14 July,2009 08:56 AM IST | | Subhash K Jha
Kirron Kher remembers her maa who passed away recently
Kirron Kher's mother Diljit Thakar Singh passed away in Chandigarh recently. She was 84. Kirron Kher and her mother Diljit Singh
"She died of a cardiac arrest.The last time I spoke to her in Chandigarh was on June 18 when it was her birthday," sighs Kirron.
No regrets
The daughter wishes that she'd been with her mother in her last moments, "But no regrets. My mother wouldn't have liked it. She was a vibrant woman of many talents. She was a painter. My brother, who passed away suddenly five years ago, inherited her talent for painting. My younger sister Kanwal inherited my mother's dexterity at the game of badminton. And I got my mother's flair for dramatics." If Kirron wanted she could have been a badminton champ. "But that mantle was passed to my sister. My mom and sis played badminton together at state - level tournament when my sister was 11."
The actress recalls, "My mother was excellent at everything she did. She was a perfectionist. And not one of those parents who think their children is the best. If I wore chappals to go out she'd reprimand me and wonder why I wasn't wearing high heels. And on top of that she was a very elegant dresser. At 5 feet 7 inches she had the height to look royal in everything she wore. She had the most exquisite saree and jewellery collection. I think I've inherited her taste in clothes and jewellery."
Film buff
Besides many other things Diljit also a connoisseur of Urdu poetry and cinema. "And I'm not talking about just Indian cinema. She was interested in world cinema. She ordered journals on world cinema at home in Chandigarh. And she didn't miss a single film. We had an ayah who looked after us. Every weekend my mother and ayah would go for every film."
Diljit apparently played a part in a recent film Mummyji. "It wasn't really a part," laughs Kirron. "The director Pammi Somal wanted my parents to walk through a shot. And they did... there was no acting involved."
Concludes the wistful beti, "My mother was with me when my son Sikandar was born. She was the first one after me to hold my son. She was always at the forefront of anything she did. A friend of mine said she must be as spirited in after life as she was in this life. I don't doubt that."
