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Amol Palekar and Smita Patil worked together in Shyam Benegal’s 1977 film Bhumika. While Bhumika is remembered for its strong storyline and performances by its lead stars, Palekar still regrets slapping his co-star in the movie without her consent. The veteran actor recently recalled the incident at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2025.
Sharing the incident, Palekar said, “During the making of Bhumika, we were shooting a crucial scene but Shyam was not liking the result. He thought I was not violent enough. So just before the take, he called me aside and said, ‘Amol, slap her.’ I agreed to it and said that I will rehearse it with Smita. But Shyam denied. He asked me to slap her without telling her. I straightaway refused to do it, but then he said that it was an order.”
He added, “The whole shooting process started. I was confused, scared, and I didn’t know whether I should slap Smita without telling her as it was against my grain. Smita started performing brilliantly as she always did, and at one point, I just held her hand and gave her a tight slap.”
Amol Palekar said the sudden slap left Smita Patil in shock but as Shyam was yet to say ‘cut’, they kept on performing.
He said, “The expression on her face was that of disbelief. She couldn’t believe I would do something like that. Along with disbelief, it was also the anger and humiliation on her face, but both of us being good actors, we kept on performing as Shyam had still not said ‘Cut!’ As soon as the shot was over, I went to her and apologised profusely. I started crying. I told her why I did what I did, and she hugged me and cried too.”
During the same conversation, Amol Palekar said he wouldn’t do the same thing if he was put in the same dilemma today. “If it was today, I would not have done it. And it’s not just because of the theatre discipline, but also because I do not believe in raising my voice and hand on a woman,” said the actor.
Bhumika also starred actors Naseeruddin Shah, and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles. The film was inspired by Sangtye Aika, the autobiography of Marathi actress Hansa Wadkar.
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