Both legends, wrestling champion and actor Dara Singh, who passed away a few days ago, and the doyen of Hindi theatre Satyadev Dubey, who left this world on December 25, 2011, will be seen for one more time in a film titled ‘Ata Pata Laapata’ directed by Rajpal Yadav, who also plays the lead in it.
The film, a musical political satire, will see Dubey playing a theatre actor a la Sir Lawrence Olivier's portrayal of Shakespeare and Dara Singh as the owner of a drama company. Fortunately, Ata Pata Laapata has been completed, and will release in October. It is dedicated to Dubey and Singh.
Asked about his film, Rajpal says, "When Satyadev Dubeyji agreed to be in my film, I felt I had achieved something great in life. And after that, Dara Singhji also agreed to be part of my film. Both the doyens were so inspiring to watch and direct. Satyadevji would say, 'Don't hesitate in correcting me if I am going wrong'. This, coming from the God of acting to someone who's not just his disciple but also a first-time director."
About Dara Singh, Rajpal says, "He was so professional in spite of his failing health. And so childlike in his enthusiasm about his role. By the time we came to his dubbing, he was too ill to travel. So, we recorded his dubbing at his home. We did try to get voices of mimic artistes to match Daraji's voice. But it was impossible. Dara Singhji's voice and personality can't be duplicated. He was one of his kind."
Rajpal describes his film as an 'organised musical chaos'. Of the 175 actors, only 20 have acted in films while the rest are from theatre. Dara Singh even delivers a speech on the state of the nation in the film.
