Annu Kapoor Recalls Why Shashi Kapoor Blew Up At Him During Utsav Shoot

In an exclusive conversation with ANI, the actor recalled what exactly led to the differences and why Shashi Kapoor got upset with him

Veteran actor Annu Kapoor knows no boundaries when it comes to exploring distinct roles in the film. Kapoor’s breakthrough performance was in the 1984 film Utsav, which was produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. Despite Annu Kapoor’s great respect for the Jab Jab Phool Khile actor, there was a tiff between the two during the shooting of the film. In an exclusive conversation with ANI, the actor recalled what exactly led to the differences and why Shashi Kapoor got upset with him.

He remembered shooting for Utsav, which featured Shankar Nag, Rekha, Amjad Khan, Anuradha Patel, Shekhar Suman, Anupam Kher, Neena Gupta, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Sanjana Kapoor and Kunal Kapoor, apart from Shashi Kapoor. 

“We were playing cards in a tourist lodge in Bharatpur. Anupam Kher, Shekhar Suman, the late Satish Kaushik were all sitting in my room. And the rest all big stars were inside the lodge. I gave an order for chai and paneer pakoda. The waiter asked for cash. So I said, okay, what do I argue with that waiter? I took it out and gave him the money,” he shared, adding, “Then I told a Bengali Dada from the production team that, ‘Dada, next time we will bring ticket also.’ That waiter came and told us to give him the cash. There was no problem in that. But better you could have said the same thing’.”

He went to Shashi Kapoor and told him everything, due to which he got upset. “That Bengali Dada was from the production team. He went and told Shashi Kapoor. When Shashi Kapoor got to know, he told Govind Nihalani. When he confronted me. Did you say that? Did you misbehave? I said, sir, what you think is misbehaviour might be the right thing…”

This argument created misunderstanding and differences between the two stars and Govind Nihalani conveyed to Annu Kapoor that Shashi Kapoor is angry and he said that a “small actor argued with me”

The Mandi actor continued, “I told him that I was just clarifying my point. When the shoot in Bangalore (Bengaluru) took place, he called me. I told him that I was going. He told me to come to his room. I reached his suite. He said, ‘this is a ticket, go on Sanjana’s (Shashi Kapoor’s daughter) ticket’. And he went inside and gave me Rs 7,000 in a packet. I couldn’t believe it. I touched his feet and got emotional. I made him understand my point and told him that you don’t know the waiter at the Bharatpur lodge but you knew me so if you would have told me I would have gone to the thelevaala and worked hard and never spent your money. After that, there was no problem.”

However, Kapoor is a great admirer of Kanyadaan, as he mentioned. “In these 42 years, the finest producers I’ve met, Shashi Kapoor is the first name among them. He will always be revered,” he said.

Annu Kapoor is known for being part of movies such as Mandi, Utsav, Mr. India, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Ghayal, Hum, Darr, Sardar, Om Jai Jagadish, Aitraaz and 7 Khoon Maaf, among many others. He also does a Radio show, titled Suhaana Safar With Annu Kapoor. He has also directed several plays and a feature film, Abhay, featuring Nana Patekar. The actor also hosted the popular singing show Antakshari.