Playing mothers to actors older than her was nothing unusual for Rohini Hattangady. The veteran actor portrayed Amitabh Bachchan's mother in Agneepath and Shahenshah, and also played Dharmendra's mother in Humse Na Takrana. Interestingly, she was younger than most of the actors who played her onscreen sons. But did this ever make her uncomfortable? Not at all, she said, explaining that she always viewed a character as a character, regardless of who was cast opposite her.
In an exclusive interview with India Today, Rohini spoke about being offered older roles early in her career and whether her theatre background gave her the confidence to take them on.
"It never affected me because when I do a role, it's a role for me. You are doing a character. Main sochti nahi hoon ki yeh bada hai, yeh chhota hai (I was never bothered if the part is that of an elder or younger woman). I'll always act according to my character," she said.
While she revealed that Amitabh Bachchan had no issues with the casting, her experience working with Dharmendra involved a rather funny incident behind the scenes.
Remembering her first film with the actor, Humse Na Takrana, Rohini said they were shooting in Ooty when she approached Dharmendra to greet him on the first day. After she had taken her seat, her make-up artist hurried over with some surprising instructions.
"My make-up man came and started working extensively on me. I asked him what he was doing, and why we were still not done. He sheepishly informed me that I was told to put on more make-up because Dharam ji was saying that I was looking young," she recalled, laughing.
She added, "I wondered how much make-up I would need, and how much white hair we would need? And what am I supposed to do because I am young?"
However, if one film established Rohini's ability to convincingly portray characters at different ages, it was Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982). Just 27 at the time, she played Kasturba Gandhi opposite Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, depicting the character through different phases of her life. Her performance earned her the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1983, making her the first Indian actress to win the honour in that category.
However, the international recognition also had an unexpected impact on her career. Although the film demonstrated her ability to portray both younger and older versions of Kasturba, Hindi cinema largely remembered her for the older portrayal. "I don't know if it changed the perception of me as an actor, but it got me all my mother roles," she said with a chuckle.
The recognition also caught the attention of international filmmaker James Ivory, who was considering her for a role in Heat and Dust (1983). However, their meeting took an unexpected turn.
Rohini recalled that Ivory kept looking at her before asking who had portrayed the older Kasturba in Gandhi. When she revealed that it was her, he was taken aback. "He didn't want any make-up and all [on his actors]. He was looking for a 55-year-old lady. I said, 'Sorry, I'm just 30.' So, it didn't work out," she recalled.
