I knew he wasn't well. He broke his leg on the Shanghai film set , that was a while ago. I knew he was getting really paranoid about his health, but I had no idea it was life threatening so that's a big shock.

My mother (dancer Indrani Rahman) died at the same age. I remember how shocked they (Merchant, and family) were when she died. They helped so much with the funeral in NY. Ours is a family connection.

He has known me since I was very young. They wanted to make a film in my loft  (Rahman's studio, 115 South Street, New York) When I first got the place, in 1979, Jim  (James Ivory) and Ismail came and saw the place, when it was very raw.  They wanted to use this for a film, Jane Austen in  Manhattan. But then they ran into trouble with the mob, and couldn't afford the payoff.

Everybody has stories about Ismail. He was a wonderfully lively character. Hugely energetic, also famously miserly  -- it is legendary, his miserliness. When he wanted to work in the space here, I was forewarned by everyone. I said Ismail, I don't trust you, I need advance money from you, because I know once you use it I won't get paid.

He could go anywhere in the world with full confidence. He could work anywhere with no hesitation. That's how he accomplished what he accomplished. Jim is a very shy person, and he'd never have achieved what he achieved without Ismail. Ruth (Praver-Jhabvala, the scriptwriter and third member of the team) is also very shy. So he was the public face  -- the energetic go-getting face of this trio of talent.

He was passionate about so many things. He loved classical music, he was very close to Zakir Hussain. He cast Zakir in a film. He's very close to Sultan Khan. He loved music, he loved dance, and theater. He was very passionate about theatre all over the world. That's how he picked up so many great actors. They'd always see Broadway, off-Broadway, experimental productions. And his energy was unbelievable. Which is why this was so shocking.

He had ulcers. I can understand that � he was always so wound up.

He was very intimate with the Bombay film industry, and also the international film industry, not just Hollywood and America but also France [Images]. His connections and work crossed over all those industries, which is highly unusual. I don't think there's any figure from Asia quite like that.

(Ram Rahman, artist, was a founding member of Sahmat. He spends his time between New York and New Delhi [Images]. He spoke to Arun Venugopal)