I started my television career in Bombay because of Ravi Chopra. I got a call from them for the hit TV series Maa Shakti on STAR Plus. I will never forget the way they treated me, from giving me a Mercedes-Benz to reach the sets every day to hiring a permanent sea-facing hotel room in Juhu. Raviji literally pampered me. His wife Renu, too, is very fond of me.

Raviji was a man with a platinum heart. He used to call me Moti Aunty and would often tell his colleagues, “Indrani is the Bengal tigress!” He and his wife called me Rani fondly.

Raviji and Renuji were known for throwing lavish parties at their residence and I have been to a few. Those were great parties and they were great hosts.

Raviji made me so comfortable in Bombay that I never felt alone and lost in a big city. In fact while doing Maa Shakti I became vegetarian. I told Raviji that till the time I was doing Maa Shakti, I would not touch non-vegetarian food. Raviji hired a cook for me and made sure that my food was made separately.

After Maa Shakti got over I decided to come back to Calcutta. In 2008 I once again got a call from them for the megaserial Sujata on Sony. This time Raviji hired an apartment for me in Malad. But the rent was so high that I shifted to another apartment in Lokhandwala. He was so touched. He told me, “So you are saving my money?”

He was a gem of a person. I got a lot of respect from everyone in the Bombay industry because of my association with BR Films.

Raviji was my mentor, my godfather.