RIP Sawan Kumar Tak: Padmini Kolhapure recalls working with her ‘Sawan uncle’ and then ‘Sawan ji’

Sawan Kumar Tak, who directed films such as Saajan Bina Suhagan (1978), Souten Ki Beti (1989), Sanam Bewafa (1991), and Bewaffa Se Waffa (1992) and his most successful film Souten (1983), died on Thursday due to prolonged illness.

Leaving behind a leacy which involved giving late actor Sanjeev Kumar his screen name, directing Meena Kumari’s last film, penning lyrics of songs such as Chand Sitaare in Kaho Naa.. Pyaar Hai, and directing hits as well, his actors recall him fondly.

Padmini Kohlapure, who worked with him first as a young child in Saajan Bina Suhagan, and then later, Souten, still remembers it all. “I remember such great things about working with him. I got such a pivotal role in Saajan… I clearly remember his direction during that period. Then we got along really well. I used to call him Sawan uncle because I was a kid back then. When I did Soutan, my next film with him, I was doing films as a leading lady. He said ‘khabardaar mujhe uncle bola toh!’ His songs, everything had the word Saawan in it. Then I started calling him Sawan ji,” she shares.

Souten proved to be a big hit. Kohlapure adds that Tak was always very nice to her, and treated her like family. “He was so good to me, and literally brilliantly worked as a director, actor. Right now it struck me, we did a film called Preeti also. It starred me and Rajiv Kapoor, whose birth anniversary is also on August 25, and Sawan ji passed away on the same date. Life is unfortunate. I met him last around 2018-19, he didn’t even call me and came home. He treated my house as his second home, and felt free to come over,” she shares.