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with his unique wide smile, embraced the
little boy, who happily put his head on his
shoulder.
BOUND BY REFINEMENT
Mile today remembers Gaga’s beginnings
and one of his first interviews for
Ilustrovana politika, the first cover page at
the time of making When I’m Dead and
Gone, hanging out in Ada Ciganlija, fishing
in Rose, riding in Gaga’s speedboat on
the Sava, long and inspiring get-togethers:
“At the time of making When I’m Dead
and Gone, we went to the Roma settlement
in Karaburma. A collective hysteria
started upon our arrival. Never in my
life have I seen such adoration. As if the
king of Roma came with Christmas gifts.
A scene for Fellini! They ran to hug him,
pulled him into their shacks. Children
were screaming with joy, dogs jumping
on him, licking his feet... He behaved as if
he was born there, spontaneous, he raised
and threw the boys into the air, caressed
them, joked that he was one of them. And
he really did love them.”
Mile Jelesijević, war reporter, photo reporter,
writer, adventurer, passionate lover
of Belgrade kafanas, although at the end
of his seventh decade, still continues creating
in his studio, bringing his turbulent
and rich life on canvas, upgraded with his
artistic imagination.
I was lucky to sit a few more times with
Dragan Nikolić in “Potkovica”. He radiated
the elegance of Alain Delon, attitude
of Robert de Niro, informality of Pavle
Vujisić. Still, he was also himself, special,
in style, physically, mentally and spiritually,
elegant.
That morning, when Gaga was already
in some heavenly tavern, drinking his first
morning coffee with two people he unselfishly
loved, his brother Miroslav and Bora
Todorović, the famous Belgrade attorney
Branislav Tapušković entered empty “Potkovica”.
“Gaga was really a great gentleman.
Cavalier, modest and unpretentious. Great
friend. An outstanding person in every
aspect”, clearly shaken, humble and kindhearted
Tale remembers his friend, while
we sip a drop of grape brandy for the soul
of the man who loved people, ran away
from glamour and glory, and suffered not
only because the famous Belgrade kafanas,
in which he grew up, were being forgotten
and disappearing, but also because people
were closing their hearts. Such alienation
drove him away from Paris, where he had
already become a film and theater star. He
played with Maria Schneider, Erland Josephson,
Alida Valli, Catherine Deneuve...
In her interview to Nedeljnik, which
dedicated the entire edition to this great
man, Milena Dravić remembers that one
morning, without any warning, Gaga just
decided:
“Let’s go back, it’s enough... And that
‘enough’ was not related to a missed role,
disappointment, conflict with a director or
crew... He missed his Belgrade friends. Crveni
Krst. ‘Atelje 212’. So we returned...”
A little known detail, testifying about
Gaga’s love for his city and homeland, is
the offer of American producers to Milena
Dravić to play in Hollywood. The amount
offered was high, conditions fantastic, almost
unreal for our circumstances. Milena,
upon the suggestion of her husband, ignored
the offer. In the next round, a green
card for a permanent residence in America
came with a higher offered amount. Milena
was hesitating, but Gaga refused with such
easiness, as if asking “three and one” late at
night. Of course, Milena followed him.
A MAN IS NOT A STAR
In the last years, the favorite destination
of Dragan Nikolić was Vrnjačka Banja.
Four years ago, he became cover face of
the “Merkur” Special Hospital in Vrnjačka
Banja. The executive director of the institute,
Dejan Stanojević, remembers the
friendship and cooperation with the celebrated
actor:
“If we had to state a synonym for a
gentleman and professional, it would certainly
be the name of Dragan Nikolić. He
not only captivated with his charm and
Principles
During the
shooting in
“Merkur”, whose
“face” he has been
in recent years
An example of Dragan Nikolić’s patriotism is his refusing an
offered role in an anti-Serbian high-budget movie, where he
was supposed to play a cruel villain. Despite attractive conditions,
despite negotiations in Skopje and Vienna and the flexibility
of producers to win him for an “affirmative” screening of
Balkan Indians, Dragan Nikolić remained faithful to himself and
his postulates.
SERBIA • N O 54 • 2016
69