In a recent interview, Farida Jalal opened up about working with Gulzar on the set of 'Khushboo' and recalled how he encouraged her to avoid glam and glitz.
Veteran actress, Farida Jalal has been part of the Hindi film industry for decades. Over the years, she has worked with some of Bollywood's most popular filmmakers, but nothing matches her experience with Gulzar on the 1975 film, Khushboo. The film also featured Jeetendra and Hema Malini in the lead roles. In a recent interview, Farida Jalal recalled how Gulzar was adamant about stripping all kinds of glamour from the set.
During her recent appearance on The Ashoke Pandit Show, Farida Jalal recalled that Gulzar would often instruct her to look simple and underplay her scenes. She recalled when she arrived on the set with a striking hairdo on the first day of shoot, Gulzar told her that she came to show her talent, not her looks. Though Farida became angry at him in that moment, she agreed to change her hairstyle. She shared:
“If you look like this, what will I tell Hema ji? Kaam dikhana hai, yeh sab nahi dikhana aapko."
Speaking along the same lines, Farida Jalal revealed how Gulzar helped her realise her potential and recalled shooting a particular scene, in which her husband dies, under his direction. He even praised her in front of Sanjeev Kumar and informed the latter that the actress even made the dead person tear up. Farida shared:
“He made me realise my potential. There was one scene where my husband dies, and he said, ‘In this, you have to scream and cry. You wanted to be a serious actor, now show me what you’re made of’. He made me do that in one shot, then he told Sanjeev Kumar about it. I met Sanjeev Kumar on a different film’s set, and he told me, ‘Suna hai bada acha shot kiya, murda bhi rone laga’.”
Farida also recalled the specific direction that Gulzar gave to her before they shot a song sequence in Goa. She revealed that Gulzar came into her room and asked her not to turn into Mumtaz by opting for extra accessories. He also told her that people praise her for her naturalistic acting, and she should retain it for the song. Adding that she was even forbidden from thumkas, Farida said:
“He came into my room and said, ‘Aaj aapka gaana hai, Mumtaz mat ban jaana, extra phool aur yeh woh. Log tareef karte hain ke aap dialogue naturally bolti hain, waise hi gaana karna hai."
Earlier, in an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Farida Jalal made a startling claim about filmmaker, Karan Johar, with whom she has been a part of a number of films, including the hit saga, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. The actress remembered Karan’s father, Yash Johar, who revealed that her roles in films were written even before the heroes’. However, Farida added that Karan, on the other hand, now makes films which doesn’t have any suitable roles for her, expressing how he has shifted his loyalties too soon.
What are your views on Farida Jalal's revelations?
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