THE MAIN INGREDIENT OF THAT LUNCH, RAW ONIONS. SO I HAD TO RUSH TO THE KITCHEN TO CUT AN ONION TO MAKE OUR LUNCH PERFECT. WHILST WE WERE ENJOYING OUR FOOD WE DRIFTED ON TO PROFESSOR NAIR’S SCENE WHICH WAS GOING TO BE FILMED IN THE COMING WEEK. HE MADE SURE THAT I HAD THE PREPARATION DONE FROM ALL ANGLES. AND I HAD. HE WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THAT. “RAJA JI HUN PAY WANJO” ROUGHLY TRANSLATED IT MEANS RAJA JI NOW GO FOR IT. RAJA IS A TITLE FOR ALL RAJPUTS. ONE THING HE MENTIONED CASUALLY WAS THE BLURRING OF HIS SIGHT. WHEN I SHOWED CONCERN HE ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS NOT THAT SERIOUS AND HE WILL SEE THE DOCTOR THE NEXT DAY. THE RIGHT HAND AND LEG WAS AFFECTED BY THE STROKE HE HAD SUFFERED AND THAT HAD LIMITED HIS MOVEMENTS. STILL HE CAME TO THE VESTIBULE TO SAY (GOD BLESS) KHUDA HAFIZ TO ME WITH A SMILE AS BIG AS THE MORNING SUN. THAT SMILE WILL NEVER EVER LEAVE ME AS LONG AS I LIVE. AND MY LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HIM WILL BE EVERGREEN. ..
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 16:29:50 +0000