Govind Nihalani said in an interview on Indian TV after winning the National Award that the "moment" had actually occurred just before filming, during the rehearsal, where actor Om Puri broke down and started weeping openly while reciting this poem; Nihalani reached out a hand to comfort him and then withdrew it feeling that "his anguish was too monumental for a mere touch to provide any solace". He subsequently instructed Smita Patil to play the scene like this, giving her his futile gesture.