Film and TV actor Rahul Singh talks about his encounter with Dame Judi Dench.
Rahul Singh, who played the villain Vikrant Mharia against Anil Kapoor’s Jai Rathod in the desi remake of 24, is on cloud nine. He recently met James Bond’s Madam M. Dame Judi Dench was recently in Udaipur for a film and Rahul happened to be there for a workshop he is doing for his upcoming film Zed Plus. Says Rahul excitedly, “The last time I saw Madam was when she was shooting for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at my friend’s fort Kanota and now the sequel is being filmed at my cousin’s castle in Udaipur. Both of us remembered and laughed over how we had met for the first time. Not only is she a friend, she’s my mother figure.”
It was at Rambagh palace that Rahul met Dench for the first time. The veteran actress was staying there and Rahul was at the venue attending the wedding of his friend and prince of Jodhpur- Shivraj Singh. Says Rahul, “When the royal family learnt about Dench’s presence they invited her for the reception. However, the security guards did not recognise her and refused to let her in. The lady is so humble that she tried convincing them without throwing any tantrums. When I reached there and saw what was happening, I was embarrassed.” Immediately Rahul introduced himself and tried putting the James Bond actress at ease.
However, she let up only after Rahul told her that he had seen her work. Recalls Rahul, “She was not very forthcoming and asked which of her films I had seen. But when I told her the list of her plays I had watched during my drama school days in England, she was impressed. I reprimanded the security guards and asked one of them if he knew who she was and he replied ‘James Bond ki mummy’. Hearing that even Dench started laughing and I escorted her inside. It was a huge privilege.”
Rahul says that the duo meet whenever he goes to UK or when she’s in India.
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