A road crossing named after the late composer Aadesh Shrivastava was inaugurated in Mumbai in the presence of his widow, Vijayta Pandit, and Bollywood celebrities such as Jackie Shroff and Poonam Dhillon.
“I met Aadesh ji for the first time when I went to hear the music of my film Hero [in 1983]. He was one of the percussionists and we became friends. He worked in Angaaray and got his first big break with the film Kanyadaan. We both started our career at the same time. The jacket which I am wearing is gifted by Aadesh,” Shroff said at the event.
“It is really sad that he left us so early. He was very close to us and was a cheerful person. He was a talented and God-fearing person. We miss him very much,” Dhillon said.
Filmmaker J.P. Dutta also got nostalgic.
“Aadesh was my friend when he used to work with Laxmikant-Pyarelal [composers] as an assistant. For my first film, Ghulami, he played the rhythm. Later in Border he did the background music and he was awarded for his work.
“He also gave background music for Refugee and LOC. I promised him he would compose music for my next film after Umrao Jaan. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to work again,” Dutta said.
Asked what was the selling point of his music, Dutta said: “As a close friend, he knew my requirements. He was born talented.”
Shrivastava, who suffered from cancer, died on September 5, 2015.
