Veteran Kamini Kaushal, who’ll  soon celebrate her 80th birthday, revisits her life and times with Rashmi Hemrajani

 From a leading lady to a grandmother, veteran Kamini Kaushal has played many roles in a career that spans almost six decades. “I have lost count of the movies I have acted in. In fact, I have also discarded most of my press clippings. My children insist that I should treasure them for the future generations. But I think I am a stranger to the new generation.” Certainly, Kamini is at her humble best.

Flashback
Kamini entered the film industry in the 1940s with a degree in literature. She worked as a radio jockey, when director Chetan Anand offered her the lead role in ‘Neecha Nagar’.  Kamini then went on to star in Gajanan Jagirdhar’s ‘Jail Yatra’ opposite the late Raj Kapoor. Impressed by her performance, Raj Kapoor asked her to star in his directorial debut ‘Aag’. From then on there was no looking back. “I have worked with all—Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Raj Kapoor and had a great time. But even though, I played the lead actress, I remained timid. If I wanted to take the day-off, I would plead with the director. But today the lead actor just informs him.”

Multi-faceted Kamini
Later, Kamini ventured into writing children’s stories, which were published in children’s magazines. “I also wrote the script of the film ‘Meri Pari’ and then directed it. The story was about a young girl and her imaginary conversations with fantasy characters. Children have a world of their own, which is unbiased, illogical and ingenious,” Kamini says animatedly.

Telly tales
The 80-year-old actor was seen on television in ‘Shano Ki Shaadi’. She played the role of Bebe, the grandmother of Shanno (Divya Dutta). “I think movies are an easier medium. TV is very time-bound and this leads to pressure. However, while shooting for the serial, the entire team was very considerate. But the commute from South Mumbai to Andheri is very tiring,” says Kamini. So is television a total no-no? She smiles and says, “Ektaa Kapoor just called. She wants me to do a show. Let’s see.”

Filmi chakker
“Everything has evolved. Perceptions have changed,” says Kamini about the current film scenario adding, “Today’s cinema lacks depth. Little or negligent importance is given to the story line and content. The glamour quotient runs high. But the industry has grown technically superior.”  Incidentally, Kamini was last seen in ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag’.

‘Pet’ cause
“I have had a monkey as pet” says Kamini who has always been fond of cats, dogs, rabbits and birds. She narrates an incident, “Once I was shooting in Chandigarh when I saw a nest. I urged the assistant director to get me the nest if it was empty of eggs. He brought the nest and put it in my room. But in the middle of the night, there was a sudden quirking sound. There were three little birds. I decided to adopt them.”