Shabana Azmi says Javed Akhtar wasn’t bothered about her kiss in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani: ‘Who wouldn’t want to kiss handsome Dharmendra?’

In a scene in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, Shabana Azmi and Dharmendra share a peck— something that has become a talking point online.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | August 2, 2023 09:11 AM IST

3 min read

Actor Shabana Azmi opens up about Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Photo: Screengrab)

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Veteran actor Shabana Azmi is surprised at the reactions her kissing scene with Dharmendra has generated. She said that she never thought it would create “such a fuss.” The veteran stars play lovers in filmmaker Karan Johar’s latest romantic comedy drama Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.

In a sequence from the film, when the two characters reunite after years, the duo share a peck— something that has become one of the talking points of the film. Rock Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani isn’t their first film together, technically. They had previously worked on Sai Paranjape’s 1983 film Bichhoo, which got shelved.

In an interview with Zoom, Shabana said, “People are laughing and cheering when we do the kiss. While shooting it was never an issue. It is true that I haven’t kissed much on screen before. But who wouldn’t want to kiss a man as handsome as Dharmendra?”

The actor said her screenwriter husband Javed Akhtar was not “bothered” about the kiss but there was something else that did catch him by surprise. “What bothered him was my rowdy behaviour. Throughout the film I was applauding, whistling, cheering and shouting. He was like, ‘I don’t know this woman sitting next to me.’ I went insane with excitement.”

Earlier, filmmaker Karan Johar had opened up about the kiss between Shabana and Dharmendra and said there was no problem in executing the scene. Speaking to Film Companion, Karan said, “Shabana ji is a trooper. She is a master actor, she is a ‘baap’ actor as they say. There was no debate, no question (about the kiss scene). Dharam ji was like, ‘haan theek hai karna hai, fine’. (It was) two great veterans, performing with absolute aplomb, no questions asked. It was glorious to see them.”

Headlined by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani released last Friday and has been trending well at the box office with collections in the range of Rs 60 cr. It is Karan Johar’s first feature film in seven years after Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

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