Anees Bazmee says he was ‘terrified’ of working with Raj Kapoor: ‘Image he portrayed on screen was nothing like his real image’

Aneez Bazmee recalled how Raj Kapoor was quick to anger if something went wrong on sets and his assistants were terrified of him. The filmmaker-writer detailed what it was like to work with the legendary star.

People were terrified of Raj Kapoor, reveals Anees Bazmee. (Photo: IMDb)

Anees Bazmee, who has given films like Welcome, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 as a director and Swarg and Shola Aur Shabnam, among others, as a writer to the Bollywood, started his career as the assistant of none other than the legendary Raj Kapoor. While Anees credits Kapoor for his success and craft, he recently revealed how he and others on set used to be terrified of him. He also shared how the actor-director was nothing like the image he portrayed on screen. “If he found out anybody who messed up things on set, he would be done for”, said Bazmee recalling his experience working with Raj Kapoor, one of the most celebrated actor-director India ever had.

Bazmee, who is currently busy with the shoot of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, in an interview with Lehren, shared his experience working with Raj Kapoor. He said, “I think there’s so much that has been told about him already. I can only tell one small thing about him that he was great in everything possible. I mean, the way he was passionate about making films was just amazing. However, there’s one thing I would like to mention here that the image he portrayed on screen was nothing like his real image. On sets, he was completely different. We were terrified of him. If anything went wrong, he would say, ‘look we have 300 people on set, but all we need for something to go wrong is just one man’ and if ever he found out who that person was, he would be done for. We were terrified of him, but we also respected him.”

ALSO READ | Panchayat’s Sanvikaa aka Rinky says Neena Gupta is like her ‘maa’ on the set, reveals water tank started ‘wobbling’ during their shoot

The director-writer also recalled how it was surreal for them to work with the legendary star. He said, “For months we used to think that the opportunity that we have got to work with him, be with him, is this for real or are we just day dreaming? It was a dream to work with him.”

Anees credited Kapoor for his success, he said, “I learnt everything from him. Mainly, passion. The passion and hard work he would put in making a film was just amazing. He would look like he’s just sitting in a corner and passing orders, but he would always have something or the other running in his head. He had such amazing music sense. I think, the four years that I spent working with him, it helped me a lot. I will be very honest, if it wasn’t for him then I would have not been where I am today.”

In another interview, Anees Bazmee recalled how Raj Kapoor once punished him for the blunder he did. He said, “Once I made some blunder, and I was told that I wouldn’t be travelling with him in a plane, but I would be travelling from Mumbai to Mysuru in a Jonga with the other assistants and all the lighting equipment. It took us three days.” He recalled how the shooting for the film had already started a few days earlier and he realised, ‘He (Raj Kapoor) doesn’t need anyone, but everyone needs him’.”

Raj Kapoor breathed his last in June, 1988, at the age of 63. Meanwhile, Anees Bazmee is shooting for the film Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 along with Kartik Aaryan, Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit and Vidya Balan in the lead roles. The film is scheduled to release around Diwali 2024.

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.