Tabu's toughest scene

Everybody knows my journey in Bollywood has been anything but easy. However, the good news is I thrive on challenge. And the scene in Chandni Bar where Tabu breaks downs has been the most difficult in my directorial career so far.
I rate it as such because of three reasons. The first being we shot the scene outdoors with 500 people watching. And though they weren’t in the same frame as Tabu, it wasn’t easy controlling such a big crowd.In my experience, whenever you set up a scene like this, someone from the crowd does something that stops the cameras from rolling on. We took six-odd hours to shoot the scene. We started at 12 noon and ideally, should have packed up by 3.30 pm but finished not before 6pm.
Secondly, the scene with Tabu was shot in a fish market and by the end, our feet were wet and everybody’s clothes were stinking. After two hours, it became virtually impossible to carry on. Thirdly, it wasn’t easy for Tabu who had to portray an emotional meltdown. While I didn’t have to do too many retakes, it required a lot of interaction and explaining what was required from her.
All said, Chandni Bar is etched in my memory for so many reasons: Tabu’s flawless performance and not to mention it won four National Awards.
As told to Vickey Lalwani