Karisma Kapoor and Aamir Khan-led Raja Hindustani (1996) was a massive critical and commercial success. One of the most-talked-about sequences in the film, however, was the kissing scene between the lead pair. While it grabbed many eyeballs in the audience, an old interview has resurfaced where Karisma Kapoor described it as "gruelling."
What's Happening
- An old interview is now going viral again, in which Karisma Kapoor spoke about the challenges of shooting the kissing scene with Aamir Khan in Raja Hindustani.
- She told Rajeev Masand, "We have been through gruelling circumstances. People say, 'Oh, that kiss' and all, but what we went through during that shoot for three days... In Ooty, in February... we were like, 'Kab khatam ho raha hai yeh kissing scene? (When is this kissing scene going to end?)'"
- The actress added, "It was freezing cold with storms, fans and cold water. We worked in those conditions from 7 am till 6 pm, shivering between takes. So that was a different era of, I think, working in those kinds of circumstances."
Raja Hindustani Director On Karisma Kapoor's First Kissing Scene
Raja Hindustani director Dharmesh Darshan also spoke about the kissing scene in an earlier conversation with Lehren Metro.
Dharmesh revealed, "She (Karisma Kapoor) was very good on set, she was very excited. I could sense it from her. She was so sincere... She'd never done a kissing scene before. I told her what she would be wearing and that the background wouldn't be 'sexy'."
The filmmaker continued, "She said, 'You don't need to tell me so much.' Then I called Babita ji inside and narrated that sequence. Because Karisma was still very young, and her mother could influence her, no? And Lolo had a good image; she wasn't a very noisy girl. Babita ji sat through the full three days of the shoot, and I didn't send her away."
Other Actresses Approached For Raja Hindustani
Raja Hindustani, to date, is considered Karisma's biggest commercial success and is often termed her breakthrough film.
However, the film was initially offered to Manisha Koirala, who declined it. The project then went to Juhi Chawla, who said no due to some misunderstandings with Aamir Khan at the time.
There were also reports of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being approached for it too.
In A Nutshell
In an old interview, Karisma Kapoor spoke at length about the various obstacles faced while filming the Raja Hindustani kissing scene with Aamir Khan. She recalled that era when actors shot films under extreme conditions.
ALSO READ | When Karisma Kapoor Slammed Two-Timing Rumours With Ajay Devgn, Jeh Wadia