'Shyama was an entertaining friend during the shooting and we continued our friendship even after the film was over.
"During those days, we formed working relationships that lasted beyond the workplace.'
Waheeda Rehman pays rich tribute to her late co-star.
Yesteryear actress Shyama, who worked in a slew of musicals in the 1950s and 1960s, like Guru Dutt's Aar Paar, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat and Sharda (for which she won a Filmfare award) passed away on Tuesday.
Waheeda Rehman speaks to Subhash K Jha about her late friend and co-star
"After Nanda and Sadhana, I have lost another co-star and friend. Shyama was very good looking and a good human being. She was warm and affectionate," Waheeda recalls.
Shyama and Waheeda have worked in only one film together.
"It was the ill-fated Dil Diya Dard Liya in 1966, where she played my friend. Though the film didn't do well, it is remembered for its powerful theme," Waheeda says.
"Shyama was an entertaining friend during the shooting and we continued our friendship even after the film was over.
"During those days, we formed working relationships that lasted beyond the workplace. So even after Dil Diya Dard Liya, Shyama and I would meet often," she adds.
"Our friendship became easier to maintain for two reasons," she shares.
"One, we lived on the same road (Napean Sea Road in south Mumbai), in buildings opposite each another. She lived in a building called Gulmarg and I lived in a building called Poonam. We'd run into one another quite often.
"Secondly, Shyama was married to legendary cinematographer Fali Mistry. He shot some of my most well-known works including the film that I'm closely associated with, Guide.
"Later, Falisaab also shot me in Neel Kamal and Prem Pujari.
"So there was a bond with Shyama that went beyond the one film that we did together," she adds.
"Of late, she had not been keeping well and, now, God has chosen to take her away. May her soul rest in peace."
