Sharmila Tagore says she did films ‘just to pay rent’: ‘Sometimes we sign a film for money’

Sharmila Tagore was a superstar in the 1960s and 1970s. The actor recently revealed that she sometimes did films 'just to pay the rent'.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: March 1, 2023 08:39 AM IST

3 min read

Sharmila Tagore recently made a comeback with Gulmohar.

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Sharmila Tagore was a popular movie star in the 1960s and 1970s. And even though Tagore hasn’t appeared in many films in the last couple of decades, she is still considered one of the best actors that Indian cinema has ever seen. The actor starred in popular films like Aradhana, Amar Prem and Chupke Chupke, but also worked in movies like Anupama and Avishkaar which were seen as out of the box films at the time. In a recent interview, Tagore, who is returning to acting with Gulmohar, said that in those earlier days, she sometimes picked projects “just to pay the rent”.

In a chat with India Today, the actor was asked for her reasons for selecting films and she said, “Well, we as professionals, sometimes we sign a film for money, just to pay the rent. Sometimes we help a colleague or somebody who thinks if I’m in the project, the project will do well. So I’ve made films for many reasons.” Tagore started working at a very young age and continued to work after she got married to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1968.

She added, “I think, overall, I’ve done it for because I liked the script and, at that point of time, that it was necessary. But at this point of time, where I am today, Kusum was necessary.” Kusum is her character’s name in Gulmohar.

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In the Disney Plus Hotstar film, Sharmila Tagore is playing a matriarch who decides to sell off her property in a posh colony in Delhi leaving her grown-up children shocked. Recently, Tagore shared at a screening that the film made her cry “profusely”.

“I hope you liked the movie. I am seeing it for the third time and I was still crying profusely, although I am in it. Of course working with Manoj, Suraj… actually he makes me cry. I kind of vibe with this young lot. They make it so difficult for themselves. They can easily take their father’s money and get on, but they have to punish themselves. This is an assured debut film by Rahul and so well written,” Tagore said.

Gulmohar, also starring Manoj Bajpayee and Suraj Sharma among others, releases on March 3.

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