Farida Jalal recently shared her fond memories of working with Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna in the 1969 film Aradhana. In an interaction with Zoom, the veteran actor recalled how Sharmila Tagore came to her rescue during an altercation with Rajesh Khanna. She said that because of her conservative upbringing, she was uncomfortable shooting a romantic song, and asked for an extra rehearsal. But Khanna wouldn’t have it.
She said, “I was the nervous one during the film’s shoot. I was a convent girl, so you take a guess. I was raised by my maternal grandmother and my mother. I had an elder brother. My parents divorced when I was barely two years old, so I had no father figure. We were a small family. I was very shy and had just come out of school when I did that film, and I had a romantic song with Rajesh.”
Farida was just one film old when she shot for Aradhana. She recalled, “During Aradhana, I was inexperienced. I had just done one film and was shooting for another while also shooting for Aradhana. So, I was unsure about doing romantic scenes and songs. Sharmila ji, whom I used to call Rinku di, was such a pillar of support to me. She is so beautiful inside and out. She looked after me, and was so protective all the time. Every time something happened and she saw my face drop, she would quickly come and stand beside me and even dismiss Rajesh Khanna.”
Explaining how Sharmila Tagore shut down Rajesh Khanna during the shooting of the film’s song ‘Baghon Mein Bahar Hai’, Farida said, “I was shooting for the romantic song Baghon Mein Bahar Hai with Rajesh Khanna, and I was so conscious. I remember I asked for an extra rehearsal, and Rajesh said, ‘How many rehearsals?’ That put me off for the rest of the film. I was unsure, and that’s when Rinku di came to my support. She told him, ‘How can you say that? We will have 10 more.’ She was a darling.”
Aradhana was a massive success and ran in theatres for months. Directed by Shakti Samanta, the film won the Filmfare Award for Best Film.
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