‘He did some nice work and other people keep in mind him from so many issues, however he ought to have gotten some stronger components.’
Lillete Dubey nonetheless cannot recover from the shock of dropping her previous pal Ritz, as she fondly known as Rituraj Singh, who handed into the ages on February 20.
“What is 59? It’s too young to go!” she tells Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff.com, including, “You know, it’s not like we were meeting every day but it was a very old and affectionate relationship.”
IMAGE: Lillete Dubey with Rituraj Singh and Amar Talwar. Photograph: Kind courtesy Lillete Dubey/Instagram
At the cremation, there was a bunch of us who’ve identified Ritz since he was in his 20s.
We all belong to a theatre firm known as TAG, which had been arrange by Barry John in 1974.
The authentic form of founders had been me, Siddharth Basu, Ravi Dubey, Rajiv Mehrotra and 5 or 6 extra.
Then, new bunches stored coming. One bunch was Ritz, Deepika Amin…
Couple of years later, was the following spherical: Shah Rukh Khan, Manoj Bajpayee…
The members of TAG have a really robust reference to one another. It’s the bond we fashioned lengthy, way back, and form of stayed.
I first met Ritz when he was in his early 20s.
I noticed him in a play known as Whose Life Is It Anyway, wherein he was good. It’s based mostly on the well-known movie, starring Richard Dreyfus.
The play additionally had Shah Rukh.
Ritz performed a personality, who’s paralyzed neck downwards.
Right from there, I used to assume Ritz was a improbable actor. Very intense, very good trying in a darkish, broody form of manner.
He had this glorious persona. He was very heat and affectionate. He would hug all people in sight! Very lovable, endearing, and really gifted.
I keep in mind him vividly as a result of my mom had additionally requested, ‘Who’s that man?’ as a result of keep in mind, he needed to act solely along with his face.
IMAGE: Divya Seth, Deepika Amin, Shah Rukh Khan and Rituraj Singh. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rituraj Singh/Instagram
My daughter Ira hadn’t seen him for years however she has recollections of him from childhood.
When she was six or seven, we had been all going to some present and had been travelling by practice. I keep in mind the one who stored her entertained on that journey was Ritz.
He was taking part in a sport together with her known as See See My Playmate, and since then, she calls him See See My Playmate.
So you already know, whoever he interacted with, even children, he actually related with them.
After that, I got here to Bombay in 1996 and stayed in contact with him a bit. however you understand how it’s.
Life takes over and also you’re doing your individual factor.
Also, by the point he got here to tv, I had gotten out.
He was a lot youthful than me. He and Shah Rukh are across the similar age, greater than a decade youthful than me.
Later, once I would watch a movie I’d executed, I’d see Ritz and be like, oh God Ritz was on this, however we aren’t any scene collectively, so I did not even know he was within the movie.
We form of misplaced contact.
IMAGE: Lillete Dubey with Rituraj Singh and the forged of On A Muggy Night. Photograph: Kind courtesy Lillete Dubey/Instagram
But once I got here to Bombay, we did a play known as On A Muggy Night In Mumbai, which ran fairly efficiently.
It was the primary mainstream play on homosexuality, and was the primary authentic play on homosexuality from Southeast Asia. Nobody had written a play on this. I’m speaking about greater than 25 years in the past.
Ritz, Joy Sengupta and Denzel Smith had been in it.
We had a number of enjoyable doing the play.
I spent a number of time with him then and remembered the sooner days.
But we did not work collectively once more.
After a very long time, at a mutual pal’s son’s marriage ceremony, not even two months in the past, I met him and his spouse and his daughter. We chatted rather a lot. And he stored saying, you already know, we have now to fulfill.
In truth, I used to be telling his spouse (on the funeral), keep in mind, we had been saying we should always meet, and we should not lose contact like this.
He had mentioned deliver the women, and I mentioned my ladies even have ladies, I’m a grandmother now!
And he regarded wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!
You know, he was his standard, sturdy, boisterous self, and we danced and had a good time.
And then I bought an entire shock (when he died).
Photograph: Kind courtesy Rituraj Singh/Instagram
You know, it isn’t like we had been assembly on daily basis, however it was a really previous and affectionate relationship.
I had identified him as a really younger actor, then we might executed some work collectively, then skip to when he got here right here, and we did this play collectively.
I all the time thought that he had been so good in that play with Shah Rukh.
I all the time felt that a number of that is destiny and future. The components you get.
He was extraordinarily gifted. If he had bought these roles, he would have proven his full calibre. But we do not all the time get these roles.
If you wish to present your entire battery of expertise, it’s important to get the half.
He did some nice work and other people keep in mind him from so many issues, however he ought to have gotten some stronger components.
All the individuals who knew him from when he was actually younger had been there (at his funeral), together with Barry John.
Theatre is a medium, the place you type very robust bonds.
I’ve simply executed this play known as Jaya, and I can not let you know how bonded my actors, singer and dancers have gotten. One of them wrote to me and mentioned, ‘It’s a bond for all times.’
It’s a really totally different bond. You don’t get such bonds whereas doing a movie.
IMAGE: Rituraj Singh with Manoj Bajpayee. Photograph: Kind courtesy Rituraj Singh/Instagram
Ritz had two coronary heart assaults that day.
The first assault got here when he was within the elevate of his constructing.
They rushed him to the hospital. He was taken to the ICU the place he had one other huge coronary heart assault.
Ironically, he was to go for a routine medical examine up simply that day.
Some weeks earlier than, he hadn’t been too effectively, nothing critical, and the physician requested him to return for a follow-up. And he was going to go for that.
