MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA November 27, 2018 01.45 P.M.
I’m posting this blog after 1 year and 3 months gap. My last blog was posted on August 30, 2017.
Reasons are many. One is writer’s block. I never ever thought that one day I could also be a victim of this dreaded writer’s block. But it struck me with all ferocity. Anyhow I fought a valiant battle and overcame that. So now I am ready with this much delayed blog.
Other reason is that during this period I was inundated with work. In this one year, apart from regular batches, I did workshop for 3 serials ; ” PORUS ” , ” RADHA KRISHNA ” & ” TANTRA “. I also did workshop for films ; ” KAABIL ” , ” STUDENT OF THE YEAR 2 ” , ” HUM CHAAR ” and 2 upcoming films of DHARMA PRODUCTIONS.
So it was 16 hour workdays for 15 long months. All the work took its toll on my time and body. I was left with no time. Hence this inordinate delay.
Last week when I heard about sudden death of Mr. Alyque Padamsee, I decided to leave my inertia and write something about him.
It was a cold November evening of 2009. I got a call. The person on the other side spoke in broken Hindi, ” Hi ! This is Alyque Padamsee. Am I talking to Mr. Vidur ? ” I was stunned. Am I really talking to the legend?
But yes. The person on the other side of phone was The legend himself. He wanted me to train his daughter Shazahn Padamsee.
I started training Shazahn for her debut film ” ROCKET SINGH : SALESMAN OF THE YEAR ” .
And one day there I met the legend whom the world knew as Alyque Padamsee. He was so unassuming and soft spoken. I was taken aback. He talked to me for some time and then left.
It is almost 9 years but the memory refuses to fade.
He was Chief Executive of Lintas for 14 long years and created much acclaimed campaigns like ; Lalita ji for Surf, Cherry Charlie for Cherry Blossom, MRF Muscle Man , the Liril Girl in the waterfall and Hamara Bajaj.
I also liked him as Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Richard Attenborough’s much acclaimed film ” GANDHI ” .
I still possess his signed autobiography , A Double Life : My Exciting Years In Theatres and Advertising.
Rest in peace sir ! There won’t be anyone like you.
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On behalf of all the students & staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , VIDUR Editing Studio , VIDUR Club and VIDUR Merchandise, I express my condolences . My sympathies are with Shazahn Padamsee. May God give her strength to bear this loss.
VIDUR
MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA
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Filed under: Obituary | Tagged: Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, Alyque Padamsee, Cherry Blossom, Cherry Charlie, Dharma Productions, Diction Trainer, Gandhi, HAMARA BAJAJ, Hindi Teacher, Hum Chaar, India, Kaabil, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Lalita ji, Lintas, Liril, MRF Muscle Man, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Mumbai, Porus, Radha Krishna, Richard Attenborough, Rocket Singh Sales Man of the Year, Shazahn Padamsee, Student of the Year 2, Surf, Tantra, Vidur, VIDUR Acting Institute, Vidur Chaturvedi, VIDUR Club, VIDUR Editing Studio, VIDUR Merchandise, Vidur's Blog, Vidur's Students | Leave a comment »