Mandakini has looked back on her shooting days for the 1986 fantasy-action film ‘Singhasan,’ recalling the grand sets, outdoor locations, bright costumes, heavy jewelry, and long hours that shaped the film. The veteran actress also remembered working with Jeetendra, Waheeda Rehman, Jaya Prada, and Amjad Khan, and said the team worked with care and patience to bring every scene to life.
Mandakini remembers ‘Singhasan’ shoot days
According to IANS, Mandakini shared a note on social media about the making of ‘Singhasan’ and the scale of films in the 1980s. She wrote, “‘Singhasan’ ke shoot ke din aaj bhi yaad hain (I still remember the shooting days of ‘Singhasan’)… Nature ke beech, colorful costumes, heavy jewellery aur uss zamane ki grand sets ki vibe hi kuch aur thi (Amid nature, colorful costumes, heavy jewelry and the grand sets of that era had a completely different vibe). Har scene ko itne perfection se shoot kiya jata tha ki kabhi kabhi ek shot ke liye ghanto wait karna padta tha (Every scene was shot with so much perfection that sometimes we had to wait for hours for one shot)… lekin jab camera roll hota tha, sab kuch magical lagta tha (but when the camera started rolling, everything felt magical). Set par sab log itne dedicated the ki har scene ko perfect banane ke liye puri team apna best deti thi (Everyone on set was so dedicated that the whole team gave its best to make every scene perfect).”The actress said films of that time depended on real sets and physical effort. She 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 hota tha (whatever grandeur appeared on screen was the result of real sets and hard work).”Mandakini also named the film’s major actors. “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 (The film was directed by Krishna ji). 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 a craze of their own, and ‘Singhasan’ was one of those grand films).”
Mandakini on Jeetendra and Telugu version
Mandakini fondly recalled the outdoor shoots and her scenes with Jeetendra. She said, “Mujhe yaad hai outdoor shoots ke waqt hawa me udte flowers aur bright costumes ke saath photos click karna bhi ek alag fun hota tha (I remember that during outdoor shoots, clicking photos with flowers flying in the air and bright costumes 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 set).”She 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 being shot only in Hindi, but also in Telugu at the same time). Hindi version me mere opposite Jeetendra ji the aur Telugu version me South ke Superstar Krishna Garu (Jeetendra ji was opposite me in the Hindi version, and South superstar Krishna Garu was opposite me in the Telugu version).”She said the Telugu scenes were filmed first, and the same setup was later used for the Hindi version. Mandakini said she often had to continue with different expressions for both versions after the heroes finished their shots. She called it challenging, but said such moments taught an actor the most.Mandakini is best remembered for Raj Kapoor’s ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili.’ She also appeared in ‘Dance Dance,’ ‘Commando,’ ‘Jeete Hain Shaan Se’ and ‘Na-Insaafi.’ ‘Singhasan’ was produced and directed by Krishna under the Padmalaya Studios banner.
