Shabana Azmi goes down memory lane to tell us about some never- heard- before stories from the sets of her 1979 releases, Lahu Ke Do Rang and Chor Sipahee
Anirban Das (MID-DAY; June 24, 2016)

LAHU KE DO RANG
This was a Mahesh Bhatt directorial and I have great memories of the film. I had worked with him earlier in Vishwasghaat (1977). I have great respect for Mahesh. What I fondly recall about Lahu Ke Do Rang is the song Muskurata Hua Mera Yaar. I remember he (Bhatt) told me that since I have always been sporting an ethnic look in all my films, he wanted my appearance in this film to be offbeat. I took it on myself to do a silver line on my saree and he liked the innovation. I also draped my saree in a different way. This film portrayed me in the most glamorous way. I was also amazed with the way a mirror was shown atop a mountain. Something like that had never been done before. What is even more interesting is that I used to get my own stuff to decorate the bedroom that had been created at the shoot location. Originally, the bedroom was designed unaesthetically. It was just awful. So, I used to bring Ponds powder and a black comb to keep on the dressing table. I could do this because Mahesh was a dear friend and he was also happy that I was involved in different aspects of the film. The art director was amused, but appreciated my efforts. I would also decorate my reel house with plants for the frames to look good. Shooting for this film was a lovely experience.

CHOR SIPAHEE
The film was directed by Prayag Raj and featured Vinod Khanna, Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi along with me. I remember a very funny incident that happened on the set. But the same incident also made me realise how important it is to take care of personal safety while shooting. There was a scene that demanded me to jump from the balcony from a certain height. But even during those days, one could afford to just pretend to jump and with the help of editing methods, we could easily show the actor performing a stunt. But I don't know what made me actually jump from the balcony and land awkwardly only to hurt myself. Of course, there were cardboards placed on the landing spot, but they were not enough to protect me from getting hurt. However, since that incident, I have always ensured that proper safety measures are undertaken while performing any stunt. It was funny, but a lesson learnt.