ILLONG: A vintage car connects Shillong resident Honsen Lyngdoh to Hollywood filmmaker Sir Richard Attenborough, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 90.
Octogenarian Lyngdoh on Tuesday recollected his association for one month with Attenborough who used Lyngdoh’s 1904 vintage car in his movie Gandhi in 1982.
“I condole his death and at the same time want to say that he was a perfectionist”, Lyngdoh told The Shillong Times.
It was after the Reader’s Digest carried a report about the first vintage car rally held in Shillong in its issue of November 25, 1975 that the film maker decided to approach Lyngdoh for the vintage car — 1904 Ford T Model — for the film.
In the 1980s, the producers of the film first contacted Lyngdoh over the phone for the car, but Lyngdoh took it lightly.
The then Lt Governor of Delhi and later the then Chief Minister late Capt Williamson Sangma persuaded reluntant Lyngdoh to listen to the request of the producers.
Subsequently after the producers contacted him again, Lyngdoh agreed to transport the car in a truck and the car was insured for Rs 5 lakh by the producers.
While Lyngdoh, his wife and his friend Prabhat Sawian flew to Delhi, the car was transported from Shillong via road all the way to Delhi for shooting the Gandhi film.
After reaching Meghalaya House, Delhi, a special trailer was used to transport the car to the shooting place.
“We were in the set of Gandhi for one month and stayed in Ashoka Hotel. I taught an Australian who was in the set to drive the vintage vehicle as it was a peddle gear and there was no gear lever.
The scene for which the car was used was a procession by Gandhi in front of a factory in Africa.
The Britishers came in the vintage car and warned Gandhi not to go ahead with the procession.
“Though the scene was just for two seconds, I was paid Rs one and half lakh for using the vintage vehicle”, Lyngdoh said.
However, he values more the association which he had with Director-Producer Attenborough.
“He always smiled despite the hectic schedule in directing the movie. He told me that one should not get angry when enthused with any task. What surprised me that he assigned two persons on the set to give critical comments about the making of Gandhi movie to attain perfection”, Lyngdoh recollected.
It was on August 15 during the recent Independence Day that Lyngdoh watched the CD of Gandhi again at home, and it was shocking for him to learn that after 10 days his favourite director passed away.