Naseeruddin Shah Was Reluctant To Romance Sonam Khan Over Huge Age Gap, 'I Have A Daughter...'
Naseeruddin Shah felt awkward about romancing teenager Sonam Khan and told the director that she was younger than his daughter.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleThe man with a Midas touch, Naseeruddin Shah is one of Hindi cinema's most versatile stars, often surprising fans with effortless performances. A recipient of three National Film Awards, Naseer has delivered some of Bollywood's finest performances in his decades-long. But the actor also had his inhibitions, as seen during the shoot of Tridev, when he was supposed to romance a much younger Sonam Khan.
38-year-old Naseeruddin Shah felt awkward to romance teenager Sonam Khan
In a recent interaction with Vickey Lalwani, filmmaker Rajiv Rai spoke about shooting Tridev and how Naseeruddin Shah was mindful of the age gap with Sonam Khan. Naseeruddin was 38, while Sonam was a teenager, and the duo had many romantic scenes together.
The veteran actor spoke about the huge age gap between him and Sonam and told the director that he has a daughter older than Sonam. Naseeruddin pointed out the age gap to the director, especially while shooting the soundtrack, Tirchi Topiwale. Recalling the same, Rai said:
“One day, when I was discussing the script with Naseer, he just mentioned, ‘I want to bring to your notice that I have a daughter from my first marriage who is older than Sonam. Does it matter to you?’ I replied, ‘Why should it matter to me? As a couple, you two look fine. You could even have 10 children [and it won’t matter]. This is cinema; we are not doing a realistic documentary.’ Then he said, ‘No, it’s my duty to tell you.’ He’s a very honest man.”
After Naseeruddin Shah expressed his reluctance over the huge age gap between him and Sonam, the director told her the same. To his surprise, Sonam reacted differently to Naseeruddin’s concern and showed her eagerness to work with the veteran star. She not only expressed her excitement to work with Naseer but also asked the director not to change her casting because of the age gap.
Naseeruddin Shah got married when he was just 19
Many people aren't aware, but Naseeruddin Shah married Parveen Murad, a.k.a. Manara Sikri, when he was 19. On the other hand, Manara was 15 years older than him and was 34. The couple married in a traditional ceremony in 1969, and within a year, they welcomed a daughter, Heeba, who is also a well-known theatre artist.
Their marriage faced a lot of challenges as his family was concerned about Manara’s prior marriage and children and her huge age gap. Later, the duo grew apart because of different priorities, which led to cracks in their relationship. After their divorce, Naseer was supposed to pay Parveen a substantial amount in alimony, which her family had demanded before their wedding. It was difficult for Naseer, who was still making his mark as an actor. He kept working hard, taking back-to-back projects, and paid the full alimony after 12 years.
While Naseeruddin was separated from Parveen, he fell in love with Ratna Pathak but couldn’t marry because of Naseer’s impending divorce from his first wife. Naseer and Ratna dated for seven years before marrying in 1982.
What do you think about Naseeruddin Shah’s reluctance to romance much younger Sonam Khan?
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