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'I am still reaping the benefits of the break Ray gave me'

Ranvir Nayar

Satyajit Ray has played a very major part in my career. He was the one who gave me the launch platform when he selected me for his Apur Sansar. And even though 42 years have gone by since that break, I am still reaping the benefits of that crucial break that he gave me," recounts Sharmila Tagore, the heartthrob of millions during her heyday.

Tagore is currently in Nantes to receive an award from the French Ministry of Culture, becoming the first Indian film personality to get the highest honour that France has for the film world. Alongside the award, a retrospective of Tagore's films is also the highlight of the 21st edition of the Festival des 3 Continents being organised in Nantes this week. The films range from Apur Sansar to Mausam and have a fair sprinkling of her career in Calcutta as well as Bollywood.

Taking time off from attending several receptions being organised here in her honour and participating in several debates that follow the screening of her films, Tagore told rediff.com in an exclusive interview that she owed a lot in her career to the crucial break that Ray gave her.

His contribution to her career did not end there. "It is difficult to quantify the advantage of knowing a man like that. He was truly a multi-faceted genius. He would handle newcomers and children with such a magical touch that they would bring out the best. He just had that knack of taking nothing but the best from you. And he would never get it by breathing down your neck. He would let you do what you want and how you want and he simply ensured that you delivered your best," says Tagore.

She strongly rebuts the charges often levelled at Ray that he sold the bankruptcy of India to a foreign film audience. "It is simply rubbish. He was not marketing India's poverty or hunger. He was talking about life as it exists in India. He touched extremely relevant social questions that faced the Indian society. He was talking about real people and their real problems of everyday life," she defends.

Going over her film career, Tagore says her toughest performance was in Ray's Devi, where she plays a wife who is credited with curing illnesses with a magical power. The film contrasts the superstitions that existed in rural Bengal with the attitude of the educated younger generation.

"Devi was a very complex character, torn between two systems. Very typical of the male dominated Indian society. They build you up to such a height and then make you a victim of this very stature. You yourself don't know whether you have that special power or not. I have never come across a more complex role than that ever in my life. And I think that it was good that I did that role so early in my life when I did not have too much of experience. If I were to do it now, it would have been lost. And, of course, having Ray to direct me was also another major advantage. He was able to handle the whole situation and atmosphere," recounts Tagore.

The actress believes her career in Bollywood was as important to her as the films she had done in Calcutta. "It gave me a much broader canvas. I could reach out to a much larger audience and I do believe I got several meaningful and good roles which had enough scope for acting. And of course, it gave me a lot of financial security which is important as well," she says.

Nowadays, Tagore shares her time between her family and social causes that are specially close to her heart. "I like to contribute as much as possible to some of the NGOs that I know and in the areas that I like to contribute to. These include primary health, primary education, children's issues and AIDS. I have received so much from the people of this country and now that I can, I would like to give some of this back to the society," says Tagore.

She is also considering setting up her own foundation to undertake more social work, but is yet to decide on the issue. "I will do that once I am convinced that I will be able to devote the time and energy that it will require. I know it will make the whole process much more effective and efficient, but I am not really ready yet," she confesses.

Tagore says that though being honoured in a foreign country and a land so distant as Nantes is very special and means a lot to her, she adds that the love and affection of the people of her own country matters more.

"Appreciation from my own countrymen will always mean more. Being here and receiving appreciation from the people here in Nantes has a special appeal. But I do believe I have worked hard for it. Very hard," she says.

Though she has campaigned for individual candidates in the past, Tagore denies she has any political ambitions. "I know that we have to get in there and do something if we want to change the system and get a better government. But the whole task is very daunting. If I join either the Congress or the BJP, I will be forced to follow their systems and then I may not be able to do anything significant to change things," concludes Tagore.