Shabana Azmi Says Shashi Kapoor Called Her 'Stupid' For Refusing To Do Intimate Scene, Know What Happened Next

Shabana Azmi recently shared insights into her experience of working with the late actor Shashi Kapoor. She described him as 'crazy' while reminiscing about their collaboration in 'Fakira'.

New Delhi: Shabana Azmi recently shared insights into her experience of working with the late actor Shashi Kapoor. In an interview with Zoom, the veteran actor disclosed that she had been his fan since the age of 9, noting that despite him initially appearing 'mean' to her, he ultimately extended his support. She described him as 'crazy' while reminiscing about their collaboration in 'Fakira'.

Shabana Azmi recalls working with Shashi Kapoor

Shabana recounted an incident where Shashi scolded her after she began crying because she was uncomfortable shooting an intimate scene with him.

She said, "That was his way of showing affection. He was crazy. I will give you an example: We were shooting for Fakira, and the song was Dil Mein Tujhe Bithakar. Now, I went on set before he arrived, and Satyanarayan ji was doing the choreography. I saw that the moves were very intimate. I was very young at that time, and I had tears in my eyes. I left the set, and my heart was thudding because I really didn’t want to do those shots.”

She added, “So I went in, and I told my hairdresser that I couldn’t do those shots, and I started crying. Suddenly there was a heavy knocking on the door, comes Shashi Kapoor, he was like, ‘What’s wrong with you’, so I said, ‘I can’t do those scenes’, he said, ‘Why, when you became an actress, didn’t you realise this when you told your mother you want to become an actress, stupid girl’, and he left. I looked at my hairdresser, and I said, ‘How mean is he? Look at the way he’s speaking to me.’ And then, after half an hour, I went on the set, and he had every move changed. This was the kind of person he was."

 

Shabana Azmi says she is a fan of Shashi Kapoor

Shabana Azmi elaborated on her admiration for Shashi Kapoor, revealing that she had been a fan since the age of 9. She recounted how, during her school days, he would visit Prithviraj Kapoor’s house every Sunday with his family, and since Prithviraj Kapoor was her immediate neighbor, she had the opportunity to witness these visits. Shabana shared that she would save her pocket money to buy a black-and-white photo of Shashi Kapoor, and every Sunday, she would eagerly seek his autograph on it. She emphasized that he was the only person whose autograph she ever took on a photograph.

Shabana further expressed her disbelief when she was cast opposite him in 'Hira Aur Patthar' (1977), describing it as a completely surreal experience.