Dr Bali with Vyjayantimala finally gets the blessings of her grandmother and mother figure Yagamma after their marriage. Yagamma was fiercely opposed to Vyjayantimala getting involved with the then married Dr Bali But this sungharsh (struggle) wasn’t over yet,
for ironically,
Read More">at the same time I was also shooting for Sungharsh with Dilip saab. It
Read MoreDr Bali with Vyjayantimala finally gets the blessings of her grandmother and mother figure Yagamma after their marriage. Yagamma was fiercely opposed to Vyjayantimala getting involved with the then married Dr Bali
But this sungharsh (struggle) wasn't over yet, for ironically, at the same time I was also shooting for Sungharsh with Dilip saab. It was being shot in Bombay. I gathered that the idea was to replace me there too with Waheeda, and the rushes were being shown giving the impression that I was the one who was going to quit. This was a very handy tool for them, but I knew I was being falsely charged for no fault of mine. In any case, three-quarters of Sungharsh was over and it was near completion. Now the press created some more mischief by playing up that there was tension between the two of us during the shoot of Sungharsh. I've never had that kind of pride or ego — never. One always delivered and gave results.
By now, HS Rawail, the director of the film, had panicked and he came with folded hands, "I am not a financier or a studio owner. I cannot afford to change the heroine now. Please aap meri picture ko mat rokeeyega, nahin to main barbad ho jaoonga." (Please don't stop my film, or I will get ruined). We told him, "Who wants to change the heroine now that Sungharsh is near completion." And then my husband put his foot down and told him categorically, "She did not quit from Ram Aur Shyam. Nor does she want to give you any trouble. She also wants to complete the film. But she'll not sit through the whole night, or do any extended shootings. You start bang on time and finish on time. She'll finish her work and leave by six." It was a very awkward situation, but I was duty-bound to cooperate with the director and finish his film.
Co-starring Dilip Kumar and Balraj Sahni, Sunghash was a film about family feuds and revenge. It was an engaging subject depicting the thugee cult, and Rawail turned Gulzar's dialogues, each character and each sequence into a solidly made drama. After all that hoo-ha, on the first day of the resumption of the shoot, the press was in full attendance looking for some real tamasha on the sets. I was in my make-up room when my husband came over and met Dilip saab for a man-to-man chat. He told him, "You both have made such good pair in such successful films, then why is it that her image is being tarnished now? Don't keep the gun on somebody else's shoulder and fire." And Dilip saab said, "No Doctor saab, she is a wonderful artiste. We've worked together, and it was great working with her. But of late you know, she's been throwing tantrums and not being cooperative." Doctor saab stood his ground and reacted saying, "That's not true. She's very sincere in her work and most cooperative." And Dilip saab responded saying, "I know, but I am a director's actor, whatever he tells me to do I perform accordingly."