Still flying high

BENGALURU:  Magician and illusionist KS Ramesh, recalls a call he got from Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and Kamal Haasan in 1987. The duo wanted to meet Ramesh about a project they were working on. “I almost fell off my chair. Because these guys are pretty much legends,” he shares, with a laugh.

That same project, Pushpak (in Hindi) recently turned 35 years old. Ramesh plays a crucial role in the film, as a magician and father of Amal Akkineni, Haasan’s love interest in the film. The 60-year-old says that his role was originally written for late actor Amrish Puri.

“When I met Kamal Haasan and Singeetam Srinivasa Rao at a star hotel on MG Road, they wanted me to train the actor, the art of illusions. But I told them it is difficult for me to do, since it is a visual art. I instead suggested that Haasan could probably play the role of an illusionist’s brother. I was promplty asked to leave,” recalls Ramesh, adding that throughout the time he was trying hard not to stare at Haasan.

But to his luck, his suggestion was eventually accepted and he became part of the iconic film. “I got a call about a week after the initial meeting. Since I was also doing television, they considered me for a part. And the rest as they say, is history,” says Ramesh, adding that he had to grow a beard for the role. The movie’s success opened many opportunities for Ramesh, and he later went on to work with Amitabh Bachchan in the movie Jadugar.

History was not just made for Ramesh but also for ITC Windsor Manor, which then transformed into the iconic Pushpak hotel in the movie. Deepak Cedric Menezes, general manager of the hotel, says it was a historic moment for them as well. “Till date we have guests coming to us asking which is the room where the scenes were shot or when they walk into the lobby they sense the familiarities between the scene and the present day,” says Menezes.

The cult classic Kamal Haasan-starrer Pushpak recently turned 35. While the iconic silent film is often citied for being well ahead of its time, it also holds a special place in the hearts of Bengalureans as it captures glimpses of the city from a time prior to the IT boom. Here are glimpses of how the city’s landscape has changed since the film’s original release