After Aradhana, People Took Me Seriously

'Everybody was scared, especially with Rajesh Khanna playing a double role and playing my lover and my son.' 'It was quite a risky thing to do. That's why they made me look so old.'

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Shakti Samanta’s Aradhana, starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna, released in 1969 and was a huge hit both in India and the Soviet Union. As the film re-released on February 28, Sharmila Tagore goes down memory lane and remembers some bitter-sweet moments from the film.

One of your most important films Aradhana is back in the theatres.

Yeah, I was taken as a serious actor in Hindi cinema after that. Before that, I did a lot of glamorous roles like An Evening in Paris and Kashmir Ki Kali. I also did Devar and Anupama before Aradhana which were very performance-oriented characters.

So it would be wrong to say that Aradhana was the first time when you were taken seriously by Hindi audiences.

But the depth of the audiences’ appreciation.... I remember the first time the audience saw me as the old person in the jail and the entire hall started giggling.So there was immediate acceptance after that two minute scene. At the end, you could hear people sniffling. So then Shaktiji came back into the theatre and then, of course, rest is history. That moment was very defining. I managed to convince the audience.

Yes, you did...