Shekhar Suman Looking back fondly on his Bollywood debut Girish KarnadHe starred opposite him in the 1984 romantic drama “Utsav” Reka. Producer: Shashi KapoorIn the film, Rekha plays Vasantha Sena, a prostitute, and Shekhar plays Charudatta, who falls in love with a poor man in Ujjain. As a newcomer, it was a difficult task for Shekhar to have intimate scenes with Rekha in his first film, while she was already an established star. But Shekhar revealed how she made him feel so comfortable. Recalling his experience, Shekhar said that although Rekha was already one of the biggest names in the industry, he never had the air of a superstar. “She did it from the beginning. It becomes a problem when an actor walks around with paraphernalia and says, ‘Look at me, I’m a big star.’ They have a lot of people taking care of them and want you to just sit in the corner and watch all the stars. But she stayed away from it all. She would sit next to me and make me feel comfortable. So, even before I started shooting, I felt very, very comfortable,” Shekhar recalled in an interview with Screen. He also credits filmmaker Girish Karnad for helping him overcome the pressure of sharing screen space with Rekha. “He told me, ‘Listen, you’re just playing a character. Don’t treat her as Rekha, treat her as Vasantha Sena, another character,'” Shekhar said. Speaking about filming intimate scenes, he praised Rekha’s professionalism, adding: “As a big star, she never said, ‘Don’t touch me here’ or ‘I don’t want to do it again.’ She’s very, very normal. “Shekhar also recalled working with Madhuri Dixit “Manav Hatya” (1986), directed by Sudarshan Rattan. At that time, Madhuri had already made her debut with Abodh but was yet to achieve national fame and would later become famous with Tezaab and her iconic song “Ek Do Teen”.Recalling how he got involved in the project, Shekhar said, “I remember working with Madhuri in my second film. The director called me and asked me, ‘Would you like to work with a new girl?’ I said, ‘If Rekha can work with me, why don’t I work with a new girl?'”He also recalled meeting Madhuri before the shoot began. “She was very close to me in Andheri. I wanted to meet her, so we all went on motorcycles to where she lived. When I saw her, I thought, ‘Oh my God! What a beautiful girl!’ She was a huge find,” he added.Looking back on his early career, Shekhar says he never consciously shied away from films in which heroines played bigger roles. Whether it’s Utsav, Manav Hatya, or Jyoti SarupTogether with Simple Kapadia, Rehguzar is happy to receive strong support components. “I just chose everything that came my way. Utsav is so happy. Being chosen as the hero opposite Rekha! She is the bigger star and has a bigger role, but I am just as important and noticed,” Shekhar said.He also talked about Naache Mayuri (1986), which was inspired by the real-life story of Sudha Chandran, in which he portrayed a flawed character. “The story revolves around the protagonist losing a leg but she remains a winner. I played the hero but he was passive. He put her in trouble when she lost her leg but came back when she became famous,” recalls the actor.Shekhar shares another memorable incident, reflects on his role in ‘Patti Parmeshwar’ Dimple Kapadiahis character ultimately seeks forgiveness. He revealed that audiences strongly disliked his on-screen image, which he viewed as a compliment to his performance. “Even the film Pati Parmeshwar, which I did with Dimple Kapadia, I came back and asked for forgiveness. I remember my father watching the film in a theater in Jaipur and the audience said, ‘Maaro saale ko!’ He was upset! He asked me, ‘Why are you playing such a character?’ I said, ‘But this is the triumph of the character.’ I want people to hate me,” Shekhar said.
