New Delhi: Veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra are getting accolades for their performance in Karan Johar’s 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'. The love story between the two actors in the film is loved by the audience and the kissing scene between the two has also become one of the major highlights of the film. Shabana Azmi has now said that she is surprised at the reactions her kissing scene with Dharmendra has got.
In an interview with Zoom Shabana said, “I never thought it would create such a fuss! People are laughing and cheering when we do the kiss. While shooting it was never an issue. It is true that I haven’t kissed much on screen before. But who wouldn’t want to kiss a man as handsome as Dharmendra?”
The actor also spoke about her husband and screenwriter Javed Akhtar’s reaction to the scene. She said he was not “bothered” about the kiss. “He was not bothered. But what bothered him was my rowdy behaviour. Throughout the film I was applauding, whistling, cheering and shouting. He was like, ‘I don’t know this woman sitting next to me.’ I went insane with excitement,” she told Zoom.
Earlier, in a conversation with Film Companion, Karan Johar said that it was not hard to convince either of the veteran actors for the scene. The filmmaker said that neither Dharmendra, nor Shabana asked him any questions about the scene.
“No (it was not hard to convince them). Shabana ji is a trooper. She is a master actor. What an actor, she is a baap actor. There was no question. Dharam ji was like 'Haan karna hai toh karna hai (if it has to be done, it has to be done)'. Two great veterans just performing with absolute aplomb, no questions asked. I needed it to be a peck; that was what I wanted. One of my all-time favourites is Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar (from the 1961 film Hum Dono) and it had to be their song because that's what she says in the dialogue about 'Mall Road pe woh walks, hum dono ka woh re-run, humara woh favourite gana (Mall Road walks, our re-run, our favourite song). And that became the thematic kind of connection of Rocky (Ranveer) and Rani (Alia) as well. It was just glorious to see them (Dharmendra and Shabana),” he told Film Companion.
‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’, also starring Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Jaya Bachchan, Tota Roy Choudhury, among others, is doing great at the box office and has collected Rs 60.17 cr approximately in five days.