Rekha-starrer Umrao Jaan was one of the most popular films of 1981. The film also starred Farooq Sheikh, who was still trying to establish himself as an actor in the movies at that time. In an earlier interview, Farooq had once spoken about the time when him and Rekha were shooting for an intimate scene in a house in Lucknow where a mob of fans gathered just because they wanted to watch the scene live. Farooq said that at one point, people pulled out their guns and the director Muzaffar Ali was scared for the safety of the crew. He said that there was genuine tension in the air as they felt that anyone could shoot their weapon.
In a video doing the rounds of the internet, Farooq recalled that people would tease him as he had an intimate scene with Rekha. “In our Indian film industry, Rekha ji is considered as one of the most capable and glamorous actresses. My first film with her, which was a widely loved, Umrao Jaan. In the film, we had a romantic sequence where, on a beautiful evening, Umrao Jaan and Nawab Sultan meet at a very private spot and they have a romantic scene there. People would say, ‘Farooq Sheikh ki nikal padi’, because Rekha ji is so beautiful and that I am romancing her,” he said.
Farooq then recalled the what transpired when he was shooting with said romantic scene with Rekha. He said that they were shooting this in a house near Lucknow and a lot of people from the neighbouring cities and villages had gathered there to catch a glimpse of Rekha. “People in the villages around had come to know that a film was being shot there and that Rekha ji was acting in it. Rekha ji was a big star so big crowds of people would come to see her. Somehow people came to know that we were going to shoot a romantic scene. The rooms in that house were very small, there would be a lot of rooms but all of them were tiny. One room would hardly fit Rekha ji, me and the camera crew and technicians,” he said.
Farooq then said that people even brought their guns because they were so keen on watching the scene. “All the villagers wanted to see how we shot that scene, some got a chance, some didn’t. There was so much commotion that a few people showed up with their guns. The atmosphere was so tense, it felt like someone would fire their gun. Muzaffar saab was so stressed, the unit was tensed… Rekha ji and I were tensed, worried but you don’t see it in the scene. In the scene you see me, as Nawab Sultan showering all his love on Umrao Jaan,” he said.
Farooq Sheikh passed away in 2013 at the age of 65.
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