Raima Sen remembers Pradeep Sarkar: Vidya Balan and I used to pull pranks on him on the sets of ‘Parineeta’ – Exclusive – Times of India

Pradeep Sarkar’s demise has shocked the entire film industry. The ace filmmaker breathed his last at 3.30 am on March 24. He was 68.
ETimes got in touch with Raima Sen, who had worked with him on his 2005 directorial debut, ‘Parineeta’. Talking about his sudden demise, a shocked Raima told us, “I received an award recently. In my acceptance speech, I mentioned the names of a few directors, which included Vinay Shukla and Pradeep Sarkar. I sent a clip of it to Vinay and Pradeep sir, both. While Vinay replied, saying he was proud of me, I couldn’t help but wonder why Pradeep sir hasn’t responded.”

Elaborating further, she added, “In the morning, I got a message from his WhatsApp saying that he has passed away. I messaged his wife on the phone, and she confirmed the news. She also told me that she saw my clip and was waiting to show it to him.”

Sharing her fond memories with the ace director, Raima said, “After ‘Chokher Bali’, I came to Mumbai. We did a lot of ad films together. Vidya Balan and I were always present in his office. Then Parineeta happened. Vidya, Pradeep sir and I were like a family. We even did ‘Eklavya: The Royal Guard’ together. Dada was very emotional at heart. Vidya and I used to pull pranks on him all the time while shooting. We were always in touch. Every time there was an ad, he would call me.”

Recalling an instance, the actress averred, “He was the one who convinced me to do ‘Eklavya’. I am wary of giving screen tests, and he knew this. He cleverly built a set, brought in cameramen, and pretended we were filming a scene. I did the scene. When I went back to the van, I saw two other actresses wearing the same costume. I realised he had tricked me. He was always fighting for me.”

Raima continued, “After the first lockdown, I called him and went to meet him at his house. He always thought I was crazy, so he used to call me mad. When I met him, he said I seemed slightly normal and asked me if I had fallen in love or something. He was supposed to do a film and he said he was working out something for me. He wanted to me to do a song for him,” Raima revealed.

She further added, “I don’t know why I suddenly thought of him the day before yesterday and shared that award video with him. I thought he would be proud of me. We are both Bengalis and had a common love for food. I will always remember him fondly. I am shocked that he is no more. I couldn’t even meet him. We were in touch over the phone, but it had been a while since I met him.”

“I am currently in Kolkata, and I couldn’t make it to his funeral. However, I am planning to fly to Mumbai on March 29. His wife must be devastated. I will visit her. But it is extremely sad that he will not be there,” she concluded.