Filmindia (1941)

^ah,c)a\ Qklitais ^Hcw-Wliite ^implic'dvj Star With H Homing Bird Instinct By: "Hyacinth" A film fan rarely expects to find his favourite star as utterly charming off the screen as she appears on the screen. But still, he hopes in his heart that if by some miracle he should meet her he would not be too disillusioned. No one Likes his dreams to be shattered or to find [that his idol has feet of clay. If you were to meet Sardar Akhtar you would not be disillusioned. In fact you would probably be bowled over by surprise. When I set out on this interview 11 had a picture in my mind of what la film actress would be like in real I life. Her face would be too vividly painted, she would be aggressive in her manher of speech, and she would have a tremendous ego. Sardar exploded all my theories. But let me tell you in a more orderly fashion of what happened in my interview. . DELIGHTFULLY FURNISHED . HOME I visited Sardar one afternoon in her flat at Marine Drive. As I waited for her in her drawing room I had a chance to look round and see how the rooms were decorated. They are superbly furnished. Her dining room suite with its oval table topped with black glass and chairs upholstered in red leather must have cost a small fortune. What attracted my attention in the drawing room were the chairs and sofas covered with a delicate pink brocade and the photographs of Sardar which decorated every wall. I had barely had time to absorb all this when Sardar appeared. As a matter of fact I didn't realise it was Sardar at first because she looks so petite and tiny in real life. I just stared down at her from my monstrous height and wondered who she was. She greeted me cordially in her soft friendly voice and I said to myself "You nitwit, this is the woman you have come to interview and you just sit there staring." A SISTER BORN FOR STARDOM Then I roused myself and tried to make pleasant conversation. This wasn't difficult because Sardar and her sister who was with her, make one feel at home straight-away. This married sister of Sardar's, by merit of her good looks alone, could be a film star any day, she wants, I'm sure. She was dressed in her native Punjabi costume. Sardar looked delicious in a blouse and sari of virginal white with silver jewellery on her arms and round her throat. White does wonderful things for a woman. It makes her look young and fresh and sweet and it would take a Frenchman with all his gestures to describe to you how Sardar looked. Since my eye had fii'st been attracted by the room I asked Sardar if she was responsible for the designing of it. She said "Yes, I always like to plan the rooms myself because after all I have to live in them, and so they must suit my particular taste or they would irritate me." Sardar also told me that nearly all her spare time is spent at home so she likes it to be a nice home. She is that rare thing in the film world — a home-bird. She looked so petite, I mondered, who she was. _ Sardar Akhtar is a sweet bird with the homing instinct. BORN WITH A SLIM FIGURE Next I asked Sardar if she did special exercises or dieted in order to keep her figure so beautifully slim and well proportioned. Here her sister replied for her. "Why should Sardar diet when her figure is naturally slim?" Then Sardar said "Yes, I eat anything I like and I'm not one of those keep-fit fiends who are always doing exercises." It's nice to know, isn't it, you Sardar fans, that your idol isn't troubled with excessive fat? That would be too, too unromantic. Sardar told me about her makeup. She uses a good soap for her skin and a palmolive shampoo for her hair which is soft and lustrous. I noticed she had on very little make-up and this was expertly applied. She says she believes that women should only use tones of make-up to enhance their beauty and slightly brighten their natural colouring. She only uses dark shades of make-up for the screen where it is necessary. Sardar's favourite colour is green and she wears this colour very often. Like all normal women she loves pretty things so she has a particularly large wardrobe of gorgeous saris and blouses. For her films she -wears saris and jewellery supplied by the film company, but when she 41