Sharmila Tagore Reveals She Sometimes Did Films To Pay Rent Or To Help A Colleague

It would not be wrong to say that Sharmila Tagore was a popular movie star in the 1960s and 1970s. But she has refrained from appearing in films in the last couple of decades, despite the fact that she is considered one of the best actors in Indian cinema  with popular films like ‘Aradhana’, ‘Amar Prem’ and ‘Chupke Chupke’, in her career. 

She is now returning to acting with ‘Gulmohar’, and during an interview she revealed that in earlier days, she sometimes picked projects “just to pay the rent”. She told India Today, “Well, we as professionals, sometimes we sign a film for money, just to pay the rent. Sometimes we help a colleague or somebody who thinks if I’m in the project, the project will do well. So I’ve made films for many reasons.” 

The veteran actress started working at a very young age and worked even after she got married to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi in 1968.

Talking about her upcoming project, she said, “I think, overall, I’ve done it because I liked the script and, at that point of time, that it was necessary. But at this point of time, where I am today, Kusum was necessary.” Kusum is her character’s name in Disney Plus Hotstar film ‘Gulmohar’, who is a matriarch who decides to sell off her property in a posh colony in Delhi, leaving her children shocked. 

Recently, she even mentioned at the film’s screening that it made her cry “profusely”. “I hope you liked the movie. I am seeing it for the third time and I was still crying profusely, although I am in it. Of course working with Manoj, Suraj… actually he makes me cry. I kind of vibe with this young lot. They make it so difficult for themselves. They can easily take their father’s money and get on, but they have to punish themselves. This is an assured debut film by Rahul and so well written,” she said.

‘Gulmohar’, also starring Manoj Bajpayee and Suraj Sharma among others, is set to release on March 3.