Rekha’s controversial forced kiss with Biswajeet was a planned publicity stunt, says a senior journalist (Image Source: Instagram)
The controversial kissing scene between Rekha and Biswajit from the 1969 Anjana Safar film is back in the limelight after actress Pallavi Chatterjee, Biswajit’s daughter, admitted in a recent interview that what happened to Rekha was “definitely wrong”.
“ Now, senior film journalist Jyothi Venkatesh has also revisited the incident, recalling what he heard about the shoot.
“Controversial director Ki Thi’s plan”
Speaking to Indian Rush, he recalls, “Ek Ghatna to aapne zaroor Padhi hogi—Biswajeet aur Rekha ka kissing scene. Us waqt Rekha nayi-nayi Chennai se aayi thi… film ka naam Anjana Safar tha.” (You must have read about Biswajit and Rekha’s kissing scene. Rekha had just arrived from Chennai and the film was called Anjana Safar.)Jyothi also claimed, “Main Sona ki ne janbajokar director creates controversy over Khadi Karne Ki Yojana Panayi Thi. Shot shuru hone se pehle Biswajeet ke kaan mein jaakar kaha, ‘Is ladki ko lip-to-lip kiss karna'” (I heard the director deliberately planned the controversy. Before shooting, he whispered to Biswajeet, “Kiss this girl on the lips.”)He added, “Biswajeet ne poocha, Gaal par kiss karun?” Lekin ne kaha director, ‘Nahin, yeh scene ka hissa hai.’ Kiss Karna lip-to-lip.” (Biswajit asked if he should kiss her on the cheek, but the director insisted it should be a lip-to-lip kiss as part of the scene.)According to Jyothi, “Iske baad Biswajeet ne waisa hi kiya aur Rekha phoot-phoot kar rone lagi. Us din ki Shooting Cancel ho gayi thi. Halaanki woh Kissing shot pehle hi filmaya ja chuka tha aur baad mein film mein istemaal bhi hua.” (After Biswajit carried out the instructions, Rekha broke down in tears. Shooting was canceled for the day, but the kissing shot was actually shot and kept for later in the film.)
Pallavi Chatterjee calls incident ‘definitely wrong’
The incident resurfaced after Pallavi Chatterjee chose not to defend her father and instead admitted that the episode was wrong.
She said Biswajit should have either refused to perform the scene or ensured Rekha’s approval was obtained beforehand. Pallavi also pointed out that Rekha was just a teenager and wasn’t quite ready for the kiss, which made the experience extremely shocking and painful.Pallavi also revealed that the two families had a close relationship at that time, with Rekha often visiting their home during childhood. According to her, that personal relationship may have made the incident more painful for the young actress, because it involved someone she knew and trusted.
The kissing scene from Anjana Safar, which was later released as Do Shikari, has remained one of the most controversial episodes in Bollywood history. According to several accounts of the incident, the camera kept rolling for about five minutes while Biswajeet continued to kiss Rekha, who was allegedly not informed about the scene in advance. Rekha later said she felt betrayed and exploited by the experience, while Biswajit has maintained over the years that he was only following director Raja Nawath’s instructions.