As Saathiya turns 20, Sandhya Mridul shares happy memories about shooting with Rani Mukerji, Vivek Oberoi and Tanuja

Interestingly, when the offer came for the first time, she declined the call feeling it was a ‘prank’. The actor shared that someone from Mani Ratnam’s team called her twice and she disconnected it believing someone was pulling her leg. It was only when a friend, who worked in Yashraj Films called to why she wasn’t responding, did she realise it was happening. Remembering her meeting with Yash Chopra, she shared how the filmmaker convinced her to do the film. She shared how he told her, ‘Bacche yeh role tune hi karna hai‘. “I think it was destiny as everything just fell in place,” she said.

A still from Saathiya with Sharat Saxena, Sandhya Mridul, Rani Mukerji and Tanuja (Photo: Express Archive).

Speaking fondly about working with Tanuja, Sandhya Mridul said that she was just like a mother to her in the film. She revealed how the senior actor’s fondness towards her had daughter Kajol even eager to meet Sandhya. She shared, “Tanu aunty was always protective and supportive of me. She was the one who pushed me to do better and better. I remember once Kajol came on set and was like ‘I wanted to meet this girl my mother keeps talking about. She she loves you so much and keeps mentioning how lovely and good you are’. Kajol and I later also became good friends.”

The actor went on to share some hilarious stories during the shoot. She spoke about the time they were shooting at Babulnath Temple, and in her boy’s absence, her driver was helping her out. After a scene, she asked him to get her a chair, and the man, who did not know sets work, pulled out Rani’s chair while she stood up to meet someone. “She was about to sit while Basheer pulled the chair for me. I almost ran and shouted to warn Rani. Also, it was the initial days and I didn’t know her well, so I was worried about her reaction. However, we all had a good laugh after that. Rani would often pull his leg later, asking if she should sit on her chair.”

Another time her driver lighted up the mood was when the team was shooting a scene inside a bus. She shared that the cinematographer midway informed her that a red Zen was following them for a long time. “That’s when I realised it was Basheer. I had asked him to wait but he followed us as he didn’t want me to leave alone. It was so embarrassing and my car actually made its debut too, as its visible in a scene. I will never forget these fun times.”

Sandhya Mridul and Rani Mukerji in Chalka Re song. (Photo: Youtube screengrab)

She also shared how the producer would often find her the first one on set, even if it was a 4 am shift. He thus asked the team to call her just 30 minutes prior to the shoot. Sandhya also remembered that she would often improvise her lines, and the AD had a tough time. She shared with a laugh, “Gulzar saab ki lines thi (The dialogues were written by Gulzar) and the assistants would fret. I remember the scene with Vivek, where I improvised and said ‘ladki kapde utar rahi hai, i mean rassi se’ and everyone on the set was in splits. I was pulled up but even then Tanuja ma’am supported me. I did the right take too but they kept the scene, and it was even played during nomination clips. It’s so bizarre that I don’t remember many things after Saathiya but all these are sketched so well in my mind.”

While the music of Saathiya continues to be a fan-favourite, no mehendi/haldi function is complete without a dance by the bridesmaid on “Chalka re”. The song picturised on Rani and Sandhya was an iconic moment in the film, as that’s when the lead couple encounter for the first time. Talking about the same, the actor mentioned how she was nervous about it as Saroj Khan was to choreograph it. However, when she met her, Khan confessed to being a fan of her work and was as excited to make her dance, as the actor was to follow her. Sandhya also revealed that unfortunately due to shoot getting postponed, she could not complete a patch of work, and the team had to use the other girls. It was also the only time that the creative team allowed her to put on make up, and even asked them to go all out.

Recalling an incident from the shoot, the actor shared that ghee from one of the lamps spilled on her, hurting her. While the pain didn’t bother her, the grease left a stain on her blouse. “Since we couldn’t get a replacement, they would then wet it before every shoot to match the colour. It was so cold and I would shiver through the song,” she smiled to share.

Sandhya Mridul and Rani Mukerji in Saathiya. (Photo: YouTube screengrab)

The actor also rated Saathiya as her only performance where she liked herself. Sharing that she watched the film recently with a friend, and went ‘not bad’ on her work. This also assured her that she had indeed gained all the love and praise she got 20 years back for the film. While more offers started coming in, Sandhya Mridul mentioned how she had already done Waisa Bhi Hota Hai by then, and realised she enjoyed that genre more. “I felt I was more suited and Saathiya had also spoilt me. I didn’t know if I would get the same experience.”

Sharing that the ‘good and bad thing’ with the YRF people was that while they noticed and loved her, she would often get similar roles. Everyone wanted her to play the bubbly sister or friend, which she wasn’t comfortable with. The actor said, “I remember Vipul Shah telling me that if I was forgettable in the part, that wouldn’t have happened. But I have always believed in doing variety, and so didn’t want to cash on it. The kind of work I wanted to do, was not there then. The girls today are so much lucky to get such strong parts.”

On a final note, we spoke about the film’s well-kept secret — Shah Rukh Khan. While Sandhya missed sharing the screen with him, she mentioned how SRK lauded her performance when they met later. She signed off by saying, “I am just so thankful to the entire team that made the experience so wonderful and worth remembering.”