Geeta Bali refused to marry Shammi Kapoor, then suggested they elope: ‘We were turned away from the temple, the priest said….’

Shammi Kapoor birth anniversary: The veteran actor once shared details of how he met his first wife Geeta Bali and fell in love with her.

Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali’s love story and wedding was too filmy. (Photo: Express Archive)

Shammi Kapoor and his first wife Geeta Bali’s wedding was quite filmy. In old interviews the ace actor himself opened about first falling in love with the actress, who was so much like him, getting turned down when he initially proposed to her, and then suggesting wedding suddenly.

Geeta Bali acted in over 75 films in a career spanning over two decades. Geeta Bali was the only Kapoor woman at the time, who continued working in films after her wedding. It was famously said that at the time Kapoor women didn’t work in cinema. But it was difficult for Shammi to convince her to get married to him.

Also read | ‘Marrying Feroz Khan would have been like jumping into a lake’: What Zeenat Aman, Mumtaz and Saira Banu said about charismatic star

Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali with other Kapoors. (Photo: Express Archive)

In an old video interview with Rajshri Unplugged, Shammi Kapoor once shared how they had a lot in common. “I fell in love with her and she fell in love with me. When we came back to Bombay, I proposed to her. That was in April of 1955 and she said ‘no, I don’t think I can marry you. I have so many responsibilities and I have to fulfil them. But I love you.’ I said ‘alright, we’ll keep it at that’.”

Shammi Kapoor with Geeta Bali. (Photo: Express Archive)

Shammi admitted that he kept on asking her on every occasion, ‘let’s get married’, but she said ‘let’s wait and see’.

Watch Shammi Kapoor ,talk about his wife Geeta Bali:

Recalling the D-day, Shammi Kapoor shared, “In August 1955 eventually, there came a moment, and I don’t know how she arrived at that, when she said ‘yes ok, let’s get married.’ I asked her ‘shall I inform your parents and my parents?’ She said, ‘no, let’s get married right now, today.’”

The couple went to meet comedian Johnny Walker, who happened to be a dear friend of the couple and had gotten married just a week earlier. Johnny Walker suggested that they get married in a temple and that’s what happened.

The couple drove down to a temple complex nearby at Banganga. As they arrived late at night, the temple priest sent them away saying that ‘the gods are asleep, come in the morning at 4 am’. Shammi and Geeta drove back to Matunga and waited for sunrise. The couple were back at the temple at 4 am, just like the priest had asked of them, and were married soon after.

Story continues below this ad

See some unseen photos of Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali:

(Photo: Express Archive) Shammi Kapoor, Geeta Bali

(Photo: Express Archive)

Remembering his one-of-a-kind wedding, Shammi Kapoor shared once, “The gods were waiting for us. The temple doors were open and the pujari said ‘aayiye, hum aapki shaadi karva dete hain.’ Geeta did a wonderful thing, which I’ve never forgotten. She took out a lipstick from her purse, gave it to me and said ‘yeh aap meri maang mein lipstick bhar do.’ Wonderful gesture, and that’s what I did. That’s how we got married.”

Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali got married on August 24, 1955.

Geeta Bali, who had started her career as a child artist with The Cobbler (1942) and had her first success with Sohag Raat (1948). After working in Badi Bahen (1949), Bali went onto establish herself as a leading lady of the 50s with films and did many hits like Bawre Nain (1950), Albela (1951), Baazi (1951), Jaal (1952), Anand Math (1952), Vachan (1955), Milap (1955), Faraar (1955), Jailor (1958) and Mr. India (1961).

Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali with their son Aditya Raj Kapoor. (Photo: Express Archive)

Shammi Kapoor and Geeta Bali has two children including actor Aditya Raj Kapoor. Bali died in 1965 of small pox.

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