Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, known for her works like Bend It Like Beckham, Bride And Prejudice, Viceroy’s House and others, recalled her experience of meeting Dr Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister who passed away recently, in an interview with us. When did you first become associated with Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife? I had met his wife Gursharan (Kaur) at the G20 Summit at Downing Street, where I had been invited by Gordon Brown’s wife Sarah and we struck up a friendship.
I had also met (Barack) Obama there with Michel Obama and Michelle Obama. It was a great evening. And you kept in touch with Mrs Manmohan Singh? Yes, we stayed in touch.
She said when you’re in Delhi, please come and visit us. I didn’t get to meet Manmohan Singh at Downing Street. That day he was very busy.
I think I met him briefly. But the next time when I was in Delhi during the making of my film Viceroy’s House , I went to meet Mrs Singh at the Prime Minister’s residence and we had lovely tea and we talked a lot about the Partition and our family history and her husband and just the whole world of Indian politics. You didn’t meet Manmohan Singhji until this point? Then I thought I would be leaving shortly but she kept saying to me, ‘Just stay a little longer , have another cup of tea’ .
.. and then I didn’t realise until later there had been a whole plan where Mr Singh was trying to leave work to come home to meet me.
So Mrs Singh was holding you back in the hope that t.
