Vidya was my first co-star in the world of films. She played my mother in my debut film, Mukti (1977) that was produced and directed by Raj Tilak. Even though Jeevan Jyoti was my first release, I had started the shoot of Mukti first. It was my foray into films, and I had Vidya by my side. Though we shot together, I developed a rapport with Shashi Kapoor during the shoot rather than her.

It was only later when we met at Amol's [Palekar] 70th birthday party that we hit it off. Amol had invited all his industry friends to his house in Pune. During Mukti, I was a kid, and when I met her at the party, I was a mother to kids. She met me warmly as we hadn't met for so many years. It was from there that our friendship developed. After that, Vidya and I would regularly meet for lunch. In fact, last year, she was keen to come to my house for the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Unfortunately, her shoot ran late and she could not make it.