Rakeysh Mehra’s rebirth

It was déjà vu for film-maker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra when he received a phone call from none other than Dharmendra last week. The yesteryears’ actor called in to wish Rakeysh well as his forthcoming directorial venture Delhi 6 releases on February 20 and also reminded him of the advice he had given the Rang De Basanti director when the Aamir Khan starrer had released.

The insider reveals: “The tale goes that on the day Rang De Basanti was released, Rakeysh was on his way to New Delhi and was sharing the flight with Dharmendra. As soon as they had boarded the flight, Rakeysh saw his phone buzzing. He had got a reaction text message from an associate who had not liked the film. Seeing this message Rakeysh was stunned and he had really broken down as he had put his heart and soul for RDB.”

The source adds: “He was evidently devastated and when Dharmendra saw him turning gloomy, he insisted that Rakeysh should sit with him during the flight. He told him that he has never got an accolade or an award from the industry and asked Rakeysh to notice that despite all these how long he has survived in tinsel town.

Rakeysh confirms: “I was pleasantly surprised to hear from him as it brought back all the memories of the flight. It was the most important two hours of my life. And as a director one tends to get anxious before every release and his timely call have actually
reminded me of an important lesson of my life.”