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Ajith Kumar and Shalini are celebrating their 24th anniversary today. The two enjoyed a romantic meal at a luxury hotel where they also clicked by their fans. Over the years, Ajith and Shalini have avoided giving interviews and chosen to keep their lives private. However, in a rare interview with Jaya TV, Ajith Kumar opened up about how he once saw the shooting of Shalini when she was a child artiste.
Amarkalam, a milestone film in Ajith’s career, was shot in 1998. The film was directed by Saran in his second collaboration with the actor after the blockbuster, Kadhal Mannan. Hence, there were a lot of expectations from Amarkalam. To make the film all the more special, the makers wanted to rope in Shalini who was enjoying the success of Kadhalukku Mariyadhai where she starred with Vijay. However, Shalini refused the project.
“The production side contacted Shalini, but she wasn’t interested. She wanted to study further. So, the production unit asked me to convince her. So, I called Shalini and said, ‘I am Ajith Kumar speaking. I would like to work with you. The production side is also very keen.’ But she told me ‘No. I am not interested in acting.’ I had to convince her a lot. A lot. Then we dropped the plan. Then, later on, producers convinced her, and she committed herself to the film. I think we were destined to meet.”
Ajith also revealed another incident where he watched a shoot of Shalini when she was a child artiste, and was called ‘Baby Shalini’. Ajith said, “I was living in Mandaveli (Chennai). I was working. It must have been 1986 or 87. They were shooting for Shankar Guru (1978) film. Back then, I used to smoke secretly. So, I came to the balcony to smoke and I noticed a shoot was going on nearby. My brother joined me and we got to know that the shoot was for this particular film starring Baby Shalini. So, it was a small incident when I never thought I would be married to her.”
He also shared his first scene with Shalini for Amarkalam. “During the first shot, I ended up cutting her wrist for real. There was supposed to be a barber knife without a blade. But due to some mishap, I cut her wrist for real. When we were looking at the monitor, she was a bit uneasy but kept hiding her wrist. Turns out, she was cut.”
Shalini stopped acting after her marriage to Ajith Kumar in 2000. She was last seen in the film Piriyadha Varam Vendum (2001).
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