Shekhar Suman has been grabbing a lot of limelight at the moment, ever since he made a stellar performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s first web-series, Heeramandi, which released on May 1, 2024. For the unversed, it was in 1984 when Shekhar made his debut with Girish Karnad’s drama film, Utsav. Since then, he has been a part of several films and theatricals, creating an unparalleled space for himself in the film industry.
In a recent interaction with Bollywood Bubble, Shekhar Suman recalled the shooting of his film, Maanav Hatya, which came to him at a time when his debut film, Utsav got delayed for some time. He recalled how the filmmaker faced lack of finances and resources, due to which they weren’t able to finalise a heroine. However, the filmmaker only had one last hope, by roping in the then-newcomer, Madhuri Dixit, to play a crucial part as the leading female. He narrated:
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“Utsav had gotten delayed and in between that and Anubhav, one day I got a call where a director wanted to sign me for a film called Maanav Hatya, where I played a true journalist. Paise bade kam hain isme He only offered me Rs. 5,000. When he offered me Rs. 5,000 for this one, I was a little disappointed and there was no heroine also. He told me it was a new heroine named Madhuri Dixit. I asked him to make me meet her. When he asked me if I would do it, I agreed to do that film.”
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Moving forth in the conversation, Shekhar Suman stated that the filmmaker was so tight in his budget that he requested the actor to lend his home for the shoot. While Shekhar willingly agreed to it, the filmmaker further requested him to pick up the heroine, Madhuri Dixit from her home, since it would be difficult for her to commute to the shooting spot. In his words:
“It was the second film for both of us individually, and producer aake kehta hai, ‘location ke paise nahi hain, aapka ghar milega to shoot?' Maine kaha, ‘arey bhai, aisa karo.Thodi dino mein tum mujhse paise lelo and shoot karna. Ghar bhi lelo, kapde bhi lelo, motorcycle bhi lelo. Joh karna hai karlo, joh lena hai leno.' Toh woh bola, ‘dhekho, abhi Madhuri ko aane ke liye taxi ke paise nahi hai toh can you go pick her up? Toh main Madhuri Dixit ko motorcycle pe lene jaata tha.”
In the concluding segment of the interview, Shekhar Suman shared how there was lack of crew for the film, and it was his wife, Alka, who not only gave her clothes for Madhuri to wear as costumes, but also did the actress’ makeup. Moreover, he credited Madhuri Dixit for being a sweet, naive and innocent newcomer, who duly listened to whatever was being told. He expressed:
“Mere ko bola ki meri wife, Alka, ko bolo ki wo aachi lagti hai toh woh makeup kar degi. Toh Alka used to do Madhuri Dixit's makeup. Kapde bhi chhaiye the. Alka used to give her clothes also. Poor Madhuri Dixit, she was such a sweet, naive, Maharashtrian girl … joh bolte thay woh karti thi. I used to drop her off after shoots and take her to dance practices also.”
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Shekhar Suman’s debut film, Utsav was opposite to one of the most talented actresses of all times, Rekha. Surely, for a newcomer, it was quite a challenging role, considering the senior actress he worked opposite to. Previously, in a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, the actor remembered those days and remarked that he would be ever so grateful to the charismatic lady for working with him. Moreover, Shekhar credited how Rekha never threw any tantrums and even for the intimate scenes of the film, she performed it all with utmost professionalism.
What do you think about Shekhar Suman’s anecdotes with Madhuri Dixit?
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