Mandakini He looks back at the shooting days of the 1986 action-fantasy film ‘Singhasan’, recalling the grand sets, outdoor locations, flashy costumes, heavy jewelery and long hours that shaped the film. Even the veteran actor remembered working with it Jeetendra, Waheeda RehmanJaya Prada and Amjad Khan, and said the team worked carefully and patiently to bring each scene to life.
Mandakini recalls the shooting days of ‘Singhasan’
According to IANS, Mandakini shared a note on social media about the making of ‘Singhasan’ and the scale of the films in the 1980s. He wrote, “‘Singhasan’ ke shoot ke din aaj bhi yaad hain (I still remember the shooting days of ‘Singhasan’)… Nature ke beech, colorful outfits, heavy jewelery aur uss zamane ki grand sets ki vibe hi kuch aur thi (Between nature, colorful outfits, heavy jewelery and they had a very different vibe of that time). Har scene ko itne perfection se shoot kiya jata tha ki kabhi kabhi ek shot ke liye ghanto wait karna padta tha (Each scene was shot with such perfection, sometimes we had to wait hours for a single shot)…lekin jab camera roll hota tha, sab kuch magical lagta tha (but when the camera started rolling, everything felt like magic). Set par sab log itne dedicated the ki har scene ko perfect banane ke liye puri team apna best deti thi (Everyone on the set was so dedicated that the entire team gave their best to make every scene perfect).The actor said that films of that time depended on real set design and physical exertion. He added, “Us waqt na VFX ka zamana tha aur na hi shortcuts ka (At that time, there was no era of VFX and no shortcuts)…jo bhi grandeur screen par dikhta tha, woh sab real sets aur hard work ka result hotta tha (Any grandeur on screen was the result of real sets and hard work).”Mandakini also named the main actors of the film. “Is film me mere saath Jeetendra ji, Jaya Prada ji, Waheeda Rehman ji, Amjad Khan ji aur kai legendary artists the (In this film, Jeetendra ji, Jaya Prada ji, Waheeda Rehman ji, Amjad Khan ji and many legendary artists were with me). Film ko Krishna ji ne direct kiya tha (Krishna ji directed the film). Us waqt fantasy action films ka alag hi craze tha aur ‘Singhasan’ bhi unhi grand films me se ek thi (At that time, fantasy action films had their own craze, and ‘Singhasan’ was one of those grand films).“
Mandakini Jeetendra and in the Telugu version
Mandakini fondly remembered the outdoor films and her scenes with Jeetendra. She said, “Mujhe yaad hai outdoor shoots ke waqt hawa me udte flowers aur bright trajes ke saath photos click karna bhi ek alag fun hota tha (I remember in outdoor shoots, flowers flying in the air and clicking in bright outfits was a different kind of fun). Aur Jeetendra ji ke saath scenes shoot karte waqt set par hamesha positive energy rehti thi (And while shooting scenes with Jeetendra ji, there was always positive energy on the set).“He also revealed that ‘Singhasan’ was shot simultaneously in both Hindi and Telugu. “Aur ek interesting baat ye bhi thi ki ‘Singhasan’ sirf Hindi me nahi, Telugu language me bhi saath saath shoot ho rahi thi (Another interesting thing was that ‘Singhasan’ was not only shot in Hindi but also in Telugu simultaneously). Hindi version me mere opposite Jeetendra ji aur Telugu version me South ke Superstar Krishna Garu (Jeetendra ji was opposite me in Hindi version, and South Superstar Krishna Garu was opposite me in Telugu version).“He said that the Telugu scenes were shot first, and the same setup was used later for the Hindi version. Mandakini said that he often had to continue with different expressions for the two versions after the heroes finished their shots. He called it a challenge, but said that such moments teach an actor the most.Mandakini is remembered Raj KapoorIt is ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’. He also appeared in “Dance Dance”, “Commando”, “Jeete Hain Shaan Se” and “Na-Insaafi”. ‘Singhasan’ was produced and directed by Krishna under the banner of Padmalaya Studios.
