MUMBAI : Recently, Farida Jalal remembered her pleasant experience collaborating on the 1969 movie Aradhana alongside Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. The veteran actor recalled how Sharmila Tagore saved her during a fight with Rajesh Khanna in an interview with the popular news portal. She requested an additional rehearsal, stating that she felt uneasy filming a romantic song due to her conservative upbringing. However, Khanna would not have it.
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She said, “I was the nervous one during the film’s shoot. I was a convent girl, so you take a guess. I was raised by my maternal grandmother and my mother. I had an elder brother. My parents divorced when I was barely two years old, so I had no father figure. We were a small family. I was very shy and had just come out of school when I did that film, and I had a romantic song with Rajesh.”
When Farida began filming Aradhana, she had only been in one movie. She recalled, “During Aradhana, I was inexperienced. I had just done one film and was shooting for another while also shooting for Aradhana. So, I was unsure about doing romantic scenes and songs. Sharmila ji, whom I used to call Rinku di, was such a pillar of support to me. She is so beautiful inside and out. She looked after me, and was so protective all the time. Every time something happened and she saw my face drop, she would quickly come and stand beside me and even dismiss Rajesh Khanna.”
Farida explained how Sharmila Tagore shut down Rajesh Khanna during the filming of the movie's song ‘Baghon Mein Bahar Hai’, “I was shooting for the romantic song Baghon Mein Bahar Hai with Rajesh Khanna, and I was so conscious. I remember I asked for an extra rehearsal, and Rajesh said, ‘How many rehearsals?’ That put me off for the rest of the film. I was unsure, and that’s when Rinku di came to my support. She told him, ‘How can you say that? We will have 10 more.’ She was a darling.”
Aradhana played in theatres for months after becoming a huge hit. The movie, which was directed by Shakti Samanta, took home the Best Film Filmfare Award.
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Credits – The Indian Express
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