There is no greater delight for a filmmaker than finding an actor who can be moulded like clay at his hands. That’s how I remember Surekha Sikri, a fine blend of preparation and instinct. Being a National School of Drama graduate, she not only had a great sense of craft, but also an ability to bring more to the table than the written word. Trained under Ebrahim Alkazi, Surekha was one of the finest from the Delhi theatre circuit. When I first met her, she had delivered a brilliant play; I couldn’t get her performance out of my mind.

A still from Mammo