Raise your hand if you have grooved to the peppy beats of Tirchi Topiwale on a dance floor. Well, well, there is hardly any 90s kid who didn't. The songs from Naseeruddin Shah's Tridev have dominated our party playlists for all the right reasons. Did you know Naseeruddin Shah was not comfortable romancing Sonam on the big screen?
In an interview with Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube channel, director Rajiv Rai recalled how the actor was conscious of the fact that Sonam was younger than his daughter, Heeba Shah.
Recalling their conversation, Rai said Naseeruddin Shah approached him while they were discussing the film's script.
“One day, when I was discussing the script with Naseer, he just mentioned, ‘I want to bring to your notice that I have a daughter from my first marriage who is older than Sonam. Does it matter to you?' I replied, ‘Why should it matter to me? As a couple, you two look fine. You could even have 10 children [and it won't matter]. This is cinema; we are not doing a realistic documentary.' Then he said, ‘No, it's my duty to tell you.' He is an honest man.”
On how Sonam reacted to working with Naseeruddin Shah, Rai said, “I told her I was informed about this and asked if she would be comfortable. She said, ‘Why would I care? I'm dying to work with Naseeruddin because he is one of the best actors we have. Please don't change my casting.' She was very excited to work opposite him.”
Rai also revealed that Naseeruddin Shah was a “bit shy” as he wasn't a dance expert.
“Everyone knows that Naseer ji [Naseeruddin Shah] isn't a dance expert. So, he was feeling a bit shy. He said, ‘How will I dance? What will happen? I have never done a song like this.' I told him, ‘You are such a good actor; don't think of this as dance. Think of it as acting. And whatever the steps are, adapt them according to your acting. Don't take too much burden in your mind; don't look at it as 1-2-3-4 steps.' He asked me if I was sure, and I said yes,” Rai said.
Released in 1989, Tridev featured an ensemble cast that included Sunny Deol, Jackie Shroff, Madhuri Dixit, Sangeeta Bijlani, Anupam Kher and Amrish Puri.
