Spice Girls

Of course, Butt always came first with Prithviraj Kapoor. She met the thespian in 1944 while rehearsing in Mumbai for Khwaja Ahmed Abbas8217; Zubeida. 8220;There was a sudden hush and, turning, I saw this handsome, stately figure. I was dumbstruck,8221; she recalls. He was searching for a Shakuntala, a role that had established actresses like Vanmala and Damayanti Sahani in the running. But he gave Butt a script 8220;my husband thought I8217;d be the understudy8221; and invited her to a rehearsal. 8220;On the very first day, I8217;d memorised most of my lines and even picked up the dance steps. He offered me the part, maybe because I was tall for an actress,8221; says the Uday Shankar-trained artiste, with characteristic modesty.

Segal jumps back into the conversation, saying she joined Kapoor a year later, after her Lahore dance school succumbed to pre-Partition tensions. 8220;My husband was a Hindu and students were withdrawing. Besides, acting was my first love,8221; she explains. 8220;Papaji Kapoor was reluctant at first8212;I was the older sister but Uzra, the leading lady, was the highest paid. So I joined as dance director.8221;

Segal8217;s first role was in Deewar, an allegorical take on Partition. 8220;I played a foreigner who separates two brothers, till a wall is built across their home,8221; she explains. Butt adds, 8220;It8217;s the women who finally bring the wall down. Today, we see the two nations bridging differences, and it8217;s women like us taking the initiative.8221;

Her first lead role, in Pathan, was another cross-community saga. 8220;I was thrilled to act opposite Papaji. He taught me naturalistic acting and how to use my voice; he also taught me how to live. I used to have my nose in the air. We were from a royal family, and with Uday Shankar, there were first-class tickets and five-star hotels,8221; says Segal, recalling Kapoor8217;s code of third-class travel, langar-style meals and mattresses atop trunks.

Butt is equally nostalgic about her 16-year stint with Prithvi Theatres. 8220;Shashi first played my son in Shakuntala. Once, I forgot a line and panicked. He was only five but immediately sensed it and wove my line into his dialogue,8221; marvels the veteran, who moved to Pakistan after the company disbanded in 1960.

Segal had already left in 19598212;first for Delhi, then England8212;following her husband8217;s death. The sisters next shared the stage 35 years later for Aik8230;. Largely based on the actresses8217; personal experiences, the play is about long-separated sisters and their contrasting reactions to a granddaughter8217;s decision to become an actress.

Irrepressibly enthused, Segal breaks into dialogue and Butt takes her cue. Each leads the other through old lines, mock fights and dance moves. Only a lunch appointment with Shashi Kapoor interrupts the impromptu performance. 8220;Just us two old ladies are left now,8221; sighs Butt. Segal fires back: 8220;You were the one film producers chased. They never offered me a heroine8217;s role. But I8217;m still willing. Print that.8221;