Hyderabad: In a recent interview, Hema Malini talked about her experience working with Raj Kapoor in Sapno Ka Saudagar, her debut Hindi film. She acknowledged that she initially felt 'scared' and needed assistance during the filming of romantic scenes. Hema, a teenager then, made her acting debut opposite Raj, who was 44 years old.
The Dream Girl of Bollywood acknowledged in a recent interview that it was strange to be paired with an actor with whom she shared such a huge age gap. However, as the film was opposite the Greatest Showman, she had no choice but to accept it. Though the two had a huge age difference, Hema admitted that she only saw him as "an actor" who was the ideal choice for the role.
Hema's mother was mostly in charge of managing her career because she wanted to experience recognition and success that she had never witnessed firsthand through Hema. The actor claimed that because she was from a conservative family, it was all the more challenging for her to act in a romantic scene with Raj Kapoor. She added that she was "afraid in the beginning" to shoot romantic sequences with the actor.
However, it was Mahesh Kaul, the director, who guided her through everything. He even tried making things simpler for Hema by attempting to convey the feelings of a scene using dance terminology. In the same interview, Hema said that everyone in the business understood the boundaries they couldn't cross with her and the types of parts she wouldn't take on.
The actor went on to reveal that she was initially offered a role in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, and even Raj Kapoor knew she wouldn't accept it. Raj Kapoor, according to Hema, was hesitant about her accepting the part, and his concerns were verified when Hema's mother intervened and turned down the offer saying Hema would never do such a role.
