19 Years of Khakee EXCLUSIVE: Kamlesh Sawant narrates the HILARIOUS incident of how Akshay Kumar pulled Tusshar Kapoor’s leg on the sets: “Akshay ji convinced Tusshar that ‘a newborn baby should be fed lassi, and not mother’s milk’ is mentioned on a poster in the hospital scene”

Kamlesh Sawant recently rocked the show as Gaitonde in Drishyam 2 (2022). However, many might not be aware that he began his career in Bollywood with Khakee (2004). As Constable Kamlesh Sawant, he made his presence felt and in the pre-climax, he moved viewers with his death scene.

As Khakee completed 19 years on January 23, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Kamlesh Sawant about his experience and a lot more.

How did you bag Khakee?
My guru is Vijay Khanwilkar. In 1996, DD Sahyadri had passed our serial called Shraddha. This was a time when I assisted and also faced the camera for the first time. I played a villain. Then, I did a few more Marathi serials. We had a theatre group called Addict Mumbai. Its members today are prominent actors and directors. An actor, Sushant Shelar, was a part of it. He’s our senior and I had worked with him. We became friends. Sushant was at that time assisting director Mukul Abhyankar on a TV serial named ‘Gubbare’. One day, Sushant called me and asked me if I’d be interested to do a role of railway police. He informed me that I just have two dialogues. I told him, ‘Ghar pe hi baitha hoon. Tu bolta hai toh aa jaata hoon main’! I did the rehearsals. I remember I shared the screen with Dilip Prabhawalkar ji and Deven Verma ji. I did the scene and Mukul was happy with my shot. Sushant told me to talk to Mukul Abhyankar and tell him that he should offer me a longer role next time. I told him ‘Apne khoon mein aise maangne ki aadat hai hi nahin’ (laughs)!

However, Mukul Abhyankar came forward and said that I have told Sushant several times not to call Marathi theatre artists for such small roles. He then told me, ‘Aapne accha kaam kiya. Agli baar aapko bada role karna padega’. He cast me in ‘Thriller At 10’, in which I played the sub-inspector. I also worked with him in the horror serial ‘Achanak 37 Saal Baad’. Even in this TV show, I played a cop. Shridhar Raghavan had written the show and he liked my work. He also wrote Khakee. He called me one day to Rajkumar Santoshi’s office. He said that he has written a role keeping me in mind. I met Raj ji and he gave me the narration. Woh bahut accha narrate karte hai. Mujhe aisa laga ki main hi hero hoon! I got selected for the part and this is how Khakee became my debut Hindi film. It was my good luck that my first 3 Hindi films all starred Amitabh Bachchan – Khakee, Deewaar – Lets Bring Our Heroes Home (2004) and Family – Ties Of Blood (2006). It was a fun experience. Raj ji and his whole team were quite warm and hard-working.

Could you tell us about the experience in detail?
After my meeting with Raj ji, I met the associate director and I made it clear to them that I don’t know how to ride a two-wheeler, four-wheeler or a horse and neither do I know swimming. He confirmed with Shridhar Raghavan, who assured him that I don’t have any scene where I have to drive. But during the shoot, I was told that I need to ride a van! Action director Tinnu Verma was in full form. He installed a jimmy jib and crane. He excitedly came to me and said, ‘Kamlesh, chalo yeh scene karte hai. Tujhe gaadi chalani hai’. I told him that I do not know driving. He was shocked and said, ‘Kya baat kar raha hai? Marwaayega tu mujhe’! He got so stumped. Then he put a gypsy in front of the van. The gypsy pulled the van forward and I simply pretended to drive (laughs)!

Your death scene on the railway track is very memorable. How was it shot?
We shot it at Apta railway station. One express mail passes from there in the morning and one in the evening. As per the scene, I get shot by Ajay Devgn and I fall down on the track. Just before we shot the scene, an express train passed from the station. We had taken our train on the track next to it to let it pass. Ab mail jaane ke baad aapko pata hai track pe kya kya gir jaata hai. So during the take, I fell down and just next to my nose, there was poop. I was lucky I didn’t fall on it. I was hoping that Raj ji says ‘Cut’ soon as I was not able to bear the stench!

Just a day before this shot, I had malaria and was hospitalized. I had a 104-degree fever. I still went for the shoot as the producer had paid Rs. 2 lakhs for the train. He should not suffer a loss because of me.

How was it working with Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar? Both are known to be punctual…
Oh yes. With Amitabh sir, if the call time is at 7:00 am, he’d come at 6:30 am and he’d be ready at 7 am sharp with his make-up and costumes. I remember during Deewaar – Lets Bring Our Heroes Home, the production team went into a tizzy because his vanity van had not arrived. The van operator was late and on the other hand, Amitabh sir arrived at the location. The production members used to comment, ‘Yeh aadmi itna punctual kaise hai. Thoda 5-10 minute toh late ho jaaye kabhi toh’!

Even Akshay ji comes on time. With him, I have worked in 2 films – Khakee and Family – Ties Of Blood. He would get a ball with him and whenever there was a break, he would start playing. He would always be making fun and cracking jokes. There was D Santosh in our film. Once Akshay called me and told me, ‘Kamlesh, tune aadmi mein kala colour dekha hai, gora colour dekha hai. Tune baingan colour dekha hai?’ I was amused and said ‘Nahin’. He took me to D Santosh and said, ‘Toh isko dekh’!

He also pulled Tusshar’s leg. We were shooting a scene of the hospital. In the film, it was shown as a government hospital and hence, posters in Marathi were put up. One poster read that ‘a newborn baby should only be fed mother’s milk’. It was written in Marathi. Tusshar doesn’t know the language. He looked at the poster and was struggling to read it. Tusshar asked Akshay Kumar ji what was written on the poster. Akshay said the poster mentions that ‘a newborn baby should be fed lassi, and not mother’s milk’. Tusshar felt Akshay is joking. I happened to pass by. I had heard the whole conversation but Tusshar didn’t know about it. He asked me to read. I said that the poster mentions that ‘a newborn should be fed lassi, and not mother’s milk, and that too from Kailash Lassi at Dadar East’! Believe it or not, Tusshar thought Akshay ji and I are telling the truth. He’s very simple. Seedha aadmi hai woh

Akshay Kumar ji, Tusshar, Atul Kulkarni sir and I used to play memory games on the sets. Like we’d be told to list the names of fruits and so on. I used to be the first one to lose followed by Atul Kulkarni ji. But Akshay and Tusshar would go on till 30-40 rounds. Once, Akshay lost while Tusshar, I remember, lost when both were listing the names of countries. I used to make it only till 10-12 rounds.

Do you have any memories of working with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan?
We didn’t have many scenes together. There was just one scene where she was supposed to sit in the police van. It was her close shot. I was sitting inside as well. I told her, ‘Madam, thoda sambhal ke baithiye’. She said, ‘Aadhi film mein yeh van hai. Yeh kaisi van mili hai. Aap bhi sambhal ke baithiye’. I told her, ’15 din se mein iss van mein shoot kar raha hoon. Iss gaadi ke purze-purze se main vaakif hoon’. In reply, she said something in English. And I don’t understand the language. I understood that I need to leave. Kyunki unka angrezi thoda alag hai, accent ke saath! So, I said ‘Excuse me’ to her. ‘Excuse me’ is one of the few English terms I know. I stepped out of the van and asked the associate director if my shot is there. I was told that I am not required to. I didn’t go back to the van again (laughs)!