Kamal Haasan’s seminal period crime drama Hey Ram (2000) continues to be remembered for its alternate depiction of historical events like Partition and Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. But it’s also fondly revisited for its massive pan-India star cast, which ranged from Haasan himself to Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji. One of the lesser known cast members was Prachee Shah Pandya, best known for playing Pooja Virani on Ekta Kapoor’s groundbreaking television show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi in the early 2000s.
“That was my first film set experience. I was very young. I must have been 19,” recalled Prachie in a recent interview. “Actually, I’d gone to test for the main heroine. But he said, ‘I want a Tamil-speaking girl. Would you be able to speak in Tamil within two months?’ I said, ‘I’m not sure. I can try. I can speak Marathi, Gujarati, and Hindi.’ Because when it’s not your mother tongue, then it’s difficult to learn a language within two months and speak it fluently, that too for the camera,” she added.
So, Kamal Haasan ended up casting veteran actor Hema Malini for that part instead. “But he said, ‘I still want to work with you.’ Because I’d met him with my dance biodata, he said, ‘I have something else for you. There’s a lavani song. It’s a bilingual, so would be done in both Marathi and Tamil. I said, ‘Sure sir, anything to work with you,'” Prachi recounted while speaking to Galatta India.
A trained Kathak dancer, Prachee Shah Pandya holds the Guinness World Record for performing 93 spins in a minute. She was also appointed as the Kathak ambassador by the Indian government in 2015. Despite her decorated track record, Prachee was in awe of Haasan’s versatility while shooting with him in Chennai.
“He’s a legend! During the break, he asked me to narrate some Kathak lyrics, so he could play the tabla. He choreographed it, and we used to rehearse on camera. Is there anything this man doesn’t know? — from Marathi, Kathak lyrics, the tabla, the choreography to the way he wanted the shot,” said Prachee.
Since she had watched countless of Kamal Haasan’s movies, including his memorable performance in Balu Mahendra’s 1983 romantic film Sadma, it was a “dream” for her to be on set with him. “The star cast was massive. It was a very nice experience,” she added. Prachee, however, didn’t get the chance to work with any other member of the ensemble cast, including Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
“I just met him once. He wasn’t in the same scene, but he did come to the set. And then we met during the release and the party. Shah Rukh sir is Shah Rukh sir! He’s another legend, the most gracious, charming, and the sweetest ever,” she said.
Since then, Prachee Shah Pandya has appeared in hit films like Karan Johar’s 2012 campus caper Student of the Year, Remo D’Souza’s 2015 dance drama ABCD 2, David Dhawan’s 2017 comedy Judwaa 2, Anubhav Sinha’s 2018 social drama Mulk, and most recently, Shashanka Chaturvedi’s 2024 thriller Do Patti on Netflix India.
Simultaneously made in Tamil and Hindi, Hey Ram was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Haasan under his banner Raaj Kamal Films International. Its ensemble cast also boasted of Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah (as Gandhi), Om Puri, Atul Kulkarni, Vikram Gokhale, Saurabh Shukla, Nassar, Manoj Pahwa, and Kamal’s daughter Shruti Haasan, among others.
The film was distributed in North India by Shah Rukh Khan under his then-production house Dreamz Unlimited. While Hey Ram was a box-office failure, it became a critical success, winning three National Awards, including for Best Special Effects, Best Costume Design for Kamal Haasan’s wife and veteran actor Sarika, and Best Supporting Actor for Atul Kulkarni.
