Bollywood actress, Tanuja had once slapped 'The He-Man' of Indian cinema, Dharmendra, on the sets of their film, 'Chand Aur Suraj', and had also called him 'Besharam'. Details inside!
Veteran actress, Tanuja is one of the leading ladies of the late '60s and '70s and is the sister of iconic actress, late Nutan. The actress is the daughter of another famous actress from the early days of talkie cinemas named Shobhna Samarth. With films like Memdidi, Chand Aur Suraj, Mera Jeevan Saathi, and others, Tanuja engraved her status as one of the most versatile actresses of all time.
However, not many are aware of the fact that Tanuja had once slapped the iconic actor, Dharmendra in public and had also called him 'Besharam' in one of her interviews with a leading media portal. So, without further ado, let's straight jump into this famous Bollywood story.
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In an interview with Filmfare in 2014, Tanuja opened up about one of the most controversial incidents in the history of Indian cinema that had featured her intense moment with the legendary actor, Dharmendra. The incident took place on the sets of their film, Chand Aur Suraj, when Dharmendra had tried to flirt with Tanuja, and in response to it, the actress had slapped her on the sets.
Recalling the tragic incident, Tanuja had stated,
"One day he (Dharmendra) tried to flirt with me. Taken aback, I slapped him and said, 'Besharam! I know your wife, and you have the audacity to flirt with me'."
Going further in her shocking revelation, Tanuja had also revealed that after she had slapped her co-star, Dharmendra, the latter was left embarrassed. She had added,
"Embarrassed he pleaded, 'Tanu, meri maa, sorry bolta hoon. Please make me your brother'. I refused saying I was happy with my own brother (Jaideep)'."
However, after Dharamendra's continuous plea, Tanuja had tied a simple black thread on his wrist. She had continued,
"After much cajoling, I took a black thread and tied it around on his wrist."
At the end of her interview, Tanuja had also added that Dharmendra's idea to flirt with her had taken her aback because he is the one who had introduced him to his then-first wife, Prakash Deol and their son, Sunny Deol, who was just five years old at that time. She had concluded,
"We were shooting for Dulal Guha's Chand Aur Suraj. Dharam and I were drinking buddies and would have great fun. He even introduced me to his wife Prakash. Sunny (Deol) was just five then, while his daughter Lali was around six months old."
For the unversed, Tanuja and Dharmendra was a hit-pair during the 50s and 60s, and their striking chemistry in the films like Izzat (1968), Do Chor (1972), and Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966) made them one of the most successful on-screen pairs of all-time.
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While Tanuja was last seen in the film, Shonar Pahar (2018), Dharmendra was seen in the movie, Shimla Mirchi (2020).
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