Shekhar Suman reveals how Shashi Kapoor cast him in Utsav over his own two sons and the entire film industry

He said, “I got the role in Utsav just 15 days after coming to Mumbai. This in itself is a miracle. It has been the most unprecedented break for a newcomer. And those who talk about nepotism should know that Shashi Kapoor was the producer of the film, his own two sons wanted the same role. In fact, the entire industry wanted it because it was such a coveted role… When I reached Bombay Central, and saw thousands of people, I told my wife that we should turn back.”

He said that within a few days, he got the opportunity to go witness a film shoot with Shashi Kapoor, and happened to sit next to him. Shashi looked at him a few times, and they got talking. “While he was talking to me, within 15 minutes, he offered me Utsav,” Shekhar said. He was told to go meet Girish Karnad, who also approved, and that’s how he was cast in his debut movie. “There was something divine about it. This has never happened in the history of the Mumbai film industry, nor will it ever happen again,” he said.

Shekhar said that his sudden rise to the top made certain parties in Bollywood jealous, and they began spreading negative gossip about him. “They don’t go around saying that you can’t act, because there is proof that you can. Instead, they say that you’re unprofessional, you’re too full of yourself, you aren’t punctual, you demand too much money,” he said.

Even though his film career failed to take off, Shekhar went on to become a household name thanks to television, and now appears infrequently on camera.