Rajesh Khanna Stood In Queue With Dalda Dabba, Slept On Dharamshala Floors, Recalls Shabana Azmi: 'We Had...'
Shabana Azmi opened up about the challenges of filming ‘Chalo Bulaawa Aaya Hai’ with Rajesh Khanna.
The 1983 film Avtaar was a major success and marked a big comeback for Rajesh Khanna, who had faced a slump in the late 1970s. It helped solidify his status as a superstar, followed by other hits like Souten and Agar Tum Na Hote. Directed by Mohan Kumar, the film also featured Shabana Azmi. One of its most beloved songs, “Chalo Bulaawa Aaya Hai, Maata Ne Bulaaya Hai," continues to be popular, especially among devotees traveling to the Vaishno Devi shrine.
Recently, Shabana Azmi opened up about the challenges of filming that iconic song. Speaking to Radio Nasha Official, she recalled, “Shooting for ‘Chalo Bulaawa Aaya Hai’ for Avtaar was filled with hardships. During those days, there were no helicopter services, we had to trek to reach the temple. There were no toilets on the way. It was an extremely difficult situation."
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She added that it was hard to imagine Rajesh Khanna, a superstar, standing in line with Dalda tins. “Can you imagine Rajesh Khanna, a superstar, standing in queue with Dalda dabbas? It was also extremely cold at that time. We used to sleep on floors in dharamshalas. We had mattresses with about 12 layers of blankets. We used six layers of blanket to cover ourselves, and we were still cold. At that point in time, Rajesh Khanna couldn’t be like ‘I am a superstar’. We all did it in the spirit."
Shabana Azmi, who worked with Rajesh Khanna in seven films, shared a close friendship with him. In an interview, she recalled a funny moment. She said that once Rajesh came in limping with a bandaged ankle. She said, “Rajesh and I were pretty good friends. This one time, we were addressing media for something. He came in, and we saw he had tied bandage around his ankle and was limping. One journalist in the crowd noticed it and questioned him, ‘What happened to his leg?’ He quickly replied, ‘I was doing a horse riding scene yesterday. I fell off the horse.’ I was quiet surprised. I was curious and I asked him, ‘But, I was with you the whole time, when did you shoot a horse-riding scene?’"
She added, “He kicked my leg under the table and signalled me to keep quiet. Later, he said, ‘I tripped and fell. Why do you have to tell the truth always? Obviously, I am not going to tell the journalist that, ‘Mera paun dhoti mein phas gaya toh mai gir gaya. (I tripped in my lungi). Let me have my moment. What’s your problem?’ I laughed so much."
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