Well, where do I start? Jaishankar was possibly one of the most stylish actors we have ever had as evidenced by this photograph. He was someone who could carry off any costume with elan and it was such a joy to take his pictures.
There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t reminisce about those laughter-filled sets, which were the hallmark of Jaishankar films. As press photographers, we used to make a beeline to those locations just to not miss out on all the fun.
During those days, I remember how we (photographers) used to be invited by him to come and visit the sets of his film. After greeting us with a ‘hi’, he would then guide us to a place where he would provide us with a sumptuous lunch out of the blue.
He was a person who always made sure that each of us had our fill not just with the food he would give us, but also the number of photos he would let us take of him. It was important to him that every person who visited the sets of his film ate to their heart’s content.
One thing that I have to mention about Jaishankar sir is his willingness to go above and beyond to make sure a film sees the light of the day. I remember times when he used to get money from financiers and give it to producers to ensure that a film got completedon time. I have never seen any other actor do something like that. No wonder he was such a favourite with all the producers.
(The photographer has taken stills for more than 500 films over the last three decades.)