Uttara Baokar passed away at the age of 79 in Pune on April 12. She leaves behind a luminous legacy of performances in Govind Nihalani’s Tamas and Rukmavati Ki Haveli, Mrinal Sen’s Ek Din Achanak, not to mention the television serials Udaan, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin and Kora Kagaz.
In Kora Kagaz actress Asha Parekh got a chance to direct Uttara Baokar. Asha Parekh cannot get over the fact that she had not kept in touch with Uttara Baokar. “We worked together for two years in Kora Kagaz in 2002, all of us Uttara, Renuka Shahane, Salil Ankola, Anil Dhawan, Amit Behl, S M Zaheer were like one big family. And we would be working round the clock. I sometimes used to make Uttaraji work extra hours, and this would irritate her to no end. She would go to her makeup room , vent her anger on her staff and return to the set all calm ready to work again.”
Asha Parekh is all praise for Uttara Baokar’s dedication and commitment. “She was from Marathi theatre and cinema. Unka discipline hi kuch aur ttha. She was not interested in the glamorous trappings of mainstream Hindi cinema, or what we call Bollywood. And she was certainly not cut out to play the typical filmy mother.Given some meat in her part, she could chew up the screen.”
In Asha Parekh’s Kora Kagaz Uttara Baokar played Anil Dhawan’s wife.
“She was always on time,never afraid to make changes in the script when required. She had so many suggestions during shooting, and good ones. I regret not working with her more often. Unke saath kaam karne mein bahot maza aata ttha.I directed her. But what would it have been to share camera space with her!So much to learn,Sadly after Kora Kagaz , both of us moved on . We didn’t keep in touch.”
Asha Parekh heard Uttra Baokar was not well. “I came to know she was very ill.I didn’t know where she was. I had no contact number. I wish we had kept in touch. In this business, we become one family while shooting and then move on. Rishte banaane ki fursat nahin milti.”
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