.jpg) |
| Ramya Sarma Courtesy Neeta Kolhatkar |
Saaz: You’ve been associated with ‘Bollywood’ for a long time without an actual association with it – what’s that been like?
Ramya: I've been part of creating websites on Bollywood and its
associations. It's been a lot of fun. Incomprehensible at times, annoying at
times, and hilarious very often. It's a world I would normally never step into
wearing any mask I might think of, but it's a very colourful, whimsical, crazy
yet terribly intense and demanding world which can be daunting if you don't set
good sense, logic and schedules aside and leap in, without thinking too hard or
too straight. Running websites is not
about knowing that world, but about knowing the audience that wants to know
that world. And ‘people’ is a far more interesting realm, one that makes me
want to know more. I've never been glamour or star struck, so the desire to
meet stars or even watch films has never been strong. I have always been
curious about the people who make up that starry world - like the
determination, hard work and charisma that has carried Asha Bhosle, Shahrukh
Khan and others of their quality to the places they now hold. As far as
interviewing filmi types, doing film reviews, watching shoots, et al...no, not
for anyone who is a little OCD about time and place!
Saaz: And now you’ve written a book about someone you never met
and yet you managed to create a very vivid, lifelike impression of her within a
few pages, which keeps growing through right till the end. How?
Ramya: My editor-publisher Bidisha Ganguly and I have worked really
hard to make this book something special. I aimed for the unexpected, which is
what makes me want to read a book. It's really very simple: when you know
nothing or close to nothing about something, your perspective is unbiased. You
dive in and explore, learn, question, without preconceived notions or
preconditions. It's like eating those filled chocolates...what they're filled
with, you never know until you bite in. And AB is a PERSONALITY, someone who
has done fabulous things with the life she has lived. What I admire is her
resilience and that chutzpah to keep going,
and going higher. If I conveyed that, great! But a lot of people don't
see that she's not just a star, she's a human being, with very human reactions
and behavioural quirks. In glorifying her, that aspect rarely comes through.
And while she's earned the right to that glory, there's so much more to her.
Talking to people who are not obviously connected to filmbiz brought out that
part of her, I think...I hope.
Saaz: Why Asha Bhosle of all people?
Ramya: It kinda landed in my lap, honestly. And I agreed to do it
because it was a challenge and I was bored of the same old, same old. And on
the way I found that she's the kind of woman I'd like knowing, someone who has
talent, intelligence, sass, strength and, yes, frailties that have only given
her power. I think that is an embodiment of Shakti, power, a realm that rules.
I like the concept of feminine power, of
Shakti!
Saaz: What was your most memorable event in the process of
writing this book?
Ramya: Well there were some very fun and some very memorable
stories. Like learning about AB eating crisps with Shujaat Khan in London. Like
her sitting and snacking in the car in Delhi with Parveen Khan. Like her
delight at being recognised at the airport for a non-filmi work. Like her first
meeting with Boy George, and admiring how he did his eyebrows. But my favourite
moment, apart from the friends I made – by the way, almost every interview I
did was food linked somehow! – was that email I got from Boy George. I opened
it as soon as I woke up at 5.30 am one dawn and squeaked! Woke up lots of
people – who really didn't care – and chirped excitedly at them...Why was that
so special for me? It's a little silly, but when I was a teenager and trying to
figure out how to be a girlie girl without overdoing it, I got an album of Boy
George and Culture Club; BG was on the cover, with glorious eyes made up
beautifully. And that is still my ideal when I do my face!
Saaz: And the most challenging?
Ramya: There were two aspects that were not just challenging, but
plain hard on me, playing tricks with my self-worth and my mind. One was the
delay that the project went through (if that's the right way of putting it?) at
every stage, almost every page, with the first publisher. That was frustrating,
hurtful, annoying, all those negative emotions that have been, frankly,
scarring. The second was to pin down the few film types that I did get to speak
to me. One of them made up for it in style, for which I am forever grateful and
a fan – Sonu Nigam, who changed his mind about meeting me often, even when I
was right outside his house. But he made up for it by doing the whole interview
and singing fabulously on WhatsApp voice messaging! The others...that would
make one of those really funny personal memories books that so many people are
writing. I've mentioned some of them in the book’s intro.
Saaz: Looking back to the time you started working on this,
what has changed in you, what did you learn?
Ramya: That life may throw you stinkers and more will come out of
left field, but you will eventually do what you set out to do if you really
want to do it. I guess it's like Asha Bhosle herself, hard work, grit and
determination gets you to the end line. What changed in me is very little, I'm
still me, albeit with more silver and less hair and a few extra lines that
don't come from giggling, usually inappropriately!
Saaz: How about sharing a few stories that didn’t make it to
the book?
Ramya: There are many … like the time my sandals broke right
outside Lesle Lewis' studio and I trudged through the building barefoot. Seeing
my woeful state, he made me put my feet up on his squishy sofa, talked to me
for ages and then sang songs from his new album, then offered me a pair of
oversized rubber chappals to get me back to my car! Then there was Sumit Dutt,
who was in a meeting but came out for "ten minutes" and then sat with
me for over an hour telling me stories about Ashaji singing under a large yellow
umbrella in a waterfall! People surprised me with their generosity, kindness
and plain niceness.
Saaz: Asha Bhosle is writing her autobiography. What do you
expect that to have which your book doesn’t have?
Ramya: Obviously, a great deal, since it's her own life that she
will write about. But the book has been announced many times and shelved many
times. In fact, when I was with Poonam Dhillon, she called Ashaji to ask if she
may speak with me. The lady agreed, telling her she could say what she wanted,
since her own book was almost done and would be out soon. A couple of months
later, she announced that she had decided that her life was her life and she
saw no reason for other people to know about it, so her book would not be
published. If it ever is, I'd line up to buy it!
Saaz: Finally, what do you expect from the release of this
book?
Ramya: Obviously good sales, since that would make my publisher
happy! And, of course, for readers to learn something new about Asha Bhosle,
something that they had never seen or heard of before. Because that's what we
were looking to do!
This interview was published in Hindustan Times on 27 Aug 2025.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/ramya-sarma-i-admire-asha-bhosle-s-resilience-and-chutzpah-101756123445691.html
 |
| Ramya and Saaz at the launch on 12 June 2025 |
No comments:
Post a Comment