Sharmila Tagore.
| Photo Credit: ROHIT JAIN PARAS
Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has revealed that she was battling cancer when filmmaker Karan Johar approached her to play a key position in his film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The cinema icon and her son, actor Saif Ali Khan, appeared within the newest episode of Johar’s superstar chat present Koffee with Karan.
In the episode, which dropped on Disney+ Hotstar on Thursday, Karan Johar mentioned he wished Tagore to play the position of Alia Bhatt’s grandmother within the film, which got here out in theatres in August.
“I had offered Sharmila ji the part played by Shabana (Azmi) ji in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. She was my very first choice. Due to health reasons at that time, she couldn’t say yes. but it is a regret I have,” the filmmaker said. Tagore, 79, said she didn’t want to take a risk during the pandemic as she was not vaccinated.
“This is on the top of Covid. They hadn’t actually grappled with Covid at the moment. They didn’t know concerning the vaccine, we weren’t vaccinated. You know, (it was) after my cancer. So, they didn’t need me to take that threat,” she said.
Tagore did not reveal the details of her battle and the nature of the disease. The veteran, known for her roles in Satyajit Ray’s The World of Apu, Devi and Hindi movie such as Kashmir Ki Kali, Aradhana, Amar Prem and Chupke Chupke, said not doing Johar’s movie is a regret and she hopes to collaborate with the filmmaker in future.
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“It will probably be a remorse, and it’s one thing I hope that we are able to make up for and work collectively,” Tagore mentioned. Earlier this yr, Tagore featured in household drama Gulmohar, co-starring Manoj Bajpayee. The movie, directed by Rahul V Chittella, was launched on streaming service Disney+ Hotstar.