Dara Singh's passing is a loss to humanity... he was a very good man

Madhubala was my ideal — the epitome of beauty and versatility. When I joined the film industry, I wanted to be like Madhubala. Of course that never happened. My journey was quite different. My start was hardly ideal. I started doing bit roles in comedy films. I played the vamp in some films. I was perceived as "the girl who acts with Mehmood". I wasn't happy because within me was this need to break out, do a full-fledged role. It was at this juncture when Daraji stepped into my life. He was gracious enough to offer me work in his films.

Iconic wrestler-turned actor Dara Singh dies

Daraji was a huge star — albeit in films that were perceived as B-grade fantasy films, but he was a huge star. It was the turning point of my career. I was finally a heroine — "B grade, C grade" are only brackets that the industry puts on you. Faulad in 1963 was my first film with Daraji.

We worked in a dozen films together. I came to be known as "Dara Singh's stunt heroine". Daraji was a wonderful co-star. He was a quiet person, a gentle giant. He used to sit in a corner, happy to read a book. He never liked to gossip on the sets. But he also liked to keep the atmosphere light. He would not joke around, but if someone told a joke, he would definitely laugh heartily.

He was a huge star. He symbolized an entire genre of action packed films. In his time, he was the highest paid star in the industry. He used to get something like Rs 4 lakh while I used to get close to Rs 2.5 lakh. Mind you, 50 years back, that was big money.

I remember my mother used to be a huge fan of Daraji. She used to go and watch his kushti matches. I also went a couple of times but it was only when I started working with him that I came to know him. I learnt to respect him not just because he was so committed to his work but also because he was a great human being. He was very protective about his leading ladies. He respected women. He used to really look after me, especially during outdoor shoots. It is not easy to shoot in front of a crowd, there are always some characters who will say nasty things. Daraji would just need to give them a look and they would shut up. He was Dara Singh after all.

... contd.

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