The day I shot with Rajesh Khanna

A page from the personal dairy of Amrapali Gupta This was around three years ago and it also happens to be the most memorable day of my life. I was called to shoot a pilot episode for Siddharth Nagar’s Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aaye which now comes on DD1. I was to play the grand daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Moushumi Chatterjee and was I excited! When I reached the sets I was a little hesitant to talk to Kaka but Siddharth introduced all of us. In no time I saw kaka making everyone on the sets comfortable and he started having a conversation with us. He began by calling me chhoti and I was so happy to work with him. After that we went to shoot and I was a bit nervous to shoot with such a big superstar of yesteryears. It was a highly emotional scene between the two of us and Kaka helped me say my dialogues perfectly and get my emotions correct. He is so experienced and such a brilliant actor. I never thought that I will give the shot so perfectly and that too in one go. Contrary to his image, Kaka is very calm, composed, and very professional. He did not even behave like a superstar and I was so happy to find that he is very down- to- earth. I was a bit nervous acting with him, but after giving the shot I was so much at ease with him. We were like a house on fire chatting all the time when we were on the sets. Even now at this age Kaka is very handsome and he has a glow on his face and a charm which superstars of today don’t have. I was so besotted by looking at him and was visualising how he must have looked in his early days. I was selected for the role, but I could not do the show because by the time the show started I had other projects in my hand. We shot for the pilot around three years ago and the show came on air one and a half years ago. I was disappointed that I could not do the show, but yes that day still holds a special place in my heart.