Veteran actress Anita Kanwal recently spoke about knowing Shah Rukh Khan from his theater days in Delhi, which helped people connect with him during his struggling years, and the harsh realities that character actors face in the entertainment industry today.In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Anita also spoke about the changing culture in Bollywood, and why accessing big stars and filmmakers is no longer easy.
Anita Kanwal remembers her work in… Kabhi haan kabhi na
Speaking about Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Anita recalled playing Deepak Tijori’s mother in the film even though she was only in her mid-30s at that time.“Haan, woh cult classic film Paani. Jab pehle din Deepak ne mujhe dekha toh bola, ‘Yeh kisko le aaye ho motherbana ke? She doesn’t look like a mother.’
“I was about 35-36 years old,” she said.The actress also revealed that the film underwent changes after Deewana became a massive hit while shooting the film.“But woh movie ibada bani aur bilkul bata nahi tha kyunki us time shahrukh ki koi pe movie release nahi hoi thi.peech main deewana hoi thi jab humari shooting chal rahi thi aur woh bahut badi hit ho gayi thi.“Toh jitne bhi Shah Rukh ke motorcycle scenes while editing woh aur badha diye mein.
Homari cut scenes car diy. Main scene dekh rahi hoon yaar mera tha shahrukh ki saath woh kahan gaya? Polly Woh Motorcycle. Main kaha muhi hai betha diti motorbike pe uski saath toh mera mashad toh na katha,” Anita joked.
“I have told people that Shah Rukh Khan has a lot of promise.”
Anita shared that she knows Shah Rukh Khan from his theater days in Delhi, much before he became a star.“Shahrukh ko main Delhi se janti hoon theater days se. Jab woh Fauji aur yeh sab kar rahe the,” she recalled, referring to Fauji.She went on to narrate an interesting incident related to her daughter and Shah Rukh Khan’s phone number.“Mama got Shahrukh Khan’s number.”Anita added that during those days, many people from Mumbai who came to Delhi for casting would often approach her.“At our time in Bombay, I was recording the selection of karne ati, and oh mere bass hi ati. Main unko SRK ka number diya. Main kaha, ‘Do ladke mein bahut waad hai.’ Aap isko contact karo.””She also revealed that Shah Rukh Khan personally called her to thank her for recommending him.“Toh Shah Rukh ka mujhe phone aaya. He was very decent. He called me to thank me and then said, ‘How did you get my number?’ Dheer main kaha meri beti karmel mein badte hai.”
Kehte hain, “Oh yes mujhe pata hai kisi ne mera number blackboard pe likh dya tha.”
Anita Kanwal has never asked Shah Rukh Khan for a job
When asked why she never approached Shah Rukh Khan or other top filmmakers for work, Anita admitted that the industry had become very elusive.“They have built castles around themselves. Aap kya samajhte ho? Aap Karan Johar ko mil sakte ho? Aditya Chopra ko mil sakte ho? Nahi.”“Un tak pahunchna is possible hi nahi hai.”She added, “Kaise koshish karungi? Jaake Shah Rukh ke ghar ke bahar thodi khadi ho jaaungi.”“Main kisi ko nahi jaanti jo uske yahaan kaam karta ho ya usko personally jaanta ho. Aur main aapko bataun – shayad unko yaad bhi nahi hoga yeh sab. Humein yaad hai kyunki woh Shah Rukh Khan hai.”
