Legendary actress Sharmila Tagore recently revealed some intriguing stories from her celebrated career, offering a glimpse into the dynamics of film sets. One such anecdote focused on actor Shatrughan Sinha, who used to be late on the sets. During the shoot of the 1980 film ‘Dostana’, Sinha shared the screen with Amitabh Bachchan, and his habit often clashed with Big B’s punctuality.
In a recent interview with The Indian Express, Sharmila amusingly remarked that the filmmaker Raj Khosla struggled to get Sinha and Big B on the same page during the shoot.
Shatrughan Sinha reveals why he had to turn down ‘Sholay’
Sharmila revealed Shatrughan’s notorious lateness. She remarked that, apart from Shashi Kapoor, Bachchan was the only actor who consistently arrived on time. Zeenat Aman was also there with the duo in ‘Dostana’. Shatrughan Sinha was notorious for being late—he was late to his own wedding, and as a parliamentarian, he was late. He is biologically incapable of being on time. For that film, the shift was from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and at exactly 2 p.m., Mr. Bachchan’s car would leave, and Shatrughan Sinha’s car would enter,” she shared.
The ‘Amar Prem’ actress humorously noted that Khosla, stressed by the production process, lost all his hair. Sharmila also highlighted the difficulty of getting three key stars—Bachchan, Shatrughan, and Zeenat—together in a single shot. Zeenat had to adjust her schedule to accommodate both male actors. For several scenes, the director had to use a body double to substitute for the stars when they couldn’t appear together. Despite Shatrughan’s tardiness, Sharmila fondly remembered him as a kind and humorous person who wasn’t difficult to work with.
‘Dostana’ also featured Prem Chopra, Amrish Puri, Helen, and Pran in key roles and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1980.
Meanwhile, Sharmila will next be seen in Outhouse, directed by Sunil Sukthankar, which is set for release on December 20
