The latest episode of Karan Johar’s Koffee With Karan features Sharmila Tagore with her son Saif Ali Khan.
Mohnish Singh brings you the highlights.
Blast from the Past
Karan begins with a delightful blast from the past.
He asks Sharmilaji about her famous bikini shoot in the late ’60s and how it shook the nation.
‘During the shoot, the photographer was slightly worried. I just thought I looked very nice,’ Sharmilaji says, looking back.
‘What really hurt me later was that everybody interpreted it in such a way, that I was upwardly mobile, trying to catch eyeballs. I did not feel like that. I just thought I would make a very nice…
‘But when it came out in the magazine, I was in London, so I was unaware until Shaktiji (Shakti Samanta) called me and said, “Will you come back quickly? There are terrible things happening here.”
‘He gave me a dressing down, saying, “If you want to be in the public eye, this is not the way to go.”
‘I used to live alone, and was very upset with all this, completely opposite of what I thought would happen. So I sent a telegram to Tiger (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi), and he said, “I am sure you are looking very nice.” So that was my support.’
Saif: The Brat of All Brats
Curious to know more about Saif’s childhood, KJo quizzed Sharmilaji about ‘the most hilarious story’ about his upbringing.
‘I have heard, Saif, the most hilarious story about your upbringing,’ the host says.
‘That’s why we are here. I mean, to share embarrassing stories,’ quips Saif.
Sharmilaji takes over: ‘I wouldn’t say he was a brat, but he would cause anxiety all around. You never quite knew what he was up to.
‘Once he was playing bows and arrows with his cousins and the tip of an arrow went into his eye. His cornea got, you know, disrupted. Now everybody looks at him and says there is a scar there.’
The Replacement
Saif began his acting career with Yash Chopra’s Parampara in 1993. But do you know that he was supposed to make his debut with the 1992 film Bekhudi?
Yes, Saif was initially cast opposite Kajol in the film, but was replaced before filming began.
Explaining the situation, the actor says, ‘Well, actually Rahul Rawail had signed Kamal Sadanah first and then replaced him with me, thinking perhaps this kind of casting is a little…’
‘I don’t want to blame him perhaps but he did chuck me out of the movie because he found my attitude or my… He said, “You’re quite good. People will think it is because you are not good, but it’s because I want you to be more committed and more professional.” Which I thought I was, but he did not think so.’
Recalling how he eventually landed his first film, Saif says, ‘So there were a couple of offers and all kind of dried up. Rahul Rawail told me, “This is it. Nobody is going to work with you.” And he was a bit sadistic, I must say, because he kind of enjoyed that.
‘Then Yash Chopraji called me over and said, “I have heard you are very naughty. Are you? Give me your word.” He was casting Parampara. There were a lot of people in the movie. It was a huge multi-starrer. He was casting for this role and not finding someone. He met me and said, “You promise to be good.” I said, “Yes, I promise.” He said, “Okay, you are in the movie.”
The Secret Wedding
During the episode, Sharmilaji opened up about how she felt when Saif married Amrita Singh secretly in October 1991, without informing her.
‘I was visiting Mumbai for something. Saif came to me and said, “I have something to tell you.” And then he told me.
‘I don’t know what I was doing. but I was quiet. He said, “Amma, your colour is changing; you are looking different.’
‘I said, “We’ll talk later.” And then he left and I ran up to Tiger and told him. There was also a long silence and then we left it at that and I said, ‘I would like to meet her.’
‘We had tea. We chatted. I liked her, but still, quite shocked,’ she adds.
Chipping in, Saif said his mother had narrated ‘a very nice version of it.’
Recalling what exactly happened, he says, ‘She said, “I know you are living with someone and doing something. Well, just don’t get married”.’
‘And I said, “I got married yesterday.” A big tear fell out of her eye and she started crying. She said, “You have really hurt me. Why did not you tell me?”‘
The actor then opened up about his decision to get married at such a young age.
‘It was kind of like running away from home, in a sense. There were so many things going on, and I found a kind of security and an idea that this is safe, and it feels great. I thought I could make a home out of that,’ he explains.
The Divorce
After a 13-year marriage and two children, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan, Saif and Amrita separated in 2004.
Saif said that when he decided to separate from Amrita, his mother was the first person he spoke to.
She told him that she was with him if that was what he wanted.
Addressing the ‘not so harmonious time’ that followed after the split, Sharmilaji said, ‘When you are together for such a long time and you have such lovely children, no break up is easy.
‘Then it is not a harmonious… I know it is difficult to have harmony at that stage. Everybody is hurt… so that stage was not nice, but I tried.
‘But that’s water under the bridge, she needed time to cool down.’
Sharmila added that it was not a happy time for the family as they lost not just Amrita, but also Saif’s children.
‘It wasn’t a happy time for us because Ibrahim was just three and we were very fond of the children. Tiger was really fond of Ibrahim and he would say, “That’s a good lad.” He didn’t get that time with him. So we felt doubly deprived to lose Amrita and lose the two kids. So it’s just not him, but we also had to adjust to all that.’
What Does Sharmila Like Most About Daughter-in-Law Kareena?
Talking highly of her daughter-in-law Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sharmilaji said that she likes her simplicity and straightforwardness.
The actress revealed that she and Saif were in a live-in relationship before they married in October 2012.
Recalling an incident, Sharmilaji says, ‘I had friends over, lots of people from Delhi. These two came and were sitting there. I casually said, “What’s happening?” She (Kareena) said, “When Saif woke up in the morning, he told me this”, giving the impression that they are living together. This is Delhi, and these are my friends of my age.’
The actress reflected on changing times and noted that when she was living with her husband before marriage, even if they assumed everyone knew about it, she would not openly discuss it in a room full of people.
The actress said that Kareena, however, spoke about it so naturally, showcasing her simplicity and directness.
‘Even when I think about it now, I just sort of laugh that how simple and sorted she is,’ she said. ‘She is so direct.’
No Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani
During the conversation, Karan drops an interesting trivia that he had approached Sharmila Tagore for a part in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
Unfortunately, the actress could not be a part of the film and the role went to Shabana Azmi.
Sharing why she said no to the film, Sharmila says, ‘This is at the height of COVID. They had not really grappled with COVID at that time. They did not know the vaccine… We were not vaccinated. You know, after my cancer. So they did not want me to take that risk.’
The actress did not share any more details about her cancer.
