Several movie lovers have seen Seema Pahwa deliver memorable performances in numerous Bollywood movies. From Dum Laga Ke Haisha to Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, the actress has stood out in every role she has played. Seema turned the tables and took over the director’s chair for Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi. The Hindi movie doubles up as Seema’s directorial debut in the movie industry. Not only did the actress helm the film, but she also wrote the script for the movie based on the post-death ceremony.
Ahead of its release, Seema sat down for a quick chat with Pinkvilla. The actress recalled drawing the first draft of the movie back in 2015. “I first wrote this script in 2015, when I was filming Dum Laga Ke Haisha. I began writing this script on the sets of the movie,” she said. Seema goes on to reveal that she drew inspiration from her own household. “I got the idea of the script when my father passed away. At that time, I was thinking about the tragedy but hum kitne funny hai is situation mein bhi. Hum kar kya rahe hai, situation saari funny hai humari abhi. (we are funny even in such a situation. What are we doing, this situation is funny,)” she laughed.
Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi stars some of the most talented Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma, Vinay Pathak, Manoj Pahwa and Vikrant Massey to name a few. Asked if she had any trouble roping these many stars together, she quickly says, “No, not at all.” “Sabhi toh dost hai. Jisko bhi phone kar rahi thi, wo keh raha tha ke theek hai batao kab karni hai,” she said. While the actress was clear about her vision for the movie, she was aware that she might have a shift in mood on the sets while filming. So, before the team heard the first clap, Seema gave them a warning.
“Pehli baar main direct karni jaa rahi hoon. Toh maybe, ho sakte hai gusse mein kuch keh jau, ya meri baat kisi ko buri lag sakti hai. Toh uske liye toh maine pehle se hi sab se keh diya ke dekho bhai, pehli baar karne jaa rahi hoon, kuch thoda bahut idhar udhar ho toh sambal lena. (I was directing a movie for the first time. So, maybe, I might say something in anger or my words might offend the team. Before any such thing could happen, I informed them that this is my first time so if something goes wrong, please handle it),” she said.
“Mujhe bhi nahi pata main wahan jaa ke kaisa behave karungi, abhi toh main bahut achi hoon par udhar jaa ke bahut kharab ho jau, bahut buri ho jau, gussa karne lag jau toh thoda she lena (I don’t know how I will behave once I reach the sets so bare with me if I appear mean or angry),” she said. But such a situation didn’t arise. It was a smooth sail and it was fun directing the feature. Seema goes on to reveal that she was encouraged by her friends like Rajat Kapoor, Sharat Katariya, Naseeruddin Shah to take the director’s chair.
Recalling her days on the sets of the movie, Seema revealed that it was a party on sets everyday. “Inhone (cast) mujhe director samajhke bahut alag kar rakha tha aur inn sab ne apni ek team banayi thi jo film dekhne jaati thi, ghoomne jaati thi, shopping karne jaati thi, aur Lucknow ki koi bhi aisi cheez nahi – naa veg naa non-veg – hogi jo inn logo ne chodi hogi. Roz bus dawate hoti thi sets pe aur yaha tak ke mujhse bhi khaana banwa liya inn logo (These people made a team and would head out to watch a movie or roam around or shop. They left nothing. Every day was a party on sets. They made me also cook on the sets),” she laughed.
After Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi, Seema is set to appear in Gangubai Kathiawadi, led by Alia Bhatt. While the actress gushed about Alia, she was also all praise about director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She deems him a sorted and passionate director. “Mere jaise actor ke liye aisa director milna hi bahut mushkil ki baat hai. (Finding such a director for an actor like me is difficult),” she added. Seema confessed that previously she thought he was a director with a fixed perspective. However, when she worked with him, she realised that he would take opinions from numerous people on sets and allow the freedom to present their point of view. “Behtareen director ki jitni behtareen khubiya hai, wo Sanjay ji ke andhar hai,” she concluded, adding that she would want to work with him again in the future.
