Farida was hesitant to look into the eyes of film’s male lead Rajesh Khanna.
Farida’s shy demeanor caused problems during the shoot of the song Baghon Mein Bahar Hai for the film Aradhana (1969).
Farida Jalal is one of the legendary actresses in the Indian film industry. In a career spanning almost five decades, she has essayed majorly character-driven roles in over 200 films in the Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil films. Despite being a talented actress, Farida had a shy demeanor and this caused problems during the shoot of her film Aradhana (1969). In the film’s song Baghon Mein Bahar Hai, Farida’s shy nature became a roadblock. She had shed light on this aspect of her life in an earlier interview.
According to Farida, she was hesitant to look into the eyes of film’s male lead Rajesh Khanna. Producers and the director were quite frustrated with this problem and felt that this could not produce the desired effect in the romantic number. Later on, as told by Farida, they changed their opinion. They felt that her shy nature fitted in perfectly with the vibe of the romantic song.
Earlier, the film’s team had thought of reshooting the song too. Then they changed their opinion. Their second thought about the song proved true and it is remembered till date by the audience. Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi had provided their vocals to this number. Anand Bakshi had penned the lyrics for the song, which were put to music by S D Burman.
Aradhana was a commercial success and is considered one of the all-time best films of Rajesh Khanna.
Farida won accolades for her performances in various films. She became the recipient of many prestigious awards like Filmfare Award and Bengal Film Journalists Award. She has primarily enacted the roles of a mother and grandmother in the current era of films.
Farida Jalal will also play a key character in the upcoming film Laila Majnu, directed by Prem Raj Soni. This film revolves around two British-born Punjabi boys, who want to save their heritage restaurant in Southall, London. They participate in London’s most popular beauty contest for this purpose. Actors Shashank Vyas, Abhimanyu Tomar, Lulia Vantur, Nehal Chudasama, and Jimmy Shergill will play important roles in this film.
