Waheeda Rehman reminisces �Guide� days as she returns to Udaipur

UDAIPUR: More than 50 years after shooting for classic �Guide� in Udaipur, veteran actor Waheeda Rehman is taking a trip back to the city of lakes.The 81-year-old actor is in the city to shoot for her upcoming feature �Desert Dolphin�, being directed by Los Angeles-based debutante filmmaker Manjari Makijany.�I�ve come to Udaipur after a very long time. I was last here when we were shooting for �Guide� and we had stayed at the Lake Palace Hotel. I was pleasantly surprised when the filmmakers organised a memorable trip to the Palace where I could relive those memories,� Rehman said in a statement.�Desert Dolphin� is a coming-of-age story of Prerna, a teenage girl, who finds freedom on the skateboard and Jessica, an NRI, played by Amrit Maghera, who gains purpose when she builds Rajasthan�s first skatepark for the local community.The film is set in the rustic village of Khempur near Udaipur, Rajasthan, where the filmmakers have built one of India�s largest skateparks.Rehman, who was last seen in Kamal Haasan�s �Vishwaroopam II�, said that in her over 60-year-long career, she has never measured a project on the basis of its budget as she believes in experimenting.�I never think of project as big or small. From the very beginning, I wanted to and have been experimenting. But in my 60 years of career, I have never said yes to a project so quickly.�Before this, I hadn�t heard much about skateboarding or seen a skatepark in India. But when I heard the story of the film and its unique concept, I felt so inspired that I immediately agreed to do the film,� Rehman said, adding that the film also marks her first collaboration with a female director.Producer Emmanuel P of Skatepark Films said, �It was such a relief when she said yes because we were trying to connect with her for a while and knew going in that she usually doesn�t say yes to projects easily.�Manjari and her sister, Vinati Makijany, are the daughters of late Bollywood actor Mac Mohan, who was famous for his various villain roles in films such as �Zanjeer�, �Don�, �Sholay� and �Shaan�, among others.Vinati is the co-writer and co-producer of �Desert Dolphin�, which is slated to release in 2020. (AGENCIES)