Actor Shekhar Suman, who was offered his first film just two weeks after landing in Mumbai from Patna, recalled memories of working with his illustrious co-star Rekha. In an interview, Shekhar said that not only did Rekha not complain about the many intimate scenes that they shared in the erotic drama Utsav, she also displayed remarkable professionalism. The biggest example of this was her decision to remain on set even though her house was being raided by the income tax department.
Asked about Utsav in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, Shekhar said, “This was probably the most unprecedented break for any newcomer in the history of Indian cinema. In 15 days, I’d been signed for the film. I hadn’t even opened my suitcases yet. And in two months, I was on set, shooting with Rekha. I will forever be obliged to Shashi Kapoor, Girish Karnad, Rekha, all of them.”
He continued, “I have never met a more professional actor than her. I remember that she had a massive income tax raid on the first day of the shoot. Any other actor would have packed their bags and gone away. She said, ‘Let them do their job, I’ll stay back and do mine’. I was afraid that my world had come crashing down, that she would leave and the film would get cancelled, my dreams would be shattered.” He said that Rekha never threw tantrums on set, even when it came to the intimate scenes. “She never forbid me from touching her in certain places in those scenes, not like some other actresses. She was an absolute professional. I’ll forever be indebted to her,” he said.
Shekhar also spoke about his career not taking off in the way that he’d hoped after Utsav. “I did a lot of films after that, I worked with the biggest actresses, but after a point, the good roles started drying up, and I decided to take a step back. But destiny plays a big role. To complain about not getting my due… I would rather focus on what I achieved. I used to be a regular kid from Patna, I’d never imagined I’d work with such legends,” he said.
Shekhar went on to transition to television, where he hosted the popular talk show Movers and Shakers, and also starred in several hit sitcoms. He will soon be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
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