I pestered Gulzar for a role in Guddi- Asrani

Bollywoodirect
Jul 28, 2017 · 2 min read

“I passed out from the film institute in 1965 and I didn’t get any work till 1970. Meanwhile, I joined the Institute as an instructor. With the money I earned, I would travel to Mumbai every week with the hope that I would get a break someday.

In 1971, Hrishikesh Mukherjee who was our editing lecturer, came to the institute to meet Jaya badhuri. Gulzar, who was writing and assisting Hrishida, had recommended her for Guddi. When he asked me where she was, I immedi­ately directed him to the canteen where she was having tea. Anil Dhawan and Danny Denzongpa were also present. Jaya dropped her cup of tea when I told her that Hrishida had come to meet her! While he spoke to Jaya, I pestered Gulzar for a role. He quietly told me that there was one, but not to let Hrishida know that he had told me about it.

When I approached Hrishida and told him that I knew there was one role I could play, he blasted everyone in Bengali! Finally, I got the role. Guddi was a big hit! The film industry sat up and noticed the new girl, Jaya. Top directors including Manoj Kumar and Dev Anand had special screenings of the film and along with Jaya, they also noticed me. Consequently, I signed eight films and there was no looking back. Asrani

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Courtesy- Cineplot

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