Mumbai, July 5 -- Do you recall your first meeting with Keeravani?
A: He was dressed in black. He had the gait and the hush of a sage. I first saw him at the AVM Studio in Chennai. It was a music sitting for Criminal-a Telugu film starring Nagarjuna and Manisha Koirala, later made in Hindi. He didn't shake my hand.
Q: Why?
A: He was observing a Sabarimala fast, a sacred tradition where the body is stilled, and touch is withheld. There was something shy, almost boyish in his bearing. But the air around him carried stillness, like someone who had lived near fire and knew how not to flinch.
Q: What happened next in your meeting with him?
A: He spoke to Nagarjuna and my producer in Telugu. For a while, I was a listener on the outside. Then...