‘Shatrughan Sinha, Sanjeev Kumar were worse than Rajesh Khanna’, says Shabana Azmi: ‘Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor were the only punctual stars’

Shabana Azmi recently spoke about her co-stars from the past, and shared that only Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor were punctual.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: December 13, 2024 06:14 PM IST

3 min read

Shabana Azmi speaks about the tardiness of her co-stars. (Photo: Express Archives)

In the era of Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Amitabh Bachchan, and Shashi Kapoor, coming late to set was a norm among superstars. The bigger the star, the later they arrived on set. Actors such as Sanjeev Kumar and Shatrughan Sinha were infamous for their tardiness. Recently, Shabana Azmi, who has worked with almost all of the male superstars of that time, shared how often she was made to wait on set. She also shared a piece of advise that Waheeda Rehman gave her when she entered the film industry.

In an interview with Radio Nasha, the veteran star said, “We used to work on 12 films simultaneously.” Recalling an incident, Shabana shared, “I was working in this film Namkeen with Sanjeev Kumar. The shoot of the film took place in Film City, and the shift would start at 7 in the morning, but Sanjeev Kumar never came before 11:30 am. I used to request my mother, ‘Mom, please don’t wake me up so early, the hero never comes on time.'” However, Shabana’s mother, who herself was an actress, didn’t encourage this indiscipline.

The veteran star said, “Because she herself was an actress and came from theatre background, she advised me. ‘Beta, this has nothing to do with you. You have promised your producer to be there at 7, so you should follow that. Even if the shoot doesn’t start.'”

Shabana shared how the tardiness of her co-stars would impact her schedule, who worked in shifts for various projects, all in the same day. She said, “Sanjeev Kumar would only come at 11:30 and after shooting four-five shots, I used to rush to Filmistaan. There, for 2-10 shift, Shatrughan Sinha only came in at 7 pm.” She added, “Comparatively, Rajesh Khanna was better. He was not as bad as Sanjeev and Shatrughan.”

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As much as this annoyed her, she recalled a piece of advise she received from her senior, Waheeda Rehman. Shabana said, “I remember the first thing Waheeda Rehman advised me is to learn to be patient. She told me, ‘There will be a lot of waiting, and if you will let your mood spoil due to that, it will reflect in your work.'”

Shabana compared Indian cinema heroes with Hollywood star, and claimed, “Even the biggest of stars can’t afford to be late because that will ruin everybody else’s schedule. They will be judged. Discipline is very important.”

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Over the years, the actress believes that this aspect of the industry has improved a lot. She shared, “Now, in Bollywood, I believe that has changed to an extent. Otherwise, back then, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan were the only two people who were punctual.”

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