Udaya Tara Nayyar: Parveen Babi was liberated to an extent but not cheap or exhibitionist

For most people who knew Parveen Babi it was difficult to accept the truth that she possessed a disturbed mind. That was because she showed no sign of it when she was working two shifts a day with top actors and directors at the peak of her career. On the contrary she was the star who got along famously with her colleagues and evoked admiration from the heroes for her sporting nature. A Literature post graduate, she spoke well and with much substance unlike some of her contemporaries who made trivial conversation which understandably drew the admiration of her co stars and directors. I met her frequently and we hit it off from our very first interaction on the sets of 36 Ghante because I was an upcoming journalist who had studied English literature and had just emerged from the university bursting with admiration for such English writers as Thomas Hardy and she shared my admiration for those authors.