‘After Aradhana, People Took Me Seriously’

‘Everybody
was
scared,
especially
with
Rajesh
Khanna
playing
a
double
role
and
playing
my
lover
and
my
son.’
‘It
was
quite
a
risky
thing
to
do.
That’s
why
they
made
me
look
so
old.’

Shakti
Samanta’s

Aradhana,
starring
Sharmila
Tagore
and
Rajesh
Khanna,
released
in
1969
and
was
a
huge
hit
both
in
India
and
the
Soviet
Union.

As
the
film
re-released
on
February
28,
Sharmila
Tagore
goes
down
memory
lane
and
remembers
some
bitter-sweet
moments
from
the
film
in
a
conversation
with

Subhash
K
Jha.

One
of
your
most
important
films

Aradhana
is
back
in
the
theatres.

Yeah,
I
was
taken
as
a
serious
actor
in
Hindi
cinema
after
that.

Before
that,
I
did
a
lot
of
glamorous
roles
like

An
Evening
in
Paris
and

Kashmir
Ki
Kali.

I
also
did

Devar
and

Anupama
before

Aradhana
which
were
very
performance-oriented
characters.

So
it
would
be
wrong
to
say
that

Aradhana
was
the
first
time
when
you
were
taken
seriously
by
Hindi
audiences.

But
the
depth
of
the
audiences’
appreciation….

I
remember
the
first
time
the
audience
sees
me
as
the
old
person
in
the
jail
and
the
entire
hall
started
giggling.

My
director
Shakti
Samanta
left
the
hall
saying
that
Sharmila
Tagore
has
not
been
accepted.

Then
there
is
a
scene
between
the
jailer
and
myself.

So
there
was
immediate
acceptance
after
that
two
minute
scene.

At
the
end,
you
could
hear
people
sniffling.

So
then
Shaktiji
came
back
into
the
theatre
and
then,
of
course,
rest
is
history.

That
moment
was
very
defining.
I
managed
to
convince
the
audience.

Yes,
you
did…

There
were
lots
of
tears.

But
I
think
at
that
time,
people
liked
this
kind
of
emotion.

I
think
people
resonated
with
my
character
Vandana’s
grief
and
her
loss.

Today,
I
don’t
think
people
like
crying
at
all…
they
don’t
want
their
actors
to
cry
too
much.

I
think
people
feel
that
they
want
to
go
to
the
movies
to
laugh,
to
have
a
good
time,
not
to
hear
about
other
people’s
grief.

Anyway,
let’s
not
judge
others.
I
mean,
I
don’t
know,
there
must
be
a
lot
of
other
films
that
also
make
you
cry.

Maidaan
was
very
good.
But
it
wasn’t
a
tearjerker
as
such.

But
you
empathise
and
you
feel
for
the
character.
You
feel
a
lump
in
your
throat.

Sharmila

ji,
when
you
were
offered

Aradhana,
let’s
go
back
to
that
a
bit.
Was
there
any
trepidation
because
you
had
to
play
an
older
woman?

No,
no,
I
wanted
to
act
in
that.
Shaktiji
wasn’t
very
convinced.

I
was
very
convinced
that
I
wanted
to
do
it.

He
got
convinced
when
the
film
came
out
and
people
finally
got
around.

But
you
must
have
been
very
scared
that
suppose
people…

Everybody
was,
especially
with
Rajesh
Khanna
playing
a
double
role
and
playing
my
lover
and
my
son.

It
was
quite
a
risky
thing
to
do.
That’s
why
they
made
me
look
so
old.
Shaktiji
also
took
a
risk.

Let’s
say
I
was
about
22
when
I
played
Rajesh
Khanna’s
character’s
beloved.
So,
I
must
be
in
my
40s
when
I
become
a
single
mother.

They
made
me
look
much
older
to
convince
audiences.

Otherwise,
imagine
Rajesh
Khanna
and
I’m
looking
middle-aged
that
wouldn’t
have
worked.
I
would
have
looked
too
young.

So,
for
convincing
the
audience,
I
had
to
look
older
and
had
grey
hair
and
all.

What
was
Rajesh
Khanna
like
at
that
point
of
time?

He
was
very
good.
I
saw
it
recently.
He’s
acted
so
well
—
especially
that
second
character,
that
youthful
energy.

He
just
lifts
the
second
half
totally
—
the
way
he
talks,
it’s
just
wonderful
energy.

Oh,
and
the
music
by
Sachin
Dev
Burman
is
just
evergreen.
It
also
lifted
the
film
to
another
level
altogether.

Every
song
will
continue
to
have
a
shelf
life,
but
they
are
evergreen.

Shakti
Samanta’s
rapport
with
S
D
Burman
and
his
son
R
D
Burman
was
unbelievable.
Was

Roop
Tera
Mastana
in

Aradhana
composed
by
R
D
Burman?

Because
Sachin
Dev
Burman
was
not
well
at
that
time.

And

Mere
Sapno
Ki
Rani.
There’s
a
story
behind
that?

Yeah,
that
was
cheating.
We
had
to
shoot
me
and
Rajesh
Khanna
separately.
That
was
cheating.
That
was
really
not
nice.

If
I
had
been
there,
it
would
have
been
that
much
better
because
it
looked
a
little
artificial.

If
you
had
to
change
anything
in

Aradhana,
would
you
do

Mere
Sapno
Ki
Rani
in
an
actual
train
rather
than
in
a
studio?

Yeah,
perhaps
I
would.

But
that
time
it
was…
Either
(Satyajit)
Ray’s

Aranyar
Din
Ratri
or
that
song
in

Aradhana.
The
dates
were
clashing.

Manikda
(Satyajit
Ray)’s
film
was
start
to
finish.
And
this
was
just
part
of
the
film.

So
I
think…
Yeah,
it
was
naughty
of
me.

It
wasn’t
your
fault.
It
wasn’t
as
if
you
were
playing
truant
or
anything.

No,
no.
I
mean,
Shaktiji
understood
that.
Because
he
knew
that
I
couldn’t
say
no
to
Manikda.

And

Aradhana
was
released
when
the
war
with
Pakistan
had
just
started,
right?

No,
that
was

Amar
Prem.
The
army
had
a
premiere.
And
they
must
have
known
about
the
war
during
the
premiere
of

Amar
Prem.

And
the
next
day
war
was
declared.
The
army
chief,
(General,
later
Fiel
Marshal)
Sam
Manekshaw
was
there.
He
must
have
known
about
it.
But
he
just
wanted
to
cheer
the
army
up.

So,
between

Aradhana
and

Amar
Prem,
you
know
my
choice.
But
which
one
do
you
think
is
a
better
film?

I
think

Amar
Prem.
In

Aradhana,
the
overriding
emotion
actually
carry
the
film.