‘Musalman Ladki Bharatnatyam…’: Waheeda Rehman Recalls Performing Bharatnatyam For C. Rajagopalachari

Waheeda Rehman appeared as a guest on the most recent episode of Arbaaz Khan's talk show 'The Invincibles'.

Waheeda Rehman made her acting debut in the Telugu film Rojulu Marayi.

New Delhi: Waheeda Rehman, a seasoned actor, recently reminisced about her very first dance performance. She appeared as a guest on the most recent episode of Arbaaz Khan's talk show 'The Invincibles', where she recounted her experience breaking into the movie business. She stated that when she was just 7 or 8 years old, she wanted to learn how to dance.

When asked about her first dancing performance by Arbaaz, the 85-year-old actor said that it was for India's first viceroy, C. Rajagopalachari. “C. Rajagopalachari, unka program bana Visakhapatnam ane ke liye (He was to visit Visakhapatnam) where my father was posted at that time. Unhone kaha Kamala Lakshman, MS Subbulakshmi ko bulao… aur pata nahi kisse… Toh Delhi se ek telegram aya saying artist has to be local; nobody outside Visakhapatnam. Fir bhi unhone idhar-udhar dhundha toh koi veena bajane wale mil gaye, dance ka kisika ho nahi raha tha (They need local artists for the show but were unable to find any except some sitar players)," she said. 

"Toh unhone kaha Rehman (Waheeda’s father) abhi toh tujhe karana hi parega apni beti se dance. During the show, C Rajagopalachari ne puch ye naam announce kia, Waheeda Rehman, toh Musalman ladki hai? Maine aaj tak nahi suna Musalman ladki Bharatnatyam kar rahi hai (They persuaded my father to make me perform. After my name was announced in the show, C Rajagopalachari wondered how a Muslim girl is performing Bharatnatyam dance),” the actor added.

Also, she said that C Rajagopalachari continued to praise the senior actor's father, an IAS officer at the time. She quoted the Viceroy saying for her father, ‘I would like to meet him. Very bold and brave of him.’ 

At the age of 17, Waheeda Rehman made her acting debut in the Telugu film 'Rojulu Marayi' (1955). She featured in films like 'Pyaasa' (1957), 'Kaagaz Ke Phool' (1959), 'Chaudhvin Ka Chand' (1960), and 'Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam' (1962). Her most recent appearances were in the films 'Rang De Basanti', starring Aamir Khan, and 'Delhi 6', starring Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.