'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.