Amitabh Bachchan’s teenage co-star was involved with two married men who stifled her career, refused to play his sister for fear of being typecast

At the age of 17, Padmini Kapila got a chance to star alongside one of the biggest stars of the country at the time, and she fell in love with him, even though he was married.

Padmini was told that she would be the next star, but it never happened. (Photo: Express Archives)

The Hindi film industry is a glamorous place, but it is also a place that has systemically exploited young talent. A few lucky ones manage to save themselves but a large number of women and men are swallowed by a system that promises them all the glitz and glamour, but ultimately, leaves them stranded. In a recent interview, yesteryear actor Padmini Kapila spoke about the time when she got a chance to be a leading heroine at 17, and got in a relationship with a married actor, Navin Nischol. She also spoke about the time when she got involved with the director of Amitabh Bachchan’s films like Zanjeer, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Laawaris, Prakash Mehra, and realised that he was never going to let her succeed in her career.

In a recent interview with Lehren Retro, Padmini recalled the time when she refused seemingly smaller roles in films starring Amitabh, because she did not want to be seen as his sister. In fact, when she rejected one such role in the hit film Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, her then-boyfriend Prakash did not offer her a similar role in Laawaris, even though Amitabh felt she would be perfect for it. “Amit ji told Prakash Mehra that you call Padmini for this role, it’s a very emotional role. But Prakash said that if I tell her to do that role, she will run away because she will say, ‘It’s a sister’s role once again.’ But I regret it,” she shared.

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Padmini Kapila and Shashi Kapoor in Pyar Ke Dhaage. (Photo: Express Archives)

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Padmini Kapila also recalled rejecting a small role in Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie that was done by Mumtaz’s niece Naseem. “I made a lot of wrong choices,” she said. Padmini shared that it was too late by the time she realised her mistakes. When she found out that Prakash Mehra had been speaking about her disrespectfully, she left him. She agreed that despite her relationships, her then-boyfriends never recommended her for any film roles. “I found Prakash told someone, ‘Badi film mein lunga toh hath se nikal jayegi (If I take her in a big film, she will go out of control), that hurt me a lot. Towards the end, I was very hurt. I got to know much later, but it was too late by then,” she said.

Talking about her relationship with Navin Nischol, Padmini acknowledged that she was just 17, and he was a star in the making after his film Sawan Bhado with Rekha, and she was just awestruck by him. “He was very charming. I was 17 and I signed a film with him and he was a star, and he was a ladies’ man. You are too young. What do you do? It’s not love. I felt that he is such a big star and he is so much in awe of me that he keeps watching me so it was that…” she said and added, “I don’t regret anything.”

Padmini Kapila and Shatrughan Sinha in Dhokebaaz. (Photo: Express Archives)

After her break up with Prakash Mehra, Padmini Kapila left the industry, and moved away. She got married, which eventually fell apart, and focused on raising her son. She eventually appeared in a few small roles in films, and was last seen in the 2000 film Refugee.

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