Smita Patil passed away on December 13 in 1986, but her legacy as an acclaimed actress continues. She was always a bundle of contradictions. She was never enamoured with doing the song-and-dance routine in Hindi films. But she insisted on trying her luck in mainstream cinema mostly with disastrous results. She was especially awkward with filmy dancing.
After she shot for the rain song Aaj Rapat Jayen for Namak Halaal she rushed home, locked herself in her room and wept copiously. It was Amitabh Bachchan who convinced her that in order to look convincing doing the filmy things the actor has to be convinced first.
Smita did two of her most important commercial films Namak Halaal and Shakti with Mr Bachchan. Not many know that much before these two mega-movies Smita and Mr Bachchan were to co-star in Muzaffar Ali’s Gaman.
That’s right. Mr B was almost finalised to play the role that Farooq Sheikh eventually did.
From then onwards the two intense actors shared a warm bonding. Such was their rapport that Smita would drop in unannounced at the Bachchans’ residence whenever she was shooting nearby, for a chat and a meal.
