When Shashi Kapoor pulled Amitabh Bachchan back, from playing an ‘extra’

The indirect association

“Before landing up in Mumbai for a job as an actor, my association indirectly had taken place with Shashi ji, through his father-in-law, Mr Geoffrey Kendal. Mr Kendal ran a theatre group called Shakespeareana and they would tour India too. Jennifer Kendal was his elder daughter, a part of the troupe and who married Shashi ji, when he joined the troupe as an artist. Felicity Kendal was his younger daughter, a prominent artist in several Hollywood films and a major force on the London stage. Mr Kendal with his Shakespeareana had visited Sherwood College in Nainital with his plays and during one of his visits initiated the Kendal Cup for Dramatics to be presented to the best actor of the year. In my second year in Sherwood, I won the best actor cup for the play ‘Government Inspector’ by Nikolai Gogol the great Russian playwright.” [sic]

“He would introduce me to all his directors”

“In Mumbai, Shashi ji had always been a great support. I would visit him on set when I was looking for a job, he already being an established star by then, and he would introduce me to all his directors. He never worked on Sundays and would spend the day with his two sons and daughter by the swimming pool, at the newly opened Sun n Sand Hotel in Juhu, then the only Hotel in the region. We, knowing of this activity of his would land up via the beach near the hotel to see him, going in by the main entrance was impossible for us, and waited anxiously for him to notice us so we could spend some time with him.” [sic]

When the extra’s role was offered to Amitabh Bachchan

“Very shortly he was working in the James Ivory – Ismail Merchant Production of the film ‘ Filmvalas’ and we approached him if we could get a job in this production. Ismail Merchant, the producer of the film, called us one fine day and said there some small parts which we could do and that he would pay us Rs 500/- for it. There were three parts available, Anwar Ali (Mehmood’s) brother who had become a close friend and who had worked with me as one of the 7 Indians in ‘Saat Hindustani’, and Jajal Agha, son of another great comedian in film, Agha, were the other two along with me that were given these parts. I needed the money so desperately to feed myself, I readily agreed. We shot a funny little episode in a studio for a day, but were later told that it was not going to be used in the film as the story did not require it. It did not matter to me that the scene was removed from the script. We had been paid our salary and were quite happy with it. Some days later production called again to say that we were required for another scene and to report at Lands End in Bandra. There were no hotels built there then. Sea Rock was being conceptualized and of course Taj Lands End was not even thought of.” [sic]

Shashi Kapoor pulls out Amitabh Bachchan from the crowd

“The scene that morning was of Shashi ji’s death, where his body was being taken in procession to the burning pier for cremation. I was asked to be among those that formed the pall bearers along with several other junior artists in the sequence, to carry the body. After a couple of shots we were asked to stand amongst the crowd as mourners as the shooting progressed. Shashi ji was not at the shoot, obviously, but dropped by later at the location. When he saw what we had been asked to do, he walked up to me in the crowd of mourners where I was standing as a junior artist, or the ‘extra’ and asked me to move. ‘Don’t do these bit parts’ he advised, ‘you are made for better things’ and then spoke to the director to delete those portions of mine from the film.” [sic]

The premiere night of ‘Deewar’

“And one fine day at the first shot for the film ‘Deewar’ at Raj Kamal Studio, I stood along with him for the keepsake photograph after the ‘mahurat’, with him playing my younger brother. I had travelled from being an ‘extra’ in Shashi Kapoor’s film to playing a prominent role along him. At the premier night of ‘Deewar’ in 1975, the film started and Shashi ji was beside me in the next seat. We never said a word. Premier butterflies. But when the scene under the bridge started, the ‘mere pass maa hai’ moment, I felt a gentle hand on mine. It was Shashi ji’s. He never spoke, but the way he held my hand said everything. It was reassurance, it was affection, it was acknowledgement, it was complimentary, it was appreciation .. it was everything that a struggling actor that had once played an ‘extra’ in a film that starred this gentleman sitting next to me, had never ever dreamed would happen.” [sic]

The inseparable bond

“Shashi Kapoor and I became inseparables in many successful ventures that followed. Leading ladies would shy away from our projects by proclaiming that there would be nothing left for them to do once SK and AB were there together. He directed his first film ‘Ajooba’ with me. He became my relative when Shweta married Raj Kapoor’s grandson.” [sic]